Infinite Surprise
Staring
Eye to eye
Staring
Eye to eye
There’s nothing there to see
There’s nothing there to see
There’s nothing there to see
There’s nothing there
You’re worried
So am I
I’m sorry
I made you cry
You know that’s not like me
You know that isn’t me
No that’s not like me
To make you cry
Staring
Eye to eye
Mirror
Eye to eye
If you were only you
If I were only me
If you were only you
What would I be
Empty
Sky of mine
Any
Thing can shine
If you were only you
If I were only me
If you were only you
What would I be
Infinite surprise
Infinite surprise
Infinite surprisev
Infin…
Staring
Eye to eye
Mirror
Eye to eye
It’s good to be alive
It’s good to be alive
It’s good to know we die
It’s good to know
Infinite surprise…
Tired of Taking It Out On You
I’m tired of taking it out on you
Tired of needing to
Freeze my warmth away
Tear the tears out of your quiet face
I can’t face
The way I am with you
Or replace
The bite I’m chewing through
Oh I’m tired
Of taking it out on you
I crave
Crazy times again
Our nights, our nights
Would never end
I’m ashamed
Of who I am
When I’m in pain
So I strive
To the nearest star
Street light
Over an idling car
Move across the seat
I’m going to need
You to drive these last few miles
‘Cause I’m tired of taking it out on you
Ooo
Ooo
Freeze my warmth away
Tear the tears out of your quiet face
I can’t take
The way I am with you
Or recreate
Things we used to do
I’m tired
Of taking it out on you
Ooo
Ooo
Ooo
I’m tired of taking it out on you
written by Jeff Tweedy
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
Sunlight Ends
You’re not the kind of city street
Anyone can cross
You’re the kind of spinning star
That only gets you lost
You
Dance
Like the dust in the
Light
Where the sun comes in
And I’m
Following
‘Til the sunlight ends
You’re not the kind of mountain stream
Anyone can cross
You’re the kind of flashing sign
That only gets you lost
You
Dance
Like the dust in the
Light
Where the sun comes in
And I’m
Following
‘Til the sunlight ends
You’re not the kind of desert sand
Anyone can cross
You’re the kind of missing page
That only gets you lost
And you’re lost
And I’m lost
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
Company In My Back
I attack with love, pure bug beauty, curl my lips and crawl up to you
I attack with love, pure bug beauty, curl my lips and crawl up to you
And your afternoon
And I’ve been puking
I move so slow, steady crushing hand; holy shit! there’s a company in my back
I move so slow, steady crushing hand; holy shit! there’s a company in my back
Hide your soft skin; your sorrow is sunshine; listen to my eyes
Hide your soft skin; your sorrow is sunshine; listen to my eyes
They are hissing radiator tunes
I move so slow, steady crushing hand; holy shit! there’s a company in my back
I move so slow, steady crushing hand; holy shit! there’s a company in my back
You learn so slow, old radiant beauty; I’ll curve my flight
You learn so slow, old radiant beauty; I’ll curve my flight
Under your bended knee
And I will always die
I will always die
I will always die, so you can remember me
I move so slow, steady crushing hand; holy shit! there’s a company in my back
I move so slow, steady crushing hand; holy shit! there’s a company in my back
There’s a company in my back
Instrumental Credits
Jeff Tweedy Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
John Stirratt Bass
Glenn Kotche Drums, Hammer Dulcimer & Percussion
Leroy Bach Piano & Korg CX-3 Organ
Mikael Jorgensen Fenix Modular Synthesizer & Stylophone
Jim O'Rourke Acoustic Guitar
Ain't It A Shame
new song by Jeff Tweedy
Everlasting Everything
Everything alive must die
Every building built to the sky will fall
But don’t try to tell me my
Everlasting love is a lie
Everlasting everything
Oh nothing could mean anything at all
Every wave that hits the shore
Every book that I adore
Gone like a circus, gone like a troubadour
Everlasting love forever more
Everlasting everything
Oh nothing could mean anything at all
Oh I know this might sound sad
But everything goes, both the good and the bad
So it all adds up, and you should be glad
Everlasting love is all you had
Everlasting everything
Oh nothing could mean anything at all
Everlasting everything
Oh nothing could mean anything at all
Opaline
I hear the police outside my window
I can hear them talking on their radios
