Little Purple Circles
LPC Lyrics
Little Purple Circles
Cloud
Shake Hands
I want to live
I want to lie
I want to stay
I want to play
In this life that I made
It’s a place in the sun
And before I am done
I mean I’m finally free
I just want to be me
And go where ever that leads
I’m tracing every step I took
I’m placing all the faces with the names
In my little black book
I want to flash
I want to fly
Across the darkening sky
I’m a smile on the face of a terrible god
Death waits in the wings
Hear the angels that sing
As they lower me down to a hole in the ground
I’m thinking about the time I took;
I’m thinking about the names of the people
And the hands I shook
I want to take what I can find
I want to burn it in your mind
I want to live another day
If just to make you all pay
I want a life I never had
I want this pressure off my back;
I want the first to be last
And all the time it flies fast –
So fast I’m knocking on wood
I never remember the way, although I guess I should
Penelope O’Doule
Remember Penny O’Doule?
She used to be cool
Well, she used to, but it’s over now
She’s a fool
And what can she say?
When she had it her way?
It’s a sad, strange story
Because it’s terrible and true
She’s the prettiest girl
She’s the prettiest girl in the world
And she’s miserable
I can remember the days
When precious Penny would play
And where we might disagree
She dressed us down, occasionally
And having met her demands
When she threw up her hands
The frustrated flashing smiles
A spoiled stripling, arrogant child
Her parents wondered if they’d never ever see their little girl again
They couldn’t see that their precious Penelope
Was determined to be
At the center of the story again
The years they all passed in a haze
And on her eighteenth birthday
The tips she makes are alright
Working Tuesday and Saturday nights
Working late for cheap thrills
For ones and five dollar bills
A Penny spurned, a Penny spent
The ageless days they came and they went
She’s the prettiest girl
And completely alone in the world
Blue Sky
A long hard rain is going to fall
And the only choice is no choice at all
Looking up a hill, and far from standing tall
Your back is against the wall
Though the hardest times are coming
When the pressure is overwhelming
I remember the blue sky
I weather the storm and it passes by
No one can explain the suicide
That tore a tiny hole in every one’s life
A tiny prayer for all your best-laid plans
The universe just doesn’t give a damn
Why do you always come too late?
Even when I’m home I’ve got time to wait
Even when I’m home without you
Why do you always leave me there?
Even when I’m home I’ve got time to spare
Even when I’m home without you
And I’ve got the strangest feeling…
Beautiful World
When you were young, and they brought you to school
They brought you to heel, and they taught you the rules
You learned all their secrets and performed all their tricks
While they took you apart to see what made you tick
Now you take a step back and describe what you see
It didn’t turn out how you thought it might be
You didn’t grow famous, you didn’t strike gold
You were slow to grow smart but you were quick to grow old
Hands off my beautiful world
It’s only big enough for me
Hands off my beautiful world
That’s how it’s shaping up to be
Here’s to the memory of Penny O’Doule
Born to a hero, and married a fool
Who came to despise her eventually
When it all became clear how she came by her money
We live in a strange and a wonderful world
Where everyone has to be cool
You can be clever and you can have flash
You can have beauty but your beauty won’t last
You can remember, and you can forget
And you can pretend you haven’t given up yet
You can drink coffee, and you can drink tea
And you can have freedom, but you’ll never be free
We live in a strange and a wonderful world
Where nothing is quite as it seems
Everybody’s trying to direct your dreams
You can run, you can run, but you’ll never catch me..
It's Only Me
Wash me down ‘till I’m ripples
In a calm sea
And the fishes who eat my body
All become me
Believe in anything long enough
It becomes real
Now I’ve nothing to hide
And I’ve nothing to steal
Did I stand with my toes in the sand?
Now I’m more
My bones lay amongst pebbles
Awash on the shore
Let my waves caress you
In an epiphany
Hear my voice in a shell
Part of life’s larger symphony
And have no fear of the ocean
‘Cause it’s only me
Everything You Read
Take a moment and walk with me
Alone at the end of the world
Soft pillows and treachery
And blood-red roses for girls
Take a while and walk with me
Alone at the end of the world
Lay your weary head next to mine
And tell me everything you see
Tell me everything you dream
You always believe everything that you read
And now she’s in trouble
She’s always in trouble
With her mother and the rest of the world
When she lies, she can’t look in your eyes
She’s such an irresponsible girl
She’s all sand in the hands of the man
Who stands at the end of the world
I don’t care what your momma says
Just lay your weary head by me
Tell me everything you see
You always believe everything that you read
The Miles Gone By
I don’t need religion to understand
You don’t need your momma to hold your hand
And I don’t need to tell you what Jesus said
With just an empty heart and an empty bed
So what’s your worry?
