1. |
Parable
03:44
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In these times some gifts are vindictive
but creativity will never be submissive
built up strength and a baby was born
she wore her mama's face and she carried it all her own
Tools of abuse beat schools of thought
systematic indifference to the joy that you've brought
a crown of thorns, a broken down thrown
picked up all the pieces, built something of her own
She says life's too hard for these everyday martyrs
I think I'm gonna cry
from joy or sorrow I can't quite decide
life's easy if you don't ask why
Dance on the canvas, just make your message clear
interpret the permanence of ever changing tears
we weep and we grow
we reap what we've sown
Diggin' deep between the lines to find a meaning all our own
Some mysteries are better left undetected
stolen histories never resurrected
when all that dirt turns us into stone
the statues that are carved won't resemble us at all
She says life's too long, it keeps draggin' on
I'm wondering when I'm gonna die
but life's too short and I ain't got the time
to think about a thing like time
So plant a seed and let's see what springs up there
no chance in Hell but we've gotta start somewhere
try to find a place we can call our home
that feeling starts inside, and we carry it all our own
Small victories and setbacks all the same
where the flashin' lights direct you just head the other way
you never asked to be born but you were, and you face it all alone
but a helpin' hand with a heavy heart, you won't have to carry it all your own
She says life's all shit and you just can't win
no matter how hard you try
but it keeps me amused
I learn more when I lose
so keep that look in your eye
keep that fire alive
keep that spark inside
look up to the sky
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2. |
Taxi Cab Confessions
03:29
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I drove a new born baby home from the hospital
on her very first car ride
balloons blocking the rear view the whole time
I've dealt with drunken misogynists and homophobes who are proud of their ignorance
I've had long conversations with queer women of color
about the importance and the nature of poetry
I've been a driver for drug deals, chauffeur to strip clubs, gamblers at the casino who had won big, and some who'd lost it all
I've been stiffed by stuffy businessmen who discuss their new accounts on the way to the airport
I've been tipped well by the waitress gettin' off the late shift
workin' paycheck to paycheck to feed her kids
You're only as healthy as you feel
I picked up a woman in Mt. Washington being comforted by her mother
and she said "They shot my brother, oh god they shot my brother"
I drove her to Hazelwood in relative silence besides a prayer or a whimper from time to time
When we arrived on the scene there were police squads and a news team
she said "How much do I owe ya?"
I said ".....no, of course don't worry about it, Idk what else to say, I'm sorry"
She opened up the door, stepped out of the cab
and in the loving arms of a neighbor, she collapsed
There's no escape, I am God's lonely man
A little girl and her mom had forgotten something vital
when they flew to the big city for the big ballet recital
Unpacking her luggage at the hotel and then it hit her
She forgot to pack her ballet slippers!
They called all around the town searching for the perfect pair
A real Cinderella story
she was gettin' real worried
until the place on 51, they saved the day
But wait, there's more! It was closing time for the store
so they entrusted those shoes
behind the counter with some dude at the gas station next door
So, off we went
they were thankin' me, I was thankin' them
mission complete
the girl was so happy
the mom was so relieved
that's where the story ends for me, but not for them
Are you talkin' to me?
