This recording was made at the St. Mane Theatre in Lanesboro, MN in the fall of 2017. It features five songs from Michelle Lynn's Savvy History series. Check out www.michelleptacek.com for current projects.
Over It - Oscar Wilde and Bram Stoker
Secrets to the Machine - Samuel Slater
Oh So Patient - Lyudmila Pavlichencko
I Like You William Sidis
The Orphan Train
Music From the First Five Albums (Performed as Michelle Lynn) Check out www.michelleptacek.com
Sep 6, 2018
Aug 6, 2018
A Summer of Love and Changes!
At the shows I played this summer, some people wondered why I wasn't gigging it up as much as usual. Sometimes this fun little munchkin was hanging out with his dad in the background, and I was happy to announce we welcomed Nikola into our lives in May! I took it easy on the scheduling and had a wonderful summer with Nikola. Next summer I will make sure to visit a few more of our favorite locations. We're so excited to surround this curious boy with creativity, festivals, and music.
Feb 14, 2018
Michelle Lynn EPK
LISTEN:
Tracks
Step Lightly
Mathematician Mystic
Press Materials:
Hi-res promo photo (1)
Hi-res promo photo (2)
What Others Have Already Said: Michelle Lynn Press Archive
Biography:
Michelle Lynn specializes in taking true tales from history - full of depravity, folly, and vice - and presenting them as melodies for inspiration, amusement, and reflection. The Decorah duo of teacher Michelle Lynn and Adam Ptacek enjoy playing music throughout the summer and welcome occasional talented guests.
Show highlights from the past few years include the Des Moines Art Festival, Austin Artsworks Festival, Great River Folk Festival, Cedar Rapid's Farmer's Market, Lake Harriet Band Shell, Seed Saver's Tomato Tasting, Cresco Opera House, Elkader Opera House, Nordic Fest, Riverfest, Winona's Earth Day Festival, and Wausa's Festival of the Arts - among hundreds of other performances. At some of these shows, she was excited to share the stage with musicians such as Pieta Brown, Bo Ramsey, Lissie, Trina Hamlin, and John Stravers of Big Blue Sky. She has opened for musicians as diverse as Chris Koza, General B and The Wiz, and Joe and Vicki Price. Michelle's songs have also been featured on the Eau Claire based radio program Song of the Soul and Coast to Coast AM with a worldwide audience of over 3 million listeners.
Michelle Lynn grew up on a century farm outside of Monona, IA near Effigy Mounds National Monument. Having always been interested in many forms of writing, she received her first guitar on her 17th birthday and soon began writing songs. She recorded her first album 2 years later and then began performing locally.
NE Iowa arts monthly Tapestry Magazine described her debut album Jump Roping in Chains (2005) as “A fearless collection of songs that strips away any pretension…” A local newspaper noted at the time, "Her voice comes out confident and reassured, her songs possess tightly woven lyrics and her guitar playing ability is inspiring and mature." This warm local response, coupled with her relentless performance schedule, broadened her horizons and introduced her to many new friends, supporters, and collaborators. Her second album, Hospital Radio, was released in the spring of 2008 with the assistance of area musicians Adam Ptacek and Matt Olson (Rearview Mirror). This musical partnership would help drive her vision and sound forward in the future. After spending a year in Austin, TX she returned with an album titled Pre-Echoes for the Postmodern (2009), and was in the position to devote herself to performing and recording music full-time. A radio producer in Wisconsin proclaimed that “Michelle models growth and insight through her music; passing on lessons of development and transformation.”
2010’s Sundial Tree was written exclusively in Texas and is the first record to feature Ptacek and Olson—now dubbed “The Bad Passengers”—backing her on nearly every song. With her music and vision further developed, Inspire(d) Magazine publisher Benji Nichols declared her “a regional favorite amongst music enthusiasts.” Michelle came into her own with her most recent record, Without an Outline (2012).
More recently - happily finding herself as a local teacher - Michelle has become interested in writing thematic song batches representing non-fiction characters from the past. Her current collection of over thirty songs focuses on The Civil War and The Gilded Age of the late 1800s and early 1900s. This collection of songs is an evolving writing exercise that she enjoys. She'll continue to write more songs under specific categories from history and perform them live.
Discography:
Jump Roping in Chains (2005)
Hospital Radio (2008)
Pre-Echoes for the Postmodern (2009)
Sundial Tree (2010)
Without an Outline (2012)
Modes of Being (lyric book -2012)
Links:
Official Website
Music Store / Stream
Tracks
Step Lightly
Mathematician Mystic
Press Materials:
Hi-res promo photo (1)
Hi-res promo photo (2)
What Others Have Already Said: Michelle Lynn Press Archive
Biography:
Michelle Lynn specializes in taking true tales from history - full of depravity, folly, and vice - and presenting them as melodies for inspiration, amusement, and reflection. The Decorah duo of teacher Michelle Lynn and Adam Ptacek enjoy playing music throughout the summer and welcome occasional talented guests.
Show highlights from the past few years include the Des Moines Art Festival, Austin Artsworks Festival, Great River Folk Festival, Cedar Rapid's Farmer's Market, Lake Harriet Band Shell, Seed Saver's Tomato Tasting, Cresco Opera House, Elkader Opera House, Nordic Fest, Riverfest, Winona's Earth Day Festival, and Wausa's Festival of the Arts - among hundreds of other performances. At some of these shows, she was excited to share the stage with musicians such as Pieta Brown, Bo Ramsey, Lissie, Trina Hamlin, and John Stravers of Big Blue Sky. She has opened for musicians as diverse as Chris Koza, General B and The Wiz, and Joe and Vicki Price. Michelle's songs have also been featured on the Eau Claire based radio program Song of the Soul and Coast to Coast AM with a worldwide audience of over 3 million listeners.
Michelle Lynn grew up on a century farm outside of Monona, IA near Effigy Mounds National Monument. Having always been interested in many forms of writing, she received her first guitar on her 17th birthday and soon began writing songs. She recorded her first album 2 years later and then began performing locally.
NE Iowa arts monthly Tapestry Magazine described her debut album Jump Roping in Chains (2005) as “A fearless collection of songs that strips away any pretension…” A local newspaper noted at the time, "Her voice comes out confident and reassured, her songs possess tightly woven lyrics and her guitar playing ability is inspiring and mature." This warm local response, coupled with her relentless performance schedule, broadened her horizons and introduced her to many new friends, supporters, and collaborators. Her second album, Hospital Radio, was released in the spring of 2008 with the assistance of area musicians Adam Ptacek and Matt Olson (Rearview Mirror). This musical partnership would help drive her vision and sound forward in the future. After spending a year in Austin, TX she returned with an album titled Pre-Echoes for the Postmodern (2009), and was in the position to devote herself to performing and recording music full-time. A radio producer in Wisconsin proclaimed that “Michelle models growth and insight through her music; passing on lessons of development and transformation.”
2010’s Sundial Tree was written exclusively in Texas and is the first record to feature Ptacek and Olson—now dubbed “The Bad Passengers”—backing her on nearly every song. With her music and vision further developed, Inspire(d) Magazine publisher Benji Nichols declared her “a regional favorite amongst music enthusiasts.” Michelle came into her own with her most recent record, Without an Outline (2012).
More recently - happily finding herself as a local teacher - Michelle has become interested in writing thematic song batches representing non-fiction characters from the past. Her current collection of over thirty songs focuses on The Civil War and The Gilded Age of the late 1800s and early 1900s. This collection of songs is an evolving writing exercise that she enjoys. She'll continue to write more songs under specific categories from history and perform them live.
