That took awhile ...

Everything I've posted up to this point are the artifacts most closely resembling songs. Many of them are incomplete and/or need work, but that will have to wait until later.

As I was typing, copying and pasting, hunting ... I noticed some of the songs have similar content. Trying to figure out when I wrote them or who they are about was a little difficult at times.

The fun part was trying to separate feelings that I had from lines that were more "filler" than anything else. You can tell in some of the places that I was definitely just trying to finish without putting too much effort into it. Shame on me.

I am looking forward to going back through and revisiting some of the songs again. It's certainly bizarre for me to read where I was at for some of those ... man, I used to be really sleep deprived. Some of it I don't remember writing (or have chosen to blame on insomnia).

Warthog

a few good friends in a bad pinch
dug in real deep bleeding in the ditch
a call for help on the radio
a solemn prayer on my day to go

and when they made me they hung their heads
pushed back the guilt and shook the hands
loading the thirty with a great unease
shaking hands and weakened knees

amongst the clouds and screams I shake my rattle
and pound away til it hurts
til they call me home

On The Shelf

would you like a new copy of me?
maybe one that isn't worn out and frayed
one that can read you as well
one that doesn't need attention

but who would comfort you
take your mind off your worries

would you like a different one than me?
you put me on the shelf
I don't excite you anymore
you can't wait to put me down

I'm worn out and fading in your mind
Those cold, lonely nights were a waste of time

One Way to Nowhere

my kind of place
i see your face
you give me just a little stare

i lay on the charm
you touch my arm
you give me just a little chill

i make a pass
it's way too fast
you give me a slap on the wrist

i hang around
you come around
you give me a number

tell me nothing, give me everything
it's not love, but it's something
a situation that is no fair
a one way street going nowhere
but can I call on you again?

stop by your house
after my shift
can i give you a lift

you fix your hair
i try not to stare
we've got some business to do

Say It Once, Say It Again

i dont know if you're still around
or if you've got out of town
but i've said it once and i'll say it again
televsision recognizes all of our sins

the people know what's going on
cause their the ones with dying sons
but i've said it once and i'll say it again
spilling blood makes the oil thin

got a new way to justify
the taking of a million lives
somebody else started a neighborhood fight
jump in and make everything alright

the barnyard of the holy land
the backdoor slither of the business man
but i've said it once and i'll say it again
money in the name of God is how to win

the prying eyes know who to blame
cause they're the ones who make the games
but i've said it once and i'll say it again
we can take their feet out from under them

You May Enter

all i can see is not enough
but all that i feel is warmth
all i recall is being awake
but all that i know are dreams

and a fear of being alone

all the hands that hold you now
are the hands that hold you down

Bottom

one thing that's on my mind
tonight i'm looking down on
three people in the street
for now it's just procrastination

hoping and praying
drinking and waiting

when door flies open here she comes
boots and legs all the way up to the ceiling
it could be some hipocracy
when i say she shouldnt light another cigarette

right now i'll settle for a hint
of her interest in my unmatched fascination
i dont claim to be educated
in the ways of bringing a sweet woman down

but if down's where you want to go then climb on in
and if you don't want any trouble then don't make a sound
it looks like the bottom's growing nearer
but it's a little too low even for me

hoping and praying
drinking and waiting

when this thing stops moving let me know
i'm in a haze that's thick and laying me low
dont expect a warm handshake or a smile
it's your soul that they want and they'll take it any way

so now i've got to tell you the truth
i'm a dealer and i deal in minds souls and spirits
its not your fault you couldn't have known
that all that talk before was just to get you down here

but if down's where you want to go then stay with me
and if you don't want any trouble then don't make a sound
we've reached the bottom
we've reached the end of you and me

springsteen rip-off

I told the landlord to keep the change - not that there was much of it
Packed up my things and started the car - bound for God knows when & where

With the morning sun in my eyes and the radio static's familiar sound
I'm setting out to find my one and only, but I don't know where she's to be found

Right now I don't know you, but I know what I have to do
When I find you I won't let go, and maybe then you'll know
That I've been trying to find you forever, and forever takes some time
So when I grab your hand and take you away, know that you'll forever be mine

War Drum

first it builds, then it soothes
when it explodes the bodies move

hearing the reckless beat and singing dove
the clashing of haunting death and beauty
reminds me of crimson streams flowing pain
the sheer magnificence of a low end vibe

the heat of the fires and watering eyes
scanning for enemies who attack from the sky
a tornado of ash and violence unleashed on our kin
fatal burns to the promise of a world without sin

the pitch and the shake of a swirling rythmic slam
the absurdity of its effect on a man
toe tapping, feet stomping, hand clapping horde of shaking spines

dancing and twirling through alleyways and city stores
a crushing fist of genocide and withered whores
without abandon into a wall of bodies alike
nose to nose and death rolls just to spite

the domination of another man's domain breaks him hard
black dog fur and teeth that grind into his heart
jaws gnashing, eyes blinding, roll over white into vertigo

lunatic barrage of shin-to-shin hazy winter dawn
a gaping wound in the mind of the community
simple pounding brain and bewildered face
and clinching fists of raw knuckled embrace

first it builds, then it soothes
when it explodes the bodies move
twisting our bones with a frantic jerking shock
blowing past the meaning of the clock

Shapeshifter

Oh, how i've been missing you
I know that you've felt it too
All the things i can never say
All the time we've thrown away

But your eyes tell me there is light
at the end of this tunnel so bright
But words they burn like a flame
When I try to call out your name

What words do you want to hear
How much time do you need
Is there anything I can do
Is there someone I need to be