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Below are short clips from the upcoming album, Desert Farmer. Be
sure to get on the MAILING
LIST to learn where and exactly when it will be released.
For more info, read the PRESS RELEASE.
PREVIEW DESERT FARMER (More MP3s
are Below this section):
- AIN'T HALF THE DREAM
- MP3
- LYRICS
- WHEN I FALL OPEN -
MP3
- LYRICS
- DOVE ON THE GROUND
- MP3
- LYRICS
- ONLY ONCE - MP3
- LYRICS
- DESERT FARMER (SOVEREIGN
QUEEN) - MP3
- LYRICS
- REASON FOR THE WORLD
- MP3
- LYRICS
- ON MY LAST DAY - MP3
- LYRICS
- LIKE A POSTCARD- MP3
- LYRICS
- AS IT WAS ENDING -
FULL VERSION - MP3
- LYRICS
Produced
by Brian Franklin and Frank "Rat Bastard" Falestra
Recorded at The Laundry Room in Miami Beach
Engineered by Frank "Rat Bastard" Falestra and Brian Franklin
Mastered By Oz Fritz, High Velocity Sound
© 2004 Brian Franklin
except "As It Was Ending" © 2004 Brian Franklin and
Dean Fields
OTHER AUDIO:
Corporate World Ep (work in progress):
CORPORATE WORLD- MP3
- LYRICS
NO COMEDY HERE (featuring Bobby McIntyre)- MP3
- LYRICS
Big Problems Now EP
TO TURN BACK - BAND - LYRICS
BIG PROBLEMS NOW (1999 VERSION)- LYRICS
Prairie Sun Sessions
NEW! NOT
ALONE - BAND - LYRICS
TENNESSEE - BAND - LYRICS
LONG NIGHTMARE - BAND- LYRICS
WARM - BAND - LYRICS
GREAT BIG BEND
- BAND- LYRICS
BIG PROBLEMS NOW - 2002- LYRICS
Live:
TENNESSEE (LIVE)
BEFORE YOU FREEZE (LIVE)
SLEEP (LIVE) - SUBURBAN HALLUCINATIONS - LYRICS
Older Material:
STARTING TO UNFURL -
STIR FRIED WORLD - LYRICS
CORNER MARY - SUBURBAN HALLUCINATIONS
SACRED PLACE - STIR FRIED WORLD
IN A FLASH - A COVER OF A RON
SEXSMITH SONG (www.ronsexsmith.com)
Misc/Acoustic Demos - MP3s:
SWEET SEPTEMBER LOVE - LYRICS
STARING AT THE BLIND - LYRICS
DAVID GRIPS THE STONE
- 2003
A GIRL WHO PAINTS
Lyrics:
AIN'T
HALF THE DREAM
You've got a face full of regret
They got a face full of a smile
You get to carry the extra baggage
They get to tip you and walk by
And it wouldn't have hurt so bad
If you hadn't been right there before
With a five spot in your hand
And the beggars at the door.
All the lies they believed them
While you stood there on the stage
And when the Jane Street Theater spotlight broke
You caught a heel on a venting grate
And you fell, and you fell
And no one in the band stopped you
Yeah you fell, you fell
And the orchestra pit caught you
All the fine girls up on the screen
And you, you ain't half the dream you dreamed
You, you ain't half the dream
Ain't that a pretty dress.
Whoa, and look at that new suit
When you see the light glint off the silken threads
There ain't no way a man can lose
But a coal mine's not the place for a party
And this is not a good month to act cute
When you pull the pay check from your pocket
Yeah - That's when you'll get your soup
I'm here to tell you, it's been written
Time and time again.
You turn a blind eye to the losers
You'll never see it when they win
On the shores of the East Atlantic
They've stolen all your lines
And left you with a useless script
To a show behind the times
And as everyone watches on the screen,
There's you - you ain't half the dream you dreamed
You, You ain't half the dream you dreamed
And your stock won't buy redemption
And your faith won't buy forgiveness
And your word won't buy a widow
And your fall won't end my sorrow
(Back to top)
WHEN I FALL OPEN
When I fall open
When I come unstuck
When I meet my expectations
When I find myself in luck
Half my head in water
Half my heart into the ground
I've got the blood
I've got the stone
I've got the girl to twirl around
You say you're scared of what tomorrow will bring to your child
You know sometimes it kills to be alive
You are where you work
You are who you make
You are what you dream
You dream you're awake
Awake in a house that you made
Awake in a flurry, today.
