answering machine music


ANSWERING MACHINE MUSIC WHEN THE BRIDGE TOLL WAS A DOLLAR i reached into my wallet & i pulled out one single crisp clean dollar bill & i handed it to you i watched as you adjusted your sun visor to keep the glare out of your eyes then you rolled down your window & you paid the toll taker as we drove away i watched you push your hair behind your right ear & you turned to me & you smiled & in that smile was everything you were all i'd ever wanted CASIOTONE FOR THE PAINFULLY ALONE JOINS THE FOREIGN LEGION i should have known how this would end you've stopped being my friend some things aren't worth mending some messages aren't worth unsending the way you walked past the door oblivious to me writhing on the floor from the pain that you inflicted & all the pills that the doctor prescripted they don't work anymore it's not the point that i'm mad you fucked me up pretty bad but now it's all too late you can forward my mail to the state i joined the foreign legion COLD SHOULDER i just got off the train & i didn't sleep i haven't been in this town in weeks & the only things keeping me alive are your picture in my pocket & a dollar forty-five & i'm hoping to hell that you're home & as i approach your house on the beach & your front gate is in my reach i try to think of one single reason why you'd want to take me back in this winter season & you know what i can't think of a one the forecast is for a cold shoulder it's been two months since i walked away in boulder it was the stupidest thing i've ever done & now i'm coming back to you unshaven unslept & sorry RICE DREAM GIRL i was in the safeway store when i saw you in aisle four i swear you looked so nice you were buying milk that was made out of rice i tried to think of something clever to say but you were already walking away in an attempt to get my groove on i offered you my white castle coupon the radio was playing seal i tried to tell you how i feel but then our shopping carts locked wheels & the moment just seemed wrong oh won't you do what's right put your groceries in my car tonight i want to take you home oh w/ your eyes of blue i want to drink rice milk w/ you i'll be your one and only so we won't be so lonely SECRETEST CRUSH the secretest crush there ever was is in my heart & there's no one i can tell cause everyone around here has a big fat mouth including me & that's the hardest part cause i really want to tell you how she grabbed my arm last night & how i felt my heart stop but i don't trust you not to tell & i guess it's just as well yeah i guess it's just as well the secretest crush there ever was is in my heart & there's no one i can tell & i can't even write a song about her because she loves my band yeah she loves my band A NORMAL SUBURBAN LIFESTYLE IS A NEAR IMPOSSIBILITY ONCE YOU'VE FALLEN IN LOVE WITH AN INTERNATIONAL SPY the 2nd of april 1998 is when they came & took him away it was raining hard secret service men were standing in the yard she wiped the tears from her eyes she knew this day would come the sunday paper was scattered on the floor near where the fbi had kicked in their door he was gone w/o a single kiss goodbye they finally caught up with her international spy BABY IT'S YOU whatever happened to the girl who let me write my name in her tattoo do you remember hiding out w/ me in theater number two & can you believe i don't even recall if we ever kissed i still have your sweatshirt & i still have your records & i still have those tapes you made of your favorite songs but i just can't quite bring myself to put them on but maybe it's too late for that now i still have the letter you wrote sitting on my steps waiting for me to come home on a night that i did not come home & i still have the letter where you said the words i'd waited for since the day we met but maybe it's too late for that now or maybe i fucked it all up somehow i wrote my name on your arm in blue baby it's you YOU NEVER CALL & we've all but lost our chance for a summertime romance i watched the days slip into fall & you still won't return my calls maybe you'd like to go to a show please just call me and let me know when you finally get home i'll be waiting by the phone i know it must seem quite obscene all these calls on your machine but you've left me with no choice & all your roommates know my voice DAINA FLORES YOU'RE THE ONE i hope your summer's lots of fun hooray for class of 9 although we've never talked that much i hope we always keep in touch i wish i'd got to know you better & had the nerve to pass the letters that i wrote to you in class i guess the year just went too fast i've seen you walking with your boy holding hands & acting coy although i'm sure his love is true i'd be so very good for you i've missed my chance the year is done hooray for class of 91 i hope your summer's lots of fun daina flores you're the one BEELINE the last time i was here it was december the last time i was here you were mine but i happen to know for a fact that it's not december anymore & it's been six months since you made your final beeline for the door & since you left i've made a list of 374 reasons why i could never live without you since you've left i've made a list of 375 reasons why i never ever ever ever ever want to see you again the day you left it broke me apart the day you left it cut me clean in two but scars get smooth i guess there's some sort of irony there but you still haven't explained what you're doing back here & you still haven't explained what you're doing standing on my front lawn i don't know where you've been hiding for the last six months but i really think you ought to just go back there now because i don't want you around here anymore & if you'll excuse me i was kind of busy getting over you I SHOULD HAVE KISSED YOU WHEN I HAD THE CHANCE i remember watching you go & the long walk home past the blinking light of the strip clubs& the carl's jr & i remember brushing your hand & how it made me feel so sad i wanted to hold your hand so bad this is the bus that will take you away i hope you enjoyed your stay it wouldn't have worked anyway this is the bus that will take you away i hope you enjoyed your stay it wouldn't have worked anyway i should have kissed you when i had the chance HEY JELLY jelly don't let them tell you what to say jelly you gotta find out your own way you gotta hold on to what you know is right coz no one else is gonna help you fight your fight jelly i wanna tell you it's okay but jelly it's getting harder every day you gotta hold on to what you know it is true & i believe your films are gonna save you HOTEL HUNTINGTON SIGN staring at the backside of the hotel huntington sign at a quarter to seven o'clock in the am it's still quiet & it's still dark i'm on the swings in grace cathedral park this is the last place that we sat before you left town this is the last place that we had before you weren't around i hope ohio is treating you well IT'S WINTER AND & DON'T LOVE ME ANYMORE oh & every once in a while the way that you stop & you smile it breaks my heart every time because i know that you're thinking of anyone but me & i don't understand why we've stopped holding hands i know that it's cold outside but do you have to wear mittens all the time you put on a scarf to keep warm & muffs to keep your ears from harm but it all just shuts me out & i watch your breath puff out SEATTLE WASHINGTON it's always tight at the end of the month until that check comes there's nothing for lunch i'm sick of all my stuff being halfway broken too tired to pretend that i'm not sick of my friends some days i'm sorry that i ever moved here some days i think about moving back in w/ my folks some days i think about moving up north where rent is cheaper & i could have a house w/ a porch to watch the rain walk out in the rain stand under the rain & let seattle wash me all lyrics by Owen Ashworth

