KUMA | Lyrics

LYRICS

Songs from the album Up To Now, You've Had It Easy
Assorted lyrics from other songs

Up To Now, You've Had It Easy

EMPRESS OF THE CATALOG

A sunny April afternoon
I haven't seen you since last June
I saunter in, ill-fitting clothes
Can't see two feet beyond my nose
With all the voices speaking loud
You pick me out amongst the crowd

The empress of the catalog

A blinding yellow suits you best
The color of your summer dress
A soul so agonizingly pure
With every glass of wine he pours
And all the instruments in tune
The music floats across the room

The empress of the catalog

Your standard of living is high
You are so easy on these eyes
I'm always stumbling, again and again and again
Ivory bright or golden brown
I want to crawl about the ground
Grab hold of your leg, again and again and again

A meal so elegantly set
He offers you a cigarette
I dream of covering your skin
And all the gents are closing in

The empress of the catalog

THE ART OF TAXIDERMY

these are the things you were unable to resolve
these are the fears that were festering inside
this is the area we've designated for your loss
this is the space, we've decided to detain you
here is the statue we created to your pain
here is the monument which represents the toll
there is a head wound and there is some scar tissue
and somewhere a brush with the bristles for your eyes
up behind the rafters in a tiny, brittle bowl
propped up on pillars, match the carton to the face
i'm uncomfortable with the idea of using you for art

DODGEBALL

In the first days of May you couldn't see too straight
The glare of the sun was just too much for you to take
You said every room was filled with possibility
And you said a lot of things I care to not repeat

So disappointed
So disappointed in you now

Though I'm still happy that you managed to survive
I think it's time for you to clear up all these lies
It's just a reaction to someone who isn't there
There'll be no one smiling as you're coming up for air

I left the courthouse steps and slowly cursed your name
If you were in my shoes you'd surely do the same
You put on quite a show to gain such sympathy
You pulled out all your props and your artillery

But this is a cold front
This is the part where people change

If you could visualize what goes on in my mind
The film of your treachery is playing every time
You can dictate the rules that you so quickly break
But how much more of this bullshit do you think I'll take?

After your late night show I felt so compromised
A couple of shots of whiskey brought me down to size
But I could think clearly as I packed up all my things
Surprised by the clarity a simple phone call brings

Not gone for the weekend
I'm gone every day you're still alive

I can still bounce from side to side to dodge your blows
You can cross picket lines and everyone will know
But I will leave quietly without a drawn out fight
And I will be the one who gets their sleep at night

If I could hold you
If I could scold you
If I could make you regret everything you've done

THE KARAOKE KID

I've looked long and hard on your lines
I can't decipher them
But I'm on some strong mescaline
You lined up the drinks on the bar
And I drank them down
And then I stumbled around

I wanted so bad
I wanted so bad
I wanted so badly to turn this around

I flipped off the crowd with my bird
I don't know why I did
Acting like some fucking kid
I shouted out, "This song sucks!"
And then I threw it down
I bounced that mic off the ground

I took things too far
I took things too far
I took things too far, what do you think of me now?

Please ignore my drunken phone calls
I don't remember them
I'm smoking Thai stick again
But I'm well thought of back on the job
I'm the prostitute
In the back in those boots

It never felt right
It never felt right
It never felt right, but with you there's a chance

SO WRONG

Everything was easily forgotten
The bread you made, the fruit you gave, was rotten

You do what you do and you say what you say and you're so wrong

All of these calamities foreshadowed
The room for change, the parking space, was narrow

You do what you do and you say what you say and you're so wrong

Leave him out to dry and crack
Tie the bottle with some twine
His skin has burned from white to pink
He's out with the girls

All of these identities mistaken
The happy home, the once-strong bones, are breaking

ZERO KING

Zero King is water repellent
Exploding cake has worth if you sell it
A model airplane leaves the broken road
Your nephew operates remote control

Though you're battered and torn, you'll decide to move on

Zero King is wind resistant
His stalking fan was so persistent
He left a package at the bolted door
He crawls on hands and knees across the floor