When I'm backed into a corner
When I find myself in port
When I'm forced to make decisions
When I'm left with giving up
Half my hand in the jar
Half my foot on the scale
I've got to get back to Chicago
I've found it never fails
You say you're scared of what tomorrow will bring to you, child
You know sometimes it kills to be alive
You are where you work
You are who you make
You are what you dream
You dream you're awake
Awake in a house that you made
Awake in a flurry, today.
(Back to top)
DOVE ON THE GROUND
There's a bird up high
There's a dove on the ground
You know I found love long ago
Every time your voice would sound...
I'm coming in fast
To your heart to land
My last approach
But my best command
And in my dreams
I'm light as a feather
The streets are clean
And we all stand together
There's an empty sky
Where only stars can shine
They shine all night long
Between the buildings and the signs
There's a dove on the ground
There's a scar on a tree
There's a picture on a wall
And there's you and me standing free
And in my dreams I'm light as a feather
The streets are clean
And we all stand together
And in my dreams
I'm light as a feather
The streets are clean and quiet
And we all stand together
We all stand together
We all stand together...
Who is your friend? Who is the monster?
Who is the priest? Who is the abuser?
Where is the killer? Where is the child?
Who's got the facts? Who's told the lies?
Where is the mother? Where is the son?
In a pile of rubble… never hurt anyone…
(And we all stand together)
(Back to top)
ONLY ONCE
They can vote you into a brand new crisis
They can vote you outcast
They can spark a riot
But you know by the stones they throw
That there's a single target
In a demonstration
Of remarkable fairness
They gave you a say
Before they froze your assetts
And you know that they'd do it all over again If only you'd allow
it.
And you were so young, only minutes ago
It only takes one, and only once to know
And now you're keenly aware
That there ain't room for no beginners.
They took your favorite hour
And made it feel like seconds
They told you time was up
And then took turns directing you to the door,
And please come back for more
And don't you ever forget it
You've got a daunting choice
Between faith and pride
In one you hope to be saved
In one you're on the outside
Breaking through til you feel alive
And out of range
And you were so young, only minutes ago
It only takes one, and only once to know
And now you're keenly aware
That there ain't room for blind believers
And you were so found before you lost your pass
Driving fast before you hit the grass
And slid for the first time right onto your ass
And now your keenly aware
That the world won't hand you a warning
(Back
to top)
DESERT FARMER (SOVEREIGN QUEEN)
On a bridge across a dried up river
On a house right up the street
On a girl who dared to stand by her window
On a café where we used to meet
On a shop where my father worked for years
On a painting of a sunset and a balcony
On a hotel missed in the first engagement
On a rebuilt stage and silver screen
Oh, the cost of sovereignty
I pay with the death of my sovereign queen
Near the laser painted wall of a factory
On the rough longitude of a palace of fortune
Near the grain, near the milk, near the last clear water
And two hundred days to wait for the rain
Yeah, these are the days of miracles and wonders
Of pamphlets and sirens and legacy
But when you're born as the son of a desert farmer
There's no escaping destiny
And the cost of sovereignty
I pay with the death of my sovereign queen
And all my angels of progress and design
Go back from where you came, there's no one on this line...
But the cost of sovereignty
I pay with the death of my sovereign queen
(Back
to top)
REASON
FOR THE WORLD
My baby's lost in Afganistan
My baby's lost in Beruit
My baby's losing in Freetown
My baby's lost at school
She found a place to play
In a fly-bitten sand box minefield
She found a place to play
In a doll house of shells
She found a new disease
Amongst the rich uranium
She found an old pet In the arms of a gun
Never have I seen
A face as quiet as hers was
Never have I heard
A reason for the world
My baby found a new house
My baby found a home
My baby found a bad idea
My baby found a stone
She found a place to stay
With broken hearts above her
My baby lost her way
And now we've lost another
Never have I seen
A face so quiet as hers was
Never have I heard
A reason for the world
Never have I seen
A face so peaceful as hers was
Never have I known
A reason for the world
(Back
to top)
ON MY LAST DAY
On my last day
I might miss you on the way out of my room
So this is my thanks and my regret
All packed up so don't forget
You take the wheel, I'll take the ride
You take the beat, I'll draw a line
You'll never know what corner I'll be hiding…
I'm sure somewhere I'll be smiling
I'm all packed up, so don't forget
I love you…
don't forget I left my keys somewhere
but I love you …
Don't forget.
On my last day
I might forget to say to you
In a rush as I leave the room
But don't forget…
I'm all packed up, so don't forget
I love you…
don't forget I left my keys somewhere
but I love you …
Don't forget.
