My dad built a racecar with his own hands
He raced the figure 8 against many reckless men
Driving deadly, driving metal, driving wicked, driving fast,
Always towards that intersection just praying they don't crash.
Once when sitting on his lap I asked how do you not collide?
When you're flying so fast towards that crossroads
How do you decide who's gonna slow down.
Who's gonna give in maybe enough to let the other guy win?
Who's gonna take their foot off the gas just enough to the other guy pass?
He said son, here's some advice you gotta promise that you'll never take,
The trick to it is my boy,
Is that you never, never hit the brake.
He said "Son don't grow up to be a racecar driver."
He said "Son don't grow up to be anything like your father."
He said "Look at my car it's been ripped in half and I'm lucky to be alive."
Well gather round me children, a story I will tell
About pretty boy Floyd the outlaw, Oklahoma knew him well
It was in the town of Shawnee on a Saturday afternoon
His wife beside him in the wagon as into town they rode
Then along came the deputy sheriff in a manner rather rude
Using vulgar words of language, his wife she overheard
Then pretty boy grabbed a long chain and the deputy grabbed a gun
And in the fight that followed he laid that deputy down
Then he ran to the trees and bushes to live a life of shame
Every crime in Oklahoma was added to his name
He ran to the trees and bushes on the Canadian river shore
And many a starving farmer opened up his door
It was in Oklahoma City, it was on a Christmas day
A whole carload of groceries with a letter that did say
You say that I'm an outlaw, you say that I'm a thief
Well here's a Christmas dinner for the families on relief
As through this life you travel you meet some funny men
Some will rob you with a six-gun and some with a fountain pen
As through this life you ramble, as through this life you roam
Under the pines a hundred yards from the center of the universe,
And alarm goes off half the night.
We'll pass around a cucumber and we'll peel a giant grapefruit,
And hope it doesn't rain on our leaky tent.
After that horrible night of riding, we're glad to just be here
And soon enough we'll all be fast asleep.
After that horrible night of riding, we're glad to just be here
And soon enough we'll all be fast asleep.
Oh no these roads weren't made for the likes of you and me (but they're all I got)
A little shoulder could ease my troubled mind.
Oh no these roads weren't made for the likes of you and me (but they're all I got)
A little shoulder could ease my troubled mind.
And we'll pass around the cucumber and we'll share this can of beans,
Deep down underneath all this metal and concrete
Is a world that we all left behind
And I've got a pick
And I've got a shovel
I'm gonna dig it up in time
And underneath this street grows a grass tall and green
All it needs is some sunlight
And if you will help me break up this concrete
I know we'll dig it up in time
And we'll burn down the towns
Mix their ashes with the ground
To make our soil rich and black
And we'll plant some seeds
And we'll grow tall trees
And we'll take our old world back
Deep down inside all those jerks that pass you by
And yell at you when you're on your bike
There's a heart in there somewhere
Buried down I swear
I'm gonna dig it up in time
And inside every cop is a hippy or a punk
They just need to be shown the light
And I'm gonna try
And I'm never giving up
I'm gonna dig it up in time
And we'll burn down the towns
Mix their ashes with the ground
To make our soil rich and black
And we'll plant some seeds
And we'll grow tall trees
She came from a poor home
On the wrong side of the river
Where she played out in the streets
And dreamed of better
He came from the farmland
Where he worked hard every day
Like a prince in shining armor
He came and took her away
And she never had to work
A day in her life
Everything she needed he provides
She was sweet 16
And he was 22
She'd never had a lover
And he had had a few
He had his heart broken
By a he called his wife
But in her he saw a new hope
A chance for a better life
And never did their love ever fade
And never have their hearts ever strayed
But today they sit in different rooms
In the same house
Watching different TVs
They hardly ever speak
They get together to sleep and eat
And I wonder, do they remember me?
Or am I just one of their dreams
That didn't work out?
I bet they'd given up on me by now
All they ever wanted out of life
Was a house and a car
And money in the bank
They worked hard
For such a long long time
But at last they got all of those things
So what do you do
Oh, sister my dear, I wish that you were here
And I wish that you could hear this song that I sing.
Oh, sister my dear, I wish that you were here
And maybe your babies would sing along with me.
Oh, sister my dear, it's too bad you had to leave.
I never got a chance to tell you you're my favorite family.
That imaginary mouse that you gave to me
Has always been one of my favorite memories.
Oh, Sister my dear, you know that everyone agreed,
Losing you and your babies was our biggest tragedies.
For the first time in my life,
I saw my daddy cry and everyone kept asking Oh, why? Oh, why?
And I asked God to save at least your little baby. But he let me down.
And that's when I decided that there must not be any God around.
Oh, sister my dear, how old would your baby be
If you would've brought him to our house on that Halloween?
It was 1984 so I guess he'd be 19.
I wonder, oh, wonder what he'd think of me.
Oh, pay for your lover, the one you left behind,
The father of your children who lost his old life.
Your family was trying. Your future was so bright.
All anyone could say is that just isn't right.
And you used to sing to me, you'd sing;
Oh yeah, life goes on, long after the thrill of living is gone.
Oh yeah, life goes on, long after the thrill of living is gone.
And I hope that you were right and I hope that I am wrong
And I hope that those are more than words to a silly song.
Yeah, I hope that you are right and I hope that I am wrong.
Oh, sister my dear, they said the only one to blame
Was the electricity that made the spark, that made the flame.
With your babies in your arms, you tried so hard to flea
Medicated, and that made it all right to be alive
The monster boy got killed by the pills that they gave him at the end of the line
It took twenty years to assemble this beast
And it all fell apart in two quick weeks
Underneath all the scars on his face and his mind
Was a brand new boy with stars in his eyes
And he exploded on the scene like a geek
And he fit right in with all the rest of the freaks
And he had a lot to learn about the world out there
After spending so long in his gloomy lair
And he made up worlds in his mind
But he didn't need them now so he left them behind
And for the first time in a long time
He was glad to be breathing and his new face could smile
"Please don't take this skin away", he cried
"I'll pay any price I have to pay", he cried
"It's great to have this chance to fail", he said
"I never knew there was life for sale, you saved me, you made me again
Oh what an awful secret these scientists kept"
Now he's livin' and lovin' and makin' new friends
And he won't take for granted what everybody has
And in his chest he found a heart that had never ever ever been used
He dug it up and cleaned it off and found out it was as good as new
The spark had grown into a flame
And it burned anybody that got in it's way
And he took out a few bridges too, but everything burns bright when it's new
And once a monster and now he's a prince,
Or at least that's how he felt when he got his first kiss
And he learned how to walk and he changed the way he talked,
And he started catching up on everything that he missed
And he tried to be invisible for so long, now it was strange to be seen
And instead of all the villagers form in a mob
They threw down their swords and treated him like a king
"I never knew it could get this good", he cried
"You'd never believe how bad it was", he cried
"Please don't take this skin away", he said
"I never wanna go back where I came from, you saved me, you made me at last
All my dungeons and demons are left in my past"
Once he sat in his sadness as days slowly drag
Now he burns with excitement and time moves so fast
And there's a song that he will sing
When he needs to remember how things have changed
He sings, "It ain't so bad, it ain't so bad, it ain't so bad anymore
So don't you cry, so don't you cry, don't you cry anymore
I first saw you at a festival
And then I saw you at a few more shows.