Though he's battered and torn, he'll decide to move on

Zero King with Queen on Sunday
Drops his bags and bolts down the runway
And when he turns around she isn't there
As if she disappeared into thin air

She was battered and torn, she just had to move on

There's such a great discrepancy
Between what you are and hoped to be

MILK CRATE

spread thin
worn in
discarded like that winter coat you had stolen

small fry
smart guy
scrappy little runt of the litter

sorry
charlie
your days, empty and vast

guilty
filthy
filthy little pig, you poked in all the holes

done with hands
done with plans

and you thought this wouldn't last
get your head out of your ass

statements
placements
put me in my proper place before I'm sold

placate
vacate
it's time to stuff your little friend in the milk crate

done with hands
done with plans

and you pray that this will pass
get your head out of your ass

CHARLIE

It wasn't the way he looked
Or a certain ethereal quality about his voice
That drew me to him
It wasn't monetary motives
Or influence with people in the right places
It obviously wasn't the way he dressed
Or the style in which he wore his hair

What got me off
In the twilight of the California desert
The wind shifting through the sands
And the atmosphere descending upon my brain stem
Was his eyes
And the way that they demanded of you
The effort necessary to
Take the life of the unborn
Slice the stomach down the middle
And decorate the walls with blood

WHILE YOU'RE DOWN THERE

Let's kick him once more while he's down

You weren't such a tough guy after all
Easily shoved into the stall
A couple well-thrown punches at your jaw
Now you're sprawled across the bathroom floor

And we're so tired
But let's kick her once more while she's down

And from the cellar you could hear her scream
After she kicked out the back door screen
Let's just say her Dad was none too pleased
He smacked her mouth, I watched her bleed

And we're so tired
Can't even open up our eyes

I guess it wasn't such a good idea
Sneaking out your bedroom window, dear
I heard they found you dead on the roadside
A purple scarf tied 'round your eyes

Though we're so tired
We'll kick you once more while you're down

JUST MOMENTS BEFORE THE ACCIDENT (Live MP3)

Pretend I'm not there, I'm not really there
But please don't pretend that you care
There are much less important things to share

Like how all the drugs did you in
Where did your problems begin
I'm not here to tally up your sins

It's not a dream, it's as bad as it seems

So stressed out when you come around
Maybe bad karma's bringing you down
I wonder what you did out of town

You tell me about all your crimes
And all the people that you left behind
But it won't be your choice, not this time

It's not okay to feel this way

So tell me how much this has meant
Tell me how your thoughts were spent
Tell me where all the money went

I don't believe what you've told me

NAPKIN

like your new currency?
well, that money you make is make believe
so small in size, the one who's sanitized
you feel so equipped when the straitjacket fits
now clean the air, it's impolite to stare
it stinks of the sick that will force you to sit
still

fuckface, unhand me

many minds are at stake
while the public officials are on the take
you foot the bill, you fucking imbecile
of course you'll be raped and forced to relocate
don't look so glum, this joy's for everyone
sit back and relax while they poke out your eyes
lies

clean this up!

take this for granted

HELMET STAIN

I came to my senses
And stopped leaving myself defenseless
Thought about the long haul
It's looking like a never-ending brawl

You make it hard for me
You want an easy life
You're filling mine with strife
You make it hard for me
I want to settle down
You want to mess around
You make it hard for me

You know we shared some vices
And now you're left to your own devices
Never knew what you wanted
Your mind is cluttered and your house is haunted

And it's hard for me
With your resent and spite
I tried to make it right
You made it hard for me
And when the summer came
You filled my days with rain
You made it hard for me

I tried to be specific
But now I'm flying to the South Pacific
Yeah, I wish you were coming
Sit on the beach with our guitars strumming

But it's hard for me
I've waited far too long to sing a happy song
You made it hard for me
I tried to be your man
You'll never understand
How hard it was for me

HIS BEST REGARDS

Shut down the highway car
And close up the local bar
The aimless will gather round
As he plans to ditch this town

He takes leave of you with his best regards

Committee is in cahoots
So call off your new recruits
And stifle that wounded sigh
When he fails to soon arrive

He takes leave of you with his best regards

Much to do with little time
So many years past our prime
We zip up and lay down cash
'Cause this band will never last

