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Recorded Sept. 24, 2005:
Who Will Weep?
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Lyrics//The Wilderness Looks So Inviting
Only The Meteors //
Roses //
Outside The Cemetery Gates //
100% //
My Pleasure //
Handful of Snakes //
Have I Failed The Test? //
The Egypt I Made For Myself //
Last Year's Girlfriend //
Turns Into A Run (Away From Me) //
Goodbye //
Who Will Weep? //
I See God
Only The Meteors
(Bankert)
Night-cloaked earth, invisible blemishes
Impregnable darkness reigns
'Til like a cosmic acorn on a nebula tree
A star shakes loose and rains
Down through the dark with a hundred friends strong
They splash the sky with dye
Don't doubt that it's true; the sky is falling
Run to the caves or die
Fire lights, fire warms, fire burns and reveals
Only the meteors scorching the heavens to red
Do you know where you stand as the night crashes down up ahead?
Beating a dead horse won't bring it to life
But you reserve the last rites
Your ethics and dreams are highly flammable
You have no wrongs or rights
If all that your made of is kindling and tinder
You'll burn quick in a flash of red
If you were so wise you'd foresee this occuring
From the prophets and laws you've read
Fire lights, fire warms, fire burns and reveals
Only the meteors scorching the heavens to red
Do you know where you stand as the night crashes down up ahead?
The fire goes out 'cause there's nothing left to burn
School's never out 'cause you've got something left to learn
The fire goes out 'cause there's nothing left to burn
And you cannot fuel the flame
Chaff doesn't rust but it rots and it won't hold up
In a baptism of fire
What is left?
Only the meteors scorching the heavens to red
Do you know where you stand as the night crashes down up ahead?
Only the meteors bringing to light all your deeds
What will be left after harvesting your hollow seeds?
//to top
Roses
(Bankert/Avolio)
Here I go again, running like I've got someplace to go
Can't stop to think or I might slow
Burning out like a comet flying by
Thought I had time managed on a leash
It pulled me kicking down the street
Even when the roses caught my eye
So I'll try till I die and wonder why
I didn't stop for a little while and smell the roses
It's like I heard the set up but missed the punch line
And I could breathe in a country mile
Hold my breath till I could feel it
Then breathe out all the anxious me
Here I go again, digging endlessly for who knows what
Driving myself deep into this rut
As anxious as an inmate on death row
Work is important, can't argue that
But you must admit it'll leave you flat
And enjoying beauty helps you grow
And so I'll go but I'll still know
I didn't stop for a little while and smell the roses
It's like I heard the set up but missed the punch line
And I could breathe in a country mile
Hold my breath till I could feel it
Then breathe out all the anxious me
I have the urge to travel
Get that foreign soil under my fingernails
Paint me with many colors
Separate the distance between life and me
Wrap both my arms around it
And never let it go
I will stop for a little while and smell the roses
It's like I heard the set up but missed the punch line
And I could breathe in a country mile
Hold my breath till I could feel it
Then breathe out all the anxious me
//to top
Outside The Cemetery Gates
(Bankert)
We are gathered here today
To lay to rest a pleasant dream
I wish I'd known him better
He was taken much too early, it seems
He brought me joy when he'd talk to me
Whispering optimism; how the future could be
He never got his chance
The grave is so unforgiving
And I can't forgive the grave
I'm stuck here with the living
So here and now I'm left behind
Nowhere to go but walk away
Before I go
Take one last look
Make one last thought
Close the book
I don't think I'll come back here
If I'm ever in town again
The gravestone is silent
It screams in my face
"Walk away, move on
Leave this place"
So here and now I'm left behind
Nowhere to go but walk away
What does life hold outside the cemetery gates?
Not pain I pray
Not pain I pray
//to top
100%
(Bankert)
"How are you doing?"
Ask me, "How are you doing?"
If you really wanna know
What are you doing?
Tell me, what are you doing?
Is this all you've got to show?
Somewhere back there
You forgot where you wanted to go
But you just kept going
Why did you stop there?
Why did you stop there?
Why did you stop there?
Why did you stop there?
Cause it's alright
It's alright
It's alright
But it could be better
It could be better, yeah
What are you making?
Gimme, what is it taking?
Will you give me all you got?
You've got a purpose
And it lives on your surface
Was it really worth a shot?
Somewhere back there
You forgot where you wanted to go
But you just kept going
Why did you stop there?
Why did you stop there?
Why did you stop there?
Why did you stop there?