I knew that I had to introduce myself to you.
After all those times of each other
It was something that I had to do.
We hung out in your van.
We became the best of friends.
I can't imagine anything better than that.
I thank you. we first met when you booked us a show.
We played in your backyard to three people.
You made us good vegan food. we became friends with you.
Every time we came to your town we stayed at your house.
I thank you. as the years go by,
This heart of mine says thanks
Many times for the friends it finds.
I am so grateful. I am so lucky.
What have we done?
What have we done?
Are we making any changes or just having fun?
What have we done?
What have we done?
Is this more than just music?
Is it more than just a club?
Are we making any difference?
What have we done?
What have we done?
What have we done?
Well just take a look around and I'm sure that you'll agree
That we've done a lot of things to improve community
Like organizing protests and serving Food Not Bombs
Sending books to all the prisoners that've been locked up for so long
Throwing bricks through all the windows of the evil corporate shops
Supporting mom and pop and standing up to the murdering, racist cops
Seems like we're always talking about the things that we do wrong
But let's not forget to talk about the things that we've done
I know we've got our faults and I must say that I agree
But punk rock music saved my life, I can sing it honestly
Sometimes it may seem like we haven't done anything
But I think that we made it a little bit better than it was
That's why I sing and I'll ask you to sing with me
Up the punks
Up the punks
Up the punks
Up the punks
Up the punks
Up the punks
Up the punks
Up the punks
Up the punks
Up the punks
Up the punks
The best years of his life is what he gave to you.
Never late a day he's been faithful and so true,
Putting out the tombstones and digging down the graves
For over thirty years now and I can't believe you have the nerve to say...
That now you're gonna have to cut his pay
Cause one of your priests did such an awful thing.
Lightning bolt oh lightning bolt why won't you strike them down,
For what they did they deserve to be a black spot on the ground.
And if there is a god living up there in the clouds,
I can't imagine a better time to show his wrath than now.
Somehow these monsters all seem higher than the law.
They're not gonna see any punishment at all...
He didn't give a damn about your god or your church.
He was just an honest man looking for some honest work.
And in his little finger he's got more purity
Than a whole church load full of your child molesting priests.
It seems that you're making him pay for the guilty sins.
Thirty years and that's the thanks he gets.
Well it's hard to imagine there could be a greater sin
Than using your trust for abusing a kid.
As hard as it may seem, well I think that there is,
And you're committing it by protecting these old evil men.
And if there really is a judgement day
The devil told my grampa
The day that he would die
And my grampa told my grandma
And she thought it was a lie
Then the day came and my
Grampa he lay dead
Just like the devil said
A train cut off his arms and legs
And it's a story that my mother told to me
Some people say that it's too hard to believe, but
You gotta believe that my mother never lies
She's never in her life and my grampa he did die, yeah
My father he's hard-workin' man
The devil's never had a hand
In anything he did
He's the hardest workin' man I've ever seen
But I guess his hardest work,
It never worked on me, 'cause
He thinks I'm lazy and he
Thinks that I'm a shame because
I haven't got a job any
Money or a name and:
He's worried about me and what I'm gonna do
How I'm gonna live I hope the devil's worried too, yeah
My lover she's what keeps me alive
She's the only thing I like in this
World that I despise
She sings and her voice is soft and sweet
She whistles in the shower and
Somehow she loves me
My grandson asked me once, he said
"Grampa are you crazy?" and I said
"Just a touch" and I
Got out my guitar,
I showed him how to play and I
Taught him how to sing the song a little out of key, yeah
And the devil sang with me, and the devil sang with me
On my shoulder like a friend that never leaves
And the devil sang with me, and the devil sang with me
I've come such a long way to get to where I am today,
And I must admit I used to be more like one of my enemies.
And step by step my progress seemed so slow,
Cause there was such a cold and lonely road
That most the while I travelled on my own
With no idea of where I was trying to go.
But we all had to go through so much shit,
And it's hard enough just to live through it
And not lose our hearts and our minds.
How are we supposed to see the light
At the end when we don't even know that it exists?
We need a lighthouse with the fire burning bright!
(People can change if given the opportunities,
That's why I say befriend your enemies.) [x2]
Befriend your enemies and strive to be as perfect as you can be.
Don't ever think that your journey's done.
Cause the road goes on forever,
And it's so much better if we stick together.
Look how far we have come.
I broke my promise on a very sharp rock
And I was possessed by something quite unfriendly
And I was haunted by a demon in my sleep
And that's how I learned how to survive.
I gave a berr to a bum that was drinking
And I gave some sause to my bestest friends for cooking
And I gave water to all I thought were thirsty
And that's how I learned how to survive.
I gave some money to my bank for safe keeping
And I gave some money to my land lord, he was needing it
And I gave attention to the TV that was bleeding
And that's how I learned how to survive.
And "I don't care if monday's blue,
Tuesday's grey and wednesday's too.
Thursday I don't care about you.
It's friday I'm in love."
We just ripped off a song by the cure
But it's not the first band that we ripped off for sure.
I fed false information to the audience
And that's how I learned how to survive.
I give a thank you to my father for leaving me
And I give a finger to my stepfather for beating me
And I give props to myself for achieving.
Gosh dang I'm glad that I survived.
I just handed you a giant load of gibberish
And I give love to a lover quite deserving of it
And I give thanks to all of you for listening to the story
I live on an island
In the middle of the sea
That's filled of hungry sharks
That like to eat people like me
It's been called a utopia
And a punk rock paradise
My island isn't perfect
But my island's pretty nice
And I can ride my bicycle
Anywhere I wanna go
I can ride it to the health foods
Store I can ride it to the show
And all I gotta deal with is
A stupid SUV filled with future
Yuppies who try to run me
Off the streets
And I know
I'm not alone
There's lots of good people here
That make it a nice place to call home
And I know
I'm not alone
We'll all fight the good fight
Till we make this place our own
Tree City, USA
It's what the signs all say
But it seems like they're cutting
Down more each and every day
Now they're trying to tell us
We need a new interstate
Trees don't mean nothing
When there's money to be made
And when I was a young boy
Some evil factory
Polluted all the water with
A lot of PCBs
They never got it cleaned up
And I doubt it can be done
And I bet they'll still be laying
There for many years to come
But I know
I'm not alone
There's lots of good people here
That make it a nice place to call home
But I know
I'm not alone
We'll all fight the good fight
Till we make this place our own
And I wish this college would
Just shrivel up and die
And even though I sing it
Well I know that that's a lie
If it wasn't for the college
Well I wouldn't be here
I'd be working at the
Cemetery down in Louisville
And I know
I'm not alone
There's lots of good people here
That make it a nice place to call home
And I know
I'm not alone
We'll all fight the good fight
When you're deep in a dark dungeon
And the cleric's down and dying
And you've taken all the potions you had left
And you feel like you are doomed
Because the demon you set loose
Is coming after you and you can smell/hear it's breath.
And the door between you and it is pretty thin.
The wizard is all out of spells.
The fighters took a few too many hits.
This thing, it came from hell,
It seems like it can't be killed.
Don't ever give up! not all fights are won by skill,
Some are won by luck. don't ever give in!
You've gotta keep fighting until you lose or you win.
Cross your fingers roll the die.
Wait with hope for the big two-oh (20).
Cross your fingers roll the die.
Let it go. let it roll. don't give up yet, no, don't ever quit.