Discography:
Jump Roping in Chains (2005)
Hospital Radio (2008)
Pre-Echoes for the Postmodern (2009)
Sundial Tree (2010)
Without an Outline (2012)
Modes of Being (lyric book -2012)
Links:
Official Website
Music Store / Stream
Sep 4, 2017
Praise for the Inventors (Song Collection)
The Isolator (Hugo Gernsback Created Something Ugly and Offensive to Deal With His Hypersensitivity)
It almost knocked me out when you walked in here
I want a little space to stare
Life used to trip me up but now I'm prepared
I solved a little mystery - yeah
(refrain)
When the world outside is not fair
All is well and happy in here
Call on the Isolator
Opening life up
Meeting someone at the Astor Hotel
Or doing business on the other side of town
If it's too bright, too packed, and too loud
Calm down, calm down
I want to help you out when misunderstood
If you want to block them out for good
Pull out all the stops for some solitude
Keep on doing what you do
(refrain)
Only known by the signal you emit
With ham radios and conductor gadgets
Well aware of it all and yet oblivious
It's a showdown, a showdown
I'm in love with life but not built for it
Built kind of supersensitive
When you don't like it - try and understand
I live a little in my head
In a Bind (Exploring Denial with the Inventor of All Things Terrible - Thomas Midgley) *He died wrapped up in one of his devices.
Despot - what's got your engine knocking?
I spot a problem and try to top it
I got myself in a bind
Making tracks on the back streets of Dayton
What's the deal? What's the occasion?
I got myself in a bind
(refrain)
Company - come lie to me!
I'm too flattered to figure it out
Wake up man they're on to you
Like Studebakers on the town
New Jersey's been losing labor
Five men down and two calls later
I got myself in a bind
Lead instead was kept a secret
Too bad there's no place to keep it
I got myself in a bind
(refrain)
Wake up man it's on the table
Like the candle you blew out
Federal teams investigate it
I just notice what's convenient
I got myself in a bind
Washed my hands with it to impress them
60 seconds and I feel awesome
I got myself in a bind
(refrain)
Wake up man they cover you
Like all those medals you should doubt
And now you know it
The Hatch (Submarine Pioneer Wilhelm Bauer Has a Brawl with the Crew - Until They Do the Unlikely and Escape Death)
A calm descent into the harbor
We only wanted to see farther
Past the face of the sun
Using the darkness of night on earth
Are we the only ones?
(refrain)
Come out and see now
Come out and see Leviathan
Come out and see now
Put your eye up to it
Come out and see now
Come out and see a little bit
Come out and see now
In the distance
Through many trials problems were solved
Lifting a conundrum
Finally we mounted the telescope on
To view the horizon
(refrain)
Will revelations from farther out
Put us in our place
We know the world is still spinning around
Now, what else in space?
(refrain)
OHHHH.....
Secrets to the Machine (What's Responsible for the American Industrial Revolution? Immigrant "Slater the Traitor's" Memory Of Course!)
Sunsets on this ship are to be imagined
America is offering rewards
I left, even faked my name knowing England
Was searching for a skilled worker to board
(refrain)
The whole country's about to know
Can you meet me by the coast
A new life is waiting
We've got secrets to the machine
That's been pounding beneath our feet
Oh no
I'm well-trained
But couldn't bring the mill layout with me
It's all in my mind
Wealthy merchant - we should dine
Lately you've been earning yourself a patent
Keep industry high
New production's on the line
(refrain)
Spinning is only the beginning
New factory bells are ringing
Dust filled air and deafening sounds
A bed shared at the boarding house
As the waterwheel is winding
Drills and shafts and gears are grinding
A beat built for a barefoot crowd
And no one can stop it now
I Didn't Draw the Joneses (Pop Momand has a Message for His Old Neighbors in His 1913 - 1938 Comic Script Series "Keeping Up With The Joneses") *This is in addition to his advice to use it as wallpaper.
Made due
Split the scene
Better better everything
Mix and mingle me
Into a low wage job at a magazine
(refrain)
Maybe some of them will like it
Maybe some of them won't
Maybe some of them read it
Maybe some of them don't
First skit
Clarice wins
Then we'll have her strike again
Bad fit
On the mend
New York World syndication
(refrain)
What's going on with the script?
Where are the Joneses?
So close but not quite
Looks like Belladonna's right
Spot Julie's social climb
Primped and primed with bad advice
(refrain)
At last
On the move
God help pa - he told the truth
Long stretch
Near the news
Bid farewell to the cartoons
Getting Out! (Over 100 Union Prisoners of War - Lead by Colonel Thomas E. Rose - Enjoy an Escape in Richmond, VA in the February of 1864)
(Refrain)
We're getting out of this
We're getting free now
We've got a little bit left to do
Nobody hesitate tunneling under
If somebody's at the gate
Walk right through
Some said we lacked the proper tools
And we couldn't do it
Now there's more than enough room for two
And you better move it
Hey!
(refrain)
How many can be gone by dawn?
Long before the roll call
How many plan to come along?
Who'll put the bricks in the wall?
Hey!
(refrain)
Deep in the city I crossed the path
Of a sentinel with a bayonet on his back
Deep in thought, he simply tipped his hat
As I walked right on by
Stand In Awe (It's Hard to Top the Era of Good Feelings, but Let's Try by Building the Penn Station) *Sadly, A.J. Cassatt passed away shortly before the station opened in 1910. Consequently, this song was written from the perspective of his statue.
Old man winter has a hold on the scene
There's ice on the windows
Where the light used to be
When spring comes to melt this town
You'll see the finest dressed people around
All bound by seventh and eighth avenue
If you miss your train there's a whole lot to do
And only looking for fun
Won't cause trouble for anyone
(refrain)
This is just a call for innovation
Grab your coat and meet me at Penn Station
To stand in awe of growing Manhattan
And know that you can reach her
Go and build the life you'd like to happen
And if not - know you can return
Peruse through the portico
And I'll wait right here
I can tell you're in wonder and excited my dear
As the crowds of people wind
Under the gateway built so high
Every lucky lad
Has come to depend
On visiting the island
For the weekend
I can still hear the joyous sound
Of the travelers bustling around
(refrain)
I never live to see all that I want to
Last stops are a pity coming too soon
I stand in awe of every final detail
And I hope that I pleased my friends
We all want to add some beauty to this world
And we can with some helping hands
Over It (Poet Oscar Wilde Forgives Dracula's Bram Stoker for Stealing His Miss at His Mom's Book Club)
How do you keep it all contained
While wandering this way
Bearing the weight of days
Behind us
Behind us
That year the web was spun
Two lives to be as one
All of our plans were done
Then you'd come
Then you'd come in
You're a story I don't understand
And so I tell it to myself again
Nothing new to find gent
Pine over the time spent
(refrain)
Years went by and now you're about to knock
You took the dame as just an afterthought
Now to come and visit is what you want
And now that I'm over it
I fear you're not
Oh, the old schoolboy curse -
All needing to be first
In a room full of amateurs
There we were
There we were
Boys of the Irish songs
One to be the Oxford don
One to win the debutante
And it hurt
And it hurt
Bram - You're a story I don't understand
And so I tell it to myself again
One read was all it took
To spot me in your dark book
(refrain)
I'm glad you came to find me
The trial was a decadent sham
Don't let those days define me
They are over and done with my friend
They are over and done with my friend
(Refrain)
Good For You (The Ailing Ed Dismuke Ditches Castor Oil for a Trip to Mineral Wells, TX)
When I got sick
It was the end of me
And they said, "There is no hope for you."
The doctor thought there'd be no remedy
And I said, "You know what I want to do?
What I want to do is travel around and try whatever I have to."
One more day
Let me get some sun here
One more night
'Cause I'm having fun here
One more day
To sit and wonder
One more night
Like when I was younger
Came news of the family
Who lived near the springs
and suddenly was all healthy
I heard of a lady who did the same thing
and I wondered, "Will it work for me?
Will it work for me?
I'll give it a try even if it looks crazy."
