Wilco

Bombs Above

All my life
I’ve played a part
In the bombs above
The ones you love
I’m taking a moment to apologize
I should have done more
To stop the war
So I’m sorry
I leave behind
A trail of songs
From the darkest gloom
To the brightest sun
I’ve lost my way
But it’s hard to say
What I’ve been through
Should matter to you
A man so drunk
He could hardly stand
Told me once
Holding my hand
Suffering is the same
For everyone
He was right
But I was wrong
To agree
Ahh ahh ahh ahh
Ahh

I Am Trying to Break Your Heart

I am an American aquarium drinker
I assassin down the avenue
I'm hiding out in the big city blinking
What was I thinking when I let go of you

Let's forget about the tongue-tied lightning
Let's undress just like cross-eyed strangers
This is not a joke so please stop smiling
What was I thinking when I said it didn't hurt

I want to glide through those brown eyes dreaming
Take you from the inside (baby) hold on tight
You were so right when you said I've been drinking
What was I thinking when we said good night

I want to hold you in the bible black predawn
You're quite a quiet domino bury me now
Take off your band aid cuz I don't believe in touchdowns
What was I thinking when we said hello

I always thought that if I held you tightly
You would always love me like you did back then
Then I fell asleep in the city kept blinking
What was I thinking when I let you back in

I am trying to break your heart
I am trying to break your heart
But still I'd be lying if I said it wasn't easy
I am trying to break your heart

Disposable Dixie cup drinker
I assassin down the avenue
I've been hiding out in the big city blinking
What was I thinking when I let go of you

(I'm the man who loves you)
   

New Madrid [Uncle Tupelo]

All my daydreams are disasters
She's the one I think I love
Rivers burn and then run backwards
For her, that's enough

They all come from New York City
And they woke me up at dawn
She walked with me to the fountain
And she held onto my arm

Come on, do what you did
Roll me under New Madrid
Shake my baby and please bring her back
'Cause death won't even be still
Caroms over the landfill
Buries us all in its broken back

There's a man of conviction
And although he's getting old
Mr. Browning has a prediction
And we've all been told

So come on back from New York City
Roll your trucks in at dawn
Walk with me to the fountain
And hold onto my arm

Come on, do what you did
Roll me under New Madrid
Shake my baby and please bring her back
'Cause death won't even be still
Caroms over the landfill
Buries us all in its broken back

originally appears on Anodyne / Uncle Tupelo written by Jeff Tweedy

Radio King (Golden Smog)

Lets go down, together 3 A.M tomorrow night I’ll take you over anything Lets go out, together Broad daylight in the street I’ll take you anywhere Your music fills my car Your voice breaks every time I’m still wonderin If I know who you are I hang on every line Lets go down, together Down by the old mainstream I’ll take you over anything Lets go back in time Nineteenfiftynie I’ll take you, Radio King Your music fills my car Your voice breaks every time I’m still wonderin If I know who you are I hang on every line written by Jeff Tweedy and Gary Louris (appears on Golden Smog album down by the old mainstream)

Some Birds

Some birds

Just sit

Useless

Like fists

I wrestle

On TV

But no one ever

Let’s me win

I lean

On the wall

Like a broom

Confused

By the scope

Of it all

Any fool

Can tell the truth

And though I don’t

Think that I should

Add one

To the sum

Of all that you fear

I’d love to take you down

And leave you there

In my window

I have a twin

I look out

He looks in

He has a point

I applaud

Oh my goodness

Oh my god

Is it my fault

The countrysides

Are so full

Of suicide?

I break bricks

With my heart

But only a fool

Would call it art.