(Back
to top)
LIKE A POSTCARD
A kiss in the hall, a tug on the shirt
I passed a note into your hand
And you walked with me with your arm in mine
We barely noticed it when the bell rang
Seven minutes, they go so fast
W hen you're packed in the halls
And it's a mile to class
With you on one end and mine over here
Three minutes to talk and a lunch to draw near
You called out, to me
Look
out
You saw him first
I see like a postcard
So clear now
Like a postcard
So permanent
When a boy
meets a girl for the first real time
All the bells in the world couldn't keep him on time
But when I saw you hit that dirty hall floor
The clocked stopped - there was all the time in the world
You called out, to me
Look out
You saw him first
I see like a postcard
So clear now
Like a postcard
So permanent
So permanent
So permanent
(Back
to top)
AS IT WAS ENDING
I was hanging around
To see what would happen
With a coin in the slot
And a ticket for the raffle
Didn't see a thing
A lone, lousy witness
To the world as it was ending
Bullet, butterfly, dragonfly landing
In a field near the desert
My head was pounding
I turned my eyes away
I would not be spending
With the world as it was ending
With the world as it was ending
You see a rush to judgement
I see history repeating
You see progress in peril
I see faith is deceiving
You see a modern hero
I see a widow weeping
With the world as it was ending
And I'll play my guitar
Till her baby is sleeping
With the world as it is ending
(Back
to top)
CORPORATE
WORLD
I'm on top of the world again
Say you believe that, you're a liar
Got my face to the mountain
And my hand in the fire
And the kid's just a symptom
Of this growing disease
Spread by private jets and all this f**king
greed
You hold out your dreams
You hold out for thirty
To buy pretty things for your pretty girl
Oh, deep entrenched in a corporate world
I watched my father
pull blood from a card
And I spent my youth swearing
Time wouldn't make me hard
But we chip like stone
And she bends like clay
In spite of an intent
to never ever be that way
You'd think we'd learn
You'd think we'd hold back
And try to be stern
To hold our own, in a corporate world
How's that watch look?
Wrapped around your cold wrist...
Your car, your beautiful car
Wrapped around the pine...
Your shiny suit, your fancy shoes
Your garden full of flowers
Borrowed for a new engagement
Your sympathetic hour
And you knew it every moment
of your life
Saw it coming every single night
No hard luck you bought into the whirl
Another blip in a larger corporate world
(Back to top)
LONG NIGHTMARE
As I lay sleeping in my bed
I remember when I was believed
I was younger then
And the whole world danced with me
And as the band hit the chorus
Something pulled me away
It's a long nightmare
to find it's not a dream
You can take all you know
And sir, you can write it down
And you can throw it away
'Cause we both know the truth don't count
and on your seventh re-write
You might just get the girl, you see
'cause it's a long nightmare
to find it's not a dream…
In the paper today:
a vindicated man
and on the five o'clock news they said
he never lost his tan
well, I'm as pale as a cloud
and I wish they all could see
that it's a long nightmare
to find it's not a dream
and some sweet day
in the truth they'll finally see
that it's a long nightmare
to find it's not a dream…
(Back to top)
TO TURN BACK
You can go now - You can go escape
With your books and clothes - and your plastic cape
With your midnight oil - and your heart attack
Don't ever be afraid to turn back
With your shotgun head - and a wicked smile
With your angel moods - and a forced denial
With your social gifts - and the simple facts
Don't ever be afraid to turn back
When you're on the road five hours from here
Your youth you know - it's your age you fear
Pulls you hard and fast
From the bones you've cracked
Up ahead the forest disappears
In a muddy creek on a camping trip
You turn the corner on a mind that's good to flip
And you force away from all that you attract
Don't ever be afraid to turn back
(Back to top)
WARM
She slides next to you with no concrete plan
She stands by the door with a mask in her hand
Her eyes are just empty holes
They always let out her soul…
There's a warmness you feel in the face of defeat
There are lies you can tell to keep you warm for weeks
Tell yourself it's not cold
But your doctor is getting old
All of his files are sold…
Sha la la la la la…
In the dark going's on in the diplomat's chair
In the dreams of the old and the versions of fair
And the underwhelming face of your past
Sinks in the ground like war
Takes you where you've been before
With blind hope to guide you through….