One more day
Let me get some sun here
One more night
'Cause I'm having fun here
One more day
To sit and wonder
One more night
Like when I was younger
It's a change of scenery
Good for you!
We should bottle this spring
Good for you!
We could start a company
Good for you!
I don't really think about death anymore
And when I do I keep it to myself
Occasionally people stop me and say
What did you do for your health?
For your health - get some friends
And go straight down to Mineral Wells
One more day
'Cause you're getting sun here
One more night
'Cause you're having fun here
One more swallow
To sit and wonder
One more bottle
You're looking younger
Giving Up All the Way (Engineer John Wallace on Why He'll Gladly Hand Over Construction of the Panama Canal to John Stevens)
I have no business doing this
I have no prospects keeping me
Workers are waiting
The morale is sinking
Why can't it be level with the sea?
Me? I'm giving up all the way
Today
I see my best bet's
Don't add to the mess
Don't expect to be following leads
I've seen the fever
I've seen the hunger
I've seen them question my salary
Me? I'm giving up all the way
Today
(refrain)
Tell him I wish him the best
That he can have it
Tell him that I'm glad he'll take my place
Tell him a turn of events is about to happen
Tell him I'm heading back to the states
I did all of this for a grand challenge
It sure wasn't for glory
Set it all aside
Pack up the supplies
Find out why there's other places to be
(refrain)
Social Dynamite (An Insider's Look at the High Society Bank Heist of 1878)
Slowly he walks in like everything's alright
Softly it's spoken like social dynamite in the hole
"Nothing with you ever was simple"
Here's an open door to the bank with a vault
He's been there before but says he can't recall it all
I know what I heard and what I saw
Oh, how like me to read him
Try and see both sides
Oh, how like him to reason
Something's wrong with mine
Here's an open book
Literal to a fault
I should pretend to having no recollection at all
hmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Oh, how like me to try
Throw rocks at the beehive
Oh, how like him to deny
One hit the bull's-eye
I could lie but don't know how
I have tried to cross me out
Won't you cross me out?
An Invitation to Fly (Therese Peltier - Suspected First Female Passenger - Abandons Flight After Her Co-Pilot Passes in Fatal Crash)
Once he lifted me like falling leaves
Easy as a breeze in the street
I'd always ride by his side
Never thought to ever say goodbye
"Once you've been there, you can never go back
Once you've seen it, you can never forget"
I recall his invitation to fly
"Come to forfeit your mind for a moment
Come to forget yourself on the ascent"
I recall our place in the sky
They say the cage was torn away
His solo flight, a fatal glide, that day
These papers speak of bravery
On the day we made history
"Try to stand up tall"
That is what they all say
"Hold your head up so
We can take photos today"
"Once you've been there you can never go back
Once you've seen it you can never forget"
I recall his invitation to fly
"Come to forfeit your mind for a moment
Come to forget yourself on the ascent"
I recall our place in the sky
Protecting the Louisiana Bragger's Button (Emily Randolf Stands Between Union Guns and Her Plantation Mansion)
From the vast and grand veranda I have seen your riverboats
From the bedroom window I've felt your guns echo
One night outside of the parlor someone whispered, "Burn it down."
That's not what you really want son
You want to look around
(refrain)
So come on in
Don't burn
Come on
Come on into my home
While my daughters are inside
Let's talk right here on the porch
My sons are off in a war their father did not support
Ever since the country parted
I was left protecting this
But he will be back again soon
Back from Texas
(refrain)
Do you know of any company
Warmth and laughter cannot please
Come know me - the professed enemy
Take time to adore the shade trees
And browse behind the main house
Have you heard this bell for rising and for settling down
Here in this opulent white room, we all just might have a ball
And I spend most of my time in the Ancestral Hall
(refrain)
Who Are You? (The Girl of a Thousand Faces: Commentary Concerning Mystery and Predictability in Silent Films)
"You've all been swell
Here, everything is yours
Tell them I'm tired and I'm ill"
The final note of the Biograph Girl
The first to be well known in films
"Angel of the Studio"
"The Broken Oath"
"Widow"
"The Honor of the Humble"
"The Romance in Pond Cove"
And "Diplomatic Flo"
"Among the Roses"
But who are you, who?
Her mother was a vaudeville performer
Her father was a carriage builder
She swore she'd never lead a gypsy life
Her birthdate's wrong 'cause of a coroner
"The Irony of Fate"
"Macbeth" and "The Mistake"
"The Time Lock Safe"
"A Girl and Her Money"
"The Pawns of Destiny"
"Behind the Scenes"
But who are you, who?
She took her small fortune and did as she pleased
No name yet on the marquee
She was fired and she switched companies
They faked her death in the street
"A Game of Deception"
"A Rebellious Blossom"
"Flo's Discipline"
"Her Artistic Temperament"
"The Test of Friendship"
"An Awful Moment"
But who are you, who?
Laying Low (Even When it Goes Well, it Goes Bad for Outlaw Rose Dunn as Her Bounty Hunting Brothers Kill Her Lover)
We have no way of knowing
How good it could've been
With a different plan
You taught me most of what I know
How to ride, shoot, and rope
And help the gang reload
Slowly caressed to your doom
I let myself out of the room
My only advantage
Is I no longer mind what happens
Laying low after the clearing smoke
Alone, leaving the life I know
I had no way of knowing my brother's intentions
I didn't give your hide out to him
Together we're forever linked up
But brother's a chord I can't cut even when I must
I smile in my free time
I try to keep the kids in line
Occasionally I think back
How did we end up in the middle like that
Laying low after the final blow
Alone, leaving the life I know
Cleaning House (A Day in the Life of Backyard Beauty Josephine Cochrane)
Why did my bright smile make him cry
When it worked I thought, "I'm keeping mine.
I have a cup in my hand, and I know where its going."
Out. I'm trying to clean house
I found something I'll do without
Why all of this looking down
At me with a frown
I used to think
We're like a machine
How hard could it be
I used to see
Living as working
What more could one need
Say whatever it is you need to say
But maybe phrase it a different way
I tried making all the cold calls
and contacting periodicals
(refrain)
I used to think
We're like a machine
How hard could it be
I used to see
Living as working
What more could one need
But I never could tell when the fellow was kidding
Was he trying to help things along
I spent nights in the backyard cringing
How could this go so wrong
Then I made a mechanic friend
We finished the invention
We traveled to the World's Fair
But could not find that chap there
They juggled plates in the air
I didn't care to meet the hula dancers
Couples wed near the first Ferris wheel
And I thought, "What a deal!"
(refrain)
Pathological Saint (Last Spotted Apologizing to One of the First - and Last - Rude and Unruly Boy Operators)
You speak of deeds
I've never told you
You mention things I've said
Are you listening in
On trite conversations
Please heed my request
When I last saw you in the town square
I pretended to not be there
And then I apologized
For telling you you're recognized
And then you dived into the rain
Down cobblestones and past the train
I'm not sure of your motives
What's a young sir gain from this
You heard something
Something you shouldn't
Can we start again
I'm new at this
In a town full of mischief
Can you please forget
In every assertion lies its doubt
The more you press on
The more you're keeping out
What you say and what you mean
Will they ever be the same thing
We'll be in and out of touch
What you're running from is bound to catch up
Here I'll spell what some shout
Can you tell what it's about
Now my sea's churning underneath
The souvenirs might wash up on your beach
and Boston is small for all you know about me
Stranger things have come around my door
Good thing I don't live there anymore
I dodge you with dignity
And when it brings out the worst in me
Off the Trail (Herman Wolfe's Advice on How to Survive the Baddest Burg in the West - Canyon Diablo, AZ)
The ring around the moon
Means it may rain soon
And don't plan on the railroad bridge for crossing
A town born overnight
Has no law in sight
And it's a drifter's paradise for jostling
See those mountains
See the horizon
I'd rather be lost than trapped
and know where I am at to stay
(refrain)
Clashes are happening daily
So you had better keep to yourself
Scamp and then go as you please
When you're living off the trail
Pick your friends like a lock
Don't let foes rob your thoughts
And find someone in the town to rely on
Carve your name in the rocks
Bury each coin you've got
And know people dwell in the cliffs and canyon
Ruts run deep here
Banks are steep here
So back up before you leap
and don't ever drag your feet half way
(refrain)
Cover me
Cover me now
Cover me
Cover me now
War Letters ("Writing is an Indication of Character!" Declares an Unknown Soldier from the 11th New York Battery to a Lady He Fancies)
Lending life some animation, I appreciate your letter for it is an indication of one's character - the harmless pleasures of your endeavors to bring me to laughter. Now to comply with your first request I write to you soon, the given's a description of my state to you. We don't often get news, but I have heard of brides and I have heard of grooms. Patiently see, I'll be worthy of your modesty and affection. Quite rarely am I sharing. Still, it's appearing in our correspondence your indications are grander than fiction. Write soon.