No I don’t

Think I should

Be one

Of the sum

Of all that you fear

I’d love to take you down

And leave you there

So why fuss

Why not bend

Like a nail

Hammered in

Times are tough

If I recall

Oh it ain’t easy

No not at all

And no I don’t

Think I should

Complete

The sum

Of all the you fear

I’d love to take you down

And leave you there

Lost Love

Lost love in the desert
Lost love on the sea
If you can put it behind you
But it's still beyond me

'Cause hearts break in the summer
And they meet me in the spring
Broken hearts all around me
But I don't feel a thing
Love love on the highway
Lost love on the phone
Lost love with a suitcase
Heading back home
Where hearts break in the summer
When they meet in the spring
Mines still wrapped inside me
But I don't feel a thing
You're my lost love, I can't see
That you're coming back for me
You're the travel I can't find
And it's only a matter of time
Should've taken it all so hard
Should've taken it all so hard
My lost love

written by Jeff Tweedy (appears on Golden Smog album Weird Tales)

Hummingbird

his goal in life was to be an echo
riding alone, town after town, toll after toll
a fixed bayonet through the great southwest
to forget her

she appears
in his dreams
but in his car, and in his arms
a dream could mean anything
a cheap sunset on a television set could upset her
but he never could

remember to remember me
standing still in your past
floating fast like a hummingbird

his goal in life was to be an echo
the type of sound that floats around
and then back down like a feather
but in the deep chrome canyons of the loudest Manhattans
no one could hear him
or anything

so he slept, on a mountain
in a sleeping bag underneath the stars,
he would lie awake and count them
but the great fountain spray of the great Milky Way
would never let him
die alone

remember to remember me
standing still in your past
floating fast like a hummingbird
remember to remember me
standing still in your past
floating fast like a hummingbird
a hummingbird
a hummingbird

Instrumental Credits


Jeff Tweedy Vocals
John Stirratt Electric Rhythm Guitar & Background Vocals
Glenn Kotche Drums
Mikael Jorgensen Piano
Jim O'Rourke Bass & Electric Lead Guitar
Frankie Montouro Hammer Dulcimer
Karen Waltuch Viola

When You Wake Up Feeling Old

When you wake up Feelin' old At this piano filled with souls Some strange purse Stuffed nervous with gold Can you be where you want to be Walk down any street You can find Look at any clock Telling time Sing some strange verse From some strange song of vines And you'll be where you want to be I know I can't sing ’Till she brings the song to life And I blend with kings I would never change a thing Who knows anything I don't know There are so many things I must leave alone Some strange person is calling you their home Can you be where you want to be Can you be where you want to be Can you be where you want to be Can you be where you want to be Can you be where you want to be Can you be where you want to be Instrumental credits: Jeff Tweedy – vocals, acoustic guitar, toy harp Jay Bennett – keyboards, tiple, backing vocals John Stirratt – bass, backing vocals Ken Coomer – drums Leroy Bach – piano

Passenger Side

Hey, wake up
Your eyes weren't open wide
For the last couple of miles
You've been swerving from side to side
You're gonna make me spill my beer
If you don't learn how to steer

Passenger side
Passenger side
I don't like riding
On the passenger side

Roll another number for the road
You're the only sober person I know
Won't you let me make you a deal
Just get behind the wheel

Passenger side
Passenger side
I don't like riding
On the passenger side

Should've been the driver
Could've been the one
I should've been your lover
But I hadn't seen

Can you take me to the store, and then the bank?
I've got five dollars we can put in the tank
I've got a court date coming this June
I'll be driving soon

Passenger side
Passenger side
I don't like riding
On the passenger side
I don't like riding
On the passenger side

Instrumental credits:
Jeff Tweedy – vocals, acoustic guitar
John Stirratt – bass
Max Johnston – mandolin, fiddle
Ken Coomer – drums
Brian Henneman – small stoned guitar

