Here I am, waiting to stand in line again And what a burden it will be when I have to choose from all these people who look like me -nameless, faceless- So bring me a genius, bring me a priest bring me everyone who's ever fallen down on their knees Lord, at night and prayed, prayed, prayed Still nothing ever went away 'Cause we all got our bills to pay And everybody owes someone Ain't it a lovely view from under their thumb? And it doesn't take long for that feeling to be gone If you let it go, so you better hold on You can throw it all back on me and say that I'm the problem And I'll agree, but I still can't stay away 'Cause we all got our bills to pay And we all get our day in the sun Our one shining moment and then we're done And it doesn't take long for that feeling to be gone If you let it go, so you better hold on And there's gonna come a time When your words, they won't rhyme And your lights won't shine Quite like they used to Back when you thought you had it good

There's no need, to beg and plead Lord, if you need some weed Baby just ask and you shall receive, 'cause I got me a pickle and it's oh so green Ladies and Gentlemen, won't you remember back when you were just a pup, fuckin' coming up and someone along the way, oh they made your day with a nice little J 'Cause I got me a pickle and it's oh so green I got me a pickle, and it's oh so green

A seed plants a tree, and as it grows, we grow Driving north from New Mexico with a front seat full of cash, an empty suitcase on the floor And it's not like me to just up and leave But when you've got to go, you know As I saw a few things I've never seen before I go to bed early, but I stay up late The wind howls on the tin roof outside my window 'Cause we had that talk tonight as we stood there by the neon lights For what felt like the first time And I'm scared of what I don't know but aren't we all? Too many times, there's too much pride too much selfish pride for me to see for myself So here I go, back to New Mexico for what feels like the last time And I sure hope it's the last time 'cause I need to begin again with my life When you're banking on a saint, to come your way All you can do is wait And if you live your life like it's some kind of charade The best you can do is wait

Crickets in the soap and we've abandoned all hope 'cause it looks like we ain't getting out of here Diamond rings sing to everyone And there's a brand new shop on the corner that's got all the little things that make you stop and Go too far (and you know who you are) Scenic scenarios, custom views and lots of empty pews when the game is on But I just want to fit in, with my built-in neighborhoods and my built-in friends Lately they've been getting me down, oh so down 'Cause you can only keep up with so much on nowhere near enough before you Go too far (from who you know that you are) There's still some space for you, if you want to go You know there's always a place for you, crickets in the soap Standing all alone in the crowd, bragging 'bout the ways that you're bringing us down Like you're so very proud of it I, for one, have had enough To last me all of my years And someday when it's just the three of us You can thank me for all of your fears Crickets in the Soap

Biding my time on the railroad tonight Watching the rodeo And I know I've seen it all before You and your dog can come along And you can even have your own room Right on the beach With a view of the moon Well have you figured it out? I don't know I don't know The leaves that you lost and the bells that you bought won't bring you joy Just a lot of noise and hard times But it doesn't have to be that way If you learn to let go, so won't you give it a try? And burn down the walls that are keeping us down Keeping us apart

Sometimes it just seems like the brown leaves on the dead trees are gonna get their way And on other days, it's nothing but a sea of green So we sit and watch the cars go 'round, until they come back again Until we're all friends again and things are how they should be So laugh at me, if you want to, 'cause I may be different than you And I may become somewhat undone at the sight of the source and the sound of the gun There's a sign on the side of the road that says "You better sharpen your tools on a rainy day" So they're ready when you need them 'Cause the world keeps turning even when you step off for a while And the daytime brings with it all the nighttime states of mind that you just can't escape Messy rooms can't hide the view outside, from our precious eyes 'Cause there's gonna be an earthquake soon You see it goes like this: everything you forbid comes true Until what's left to do but love, and give, and give some more From underneath the scars of war that you can't replace There's a sign on the side of the road that says "You better sharpen your tools on a rainy day" So they're ready when you need them 'Cause the world keeps turning even when you step off for a while And the daytime brings with it all the nighttime states of mind that you just can't embrace

Maybe I'll drink this bottle of wine, or maybe I'll put my faith in God Either way, after today, neither one can do the job Well, you ask me how can I say that? so I ask you, "How can you ask me that?" What did I do wrong? I just asked a question in a song and you gave me no answers I guess I'm watching the sun come up again today this will be my second day in a row 'Cause I ain't slept a wink since that phone started to ring and now I have to go to work again and again until my days begin the same way that they end And my ways are changing, because we've all had to change Everybody had to make a change and somehow learn to live with it And it ain't easy, but it never is Oh, how I long for those seaside dreams at night to come to life, so we're right back where we started from running all the way home As daylight shines in on everything we ever believed in Putting it to the test but I can't hide my eyes anymore 'Cause it's much too bright in here A little reminder of the pain so near, so close to you and that daily dose of November Blues won't last for ever

THE LAWYERS AND THE BANKERS showed up right on cue spending our dollar bills just like they used to and now the FDIC ain't got no green for me 'cause they stole it all, right before the fall of their mighty, mighty house of cards You see, some people can't control themselves when they see their name in the stars but the lights of the night can be blindingly bright so you better watch out so how could we have let this go? 'cause there's so much more lost than we will ever know but I'm afraid that the day will never come when we finally figure out what we're running from and we finally understand all that has been done in our name and what can't be taken back (just like a heart attack) and it's nothing short of a miracle that the sky didn't collapse and fall all over itself or so we were led to believe BY THE LAWYERS AND THE BANKERS driving their luxury oil tankers spending every other weekend in Dubai, while you and I are shoveling shit, too scared to throw a fit Just left feeling used, if only slightly amused Stranded, empty-handed on this great piece of land That we built with our own (two) hands, and blood and sweat Yet it's on the verge of being taken away by the very folks who led us astray by pulling our strings and telling us things that we know ain't true and then they blame it on me and you and once again we play the fool just like we always do

Yelling at the neighbors, fighting in the street Telling on each other to the police 'Cause nobody wants to come clean and admit to what they've seen So I pipe up and say that I know and that I was here over an hour ago When this all went down, as word spread around town And I said grin and bear it baby, 'cause it ain't so bad The clock on the wall says it's true, well, we all thought it was just a fad 'Cause you know when it's time, well it's just time and sometimes there ain't no time to do nothing After all, maybe the glass ain't half full Maybe it's always been empty The shiny new toy that I took home ain't the same one that they sold me I've been deceived so I no longer believe in what they've told me Patterns on the floor, paintings on the door and people keep on asking me for more While I'm staring at the mirror in a pitch black night until the ghosts are clearly out of sight Day after day and week after week, i before e except after c Well, there are so many damn rules these days that I often don't know what to say So I mumble something out loud just to get by with a teardrop on my tongue and a twinkle in my eye 'cause you know where I'm coming from and if you don't - listen...... The shiny new toy that you took home ain't they same one that they sold you You've been deceived, so do you still believe in what they've told you? Won't you take this to heart? 'Cause that's a good place to start, and we can build a bridge together Far away from here, and far away from all your fears and doubts Together