And what’s your hurry?
Keep your head in the clouds
And remember the miles gone by
I’ll be your voice when you can’t speak
A solid rock beneath your feet
A candle in the window to bring you home
And warm your heart when you’re alone
And you know you’ll find the way
Forward
What You Were Meant to Be
Hey
What’s a white lie amongst friends?
Summer is winter again
And they’re beating their swords into pens
The fools
They slander the name of the rose
They’re sewing the emperor’s clothes
And stringing him up by the toes
Come tomorrow this no longer is the world you know
The glowing sun will burn your skin
The stinging wind it will blow
Did you think you could hide?
You’re inside of this awful machine
So take my hand
And understand what you were meant to be
Here lies the unfortunate victim of truth
Laid out on the altar of youth
And wisdom so long in the tooth
Change
We’re beating our swords into pens
And into the breach once again
To cut down our erstwhile friends
Trick the thinkers
Moral midgets
Storytellers and minding minders
Save the saviors
Wasting wastrels
Wringing hands
And pointing fingers
Crazy from the Sunshine
Digging through your garbage
Looking for something to eat
I wouldn’t be homeless
But you cut down my tree
I used to eat the fishes
That were swimming in the stream
But the water’s too hot now
And the dogs all chase me
And he’s all right
And she’s all right
And you’re all right
But you don’t know about me…
And she’s all right
And they’re all right
And he’s all right
But you don’t care…
My brothers and my sisters
Have all gone now, too
Crazy from the sunshine
And the light of the moon
I wonder if you know me
I wonder if you care
Can anybody hear me?
Is anyone there?
For a Dying Bird
High above without a sound
A streak across the winter sky
A lonely traveler looking down
To search along the rocky ground
Chase along a restless flight
Seeking out a hidden home
Without thought, I cast the stone
That met her wing and brought her low
Do you miss them all?
Can you still hear?
Do you feel so strong?
Can you wait so long
So long
I wish that I could take you home
To try to mend your broken wing
And bind you with a silver ring
And listen to the caged bird sing
If I could only make you say
If I could only make you do
I wish I could get close to you
I wished, I hoped; but never knew
I wish that I could take it back
A careless act now set in stone
The little ones that wait alone
For someone never coming home
Closer now, I shut my eyes
It doesn’t mean I disagree
It’s just that I don’t want to see
How far it’s gone, how far from me
Radio
Four hundred fourteen thousand lights up in the sky
The noise on the radio is a sound from times gone by
The sound that comes from underground is in your head
So turn the dial and listen to the voices of the dead
And when the sun goes down
And you’re never alone but there isn’t a soul around
When the sun goes down
And you’re humming a song, but you don’t recognize the sound
Four hundred fourteen thousand lights up in the sky
Reflect the cold unblinking moon
The staring bloodshot eye
The dew drops slide along a razor blade of grass
Encapsulated in the sound of breaking glass
And when you fall asleep
Are you hearing the thoughts of the old ones?
Buried deep
When you fall asleep
Are they waking you up with a tear-stain across your cheek?
Make your heart a stone
And tie the blindfold on
Take a swimmer’s breath
And step into the void
Seeking to destroy the thing, you’ve come to love it’s bittersweet
You’ve come to name the nameless, face the faceless
And turn this final winding-sheet
And do you fall asleep
With a vision of a muddy boot and a bloodstained sheet?