Let's Go Rain

Oh I’ve heard about Noah’s flood
Washed away a world of sin
Some say destruction is an act of love
And think it should happen again
Let’s go rain
Let's go rain
Again
Let’s go rain
Let's go rain
Again
Once upon a time I was a Christian
I didn’t know I didn’t need to know
Now when the sky speaks I’m going to listen
And when it’s pissing I’ll just figure I’m alone
Let’s go rain
Let's go rain
Again
Let’s go rain
Let's go rain
Again
Oh I should
Build a wooden ark
Wouldn’t you rather live
On an ocean of guitars
Aw c’mon rain
Let’s go rain
Again
Let’s go rain
Let's go rain
Again
Oooooh oooh ooh
Aah aah aaah
Maybe you’re not a believer
Or maybe you don’t have a choice
Or maybe it’s a fever that you haven’t caught yet
‘Cause you haven’t met
Scott McCaughey
Let’s go rain
Let's go rain
Again
Still no rain
Let’s go rain
Again

Jesus Wept (Mavis Staples cover)

Don't Forget

Don’t forget

Don’t forget you’ve got a key

Yeah a cosmic key

Oh I love you so much

Don’t forget

We’re all blowing in

The interstellar wind

I’m your little galaxy

Don’t forget

Don’t forget sometimes

We all

We all think about dying

Don’t let it kill you

Don’t forget

I won’t forget the long drive

We arrived in time to say goodbye

And the way my roses shook

I won’t overlook

The willows bending by the graves

The very next day in the shade

Sweating in a new suit

I don’t regret

I don’t regret sometimes

We all

We all think about dying

Don’t let it kill you

Don’t forget

Don’t forget to brush your teeth

Or you’ll have a funny smile

You don’t have to smile at me

Don’t forget

Don’t forget sometimes

We all

We all think about dying

Don’t let it kill you

Don’t forget

Don’t forget sometimes

We all

We all think about dying

Oh

Locator

Locator sees me swaying through the catacombs
Locator hears me whispering in my home
Even when the waves are falling
Beating me into diamonds
Even when the wheels are whining
Even when the wheels are whining
Something in the sky can find me
I x8
Hide x8
Here below
Hide
Oh no, Locator it is I
Even when I run
I’m crawling
Even through the walls and blinds and 
Even when the wheels are whining x3
something in the sky can find me
I x8
Hide x8
Here below x4
I love Locator everywhere I go
I tell Locator everything it wants to know

Impossible Germany

Impossible Germany
Unlikely Japan

Wherever you go
Wherever you land
I’ll say what this means to me
I’ll do what I can

Impossible Germany
Unlikely Japan

(The) fundamental problem
We all need to face
This is important
But I know you’re not listening
Oh I know you’re not listening

If this was still new to me
I wouldn’t understand

Impossible Germany
Unlikely Japan

But this is what love is for
To be out of place
Gorgeous and alone
Face to face

With no larger problems
That need to be erased
Nothing more important than to know
Someone’s listening
Now I know

You’ll be listening

Written by Jeff Tweedy and Wilco

We've Been Had (Uncle Tupelo)

We’ve Been Had

There's a guitar leaning on a Marshall stack
Used to sound like the sun on the horizon
Now I think we've been had

There's a young girl screaming all the way in the back
Poor kid, she never saw it coming
Now she knows she's been had

Watching labels spinnin' on my turntable
There's no call waitin' in my headphones
And every star that shines in the back of my mind
Is just waiting for its cover to be blown

There's an eardrum bleeding, yeah, it's in my head
Could I still be so in love when I know
We've been had?

Republicans, Democrats can't give you the facts
Your parents won't tell you 'til you're grown
That every star that shines in the back of your mind
Is just waiting for its cover to be blown

Flashing your badges, just like the law of averages
Nobody likes 'em where they're from
And every star that hides on the back of the bus
Is just waiting for its cover to be blown

written by Jay Farrar originally appeared on Anodyne/ Uncle Tupelo

California Stars

I'd like to rest my heavy head tonight
On a bed of California stars
I'd like to lay my weary bones tonight
On a bed of California stars

I'd love to feel your hand touching mine
And tell me why I must keep working on
Yes I'd give my life to lay my head tonight
On a bed of California stars

I'd like to dream my troubles all away
On a bed of California stars
Jump up from my starbed and make another day
Underneath my California stars

They hang like grapes on vines that shine
And warm the lovers' glass like friendly wine
So, I'd give this world
just to dream a dream with you
On our bed of California stars

Published by Woody Guthrie Publications, Inc./Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp./Words-Ampersand Music [BMI]/Titanic Majesties Music [ASCAP] Words: Woody Guthrie [no date] Music: Jay Bennett/Jeff Tweedy 1997 Jay Bennett: piano, backing vocal Billy Bragg: acoustic guitar Ken Coomer: drums and percussion Corey Harris: lap steel guitar Eliza Carthy: violin John Stirratt: electric bass, backing vocal Jeff Tweedy: acoustic guitar, lead vocal

Jesus, Etc.

