1. |
Subtraction
03:25
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That girl is a liar and she knows too much
About the thing and another thing is this what
I thought it was I guess it’s not
Black lights like cobra strikes all night long
That burn like fighting words in a song
I’d never write it would be wrong
Like throwing up when you turn me on
Just kick me out and put your clothes back on
Hey wait hey hey
Subtraction! My captain!
Are the bones in the mouth are the xylophone sounds
That they make
When they shake
Are the bleed in the nose are the tooth in the ache
Wear hot pants do a dance just for me
Or if not gimme tea and sympathy
Another Christmas on TV
You gave me your black mirror for our art class
But then got married and wanted it back
Are you for real I have to ask
Or just a ghost from my art class past?
I thought we would but we didn't last
Headaches like rattlesnakes in a sack
That girl’s a liar when she says she has
A kiss for me for the plane ride back
These pants don’t fit because I’m not the same
As I was when she drove me to the plane
I’ll never wear these pants again
You said I looked like a dead salesman
Comic relief with shaky hands
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2. |
Busy Little Bees
02:17
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Busy little bees
Busy little things
Flying all around me everyday
Knocking over getting in the way
Busy little bees
Sticky little wings
Uying-bay iEverythings
iEverybody go away
Ecretary-say
Ake a letter-tay
Everyday
Tell me what to say
Tell me what to say
What do I say?
Shopping ‘til they drop like flies
Black Friday
Busy little bees you know that I need you
But I know what I’d do without you
Busy little bees
Not so busy please
Who do these people think they are
Running over me in speeding cars
Busy little bees
Have another drink
Have another anything you like
Hypertension blood sugar spike
Emetary-say
Visit everyday
I’ll even pray
Tell me what to say
Tell me what to say
What do I say?
Tell me some of you know your right
From your wrong way
Busy little bees you know that I need you
But I know what I’d do without you
Don’t leave me alone
I get sad at home
But I know that every time I try
To be a bee I get stung by
Busy little bees
Doing busy things
Telling me that everything’s alright
Every bee gets busy sometimes
In my end-of-day
Emorandum-may
Let me say
Nothing is OK
Nothing is OK
That’s what I’ll say
Everybody dies at the end of this play
Busy little bees you know that I need you
But I know what I’d do without you
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3. |
Hummingbird
03:15
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What’s that sound?
Is this happening now?
In my hand
I’m all around you now
Hummingbird
Afterward
You can call me on the telephone
Or write me a note
Little thing
Sort of like her now
But not quite
So much more life now
Hummingbird
Afterward
You can take me out to lunch
Or buy me a drink
Aren’t you like
Electronic or
Wound up tight
Are you dangerous?
Hummingbird
Afterward
You can say a bunch of Hail Marys
And really think of the words
On the ground
Why on the ground now?
You’re not so fast
Call the witch doctor
Hummingbird
Afterward
You can think of what you’ve done to me
Then get out of town
Yeah get out of town
Get the hell out of town
Hummingbird
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4. |
Smalltalk Accessories
03:36
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Warm skin
Stretched as a canvas over her bones
Peppered
With freckles, and smooth as a stone
Painterly pleasantries
Are smalltalk accessories
Do not
Don't make me choose, I cannot
Between
Smalltalk, a rock, and hard spot
You'd say
Don't bite the hand that feeds you
Then I'd say
Don't shake the hand that greets you
Look. We are both humans here
And as such
We can get down to business without words
Big
Or small
Weather,
Bad jokes, and happenings overseas
Sometimes
I'd rather a crowbar blow to the knees
But you are
Worth talking to
Your jokes
Are funny and new
Painterly pleasantries
Are smalltalk accessories
Look. We are both humans here
And as such,
We can just hold each other without words
Big
Or small
Big
Or small.
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5. |
Calculations
04:01
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A guy came by here today
said he was from some kind of bureau
Wanted to know if I was OK
my lucky number and my brand of smokes
Told me to wait in the car for a while
taught me to drive around in perfect circles
He had number that I'd never seen
scratched problems in the dirt at his feet
then scrubbed them clean
Said he could fix me up
and make me happy again
Let's do some calculations
Let's build you a nice new friend
Some guys came by here today
and one of them looked like he could've been
you from a different life
His hair was longer and he wore nice pants
He showed me how to separate the light
Wanted to know if I knew what made airplanes fly
He took some measurements and wrote things down
Tore off long sheets of paper
let them float to the ground
Said he could fix me up
and take me back into time
to the year it was soft and cold
for months on end and the sun barely shined
We can fix you up
and make you good as new
Let's do some calculations
Run our hands all over you.
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6. |
Move My Pieces
04:17
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7. |
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This is between
You and me
I’m a thing
But you are everything
Say something
Anything
Tell me how
How you see me
Is there something
Between you and me?
Do you find
Me as int er es ting?
Tell me something
Everything
Tell me how
How to not be
Televisiontoastertelephone.
I am between
You and me
Now make there be
No in be tw een
Pull me apart
With some machine
Thanks a lot…
Now I’m ev er y thing.
Televisiontoastertelephoneteletoastervision.
