The video is an homage to one of my favorite movies. (The song has nothing to do with the movie.)
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1. |
Look at Me
06:29
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hey you there look at me
tell me tell me help me tell me what you see
am i the same man i used to be?
different, changed, or in between?
am i soft now or too extreme?
tell me tell me help me tell me what you see
hey you there look at me
tell me tell me help me tell me what you see
am i the same man i used to be?
bitter, sweet, or in between?
am i soft now or too extreme?
tell me tell me help me tell me what you see
everybody put your eyes on me
roll ‘em up and down, tell me what you see
am i entrenched in a mystery
or knee-deep in an old routine?
am i stuck in a strange belief?
tell me tell me tell me tell me what it means
what will i do with myself?
what should i do with myself?
what will we do with ourselves
now that there’s so much to tell?
thinking of it makes my hyper
hey you take a look at me
tell me tell me help me tell me what you see
am i the man i was meant to be?
something more than just a beast?
am i rough now or too pristine?
nothing at all or everything?
hey you tell me what it means
tell me ‘bout the crimes of the birdless wings
is there a hole where they used to sing
where the maggots float and shy men scream?
are we the beat in a wicked dream
that the shaman says he can’t repeat?
what will i do with myself?
what can i do with myself?
what should we do with ourselves
now that we’re back on the shelves?
thinking of it makes my skin crawl
what made the fly alive or magnet sing?
these are the things that i would want to be
but the knuckled remnants that claw and cling
and the paper flames i crawl beneath
though they inspire they don’t bring release
why won’t the let me?
hey you hanging by a twine
i see you dangling there from the other side
are we the frame that along the line
contextualized the wrong design?
are we the frame that in some dark place
turned a vicious act into a masterpiece?
what will i do with myself?
maybe i’ll think of it later
maybe we’ll all take a rest
now that there are so few of us left
makes my fingers claustrophobic
a thousand fresh skull-zippers up and down
incessant microtonal spectrum drowns the shouts
as you tell me tell me tell me what it’s all about
as you grapple with the lightening bolts and zealot crowds
help me find a place in the human face where
there is space for the microcosm of an eternal race
and what is the rent there?
what’ll we do with the shelves
now that they’re no longer there?
a box of small dots is what’s left
their hooks have long been presumed dead
thinking of it makes me happy
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2. |
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go away, don’t forget to take your frozen ways
please be kind and leave me all the sweetest melodies
you’re not to blame
so don’t regret the bad times
and don’t forget the good times
like when we danced behind the coliseum
go away, i don’t need to know you anymore, no
i don’t need to hold you anymore
go away, don’t forget to take your broken games
please be kind and leave me all the sweetest reveries
you’re not to blame, so don’t regret the bad times
and don’t forget the good times
like when we took the train to the museum
go away, i don’t need to know you anymore, no
i don’t need to hold you anymore
no more reign of pearls or queen of shadow’s shadows
to keep me warm
il priait ne me quitte pas mais il faut oublier
toutes ses promesse
laisse lui toutes les plus belles melodies
you’re not to blame, so don’t regret the bad times
and don’t forget the good times
like when we snuck into the clubs of Paris
go away, on n’a pas besoin de souvenirs de toi
i don’t need to hold you anymore
i don’t need to know you anymore
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3. |
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god only knows what you have done
to become who and what you are
today is a new day, where will you go?
will you leave us here to wonder
who you are and what you know?
all you know or is all this just for show?
god only knows what you have seen
to become who and what you seem
today is a new day, where will you go?
won’t you stay here teach us
how to forget everything we know?
all we know, even if it’s just for show
is it life, is it time, is it everything combined?
god only knows what we’ll become
now that your time
here’s done and gone
today is a new day, seen it before
when our skin is still skin
and our time’s running thin
yes we’ve seen it all happen before
all before, before you and all your lords
is it light, is it night, is it all these things combined?
god only knows what we will do
now that your time
here’s done and through
today is a new day, seen it before
still our skin is still skin
and our time’s running thin
yes we’ve seen it all happen before
all before, before you and all your lore
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4. |
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take it back to the den of maniacs
halfway there, to where nothing’s left of me to care
dig a hole in me, crawl inside don’t let me leave
to the world I see stretched before me shuttering
where the words will change, my face remain
my name is an awful refrain
i must, i must hold on
why can’t we be…why can’t we keep…
why can’t we, why can’t we, why can’t we keep on?
take me back to the lizard and the cat
there’s a page half-read and a language we can share
till the skin’s too dense for the needle to go in
almost there, to where nothing’s left of me to scare
now the words must change, my face remain
my name is an ancient refrain
i need, i need to be free
why can’t we be… why can’t we keep…
why can’t we, why can’t we
i can’t remember who is who and who is hollowed out
save the pieces, i’ll be back, and she’ll pretend it’s all an act
let her do it – you will both be lying when you’re lying back
all your training won’t prepare you nor repair the world they gave you
let her do it – you will both be crying as you’re fighting back
she’ll avenge you with one blow every time she meets a foe
and every day she’ll try to be a little bit more like me
curious, now incurable and lost
i will close my thoughts, nothing left to do but watch
as the light inside turns into a cyan fire
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5. |
Morceau
02:16
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it’s for you, this little chanson
it’s just a little souvenir, a token of esteem
think of us if ever you’re alone
and if you ever get somewhere remember where you’re from
you’re the one we all could love
you’re the one we all think of
you’re the one we all dream of
two o’clock, it’s too long
where’ve you gone where are you coming home
four o’clock, still no word
what have they got that we don’t have here?