Cause it's alright
It's alright
It's alright
But it could be better
It could be better, yeah
Cause it's alright
It's alright
It's alright
But it could be better
It could be better, yeah
//to top
My Pleasure
(Bankert)
The treasures of earth are dead
The finest gold-plated lead
I'd give it all away
Because nothing gold can stay
Child, leave your mud pies
There's no need to fantasize
Dear child, please come with me
To a holiday at the sea
Your love inspires awe
So scandalous and raw
My pleasure coincides
Where purity abides
Empty, fleeting joys
Amount to vacant noise
Shun diamonds, settle for rough
My desires aren't strong enough
Step back, it all becomes clear
Only two choices appear
Scraps on the floor caked with dirt
Or a five course feast with dessert
Your love inspires awe
So scandalous and raw
My pleasure coincides
Where purity abides
Surely joy such as this is worth fighting for
This is a truly delightfully difficult adventure
My ministers and Kant
Want to leave me in want
But I was made for joy
I'm not thwarted by their ploy
God is most glorified
When in Him we're most satisfied
My pleasure coincides
Where only He abides
You say "Thank you," as I hold the door
You wonder what I do it for
"My pleasure," is my reply
It's the furthest thing from a lie
//to top
Handful of Snakes
(Bankert)
A blizzard buries me with my joy melting away
I cry out, "Innocent!" but wait for your touche
If only I had a way to see above the storm
If only my frostbitten heart could be warm
Why can't I make it work for me?
Pieces fit but disperse for no gravity
Vultures of doubt witness my dying breath
My carrion smells of shame and cowardice
If you want to believe why'd you make it so hard?
I don't have what it takes
What you're asking me to do is to make a square round
Or grab a handful of snakes
My questions finally have their beloved answer
There is none, but instead something bigger
Don't you know what it's like under the sky?
I'm more afraid to live than I am to die
Hearts, clubs flutter to the table, I begin
Slowly I build my house of cards again
Precariously balanced on a slope
The ace of spades is a poor cornerstone for hope
If you want to believe why'd you make it so hard?
I don't have what it takes
What you're asking me to do is to make a square round
Or grab a handful of snakes
//to top
Have I Failed The Test?
(Bankert)
Used to be pure (Fruit filled the baskets)
Used to be sure (Picked from me)
Used to be tenderness (Did you get too ambitous?)
Used to have no regrets (You went from pruning to whittling)
Have I failed the test?
Have I failed the test?
So unexpected (Now that I'm stripped down)
So unprotected (Can I grow back)
From the backlash (And blossom ever again?)
Not a prune, but a slash (Where do I go now?)
Have I failed the test?
Have I failed the test?
I hate the pain
Bitterness oozes like pus from the wounds she gave
I hate the pain
Bitterness oozes like pus from the wounds she gave
I hate the pain
Bitterness oozes like pus from the wounds she gave
What is "cope"? (Water drips from my cheeks)
Now I've lost hope (Is it sweat from all the work?)
Wasn't slated (Is it tears from all the pain?)
Now I've hated (I don't know anymore)
Have I failed the test?
Have I failed the test?
Don't be surprised if I'm human
Don't
Don't be surprised if I'm human
Don't
//to top
The Egypt I Made For Myself
(Bankert)
The Egypt I made for myself
The Egypt I made for myself...
A pyramid of stone that's cold, and hard, and dark, and dry like my heart
It stands here amid these buildings I've built one by one, a colossal, sinful work of art
Even if there was light in this crypt to shine it would find no gold or jewels
Just cobwebs and dust, and tears the only things that fill tombs of fools
The Nile, my precious Nile is bloody red
The locusts and the frogs have been well fed
In this Egypt I made for myself
The Egypt I made for myself...
The new Pharaoh on the throne can't remember me or my fathers, so now we're enslaved
How long will I have to groan and sweat before the chains will loosen and I'll be saved?
Day after day, down in the mud making bricks for a temple of gold
The idols are so numerous, and they all look like me, a deity, but as a slave I'm sold
The Nile, my precious Nile is bloody red
No blood upon the door, my firstborn's dead
In this Egypt I made for myself
The Egypt I made for myself...
Third time's the charm, charming a snake with a fake melody on my lips
Venom mixes well with bad blood inside a mummified soul eclipse
Though I hear the call to join the Exodus part of me wants to stay
But I'm delivered by default, for the lure of passing pleasures is passing away
And the wilderness looks so inviting
I'll take it over the hell where I dwell
My fears and lies are indicting
So I will run from their jurisdiction
If the Promised Land lies beyond the sand
Of trial then I'll gladly hunger and thirst
You promised that you would perfect me
This was all your idea, you found me first
In this Egypt I made for myself
The Egypt I made for myself...
In this Egypt I made for myself
The Egypt I made for myself...
//to top
Last Year's Girlfriend
(Bankert/Avolio)
Last year's girlfriend was an honest mistake
She had the tanned skin of summer and the tongue of a snake
She had a second-story window overlooking the lawn
But she never went to bed without the radio on
Last year's girlfriend, she was just out of school
She had a lifeguard job at the neighborhood pool
She sat down beside me with her mouth to my ear
But she whispered something to me that I didn't quite hear
Last year's girlfriend
She was last year's girlfriend
She was last year's girlfriend
She was last year's girlfriend
Last year's girlfriend had a whole lot of nerve
She'd say "Whatever you want's the same as what you deserve"
But do any of us know just what it is we want?
