My Music @ Work

Everything is bleak.
It’s the middle of the night.
You’re all alone and
the dummies might be right.
You feel like a jerk.
My music at work.
My music at work.

Avoid trends and cliches.
Don’t try to be up to date.
And when the sunlight hits the olive-oil,
don’t hesitate.
The night’s so long it hurts
My music at work.
In a symbol too far
or the anatomy of a stain;
to determine where you are,
in a sink full of Ganges, I’d remain -
No matter what you heard
in my music at work.
My music at work.
My music at work.

I call it, ’Olga Waits;
The Cloud That Entertains
The Dim Possibility of
Showing Some Restraint.’
The rain came down berserk.
My music at work.
My music at work.

On a star beyond the chart
or the dark side of a drop of rain.
determining where you are,
in a sink full of Ganges, I remain -
No matter what you heard.
My music at work.
My music at work.
My music at work.

La-la-la-la-la-la.
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la.
La-la-la-la-la-la.
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la.

Everythng is bleak.
It’s the middle of the night.
You’re all alone and
the dummies might be right.
Outside, the darkness lurks.
My music at work.
My music at work.

Hey fallen hummingbird,
my music at work.
From the middle of the earth,
my music at work.
Bound for bed without dessert,
my music at work.
My music at work.
My music at work.

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Tiger the Lion

This is Tiger the Lion
gimme the Knuckles of Frisco
- If there’s danger in the language,
gentlemen,
I suggest no further use of
the two-way radio.
’John Cage had come to feel
that art in our time
was far less important
than our daily lives,
to which so many’d become
more or less inclined.
The purpose of it’s not unique.
Not to build masterpieces
for a delectative elite
but simply to wake to your life.’*

You’ll be serving the song
when you find out you won’t change
serving the song
walking the range.

’John Cage had come to feel
art in our time
was much less important
than our daily life
If there’s a perpetual plan
for discovery days
where everyone can take part
in what he called
purposeless play
and there’s a sign of life in this play
not to get order from chaos
tell you how to create
but simply to wake to your life.’

You’ll be serving the song
when we find out you won’t change
serving the song
bombing the range

This is Tiger the Lion
get me Into the Pillows
- If you’re painted by radar, gentlemen,
there’ll be no further use of
the two-way radio

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Lake Fever

We can take a bit of a breather.
We can skip to the practical part.
We can skip to the Time of Neither,
when we’re together and even
when we’re apart.
I’ll tell you a story about the Lake Fever or
we can skip to the coital fury.
You didn’t say yes or no, neither.
You whispered, hurry.

We can take it a little bit further.
We can stick to the after-effects part.
’Not trying to make you a believer,
don’t wanna a lil’ piece of your heart.
Just telling you a story about the Lake fever
or we can skip to a neutral fury.
You didn’t say yes or no neither.
You whispered, hurry.
want to be a nobody without peer.
want to be a thought that’s never done
want to shake your faith in human nature
want to break the hearts of everyone.
want to be your wheezing screen door.
want to be your stars of Algonquin.
want to be your roaring floorboard.
want to break the hearts of everyone.
and cause discontent until They,
ceasing their investigation,
bring back the days events,
good citezins and time well spent,
til we’re talking in whispers again.
Until we’re talking in whispers again

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Putting Down

Held a bird’s egg between her breasts
there’s reasons for the road, I guess
to document the indigenous,
to paint and sketch
paint and sketch
I’m starting to fail to be impressed.

United state of ricochet
from the boardwalk to the Appian way
the diamond files, the corporate raves
you’d practically kill
not to be afraid
and I’m starting to choke
on the things I say.
Putting down.I’m putting down.
I’m putting down.
I’m putting down.I’m putting down.
I’m putting down.
I’m putting down.I’m putting down.
I’m putting down.

Browbeaten out from underneath your dress
the documented indigenous civilization
flipped its desk
you know the rest, there is no rest
and I’m starting to fail to know what’s best.