ANSWERING MACHINE MUSIC

WHEN THE BRIDGE TOLL WAS A DOLLAR

i reached into my wallet
& i pulled out one single crisp clean dollar bill
& i handed it to you
i watched as you adjusted your sun visor
to keep the glare out of your eyes
then you rolled down your window
& you paid the toll taker
as we drove away
i watched you push your hair behind your right ear
& you turned to me & you smiled
& in that smile was everything
you were all i'd ever wanted

CASIOTONE FOR THE PAINFULLY ALONE JOINS THE FOREIGN LEGION

i should have known how this would end
you've stopped being my friend
some things aren't worth mending
some messages aren't worth unsending

the way you walked past the door
oblivious to me writhing on the floor
from the pain that you inflicted
& all the pills that the doctor prescripted
they don't work anymore

it's not the point that i'm mad
you fucked me up pretty bad
but now it's all too late
you can forward my mail to the state
i joined the foreign legion

COLD SHOULDER

i just got off the train & i didn't sleep
i haven't been in this town in weeks
& the only things keeping me alive
are your picture in my pocket & a dollar forty-five
& i'm hoping to hell that you're home

& as i approach your house on the beach
& your front gate is in my reach
i try to think of one single reason
why you'd want to take me back in this winter season
& you know what i can't think of a one

the forecast is for a cold shoulder
it's been two months since i walked away in boulder
it was the stupidest thing i've ever done
& now i'm coming back to you
unshaven unslept & sorry

RICE DREAM GIRL

i was in the safeway store
when i saw you in aisle four
i swear you looked so nice
you were buying milk that was made out of rice

i tried to think of something clever to say
but you were already walking away
in an attempt to get my groove on
i offered you my white castle coupon

the radio was playing seal
i tried to tell you how i feel
but then our shopping carts locked wheels
& the moment just seemed wrong

oh won't you do what's right
put your groceries in my car tonight
i want to take you home

oh w/ your eyes of blue
i want to drink rice milk w/ you
i'll be your one and only
so we won't be so lonely

SECRETEST CRUSH

the secretest crush there ever was
is in my heart & there's no one i can tell
cause everyone around here
has a big fat mouth including me
& that's the hardest part
cause i really want to tell
you how she grabbed my arm last night
& how i felt my heart stop
but i don't trust you not to tell
& i guess it's just as well
yeah i guess it's just as well

the secretest crush there ever was
is in my heart & there's no one i can tell
& i can't even write a song about her
because she loves my band
yeah she loves my band