The Orphan Train (250,000 Orphans Were Taken From Eastern Industrialized Cities and Shipped West Between 1853 and 1929)
Levi's up to no good
Practicing his stories
Clyde has a song and dance
He says there's hope for me
This time tomorrow I will be fine
This time tonight I'll cry
Folks are watching this orphan train go by
Guy took my window seat
It takes strength to be kind
I clock him in tunnels
Listening to the steel grind
It's good to feel something bad now and then
It's good to try again
Folks are coming to choose an orphan
Edwin lost his suitcase
Byron does not sleep well
No one can guess May's age
I look after myself
Everything dear to me, left behind
Everything here, a surprise
Folks are waiting for this train to arrive
Hats Off (To Ellery Channing, Who Not-So-Famously Told Henry David Thoreau, "I See Nothing For You On This Earth...Go...Build Yourself a Hut.")
The cronies thank me for what I don't have
I'm like you and I'm a part of all I've met
You say "the world is turned around by belief"
You say to "live the life you have dreamed"
(Refrain)
Hats off to the ones who sell the art of living well
And sought out the ones who dwell in themselves
Go into the woods near Concord
You will learn a lot there I'm sure
It's certainly not the life that most would choose
But you have to do whatever you have to
Go and build yourself a little hideaway
Go and give yourself weeks to roam
(Refrain)
The world may talk about necessity
The world may not understand your routines
You say the "heart is forever inexperienced"
And "the universe is wider than our views of it"
Who will be there once you can hear yourself
Who will be there to stay
Not All Dreams Think Alike (Nikola Tesla on Thomas Edison in the New York Times. Consider This Grudge The Next Time You Flip a Switch)
Did I strike him as odd
Yet perfect for the job
Eccentric in all my concerns
He scorned my rich inner world
Until my respect unfurled
And to myself I returned
(refrain)
He had the whole world by his side
And he still needed to lie
He has ideas that are mine
Not all dreams think alike
Such a pompous declarant
Would cause any decent man
To turn around and run for the hills
Being a foreigner and several years younger
The haughtiness disgusts me still
(refrain)
I'm not a "yes man"
See future decisions and other worldly visions
I'm not his "best man"
See me switching circuits
It's the war of the currents
His publicity stunts
Are crass exaggerations
Becoming his best talent
Should I act impervious
To ploys so obvious
It's like hubris incarnate
(refrain)
Can't Erase Her (Irene Langhorne Poses for Her Husband as the First Gibson Girl in 1890. They Have Everything You Never Knew You Wanted, Including Umbrella Stands and Perfume With Claws)
All those gracious complications
Now my body's shaking
He's been making observations
And now he's retracing
(refrain)
Ever showing up, you know you can't erase her
Get me close enough, now every place you take her
Careful you don't get me wrong
I've been standing here so long
She's at the station, on vacation
Choosing destinations
A sensation 'cross the nation
If you've paid attention
(refrain)
We can see it in your eyes
Every time one of us walks by
Here we are and here we'll stay awhile
Whatever we do, we do it in style
(refrain)
I'm being hung and I'm being framed
Can you see me any other way
Here we are and here we'll stay awhile
Whatever we do, we do it in style
Gold (California's First Millionaire - Samuel Brannan - Did Not Find Gold, but He Sure Had a Monopoly on Picks, Pans, and Shovels)
Get a first step in the right direction
Beat the rumor to the rumor den
Be the first with a collection
Of gold flakes from Sutter's land
And if you are working now - work harder!
It's everywhere and nowhere specific
In valleys and across streambeds
Be the first to the Pacific
Mount your stallion and purebreds
And if you are working now - work harder!
GOLD
What's that doubt ever done for you?
Here high rollers get ahead
Go out in all kinds of weather
Shake it free before they dredge
And if you are digging now - dig deeper!
Let's enjoy freedom from trying
I'll help you pick out a pick and pan
In the future we'll ride trolleys
Where the tent cities now stand
And if you are digging now - dig deeper!
GOLD
In the shade of my own tree
See them coming and going
Who's the one that's laughing now
Who knows what the jokes about
GOLD
Killer Story (Her Name is Good Christian Katie Cook - and if You are Tom - She is Going to Hurt You)
It's hard to explain what we do sometimes
Nobody had any plans that night
The door was left open
Dawn was approaching
Then I saw the smoke in a flash of light
Baby, why don't you take it outside?
My conscience tells me something's not right
Lately, I hope you know that I tried
Maybe if I wasn't so uptight
It's hard to explain what we do sometimes
Nobody had any plans that night
I turned and I missed it
Life changed in an instant
Anyone who witnessed only sighed
Maybe some like to think it's a crime
But the state of California declined
And the Orange County police turned a blind eye
'Cause they heard the same voices in their mind
It's hard to explain what we do sometimes
Nobody had any plans that night
The marshal heard something
Found out it was him
Then turned out the lantern and said
"Good night. Nobody cares...
So we're leaving him there"
Build Again (The Editor of The Mitchell Republican on Life After Prairie Wars and Prairie Fires)
The neighbors are gone
Couldn't find a sign of anyone
To the west it's just a hazy sun
From fires burning all week long
In the ravine
Ride on, ride on
They'll set fire to the stables
Hide son, hide son
Only bring what you're able
Nobody knows how far these wounded men will go
Did they set it to stir game or show
The intruders that know no home
Speak in flames
I've come, I've come
My shadow's showing us
The night's young, the night's young
Down river there's someone
We survived a night in the camp
We can build again and again
Morning has arrived
Come on back to life
Come on back to life
Love in the Gilded Age (June 22nd, 1894 - The Houdinis Tie the Knot After A Few Days of Courting)
You saw the cabaret
At the Sea Beach Palace place
In the Coney Island days
My locked box took the stage
Soon your brother was replaced
And the magic changed to great escapes
(refrain)
Who did I remind you of
that you felt light as a dove
Who did I remind you of
Was I someone from the past
I don't think we've ever met
But we're sure tying this up fast
Our home away from home
With the tycoons and the tight ropes
Our kiss at the London show
Or hanging from a crane
Near the New York Subway
And the East River crates
You escaped
(refrain)
No love, the world can not hold us
First to fly down under
Looking up forever
(refrain)
It almost knocked me out when you walked in here
I want a little space to stare
Life used to trip me up but now I'm prepared
I solved a little mystery - yeah
(refrain)
When the world outside is not fair
All is well and happy in here
Call on the Isolator
Opening life up
Meeting someone at the Astor Hotel
Or doing business on the other side of town
If it's too bright, too packed, and too loud
Calm down, calm down
I want to help you out when misunderstood
If you want to block them out for good
Pull out all the stops for some solitude
Keep on doing what you do
(refrain)
Only known by the signal you emit
With ham radios and conductor gadgets
Well aware of it all and yet oblivious
It's a showdown, a showdown
I'm in love with life but not built for it
Built kind of supersensitive
When you don't like it - try and understand
I live a little in my head
In a Bind (Exploring Denial with the Inventor of All Things Terrible - Thomas Midgley) *He died wrapped up in one of his devices.