Putting down.I’m putting down.
I’m putting down.
I’m putting down.I’m putting down.
I’m putting down.
I’m putting down.I’m putting down.
I’m putting down.

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Stay

You did the best that you could do.
You were a great crew,
who tried to nurture and preserve your
faith in you.
And with the bureau chiefs
and the shrugging spies
You could stay, but why.

You see a light and then another
and everything you fought for
naught’s uncovered.
You’re not a fighter, you’re a lover.
You got no business in here, brother
so... stay.
Stay.

Is it the worst that you could do?
You were a great you,
who tried to nurture and preserve your
faith in you
and with the bureau chiefs
and the shrugging spies
you could stay and why.
Cause you see a light and then another.
Everything you thought you
sought’s uncovered.
You’re a fighter and a lover
and there’s no one up above her
so ...stay.
Stay.

All things being balanced,
it’s balanced and called balancing
somewhere beyond everything it’s being
balanced not for the
sake of balance but balancing between
the throes of learning
and the entire thing
entirely
balancing.

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The Bastard

If you ask me how I knew, I saw you.
I had a bird's-eye view of a bird's-eye
view when I saw you.
I saw you not as you think,
simply just as you. I saw you
And all of this augers well
even though it’s presaging pell-mell.
All of it augers well.
the bastard of it being, having to choose
Then you turned all Billy Sunday, shoutin'
"Philadelphia for Christ and Christ for
Philadelphia,"
as the sun groomed the plane with crepuscular rays. When I saw you
And all of this augers well.
Even so, it’s presaging pell-mell.
And all of it augers well.
the bastard being, having to choose
between a flickering fuse and power
beyond what you use
Never mind us purple italians,
never mind that pool in the mountains
Victory came and went
on winged elephants. I saw you.
And all of this augers well
even though, even so it’s
presaging pell-mell.
All of it augers well
this is the bastard
the bastard of it being: having to choose

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The Completists

You lured me with your diamond flower
you lured me with talk of still more talk
you lured me with caramelizing power
you lured me a lot
Clearly lifeless barefeet
and dogs just trained to sniff
you saw him struggle
then you saw him cease his struggling
you said, we’re halfway come and meet us
we’re the completists

You lured me with your bad intentions
you lured me with your mexican pot
you lured me with desert dimensions
you lured me a lot.
You loaded up your gear so well
you can pack so tight
but I can still hear your tambourine
demeaning you through the night
don’t wanna sound defeatist
but we’re the ’complete-est’.

Intimate, inaccurate, a family, in a way,
made the trip to Vulnerable and back
on the same day.
don’ t wanna sound defeated.
You lured me into repetition
you lured me to wanna go to sleep
you lured me into open spaces
you lure me
clearly lifeless barefeet
and dogs just trained to sniff
You showed him struggle
then you showed him cease his struggling
you said, we’re halfway, come, and meet us
we’re the completists.
halfway come and meet us
the ’complete-est’

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Freak Turbulence

You're older, you're haunted,
you're ahead of your time.
In corners of acres of blocks of
straight lines.
Blurringly, hourly we cross some
great divides
some heritage moments and some
melodious minds...
a voice above the engine and the
jet stream combined
'it's time..sir...The time sir...
Do you have the time?'
As the moon groomed the airplane in a
benevolent way
Again with the myth that's neither here,
neither there
Again with the myth from up
up high in the air
Above it all, i love you all
Oh how could this be the end
Satan backhands our nose and our chin
the wings tell the tailfins
'it's freak turbulence' -

Just then the Captain assures us
we will land
'I'll have you on the ground
in 25 minutes or less."
'or less', did he say 'less'? Unless what?
We're not on time?
Or less he said 'or less Jet stream
and engine combine
Unless he said 'Or less' as if a joke might
just keep us flying
As the moon groomed the airplane in a
benevolent way

As the moon groomed the airplane with its'
benevolent rays

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Sharks

Sharks don’t attack the Irish,
it’s mostly Australians.
There’s nothing accomplished
by these splashing citizens.
from the Moon down to the surface
of the Mariana’s Trench
I won’t send you in a cab when
I can take you there myself then steal a look
over your shoulder at
the distant lights of your firmament.