Well I keep my head underneath my pillow
Pray that they’re gonna leave me alone
O’ Opaline
Make believe that you still love me
O’ Opaline
It’s hard to see reality
When you’ve got no love at all
There’s nothing worse than a hearse driving slow
Out on the tollway stopping at the tolls
No change, no E-ZPass, what a way to go
There’s nothing worse than a hearse driving slow
O’ Opaline
Make believe that you still love me
O’ Opaline
It’s hard to see reality
When you’ve got no love at all
I’d like to find out why she had to go
My heart wants what a heart can’t control
Now I hang in the air as the light gets cold
And I hide in her shadows
Welcome her home
O’ Opaline
Make believe that you still love me
O’ Opaline
It’s hard to see reality
When you’ve got no love at all
How to Fight Loneliness
How to fight loneliness
Smile all the time
Shine your teeth 'til meaningless
Sharpen them with lies
And whatever's going down
Will follow you around
That's how you fight loneliness
You laugh at every joke
Drag your blanket blindly
Fill your heart with smoke
And the first thing that you want
Will be the last thing you ever need
That's how you fight it
Just smile all the time
Just smile all the time
Just smile all the time
Just smile all the time
One Wing
We once belonged to a bird
We cast a shadow on this world
You were a blessing, and I was a curse
I did my best not to make things worse
For you
That isn’t true
I always knew this would be your fate
This is what happens when wings separate
This happens to all dead weight
Eventually
We may as well be made of stone
We can’t be flown
One wing will never fly
Neither yours nor mine, I fear
We can only wave goodbye
One wing will never ever fly
Neither yours nor mine
One wing will never ever fly, dear
Neither yours nor mine, I fear
We can only wave goodbye
One wing will never ever fly, dear
Neither yours nor mine, I fear
We can only wave goodbye
Bye, bye
Bye, bye
Bye, bye
Bye, bye
Even I Can See
If I may have your attention please
I’ll tell you about my wife and what she means to me
How fiercely she believes what she believes
I laugh and I cry
I live and I die
By her side
From time to time she puts her hand in mine
Holds me like a sharp shiny key
I was never one who needed to believe
In a god hard to find
But I found by her side
There’s a god
Even I can see
They say no work of art is ever done
Carved in bark or yet to come
Rivers run low and flow with only sky
Even gods have to die
But once in a while
There’s a god
Even I can see
Guaranteed
We've been through
A lot
Me and you
Hospitals and bars
I know how it hurts
I'm a piece of work
And you're no walk in the park
Oh that's a good place to start
When things go wrong
Our love gets stronger
A normal heart is a shopping cart
Left by the side of the road
Maybe I'm naive
Is it up to me
Whether I'm alive or alone?
Oh I'd love to know
How things go wrong
Love gets stronger each day
Things go wrong
And our love is stronger that way
Tragedy
is guaranteed
Things go wrong
We think we can't go on
Nothing can break you and me
Oh oh oh
I'm lucky I'm not alone
Oh I don't need to know
Why things go wrong
Our love gets stronger that way
Don't let your pain go to waste
Via Chicago
I dreamed about killing you again last night
And it felt alright to me
Dying on the banks of Embarcadero skies
I sat and watched you bleed
Buried you alive in a fireworks display
Raining down on me
Your cold, hot blood ran away from me
To the sea
I printed my name on the back of a leaf
And I watched it float away
The hope I had in a notebook full of white, dry pages
Was all I tried to save
But the wind blew me back via Chicago
In the middle of the night
And all without fight
At the crush of veils and starlight
I know I'll make it back
One of these days and turn on your TV
To watch a man with a face like mine
Being chased down a busy street
When he gets caught I won't get up
And I won't go to sleep
I'm coming home, I'm coming home
Via Chicago
Where the cups are cracked and hooked
Above the sink
They make me think
Crumbling ladder tears don't fall
They shine down your shoulders
Crawling is screw faster lash
I blow it with kisses
Rest my head on a pillowy star
And a cracked door moon
Says I haven't gone too far
I'm coming home
I'm coming home
I'm coming home
Via Chicago
I'm coming home
I'm coming home
I'm coming home
Searching for a home
