The Universe
Talk to me
I don’t want to hear poetry
Say it plain
Like how you really speak
The universe
For what it’s worth
Everything is listening
For what it means
Spit it out
Every doubt
Poison flower
We can all agree
The universe
For better or worse
It’s the only place
To be
I’m serious
I don’t really care
I’m serious
I don’t really care about a single thing
Everything is listening
For what it means
Everything is listening
For what it means
So talk to me
I don’t want to hear poetry
Just say it plain
Like how you really speak
The universe
Could be worse
It’s the only place
There is to be
written by Jeff Tweedy
Story to Tell
I’ve been through hell
On my way to hell
I only fought with myself
So I’d have a story to tell
Once I cut off my arm
I sewed it back on all wrong
Now I don’t have to bend
To reach the bottom shelf
When I need a story to tell
The world is always on the brink
And love is dumber than you think
Singing songs of death and doom
With all the voices inside of you
Once I started a war
But I don’t fight anymore
I held the line until the old oak fell
I was left behind
With a story to tell
The world is always on the brink
Hearts are smarter than you think
Writing songs of death and doom
For all the voices inside of you
Once I looked you in the eye
And I told you lies
How I wish I could have treated you well
I wish I had more than
A story to tell
The world is always on the brink
Love is dumber than you think
Singing songs of death and doom
With all the voices inside of you
I’ve been through hell
On my way to hell
I only fought with myself
So I’d have a story to tell
written by Jeff Tweedy
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)
Box Full of Letters
I've got a box full of letters
I think you might like to read
Some things that you might like to see
But they're all addressed to me
I wish I had a lotta answers
'Cause that's the way it should be
For all these questions
Being directed at me
I just can't find the time
To write my mind
The way I want it to read
You'll come back again
And I'll still be your friend
I got a lot of your records
In a separate stack
Some things that I might like to hear, but I
Guess I'll give 'em back
I wish I had a lotta answers
'Cause that's the way it should be
For all these questions
Being directed at me
Just can't find the time
To write my mind
The way I want it to read
You'll come back again
And I'll still be your friend
I can't find the time
To write my mind
The way I want it to read
Just can't find the time
To write my mind
The way I want it to read
Instrumental credits:
Jeff Tweedy – vocals, guitar
John Stirratt – bass, vocals
Max Johnston – dobro
Ken Coomer – drums
Brian Henneman – guitars
Gwendolyn
I don’t think I can take another day
Oh I don’t know how I could ever say
I’m OK being so far away
Oh I don’t think that I can take another day
When Gwendolyn, when she starts to speak
To a county police with a plastic cup between her teeth
The sun beating down like a big trombone
That’s right when I start missing home
She holds my hand between her knees
It’s like a dream, I never know what it means
I only know I’m feeling alone
That’s right when I start missing home
Honestly Gwen I’m not ashamed to say
Between you and me I’m relieved they put you away
Sun coming up like a piece of toast
That’s right when I started heading home
That’s right when I started heading home
Well that’s right when I started heading home
Having Been Is No Way To Be
Oh I was naive
My shoes were untied
In heaven everything is just fine
But the phones are dead
And so is the light
And so are you
And honey so am I
But the earth still turns
For the unconcerned
Days pass below like train windows
I was a sapling tree
The birds looked like me
So I begged my nerves to kick me something new
From time to time
I’d watch you sleep
I wonder how much freedom we can dream
And I’m sorry when you wake up to me
I just got tired
Shining steady like a spider web
Is an empty stage
Now people say
“What drugs did you take?”
And “Why don’t you start taking them again?”
What difference would it ever make to them
But they’re not my friends
And if I was dead
What difference would it ever make to them
If I got high
From time to time
I wonder how much freedom you would need
And I’d be sorry when you wake to me
I’m reaching out to you
I’m writing all the time
I don’t see deep but I see far and wide
I see dead trees
But the roots have leaves
Just because I can’t describe it doesn’t mean I shouldn’t try
To untwist the knife
To unmake my mind
Having been is no way to be alive
And I’m alive
When I watch you sleep
I wonder how much freedom we need
And I’m here
When you wake up to me
I’m still here
When you wake up to me
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
Country Song Upside-Down
I found
A
Song
Upside-down
A country song
Like a trout
Dying sky and water
Rainbow
Flickering out
Inside
A dark
Cabin
The more moonlike
I become
I’m rounding all of my edges
Because
I’m worried
It can’t be sung
This is the gist
It goes
Like this
I found
A
Song
Upside-down
A country song
Without a doubt
Dying sky and water
Rainbow
Flickering out
written by Jeff Tweedy
Evergreen
If I get back from wherever I travel
I'll tell you what I've seen
The good and the bad
The hearts and the hassle
In the cities under siege
I'll tell you all about where I have been
And I won't ever leave again
Now you might think it's a lie
When I say I'm going to write
But if I break my pen filling you in
Wouldn't that change your mind
Evergreen
Evergreen
Have you even seen anything?
Evergreen
Whenever I get back from
Wherever I go
I'll look for you in the shade
A marker in the grass
I'll tell you at last
You're not the reason I went away
Sometimes I wish you were the one
Who had left and I had stayed
Evergreen
Evergreen
Have you even seen anything?
Evergreen
Evergreen
Evergreen
Have you even seen anything?