There's always a chance for a critical hit.
The biggest baddest beasts have easily been beat with one lucky shot.
Dragons have fell and kingdoms have been saved
By people giving everything they've got,
By people who never gave up.
By people who know just to let the dice roll and see what comes up.
It's a ten-hour drive to our next show
Across the western wasteland
With no gigs in between
And the gas gauge says we are empty
But that's okay
'Cause we don't burn gasoline
We burn our dreams
We burn our hopes
This van should have died a hundred-thousand miles ago
But it keeps going
We've got our good-luck charms on the dashboard
I've been driving all day
I've been driving all night
I think I can drive for the rest of my whole life
And when I feel like I'm about to fall asleep
I just stare at the taillights of the truck in front of me
And I pretend that they are eyes
And the bumper is a mouth
Filled with red and white teeth
And it guides me safely to the sunrise again
But if by chance I fall asleep at the wheel tonight
And crash and die
Construct a roadside monument
To commemorate my life
And honk your horn every time that you drive by
And I will be so grateful
I will be so grateful
Just to know that you still care
And I will be so thankful
Yes, I will be so thankful
Know that somebody's still there
This road is a long and ugly road but
This road kind of feels like my home
I'm always aching
To find out just exactly where it goes
Icarus made some wings and tried to fly up to the sun
Even though everybody told him that it could not be done
So he died, but at least he tried
And I bet that he had fun
And you may say there's not a lot to see on this drive
And I guess you would be right
But you're never gonna see the stars shine this bright
And I don't know what it is we hope we'll find
But I plan on lookin' for it all of my life
Because I feel like something must be missing
Something's missing
Can't you feel that empty feeling inside
Doesn't it make you wanna get in your car
Or run your bike and ride
Just to see what you might find out there
So I wear my tires thin
I'll destroy the soles on my shoes
I'll walk into the wind
And I'll send postcards back to you
I'll miss my dearest friends
And I'll miss this city too
But I'll feel bound, obligated
To do what I have to do
'Cause the sun never really sets
No the sun never goes down
We're just spinning
Around and around and around and around and around
No the sun never really sets
No the sun never goes down
We're just spinning
Around and around and around and around and around
I will not sing another song for the dead
Because the dead, they are not listening.
From now on all the songs that I sing
Will be songs sung for the living.
I will not sing about my heartbreaks.
It's better to sing about your heart aches.
I will not sing about what I once had
But I'll sing about what I long to have
Because the future holds a chance
And you can never catch up to your past.
You've got to look it right in the eye and say goodbye.
I will not waste another minute of my time trying to raise the dead.
I will not waste a second of my life
'Cause when some things are broken they can never be fixed.
So I say goodbye because I'll never go back in time.
The weather man just told me that there's a storm on the rise
It's gonna rain for forty days and rain for forty nights
But god has nothing to do with this
This is just coincidence
Good weather never lasts forever
I'll board up my windows
I'll board up my doors
Stock my cupboard with enough to last me through the storm
Cos I will endure
The sky is exploding and the clouds begin to swell
The heaven up above are looking much more like hell
And I can hear the thunder and I can smell the rain
I can see the lighting it's all heading my way
As the water starts to rise high above my window
I will write to the light of a tall white candle
I will dance with my mirror on the hard wood floor
To the rhythm of the rain on my roof as it continues to poor
When the sun finally decides to show it's face again
Then so will I and I'll be a better man
And I will be reborn
Almost every other day I wake up and I think
I'm so happy my school days are done
And although many years have passed
Oh, the memories they last
They will haunt me 'till I'm dead and gone
So here's to you all you high school kids
I'm so sorry for what you're going through
This one's for you
Some encouragement to remind you there's life after school
I was a fag, I was a geek, I was a loser and a freak
I tried my best just to be invisible
I was counting all my days
I was planning my escape
It's amazing that kids can be so cruel
So here's to you all you high school kids
I'm so sorry for what you're going through
This one's for you
Some encouragement to remind you there's life after school
Well, the four years went by and I made it out alive
And I started to live my real life
Now I'm happy and I'm free and this whole world belongs to me
If you just hang on, I swear you'll be all right
So here's to you all you high school kids (So here's to you all you high school kids)
I'm so sorry for what you're going through (I'm so sorry for what you're going through)
This one's for you (This one's for you)
Some encouragement to remind you there's life after school
Oh angel, oh angel, come and lend me your sword,
Or just a word so I know it's true.
Oh devil, oh devil, come and eat my broken heart,
Or just sing me a song so I know it's you.
Oh mother, oh mother, come and take me in your arms.
Take care of me the way you used to.
Oh father, oh father, can't you fix these broken things?
If you can't then can't you build me something new?
Oh lover, oh lover, why won't you save me?
Why can't you be everything?
Oh me, oh me, why won't you be happy?
Oh me, oh me, oh me.
Oh ghost, oh ghost, why won't you just die?
Why won't you even try to move on?
Oh ghost, oh ghost, why won't you let go,
You'd be better off you know if you were gone,
Feeling like a vampire today
As another generation slowly tumbles to its grave
But there's a new one rising up so that's okay,
I like the taste of young blood
Holy water doesn't burn my skin but i dare not to drink it
And I don't have the strength of 100 men, but my teeth are sharpened
And I will bite you tonight, if that's what it takes
To turn you from the dark side
Feeling like a fuzzy photograph
Some good memory you don't want to forget
But its so hard to recall
Exactly how you felt when the shutter was open
And the light of day doesn't burn my skin,
But it makes me have to squint my eyes
And I am not afraid of the crucifix
But I only feel half awake at night
I'm a thousand years old you can see it in my eyes
And my body is shot
But like some crazy machine that doesn't know how to quit
I'm gonna give it all I've got
And I'll see you at the end of the world
If you last that long
I'll see you at the end of the world
If you are strong enough
Then I'll see you there
Pull up a chair
And we'll play some songs
Songs to remember
All we have lost
They say that misery
Is the greatest inspiration
They say that being happy
Just makes you dumb
They say you're boring when
When you've got a friend
I think they just don't know
How good it feels to be in love
Let someone else write
The songs that make you cry
Let someone else write
All the really moving lines
Let someone else be
The ones they call amazing
And I'll be happy here
Happy right by your side
They say that misery
Is the only inspiration
They say that being happy
Just makes you dumb
They say you're boring when
When you've got a friend
I think they just don't know
How good it feels to be in love
Because all I know
Is how I feel when I'm around you
I could take the whole world on if I had to
You inspire me in ways
No one will ever know
And it breaks my heart
Every single minute I'm alone
They say that misery
Is the greatest inspiration
They say that being happy
Just makes you dumb
They say you're boring when
When you've got a friend
I think they just don't know
How good it feels to be in love
But now I think I know
What they were talking about
But I still refuse to believe it
No I don't want to have to write the song
Oh no it can't be me
But I'd have to agree that
Misery sure makes you
Want to play guitar and sing
Pour your heart out
On six strings
Write words that are
Oh so embarrassing
Spill your guts
To anybody that'll listen
Oh now I know what I've been missing
They say that misery
Is the greatest inspiration
They say that being happy
Just makes you dumb
They say you're boring when
When you've got a friend
I think they just don't know
The first words that you ever said to me were
"that's not my baby, that baby's japanese,"
And you begged the nurse to take me away
And bring you the right baby but she swore that I was yours.
