The Elected Album

"I realize why I cannot fly,"
said the bird with the broken wing
"though my lift is gone
my voice is strong
and I can still sing..."

You got a hunting cap on
you're up at dawn with me
but we don't shoot at deer
so we just sit right here and sing

and we've been up at night
and our eyes are tired
but now there's light enough to see
so if I leave right now
would you come with me?

I had this sadness
creeping like vines over me
I didn't get what I want
so I just took what wanted me

and I was making bad bets
for when the odds look good
you gotta play the hand you see
so if I leave right now
would you come with me?
I think I could leave right now
if you'd come with me

I got this friend, she doesn't like to fly
but that don't bother her none, no
she's taking trips all the time
and I wish I was that friend, flying away
but I got my feet right on the ground
so if I leave right now
would you come with me?
I swear I would leave right now
if you'd come right now

I swear I would leave right now
leave right now
leave right now
leave right now
I would leave right now
if you'd come with me

She ran hard and her feet felt nothing
a giant river twisting to the top of the hill
and fell down hard, and man, it hurt
and bruised her body on the rocks and the dirt

see, to her this just feels weird
and very, very, very sad
but she won't cry
she won't cry
she'll come home, baby
if you take it all back
if you take it all back

and it was hard when he told her
those ideas that never got finished
well, that's what we are
we're like the places you just never see
you read about them, you know you'd love them
well, that's how you fell in love with me

and to him this just seems weird
and very, very, very sad
but don't cry
don't laugh
would you come home, baby
if I take it all back?
cause I can take it all back
(look out...)

and I've heard that we can be fulfilled
like fireflies in a steel mill
we got fresh pressed linens on the floor
but the landlord's at the door
saying your checks are in disappearing ink
and your gold has broken all my teeth
and this past christmas, the air was too dry
and set fire to the wreath
but we were warm and dry beneath
this is the last time oyu'll do this to me

and oh, oh, oh, oh emily
you can't hold your drink
and no, no, no, no, it has to be
what do you think
of this heavy smog warning?
should we turn our tails and flee?
or should we just sit tight and breathe deep?

The tree in the front of the yard
is starting to grow
now that we've trimmed away the leaves
now look at it go

and that's just how I feel
now that we've started to reveal
all the things I thought I lost
and the hard time I concealed
and that's just how I know
how I felt the solid glow
how I felt the bitter cold
and no, i'm not going home
sometimes you just wouldn't dare
sometimes you can't go home
sometimes you're already there
when i look at you, i'm there

the blood pooled at my legs is starting to flow
now that you came along
and made what was so broken whole
but I still feel sick at this place that I have built
maybe it's not real, man, this is how I feel
and if it just gets worst, yeah, if I never heal
well, those are just the breaks man
cause I'm not going home
and I don't fucking care
sometimes you can't go home
sometimes you're already there
and I look at you, i'm there
yeah, I'm there
when I look at you, I'm there
yeah, I'm there

oh my god
oh my god

I'm not going home
no, I am already there
I'm not going home
I'm already there
no, I'm not going home
no, I am already there

You found a way to break away
from the one you say that you love
now you cry out your eyes day and night
you set free the one that you love

and it's true, I don't remember you
but I believe you if you say that we met
I get confused
nights, i've been wondering
I thought I was already dead

but man, I loved
yeah, I loved
when I loved
it was love
it was love
or at least, the closest I got

and the coffee, the cream
the blood in my dreams
are the ones you used to know
and the gas, the plane, the interstate
live the ones you don't have to know
and I regret this sad and awful truth
but my mouth, it'll get away from me
you, I just put up with you, kid
I stayed cause you wouldn't leave

remember love
oh, love
when we loved
it was love
it was love
or at least, as close as I've come

and maybe joan was running all alone
and there is a shortcut
by putting a gun to your brain
man, to take all that you got

and the truth was I was just scared for you
but for me, that's the way that it comes
you'd gotten used to me and my awful tongue
but god, didn't we have some fun?
when we made love in the van
and I drove with your hand on my lap
and when san diego got too unkind
we just picked up and left it behind
and we had some love and some hope
a full tank of gas and a wide open road

it was love
to us, it was all that we had
and there's just a day when you just break
the best thing you had
and I still call it love
for now, it's the closest I've come

