11 posts tagged “music”

Lyrics by Vienna Teng

It's desert ice outside but this diner has thawed my ears
Hot coffee in a clean white mug and a smile when the waitress hears
That I was born in North Carolina
Not an hour from her home town
And we used to play the same pizza parlor pinball

And there's a glance in time suspended as I wonder how it is
We've been swept up just by circumstance to where the coyote lives
Where my days are strips of highway
And she's wiping tables down
Holding on and still waiting for that windfall

But I've come home
Even though I've never had so far to go
I've come home

I pay the check and leave the change from a crumpled ten-dollar bill
Head across the street where VACANCY is burning in neon still
Well the night eats up my body heat
And there's no sign of another
And I find myself slipping down into that black

But things are good I've got a lot of followers of my faith
I've got a whole congregation living in my head these days
And I'm preaching from the pulpit
To cries of "Amen brother"
Closing my eyes to feel the warmth come back

And I've come home
Even though I swear I've never been so alone
I've come home

I just want to be living as I'm dying
Just like everybody here
Just want to know my little flicker of time is worthwhile
And I don't know where I'm driving to
But I know I'm getting old
And there's a blessing in every moment every mile

Thin white terry bars of soap and a couple little plastic cups
Old Gideons Bible in the nightstand drawer saying "Go on open up"
Well I'll kneel down on the carpet here
Though I never was sure of God
Think tonight I'll give Him the benefit of the doubt

I switch off the lights and imagine that waitress outlined in the bed
Her hair falling all around me
I smile and shake my head
Well we all write our own endings
And we all have our own scars
But tonight I think I see what it's all about

Because I've come home
I've come home

 

It's coming on September and I feel as though I've aged,
August with its searing heat, October with its rage.
And the time will quickly pass, another year has gone away,
another season turns to ashes, turned my bitter winter into grey
And the spring it comes so quickly and it goes just as it came
and the rain will open up the sky and linger on again.
And the water falls upon my face and cleanses all my wounds.
Another season turns to ashes, like the bitter memories of you.

where are we?

what the hell is going on?
the dust has only just begun to form
crop circles in the carpet
sinking feeling

spin me round again
and rub my eyes,
this can't be happening
when busy streets a mess with people
would stop to hold their heads - heavy

hide and seek
trains and sewing machines
all those years
they were here first

oily marks appear on walls
where pleasure moments hung before the takeover,
the sweeping insensitivity of this still life

hide and seek
trains and sewing machines (oh, you won't catch me around here)
blood and tears (hearts)
they were here first

Mmmm whacha say,
Mmmm that you only meant well?
well of course you did
Mmmm whacha say,
Mmmm that its all for the best?
of course it is
Mmmm whacha say?
Mmmm that it's just what we need
you decided this
Mmmm whacha say?
Mmmm what did she say?

ransom notes keep falling out your mouth
mid-sweet talk, newspaper word cut outs
speak no feeling no i don't believe you
you don't care a bit,
you don't care a bit

(hide and seek)
ransom notes keep falling out your mouth
mid-sweet talk, newspaper word cut outs

(hide and seek)
speak no feeling no i don't believe you
you don't care a bit,
you don't care a (you don't care a) bit

(hide and seek)
oh no, you don't care a bit
oh no, you don't care a bit

(hide and seek)
oh no, you don't care a bit
you don't care a bit
you don't care a bit

You can run on for a long time
Run on for a long time
Run on for a long time
Sooner or later God'll cut you down
Sooner or later God'll cut you down

Go tell that long tongue liar
Go and tell that midnight rider
Tell the rambler,
The gambler,
The back biter
Tell 'em that God's gonna cut 'em down
Tell 'em that God's gonna cut 'em down

Well my goodness gracious let me tell you the news
My head's been wet with the midnight dew
I've been down on bended knee talkin' to the man from Galilee
He spoke to me in the voice so sweet
I thought I heard the shuffle of the angel's feet
He called my name and my heart stood still
When he said, "John go do My will!"

Go tell that long tongue liar
Go and tell that midnight rider
Tell the rambler,
The gambler,
The back biter
Tell 'em that God's gonna cut 'em down
Tell 'em that God's gonna cut 'em down

You can run on for a long time
Run on for a long time
Run on for a long time
Sooner or later God'll cut you down
Sooner or later God'll cut you down

Well you may throw your rock and hide your hand
Workin' in the dark against your fellow man
But as sure as God made black and white
What's done in the dark will be brought to the light

You can run on for a long time
Run on for a long time
Run on for a long time
Sooner or later God'll cut you down
Sooner or later God'll cut you down

Go tell that long tongue liar
Go and tell that midnight rider
Tell the rambler,
The gambler,
The back biter
Tell 'em that God's gonna cut you down
Tell 'em that God's gonna cut you down
Tell 'em that God's gonna cut you down

Every faculty you have, your power of thinking or of moving your limb from movement to moment, is given to you by God. If you devoted every moment of your whole life exclusively to his service you could not give Him anything that was not in a sense His own already. So that when we talk of a man doing anything for God or giving anything to God, I will tell you what it is really like. It is like a small child going to his father and saying, "Daddy, give me a sixpence to buy you a birthday present." Of course, the father does, and he is pleased with the child's present. It is all very nice and proper, but only an idiot would think that the father is sixpence to the good on the transaction. When a man has made these two discoveries, God can really get to work. It is after this that real life begins. The man is awake now...

—C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

This is the quote that inspired the name of guitarist/cellist Matt Slocum's and vocalist Leigh Nash's newly formed band in the early 1990s. I recently came across their "Best Of" album at the local library, and listening to its spread of songs from the 90s to their last album in 2002 brought back a lot of memories. Their first album, The Fatherless and the Widow (1994), was a sort of alternative-folk blend, with lyrics provided by the melancholy Slocum himself. One track, "Trust," made it into the regular praise chorus fare of my church's weekly youth group meeting, and was my first real exposure to the band.

Their next album This Beautiful Mess (1995) let go of the folk/praise roots, and latched on to an alternative rock sound. Indeed, this album can only be properly called rockalicious.

The band was soon after signed on to Christian music veteran Steve Taylor's new label Squint Entertainment, which led to the release of their self-titled album (1997) and their first radio hit, "Kiss Me." Unfortunately (or not, depending on your perspective), the rest of the album was very unlike the peppy, upbeat pop hit that was playing in radios and malls. Many of the album's songs depict the agonizing difficulties the band had with their previous record company, and as such they are mostly melancholy and sad. The lyrics for the second track "Anything" (sound file unfortunately unavailable) set the tone for the album:


By the fourth track "Kiss Me," a bit of levity is introduced, and it's good to note that the lyrics for this "pop" tune are far less embarrassing than what you'll find in most pop songs:

The success of "Kiss Me" as a single led to a reissue of the album with the band's cover of "There She Goes," by The La's as the new 13th track. While the song hardly fit in with the rest of the album, the track was another radio hit.

Unfortunately, Squint Entertainment soon underwent financial difficulties, postponing the release of the band's next album Divine Discontent. It wasn't until the label went totally under and was bought out by another company that the album found its release in 2002, albeit with a dramatically changed track list. Divine Discontent was more obviously oriented towards a pop audience, eschewing much of the band's former alt-rock leanings. The first track "Breathe Your Name" was another radio hit, though not as big as "Kiss Me."

The band had one last radio release with a cover of "Dancing Queen," by ABBA.