I remember when we tried celery.
You didn't like it any more than me.
We both spit it in the trash
And that was the last time that you ever made me try anything.
You had it rough growing up.
You don't have it rough any more.
I wish that you would realize that you're never gonna be poor.
You worked so hard to get where you are.
You should try to enjoy it some.
Please won't you try to have some fun?
But you don't have to if you don't want to.
I wish you'd try a burrito and I wish you would try rice.
I wish you'd go to ireland or some place nice.
I don't see what my car insurance has to do with you.
I wish you'd leave my things alone and stay out of my room.
But you don't have to if you don't want to.
No, there's only one thing that I really want you to do
And I'm only asking because I love you.
How much were you paid
And was it worth your wage?
To drop that bomb today and
Did you really think about the hole
That it would make
And how many lives it would take?
I know that everybody needs to make money
And that these days it's hard to find a job
But I hope that they paid you a million dollars an hour
To have you drop those bombs
No matter what you're told
Well I'm sure that you know
That innocent people will die
When you let that bomb go,
Well it's bound to explode
And children will lose their lives
Do you think you're playing a video game?
Do you realize this is for real?
I dare you to land and get out of your plane
Then we'll see how it makes you feel
Yeah, We'll see how it makes you feel
Well I hope that you got rich
For the dirty work you did
Yeah I hope that it was worth your pay
Maybe you should call in sick
To let some people live
To die some better day
I know that everybody need to make money
And that these days it's hard to find a job
But I hope that they paid you a million dollars an hour
Take me out tonight
Where there is music and there is people
And they are young and alive
Driving in your car
I never, never want to go home
Because I haven't got one anymore
Take me out tonight
Because I want to see people, and I want to see lives
Driving in your car
Oh, please don't drive me home
Because it's not my home
It's their home
And I'm welcome no more
And if a double-decker bus crashes into us
To die by your side, what a heavenly way to die
And if a ten ton truck kills the both of us
To die by your side, well the pleasure and the privilege is mine
Take me out tonight
Take me anywhere
I don't care
I don't care
I don't care
And in the darkened underpass,
I thought "Oh god, my chance has come at last"
But then a strange fear gripped me
And I just couldn't ask
Take me out tonight
Take me anywhere
I don't care
I don't care
I don't care
Just driving in your car
I never, never want to go home
Because I haven't got one
I haven't got one
And if a double decker bus crashes into us
To die by your side, what a heavenly way to die
And if a ten ton truck kills the both of us
To die by your side, well the pleasure, the privilege is mine
There is a light, and it never goes out
There is a light, and it never goes out
There is a light, and it never goes out
There is a light, and it never goes out
There is a light, and it never goes out
There is a light, and it never goes out
There is a light, and it never goes out
Back in WWII the bombs kept dropping,
This old city was smashed to the ground.
And the orders were given to destroy everything,
Even to bring that beautiful cathedral down.
But the best bomber pilots, well,
They all tried it and their aim was never true.
As if the work of God or divine protection,
Or that they just could not do what they were ordered to do.
Today it still stands like a giant tombstone,
A monument to a time long gone.
To the old lady beggars with their faces to the ground,
It's tall arch doorways are right where they belong.
You know Hitler he would have been pissed I guess,
But I'm glad that the good guys missed.
No matter what you believe or how you feel about churches,
Let me tell you, you really wanna see this.
You'll be thankful those bombs didn't hit.
We went south down the river to where the Rhine and the Basel meet.
Stood on that small triangular ground
Where this country was founded on our own two feet.
On the way we learned castles are smaller
In real life then they are in the fairy tales.
But that realization didn't stop our fascination
As we explored the secret tunnels behind the safety rails.
As we hopped over those safety rails...
We headed East and we crossed the border,
The border that was no longer there.
And although the fences and walls are long gone,
The weight of their ghosts hung heavy in the air.
The buildings all had different looks on their faces,
They were standing strong and stout.
Going 80 on the Audabon will really take you places,
If you wanna learn history get out of your house.
And all of the statues of Dresden looked mean and cold and angry.
They've all got black faces that say, "You can never kill me!"
And our bus drove by Slaughterhouse 5 on the way to our campground.
We ended up sleeping in a farmer's field cause two years ago the place was shut down.
We went to the forest and we camped a few nights and then we said goodbye
To all the bakeries and the nice young bees that would always give us rides.
At the last minute everything was okay
We bought our tickets, we were on our way
It cost us six hundred and sixty-six Francs
But that didn't mean anything
On our way to Ireland on a French boat
And she had a Spanish captain
He welcomed us aboard and told us some jokes
We tried our best to laugh at them
He said, "Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no
We can't have any women on here
Don't you know, don't you know, don't you know, don't you know
Truckers are like pirates, my dear"
He said not to worry, it was only a joke
And he showed us to our room
And as I was throwing my pack on the bed
A man came in behind you
Said, "Hey, little lassie, are you alone?
Do you need some company?"
Then he saw me and he turned to leave
Sayin' he was sorry
We closed our door and we locked it shut
And jumped up on our fluffy beds
Blankets and pillows were luxury to us,
We had twenty-four hours of them
The captain he knocked and he woke us up
He told us it was time to eat
There was cake, there were fries, there were all sorts of drinks
And then we looked out at the sea
The waves, the waves, the waves, they rose
Up, up thirty feet
Then down, down, down they'd go
And our stomachs started to sink
The captain, the captain, well he saved our lives
He gave us some tiny white pills
We went to sleep for the rest of the ride,
whats it gonna be for you
how do you wanna die
not many choices so its easy to decide
seems like these days
theres only two ways
two paths that lead us to the grave
so whats it gonna be
will you die in your sleep
behind the wheel and on your way to work
be hit by a drunk
smashed up by a pick up truck
fall asleep at teh wheel and never wake up
or would you rather die slow
from all the chemicals
and all the shit you eat and drink and breath
poinson inside while your body tries to fight
the side affects of our society
cancer, carwreck whats it gonna be
cancer, carwreck whats it gonna be
cancer, carwreck whats it gonna be
cancer, carwreck whats it gonna be
we could say it is our fate
we could say we could be saved
but the truth is our chances aint so good
i think that even if someone came and told us how to change
i doubt that many of us would
cause we wont change our life styles
even to save our lives
no we wont change our life styles
We turned around, we were headin' south
We were tryin' to get off the island
Wishin' for a sky without any clouds
With a big nice bright sun shinin'
We found a spot in a soggy swamp
And set up our tiny tent
Our feet were wet again
But we were gettin' used to it
Our feet were always wet
A man drove by in a silver car
With a mean look on his face
He looked at us in the rear-view
And then he hit the breaks
We walked up to the open window
Not knowin' what to think
But he wanted to know where we were goin'
And see if it was on his way
We told him we were goin' to Dover
And hopefully over to France that night
He said, "So am I, hop in
And I'll give you a ride"
And we were on our way
He said he stopped to pick us up
Because we looked so out of luck
He was havin' a bad day too
But he thought we had him beat
It was his philosophy that if you see
Someone in a worse way than you
It's your ethical obligation
To stop and see what you can do
I wish that everyone thought that too
He asked if we had our tickets
And when our boat would leave
We confessed we didn't know that yet
And we'd get there then we'd see
He said, "You should just ride with me
Because passengers ride free
