Elliott Smith (1969 – 2003)
American songwriter and musician.
Gimme one good reason not to do it
(because we love you), so do it.
Church bells and now I'm awake
And I guess it must be some kind of holiday
I can't seem to join in the celebration
But I'll go to the service
And I'll go to pray
And I'll sing the praises of my maker's name
Like I was as good as she made me...
You don't deserve to be lonely,
but those drugs you got won't make you feel better.
Pretty soon you'll find it's the only
little part of your life you're keeping together.
You disappoint me,
all you people raking in on the world.
The devil's script sells
you the heart of a blackbird.
Next door, the TV's flashing
blue frames on the wall.
It's a comedy from the seventies
with a lead no one recalls.
He vanished into oblivion
it's easy to do
and I cried a sea when you talked to me
the day you said we were through.
But it's all right, some enchanted night
I'll be with you
I'm a roman candle
My head is full of flames
I want to hurt him
I want to give him pain
And make him feel this pretty burn.
You turned white, like a saint
But I'm tired of dancing on a pot of gold...
...Flecked paint.
My mama told me 'baby stay clean
there's no in between.'
but all you ladies and you gentlemen,
between is all you've ever seen or been.
Drink up, baby, look at the stars
I'll kiss you again
Between the bars
Where I'm seeing you there
With your hands in the air
Waiting to finally be caught
Drink up one more time and I'll make you mine...
[when asked about cigarettes] I don't recommend them... but I smoke them.
I'm a junkyard full of false starts
And I don't need your permission
To bury my love under this bare light bulb.
The moon is a sickle cell
It'll kill you in time.
I'd say you make the
perfect angel in the snow
all crushed out on the way
you are, I'd better stop before
it goes too far.
I could make you satisfied in everything you do,
All your secret wishes could right now be coming true
And be forever with my poisoned arms
Around you.
No one's gonna fool around with us.
What I used to be will pass away, and then you'll see
That all I want now is happiness for you and me.
The first true love that folded at the slightest touch,
brought down like an old hotel,
people digging through the rubble for things they can resell.
I can't beat myself
I can't beat myself
And I don't want to talk.
I'm taking the cure so I can be quiet
Whenever I want.
So leave me alone
You ought to be proud that I'm getting good marks.
The scraping subjects, ruled by fear, they told me
whiskey works better than beer.
Shine on me, baby
cause it's raining
in my heart.
Elliott: "Do you want to hear a happy or a sad song?"
Crowd: "Happy!"
Elliott: "Old or new?"
Crowd: "Old!"
Elliott: "Happy and old, that's a strange choice."
This is the place you end up when you lose the chase,
Where your dragged against your will from a basement on a hill,
And all anybody knows, is you're not like them,
So they kick you in the head...and send you back to bed.