We take leave of you with our best regards

NO USE RUNNING

The first head turns towards the second head
The second head, it faces straight ahead
The sun, it sets across the golf course green
The first head opens up and starts to scream

"There's no use running away from me now"

He went along on all her other dates
He watched her kiss another stranger's face
He puts his hand into his jeans pocket
He comes across his sister's gold locket

There's no use running away from him now

He pulls the splinters out between her toes
He ties her wrists up with some panty hose
He wipes the blood that's dripping from his nose
He comes down hard with such swiftly dealt blows

There's no use running away from me now

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ASSORTED NON-ALBUM LYRICS

AND IN THIS CORNER

You were only 15 and he was 21
Your parents threw a party for him
Let's celebrate the date!
Statutory rape by the laws of the state
Check the dates, bring your mates, bring me down

Talk about learning the ropes!
They're wrapped around your throat
I stand back amazed at your past
While others stand aghast
Excessive in action and thought
Yo, where'd you get that coat!?
You better start dyeing those roots
Before you get the boot

But you'll make the scene
What a dream, what a dream

I'm giving up, I'm throwing in the proverbial towel
I'm clearing a path with my tail
Appendage tips the scale
Appearing in plain clothes for style
And caring all the while
Your portion, your fortune, your fame
To me you look the same

But you'll make the scene
What a dream, what a dream

Authorities called in the dogs
That quickly tracked your scent
They know who you are, where you went
The john that pays your rent
We all make our share of mistakes
This is your worst to date
For once you should take my advice
And kill yourself tonight

But you'll make the scene
What a dream, what a dream

APOLOGY EXPECTED

I have no great desire just to watch him destroy you
Because I know you, because I care
You went away for weeks and no one knew where to find you
It seems that he primed you for a life of crime

And when you returned all the photographs were burned
Along with the notes from all the lovers that you'd spurned
Call them back, call them back, just call them back

I guess I should have known right from the moment I met you
I couldn't get you off my mind
You danced Electric Slide that time we went to the Beach Bar
But I was so far from your mind

I never could imagine how the story would end up
That we would shack up out in Bath Beach
Busting out the glass and throwing boys down the staircase
Scratch marks on my face, and holes in walls

I can't take back all the junk dropped in your lap
When I up and left, found a new place on the map
To hang my head, to hang my hat, to cry alone

I have no great desire just to watch him destroy you
I've done that for you, and that's not fair

CINEMATIC TURNS

Running around the block, a pack of grade school brats are at your feet
Duck in the coal bin, pull the hatch behind you so you don't get beat
A world full of spokes and tires, forest fires, naked big wheel rides
Has led into dead end rock fights, mailbox baseball, families taking sides

And they weren't joking, when I was awoken
Came to with the sound of screeching tires
Who came to the rescue, who said that they'd miss you?

Prescriptions of Ritalin, the umpire's grin, the praise from games well-played
Or shooting off bottle rockets from the pockets of the fence hallway
Mr. Brill's pretty mean, he yells and screams and chases all the kids
A sailor's cap hides his bald spot, crust of sleep that cakes his old eyelids

You're good with a secret, you're bad if you leak it
It's true that your Mom had hurt herself
That day in December you can't quite remember

Most neighbors don't give a fuck the ice cream truck is selling pounds of hash
The man with the Big League Chew looks after you and counts up all your cash
A girl with a face so placid selling sheets of acid in the park
The boy with the lazy eye jumps off the water tower on a lark

You're born in a gutter, you're raised in a suburb
You're burned in a roman candle fight
You think you can manage, sustain all the damage?