It takes a couple of hours
And I could use the company"
So could we, so could we
But he was goin' to Belgium
And we were goin' to France
But we decided to change our plans
'Cause you don't pass up a chance like that
We got there late and he was pissed
That he missed the hovercraft
If he'd have to take the slow boat
Then he would ride first class
Our bad luck was gone at last
We got to the lonely lobby
And we filled our packs with snacks
They were free, those pastries
And those drinks would weight our backs
He could see our hesitation
We were concerned about bein' rude
He said, "Take as much as you can hold, kids
I was once like you
I have been there too"
We got aboard the ferry
And they took us to our seats
Which were basically in a nice restaurant
And it looked like we were gonna get to eat
They brought us priceless menus
And they brought us more drinks
We were the only dirty kids there
With our big backpacks and stinky feet
So we ate our three-course meal
And talked to our new-found friend
We told him about the music we played
He was an electrician
He asked where we planned to sleep that night
We said we had no clue
He said, "I'll drop you off by the side of the road
That's what I used to do
I wish I was a bumblebee
I wish I lived to love my queen
Flying from flower to flower all day
I'd dance if I had something to say
Everybody working to feed our babies,
Such a simple and honest community
Not making money, just making honey
I wish I could make something that sweet
I wish I was a mountain goat
I wish I didn't know all the things I know
I'd eat alpine flowers for lunch each day
I'd take naps in the sun in some secret place
Living high on peaks all covered in snow
In the valleys that no one else could go
What some people call danger I'd call my home
And I'd never have to hear another telephone
I wish I could be them both
Anything's better than being a ghost
I wish I was a live
I wish nobody ever had to die
I wish I was a alive
We got off the plane in the cold, cold rain
Lost track of the hour, lost track of the day
We were very far away from anywhere we'd been before
We got on a bus and we went to the city
Got off at a stop because we liked the name
We were in for an adventure
And that's all we knew for sure
And we walked until we couldn't walk no more
Jet lag and sore feet led us to the door
Of an expensive noisy bed
Where we could rest our heavy heads
We slept away the rest of the day
And well into the night
And we woke up with a hunger for life
Well before the sun rised
We didn't have money to ride the underground
So we walked the miles and miles of this town
When night fell like a rock we realized
We were never gonna find a patch of open ground
And the rain was comin' down
And the trains were shuttin' down
We were worn out, wet and lost
There was no shelter to be found
We spent over a week of our budget
On a taxi and a bed
And we made plans at night to escape
This expensive wonderland
We would set out for the wild
We would see what was beyond
We would sleep above the soil
And we would travel by our thumbs
And written above my hostel bed
In black marker it said
"There's a light
And it never goes out"
We didn't have a clue what we were doin'
We didn't even know where we wanted to go
The next day we took the tube all the way
Out to the end of the line
It took us five hours to find a place to stand
We stuck out our thumbs, we raised our hands
It was rainin' hard again
But we were not surprised
No one wants to pick you up
When you're soakin' wet
It was hard not havin' second thoughts
About goin' on this trip
And we ate the rest of our hostel bread
Under a dark, damp underpass
We watched the cars go past
The sun was sinking fast
But salvation came at last
In a little blue hatchback
And he took us a few miles down the road
The day was almost over
It was hard not to give in
We had made it outta the city
We were thinkin' about givin' up and settin' up our tent
But a Jeep pulled over then
And he told us to get in
He said his name was Nick
Right away he felt just like a friend
And he took us to some land
Where some people live on buses
Invited us to stay the night
And we could not refuse
We got a bus of our own
And it had a soft, warm bed
We built a little fire
And we dried our soaking shoes
And we slept, yeah we slept
Just like little babies
The next day at Stonehenge
We couldn't afford to get in
We thought it would be free,
We were surprised to see the fence
This day would set the theme
Of this trip for you and me
We could pay to see the sights of Europe
Or we could choose to eat
And we pressed on to an old Roman city
And we made it before night
We broke down and bought some fries
Just so we could get dry
And curse the sky, curse the sky, curse the sky
It rains all the time
We found a spot to pitch our tent
It was our first night in it
The rain soaked in, the ground was cold
It sank into my bones
And we decided that it was way too cold
To keep goin' the way we had planned to go
And that night we agreed that we would turn around
We'd head for warmer ground, we'd start makin' our way south
Oh you can't get lost if you've got no place to go
You can't take a wrong turn if you're not on your way home
Paris isn't that romantic
If you don't have any money
Those cafés aren't so cute to walk by
When you're hungry
Our campground on the outskirts of town
Was all we could afford to do
We were so sick of bein' in the big cities
This one seemed so rude, rude, rude
We mailed home all our huge rolls of film
And all the change that we couldn't use
We bumped into some girls that we knew from Texas
Saw the Mona Lisa, her smile seemed so cruel
And we used our last ticket to take the train
To a boat on the coast that would take us away
To a place that we hoped
Would be the end of our sorrows
When we got there we were way too late
There was no way we could leave that day
We'd have to find a place to stay
And try again tomorrow
We found a secret place to crash
In a bush by the docks
That was filled with trash
We cleared a spot and we called it a day
And I wished that I brought my guitar
As I looked through the bush
Up at the stars
Fell asleep and got woke up by the rain
We waited on the porch for the doors to open
And we asked the guy if there was any reason hopin'
He said, "Don't give up,
Cross your fingers, wish for luck"
So I cast my spells and I made my curses
Wishin' that a truck would get stuck
And then we could take their place,
We knew our stream would lead to a bigger stream
And eventually the river, and out to the sea
It never seemed like a possibility
That we could go beyond our boundaries
Beyond my mother's screams
We jumped over fences and we cut some down
As the stream got deeper and winded around
When we finally made it to it's mouth
We stood in silence in what we had found
We were afraid to make a sound
There was this warning, written in red
This is the land of the cynics, keep out and then his master said
We should not do this now huh? No we should turn around
No we should not do this now huh? No we should turn around
Make some plans then come back and attack
We went to school and we told the gang
We all met up the next Saturday
Armed to the team with BB guns, Rambo knives and machetes
We were a wicked little team
We marched beside the new found stream
There were an offense on the trees
We found their club so easily
We ripped up everything
We showed no mercy
We painted lightening bolts
And we left a note to let our enemies know that this war has begun
We said, you got no rights to post that kind of sign
This woods does not belong to you or anyone
And your warnings don't scare us
Because, we move silently
We hide in the shadows of the trees and we will not be seen
We can disarm the traps, just set, set our own that you will trip
Our arrows will fly straighter
This woods does not belong to anyone, but if it must it will belong to us
We have won this day, you should know our names
We are the Gladiators
We made maps, we gave names to all the paths
We found the place that gave our little town it's name
It looked like a castle but it was where they made the cement at
To us it was such a magic place
We made a temple out of wood and we filled it with the bones
That we found in the woods so people would leave us alone
We were young, we were dumb, we were having so much fun
The new kings of the new kingdom
We enjoyed our victory
We got a message from some one-named Gypsy
He said your bones do not scare me
This war's not over and I think that we should meet
The temple, this Friday at 3
I woke up early before school and I ran back to the spot
It was filled with traps, just like I thought
I tore them up and left a note and said is this some kind of joke?