There's nobody else here, you must be talkin' to me
I picked up an old woman from the hospital dealin' with chronic pain
She was cranky and mean along the way
I tried to start some small talk
asked if she liked that ice cream spot
there on the corner? "There's always a long line, ya know? So I figure it must be pretty good"
She said "Ice Cream is Ice Cream, I don't see the big deal"
We pulled into her driveway, she gave me two twenty dollar bills
I said "ma'am, you've made a mistake. You gave me two twenty dollar bills"
She said "no, that's for you, thanks for the ride"
She struggled to get out of the cab
She struggled to get up the stairs
I asked if she'd like some help
she said "I can do this myself"
Then she began to weep
quietly and soft
I got another call so I drove off
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3. |
Self Portrait
04:02
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4. |
Twisted Lips
04:45
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There's a road that leads to God knows where
And the Angels don't guard it, and the demons don't care
The signs the guide you lie to you so hide or they will find you
There's a road that leads to God knows where
There's a statue of stone pointing home
With a crow on the shoulder, but the head is gone
How would it know the way, frozen in decay
There's a statue of stone pointing home
There's a forest singin' a chorus through the trees
The spirits in the lyrics whisper you make beliefs
The song belongs to you but you're out of touch and out of tune
There's a forest singin' a chorus through the trees
There's a cave with engravings of fortunes told
Hectic breath crystallizes in the dampened cold
The echos start to take on a voice all of their own
There's a cave with engravings of fortunes told
There's a castle that can block out the stars
With marvelous markings locked out by the guards
There's a wall that won't come down, a warning written in the clouds
There's a castle that can block out the stars
There's a kingdom built on what you think should be
And in it there's a king who fancies himself free
But at the end of his reign he'll be beheaded or enslaved
There's a kingdom built on what you think should be
There's a mob with the mentality of war
With views skewed to a sword to settle up the score
You can silently abhor or speak up and be ignored
There's a mob with the mentality of war
There's a memory of better times forgotten
Now the fresh picked fruit is all spoiled and rotten
And an effigy can never be a replacement for the energy
For the memory of better times forgotten
The monster in me's sinkin' in his teeth
Claws are thrashin' at the person that I long to be
I know no growth so show no remorse for me
As the monster in me sinks in his teeth
The God you worship's startin' to grow horns
So kill your idols before they kill themselves in cruciform
Before you can mourn idle hands begin to form
Into the playthings of whom you've been warned
So sing to me as I drift off to sleep
Tell me that you love me and kiss me on the cheek
Stick a blade in my rib cage, unlock it and let me free
Wear a dress of red to my funeral and curse me quietly
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5. |
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6. |
Bonny Boy
04:31
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Spinning hella hellish stories of devils and heavenly glory
Ignore the normalcy I’m bored in this purgatory
Deplorable, adorable, I’m not to be admired
A liar with my guts all gone, I flinch in front of the fire
I put my ego on an alter so I’ve got an alter ego
every where that we go he’s a hero, always cheerful,
I’m bound to be profound and deceased
or forgotten and rotten with honest beliefs
I try and shed some light but the darkness overpowers me
casting vast shadows that grasp a hold and devour me
My wicked ways have chipped away
at the friendly gaze in a strangers face
now all I can see are the demons in me
reflections projectin’ the evil in me
I feel no connection I feed off rejection
I speak with inflection to seem healthy
but it’s a façade I’m facetious indeed
dropped outta school I don’t need a degree
to scream at a wall till my voice box bleed
destroy myself and call it my dream
preach to the choir and call it a scene
and claim to maintain living happy and free
I’m plotting my escape in a cell of my own invention
servin’ sentences in personal hell of intention
visions of a healthy self overpowered by contentment
Never learn my lesson, I’m not myself, I’m an only impression
Dancin’ with the devil to heavy metal for the hell of it
don’t give a shit don’t give a fuck like I’m constipated and celibate
Spit cantrips and cast a spell you can tell my soul I’m sellin’ it
I’m quick with a quip and quit when I win, don’t play with me I’m delicate
The spiders that I eat in my sleep are crawlin’ back up through my teeth
to wrap me up in a web of deceit and feast on my freaky dreams
standing in formation it’s the age of information
change the station praise the nation everyday is a vacation
selfish celebrations and group think negations
Frankenstein society stitched up abomination
inhumane creators with no name for our creation
I go coast to coast like space ghost
In hopes of invoking the spirits of overly verbose stoic poets
playing host to the souls of radicals and hobos
the dispossessed and disposed will deal a deadly dose of prose
as they speak through me I raise a toast and propose
to carry on the legends
illuminate the present
using vengeance as our weapon we will question what is threatened
we must protect the essence
become possessed by our obsession
set a precedent to pay attention the presence
carry on the essence
carry on the essence
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7. |
Livin' and Dyin' Rag
03:20
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I try and keep my mind wide open
relate to all that I see
but when my spirits are lookin' up
you know that must come down
I swear dark clouds are followin' me around
I try and keep my heart wide open
my love ain't locked away with no key
but everytime I give my heart away
it always comes back broken
It's so hard to take it easy
But I keep on roamin' around
keep doin' what I do
keep a smile on my face
but I always end up singin' the blues
keep lookin' for a truth to ease my troubled mind
but all I find is a pack of lies
why do I even try?
