FACET SQUARED
pride no longer has definition everybody
wears it, it always fits a state invoked for the lack
of position strength is the bait that keeps us so busy
if it's perforated, then i tear it to bits all sense lost
in the frenzy they should never... ...touch the ground
irony is the refuge of the educated always complaining
but they never quit cool's eternal, but it always dated
they should never... ...touch the ground it's not worth,
it's the investment that keeps us tied up in all these
strings we draw lines and stand behind them that's why
flags are such ugly things that they should never... ...touch
the ground
PUBLIC WITNESS PROGRAM
the eyes have it and the eyes always will
the eyes have it and they're watching you still public
witness charter - look out don't touch public witness
says he's seeing too much i like to walk around it and
i'm paid to stand around public witness seen it all
RETURNING THE SCREW
a fine disservice disceptive, too check
for the sender sender was you caught me wide open no simple
burn this is complicated calls for return fine disservice
intended, too check for the sender sender was you the
point has been recorded, the malice has been revealed
when i stripped away the humor from the arrow it concealed
sharpened and soaked in urine, it was meant to spread
disease but now discovered becomes the sweet antithesis
returning the screw it comes back to you
SMALLPOX CHAMPION
smallpox champion u s of a give natives
some blankets warm like the grave this is the pattern
cut from the cloth this is the pattern designed to take
you right out this is the frontier with winter's so cold
greed informs action where action makes bold to take all
the cotton that's cut from the stalk weave the disease
that's gonna take you right out what is good for the future
what was good for the past - won't last bury your heart
u s of a history rears up to spit in your face you saw
what you wanted you took what you saw we know how you
got it your method equals wipe out the end of the frontier
and all that you own under the blankets of all that you've
done memory serves us to serve you yet memory serves us
to never let you wipe out cha-cha-cha-champion you'll
get yours wipe out
REND IT
why don't you come to my house why don't
you drag me right out past all the shit that i said i'm
saying why don't you cut up my mouth and i don't care
what you use just don't ask me to choose i forced a field
to allow you that's not so easy to do i said i said what
i said i want you to help me surrender rend it it's yours
out in the open we're wide open night light comes into
my room some shade of bruise-colored blue moves through
my mind like a chemical imbalance on schedule my tasting
face to the floor passive abject i'm sure i lick my lips
when i need it don't want to lick them no more my love
song went wrong
23 BEATS OFF
a name i recognise that name it was at
the center of some ticker tape parade the lead story,
a fine example a name, a name a name i recognise that
name it was at the center of some magnifying glass the
lead story, a fine example a name, a name he used to pretend
he was fighting some war somewhere now everything depends
on fighting some war he never thought he'd be an exclamation
point a demonstration of his disease a punctuation mark
a household name with hiv still, it's just still sound
SWEET AND LOW
(instrumental)
CASSAVETES
crush my calm you cassavetes i was sitting
tight so quiet quiet in the dark till the lights came
up my heart beating like a riot riot hollywood are you
sitting on a sign for someone to come on bust a genre
you poor city of shame ask me what you're needing i'll
sell you his name cos he was the one to send it with truth
that's something from someone and gena rowlands complete
control for cassavetes if it's not for sale you can't
buy it buy it sad-eyed mogul reaching for your wallet
like hand to holster why don't you try it try it hollywood
are you waiting on a sign for someone to come on bust
a genre you poor city of shame ask me what you're needing
i'll front you his name cos he was the one to send it
with truth that's something from someone and gena rowlands
GREAT COP
got a lot of questions for me you got a
lot of questions for me got your finger pointing at me
distrusted i look for wires when i'm talking to you you'd
make a great cop
WALKEN'S SYNDROME
fragile stem asleep at the stoplight again
red dressed in red drenched in red spreading red ever
red fragile stem veering for control again change lanes
explain how strain defers the impact of speed on on past
gone gone gone past on fragile stem made your own road
again scars crash and glass made you laugh you'd show
it off to your friends fragile stem lay down your arms
and then steer into the headlights like the dead light
of the last sun you'll see steering into headlights and
your gone
INSTRUMENT
that one is predetermined that one, it
finds another this one comes in one window sliding out
the other we need an instrument to take a measurement
to find out if loss could weigh we need to know value
we need to place value in case it all comes true could
it be loss could weigh? it's always they that's dying
but now it's we that's dying so sooner comes the trying
to understand that loss could weigh we've been dragged
through the fire we bragged about that fire but suddenly
we're tired could it be that loss could weigh? loss could
weigh
LAST CHANCE FOR A SLOW DANCE
coughing inside your
coffin like at the bottom of the sea inside you're breathing
too numb for asking so i will leave it outside your door
warning the threat of morning that just extends you another
day some lights were shining not much for seeing but you'll
be leaving the way you came shot shooting shot shot shot
shooting yourself again for what to taste all the waste
flare flakes a flower a burnt-out shower no one can see
you were needing too shy for asking so i will leave it
outside your door pulse stalls uncut but clotted when
you had thought it would force a flow some lights were
shining not much for seeing but you believe in the way
you came
