Phantom Power (1998) Lyrics And Backing Vocals | ||
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Poets When the birds can be heard above the reckoning carts doing some final accounting Lava flowing in Superfarmer's direction He's been gettin' reprieve from the heat in the frozen-food section Don't tell me what the poets are doing (Don't tell me what the poets are doing) Don't tell me that they're talkin' tough (Don't tell me that they're talkin' tough) Don't tell me that they're anti-social (Don't tell me that they're anti-social) Somehow not anti-social enough, all right (*Paul's monologue: After the first chorus of Phantom Power's "Poets," you can hear Paul delivering a monologue in two parts. The first part ends with: "from the depths of vagueness, am I expected to take this?" It's followed by another line ending with "From the depths of vagueness." If you listen VERY closely, you may be able to hear another spoken-word lyric stretching into the "Don't tell me" chorus. The rest of this monolgue remains a mystery.) And porn speaks to it's splintered legions (And I,
can't find) Don't tell me what the poets are doing (Don't tell me what the poets are doing)
Something On It could be a video for new recruits Just stare into the camera And pretend that you got the flu Or dreams of impossible vacations And get all teary from the wind Look as though you're standing at the station Long after the train came in (Came in) And see how the space tautens (The space tautens) Like there's something on (Something on) And you're never more hot then (Never more hot then) When you've got something on (You've got something on) Picture a century of water Bury the pipeline guy right here Kill the dream of possible vacations With the sweep of a mapping pioneer Outside there's hectic action The ice is covering the trees And one of em's interconnecting With my Chevrolet caprice (Chevrolet Caprice) Black out to phantom power (Phantom power) And like there's nothing on (Nothing on) And hammering the tower (The tower) And now there's nothing on (Nothing on) We'll ride the monorail (Monorail) Rocking gently home on the trail (Home on the trail) You wanna to show me the moon I know you're standing at the station I know there's nothing on I know the alienation I know the train's long gone (Train's long gone) I can see how your face tautens (Your face tautens) Like you've got something on (Like you've got something on) It makes me feel just rotten (Feel just rotten) But you've got something on (But you've got something on) Save The Planet
The man 'cross the street he don't move a
muscle With a painted restraint I don't
move a muscle (Painted restraint I don't move a
muscle) Sleep's beckoning from the
depths That's when the powers of observation (Powers
of observation) And after
gaining our resignation they come through the chainlink fence (And after
gaining our resignation they come through the chainlink fence) Sleep plunging
into deeper debt And it sounds heroincredible The man 'cross the
street don't move a muscle (The man 'cross the
street don't move a muscle) What's left to captivate us (What's
to become of us) Bobcaygeon Coulda been the Willie Nelson coulda been the wine When I left your house this morning It was a little after nine It was in Bobcaygeon I saw the constellations Reveal themselves one star at a time Drove back to town this morning With working on my mind I thought of maybe quitting Thought of leaving it behind Went back to bed this morning And as I'm pulling down the blind The sky was dull and hypothetical And falling one cloud at a time That night in Toronto with its checkerboard floors Riding on horseback and keeping order restored Till the men they couldn't hang Stepped to the mic and sang And their voices rang with that Aryan twang I got to your house this morning just a little after nine In the middle of that riot Couldn't get you off my mind So I'm at your house this morning Just a little after nine Cause it was in Bobcaygeon where I saw the constellations Reveal themselves one star at a time Thompson Girl Thompson Girl winterfighter's shot on the car as well Looks like Christmas at 55 degrees This latitude weakens my knees, Thompson girl Grunt work somewhere between dream and duty Poking through with all them shoots of beauty Thompson Girl walking from Churchill Across the icy world with polar bears it's mostly uphill But when she saw that nickel stack She whistled hard and I whistled back, Thompson Girl Grunt work time between dream state and duty Poking through with all them shoots of beauty Grunt work somewhere between dream and duty Poking through with all them shoots of beauty Thompson Girl we're down at the deadhouse plants Thompson Girl we've jettisoned everything we can She says springtime's coming Wait til you see It poking through with them shoots of beauty It's the end of rent-a-movie weather It's time we end this siege together Thompson Girl Membership Whether laying yourself down beside it Fireworks If there's a goal that everyone remembers it
was back in ol '72 You said you didn't give a fuck about hockey Crisis of faith and crisis in the Kremlin (Crisis of faith and crisis in the Kremlin)
