1. |
I Know A Man
03:24
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I know a man:
a most ordinary man
or so I thought.
see him walk,
talking on the phone.
Playing guitar
sometimes in terrible bars
where folks like us don't go.
Hear him sing
a brand new song he wrote.
Long after ten
when all decent folk are home in bed
he sits at his desk
thinking
now's my chance it's time to pull ahead
At 5:15,
when the sun begins to hit the street
[he] falls fast asleep
with his
tiny book tucked behind his head
I met a chap.
Struck me as terribly naff.
Perhaps you've seen him here,
drinking beer,
clearing out his mind.
I must admit
he almost had me convinced,
but what lies in his heart?
For that part,
what's inside of mine?
He's coming in fast
He's hoping to make a hit
'Cause when you're in love
you gotta make use of it
How could I know
if this is really it?
As soon as you see,
you're both just following script
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2. |
The Retreat
03:36
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I was a mess
I needed rest,
somewhere to convalesce.
In the mountain air,
I would clear my head.
I caught a ride
with a dude
dressed in three-piece suit
once some time had passed,
I asked about his threads
he said...
I'm straightening my tie,
I'm fixing my vest,
preparing myself
for what lies ahead.
Our numbers have grown
Oh, who could have know?
And it's not over yet.
I'm stitching my seams.
I'm fixing my hair.
When darkness descends,
boy, you best be prepared.
I'm making a scene,
Oh! I do believe at last
our time as come.
When we arrived,
I was floored
at the clothes the people wore
Alas those vibrant hues
sent me into shock
After some weeks spent
in my room
emerged from my coccoon
in a paisley robe,
I guess I must have bought.
because...
I'm straightening my tie,
I'm fixing my vest,
preparing myself
for what lies ahead.
Our numbers have grown
Oh, who could have know?
And it's not over yet.
I'm stitching my seams.
I'm fixing my hair.
When darkness descends,
boy, you best be prepared.
I'm making a scene,
Oh! I do believe at last
our time as come.
I need some information.
About your organization.
It's just a secret club
that anyone can join.
Amidst this adulation.
I felt this transformation.
It's not the sort of thing
I'd normally enjoy.
There is no reason to run.
Me and my army have come.
To save you from this glum,
hum-drum run.
I caught a glimpse of myself.
A vision in black and red felt.
Looking so dapper and svelt,
Feeling well
Feeling well
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3. |
State of Exception
04:00
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Verse:
I was mapping plot points
up and down the coast.
Looking for a way to win your vote
Just then I saw the holy ghost
In the pools of butter
gathered on my plate
I could see the outlines of your face
Everyone looks better in disgrace
Had a dream that nothing could explain
away
Chorus:
Take that look in your eye make a myth of it
Take a bit of it and put it in the sky
Who could ever have known it was ours to lose?
We were so confused we didn't know where to go
Verse:
Did you pledge allegiance
to a fluid state?
Did your land of birth just sublimate?
Don't fret: it's just a passing phase
Have you reached an impasse
at your port of call?
Is it just your syntax that's at fault?
Red-faced: everyone involved
Thank God, the consul took your call
Chorus:
Take that look in your eye make a myth of it
Take a bit of it and put it in the sky (oh, why...)
Who could ever have known it was ours to lose?
We were so confused we didn't know where to go
Bridge:
I tried to put it in reverse
Of course it's yours but it's been cursed
I tried to jump right off the train
Exactly why I can't explain...
Chorus:
Take that look in your eye make a mess of it
Take the rest of it and put it in your book (how does that look)
Who could ever have known it was ours to choose?
We were so confused we didn't know where to go
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4. |
Change the Channel
04:17
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I been shooting for distance
I would settle for time
I been shooting for distance over time
time to turn the record over
I been thinking 'bout high school
Try hard to forget this mess, yeah
I been thinking 'bout high school. I don't know why...
won't you come and change the channel?
We are the criminal class
you tried to push back to the edge of the map
They tried to chase us with cars
but there wasn't no star who could get us all back
I'm at the end of my rope
just like a joke that nobody wrote
you are a talented man,
but as far as a plan well I haven't much hope
in your follow through
I been looking for lifeforms
I been some carbon dating
I been looking for lifeforms in the past
Time to turn the record over
She been looking for profits
Trying hard to make a commission
She been looking for profit margin, yeah
Won't you come and change the channel?
We are the workshop elves,
the ones who went back to the scene of the crime
They tried to bust us for fraud,
but there weren't no laws against these rhymes
We're both cut from the same piece of cloth
the apple fell far from the base of the tree
I tried to make you a scarf, it's hard, and
the project go the best of me
I have this feeling that this venture will succeed,
and I can't contain the thoughts.
Here, with my coffee, and my notebooks full of words.
So many lists of things to change.
We are the workshop elves,
the ones who went back to the scene of the crime
They tried to bust us for fraud,
but there weren't no laws against these rhymes
I've been assigned to your case
Make no mistake the pleasure is mine
'cause it's just like your mama once said
if you do that again, you're better off dead
now go make your bed
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5. |
Plan B
04:09
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Verse:
I am a specter haunting your way of life
I had been itchin' to do television
I am the one who's gonna come and take it all
sitting pretty, in Culver City
I am the dude you refuse to consider
it only made me better, not bitter
yes, it is I, your murderous host
dinner is served, and now for a toast.
Pre-chorus:
Why does it have to be so
s-s-s-sentimental, brother?
If it were easy I guess
you wouldn't want it so bad
Chorus:
I'm the darkest cloud
I'm the witch who switched sky for ground
and now: we're falling towards the sun
When your bubble bursts
I'm the bird, riding on your hearse
pursed, ready to sing my song.