It's funny how livin' makes you wanna die
I try and keep my mouth shut
so's not to step on someone's toes
but when the whiskey hits my lips
my foot goes in my mouth
I'll go ahead and see my own way out
but I keep on roamin' around
keep lookin' for a clue
keep a smile on my face
but I always end up singin' the blues
keep lookin' for a truth to ease my troubled mind
but all I find is a pack of lies
why do I even try?
It's funny how livin' makes you wanna die
But I know that road is wide open
so I think I'll head on down the line
laughin' all along the way no matter which way I'm goin'
It's funny how livin' makes you wanna die
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8. |
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We are the anarchists who don't do anything
we just sit at home and lay around
and if you ask us to do anything, we'll just tell you
we don't do anything
I never popped a squat
and I don't serve food not bombs
and I've never been locked up
because I don't protest at all
I never fly a black flag
and ACAB's just a hashtag
and I never fight for capitalism's fall
I never hopped a freight train
and I never read Kropotkin
but I always tag a Circle A
on the bathroom stall
the way I fight the man
is by using my food stamps
and I never fight for capitalism's fall
I'm a Cis White Male and I don't send prisoners mail
but I read a Crimethinc Zine so I probably know it all
I leave dishes in the sink and all I wanna do is drink
but there's no Mad Dog when Capitalism falls
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9. |
Open Ended Apologies
03:21
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I can’t keep living like this
Holding a grudge against myself
I can’t keep tightening a fist
I must reach my hand out
I want to empathize
If only it were that easy
I want to apologize
I hope the world can forgive me
For the dead, for the asleep
For the people clinging to a dream
For the numb for the aware
For the brave who are fucking scared
For the strong and for the weak
For the lovers of this world I weep
For the artists who die or quit
because their passion makes them sick
For the war and for the poor
For those we choose to ignore
For the veteran living on the street
And the hero he wanted to be
For assimilation to a vacant nation
For my submission to domination
For those who fear a sunny sky
Because liberation might strike any time
For the victim for the cop
Everyone who’s just doing their job
For the bird locked in a cage
And the prisoners who keep someone paid
For the structures that wall us in
People who say “That’s just the way it is”
For everyone doing what they think is right
But can’t figure out what’s wrong with their life
For the wish and the command
For the stifling invisible hand
For the cause that is called lost
The struggle thats a holocaust
For the money and time spent
To do evil and then repent
For the child that makes my clothes
For the goddamned CEO’s
For the culture that consumes
And the hope of impending doom
For the glory and remorse
Those who see the forest for the resource
For the cattle and the slaughterhouse
For taking part it what we all renounce
For the people who can barely cope
With what some call a good joke
For the offensive undertones
Of a place that I call home
For the privilege I take for granted
And comments that are heavy handed
For the enlightened and the ignorant
Who see the simple and the complex
For heaven sent furious flame
The angels and the demons fighting in my brain
For the rise and for the fall
For the nothingness that created all
For all these songs, all this cheap talk
For all the bad things I have thought
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10. |
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Pride? What exactly should I be proud of?
