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The Reluctant Graveyard

by Jeremy Messersmith

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1.
Lazy Bones 02:37
He plays all night then sleeps all day Waves at the dawn With a stretch and a yawn He has to go to work at eight But he might have a cough So he's sleeping it off Lazy bones Never worked so hard I hope you never break Lazy bones Oh you're working so hard He sleeps like he's got something to prove Somewhere to explore With a wink and a snore He's at the end of misspent youth Just a blur in a dream Too quick to be seen
2.
I found honest work and lord knows I tried I found honest work and lord knows I tried Robbed a bank and ran from the fuzz They asked the teller just who I was She said “I don't know, but he had John Dillinger's eyes!” For five long years I was wanted by the FBI For five long years I was wanted by the FBI I was shooting pool at the hall Saw my poster up on the wall “Ain't that you? You got John Dillinger's eyes!” I caught one in my chest and two in my thigh I caught one in my chest and two in my thigh I saw a man rush to my side Took a photograph as I died And all because I was born with John Dillinger's eyes! That newspaper man won the Pulitzer Prize That newspaper man won the Pulitzer Prize He keeps it by his bed on a shelf But one thing that he'll never tell Every day he thanks god for John Dillinger's eyes!
3.
Organ Donor 02:51
I was born in a mortuary Full of worry Ice water in my veins Gave my heart in the school library Never knew her name Lost my tongue in the sanctuary “Heaven spare me!” Hands raised above my head Sent my brain to the seminary Never seen again... Swing low Grey bones I don't know If I'll ever be whole again Left my spine in the wedding chapel Full of people Feet turning into lead Lost a leg at the iron foundry Where they found me dead Drained my blood at the mortuary No more worry Ice water in my veins Took my bones to the cemetery Where they still remain So swing low Grey bones I don't know If I'll ever be whole again
4.
Racing up and down the halls Footsteps echo off the walls Summertime is here again I'm not thinking of the friends I'll leave behind No one wants to be the last one home Bell rings out at 3 o'clock I fly out of the starting block I may be small but I've got speed Trail of sparks behind my feet No one wants to be the last one home Racing up and down the halls Footsteps echo off the walls Summertime is here again I'm not thinking of the friends I left behind
5.
Violet! 03:31
Violet Streaks of earth matted in her hair Beaten down, but she won't scare Blinks her eyes, battered green and blue Ignorance can leave an awful bruise So get up! Get up! Come on and get up, Violet! Blade of grass in her aching fist Sets her jaw, no she won't quit She'll take the fight to streets and avenues A little dirt can make a flower bloom
6.
Knots 02:59
Black sweatband, sticks blur in her hands; she's the drummer She weaves a beat through Kinks and Deep Purple covers Can't shake her off She keeps me tied in knots I'm tangled from the inside out Strung out and tired, a funeral-crier; I'm heartsick So I twist and turn till the ropes start to burn and I'm frantic All those uptown boys making noise but she just yawns With a wicked back beat, she flips them off and then she's gone
7.
Polished up and standing in a row Wind up the gears, watch them go People made of spring and sparks Humming with electric hearts Hoping for a ghost inside the shell But if it's there it's hidden well All we are is ticks and tocks Seconds in a pocket watch Oh you silly things I've got you figured out Walking on a January lake I feel the ice around me break One more ripple in the pond Stretches out until it's calm
8.
Lucy takes the long way home Meets me in a field of stone She says I don't know how I'm supposed to feel My body's cold my guts are twisted steel I feel like I'm some kind of frankenstein Waiting for a shock to bring me back to life But I don't want to spend my time Waiting for lightning to strike Underneath a concrete sky Lucy puts her hand in mine She says life's a game we're meant to lose But stick by me and I will stick by you I'm like a princess in a castle high Waiting for a kiss to bring me back to life But I don't want to spend my time Waiting for just another guy
9.
Repo Man 02:05
Fourteen years I was sober I worked hard for my pay Left my tithe at the altar Closed my eyes when I prayed But I'm the repo man and nobody weeps for me The ground is cold in Minnesota Cotton falling on the town I share this hill with a willow But he never makes a sound
10.
I can tell you've got taste You shouldn't have to settle You deserve the best So why not rest in style? What's that you say? You're feeling fine? Well, if you want my opinion In this line of work It never hurts to plan This is how it has to end So love somebody while you can No, you won't need to pack You've got a reservation But you don't have to wait If you don't want to And you won't feel a thing All your friends are there already Once you're gone You'll never want to live again
11.
Tomorrow 01:29
Will I see you again? Same time tomorrow Well, I hope so Let's watch the midnight sky I won't say goodbye Until tomorrow Yesterday is gone Today is almost over Come on let's stay up late We'll turn our today Into tomorrow Today is all we've got A moment here then not And if tomorrow never comes I'll be standing with the one I love It's time to say goodnight And then you kiss me Sweetly Let's watch the morning break Some things just can't wait until tomorrow

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For All Business Inquires:
jeremymessersmithmusic@gmail.com

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released May 4, 2010

Produced by Jeremy Messersmith + Andy Thompson
Mixed by Andy Thompson (www.andywho.com)
Recorded by Andy Thompson + Jeremy Messersmith at The Library (www.thelibraryrecordingstudio.com), Instrument Landing (www.instrument-landing.com), Echo Boys
Additional Engineering: Ross Nelson + Bo Bodnar
Mastered by Ed Brooks
Artwork by Nick Schubert

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The Pied Piper of Wuss Rock.

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