There's much more to us than just old bones
And the top of the castle is where we would meet next
This time the time and the place were things that we picked
We said no weapons, we said no tricks
We did the best to hide the fact that we were just some little kids
We were just some little kids
I was scared when I saw him
He looked much older and I thought that he might be a Vet
His master climbed the wall and saw he had a rifle hidden on a rope hanging in the pit
We said no weapons and we called him out on it
He didn't know how I could know until he turned around
His master had climbed up right behind him
And didn't make a sound
And we really had him now
We talked for a while with this stranger about the natives of this land,
Our gangs, and nature
We got home again
We didn't know what to think of him
But it seemed like the war was over and the trees held no more danger
I was sad to see it go
A few days later I ran in to him alone
At the place that used to be his old gang's base
He told me stories of their glory days
Before his friends grew up or they moved away
And we decided that day that we would build something
We would build it together, it would represent our truce
And as I got to know him, it got easy to see
That he was just a kid who loved the woods like me
He was a friend, he was not an enemy
We made our enemies our friends
We should have never been enemies with them
We made our enemies our friends
We were the cliché American backpackers
Standing on the side of the road in the rain
With our cardboard sign written in black sharpie
That read Amsterdam
We were going to Amsterdam
So we weren't surprised by the looks in the eyes
Of the people in their cars when they passed us by
And the gave us the middle finger
Or the thumbs up or thumbs down
But we stayed tough, we stood our ground
And by the end of the afternoon
We got dropped off in the middle of this town
Now everyone will tell you 'bout the coffee shops
And everyone will tell you 'bout the red-light district
But somehow up to now it seems they all forgot to mention
The millions of bikes locked to the millions of bridges
That arch up like rainbows to cross the city's millions of canals
That run down every street with the houseboats nice and neat
And the buildings lean so much you think that they might fall down
Like the rain that day that drove us to a stoop
Gotta feel sorry for all the hippies
That came here in the '60s
Now they don't know who they are
We watched one of them playin' flute
He was tryin' to earn some change
We had spent all of our money for that day
We grew hungry and the rain just came and came
And oh how I wished I had some of those fries
All the people were eating when they passed us by
And I closed my eyes for a minute or two
I opened them up when I got a nudge from you
There was the hippie, the one with the flute,
And holding in his hands was my wish come true
And he handed me the whole thing
And this whole interaction felt was more like a dream
He was readin' my mind it seemed
Like a genie granting wishes for people on the street
And we never could have thanked him enough
I don't know if he knew how much it meant to us
And that night in a tent we counted all our money
And we figured out how long we could stay
The way it looked to me we could live here forever
Sleep in the campground, eat falafel every day
But that's not what we came here to do
We had so much more left to see
And though this place felt so nice
We made our plans to leave
And we went to this park where they had free bikes at the gate
Spent the day riding through the trees and it felt great
We were offered a place to stay on the floor of someone's office
But we chose to sleep beside the interstate
And the sounds of the cars passing by
Put us right to sleep
Nothin' beats layin' right under the stars
It seemed like everything we heard and hoped might be true
We got a ride right away and she took us to the dunes
And we fell asleep to the sounds of a carnival
From a village further down the beach
We woke up the next morning on a bed of tiny flowers,
Packed the tent and went to get somethin' to eat
We bought a cheap jar of peanut butter and a loaf of fresh white bread,
We made sandwiches on the beach; life doesn't get any better than this
We walked in for free to the first castle that we found
It was empty, it was late, it became our campground
And we spotted a tent and we met another camper
And he told us his sad story--
Well he had been dumped by a girl that he loved and he told us not to worry
You can camp anywhere, no one's gonna care; why would they?
"It's not like this at home," we told him, "you know"
He said your home's so far away
We went west all the way 'til the land ran out
We slept at an empty house in the middle of a tiny town
We met a man at a crossroads who said it was his dream to someday come to Bloomington
We thought it was funny because for you and me, it was our dream to be here in Ireland
He was a big fan of John Melloncamp;
we told him everything we knew about him
We invited him to come and stay at our house;
when we got to our stop he didn't want us to get out
We stayed the night at the house of a guy from Albany
He was glad to meet Americans; he made us spaghetti
We met a man who said he was a doctor and he took us on some of his house calls
He taught us the best way to get a donkey to come to you
is not to pay them any attention at all
And I crawled to the edge and peeked over my head and looked down to the sea
It was two thousand feet to the water below; it looked so blue, it looked so deep
And don't ever let 'em tell you that it rains in Ireland
Well if they tell you that you can be sure they've never been
'Cause the sun is always shinin' and the hills are always green
And people are always smilin' and offerin' you drinks
We'd set up our tent on the cliffs right by the sea
Almost every night and the waves rocked us to sleep
The postman from Wales and his friend from England
Bought us fries at the westernmost pub
We sat with them and two others we'd met
And we all watched the postman get drunk
And at first the Burren might seem like a waste land of broken stones
Look in the cracks and you'll see there's a secret there that grows
And Galway City really feels a lot like home
We went through Connemara and up to Sligo
And at the Slieve League we wouldn't see anything;
We decided that we should turn back
The mist was so thick that we couldn't find our feet
And the trail was called Deadman's Pass
On one side it was three thousand feet down to the ocean
The other was two thousand feet to the ground
And anyway our time was running out
And we crossed the country in less than a day
Our last ride to Dublin asked us the same things
They asked if we had any kin from Ireland;
They were surprised when we said no
When I said I didn't drink and hadn't tried the Guinness yet
They were the first ones to say, "way to go"
And as our ferry was leaving the Emerald Isle behind
We were already making our plans to come back sometime
And don't ever let 'em tell you that it rains in Ireland
Well if they tell you that you can be sure they've never been
'Cause the sun is always shinin' and the hills are always green
at the end of the street there is a statue of christopher columbus
he's got his arms up in the air and he's pointing us towards home
there's people selling pigeons and they're selling squirrels for pets
there's a tiny toy piano being played by a toad
and there's parrots in the trees and the beach is blue and green and the hills are think with plants that we've never seen
we sat on that bench together
it is the worlds largest
bright mosaic tiles crafted by some great dead artist
all of this is nice and all of this great but the tell the truth im thinking about bloomington today
Well if you want to sing out, sing out
And if you want to be free, be free
Because there's a million things to be
You know that there are
And if you want to live high, live high
And if you want to live low, live low
Because there's a million ways to go
You know that there are
You can do what you want
The opportunity's on
If you find a new way
You can do it today
You can make it all true
And you can make it undo
(Do) you see?
It's easy
You only need to know
So if you want to say yes, say yes
And if you want to say no, say no
Because there's a million ways to go
You know that you are
And if you want to be me, be me
And if you want to be you, be you
Because there's a million things to do
You know that there are
You can do what you want
The opportunity's on
If you find a new way
You can do it today
You can make it all true
And you can make it undo
(Do) you see?
It's easy
You only need to know
Well if you want to sing out, sing out
And if you want to be free, be free
Because there's a million things to be
I'm as thin as the wind in November,
Just when it starts to blow cold.
So I'll raise my glass to remember.
I'll make my empty toast.
I said here's to the future that came and went.
Here's to the past the days well spent.
Here's to the melodies and here's to the harmonies
That will never show their faces again.
The chorus is never coming in.
The chorus is never coming in.
The chorus is never coming in.
The chorus is never coming in.
And here's to the paths that we choose.
Here's to the gambles that we win and we lose.
Here's to decisions that we make.
Here's to the hearts we awaken just to break.