Despot - what's got your engine knocking?
I spot a problem and try to top it
I got myself in a bind
Making tracks on the back streets of Dayton
What's the deal? What's the occasion?
I got myself in a bind
(refrain)
Company - come lie to me!
I'm too flattered to figure it out
Wake up man they're on to you
Like Studebakers on the town
New Jersey's been losing labor
Five men down and two calls later
I got myself in a bind
Lead instead was kept a secret
Too bad there's no place to keep it
I got myself in a bind
(refrain)
Wake up man it's on the table
Like the candle you blew out
Federal teams investigate it
I just notice what's convenient
I got myself in a bind
Washed my hands with it to impress them
60 seconds and I feel awesome
I got myself in a bind
(refrain)
Wake up man they cover you
Like all those medals you should doubt
And now you know it
The Hatch (Submarine Pioneer Wilhelm Bauer Has a Brawl with the Crew - Until They Do the Unlikely and Escape Death)
A calm descent into the harbor
In a belly of a whale made of armor
Calm crewmen at the departure
Crushing depths taking us downward
I Like You William Sidis (Ex-Boy Wonder William Sidis Anonymously Writes Theories While Carrying a Picture of Martha Foley His Entire Life)
I can't wait here anymore
My new love waits on a foreign shore
Don't feel slighted
I like you William Sidis
I'll think of you at the May Day Parade
As a young man leading the crowd
Please take this picture today
And carry it around
(refrain)
No one can see your game
No one really knows but me
So what if they think you're strange
You don't hurt anything
What was your father trying to do?
Look - it's you on the front page news
You're the brightest
I like you William Sidis
When you started writing in disguise
Your alma mater could not tell
Now the papers are calling you a wasted mind
Because you hide yourself so well
(refrain)
You don't owe them anything
Behold - you may not have a lot to show for it
But I know you're onto something neat
You never put down anyone
You're a fine soul minding your own business
And the kindest
I like you William Sidis
I'll think of you in Central Park
With ideas as your companion
On a settee bench near the boulevard
I hope I helped you live
(refrain)
Harvard rowdies cornered you
And all the Radcliffe girls were cruel
Why are you quiet?
I like you William Sidis
Save My Lover (Clara Barton Discovers the Wounded Mary Galloway Dressed as a Soldier at Antietam) *Clara helped Mary find her husband in a Washington hospital. They named their child after her.
Closer to Sharpsburg
In the west woods and the east
Shots heard like thunder
Coming out of the trees
A warning in the morning
Of all yet to transpire
From the heights to the turnpike
A steady wall of fire
(refrain)
Save my lover or let me go and find him
Aid my father coming from the north
Save my brothers from a life of bondage
And any others looking for support
Belabored by danger
I bound myself and cut my hair
If he goes then I go
And everything is fair
A low ridge by the stone bridge
Held a steady stream of fighting
Now embedded close to my chest
Is a wound and I can't hide it
(refrain)
When they poured deadly
Volleys into the ranks
Some dodged stray shots
But got hit by the flank
Blue coats near the oak grove
Were suddenly cut down
For days there I lay
Waiting to be found
The lines weren't broken in the field assault
The lines weren't broken when the bridge was crossed
The Big Top (What Does the Ringling Brothers' Agent Who Discovered Lillian Leitzel Have to Say About Her Untimely Demise?)
I want it back on an even level
I want her back for another try
I want that young daredevil
On a rope up in the sky
Opening with a spotlight on the doorman
Carrying her in
(refrain)
Bring her back to life because everybody wants to see
Open the big top for the night
Behold her range of motion
Behold the Roman rings
Behold the midair tailspin
And her smile as she swings
Kicking off her gold shoes to the band
And doing a drumroll for the land
(refrain)
No...don't let your feet fail you now
There's more to see
Girl...you never learned how to fall
Into their reach
I was sad to hear of her loss
I was sad but not surprised
I was sad they carried her off
When she dropped from their eyes
Counting with the cymbals as they crashed
Yeah, the crowd was spinning fast
Oh So Patient (Prodigious Sniper Lyudmila Pavlichenko Falls From a Tree and Plays Dead)
In tall pines and peering down the scope
Hidden silent then off you go
The eastern front strategic ghost
With black crows in the shadows
(refrain)
All my prey is coming after me now
I can feel it somewhere in the night
The other’s waiting oh so patient
On the other side
All remember when Odessa fell
I can recall every act of will
Only aiming to defend the hill
And stay still
Stay still
(refrain)
I preferred university
Chasing thoughts in the library
Pursuing the historian dream in quiet peace
Quiet peace
(refrain)
I don’t know
The eyes of one who saw me hit the ground
I let go
I’ve played dead for awhile now
Moving slow….
Come Out and See (Lord Rosse Assembles the Largest Telescope of the 19th Century and Sketches a Spiral Galaxy)Calm crewmen at the departure
Crushing depths taking us downward
The steel rivets were sounding off when
The seams all split and the water rushed in
Forty pounds of ocean per square inch
Out the hatch was not an option
(refrain)
Time is locking us inside until the air’s gone
To survive I think I’ll have to fight you on this one
It’ll seem worse before it gets better
We have to submerge the vessel in water
Don't hold me down misguided aggressor
Figure out how to balance the pressure
Fate
Shot us out the hatch like a spring
In that moment everything blinked
Escaping and ascending
Hey
How are you doing today
A lot of life’s inside of me
It beats the bottom of the sea
Trust me
I Like You William Sidis (Ex-Boy Wonder William Sidis Anonymously Writes Theories While Carrying a Picture of Martha Foley His Entire Life)
I can't wait here anymore
My new love waits on a foreign shore
Don't feel slighted
I like you William Sidis
I'll think of you at the May Day Parade
As a young man leading the crowd
Please take this picture today
And carry it around
(refrain)
No one can see your game
No one really knows but me
So what if they think you're strange
You don't hurt anything
What was your father trying to do?
Look - it's you on the front page news
You're the brightest
I like you William Sidis
When you started writing in disguise
Your alma mater could not tell
Now the papers are calling you a wasted mind
Because you hide yourself so well
(refrain)
You don't owe them anything
Behold - you may not have a lot to show for it
But I know you're onto something neat
You never put down anyone
You're a fine soul minding your own business
And the kindest
I like you William Sidis
I'll think of you in Central Park
With ideas as your companion
On a settee bench near the boulevard
I hope I helped you live
(refrain)
Harvard rowdies cornered you
And all the Radcliffe girls were cruel
Why are you quiet?
I like you William Sidis
Thieves (Infamous “Thief From the Cradle” Sophie Lyons is Miraculously Reformed. While Reforming Others at Her Juvenile Delinquent Facility - You Guessed it - She’s Robbed)
You work alone
You work alone
You walk unfettered in this dusty town
When the lights go out
Not long for life
In love with trouble
Even all decked out
What’s your chances now?
(refrain)
(refrain)
I’m here to tell you
You’re part of my heart child
Reach down inside
Tear it apart
Like thieves in the night
Taking the charm out
And leaving the mount
You once survived
You once survived
Nobody telling you what to do
"Kid, where are you?”
The crowds, the streets
The world of peace had forgotten you
And the shamus too
(refrain)
(refrain)
I couldn’t leave you there
How could they leave you there
I couldn’t leave you there
Outside in the dark
At Grand Circus Park
Show your face
Show your face
State your name
Try and to be saved
From those early days
From those early days
The cards all stacked
Entering last on a crooked path
Buy your lost time back Save My Lover (Clara Barton Discovers the Wounded Mary Galloway Dressed as a Soldier at Antietam) *Clara helped Mary find her husband in a Washington hospital. They named their child after her.