Jesus, don't cry
You can rely on me honey
You can combine anything you want
I'll be around
You were right about the stars
Each one is a setting sun

Tall buildings shake
Voices escape singing sad sad songs
Tuned to chords strung down your cheeks
Bitter melodies turning your orbit around

Don't cry
You can rely on me honey
You can come by any time you want
I'll be around
You were right about the stars
Each one is a setting sun

Tall buildings shake
Voices escape singing sad sad songs
Tuned to chords strung down your cheeks
Bitter melodies turning your orbit around

Voices whine
Skyscrapers are scraping together
Your voice is smoking
Last cigarettes are all you can get
Turning your orbit around

Our love
Our love
Our love is all we have
Our love
Our love is all of God's money
Everyone is a burning sun

Tall buildings shake
Voices escape singing sad sad songs
Tuned to chords strung down your cheeks
Bitter melodies turning your orbit around

Voices whine
Skyscrapers are scraping together
Your voice is smoking
Last cigarettes are all you can get
Turning your orbit around

Last cigarettes are all you can get
Turning your orbit around

Last cigarettes are all you can get
Turning your orbit around

Misunderstood

When you're back in your old neighborhood
The cigarettes taste so good
But you're so misunderstood
You're so misunderstood

There's something there that you can't find
You look honest when you're telling a lie
You hurt her but you don't know why
You love her but you don't know why

Short on long term goals
There's a party there that we ought to go to
If you still love rock and roll
If you still love rock and roll?

It's only a quarter to three
Reflecting off of your CD
You're looking at a picture of me
You're staring at a picture of me

Take the guitar player for a ride
'Cause he ain't never been satisfied
He thinks he owes some kind of debt
It'll be years before he gets over it

There's a fortune inside your head
When all you touch turns to lead
You think you might just crawl back in bed
With a fortune inside your head

I know you're just a mama's boy
You're positively unemployed
So misunderstood
So misunderstood

I know you've got a god-shaped hole
You're bleeding out your heart full of soul
You're so misunderstood
You're so misunderstood
You're so misunderstood
You're so misunderstood

I'd like to thank you all for nothing
I'd like to thank you all for nothing at all
I'd like to thank you all for nothing
Nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing at all
Nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing at all

I'm the Man Who Loves You

All I can see
Is black and white
And white and pink
With blades of blue
That lay between
The words I think
On a page
I was meaning
To send to you
I couldn't tell
If it would
Bring my heart
The way I wanted
When I started
Writing this letter to you

But if I could
You know I would
Just hold your hand
And you'd understand
I'm the man who loves you

All I can be
Is a busy sea
Of spinning wheels
And hands that feel
For stones to throw
And feet that run
But come back home
It makes no difference
Ever known
Makes no difference
Ever known to me

But if I could
You know I would
Just hold your hand
And you'd understand
I'm the man who loves you

All I can see
Is black and white
And white and pink
With blades of blue
That lay between
The words I think
On a page
I was meaning
To send to you
I couldn't tell
If it would
Bring my heart
The way I wanted
When I started
Writing this letter to you

If I could
You know I would
Just hold your hand
And you'd understand
I'm the man who loves you

If I could
You know I would
Just hold your hand
And you'd understand
I'm the man who loves you

If I could
You know I would
Just hold your hand
And you'd understand
I'm the man who loves you

I'm the man who loves you

I'm the man who loves you

I'm the man who loves you