The chorus is never coming in.
The chorus is never coming in.
The chorus is never coming in.
The chorus is never coming in.
And here's to the things we leave undone.
Here's to all the unfinished songs...
And here's to those days.
And here's to those days.
Yeah, here's to those days.
Yeah, here's to those days.
Won't you help me say goodbye?
Won't you help me say goodnight?
Won't you help me say so long?
On hollow ground I sit and wait,
Playing songs upon your graves
And I hope that you can hear me
Cause you know that I have got a lot to say.
So you made all your mistakes,
But you didn't die in vain.
You know that I was taking notes
And I assure you that I won't do the same things.
All my fathers dead and gone,
All my mothers, brothers, and sisters tagged along.
And they left me all alone
With the rest of the lost souls
In this world that made our home.
And what I'd really want to know
Is do we really have to go?
Cause I don't think that I believe
And I must admit that I'm pretty afraid to leave.
So I call on you tonight,
Come up and tell me everything is going to be alright.
I'll tell you what it's like to be alive,
If you tell me what it felt like to die.
(If you tell me what it's like to die
What happened to what we were all fighting for?
Did we lose the war?
Or did we just grow up?
What happened to what we would all die for?
Well I'm still dying for,
Sometimes I feel like I'm giving up.
What happened to what we were all crying for?
Well I'm still crying for,
But now my eyes are running dry
What happened to what we were all singing for, screaming for
I'm singing for it still, but now my throat is getting sore.
What happened to you, my brother in arms?
Without you I would've never made it half this far.
What made you decide to close those beautiful eyes,
That once were open so wide?
What happened to the girl you were?
I was in love with her.
But now she's gone, yea, she's gone away.
I'm not complaining it's just that everybody's changing but me-
I'm always staying just the same.
I'm getting sick of paying rent I thought by now wed be through with it.
I thought wed have our own world made.
Is this really all were working for?
I'm not working anymore, but still I'm feeling like a slave!
How many gallons of gasoline am I gonna need?
To get those fires all burning again.
Those fires that burned so bright in your eyes,
Back when you would say that you were just a kid
I'm not trying to bring anyone down,
No matter how it sounds,
That's not what this songs about.
It's just how I'm feeling now, and how I'm worried
Dear Dad,
I know you're proud of me
even though you've never said it well
I know you are and I know talking can be hard.
And I think I've proven myself to be financially responsible and I want my Mustang back.
I wanna cruise down Kirkwood like the other cruisers and be king.
I wanna rip down the highway, leave a cloud of jealousy.
That car was nothing but a junkie when you bought it for me when I was 14
we fixed it up together
honestly, I think you can fix anything.
And I know you're proud of me because I'm living my my dream.
So please, please, please don't worry about me.
Please don't worry about me.
Dear mom,
I know that you're afraid
and you've got every right to be, growing up with nothing to pour to have a drink.
And I know there's a crook inside of you just dying to get out
and you would hide me from the cops if they came knocking at your house
you would drive my get away car, that's just the way you are, you got a mother's heart, you got a mother's heart, you got a mother's heart, you got a mother's heart.
And I'm sorry that I've always forgot your birthday and you've never forgot mine.
And I'm sorry I haven't given you any grand kids.
And I'm sorry that I don't have a wife.
And I'm sorry if the way that I live my life is the way you think is right.
But you raised me well and I think that I came out alright.
Even though you're ashamed of me for being such a thief, well I know you still love me and I admire your honesty. So please, please, please don't worry about me.
We arrived really late at night
And we found a place to sleep under a small patch of trees
We didn't set up our tent that night
We just put sleeping bags right down in the weeds
The ground was covered in thorns
But the ground was dry and the ground was warm
And we could see the stars at night
So we knew we'd be alright
I heard some footsteps approaching the fence
So I picked my head up to get a look at it
It was the most monstrous cow I'd ever seen
With eyes like a devil burnin' straight into me
And I knew that if it could
It would hop over that fence and crush us with its hoofs
And I knew that we were in deep
Eighty days left, I'm glad that you are here with me
We woke up the next morning to discover
Our true enemy was beneath us the whole time
There were slugs all over our sleeping bags
And everywhere they went they left a trail of slime
And we packed up our things, we walked into town
Into a town I'd never heard of before
We ate fries in a Medieval market,
A thousand sauces
I chose ketchup of course
Of course, of course, of course, of course
Hung around for a few days then headed out
On our way we got dropped off without wanting to be
In the city where most of the world's diamonds are made
But the city had treasure and sparkly things
Didn't hold many splendors for you and me,
Looking out the foggy window of the train it seemed insane,
The rain was comin' down so fast it couldn't make it in the drains
And all the roads had turned to rivers and the stairs to waterfalls.
The buildings in Zurich had great graffiti on their walls
We only saw it for a second when the lightning bolts would strike
The city lost its power; there was a monster in the sky blocking out the sunlight
It was hard to tell whether it was day or night
When our train pulled into the station, we were happy just to be alive
We had made it on time and the storm had surrendered
We set up our tent in the victorious sunlight
We walked into town and we looked around
We stared through the windows at Swiss army knives
We were in a deep valley in the middle of two lakes
With mighty mystic mountains rising up on each side
And we slept that night and we dreamed about the climb that we were gonna make
Life's not about the stuff that you have; it's more about the chances you take
We bought two cans of beans, one for you and one for me,
A bag of peanuts too then we laced up our boots
We hiked up the hills passing ponies on the way
Stoppin', reachin' through the fence to feed them some hay
The trees grew so thick that we couldn't see their tops
As we twisted like the roots through the rocks and the moss
Coming down around the corner came a herd of baby lambs
I swear I took at least a hundred pictures of them
When we made it out of the trees and back into the light
We could see we were gettin' pretty close to the sky
Under our feet perfect blue, pink, and white
Were the smallest, sweetest edelweiss
And Gandalf would have been a great guide
As the trail we were trusting hugged the mountainside
Deep down below in the ice and the snow
The river cut a gorge through the rock like a knife
And we could see the spot where the giant pushed is feet into the stone
And kept the mountain from fallin', saving the village below
And the crows came to say hello
They laughed at you and me; they said we were way too slow
The crows, without effort, sank and rose
They laughed at you and me
They sang that we should have flown
Up at the top we had to stop because there was nowhere left to go
So we ate our beans and we shared our nuts with those big black braggin' crows
We smashed our cans, put on our packs, and started back on our way home
I like goin' up better than comin' down but everything comes back down, you know
The sun will melt away the snow, the rivers will flow,
the crows will sing together and alone
So there we were in the heart
Where everything that we know got its start
Then it all fell apart
Well I guess that's what you get
When you spread yourself too thin
But we had bigger fish to fry
Like findin' a place to sleep at night
I'd bought a slice of pizza
Just to try and kill some time
And for a minute everything was fine
We had a number in our notebook
But it was way too late to call
It was well after midnight
When our train passed through the city walls
We didn't know this girl at all
So we got out our travel book
To read about the neighborhood
Said it wasn't very good
But it felt alright to me
All I wanted to do was go to sleep
So we walked around the corner
And we found a cheap motel
We knew we couldn't afford it
But we said, "Oh well"
When you've been on the train all day
You're in a big city in a new country
You're real tired and it's late
Sometimes it's better just to pay