Closer to Sharpsburg
In the west woods and the east
Shots heard like thunder
Coming out of the trees
A warning in the morning
Of all yet to transpire
From the heights to the turnpike
A steady wall of fire
(refrain)
Save my lover or let me go and find him
Aid my father coming from the north
Save my brothers from a life of bondage
And any others looking for support
Belabored by danger
I bound myself and cut my hair
If he goes then I go
And everything is fair
A low ridge by the stone bridge
Held a steady stream of fighting
Now embedded close to my chest
Is a wound and I can't hide it
(refrain)
When they poured deadly
Volleys into the ranks
Some dodged stray shots
But got hit by the flank
Blue coats near the oak grove
Were suddenly cut down
For days there I lay
Waiting to be found
The lines weren't broken in the field assault
The lines weren't broken when the bridge was crossed
The Big Top (What Does the Ringling Brothers' Agent Who Discovered Lillian Leitzel Have to Say About Her Untimely Demise?)
I want it back on an even level
I want her back for another try
I want that young daredevil
On a rope up in the sky
Opening with a spotlight on the doorman
Carrying her in
(refrain)
Bring her back to life because everybody wants to see
Open the big top for the night
Behold her range of motion
Behold the Roman rings
Behold the midair tailspin
And her smile as she swings
Kicking off her gold shoes to the band
And doing a drumroll for the land
(refrain)
No...don't let your feet fail you now
There's more to see
Girl...you never learned how to fall
Into their reach
I was sad to hear of her loss
I was sad but not surprised
I was sad they carried her off
When she dropped from their eyes
Counting with the cymbals as they crashed
Yeah, the crowd was spinning fast
Oh So Patient (Prodigious Sniper Lyudmila Pavlichenko Falls From a Tree and Plays Dead)
In tall pines and peering down the scope
Hidden silent then off you go
The eastern front strategic ghost
With black crows in the shadows
(refrain)
All my prey is coming after me now
I can feel it somewhere in the night
The other’s waiting oh so patient
On the other side
All remember when Odessa fell
I can recall every act of will
Only aiming to defend the hill
And stay still
Stay still
(refrain)
I preferred university
Chasing thoughts in the library
Pursuing the historian dream in quiet peace
Quiet peace
(refrain)
I don’t know
The eyes of one who saw me hit the ground
I let go
I’ve played dead for awhile now
Moving slow….
We only wanted to see farther
Past the face of the sun
Using the darkness of night on earth
Are we the only ones?
(refrain)
Come out and see now
Come out and see Leviathan
Come out and see now
Put your eye up to it
Come out and see now
Come out and see a little bit
Come out and see now
In the distance
Through many trials problems were solved
Lifting a conundrum
Finally we mounted the telescope on
To view the horizon
(refrain)
Will revelations from farther out
Put us in our place
We know the world is still spinning around
Now, what else in space?
(refrain)
OHHHH.....
Secrets to the Machine (What's Responsible for the American Industrial Revolution? Immigrant "Slater the Traitor's" Memory Of Course!)
Sunsets on this ship are to be imagined
America is offering rewards
I left, even faked my name knowing England
Was searching for a skilled worker to board
(refrain)
The whole country's about to know
Can you meet me by the coast
A new life is waiting
We've got secrets to the machine
That's been pounding beneath our feet
Oh no
I'm well-trained
But couldn't bring the mill layout with me
It's all in my mind
Wealthy merchant - we should dine
Lately you've been earning yourself a patent
Keep industry high
New production's on the line
(refrain)
Spinning is only the beginning
New factory bells are ringing
Dust filled air and deafening sounds
A bed shared at the boarding house
As the waterwheel is winding
Drills and shafts and gears are grinding
A beat built for a barefoot crowd
And no one can stop it now
I Didn't Draw the Joneses (Pop Momand has a Message for His Old Neighbors in His 1913 - 1938 Comic Script Series "Keeping Up With The Joneses") *This is in addition to his advice to use it as wallpaper.
Made due
Split the scene
Better better everything
Mix and mingle me
Into a low wage job at a magazine
(refrain)
Maybe some of them will like it
Maybe some of them won't
Maybe some of them read it
Maybe some of them don't
First skit
Clarice wins
Then we'll have her strike again
Bad fit
On the mend
New York World syndication
(refrain)
What's going on with the script?
Where are the Joneses?
So close but not quite
Looks like Belladonna's right
Spot Julie's social climb
Primped and primed with bad advice
(refrain)
At last
On the move
God help pa - he told the truth
Long stretch
Near the news
Bid farewell to the cartoons
Getting Out! (Over 100 Union Prisoners of War - Lead by Colonel Thomas E. Rose - Enjoy an Escape in Richmond, VA in the February of 1864)
(Refrain)
We're getting out of this
We're getting free now
We've got a little bit left to do
Nobody hesitate tunneling under
If somebody's at the gate
Walk right through
Some said we lacked the proper tools
And we couldn't do it
Now there's more than enough room for two
And you better move it
Hey!
(refrain)
How many can be gone by dawn?
Long before the roll call
How many plan to come along?
Who'll put the bricks in the wall?
Hey!
(refrain)
Deep in the city I crossed the path
Of a sentinel with a bayonet on his back
Deep in thought, he simply tipped his hat
As I walked right on by
Stand In Awe (It's Hard to Top the Era of Good Feelings, but Let's Try by Building the Penn Station) *Sadly, A.J. Cassatt passed away shortly before the station opened in 1910. Consequently, this song was written from the perspective of his statue.
Old man winter has a hold on the scene
There's ice on the windows
Where the light used to be
When spring comes to melt this town
You'll see the finest dressed people around
All bound by seventh and eighth avenue
If you miss your train there's a whole lot to do
And only looking for fun
Won't cause trouble for anyone
(refrain)
This is just a call for innovation
Grab your coat and meet me at Penn Station
To stand in awe of growing Manhattan
And know that you can reach her
Go and build the life you'd like to happen
And if not - know you can return
Peruse through the portico
And I'll wait right here
I can tell you're in wonder and excited my dear
As the crowds of people wind
Under the gateway built so high
Every lucky lad
Has come to depend
On visiting the island
For the weekend
I can still hear the joyous sound
Of the travelers bustling around
(refrain)
I never live to see all that I want to
Last stops are a pity coming too soon
I stand in awe of every final detail
And I hope that I pleased my friends
We all want to add some beauty to this world
And we can with some helping hands
Over It (Poet Oscar Wilde Forgives Dracula's Bram Stoker for Stealing His Miss at His Mom's Book Club)
How do you keep it all contained
While wandering this way
Bearing the weight of days
Behind us
Behind us
That year the web was spun
Two lives to be as one
All of our plans were done
Then you'd come
Then you'd come in
You're a story I don't understand
And so I tell it to myself again
Nothing new to find gent
Pine over the time spent
(refrain)
Years went by and now you're about to knock
You took the dame as just an afterthought
Now to come and visit is what you want
And now that I'm over it
I fear you're not
Oh, the old schoolboy curse -
All needing to be first
In a room full of amateurs
There we were
There we were
Boys of the Irish songs
One to be the Oxford don
One to win the debutante
And it hurt
And it hurt
Bram - You're a story I don't understand
And so I tell it to myself again
One read was all it took
To spot me in your dark book
(refrain)
I'm glad you came to find me
The trial was a decadent sham
Don't let those days define me
They are over and done with my friend
They are over and done with my friend
(Refrain)
Good For You (The Ailing Ed Dismuke Ditches Castor Oil for a Trip to Mineral Wells, TX)
When I got sick
It was the end of me
And they said, "There is no hope for you."