Sun, sun, sun, stay with me
don't go behind the clouds
I know that you'll go down
but while it's day, let your light hit me
cause if I lose you now
I fear I could bow out
and I don't know where I'm going to
when I get there, i'll send for you
and I'll know when i see it, but
be patient, I swear I'll come through

so ride, ride, ride, ride your pony
but please don't ride him far
no, stay within the yard
it played out just like you told me
I'd scratch your pretty eyes
I'll put out those little lights
but your heart, I didn't break it, no
it was taken from you years ago
and the hole those older men pulled it through
it's still aching
let's be patient, you'll pull through
pull through
pull through
pull through
won't you?

and I've made
I've made up for my mistakes
cause of the pain of what I'd caused
won't be shit next to what I've lost
and I hated being fucking patient
so you waited
you waited
you waited
but I never ever came to

so sun, sun, sun
what are you doing?
you went behind the clouds
but all the rain came down
my old house is in ruins
if you would come out again
and dry up all the rain
then I'd climb right up again
like that spider in that nursery rhyme
and these tales, well they're not meant to
but it's time that we make them
come true
come true
come true
for me and you

These places, they don't make me happy
and this food, no, it don't make me full
and the moon makes me sad for the love that we had
it was you, oh, you, who did me good

and these shows that I watch in the daytime
and these pages that I read in the night
and these girls that I see, well, they just remind me
it was you, oh, you, who did me good

you did me good
you did me good
you did me good
you did me good
yeah, you did me good
oh, did me good
you did me good
you did me good
when we stayed up til we saw the sun
yeah, you did me good

well, baby I've been thinking all about you
and I've been visiting with you each night in my dreams
and I know that you'll come back
cause I have seen that other man
and baby, he ain't doing you no good
so come back
oh, and do me good
do me good
do me good
do me some good
do me good
do me good
and we'll stay up til we see the sun
and do us some good

she's a good one when she's cleaning out her room
she won't like you, no, she loves me
I've seen trouble come my way
I've seen many a dark day
but I've seen the sun coming up in your face

and I know that you'll come back
cause I've seen that other man
and baby, baby, baby
he ain't doing you no good
so come back
and do me good
do me good
do me good
do me good
yeah, do me some good
do me good
do me good
oh, do me good
cause you did me good
you did me good
you did me good
yeah, you did me good
you did me good
you did me good
we can stay up til we see the sun
yeah, we'll stay up til we see the sun
like we stayed up til we saw the sun
when you did me good

Well, she gets real mean when she's drunk
And she finally fell asleep, and I'm glad
She said, 'The only way you got as far as you did
Is 'cause of me. Your songs suck'
And I'm stuck in this American town
And the streets are full of snow
And the shops are closin' down
And the only friend I had here moved away
Went back to Dallas
Ran out of money

So now the bills have all been paid
And the money's all been saved
You're still as sad as you ever were
Sellin' out
To the man you trust

The next morning, just after dawn
On the side of my bed with just a towel on
She said, 'I'm sorry. I didn't mean it.'
You never do, let's finish what we were working on

So now the bills have all been paid
And the money's all been saved
We're just as bad as we ever were
Sellin' out to the bank and trust
Yeah, the bank and trust

And I met this girl from Montgomery
A twenty six-year-old with a five-year-old baby
Yeah, I had her when I was young
Yeah, her daddy's long gone
But that's all right, Jack
You see, she saved me

It's just that I feel stuck in this American town
I finally got a good job, it'd just be dumb to move now
So some days I can hardly move
Much less move away

So now the bills have all been paid
And the money's all been saved
We're just as bad as we ever were, ever were
Selling out to the bank and trust
Yeah, the man you trust
Yeah, the man you trust