it’s for you, this little morceau
it’s just a little something we cooked up in between
think of us if ever your on top
and if you ever fall off remember where you’re from
you’re the one we all could love
you’re the one we all think of
you’re the one we all dream of
eight o’clock still no word
time to eat, you’re really missing out
twelve o’clock, it’s absurd
there’s no point in trying to have fun without you here
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6. |
The Gift
03:41
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christmas day will be here soon
now that november is half the way through
my wish list is nothing new
just like the last one, there’s only you
lord knows i’ve waited, i have been waitin’ so long
all waitin’s got me are more of these sad christmas songs
if it’s not this year, there’s always next year
i will wish for you
all i will ask for
you… that beautiful gift that is you
christmas day has come too soon
anticipation was all I knew
though pure white snow covers the roof
i can’t help feeling lonely and blue
lord knows i’ve waited, i have been waitin’ so long
all waitin’s got me are more of these sad christmas songs
there’s always next year, then there’s my birthday
i will pray for you
all I will ask for
you… that beautiful gift that is you
lord knows I’ve waited, I have been waitin’ so long
all waitin’s got me are more of these sad christmas songs
there’s always next year, then there’s my birthday
i will wish for you
all I will pray for
you… that beautiful gift that is you
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7. |
Spiders in Heaven
06:30
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dreaming soldiers in heaven
amazing tales of untold treasures
washed up along our skies
serpents south of the sextons
can’t console the tears of virgo
dripping upon her face
and winter’s come again
the snow silhouettes drift in
they form in the air like a sigh
exposing what’s really there
still i yearn for her beauty
for her touch, her voice to sooth me
and winter’s come again
the snow silhouettes drift in
they form in the air like a sigh
exposing what’s really there
spiders crawling in heaven
lazy tales of unspun pleasures
washed up along our skies
still I yearn for her beauty
for her touch, her voice to sooth me
and winter’s come again
the snow silhouettes drift in
they form in the air like a sigh
exposing what’s really there
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8. |
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i want to be something that you want to keep
hidden where everyone sees but only you can reach
like memories that rock like seas inside you
put up on pedestals of heart and bone
beneath your thrones they’ll find me
fantasies in frantic frenzies
rip me from limb to limb, then put me back again
i want to be what you see when you believe
everything you see in me but no one else can reach
like melodies an ancient grecian left us
then when the spacemen come with fine-tooth combs
in crumbled stone they’ll find me
sitting here the daydream saves me
from the mundanity of the monotony
then when the spacemen come with xiphoid tongues
in crumbled stone they’ll find me
quiet gazing may seem lazy
but lucid daydreams are what make the day a maze
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9. |
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i fell into a sleep
it was so deep, it was so deep
it took me on a trip
so far away, so far away
i spiraled like a snake
winding through town
winding through town
i left without a trace
without a trail, without a sound
far away away, far away away
i fell upon a face
tattooed in bronze
tattooed in bronze
it had an air of grace
knee-deep in sin, knee-deep in sin
i left it in the ground
couldn’t keep up, couldn’t keep up
with treasures on my back
weighing me down, holding me back
far away away, far away away
i ran into a man
he was alone, he was alone
he met me long ago
on my way out, on my way out
to nowhere left to go
covered in sand, covered in sand
with hands invisible
he reached inside, put me inside
far away away, far away away
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10. |
Fever
06:00
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simple goodbye, could have salvaged so much time
simple pleasures, holy devils, how contrived
what’s one more pretty face lost to the ugly race?
with nothing left to run, it’s not fun
it’s a fever spreading like tar
it’s a fever, dripping down from above
pieces, extra, fit beneath the window box
living treasures in the dark just feel like rocks
what’s one more dusty faith clutched tighter in the maze
whose wall are portrait lined?
it’s not fine, it’s a fever spreading like tar
it’s a fever dripping down from above
it is a tradition, it is a lark
it is no one’s fault, some things must evolve
people are obsessed with preference
the tension’s building up
we have had enough
people don’t believe what they see
but they see what they want
i lie all the time
writhing, twitching… serving up their favorite dish
never ending repeat of their final wish
what’s one more eager face served upon the witch’s plate?
devoured by acid drool, it’s not cool
it’s a fever, sticky like tar
it’s a fever dripping down from above
in the beginning things were so nice
it is no one’s fault so much has evolved
people are obsessed with preference
the tension’s building up
we are all fed up
people don’t believe what they see
but they see what they want
so I lie… all the time
sometimes things go slow
it’s the life we’ll never know
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Dan Jacob Wallace Chicago, Illinois
composer, songwriter, (sometimes) guitarist
NOTE: On streaming services, I'm listed as "Dan Wallace."
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