GOOD LOOKING TALENT

Things don't happen for a reason
They just happen
38 people died when the floor caved in

That old man was drinking too much
Got in his car
He crashed into my Dad, cut my Dad in half

There's no lesson to be learned to here
There's no moral to the story
Don't tell me it was meant to be
There's no everlasting glory

Things don't happen for a reason
They just happen
Airplanes fall from the sky
A death trail miles wide

And that boy you knew in high school
With the nice smile
He shot himself last night
Everything's alright

Don't tell me it's all for the best
Then strap on your bulletproof vest
Don't deserve to get what we get
We won't ride into the sunset

Things don't happen for a reason
They just happen
I never cared that much
And that seemed enough

GOURMET DISH

they've been sizing you up for days
assessing the means and the ways
in which to break you
maybe forsake you
to make you sting like an open sore

and baby boy, you're immature
and you have no idea what lies in store
for you

and how
you've had it so good now
and how
you've had it so good now

they won't prepare you like some gourmet dish
no matter how sweetly you purse your lips
for me

the chipped enamel and the greasy hair
someone so beautiful no one compares
you'll join her posse
dance like bob fosse
you'll stand beside yourself and tip your hat

belt buckle promises of leather snap
that little kitten, she fell in your lap
the blinds are open
her nose is poking
into your window to see who you're with

but now
you'll get it so good now
but now
you'll get it so good now

swirling sands in the parking lot
they lock the doors, you hope you don't get shot
her hand's up your dress
squeezes your right breast
you start to squirm, they whisper "bitch, don't move"

the stench of alcohol seeps from your pores
there's nothing like the pain that you'll endure
what goes on in that beautifully smashed head
of yours?

and now
you've gotten it good now
and now
you've gotten it good now

HAPPY PUPPY

Hey sporty, where's the high five?
Where's the fickle little prickle of your playful demise?
On the outskirts, at the fringes of the plentiful point
Standing serene with your arms out of joint
At the base of a bridge where the brown water foams

Hey boss man, where's the clothesline?
Where's that treacherous vine that you hang from sometimes?
If a simple spit shine can validate crime
And water mains can burst into Lake Pontchartrain
You can bloody your feet on the cobblestone streets
Or contemplate a mate beneath the Golden Gate
At the tip of your nose the Pacific air blows

You are responsible for your own wake
The lunch table array of museum decay
Glad-handing and sandbagging your way
You silly gag in the poetry olympiad
These setbacks are temporary
Joe Tourist the florist has never been so in demand
And where is the discipline?
It's coming up behind you

Condensation and conversation
Placed in a yellow tin
Cancellations and complications
How much can we fit in?

You are responsible for your own wake
And the cake that you bake and the videotape
Man-handling and brown bagging your way
You silly fag represented by a new name tag
These setbacks mean everything to me
Joe Tourist the florist, he never shook so many hands
And where is the discipline?
It's coming up behind you

NURSERIES

let's put it this way
there's no reward in your endeavors
and if you've got something to say
for Christ's sake, keep it to yourself
there's nothing you could possibly say
that could make a world of difference
the only thing you can give
is a load of your indifference

why should it make sense to you?
of your guilt there is no question
but we'll have to wait a couple years
until we get your full confession
and in other news
it seems they've killed your baby
the dog's contracted rabies
nurseries blow up everyday

and do you think it's changed now?
are you still playing games now?

explain away the past few years
you're telling me he killed your spirit
well you killed mine and I killed hers
and no one seems the better for it
why should I forfeit this defense
that took me so long to develop?
I don't get myself thrown out of bars
and I don't walk home alone anymore

how could I put my trust in you?
been burned so badly you can smell it
just when your eyes well up with tears
if there's a lie you're sure to tell it
and in other news
the bank machines are broken
your blue Accord's been stolen
and I still ache for you everyday

and do you think you've changed now?
are you still the same girl now?

the opposite of love's not hate
it's your indifference
but you're different

PLANTING SEASON

planting season drawing near
fertilizer for the year
pulling pants down, spoiling crops
waiting for all time to stop

this is the way we drop the gas
this is the way that we trespass
this is the way we watch and wait
buying up all the real estate

just because the weather's right to fly
don't leave ground

fill the landscape, build a bomb
maintain order, remain calm
dress the storefront, advertise
sell the product, capitalize

this is the last thread of your days
this is the enveloping phase
this is the time when cold sets in
a festival in the field begins

just because the items are for sale
don't buy low

anxious throats are swallowing
scalpels that the surgeons bring
teary-eyed and flea-bitten
sheepdogs herd the bodies in

this is the way it was found out
a path through the woods that left no doubt
this is the calendar of dates
a lifetimes of lies to demonstrate

in the lineup I was recognized
"that is him!"
they said,
"that's him!"
"that's him!"
"that's him!"
that's it.