Saw your face the other day
I wish I'd had the guts enough to say
"I wish you could spend the night
and it would be like old times,"

and I went through the letters
that you wrote, today
and when we rode that pony, had a wonderful time
but you were ready to get back home
so it could be like old times

but that was long ago
before you were free
when you were still hanging out
when you were still with me
and I wish I had held onto
and it would be like old times
be like old times
and love would feel brand new
just like old times

and I didn't hold you
that day when you cried
the day david died
the fourth of july
oh, how you cried and cried

and I'm sorry, babe, so sorry
I did not call you back
and when I finally called
I'm sorry for that
but hey, come on, honey
let's forget about those times
and be like old times
be like old times
and love would feel brand new
just like old times

yeah be like old times
be like old times
and love would feel brand new
just like old times

and love would feel brand new
just like old times

Well, this is not a good sign
you don't know when, but you're running out of time
and then the life that you had and your heart
well, it passed on before you fell apart

don't you know you're a good girl?
won't you please act that way?
oh, be a good girl, desiree

well, she grew up just south of Eau Claire
dreaming of a dirt road anywhere
and the boys, they would drive her right into the night
and through the darkness she could at least see city lights
and if you're going to go a mile
may as well go all the way
oh, and you were moving, desiree
so, get moving desiree

and you thought you'd live forever
but you're not so sure today
so you dropped to your knees and you prayed
and you thought you'd lived forever
but if your heart should stop today
god knows you were a good girl anyway
so, be a good girl desiree

oh, you're a good girl, desiree

You've got to learn to lie to make everyone happy
and you're going to have to cry to make it on your own

but I can't see you now, put down your hands
no, I can't feel you now, give me your hands
cause I've been waiting as long as I can stand
so if you ever need someone, I'll be your man
yeah, I'll be your man
yeah, I'll be your man

you don't have to go and die
to show people you're hurting
and you're going to have to try
put out the fire if you're burning

but I can't see you now, put down your hands
no, I can't feel you now, give me your hands
cause we've been waiting as long as we can stand
and should you ever need anyone, I'll be your man
yeah, I'll be your man
yeah, I'll be your man

now, I read through your poetry
yeah, every last one
felt like I ate too much butter
and drank too much rum
cause it made me feel sweet inside
warm, proud, and young
I've been sick inside
and angry at everyone

and I wish i could touch you
if I wasn't miles away
we could talk it all out
in your clean white place

now I've done all the waiting I think I can stand
and I want you to know
yeah, I want you to know
I want you to know
I think you've found your man
yeah, I'll be your man
yeah, you've found your man
come home to him

My love, she is a rainbow
she moves from east to west
my love, she is the wind blowing
through my heart in my chest
and she's the sun, the afternoon
I've seen her shining the whole day through
and you know, something just changes
when you see a rainbow

her smile, it is the ocean
crashing on my eyes
her arms, they are the oak trees
and she's reaching for the sky
and she's the lake under the moon
I've seen her twinkling the whole night through
and you know, something must be changing
cause I've seen a rainbow

and I'd burn my old house down
I'd get tattooed
I'd do whatever I had to do
and if the sky filled up with clouds of doom
and the whole world was ending soon
well, I just couldn't get scared
cause I'd have my rainbow
and I'd see her shining right through

look, there goes my rainbow

I'm the biggest star you'll ever see
so you can go, but know you'll miss me
I'll leave it up to you
either way you choose, oh honey
I can't lose

I met a kitten in the street
now I'm not one for cats, but this one got me
and the streets are asleep
and someone's playing blues
but I'm not
I can't lose
no, these days I can't lose

saw a new face the other day
seems our times had had their way
but me I can't complain
I've seen bad days, too
but you know me, kid
I can't lose
no, these days, I can't lose

all my dreams came true, you should know
so if you see her, would you tell her so?
they're gonna know me at the bank
I'm gonna eat my meals for free
and when she sees me, I can't lose
no, honey
I can't lose
no, honey
honey, I, I can't lose
all right!
yeah!

"I realize why I cannot fly,"
said the bird with the broken wing
"though my lift is gone
my voice is strong
and I can still sing..."

oh, lovely, lovely
wanna keep me company
when I got nowhere to be?
you're the prettiest face I ever saw
this side of me!

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