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8. |
Swarm
02:09
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9. |
It's The Brains
05:05
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I am something I am not
I can't escape myself
that's the point
that's the problem
that's the price of a boney shell
I want to think so fast that I don't need skin and bones anymore
I want to fly over these houses under my own power but I can't ignore
it's the brains in the head
fill the lungs scratch the back
make the heart in the chest go rat-a-tat-tat
make the mouth make a sound
make the eyeballs roll around in the head
it's the brains that make
animals do absolutely what they tell them to do
when I was a baby all I did was scream and eat
not a choice but an instinct
it was my brain controlling me
but now I'm grown and I do anything that I like
or so it would seem
but I dare you to tell me when the change took place
or why I I have to think
it's the brains in the head
fill the lungs scratch the back
make the heart in the chest go rat-a-tat-tat
make the mouth make a sound
make the eyeballs roll around in the head
it's the brains that make
animals do only what the brains demand them to do
tell me why I'm seeing visions
tell me why I hear
voices telling me the worst things
tell me why I've got the fear
If you're proud of the path that you've chosen to take
and you feel so in control
tell me who do you think is pulling the wool over your eyes
and who really runs this show
it's the brains in the head
point the finger pull the hair
make the thoughts in the mind stray everywhere
you may think you have a choice
'cause that brain gave you a voice
but you know as well as I that
animals do absolutely what they don't want to do
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10. |
Day For Night
02:17
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when there is proof
of my extensive lies
I'll blur the truth
enough to change your mind
when I am sure
that there's a wolf at my door
I'll ask him in
he won't be expecting that
day for night
night for day
I could go either way
and who's to say
what's real or fake
what once was blue is gray
they filled me up
nitrogen oxygen
they sawed my teeth
to look american
It was enough
to get stoned in my place
by what's-her-snake-haircut
I ain't so great at faces
day for night
night for day
I could go either way
and who's to say
what's real or fake
what once was blue is gray
load the camera just like this
make sure to tip your publicist
now stand in place and frame the shot
a sun for moon is what we want
I had a brief
moment of clarity
but now I am
sock puppet parody
day for night
night for day
I could go either way
and who's to say
what's real or fake
what once was blue is gray
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11. |
Marches
03:44
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of all the ways we have to get down to B from A
the organized walk in time creeps me out
the protest the funeral the municipal "come one come all"
and speaking of funerals
i hope i never have to ever carry your pall
i hope i never have to ever carry your pall
so line up the lost toys in endless columns of rows
and send them down to first and main with the band
when we are numerous in our discontent
we will sick in and we will walk out
and we will circle the block until you meet our demands
we will circle the block until you meet our demands
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12. |
Fall Up The Stairs
03:30
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Little mysteries plucked from daily life
In the curve of a shell in the path of a kite
Mysteries can be solved what’s the meaning of this?
What’s that on the floor? It’s a broken dish
You won’t see it hop up collect itself
On the tabletop or the kitchen shelf
Entropy has won as it always will
There’s a law for that it’s been known to kill
Disorder is on the rise again I cut my finger
But you won’t see the blood go back in
If this universe started to contract
Would we fall up the stairs? Would we be sent back
To a time that we had no memory of?
Even though we’d been there we’d been there once before
Pulling bites of French toast out my mouth
Reassemble my breakfast watch me spit it out
I’m a gluey ball I’m a ball of string
I’m an antipart I’m an everything
If you think that you thought so therefore you were
You forgot that your thoughts aren’t yours so you’re not
Have I been so blessed or have I been cursed?
Is this the gift that keeps on taking the worst?
Or do I belong to a terrible club
Of people who believe everything they dream up?
And if you think that there’s more than just the words that I’ve said
You will find out that there’s not when you are finally dead
If this universe started to contract
Would we fall up the stairs? Would I be sent back
To the time I got sick and I had to leave
My apartment and live with my family?
Would I then get back every "wasted" year?
Would my eyes like magnets attract my tears?
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13. |
Nobody Gets To Know
05:11
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The telephone is ringing on and off the wall
and there are Fed-Ex packages stacked in the hall
Were I to shave, my face would rub my razor raw
It's been so long
And I don't use my hands or feet or voice at all
Nobody gets to know what I'm doing
Nobody gets to know what I'm up to
Nobody gets to guess what I'm thinking
Nobody wants to know what I'm thinking
I told you all about the time that cats broke in
and I'll be damned if I let them do that again
That's why I'm taking special steps to keep myself all to myself
My head is heavy with the notions it befriends
The road at night is calling me to drive and drive
into the tunnel vision of my ancient mind
The humans scurry to their nests as soon as their sun lays to rest
and then it's mine again and that's the reason why I said
Nobody gets to know what I'm doing
Nobody gets to know what I'm up to
Nobody gets to guess what I'm thinking
Nobody wants to know what I'm thinking
Each man's an island and each woman is a boat
to ferry them from isolation back to hope
Sometimes I think that would be nice
and other times I'm quite alright
with having coconut and crab leg every night
Because
Nobody gets to know what I'm doing
Nobody gets to know what I'm up to
Nobody gets to guess what I'm thinking
You don't want to know what I'm thinking
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United Shapes Austin, Texas
United Shapes are an alternative pop/rock duo formed in 2004 in Austin, TX by Joseph Devens and Drew Cave. New studio album Confuseograph available 2/10/23 on Flim Flam Records.
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