A Good Year
I wanna be for something, not just against
I'm tired of the sore subjects, and I'm always on the defense
I'm tired of apologizing for what I believe
I'm looking for an uprising, where I can wear my heart on my sleeve

   It's been a long time since we had a good year
   It's been a long time looking in that rear-view mirror
   It's been a long time since we had a good year
   But we have no choice; we gotta persevere

It's the greater of two evils once again
We keep looking for the people, but there are no supermen
It's up to us, only us, to govern ourselves
It's up to us to make a fuss, only we can give us hell

I'm tired of compromising while they wage war
I'm tired of rationalizing while they keep killing more and more
It's cold comfort, to know we were right
While old arguments kill in my name day and night.

Lazarus
My friend has a thing about Lazarus and the history of Nazareth
Don't we all have a thing about Lazarus cuz he came back from the dead
We all want immortality, we call this thing morality
We codify eternity so we can live after we're dead

   But there's nothing new under the sun these days
   Beauty rises, just like always, from decay

Everything's derivative, my ideas are duplicative,
The universe is tentative, but nothing's ever dead

   But Lazarus was the straw the broke the camel's back
   Caiaphus said we can't have this, let's send him back

Now he had a thing about Lazarus in the history of Nazareth
Don't we all hav a thing about Lazarus,
Cuz he came back from the dead.

Gracie
   Gracie, running 'round the house
   Gracie, running 'round the house

She runs like a shark to take the toy away
Throws herself against the door
Bites at the other dogs until they play
Howls at the bowl demanding more

Jumps up on Web's head just to see the treat
Runs across the room to growl at Bud
Wiggles out of my arms, beats a fast retreat
Hides behind Ann, screams bloody murder

She is our first bitch and what a bitch
She lays down the rules
All we boys defer to her every wish
If we don't she screams like a goose

I wouldn't change her, even if I could
She's my little girl
Four legged princess, and well I saw her be good once
Puppy kisses rock my world

Cluster Bombs
(visit www.stopclustermunitions.org)
They came out of the sky like the parachute food
Pretty little pices of death
And floated down to the ground where the villages stood
And the village elders stood and held their breath

The bomblets spread about 400 yards
To the hospital, the market and the homes
Soda can sized calling cards
From America, and the seeds of hate are sown

   And the cluster bombs do their work, you see
   And the endless, useless war perpetuates
   The cycle of violence, and refugees
   And terror weapons don't liberate

We don't have a quarrel with the people, he said
But the children are the ones who find the bombs
Lightly colored, they'll turn a kid's head
And a moment later she's lost an arm

It's against the law to use such a bomb
That keeps killing kids long after the war is done
But Alliant Tech Systems and the Pentagon
Answer to no one if the war is won

   And the cluster bombs help the CEO
   And the endless, useless war perpetuates
   Profiteers portfolios
   And terro weapons don't liberate

Killing Time
90 minutes in front of the tube, reality tv
From set stages to Abu Graihb, bear no relationship to me

   It's just killing time, just killing time
   Feels like a crime, killing time

The evening news rolls around, more commercials every time
16 dead from a suicide bomb, now buy another pill because it's prime time

   We may have grown immune to the death, to the tombs
   We pile crime onto crime, and the 21st century's a killing time

Bali, Madrid, Kabul, New York, stealth bombs falling out of the sky
Anthrax in an envelope, man the whole damn world's committing suicide

Chicken hawks coming home to roost, body counts are getting a boost
New grudges replace the old, we just kill one another 'til we're all cold

Every morning on NPR I hear the latest news of the wars
In my car as I drive to begin another day of killing time

Road Rage
Behind your SUV, I'm stuck and I can't see,
Cuz you're pumping out the smog and making traffic jam
They roll and kill compacts, and we invade Iraq
To give them the cheap gas that they demand

They like 'em loud and big, yeah it's a noisy rig
Merrily barreling down the road
Did you ever see one park? They're flying in the dark
Crushing curbs and filling the zip code

   Is it worth it for the prestige and the testosterone?
   To risk the lives of your own kids, and the rest of us on the road.
   It's an anti-social car, and all I can see
   Is the bumper hitch on your SUV

It makes you look selfish and mean; you need a big machine
To compensate for something that you lack
Is it your driving skill, or is it overkill
For masculinity that's gone a little bit slack?

I wish you'd work it out on your psychiatrist's couch
Rather than subjecting us to this
It's a canyon on the road, yeah it's your own death row
And my morning commute's a deadly hit or miss.

Muriel
Reno is a gamblin' town and the odds are against a gal
Muriel the security guard tried and tried, but she failed
She hated her car, man, she hated her job and she hated the din of the slots
Where the dealers dealt around the clock, and the gamblers just lost and lost.
She got the idea the first night on the job when she learned how casinos work
Move the money from old blue hairs to a bank in the back with a clerk
They gave her a shirt and they gave her a badge, they gave her a list of her faults
They gave her a hard time, but at the end they gave her 2 bags for the vault

   Muriel worked hard at night for months, and slept by the day
   But on August the third she was outta sight, cuz the casino finally paid

A Reno casino security guard makes about 9 bucks an hour
Muriel had bigger dreams, she's gonna change the balance of power
She and her friend worked out a plan to take place on a hot august night
The time arrived, they gave her the bags, and Muriel prepared for flight

She went out back, met her friend and they loaded the cash in the car
Went back inside for appearance's sake, then they split out front by the bar
Now sneaking in under a yellow light can be the high point of my day
But Muriel snuck out that night with just under 500 K.