Verse:
"Brush like a dentist," he said as the poison hit
I'd been a fan of his work so I shot him instead
I told a joke and, oh, what a laugh we had
It would have probably got weird so I left it at that.
You should have seen all the things that they wrote
I was fit to be tied I had lied under oath
I was born in the movie on the edge of the screen
is that a fleck in the lens? Nuh-uh, that's me
Pre-chorus:
Why does it have to be so
s-s-s-sentimental, brother?
If it were easy I guess
you wouldn't want it so bad
Chorus:
I'm the darkest cloud
I'm the witch who switched sky for ground
and now: we're falling towards the sun
When your bubble bursts
I'm a bird, riding on your hearse
pursed, ready to sing my song.
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6. |
The Difficult Years
03:31
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Verse:
Harry dropped his scarf
as the train pulled up.
Hug and kiss received,
he climbed the stairs.
Onboard, the train was packed
he dragged his things from front to back
In every car, the people only stared
"What's wrong with me?" he screamed
as the train rolled on.
Tell me what's the joke you can't repeat.
"I may be strange, but I mean no harm."
He pause, smiled, reached out his arm,
but even so they all just turned away.
Chorus:
Exclamations met with broken silence
such is life on Awkward Island.
speculation on his weird romances,
prompting many sideways glances
Harry cut the map with his pocket knife,
handed them a piece so they could choose.
He cried, "The choice is yours:
You take West, and I'll take North, and,
in this way, we'll never meet again."
Chorus:
Exclamations met with broken silence
such is life on Awkward Island.
speculation on his weird romances,
prompting many sideways glances
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7. |
The Telepath Returns
03:30
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I'm the jerk
who digs the dirt
on famous freaks
trawling deep
through haunted microfiche
capiche?
In the park,
trading barbs
with palace guards
on the top of
godforsaken peaks
see?
I turn my heels
feeling unreal
singing a song of the city
I rolled around
making this sound
down on the ground
where the building meet the sea
I'm the guest
who upped and left you
deep in debt
stuck inside
the setup to a joke
and broke
disappeared
for years and years
but now i'm here
ready with
a punchline
that I wrote
it goes...
I turn my heels
feeling unreal
singing a song of the city
I rolled around
making this sound
down on the ground
where the building meet the sea
Yes, of course, I want you dead,
does that mean we can't be friends?
(again, friends)
Even though I'm just a ghost
I can be a charming host
(ghost, host)
I turn my heels
feeling unreal
singing a song of the city
I rolled around
making this sound
down on the ground
where the building meet the sea
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8. |
Recent History
02:51
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I was bleak or glum
now I can't remember
for at least a week
back in late December
by the time I set to write
I couldn't do it 'cause
everything was going right
I'll record a click-track symphony
nothing short of popcraft mastery
but behind these well-placed notes
is a man you may never know
I wrote a song
with lyrics strange and verses long
on and one it would go
I tried in vain
to put some sadness on the page
babe, it just wouldn't come
I was born
clone of another man
mobile phone
locked in a family plan
cut my hair, changed my name
everybody said I still looked the same
Went to see a cut-rate matinee
watch the film alone from the balcony
credit's end, I stayed in my seat
that's the tail of how we meet
I tried in vain
to put some sadness on tape
so kids could relate
I wrote some lines
I poured my heart out into rhyme
I was feeling great
Back and forth and back again
Wandering towards the end
Wheeling, dealing, feeling well
wondering can they tell
how long it take me?
I tried in vain
to put some sadness on tape
so kids could relate
I wrote some lines
I poured my heart out into rhyme
I was feeling great
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9. |
One of Each
03:33
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Verse:
Disappeared, mid career
the patients ranged from glib
to quite sincere
Out to lunch, on a hunch
the man who planned this all was
thanked a bunch
Chorus:
The city is my one true friend
we fall in love again and again
like dancers in that movie no one saw
When the music cease to play
I'll bid adieu and slip away
for there are many places left to go
Verse:
On the beach, out of reach,
the waiter came and gave them
one of each
In the dark, at the park,
the runners all lined up
at the start
Chorus:
The city is my one true friend
we fall in love again and again
like dancers in that movie no one saw
When the music cease to play
I'll bid adieu and slip away
for there are many places left to go
Bridge:
Me and the bros
We almost came to blows
but in you rode
all smiles and they all dispersed
I got your autograph
on the back
of a pamphlet someone had
Chorus:
The city is my one true friend
we fall in love again and again
like dancers in that movie no one saw
When the music cease to play
I'll bid adieu and slip away
for there are many places left to go
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10. |
Return to Ithaca
03:36
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Verse:
Old Cambridge is dying
since they let my kind back in
now I lament the state of things
Charles River has flooded
there's running on the banks
a mile of cars with empty tanks
Chorus:
Down falls the wrecking ball
on the street where I grew up
I can't wait to see what comes
And if I should cry
won't you play this song for me
show me I knew better once
Verse:
The steeple churchbells
told us when to come
alas, they've all but been unrung
The zombie bookies,
calling in their debts
too late we've all be repossessed
Chorus:
Down falls the wrecking ball
on the street where I grew up
I can't wait to see what comes
And if I should cry
won't you play this song for me
show me I knew better once
Bridge:
I can take the Green Line
to a different place
see how things are going
in Jamaica Plain
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Manwomanchild Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Manwomanchild is a rock band from Philadelphia fronted by David Child (Hilowitz).
The band was
started in Rhode Island in 2008.
The band released its self-titled debut album on 12/14/2010 on West Cortez Records.
In 2013, Manwomanchild moved to Philadelphia. In April 2014, they wrote and recorded the soundtrack for Decidedly‘s iOS and Android game “Floyd’s Worthwhile Endeavor“.
... more
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