When the sharks finished the Irish
and those people from Berlin.
We left our look of the landed
with one of rescue’s imminent
From the Moon down to the surface
of the Mariana’s Trench
I won’t send you in a cab when
I can take you there myself then steal a look
over your shoulder at
the chandeliers of your firmament.
it’s your firmament, baby.

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Toronto #4

Did you know you were the rock plug for
all of us
did you know in the conduit of Vesuvius
You were far more unifying than you know
I’m not a judge of suitable
but, you almost had it all.
now you’ll have to tell me when
tell me when it’s imminent
so you won’t have to rise and fall alone
or endure the wonder of survival
the wipe-out loss
the elation of free fall
the rock bottom
the sweet betrayal
alone.
alone
alone
alone
hello

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Wild Mountain Honey

I don’t wanna put another thought
in my head.

The hummingbird is cleared for
maintenance,
evacuating long after it made no sense.
It’s not so much a load and stay any more
as a gotta-get-down-the-road-before-the-
temperature-soars.

I don’t wanna put a little thought
in your head.

Diplomacy goes even better with drinks
(until the big city trees began to shrink.)
it’s not so much a load out and stay
anymore
it’s gotta get down the road before the
snarling traffic roars.

I don’t wanna ask you,
’What you got in your head?’
I’m not gonna ask you
a whole bunch of questions.

OK, we agree to disagree....
Giving up....Giving Up the Embassy
is a whole lot better than,
The Embassy’s Surrendering.

Flying home under the approval of the stars,
I couldn’t be more at home with the way
things are so hard.
It’s not so much a load-out
and stay anymore
its a gotta get down the road before
the confetti cannon blows
with litigious force.

I don’t wanna ask you,
’What you got in your head?’
I don’t wanna ask you,
’Whatcha been thinking?’

I don’t wanna put another
thought in my head.

I don’t wanna put another
thought in my head.

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Train Overnight

I loaded the variables like masterpieces
from under the germ-led advance.
I saw your compass on a sea of frayed cable
and aspects of vision afloat
in a glance.
and outside the train overnight floodlights
on inexorable sights.

You loaded the variables like acquisitions
from under the noses entranced
you heard some trumpets you thought were
turntables and inklings to listen
dispersed
in a glance.
outside the train overnight contrite the
whistle wails goodnight apologizing like
an ol' dictator might.

Of course we’re now travelling by plane
if it’s not a Canada of a pain
we’ll entertain the idea of train
outside the train overnight bloodlines
wheel-burnished in moonlight a great
candescent white skeleton of flight.

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The Bear

I was first attracted by your scent
Your heart must be a caramelized onion
By the time I saw your flame
it was all over for you and whatshisname.

I think it was Algonquin Park
It was so cold and winter-dark
A promised hibernation high
took me across the great black plate of ice.

Now I’m the Islander.
I found a place to call my den
and dreamt of the Ferry and
the Enormous Man
Huge as were his children
following around after him

I’m the Islander
woke up in the furtive Spring
more capable of anything

I waited for more men to come
hey docked their boats and cocked their guns
The time for truth and reconciliation’s gone
But with my belly full I intended to get
something done

I’m the Islander
woke up in the dead of spring
more hungry than anything
Islander

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As I Wind Down the Pines

As I wind down the pines
it’s the lines on your face
playing on your face

Without thinking so much
as abandoning thought
I went through open country
over water meadows streams
lakes and wires and roosts in reeds
to a nest in the hole of
this dead
tree.

To play without stopping or pause
not for silence not for applause
not without thinking
and thinking's abandoning thought

As I wind down the pines
it’s the lines on your face
playing on your face

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