(*Live versions: "Crisis of faith") Vapour Trails And by a list of phone calls you'll like to make Where you could sit on the edge of your bed And you could stare into your own shoes And in the pools of light there Go wherever you choose Just rig up a complication and if it derails (Just rig up a complication and if it derails) You can throw away the rudder and float away like vapour trails There's nothing funnier than pride in an utterly confident stride So I pulled the car on over to give you a ride Damn this sleepy weather he said (This sleepy weather he said) As he marched in sopping wet shoes (Marched in sopping wet shoes) Through rainpools evaporating (Rainpools evaporating) Says in this sign I'll conquer you (Sign I'll conquer you) I pulled the car on over to give you a ride but there's nothing uglier than a man hitting his stride Past Mexicans all dressed in beige shirts (Past Mexicans all dressed in beige shirts) Leaning over their hoes (Leaning over their hoes) Now the morning's over (Now the morning's over) It's time to let them sprinklers hose (It's time to let them sprinklers hose) Past hills of chambermaids' dark bare arms And fields of muscle quilted to the bone Right now I'm flying over Yea right now I'm flying home Where I can sit on the end of my bed (Sit on the end of my bed) And I can stare into my own shoes (I can stare into my own shoes) And in the pools of light years (In the pools of light years) Go wherever I choose (Wherever I choose) And throw away the rudder float away on vapour trails (Mexicans dressed in beige shirts) I rigged up a complication totally derailed (Leaning over their hoes) So I throw away the rudder float away like vapour trails (Now the morning's over) I pulled the car on over (It's time to let them sprinklers hose) Throw away the rudder Throw away the rudder Throw away the rudder (Float away on a vapour trail) Throw away the rudder (Float away on a vapour trail) Throw away the rudder (Float away on a vapour trail) The Rules And motorists curse their lousy luck Crossing Guard's not doing his job And traffic's not about to stop for the first casualty of thought It's the rules (The rules) It's the rules (The rules) Superfarmer's bent on the cover of Time The Moralists scream he's all mine So the Bard isn't doing her job The vacuum night the darkest rites The small quarantined thoughts It's the rules (The rules) It's the rules (The rules) Salesman said this vacuum's guaranteed It could suck an ancient virus from the sea It could put the dog out of a job Could make traffic stop so little thoughts Can safely get across It's the rules (The rules) It's the rules (The rules) Guaranteed or not It's the rules (The rules) Chagrin Falls For a fact or just for effect When they met where they connect At the confluence of travel and sex More a trip than a quest Plunged into the deeply freckled breast Where to now? if I had to guess I'm afraid to say Antarctica's next Or Chagrin Falls, Ohio (Chagrin Falls) Where the unknown won't even go (Chagrin Falls) To Chagrin Falls, Ohio (Chagrin Falls) Where the unknown don't even go (So falls Chagrin Falls) Home's solitude with options Artificial chaos isn't one of em Return there crestfallen Chagrin fell out of her apron No profound sound no special effects The continent tipped and she just quietly left Chagrin falls on our heads Not in a gush but in maddening droplets Chagrin Falls (In Chagrin Falls, Ohio) Chagrin Falls (Where the unknown won't even go) Chagrin falls (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) So falls Chagrin Falls (Where the unknown don't even go) So falls, chagrin falls So falls, chagrin falls Escape Is At Hand For The Travellin' Man It was your fourth time in New York We were fifth and sixth on the bill We talk a little about our bands talk a little of our future plans It's not like we were best of friends That number scheme comes back to me (Number scheme comes back to me) In times beyond our heartbeat (Times beyond our heartbeat) We hung around til the final band Called 'Escape is at Hand for the Travellin' Man' You yelled in my ear this music speaks to me They launched into 'Lonely From Rock n Roll' Followed by 'They Checked Out An Hour Ago' Closing with 'All Desires Turn Concrete' Those melodies come back to me (Melodies come back to me) At times beyond our heartbeat (Times beyond our heartbeat) I guess I'm too slow yes I'm too, yes I'm too slow but you said anytime of the day was fine (You said anytime of the day was fine) You said anytime of the night was also fine (You said anytime of the night was also fine) I walked through your revolving door Got no answer on the seventh floor Elevator gave a low moan The pigeons sagged the wire with their weight Listening to the singing chambermaid She sang 'They Checked Out an Hour Ago' Kinda chuckled Those melodies come back to me (Melodies come back to me) In times beyond our heartbeat (Times beyond our heartbeat) I guess I'm too slow yes I'm too, yes I'm too slow But you said anytime of the day was fine (Anytime of the day was fine) You said anytime of the night was also fine (You said anytime of the night was also fine) Our heartbeat, our heartbeat our heartbeat Long conversation idle chit-chat Maybe dive in or maybe hang back Idle conversation or idle chit-chat Maybe dive in or maybe hang back Emperor Penguin C'mon let's spill some paint Let's raise a glass of milk to the end of another day and to the kiss that's still intangible The kids are alright just unmanageable They won't do a damn thing you say Your voice is all detached on a radio wave breeze We have another caller with a bachelor degree Talkin' alien invasion is the only chance for unity Well sorry to interrupt you caller But that's a physical impossibility That's a physical impossibility That's a physical impossibility You'd be tossed up or washed up The narrator relates In a spartan Antarctican walk for many days Meet with Emperor Penguin devotion to the egg (Emperor Penguin) And their women are swimming from half an ocean away (Women are swimming) Don't sound so detached this is you and me Just give me your opinion before you turn to leave But your crust is just incredible The radio was edible When you said don't wipe your asses with your sleeve You're a physical impossibility
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