POUGHKEEPSIE

Along the banks of the Hudson
In the midst of a militaristic grey fog
Abandoned houses and industrial factories
Litter the hillside like the carcasses
Of dead livestock

The train travels north like a tributary of the river
Direct witness to the cold and vacated structures
Of broken glass and blackened stone
Populated by ash and dashed expectations
A presentation of wasted time

There is no sunlight in the valley
Where a girl dressed in soft brown awaits
To beckon me from the terminal
To wear a false smile under a dark, weathered hat
To remind me that everything is done in vain
That we have nothing but the frame
Of some abandoned house on a hill
Where nothing grows and everyone is alone
Remaining that way until it's over

The bottles have been emptied
And the bars have all been closed
An olive green bag is thrown over an olive green shoulder
Weary and discouraged, the student leaves this town
Where the sun is unable to melt away
The film of six depressing days
I am right back where I started

RUB YOU OUT

court humiliation
bring it on yourself
in like Flynt, entangled
pour it through the spout
met the maker's mark
and offered up my eyes
transferred all my films
watched them colorized

see them bind your wrists
and gag you with a rag
public execution
thrown into a bag
see them bind your feet
and drag you through the town
and everyone you meet
see them tear you down

the act of weeding out
the undesirables
it takes a lot of work
my hands completely full
and you my dearest friend
you never were a friend
and you my sweetest love
I'm the means to your end

when everything is pointless
when everything's my fault
this carnal cornucopia
the fun brought to a halt
of racking up the bodies
to make the perfect mound
I might just be useless
but you can't turn me down

see them make a face
soon as you turn your back
you offer up your cheek
receive the perfect smack
and here's a handkerchief
to wipe that bloody snout
and everyone you meet
see them rub you out

SAVING GRACE

Passing through
I'd gladly hang from the meat hook for you
On the fluff cycle
A newborn baby had battered its skull
It was left by its mother in a Laundromat
Inside the dryer the baby had sat
Out in the alley you kept up the pace
While my better judgment began to erase

Saving grace
Spit wooden nickels to splinter your face
When he stops by
Out on the front lawn, got punched in the eye
And then you drew me close and established a theme
"I feel so dead that I can't even dream"
You zipped me up and watched him drive away
I feel so dead that I can't even say

(I wrote my manifesto)

Making sense
Play to the masses and dance with the dense
If the market was good
We'd sell this progression as well as we could
And write - please ingest poisons
Please purchase guns
We've got problems with the population
So if you go shoot yourself in the head
Your contribution will be appreciated

Coming clean
Or in from behind I can see what you mean
If the sun cracks through
The people outside see the acts we pursue
Because whether you're wounded or merely set free
That faint line of hair glistens on your belly
When you decide to shoot up in the neck
The man at the morgue will be sure to inspect

WAVE RUNNER

I look up to the sky
And I see you again
You're still my friend

I look down from the sky
And face this all alone
Hang up the phone
With lights in my eyes

You appear in a dream
With so much left to say
But it's not that way
In the day to day

You awake from a dream
With so much left to ask
But it doesn't last
You forget so fast

To get caught up in a cold routine
To get bounced off the trampoline
A different look, a different view
With eyebrows shaved and hair dyed blue
No one wanted to speak to you

WHO KNEW?

everyone's so full of shit
I withdrew from the community to keep myself fit
mentally
they went and passed memos out describing
events that they knew nothing about
verify? sensation?
I suppose it lent itself to fabrication
and I'm told it made a horrific sound
he cut me up but he did not cut me down
though he tried

wonder what went through his mind
subconsciously, I might have known at the time
of impact

I'm getting tired of these friends who
conceal hatchets just to strike me again
on my skull
they wrapped my head up in cloth
it turned the neighbors on as if they were off
of center
police cars, shock trauma, and stitches added to the drama
and what's more
the dogs tried to track his scent
untraceable, no one knew where he went
for nine days

then I found out he was dead
in the East River
found dead

float on

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