Evergreen
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
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
You And I
You and I
We might be strangers
However close we get sometimes
It’s like we never met
But you and I
I think we can take it
All the good with the bad
Make something that no one else has but
You and I
You and I
Me and you
What can we do
When the words we use sometimes
Are misconstrued
I won’t guess
What’s coming next
I can’t ever tell
You’re the deepest well I’ve ever fallen into
Oh, I don’t want to know
Oh, I don’t want to know
Oh, I don’t need to know
Everything about you
Oh, I don’t want to know
And you don’t need to know
That much about me
You and I
We might be strangers
However close we get sometimes
It’s like we never met
But you and I
I think we can take it
All the good with the bad
Make something that no one else has
You and I
You and I
You and I
You and I
You and I
You and I
You and I
You and I
You and I
Dawned On Me
I’ve been young
I’ve been old
I’ve been hurt
And consoled
Heart of coal
Heart of gold
So I’m told
I’ve been lost
I’ve been found
I’ve been taken
By the sound
Of my own voice
The voices in my head
I can’t help it if I fall in
Love with you again I’m calling
Just to let you know
It dawned on me
Every night is a test
To the east from the west
The sun rises and sets
That’s the sun at it’s best
I forget, then I know
I’d regret letting you go
Sometimes I can’t believe how dark it can be
I can’t help it if I fall in
Love with you again I’m calling
Just to let you know
It dawned on me
It dawned on me
So on
And so forth
And again
I will stop to begin
At the end
I can’t help it if I fall in
Love with you again I’m calling
Just to let you know
It dawned on me
Oh I can’t help it if I fall in
Love with you again I’m calling
Just to let you know
It dawned on me
Family Ghost
I’m a dope
Blowing smoke at a tv screen
I’ve lost all hope
Based on the things I’ve seen
I’m a man content
For the sake of argument
But underneath each added straw
I feel so american
Spray paint me gold
Pull my face up to the blinds
I’m a family ghost
You’ll never leave behind
I wanna exist
Where the misfit fits
I want to have some purpose
I believe what she believes
I believe my children
When the lights go off
There’s no applause
Condescending to the hideous thought
Imprisoned in my lonely skin
I feel so american
Spray paint me gold
Pull my face up to the blinds
I’m a family ghost
You’ll never leave behind
Time will tell this story again
Different clothes than they wore back then
Digging holes and filling them in
I feel so american
Spray paint me gold
Pull my face up to the blinds
I’m a family ghost
You’ll never leave behind
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
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
Screen Door (Uncle Tupelo)
Down here, where's we're at
The weather changes, that's the way it goes
Sometimes it snows, when everything's wrong
Sometimes it snows, but when it does, it doesn't last long
Down here, where we're at
All we do is sit out on the porch
And play our songs, and nothing's wrong
Sometime friends come around, they all sing along
Down here, where we're at
Everybody is equally poor
Down here, we don't care
We don't care what happens outside the screen door
Down here, where we're at
Sweat drips from the tip of your nose
You wear loose clothes, and you try to stay cool
We all still have a lot of fun, never saw much school
Down here, where we're at
Everybody is equally poor
Down here, we don't care
We don't care what happens outside the screen door
The screen door
The screen door
written by Jay Farrar, Jeff Tweedy, Mike Heidorn
You Are Not Alone
You're not alone
I'm with you
I'm lonely too
What's that song
Can't be sung
By two?
My broken home
A broken heart
Isolated and afraid
Open up this is a raid
I want to get it through to you
You're not alone
You're not alone
Every night
I stand in your place
Every tear
On every face
Tastes the same
A broken dream
A broken heart
Isolated and afraid
Open up this is a raid
I wanna get it through to you
You're not alone
An open hand
An open....
Laminated Cat (Aka Not For The Season)
Springtime comes and the leaves are back on the trees again
Snipers are harder to see my friends
Weeding out the weekends
Summer comes and gravity undoes you
You're happy because of the lovely way the sunshine bends
Hiding from your close friends
Weeding out the weekends
Candy left over from Halloween
A unified theory of everything
Love left over from lovers leaving
Books, they all know they're not worth reading
It's not for the season
When autumn comes you sit in your chair and you stare
At the TV square
Hiding in the deep end
Weeding out the weekends
Winter comes and the days all start late
There's motion on the boughs where the dark shapes prowl
Feeling out the feelings
Feeling out the feeling
Candy left over from Halloween
A unified theory of everything
Love left over from lovers leaving
Books, they all know they're not worth reading
They're not worth reading
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
A Shot in the Arm
The ashtray says
You were up all night
When you went to bed
With your darkest mind
Your pillow wept
And covered your eyes
And you finally slept
While the sun caught fire
You've changed
We fell in love
In the key of C
We walked along
Down by the sea
You followed me down
The neck to D
And fell again
Into the sea
You changed
Oh, you've changed
Maybe all I need is a shot in the arm
Maybe all I need is a shot in the arm
Maybe all I need is a shot in the arm
Maybe all I need is a shot in the arm
Maybe all I need is a shot in the arm
Maybe all I need is a shot in the arm
Maybe all I need is a shot in the arm
Something in my veins
Bloodier than blood
something in my veins
Bloodier than blood
something in my veins
Bloodier than blood
something in my veins
Bloodier than blood
The ashtray says
You were up all night
When you went to bed
With your darkest mind
You changed
Oh you've changed
What you once were isn't what
You want to be any more
What you once were isn't what
You want to be any more
What you once were isn't what
You want to be any more
What you once were isn't what
You want to be any more
What you once were isn't what
You want to be any more
Instrumental credits:
Jeff Tweedy – vocals, acoustic and 12-string guitars, synthesizers
Jay Bennett – lap steel, piano, keyboards, synthesizers, drums
John Stirratt – bass
Ken Coomer – timpani