St. Vincent Album

I'm not your mother's favorite dog
I'm not the carpet you walk on
I'm not one small atomic bomb
I'm not anything at all

I'm not the feather at your feet
I'm not your yellow brick street
I'm not anyone you'll see
I'm not anything

Now, now now, now now, now

You don't mean that say you're sorry
You don't mean that say you're sorry
You don't mean that say you're sorry
You don't mean that I'll make you sorry

I'm not the pawn to your king
I'm not your world on a string
I'm not anyone you'll beat
I'm not anything

Now, now now, now now, now

You don't mean that say you're sorry
You don't mean that say you're sorry
You don't mean that say you're sorry
You don't mean that I'll make you sorry

While Jesus is saving I'm spending all my days
in backgrounds and landscapes with the languages of saints
While people are spinning like toys on Christmas day
I'm inside a still life with the other absentee

While Jesus is saving, I'm spending all my days
in the garden-grey pallor of lines across your face
While people will cheer on the spectacle we've made
I'm sitting and sculpting menageries of saints

Oh, my man my absentee
I'd do anything to please you
Come my love the stage is waiting
Be the one to save my saving grace

While Jesus is saving I'm spending all my grace
on rosy-red pallor of lights on center stage
While people have cheered on the awful mess we've made
through storms of red roses we've exited the stage

Your lips are red
My face is red from reading your red lips
My hands are black
My hands are black inside this downtown taxi cab
This cities red
This cities red from riding us into the ground
This cities black
This cities black from all the ashes in downtown
Ashes in downtown, ashes in downtown

My face is drawn
My face is drawn on with this number 2 pencil
Your face is drawn
Your face is drawn from drawing words right from my lips
Words right from my lips, words right from my lips

Your lips are red
My face is red from reading your red lips
My hands are red
My hands are red from sealing your read lips
Sealing your red lips, sealing your red lips

Your skins so fair
Your skins so fair its not fair
You remind me

Marry me, John
Marry me, John I'll be so good to you
You won't realize I'm gone

Marry me, John
Marry me, John I'll be so sweet to you
You won't realize I'm gone
You won't realize I'm gone

Many people wanna make money make love
make friends make peace with death
But most mainly want to win the game they came to win
they want to come out ahead
But you you're a rock with a heart like a socket I can plug into at will
And will you guess when I come around next
I hope your open sign is blinking still

So Marry me, John
Marry me, John I'll be so good to you
You won't realize I'm gone
You won't realize I'm gone

As for me I have to agree I'm as fickle as a paper doll
being kicked by the wind when I touch down again I'll be in someone elses arms

Oh, John c'mon we'll do what married people do
Oh, John c'mon we'll do what Mary and Joseph did without the kid

So Marry me, John
Marry me, John I'll be so good to you
You won't realize I'm gone
You won't realize I'm gone

I write to give word the war is over
Send my cinders home to mother
They gave me a medal for my valor
Leaden trumpets spit the soot of power they say

"I'm on your side when nobody is, cause nobody is
Come sit right here and sleep while I slip poison in your ear"

We are waiting on a telegram to give us news of the fall
I am sorry to report dear Paris is burning after all
We have taken to the streets in open rejoice revolting
We are dancing a black waltz fair paris is burning after all

Oh no oh no

Enclosed in this letter there's a picture
Black and white for your refridgerator
Sticks and stones have made me smarter
it's words that cut me under my armor they say

"I'm on your side when nobody is, cause nobody is,
come sit right here and sleep while I slip poison in your ear"

We are waiting on a telegram to give us news of the fall
I am sorry to report dear Paris is burning after all
We have taken to the streets in open rejoice revolting
We are dancing a black waltz fair paris is burning after all