She was one part idiot, the other savant
Last year's girlfriend was a hard one to please
She had an ever-present smirk stuck to the edge of her face
She had a big huge laugh and her legs were long
And she'd smile and shrug her shoulders when she did something wrong
Last year's girlfriend
She was last year's girlfriend
She was last year's girlfriend
She was last year's girlfriend
Ooo ooo
Last year's girlfriend
Ooo ooo
Last year's girlfriend
Last year's girlfriend was a flash in the pan
She never wanted nothin' better than an average man
Her lips would say "Yes," but her eyes would say "No"
And those eyes they follow me wherever I go
She was last year's girlfriend
She was last year's girlfriend
She was last year's girlfriend
She was last year's girlfriend
//to top
Turns Into A Run (Away From Me)
(Bankert)
The door is open and I'm hoping
Maybe someday soon
That I'll wise or you'll wise up
And we'll find ourselves in the same room
Keep your comfort; is it worth it
When all is said and done?
Please walk with me; you walk,
But then it turns into a run
Away from me, a guy who needs not to be in need
Away from me, and a heart that soon begins to bleed
People come and people go
But I can't get away from you
I'm tired of singing this song
I just wish the whole thing was through
"How are you doing?" is what I meant
When I saw you today
"How I wish I was" is what you said
As you walked away
Away from me, a guy who needs not to be in need
Away from me, and a heart that soon begins to bleed
We were going in two different directions
I was going towards you and you were going
Away from me, a guy who needs not to be in need
Away from me, and a heart that soon begins to bleed
//to top
Goodbye
(Avolio)
You don't understand, though you say you want to
I wish I could make you see
I know that it's tough; I've felt the pain, too
But we both need to be set free
And this continued connection is what's hurting us still
It isn't as simple as you and me
It isn't you I'm rejecting, but I won't allow this to last
How can we live in the present
When we're so burdened down by the past?
You know that I care; I've grown accustomed to you
I know well that you feel the same
But it isn't our place to act as redeemer
When we know that our hearts are to blame
And we can't move ahead like nothing has happened
When we both carry too much shame
There's nothing forgivness can't cover
And there's nothing that grace can't wipe away
But that doesn't mean this situation is healthy
And deep inside I know I can't stay
Why can't you see it has to be this way?
Why won't you even try?
The cuts may have healed, but we're left with the marks
Of every tear we've ever cried
And I want you to know that the best thing for us
Is to finally say goodbye
Goodbye
//to top
Who Will Weep?
(Bankert)
Have all my brothers and I fallen away?
Is there not one who hasn't been led astray?
Enticed by the idols and whores of the land
One foot on the rock and one foot on the sinking sand
The covenant lies broken at our feet in the mud,
Our feet quick to do evil, quick to shed blood
Who will weep like Ezra for America?
Who will weep like Ezra for America?
Desensitized to the poison flowing in our veins
We forget our Creator to remember our lusts, now we're estranged
Compromise is the only religion we understand
Our passion is gone, our values are fractured by our own hand
You just shot another messenger and threw him in a hole
Full of his rotting predecessors to match your rotting soul
Who will weep like Ezra for America?
Fast asleep during an outbreak of insomnia
Who will feed the sheep in Babylonia?
Who will weep like Ezra for America?
I want to see the kingdom come
I want to see Your kingdom come
I want to see it break out
Who will weep like Ezra for America?
Fast asleep during an outbreak of insomnia
Who will feed the sheep in Babylonia?
Who will weep like Ezra for America?
//to top
I See God
(Bankert)
In my mother's cancer, as cities drown in water
Four jets crash with thousands dead, countless children sleep unfed
In the rural Maryland sunrise, mystery as deep as the dark blue skies
Every time a wedding dress is worn, or a mother cradles a newborn
Some pieces are ugly and grey
But the full mosaic takes my breath away
You've got so many excuses
Not to believe
But I see God
No one can see God and live
But no one can live and not see God
No one can see God and live
But no one can live and not see God
There's no laughter without tears
There's no sweet without bitter
There's no labor pains without joy
No Good Friday without Easter
As my desires betray me, turn me over to the enemy
As I act blind, deaf, and dumb, I'm not yet what I'll become
Who am I and who are you to say things aren't going the way they're supposed to?
At night I crave the light of day but morning is a mustard seed away
This sickness is not unto death
So why am I mourning at the grave?
I've heard that you can raise the dead
And it's been a long three days
But I have no reason
Not to believe because
I see God
No one can see God and live
But no one can live and not see God
No one can see God and live
But no one can live and not see God
I saw Him in the flowers blooming in the dark
I saw Him in the fireflies at midnight
The clouds broke just in time for sunrise
Darkness flees before the light
My beloved, my dear, I taste your tears, I feel your fear
I long to see your face
At the altar I'll wash your tears away in a shower of grace
Darling, I don't like to see you this way
I'm coming soon
No one can see God and live
But no one can live and not see God
No one can see God and live
But no one can live and not see God
//to top