A NORMAL SUBURBAN LIFESTYLE IS A NEAR IMPOSSIBILITY ONCE YOU'VE FALLEN IN LOVE WITH AN INTERNATIONAL SPY

the 2nd of april 1998
is when they came & took him away
it was raining hard
secret service men were standing in the yard
she wiped the tears from her eyes
she knew this day would come

the sunday paper was scattered on the floor
near where the fbi had kicked in their door
he was gone w/o a single kiss goodbye
they finally caught up with her international spy

BABY IT'S YOU

whatever happened to the girl
who let me write my name in her tattoo
do you remember hiding out w/ me
in theater number two
& can you believe
i don't even recall if we ever kissed
i still have your sweatshirt
& i still have your records
& i still have those tapes you made
of your favorite songs
but i just can't quite bring myself
to put them on

but maybe it's too late for that now

i still have the letter you wrote
sitting on my steps
waiting for me to come home
on a night that i did not come home
& i still have the letter where you said
the words i'd waited for
since the day we met

but maybe it's too late for that now
or maybe i fucked it all up somehow
i wrote my name on your arm in blue
baby it's you

YOU NEVER CALL

& we've all but lost our chance
for a summertime romance
i watched the days slip into fall
& you still won't return my calls

maybe you'd like to go to a show
please just call me and let me know
when you finally get home
i'll be waiting by the phone

i know it must seem quite obscene
all these calls on your machine
but you've left me with no choice
& all your roommates know my voice

DAINA FLORES YOU'RE THE ONE

i hope your summer's lots of fun
hooray for class of 9
although we've never talked that much
i hope we always keep in touch
i wish i'd got to know you better
& had the nerve to pass the letters
that i wrote to you in class
i guess the year just went too fast

i've seen you walking with your boy
holding hands & acting coy
although i'm sure his love is true
i'd be so very good for you
i've missed my chance the year is done
hooray for class of 91
i hope your summer's lots of fun
daina flores you're the one

BEELINE

the last time i was here it was december
the last time i was here you were mine
but i happen to know for a fact that it's not december anymore
& it's been six months since you made your final beeline for the door

& since you left i've made a list
of 374 reasons why i could never live without you
since you've left i've made a list
of 375 reasons why i never ever ever ever ever
want to see you again

the day you left it broke me apart
the day you left it cut me clean in two
but scars get smooth
i guess there's some sort of irony there
but you still haven't explained
what you're doing back here
& you still haven't explained
what you're doing
standing on my front lawn

i don't know where you've been hiding for the last six months
but i really think you ought to just go back there now
because i don't want you around here anymore
& if you'll excuse me i was kind of busy getting over you

I SHOULD HAVE KISSED YOU WHEN I HAD THE CHANCE

i remember watching you go
& the long walk home
past the blinking light
of the strip clubs& the carl's jr
& i remember brushing your hand
& how it made me feel so sad
i wanted to hold your hand so bad

this is the bus that will take you away
i hope you enjoyed your stay
it wouldn't have worked anyway

this is the bus that will take you away
i hope you enjoyed your stay
it wouldn't have worked anyway
i should have kissed you when i had the chance

HEY JELLY

jelly don't let them tell you what to say
jelly you gotta find out your own way
you gotta hold on to what you know is right
coz no one else is gonna help you fight your fight

jelly i wanna tell you it's okay
but jelly it's getting harder every day
you gotta hold on to what you know it is true
& i believe your films are gonna save you

HOTEL HUNTINGTON SIGN

staring at the backside
of the hotel huntington sign
at a quarter to seven o'clock in the am
it's still quiet & it's still dark
i'm on the swings in grace cathedral park
this is the last place that we sat
before you left town
this is the last place that we had
before you weren't around
i hope ohio is treating you well

IT'S WINTER AND & DON'T LOVE ME ANYMORE

oh & every once in a while
the way that you stop & you smile
it breaks my heart every time
because i know that you're thinking
of anyone but me
& i don't understand
why we've stopped holding hands
i know that it's cold outside
but do you have to wear mittens all the time
you put on a scarf to keep warm
& muffs to keep your ears from harm
but it all just shuts me out
& i watch your breath puff out

SEATTLE WASHINGTON

it's always tight at the end of the month
until that check comes there's nothing for lunch
i'm sick of all my stuff being halfway broken
too tired to pretend
that i'm not sick of my friends
some days i'm sorry that i ever moved here
some days i think about moving back in w/ my folks
some days i think about moving up north
where rent is cheaper &
i could have a house w/ a porch
to watch the rain
walk out in the rain
stand under the rain
& let seattle wash me

all lyrics by Owen Ashworth