The doctor thought there'd be no remedy
And I said, "You know what I want to do?
What I want to do is travel around and try whatever I have to."
One more day
Let me get some sun here
One more night
'Cause I'm having fun here
One more day
To sit and wonder
One more night
Like when I was younger
Came news of the family
Who lived near the springs
and suddenly was all healthy
I heard of a lady who did the same thing
and I wondered, "Will it work for me?
Will it work for me?
I'll give it a try even if it looks crazy."
One more day
Let me get some sun here
One more night
'Cause I'm having fun here
One more day
To sit and wonder
One more night
Like when I was younger
It's a change of scenery
Good for you!
We should bottle this spring
Good for you!
We could start a company
Good for you!
I don't really think about death anymore
And when I do I keep it to myself
Occasionally people stop me and say
What did you do for your health?
For your health - get some friends
And go straight down to Mineral Wells
One more day
'Cause you're getting sun here
One more night
'Cause you're having fun here
One more swallow
To sit and wonder
One more bottle
You're looking younger
Giving Up All the Way (Engineer John Wallace on Why He'll Gladly Hand Over Construction of the Panama Canal to John Stevens)
I have no business doing this
I have no prospects keeping me
Workers are waiting
The morale is sinking
Why can't it be level with the sea?
Me? I'm giving up all the way
Today
I see my best bet's
Don't add to the mess
Don't expect to be following leads
I've seen the fever
I've seen the hunger
I've seen them question my salary
Me? I'm giving up all the way
Today
(refrain)
Tell him I wish him the best
That he can have it
Tell him that I'm glad he'll take my place
Tell him a turn of events is about to happen
Tell him I'm heading back to the states
I did all of this for a grand challenge
It sure wasn't for glory
Set it all aside
Pack up the supplies
Find out why there's other places to be
(refrain)
Social Dynamite (An Insider's Look at the High Society Bank Heist of 1878)
Slowly he walks in like everything's alright
Softly it's spoken like social dynamite in the hole
"Nothing with you ever was simple"
Here's an open door to the bank with a vault
He's been there before but says he can't recall it all
I know what I heard and what I saw
Oh, how like me to read him
Try and see both sides
Oh, how like him to reason
Something's wrong with mine
Here's an open book
Literal to a fault
I should pretend to having no recollection at all
hmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Oh, how like me to try
Throw rocks at the beehive
Oh, how like him to deny
One hit the bull's-eye
I could lie but don't know how
I have tried to cross me out
Won't you cross me out?
An Invitation to Fly (Therese Peltier - Suspected First Female Passenger - Abandons Flight After Her Co-Pilot Passes in Fatal Crash)
Once he lifted me like falling leaves
Easy as a breeze in the street
I'd always ride by his side
Never thought to ever say goodbye
"Once you've been there, you can never go back
Once you've seen it, you can never forget"
I recall his invitation to fly
"Come to forfeit your mind for a moment
Come to forget yourself on the ascent"
I recall our place in the sky
They say the cage was torn away
His solo flight, a fatal glide, that day
These papers speak of bravery
On the day we made history
"Try to stand up tall"
That is what they all say
"Hold your head up so
We can take photos today"
"Once you've been there you can never go back
Once you've seen it you can never forget"
I recall his invitation to fly
"Come to forfeit your mind for a moment
Come to forget yourself on the ascent"
I recall our place in the sky
Protecting the Louisiana Bragger's Button (Emily Randolf Stands Between Union Guns and Her Plantation Mansion)
From the vast and grand veranda I have seen your riverboats
From the bedroom window I've felt your guns echo
One night outside of the parlor someone whispered, "Burn it down."
That's not what you really want son
You want to look around
(refrain)
So come on in
Don't burn
Come on
Come on into my home
While my daughters are inside
Let's talk right here on the porch
My sons are off in a war their father did not support
Ever since the country parted
I was left protecting this
But he will be back again soon
Back from Texas
(refrain)
Do you know of any company
Warmth and laughter cannot please
Come know me - the professed enemy
Take time to adore the shade trees
And browse behind the main house
Have you heard this bell for rising and for settling down
Here in this opulent white room, we all just might have a ball
And I spend most of my time in the Ancestral Hall
(refrain)
Who Are You? (The Girl of a Thousand Faces: Commentary Concerning Mystery and Predictability in Silent Films)
"You've all been swell
Here, everything is yours
Tell them I'm tired and I'm ill"
The final note of the Biograph Girl
The first to be well known in films
"Angel of the Studio"
"The Broken Oath"
"Widow"
"The Honor of the Humble"
"The Romance in Pond Cove"
And "Diplomatic Flo"
"Among the Roses"
But who are you, who?
Her mother was a vaudeville performer
Her father was a carriage builder
She swore she'd never lead a gypsy life
Her birthdate's wrong 'cause of a coroner
"The Irony of Fate"
"Macbeth" and "The Mistake"
"The Time Lock Safe"
"A Girl and Her Money"
"The Pawns of Destiny"
"Behind the Scenes"
But who are you, who?
She took her small fortune and did as she pleased
No name yet on the marquee
She was fired and she switched companies
They faked her death in the street
"A Game of Deception"
"A Rebellious Blossom"
"Flo's Discipline"
"Her Artistic Temperament"
"The Test of Friendship"
"An Awful Moment"
But who are you, who?
Laying Low (Even When it Goes Well, it Goes Bad for Outlaw Rose Dunn as Her Bounty Hunting Brothers Kill Her Lover)
We have no way of knowing
How good it could've been
With a different plan
You taught me most of what I know
How to ride, shoot, and rope
And help the gang reload
Slowly caressed to your doom
I let myself out of the room
My only advantage
Is I no longer mind what happens
Laying low after the clearing smoke
Alone, leaving the life I know
I had no way of knowing my brother's intentions
I didn't give your hide out to him
Together we're forever linked up
But brother's a chord I can't cut even when I must
I smile in my free time
I try to keep the kids in line
Occasionally I think back
How did we end up in the middle like that
Laying low after the final blow
Alone, leaving the life I know
Cleaning House (A Day in the Life of Backyard Beauty Josephine Cochrane)
Why did my bright smile make him cry
When it worked I thought, "I'm keeping mine.
I have a cup in my hand, and I know where its going."
Out. I'm trying to clean house
I found something I'll do without
Why all of this looking down
At me with a frown
I used to think
We're like a machine
How hard could it be
I used to see
Living as working
What more could one need
Say whatever it is you need to say
But maybe phrase it a different way
I tried making all the cold calls
and contacting periodicals
(refrain)
I used to think
We're like a machine
How hard could it be
I used to see
Living as working
What more could one need
But I never could tell when the fellow was kidding
Was he trying to help things along
I spent nights in the backyard cringing
How could this go so wrong
Then I made a mechanic friend
We finished the invention
We traveled to the World's Fair
But could not find that chap there
They juggled plates in the air
I didn't care to meet the hula dancers
Couples wed near the first Ferris wheel
And I thought, "What a deal!"