Searching for a home
Searching for a home
Via Chicago
I'm coming home
I'm coming home
Instrumental credits:
Jeff Tweedy – vocals, electric and acoustic guitars, synthesizers
Jay Bennett – banjo, piano, organ, moog, tambourine
John Stirratt – bass
Ken Coomer – drums
Either Way
Maybe the sun will shine today
The clouds will blow away
Maybe I won’t feel so afraid
I will try to understand
Either way
Maybe you still love me
Maybe you don’t
Either you will or you won’t
Maybe you just need some time alone
I will try to understand
Everything has its plan
Either way
I’m gonna stay
Right for you
Maybe the sun will shine today
The clouds will roll away
Maybe I won’t be so afraid
I will understand everything has its plan
Either way
Written by Jeff Tweedy
Instrumental Credits
Jeff Tweedy – vocals, electric guitar
John Stirratt – bass
Glenn Kotche – drums
Mikael Jorgensen – piano
Nels Cline – lead electric gutiar
Pat Sansone – Hammond A100 organ
Karen Waltuch – viola, violin
Annihilation
Hey
We’re fallen angels
I wish we never learned to fly
Let’s kiss before
Kiss before
We die
Life
It’s nothing but shadows
I looked for you far and wide
Let’s kiss before
Just before
Goodbye
A kiss like this
Is endless tonight
This kind of annihilation
Is alright
Oh
What a crazy spirit
Feathers fight
Joyless light
Let’s kiss before
We lift into the sky
Hey
We’re boiling angels
Let’s kiss for hours
Equal power
Let’s make it art
This kiss is ours
A kiss like this
Is endless tonight
This kind of annihilation
Is alright
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
Lou Reed Was My Babysitter
I want to sweat
Sweat next to you
With a sticky carpet
Sucking on my shoes
Rock n roll
Ain’t never gonna lose
No
I want you
To dance into me
Spill my drink
I want to feel the kick
Kicking in my teeth
My bleeding heart
Bleeding to the beat
Uh huh
I want you
To blow smoke in my eyes
Smoke in my eyes
I want to shake shake
Shake shake shake
Until my shoes untie
Rock n roll ain’t never gonna die
Not as long as you and I are alive
’Cause rock n roll is dead and the dead don’t die
The dead don’t die
The dead don’t die
The dead don’t die
I want to feel everything
I want to feel everything
I want to hear the idiot sing
Until I can’t feel anything
’Cause rock n roll is dead and the dead don’t die
The dead don’t die
The dead don’t die
written by Jeff Tweedy
Pot Kettle Black
Crazy rides rockets
Waves a magic wand
Empty out your pockets
Words without a song
I myself have found a real rival in myself
I am hoping for the rearrival of my health
Sleeping eye sockets
Baby suck your thumb
I'll keep you in my locket
A string I never strum
It's become so obvious
You are so oblivious to yourself
I'm tied in a knot
But I'm not
Gonna get caught
Calling a pot kettle black
Every song's a comeback
Every moment's a little bit later
Lazy locomotives
Wherever you may roll
I think you have no motive
I know you have no home
It's become so obvious
You are so oblivious to yourself
I'm tied in a knot
But I'm not
Gonna get caught
Calling a pot kettle black
Every song's a comeback
Every moment's a little bit later
Every moment's a little bit later
Every moment's a little bit later
Every moment's a little bit later
I'm tied in a knot
But I'm not
Gonna get caught
Calling a pot kettle black
I'm not
Gonna get caught
Calling a pot kettle black
Falling Apart (Right Now)
Now don’t you fall apart
While I’m falling apart
Why don’t you get in line
Behind the tears I’m crying
I know our hearts
Aren’t very smart
But you’re gonna have to learn
Learn when it isn’t you turn
Somehow
‘Cause I’m gonna be the only one
Falling apart right now
Now don’t you lose your mind
While I’m looking for mine
You’re gonna have to stay strong
A little longer this time
I know our hearts
Aren’t a la carte
But baby being blue
When it comes to me and you
It’s always on the menu
So sit down
Because I’m gonna be the only one
Falling apart right now
Now don’t you fall apart
When you’re breaking my heart
Why don’t you get in line
Behind the tears I’m crying
I know our hearts
Aren’t very smart
But you’re gonna have to learn
Learn when it isn’t you turn
Your gonna have to keep it together
Somehow
‘Cause I’m gonna be the only one
I’m going to be the only one
I’m going to be the only one
Falling apart right now
written by Jeff Tweedy
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