An economy with a foundation of slavery
native genocide
speculative banking
lobbyists
corporate money in control of politicians
fast food
social media addiction
big pharmaceutical sponsored opioide addiction
shopping malls
fucking Arby’s
factory farms
GMO’s
billboards
sexual predators in elected office
suburbs
strip mall parking lots
obese children
spiritually disconnected families and communities
neighbors who don’t know each other’s names
isolated work environments
nuclear families
gender roles
heteronormativity
hypermasculinity
minimum wage slaves
underpaid migrant workers
deportation
border control
prison profiteering
mandatory minimums
military industrial complex
largest prison population on the planet
oil pipelines destroying ecosystems
Standing Rock burns to the ground
gerrymandering
political apathy
consumerism
celebrity obsession
3/5th contract
lazy radicals
republicans
fucking liberals
police brutality
racial injustice
sexual misconduct
patriarchy
bro culture
donald fucking trump
led in the drinking water
fantasy football
concrete and telephone wires
imperialism
proxy wars
drone strikes
innocent casualties
war mongering
nuclear arsenals
economic inequality
class war
wage gaps
gentrification
structured poverty
internalized misogyny
internalized racism
titty magazines
the petting zoo
land theft
staging a coup for democratically elected communist leaders and propping up and supporting
dictators in south America
manufacturing weapons to fund terrorism in the middle east after destabilizing the entire region
the red scare
witch hunts
a white skinned, blue eyed, blond haired Jesus Fucking Christ
co-opted and appropriated religion
the church collection tray
school shootings
mega-churches
televangelists
cool cars
gasoline
Fossil fuels
exhaust fumes
alcoholism
bar culture
pill pushing doctors’ prescriptions
matthew mconnahe trying to sell me a Lincoln
the alt-right
islamaphobia
xenophobia
suicide
divorce
college debt
big buildings
trendy haircuts
kanye west
diamond rings from blood mines
hipsters
another day at the office
traffic jams
forest fires
fracking
hurricanes
climate disaster
ecological destruction
extinct species
fetishized consumerism
High fructose corn syrup
christmas music
plastic packaging
all that fucking trash
heaps of burning tires
plastic islands in the ocean
insurance companies
CEO’s
lack of affordable healthcare
“stress” culture
luxury loft apartments
white people
complacency
executive businessman who pinches the secretary on the ass because he thinks it’s playful
iphones
techies
social media driven egocentric obsession
make-up
pyramid schemes
the secretary of state is an Exxon CEO
the head of the EPA doesn’t “believe” in climate change
the attorney general is a racist
the KKK
lynch mobs
mass surveillance
data breaches
“nudes”
netflix binges
vietnam
draft cards
the great depression
the dust bowl
bacon bits
disneyland
black friday
soda pop
What the fuck do I have to be proud of?
The only thing I like about this country
is some of the landscape and some of the people
and that has nothing to do with your lines in the sand or your stars and stripes.
You’re worried about kneeling?
I’ll wipe my ass with that fucking flag.
It’s a piece of cloth that represents nothing but ugly.
I do not respect it.
I truly pity anyone fooled by this false narrative fairy tale of “dying for freedom”.
I support troops only because they are people
who were duped into thinking
they’d be cared for if they killed for.
However, I will never support war
and the only thing soldiers have ever died for is the imperialist whims of the greedy and powerful
in search of the spoils of war.
Land, power, oil, more, more, more, more!
You’ve got a salute slammed into a vacant skull
and your hand on a hole where your heart should be.
So, Fuck You America
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11. |
Noble Goof
02:33
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With eyes adjusted to the darkness
when you see the light it's blinding
within the struggle the hungry and humble are finding
a new sense of self, a new kind of wealthy, unholy glory
paint your own picture, write your own scripture, tell your own story
So with a melody in our pockets
and hunger in our hearts
with the songs we wrote a purpose
our emptiness became an art
a literal Homeless Gospel Choir preachin' to ourselves
the word passed through us and nobody knew us
but already a connection was felt
we abandoned all dillusion about ever coming to any conclusions
our dream seemed like a sickness
we were victims of our convictions
In the simplest of coincidence
there's a glimpse of some complex system
purity in immaturity
divinity in silliness
We saw the light at the top of the mountain
it looked so much dreamier from down here
and the flow we follow fearlessly has shown us that uncertainty
is surely the only thing that's clear
A shrug of our shoulders makes us much bolder
than clarity or conviction ever could
with all fears to confront and work to be done
it's all bullshit, let's have some fun!
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Average Joey Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Poet with a banjo!
Writer of Songs
Livin' in a Van
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