THROWING HAIL MARYS

VIGIL

Like a vigil here I am paying my respects

That’s what these flowers here are for.

Can’t say the same for ten page letters and sad cassettes

No, those mean so much more

A dead man’s voice and a poet’s words are

The only way to show how much this fucking hurts.

I get high off Grace tonight (Oh Vickie let me come inside)

How many losers hoped his Hallelujahs would change your mind?

Your body’s a funeral for no-trim boys like me

You take us down one by one.

The only way we say goodbye is on our backs or on our knees

Still waiting for you to come.

True devotion or the desperate

You can turn out every light but my torch keeps burning yet

I get high off Grace tonight (Oh Vickie let me come inside)

How many losers hoped his Hallelujahs would change your mind?

This is crazy.  What am I doing here?

We were cursed with the kind of love

The kind that don’t age so well

If you could call it love at all.

I kickstart Karma machines, 

So you can join me in my hell

Good luck trying to turn them off.

When will someone get a crush me?

Do I have to play guitar so I can date out of my league?

I get high off Grace tonight (Oh Vickie let me come inside)

How many losers hoped his Hallelujahs would change your mind?

This could be my new life (be my new life)

How many losers found a new way to lose you? 

Now so have I.

 A HUNDRED ROADS TO SAD, MISSOURI

Negotiated every mine on my way to 29

Without the benefit of exit signs

But to no one’s surprise,

It all blew up before my eyes

Another accidental suicide

I’ve driven a hundred roads to Sad, Missouri

And, Lord, I found one way out

I am the governor of the Great State of Worry

But tomorrow I’m stepping down

I never was the rebel type

Oh how I tried, Lord knows I’ve tried

But teenage riots never turned out right

Sadly we were not the kind

Who could come improve these times

‘Stead said whatever, never mind

I‘ve driven a hundred roads to Sad, Missouri

And, Lord, I found one road out

I am the governor of the Great State of Worry

But tomorrow I’ll stepping down

Now we’re getting somewhere

Now we’re getting somewhere

Now we’re getting somewhere now

Now to the dreams we left behind

They’re back in black ‘til it all goes white

And we see the world through

ghost-colored eyes

So we’re the souls who stand in line

Look to stars until we find

Was it all by chance or by design?

By design.

I’ve driven a hundred roads to Sad, Missouri

And, Lord, I only found one road out

I am the governor of the Great State of Worry

And tomorrow I’ll be stepping down

Now we’re getting somewhere

Now we’re getting somewhere

Now we’re getting somewhere now

Now we’re getting somewhere

Now we’re getting somewhere

Now we’re getting somewhere now

We were strapped into this ride

Long before our fathers died

So hell if it can be our alibi

 THE COMEBACK OF THE YEAR

In the Promised Land, were you there when they nailed His hands?

Nor was I, but well if we had, would we have stood up to a different end?

Come around.

Looking back I was a fool to guess that lust was love in a shorter dress

Burning bridges with baby brunette, that ain’t nothing ‘cause here comes the wreck

Turn around.

But without all the things I’ve done, how can I be the prodigal son?

Sins like models pretty and dumb

So save your stones

I have enough of my own

Consider me comeback of the year

Piece me together shattered chandelier

Hail Marys thrown so cavalier

Call me the comeback of the year

When rock n roll was my lone defense where the fuck were all my friends?

Sure it was a long way to fall, but if this saves me then it’s worth it all

You voted me the comeback of the year

The future king of persevere

The second coming, the world premiere

Crown me the comeback of the year

Now I’m an exile among the stars, call me Lazarus with a black guitar

So I’ll keep waiting ‘til the time is right and on this world,

I’ll drop this night

HAYMAKERS

Sometimes love aint enough

To get what you say you want

Oh baby, what use is love

When you keep on giving up?

Shining cities burn down,

you think we deserved this?

How come only the bleeding hearts

Are kissing communists now?