Pictures of You
Elastic time between awake and asleep
I close my eyes and let the edges bleed
It forms a perfect picture in my mind
And I wonder where you are
I swear sometimes I hear you call my name
I wonder if and when this little hurricane
Will bring you home again
Again I take a turn upon the wheel
Now I go home
It’s like the photograph in which I laughed
You almost seemed to smile
That picture almost always makes me cry
It makes me think of hurricanes and butterflies
And long goodbyes
All I thought was treasure was always trash
The laughter on my tongue has turned to ash
And I’d give anything just to take that one word back
But you’ve been gone so long…
You have been away so long
It makes for a depressing song
But it just can’t be helped because it’s never been more true
It makes me think of you
Lady Policeman
I was waiting on tables when she walked in
Big black boots, about five foot ten
With aviator glasses you can see yourself in
Well, I must have fell in love right there and then
Lady policeman
I’ve put aside the sun for you
Lady policeman
You’ve got me on the run from you
I was shaking in my shoes, I didn’t want to blow it
She was staking me out then, but I didn’t know it
I was thinking about my hands up around her breasts
Underneath that big black bulletproof vest
Well, I never knew love would ever feel this way
I submit to a strip search six times a day
And I can’t tell you everything I saw
Wrapped up in the long, strong arms of the law
A Measure of Salt
I don’t care what you hear
I don’t follow my fears
Down the line and I’m going to be fine
I don’t care what you say
You can’t take it away
I don’t care if you go or you stay
Hey
Nobody is going away
High
Words only get in the way
They lie
And try as I may
I just don’t see a reason to do things your way
Everything that you claim to know
Is as thin as a cloud from the symptoms that show
The millions of words that you borrow and steal
Are just empty constructions your logic can’t heal
Hi
Nobody is going to try
Hey
There isn’t a lot I can say
I mean, it’s not like you’re new to the scene
It’s a crime
The funny thing you’re doing to me
I try
To see it in a different way
The same
The words always get in the way
They lie, and try as I may
I just don’t see a reason to do things your way
Take your parents with a measure of salt
Because history says that it wasn’t their fault
Conventional wisdom would say
It’s as good as a guess at the end of the day
Daddy don’t know
Momma don’t know
Teacher don’t know
Preacher don’t know
I’m making it up as I go
I’m following tracks in the snow
I’m trying to make it fair
I’m pulling this out of the air
If nobody cares what I say
And nobody cares if I stay
I’ve got to believe in myself
I’ve got to believe you can help
It doesn’t mean that you can’t think
You’ve got to learn to swim or to sink
I’m not ready to give up the ghost
Running from the things that I fear the most
I’m not ready to give up hope
Swinging like a corpse at the end of a rope
The Real Story
One and one and one are three;
Each numbered one
The searching sons
Anxious for a sign
But not to take the time
You know how some kids are
Told a future history
So terrified, I closed my eyes
But I could still see
And it seemed so real
But it was only a figure of speech
Uncertain steps
The road you never tread
Out under a starless sky again
Whispers in a quiet room
And preaching to the disbelievers
One by two they came to see
And put on shoes to meet their destiny
Touching tongues with their deepest fears
So paralyzed and powerless
They could not make it disappear;
Forever wasn’t always here
I still believe that the sun is coming up on the other side
At least, I think that’s the sun coming up on the other side
Teach us
To reach us
To show your sign
Coax us
Gently
From our minds
To teach us
To guide us
To show us how
Nowhere
Nothing
No one now
This is the story of a child’s dream
Who heard the words but didn’t know what they mean
No bands and no parades
A bugle and a drum
Before there was a boy
And now there is no one
Memento
Well, I’ve reached what I thought was the top
But nothing was as it should be
Turn alone, it’s a world where all fear and frustration are clawing at me
Stood a room where the dust caught the light of the sun
Shining down on the bay
Thinking of you, I feel a deep shade of blue
Like the dress that you wore on that day
Now you’re gone
And I can’t remember
Nothing could keep you from leaving
So long
What remains is so terribly wrong
You are gone
Every mistake I have made in my youth
I relive them again and again
Until I’ve given up on sleep
I just curse at the darkness
Betraying a friend
I bite back at the hands of acceptance
I rely on deceit and dismay
I’m pulling tight on that bright strip of blue
A memento I keep from that day
Now you’re gone
Like leaves in the winter
Nothing could keep you from leaving
So long
What remains is so terribly wrong
You are gone
Late at night I sometimes imagine
That I can see out of your eyes
Looking up at the stars
From the hole in the ground
That you’re hidden inside
Now you’re gone
No future is coming
And the past, it recedes
In some small way it seems
You’re with me
The World is a Reason to Live
Take your hands and place them over both your eyes
I’ll turn you on to something new
I’ll turn you on to a surprise
A taste of something sweet
After years of plastic lies
A tangible feeling of real
Satisfaction that money can’t buy
If you live in the world, then you don’t need a reason
Millions and millions of desperate people
Living in the world today
Maybe then we couldn’t hear them speak
But then suddenly everything changed
A cry of inchoate rage
So deep we had to look away
Now the symptoms might differ
From one to another
But the cure is exactly the same
And if you live in this world, then you don’t need a reason
A reason to live
Get your heads together, and we will try to keep the time
And happily play to a different tune
If you will only read between the lines
There’s a legion of things that everyone does
That we don’t want to justify
So maybe we could be a friend
Maybe someone on whom to rely
The world is a reason to live
The Thief
She’s got the moon in her eyes
She looks so far away
And it’s never too late to try
To steal away a lazy day
‘Cause life is one long goodbye
And I want to hold on
And it’s never too late to try
To hold on to me
Because when everything is wrong
And I just want to die
When the dying of a dream
Is the closing of a door
Then she takes me in her arms
And whispers to me
Lay me down, beneath my dying breath
I need the sleep
Now I’ll never know where she’s going
And maybe I’ll never know why
She wanted to go
But she wanted to go
With something to save, and nothing to show
She’s breaking the ties
She’s pulling the threads
She’s leaving the ashes
And taking the rest
And you know, she’s a thief
Green Magic
(instrumental)
TopMy Way to You
Looking in the mirror I can see you there
Pausing a moment and brushing your hair
Just for a second, it catches my eye
The truth, or a lie?