That's the way it goes
Sometimes you know
It'd be okay
And after all we were in Rome
Well it had been a long time
Since we had slept inside
We woke up late the next day
And the sun was shining bright
We paid our bill, we cried, we went outside
They got their bread and circus
And I guess so do we
But they got theirs for free
I think that we're gettin' ripped off
We must destroy all empires at any cost
When you're standin' in a temple
Of a long-gone God it seems so simple
Everybody dies, no matter who you are
From far enough away our sun is just another star
And the statue of Moses that we saw
Had horns on his head and was eight feet tall
Maybe that was the case,
No it's not our place to say
Maybe some things just don't translate
We called up this girl
Who had ordered a CD
She was the first from Italy
When we asked for hospitality
She said we could stay at her parents' place
They were so sweet to us
It was so nice to meet a punk
She took good care of you and me
She bought us soy ice cream
Her mom cooked dinner every night
It was so hard for us to leave
And the stray dogs of Pompey
Were our guides that day
They became our friends,
We were a lot like them
They taught us many things
And all they wanted was some food for their pay
Then we went to the coast
Where the roads are wound so close
And the buses bounce from side-to-side
We thought that we might die
We couldn't find a place to sleep at all that night
The city filled with scooters
Held so many mysteries
I saw the weirdest thing there
That I think I'll ever see
It was a pizza topped with octopus,
A whole one on each slice
But I got my dinner there
It was a pizza topped with fries
And Italy was nice
Made us feel right at home
Our money's in the fountain
Im gonna write this in a book one day
but for now this song will have to do
Its about the lengths you and I were willing to go to
to get some free food
it was 1997 something I cant remember
Im bad with dates
you and I were livin in my van
everything that we had we had to take
and the saddest song ever heard on the radio
let it snow let it snow let it snow
let it snow let it snow let it snow
it said we have no place to go
let it snow let it snow let it snow
we didnt have any place to go
it snowed it snowed it snowed
but wait
lets take it back a few years
to the day were first met
I moved to bloomington to be a bum
you were here on a full
mathematics scholarship
I was from a small town
you were from a small town
we became the best of friends
Where our story begins
is where our trouble begins
I never had a dime to my name
you liked playin games
a local pizza place had a deal
10 coupons got a free 12inch
well heres what we did
you see the college kids
they never cut the coupons out
wed dig through the trash and find them
a few nights work put pizza in our mouths
we started to wonder where the coupons went
after people turned them in
so we looked in their dumpster and what did we find
we found 140 of them
sooner then later we started makin our own
when kinkos got the red copy machine
one day they busted me
the manager said "we dont take photocopies"
So I jumped into the car
told the driver to drive
as we sped off into the night we yelled
Free Pizza For Life
Free Pizza for Life
Free Pizza For Life
Free Pizza For Life
A few years later you dropped outta school
we both spent a few months in our home town
weve both been down and out
but we were doin our best to get back up now
One night we were sleepin in my van
it was fourteen degrees below
I woke up because I heard something crack
you said it was your foot frozen to the window
Our desperation drove us to dishonesty
we were criminals distinctive and vile
declared most of the world to be our enemy
we stole checkbooks
and credit cards
signed signatures that were not ours
slice after slice we ate
pizza every night
we always shared it with our friends
gave the driver a mighty tip
in our simple minds we had
a slice of a paradise
but I guess we took it a little too far
cause you ended up doing some time
when they slammed the door to your cell
I swear I heard you yell
Free Pizza For Life
Free Pizza For Life
Free Pizza For Life
Free Pizza For Life
On the night that we bailed you out of jail
it was 2 weeks later you looked scared and pale
to celebrate setting you free
we ordered some pizza
and paid with forgery
cause when they knock you down
you cant stay on the ground
you gotta keep gettin up
you gotta keep puttin your faith in luck
and as we can clearly see
that we made some mistakes
for the most part I have no regrets
at some parts I feel a little ashamed
but it all worked out okay in the end
and I think I would do it all over again
sorry your the one they caught
I wish it coulda been me my friend
Im not sayin we were wrong
and Im not sayin we were right
all I know is what we want
Free Pizza For Life
Free Pizza For Life
Free Pizza For Life
She asked me if I like to sing
I said, of course I like to sing
Anyone who doesn't like to sing
Must be dead if you ask me
She asked how I like being on the road
I said, I love being on the road
Yes, I miss my friends at home
But I love being on the road
So many songs left to sing
So many places left to see
So many songs left to sing
So many places left to see
She asked me if I had a job
I said, no way I've got no job
Why would anyone want a job?
Life's too short to have a job
She asked me if I had a dream
I said, of course I've got my dreams
Anyone who doesn't have a dream
Must be dead if you ask me
So many songs left to sing
So many dreams left to dream
So many places left to see
So many dreams left to dream
Today's too nice
To spend it any other way than riding on our bikes
Today's too great
The weather outside's perfect and I insist that we stay up real late
Today's too wonderful
To worry about anything on our list of things to do
Today is perfect
She asked me if I'd been in love
I said, of course I've been in love
She asked me who I was speaking of
I said her name would not be sung
She asked me if I want to die
I said, of course I do sometimes
Anyone who doesn't want to die
Must not really be alive
We must turn into monsters in the moonlight
If we ever plan to fight against our many enemies.
There's no low that they won't sink to,
There's no tactic that they won't use.
I'm afraid we're gonna have to get mean.
We're gonna have to grow some claws and grow some teeth.
The only silver bullet they use is that TV
If your living room and all we've gotta do is pull the plug.
Don't go to the store today, no don't you dare buy anything.
Instead go out and try to fall in love.
We're gonna have to fall in love to win this one.
There is something deep inside us that our enemies have silenced
And I'm afraid we're gonna have to set it loose.
It is angry, it is lonely, it is hungry, it is violent.
Can't you feel it calling you?
Can't you feel it when you look up at the moon?
They put us all in chains and they fucked up all our brains
With the poison and the pills they make us take.
They think they've killed the monsters
And they've taken all of our magic
But they didn't know about our hiding place.
There is something in our hearts that can't be tamed.
It will break free one day and drive them back into their caves.
We will be happy. with their hair in our teeth.
And they will rue the day, they put us in a cage.
Wake up it's time to get out of bed.
You've been sleeping for a year.
Let's go to the postice office,
we'll ride our bikes the weathers nice.
Then we'll go to the library
and we'll try to find a good movie.
I need to make some copies too
and i'd like it a lot if you came with me.
Just don't ever try a stunt like that again.
I don't ever want to lose my best friend.
You can promise me that,
I can promise too,
that'll i'll never give up on you.
You can draw on the tables
while I make some lyrics sheets.
We'll go shop lifting after that
and try get something to eat.
We can hang out in the park
like we used to until it's dark.
I'll ask you questions about everything
and i'll know you'll always have the answers to me.
Just don't ever try a stunt like that again.
I don't ever want to lose my best friend.
You can promise me that,
I can promise too,
that'll i'll never give up on you.
Our darkest hours have came and went
now it's all down hill from here.
We've learned a lot and we're growing wise
we fucked up and i apologize.
I think now we have the needs
to see our plans come true.
I know I can do anything now
but I really don't wanna do it without you.
Don't ever try a stunt like that again.
I don't ever want to lose my best friend.
You can promise me that,
I can promise too,
that'll i'll never give up on you,
i'll never give up on you,
i'll never give up on you,
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