Reno is a gamblin' town and the odds are against a gal
Muriel the security guard rejected a life so banal
You can't live high on the hog too long on under 500 grand
But Muriel enjoyed herself down in Mexico, with her feet in the sand

She and her friend fell apart, over nothing at all it seems
Nothing was left of all of that cash and there was nothing left of the dream
They began to fight, the cops came in and the story is told again
The lessons learned are steal enough cash and never betray a friend.

   Muriel sleeps well at night and she gets three squares a day
   At the Nevada State Pen she is locked up tight, cuz the casino always wins at the end of the day.

How Much Do I Owe?
The girl behind the bar, she wears an easy smile,
She stands and flirts and pours away the hours
I've been here all day and there's just two things I wanna know
That's what time is it and how much do I owe?

I pray that human kindness is not measured such,
To balance reassurance with a desperate touch
A kind word and a tear, can I offer you a beer?
And the clock don't matter now cuz it's just us

   Am I creating or subtracting, deciding or reacting?
   From day to day the answers are coming slow
   But I'm a part of this economy, and so it is a part of me
   It keeps me awake; What time is it and how much do I owe?

For generations now we've used more than our share
The American ideal is hard to bear
The rest of the world, they're beginning to say no
They know what time it is and how much that we owe

The time will come and I just hope I rate
To rise and meet St. Peter at the gate
I got a million questions, but just two things that I gotta know,
What time is it and how much do I owe?

Short People Against the War
Standing on the corner with my sign of peace, we're getting honks and waves and shouts
Some folks are with us and some are against, as we say the U.S. should get out
Now it's hard to predict by the size of the car, or whether it's Chevy, Toyota or Ford
But one characteristic that we have seen: all the pro-peace drivers are short

   Short people against the war, we want peace and understanding
   Short people against the war, ain't we already standing?

Some of my friends are taller than I, now how couldn't that be true?
We stand shoulder to elbow against the war, and for peace and democracy too
But I can't help notice that the average Joe at the demo is about 5' 5"
We stand up, we look the cop in the chest, and say "bring 'em home alive!"

We take less space, we use less heat and we do drive smaller cars
We're less likely to start a fight when we chin up to the bar
Some folks say we ain't up to the task, they call us the vertically challenged contingent,
But I've always said I prefer to be called physically efficient

So gather 'round you short people, we can make a start
Taller folks can join us, too, but they gotta be short at heart

Under My Hat
My friend, he came to me and in confidence he told to me
Every deep, dark secret that he had
I said he should feel free, and he revealed his soul to me
I told him I'd keep it under my hat

   Under my hat, man that's where I keep my head
   When we chat I keep everything that's said right here
   Under my hat, that's where I do my thinking at,
   I see the whole world from under my hat

My friends, they know I'm good to keep a secret, I have stood
Beside them through the good times and the bad
But others think I'm on their side, the tell me about times they've lied
And all I can do is keep it under my hat

So please unless you're close to me just try not to disclose to me
Every deep dark secret that you have
Cuz I'm already cynical, and my headband is getting full
Of disagreeable things here under my hat.

Too Many Teeth
I love you babe, but you don't understand,
What I mean when I hold out my hand
Oh, how I wish that you could see
All I want is you to come to me.

   But you have too many teeth in your kisses
   Too much beast in your bourgois
   Too many hurts with your blisses
   You know you got a little shark there in your jaw

I'm so proud of you when we walk in town
You catch the eye of every guy around
I let you flirt but everyone can see
When the sun goes down you're coming home with me.

   And you have too many teeth in your kisses
   Too much growl in your patois
   Too many hits with your misses
   You know you got a little shark there in your jaw

You welcome me home, so full of love
But I know just the thing you're thinking of
You know how to make me work for you
I'd do just about anything you want me to

And in the morning, as we lie in bed
Your sweet breath is messing with my head
You curl up and play your cutest card
Til I get up and take you out to the yard

   And you have too many teeth in your kisses
   Too many nails in those paws
   Too many bros with your sisses
   You know you got a little shark there in your jaw

Ten Minutes of Bullshit
Well I was walking down the hall when the boss pulled me aside
He said I hardly see you work at all, are you taking me for a ride
I stopped right there in my tracks
I told him I was taken aback
I looked him straight right in the eye
And gave him ten straight minutes of lies

   I got ten minutes of bullshit at my hand at all times
   I got ten minutes of bullshit, and in a song I can make 'em rhyme
   I can change the subject, I can make you laugh
   I can give you a number, I can chart a graph
   I got ten minutes of bullshit, and they're handy all the time.

Well howdy to the state trooper, yes, and isn't it a beautiful day?
You muust be wondering how a guy like me would be driving in such a way
Well, it's an esoteric situation
Escorting a Saudi delegation
I could tell you more secrets and spies
But you ain't qualified

It's a bill collector on the phone and I'm already broke as it is
But overdue ain't the question here, and I'll tell you what is I put the wrong date on the line
I'm sorry but it's your mistake,
Now where is my rebate?

Well, they're handy at a party and they're handy at a show
Man I could throw statistics out like you'd never even know
Like 78.7 percent
Of the people right here would represent
I'm the greatest performer that they ever saw
From Maui to Macinac

The Answer (written 9/18/01) If the question is American security, the answer cannot be more death If the question is peace and prosperity, the answer cannot be more death What kind of world will we leave for our kids? The answer cannot be more death The answer cannot be more death The answer cannot be more death, the answer cannot be more death An eye for an eye will leave the whole world blind, the answer cannot be more death Stop killing children in Baghdad, the answer cannot be more death Stop killing children in Palestine, the answer cannot be more death Stop killing people in New York, the answer cannot be more death If the question is how to stop terrorism, the answer cannot be more death If the question is how to create a global vision, the answer cannot be more death Can we create a world without war? The answer cannot be more death The answer cannot be more death.