A trick of the light?
It could have been purpose, it could have been hope
A piece gone missing, and something is broken
I’m looking for answers and finding so few
I’m coming up empty
But zeroing in on the truth
And I’m on my way to you
Give me your time and your point of view
Wish on a star
It will never come true
Picture the moment when you felt it first;
The time you held on, or the time you got hurt?
Daddy won’t stop
Daddy won’t stop ‘till there’s nothing to rock
Anymore
I know, I know, I’ve been lying to myself
But if it helps you to get along
You can speak your mind
And you can stand your ground
Do you feel alone sometimes?
It’s not the weight of the world
But now and again I feel down
Are you happy to be alive?
Awake and alive is a walk in the cold sunshine
Do you miss anyone at all?
I have to admit, it gets lonely out here sometimes
And if I make it back from the fall
I’ll get down on my knees
And kiss this planet Earth
And I’m on my way to you
Naples
First day of October
And a blood-red sky
With the sun behind the mountain
I sight down the barrel
But the light’s in my eyes
Is something moving out there?
Will they carry my coffin?
Or will I be a lone man walking?
Home again
Sometimes I hear the sound of the bullets flying by
You’d better keep your head about you
And lately I dream at night
The bright lights are going by
And I know that I’m losing something
Is it only luck I’m living here today?
Maybe nothing more
But please don’t let me stay
Behind
A crash in the darkness
One has landed nearby
And my friends fall all around me
Two men will bring the news
I won’t hear my family cry
And I wonder if they’re sleeping
Will I make it home walking?
Or will you carry my coffin?
It’s Closer
Alone in his daydream, he thought of his wants
Buoyed by hope
And enduring the taunts
Of children so cruel he remembers them still
They accomplished with force what they couldn’t with skill
It’s closer, they say
But it’s fading away
Forever
It’s closer, they say
And he’s going away
Remember
And now that he’s older, it’s still much the same
Ducking his head and feeling ashamed
The warm light of candles was starting to die
But you were the single bright star in his sky
A walk on the water
A surf-crashing chill
Dad looking on from the top of a hill
In the space of a moment, the silence that fell
He swallowed the secrets that he couldn’t tell
It’s closer, they say
But it’s fading away
Nightbird
Cloud my eyes
The summer fireflies
How they dance so crazy!
Depressant child
Of secret, sugar smiles
Pull this all away from me
Policeman gun
Fat F**cking lizard in the sun
Your lazy eye is watching me
But I won’t go
Just pretending I don’t know why
A spider waits for her company
Kiss me, crazy little honeybee
Underneath your poison apple tree
The slightest sting to me will still your wings
You’ll not destroy this enemy
Moonlight shines
Outside the nightbird cries
How she cry so lonely!
This electric flow
Will inexorably slow
Implanted in your mind
But you can’t let go
The lights that shone like stars were spinning round and round
It felt like falling but your feet were on the ground
Across a mirror sky a crooked arrow flew
And with a sound like falling leaves
You folded up into yourself
Rogue Helicopter Pilot
(instrumental)
The Curse
He’s awake before sunrise
And working his way behind town
Between the streets he’s composing
It’s something he’ll never write down
Deliver him from purpose
He wants to hide
Does he presume to ask for the time?
Or does he stay outside?
Our friend, he’s conflicted
But surely there’s no one who knows
A measure of suspicion
‘Cause everybody knows you can’t be too careful
Does he wonder if it’s in his mind?
Can he hear the seconds ticking by?
Take from him your promise
He falls behind
Then he hides from the sunrise again
Waiting for another sign
Does he speak, does he act?
Does he just compose another song?
And pretend that it’s not meaningless
Pretending it meant something all along
He waits for the sun to go down
Then follows the road to his home
Where he sets pen to paper
And really gets ready to never deliver
And he knows the words won’t make him die
Hates himself that he’s afraid to try
Where they say that the sun and the moon walk together, hope resides
Tiny blades of grass poke through the concrete and survive
With a strength withstanding waves that crash upon the shores
Itself a blessing or a curse
Or something worse
Or maybe, something more
Love
When you love someone, it doesn’t mean you take on all the pain
When you love someone, you fear them
And the changes that you make to keep your self