Elliott Smith (1969 – 2003)
American songwriter and musician.
Haven't laughed this hard in a long time
I better stop now before I start crying
Go off to sleep in the sunshine
I don't want to see the day when its dying.
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.
This is the place where time reverses.
Dead men talk to all the pretty nurses.
Instruments shine on a silver tray
Don't let me get carried away.
Veins full of disappearing ink
Vomitting in the kitchen sink.
Because your candle burns too bright
well, I almost forgot it was twilight.
Even if I think that you are right,
well, I'm tired of being down, I got no fight.
You're wonderful, and it's beautiful,
but I'm already somebody's baby.
And if i went with you, I'd disappoint you, too.
I see you're leaving me and taking up with the enemy
the cold comfort of the in between
a little less than a human being
a little less than a happy high
a little less than a suicide
the only things that you really tried.
So I wait for confirmation
That you're never gonna use your starting gun.
Don't you know that I love you?
sometimes I feel like
only a cold still life
only a frozen still life
that fell down here to lay beside you.
Shine on me, baby
cause it's raining
in my heart.
I think the music business will eventually crush me, but I [smiles]... I'm ready.
Here's a song I made up while I was watching Xena the Warrior Princess with the sound off. It's a fact. I had a secret crush on Xena. It was a secret to me too. I wouldn't admit it. She's pretty fuckin' tough. She has a good yell... she kills the stupid gladiators with the log-trap. Release the log-trap! She releases the log-trap and they all get... crushed. They'd all wanna be with her if they could, but unfortunately they're not on her side. It's a lot better with the sound off. Really, it is. And the song didn't have anything to do with Xena... but... I was about half a bottle through Jameson's... if that makes any sense.
I'm in love with the world,
Through the eyes of a girl,
Who's still around the morning after.
There's some records that sell millions of copies, that it's really unclear if anybody liked it who was making it, y'know?
Crooked spin can't come to rest,
I'm damaged bad at best.
Wearing clothes that clash
Wondering 'is this treasure, is this trash?'
Still trying to decide
Bored in a role, but he can't stop
Standing up to sit back down,
and lose the one thing found.
Spinning the world like a toy top
'till there's a ghost in every town.
[when asked about cigarettes] I don't recommend them... but I smoke them.
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.