(refrain)
Pathological Saint (Last Spotted Apologizing to One of the First - and Last - Rude and Unruly Boy Operators)
You speak of deeds
I've never told you
You mention things I've said
Are you listening in
On trite conversations
Please heed my request
When I last saw you in the town square
I pretended to not be there
And then I apologized
For telling you you're recognized
And then you dived into the rain
Down cobblestones and past the train
I'm not sure of your motives
What's a young sir gain from this
You heard something
Something you shouldn't
Can we start again
I'm new at this
In a town full of mischief
Can you please forget
In every assertion lies its doubt
The more you press on
The more you're keeping out
What you say and what you mean
Will they ever be the same thing
We'll be in and out of touch
What you're running from is bound to catch up
Here I'll spell what some shout
Can you tell what it's about
Now my sea's churning underneath
The souvenirs might wash up on your beach
and Boston is small for all you know about me
Stranger things have come around my door
Good thing I don't live there anymore
I dodge you with dignity
And when it brings out the worst in me
Off the Trail (Herman Wolfe's Advice on How to Survive the Baddest Burg in the West - Canyon Diablo, AZ)
The ring around the moon
Means it may rain soon
And don't plan on the railroad bridge for crossing
A town born overnight
Has no law in sight
And it's a drifter's paradise for jostling
See those mountains
See the horizon
I'd rather be lost than trapped
and know where I am at to stay
(refrain)
Clashes are happening daily
So you had better keep to yourself
Scamp and then go as you please
When you're living off the trail
Pick your friends like a lock
Don't let foes rob your thoughts
And find someone in the town to rely on
Carve your name in the rocks
Bury each coin you've got
And know people dwell in the cliffs and canyon
Ruts run deep here
Banks are steep here
So back up before you leap
and don't ever drag your feet half way
(refrain)
Cover me
Cover me now
Cover me
Cover me now
War Letters ("Writing is an Indication of Character!" Declares an Unknown Soldier from the 11th New York Battery to a Lady He Fancies)
Lending life some animation, I appreciate your letter for it is an indication of one's character - the harmless pleasures of your endeavors to bring me to laughter. Now to comply with your first request I write to you soon, the given's a description of my state to you. We don't often get news, but I have heard of brides and I have heard of grooms. Patiently see, I'll be worthy of your modesty and affection. Quite rarely am I sharing. Still, it's appearing in our correspondence your indications are grander than fiction. Write soon.
The Orphan Train (250,000 Orphans Were Taken From Eastern Industrialized Cities and Shipped West Between 1853 and 1929)
Levi's up to no good
Practicing his stories
Clyde has a song and dance
He says there's hope for me
This time tomorrow I will be fine
This time tonight I'll cry
Folks are watching this orphan train go by
Guy took my window seat
It takes strength to be kind
I clock him in tunnels
Listening to the steel grind
It's good to feel something bad now and then
It's good to try again
Folks are coming to choose an orphan
Edwin lost his suitcase
Byron does not sleep well
No one can guess May's age
I look after myself
Everything dear to me, left behind
Everything here, a surprise
Folks are waiting for this train to arrive
Hats Off (To Ellery Channing, Who Not-So-Famously Told Henry David Thoreau, "I See Nothing For You On This Earth...Go...Build Yourself a Hut.")
The cronies thank me for what I don't have
I'm like you and I'm a part of all I've met
You say "the world is turned around by belief"
You say to "live the life you have dreamed"
(Refrain)
Hats off to the ones who sell the art of living well
And sought out the ones who dwell in themselves
Go into the woods near Concord
You will learn a lot there I'm sure
It's certainly not the life that most would choose
But you have to do whatever you have to
Go and build yourself a little hideaway
Go and give yourself weeks to roam
(Refrain)
The world may talk about necessity
The world may not understand your routines
You say the "heart is forever inexperienced"
And "the universe is wider than our views of it"
Who will be there once you can hear yourself
Who will be there to stay
Not All Dreams Think Alike (Nikola Tesla on Thomas Edison in the New York Times. Consider This Grudge The Next Time You Flip a Switch)
Did I strike him as odd
Yet perfect for the job
Eccentric in all my concerns
He scorned my rich inner world
Until my respect unfurled
And to myself I returned
(refrain)
He had the whole world by his side
And he still needed to lie
He has ideas that are mine
Not all dreams think alike
Such a pompous declarant
Would cause any decent man
To turn around and run for the hills
Being a foreigner and several years younger
The haughtiness disgusts me still
(refrain)
I'm not a "yes man"
See future decisions and other worldly visions
I'm not his "best man"
See me switching circuits
It's the war of the currents
His publicity stunts
Are crass exaggerations
Becoming his best talent
Should I act impervious
To ploys so obvious
It's like hubris incarnate
(refrain)
Can't Erase Her (Irene Langhorne Poses for Her Husband as the First Gibson Girl in 1890. They Have Everything You Never Knew You Wanted, Including Umbrella Stands and Perfume With Claws)
All those gracious complications
Now my body's shaking
He's been making observations
And now he's retracing
(refrain)
Ever showing up, you know you can't erase her
Get me close enough, now every place you take her
Careful you don't get me wrong
I've been standing here so long
She's at the station, on vacation
Choosing destinations
A sensation 'cross the nation
If you've paid attention
(refrain)
We can see it in your eyes
Every time one of us walks by
Here we are and here we'll stay awhile
Whatever we do, we do it in style
(refrain)
I'm being hung and I'm being framed
Can you see me any other way
Here we are and here we'll stay awhile
Whatever we do, we do it in style
Gold (California's First Millionaire - Samuel Brannan - Did Not Find Gold, but He Sure Had a Monopoly on Picks, Pans, and Shovels)
Get a first step in the right direction
Beat the rumor to the rumor den
Be the first with a collection
Of gold flakes from Sutter's land
And if you are working now - work harder!
It's everywhere and nowhere specific
In valleys and across streambeds
Be the first to the Pacific
Mount your stallion and purebreds
And if you are working now - work harder!
GOLD
What's that doubt ever done for you?
Here high rollers get ahead
Go out in all kinds of weather
Shake it free before they dredge
And if you are digging now - dig deeper!
Let's enjoy freedom from trying
I'll help you pick out a pick and pan
In the future we'll ride trolleys
Where the tent cities now stand
And if you are digging now - dig deeper!
GOLD
In the shade of my own tree
See them coming and going
Who's the one that's laughing now
Who knows what the jokes about
GOLD
Killer Story (Her Name is Good Christian Katie Cook - and if You are Tom - She is Going to Hurt You)
It's hard to explain what we do sometimes
Nobody had any plans that night
The door was left open
Dawn was approaching
Then I saw the smoke in a flash of light
Baby, why don't you take it outside?
My conscience tells me something's not right
Lately, I hope you know that I tried
Maybe if I wasn't so uptight
It's hard to explain what we do sometimes
Nobody had any plans that night
I turned and I missed it
Life changed in an instant
Anyone who witnessed only sighed
Maybe some like to think it's a crime
But the state of California declined
And the Orange County police turned a blind eye
'Cause they heard the same voices in their mind
It's hard to explain what we do sometimes
Nobody had any plans that night
The marshal heard something
Found out it was him
Then turned out the lantern and said
"Good night. Nobody cares...
So we're leaving him there"
Build Again (The Editor of The Mitchell Republican on Life After Prairie Wars and Prairie Fires)
The neighbors are gone
Couldn't find a sign of anyone
To the west it's just a hazy sun
From fires burning all week long
In the ravine
Ride on, ride on
They'll set fire to the stables
Hide son, hide son
Only bring what you're able
Nobody knows how far these wounded men will go
Did they set it to stir game or show
The intruders that know no home
Speak in flames
I've come, I've come
My shadow's showing us
The night's young, the night's young
Down river there's someone
We survived a night in the camp
We can build again and again
Morning has arrived
Come on back to life
Come on back to life
Love in the Gilded Age (June 22nd, 1894 - The Houdinis Tie the Knot After A Few Days of Courting)
You saw the cabaret
At the Sea Beach Palace place
In the Coney Island days
My locked box took the stage
Soon your brother was replaced
And the magic changed to great escapes
(refrain)
Who did I remind you of
that you felt light as a dove
Who did I remind you of
Was I someone from the past
I don't think we've ever met
But we're sure tying this up fast
Our home away from home
With the tycoons and the tight ropes
Our kiss at the London show
Or hanging from a crane
Near the New York Subway
And the East River crates
You escaped
(refrain)
No love, the world can not hold us
First to fly down under
Looking up forever
(refrain)
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