Haymakers are falling down tonight so turn on your radios

‘Cause the weatherman is calling for a rain of blows

Sacrifice the American lamb,

The Beatles and the damage done

Oh baby, can’t you see your eyes go blind

from the ’67 sun?

Haymakers are falling down tonight so turn on your radios

‘Cause the weatherman is calling for a rain of blows

All I hear from your mouth is change change change

Oh, baby, when’ll you learn that even peace drums go bang?

Sometimes you gotta fight back

With more than guitars and drums

Cause sometimes in our darkest hours

You need something more than love

Haymakers are falling down tonight so turn on your radios

Because the weatherman is calling for a rain of blows

DON’T COST MY NAME

With this bottle I buried myself

Sure you deserve someone else

Lord knows I left my youth in flames

Now I know that I’ve made my mistakes

And I’ve had some bad, bad breaks

I just hope it don’t cost my name

Hold on, cause I’ve made you cry

For too long

Played with all the candle girls

Burned down the whole wide world

Like my youth it’s all in flames

Pretty apologies

Pretty apologies

Pretty apologies falling

Pretty apologies

Pretty apologies

Pretty apologies fall like rain

Crashing blondes on Seagram’s Street

When the Fates fell at my feet

In the helpless, hopeless rain

Threw away everything I had

Sixteen to go oh, yeah

How to repair this name?

 Pretty apologies

Pretty apologies

Pretty apologies falling

Pretty apologies

Pretty apologies

Pretty apologies fall like rain

I drink all night at the bar

Kick the keys and junk my car

I just hope that don’t cost my name

Now I know that I’ve made my mistakes

And had some bad, bad, bad, bad breaks

I just hope it don’t cost my name

I stand at the edge at the sea

Close my eyes and I believe

That someone’s saving me

Pray for the day that you’ll appear

And take my hand, my dear

To take me away from here

Big love gone turned me around

When Big love built this April town

Oh how you saved,

oh how you saved my name

Now we’ll walk on down the aisle

It’s as long as a country mile

But at the end you’ll take my name.

Or we’ll take your name

ACT OF CONTRITION 

“You can’t have me” is what you told me

After you just had spent the night

I was so wounded, and baby you knew it

I’m your broken satellite

For the love of all things holy

For the love of God

I joined the ranks of the lonely

When you were all I got

So go tie your blonde hair back

With a string of barbed wire

So you can fence in all your gentlemen

That you want to set on fire

For the love of all things holy

For the love of God

I joined the ranks of the lonely

When you were all I got

Over the music, with dance floor bruises

I threw up my last sorry

But it missed, so you kissed

Every guy at the party

For the love of all things holy

For the love of God

I joined the ranks of the lonely

And that is all I got

And this all my fault

GOOD FENCES MAKE GOOD NEIGHBORS

We go put down each one of your causes like the dogs they are

The ones only college kids can afford to take up

The kids banging shit in the student union marching

In the Whatever Revolution, yet they passed out and never woke up

Outside the show is starting and you’re crashing parties

You want to be here with me

Good fences make good neighbors when you build them

As high as angels haven’t we done well enough by our home?

The big dirty, speeches, drugs and music, c’mon, man, you call this a movement?

You’re just the chaperone

Outside the show is starting and you’re crashing parties

You want to be here with me

Back here we got the better magic, you want it but you can’t have it

Did you really think it was going to be that easy?

To the river

Drink all you want

The sins of the father

Are the sins of the son

So kiss kiss with Berkley lipstick, and kiss off

The haven districts that never answered the call to arms

But who am I to tell you that it’s wrong when I don’t know what’s going on?

Just be ready when you find it’s a false alarm

Outside the show is starting and you’re crashing parties

You want to be here with me

Back here we got the better magic, you want it but you can’t have it

Did you really think it was going to be that easy?

We’ve all gone crazy.

  ANN ARBOR MIDNIGHTS