Oh no oh no

Dance poor people dance and drown
Dance fair Paris to the ground
Dance poor people dance and drown
Dance fair Paris ashes now

i read the signs
i got all my stars aligned
my amulets, my charms
i set all my false alarms
so i'll be someone
who won't be forgotten
i've got a question
and you've got the answer

i do a dance to make the rain come
smile to keep the sky from falling down down down down
collect the love that i've been given
build a nest for us to sleep in here
you know it's real

i check my palms
the cracks in the sidewalk
my visions and my dreams
i cross all my fingers
that you'll be someone
that won't be forgotten
what was your question
i've got the answer

i do a dance to make the rain come
smile to keep the sky from falling down down down down
collect the love that i've been given
build a nest for us to sleep in here
you know it's real

there are no signs
there are no stars aligned
no amulets no charms
to bring you back to my arms
there's just this human heart
that's built with this human fault
what was your question
love is the answer

i do a dance to make the rain come
smile to keep the sky from falling down down down down
collect the love that i've been given
build a nest for us to sleep in here
you know it's real

Wait
I'll be swifter than the speed of light
Carbon my body a billion years of time
You wake with the stitches over both your eyes
And deny me my body and all earthly delights

It's time
You are light
I guess you are afraid of what everyone is made of

All your praying moments amount to just one breath
Please keep your victory
But give me little death

It's time
You are light
I guess you are afraid of what everyone is made of

So take to the streets with apocalypse refrain
Your devotion has the look of a lunatic's gaze

[No lyrics]

I'm crawling through landmines
Just to know where you are
There's smoke in my eyes
Cause you're burning the ground

I'm crawling through landmines
Just to feel where you are
Under cover of night I put a pearl in the ground

Where'd you go?
Not so far
Please don't go
Not too far
Where'd you go?
Not so far
Please don't go
Not so far

I found your ring with the feather on
One arm in and one arm gone
Save this ring let's bring Paris right here

Oh, my dear
My love
Do you know, my love? do you know?

I'm crawling through landmines
Just to feel where you've been
There's gauze over my eyes
But you're leaving this trail

I'm crawling through landmines
I know cause I planted them
Under cover of night I put my heart in the ground

Where'd you go?
Not so far
Please don't go
Not too far
Where'd you go?
Not so far
Please don't go
Not so far

I found your glove with the leather torn
Five fingers that I'm counting on
Smoke signals to call you right here

Oh, my love
My dear
my love
my dear

Romeo, where'd you go?
It's been years and still no sign
But I'm keeping hope alive

Juliet, how you been?
You look like death like you sure could use some rest
from this place human racing and the faces of people who pound at your door

They always want more they want more

Hummingbird, what's the word?
Are you still your mothers child
or have you found yourself a flower?

Flowerchild, you're still wild
Under a harvest moon can we eat of all the fruits of our youth?

Tell the truth now
Your heart is a strange little orange to peel
What's the deal?
What's the deal?

Mary, dear, how you feel?
Are you lost without your lamb?
You know I think I understand

Little lamb, what's your plan?
Greener pastures in the sky?
it's a shame you want to die know why

Just to find you've been blinded to the greenest of pastures they're right here on Earth
For what it's worth you're not the first to break my heart

What me worry? I never do
I'm always amused and amusing you
Sans le fear of impending doom
Life is like banquet food: pleasure to peruse

Do I amuse you, dear? Would you think me queer
if while standing beside you I opted instead to disappear? Disappear

In no hurry I'll sing my tune
All my skies the hue of a ruddy bruise
In my finest threads couture I'll call up my favorite muse
for a drink - half full - or two

Have I abused you, dear? You have had it to here
You say, "Love is just a bloodmatch to see who
endures lash after last with panache"

In the spring I'll dust off my lute, stuff my suitcase full of blues
and stir the dust underneath the thrust of my clicking heels

C'est la vie

What me worry? I never do
Life is one charming ruse for us lucky few

Have I fooled you, dear?
The time is coming near when I'll give you my hand and I'll say,
"It's been grand, but... I'm out of here
I'm out of here"