Sha la la la la la…
(Back to top)
TENNESSEE
Tennessee... you are my dream
With your blonde hair flowing
You're my country retreat
Everyone waits for me
I get lost
In Tennessee
No bright blue skies
No strong sunshine
Can cure the ills
Of a heartsick mind
But bright blue eyes
And your rich girl's skin
Will always beat
Dad's racist whims... in Tennessee
Whoa... in Tennessee
Are you here like me?
Are you here like me?
Are you here like me to see old kings?
In a rental car, in a light March breeze
You know the drawl is thick
But I can hardly hear
The words don't rhyme
But the thought is clear
There's no need to dream
With you here in Tennessee
Whoa... in Tennessee
(Back to top)
THE GREAT BIG BEND
Well I'm a lone drunk driver with his foot to the floor
I'm a lone, lone ranger on his favorite horse
I'm a boxer, baby, with no one to beat
I'm a gambler, baby, I'm light on my feet
Tell your momma that you're going out with your friends
I'll meet you tonight on the Great Big Bend
Everybody wants to be the one to judge
If I'm enough for you to win your love
Well I thought it would be easier to win your hand
Well, I just can't wait til they understand
Tell your momma that you're going out with your friends
I'll meet you tonight on the Great Big Bend
It's hard enough
to make things work
when you're tired and you're just
dying of thirst
and all you dream of on this lonesome night
is your mom in the trunk and your dad out of sight
for just one night
Well, the rich ones buy and the cool ones bluff
and the desperate jump off the edge for fun
I've got just the gas to make it there and back
Gonna drive like hell so my heart don't crash
Tell your momma that you're going out with your friends
I'll meet you tonight on the Great Big Bend…
(Back to top)
NOT ALONE
So you think that it's crazy
for me to love your face
In the fluorescent lighting
In the awkward angled fade
But once upon a time
You liked the control
Ain't that a shame
You're not alone…
And the dream that you proffered
was altered a bit
by the men with the nice clothes
and the watches that fit
Tight on their arms while
you get lost in the folds
Ain't that a shame
You're not alone
Don't be surprised
You're gonna follow it through
You'll hold on tight
while the world just steals from you
And though what you're left with
might be tired and torn
Don't be afraid
You're not alone
The cold and the restless
we're just warming up
Gonna meet on the frontlines
Won't be needing our guns
And as the sirens wail
Outside our homes
Ain't that a shame
You're not alone
(Back to top) BIG PROBLEMS NOW
You got
You got problems now
Smile hard boy
You got big problems now
Think hard
Breath deep
You got big problems now
You've got
You've got problems now
Pray hard, boy
You've got problems now
No through-way
No exit
No way to change my mind
Fourteen
Dream long
You got big problems now
And I can see a glorious light shining
Good and bright
Deliver mine anyway or how
But still you've got big problems now
No through-way
No exit
No way to change my mind
Fourteen
Dream long
You got big problems now
(Back to top)
SLEEP
Face it brother we are losing
Losing ground in this big fight
Send your letters back to momma
Tell her to keep her spirits bright
And Lord, oh Lord I am so sleepy
It's so damn cold here on the wire
I can't seem to keep from closing
Closing these war-torn hazel eyes
I have seen the outside
I have seen the birth of my child
I have witnessed the birth of the rebellion
I've seen distant stars expire in the sky
And I do not want to dream
These things that I dream
But brother, brother...
How do you refuse the night when it comes
How do you refuse the night when it comes
Brother, I don't think my heart is beating
I think it stopped sometime when we arrived
They make you fit, so you can stand up tall
But here on the streets all we do is dive
And Lord, I think I'm swimming
In a cloud of sound no one could ever try
This granite wall doesn't have any comfort
And we do not know the reasons why we die
I have seen the outside
I have seen the birth of my child
I have witnessed the birth of the revolution
I've seen distant stars expire in the sky
And I do not want to dream
These things that I dream
But brother, brother...
How do you refuse the night when it comes
How do you refuse the night when it comes
(I swear, I swear I will never leave you again)
(Back
to top)
STARTING TO UNFURL
I can walk myself
Know the way without you
No need for you to slow me down
I can dress myself
No need for opinions
No need for you to slow me down
If I can dream at night
Without me holding the gun, I might
Wake up feeling warm, I might
Wake up in your arms
And if I could lose the feel
That I don't trust the world, I might
Spend my day without fists all tight
Starting to unfurl
She can fool herself
No need for deceptions
She knows when it's time to call the game
Tries to cut him off
Doesn't trust intentions
She has mastered the science of the pain
If I can dream at night
Without me holding the gun, I might
Wake up feeling warm, I might
Wake up in your arms
And if I could lose the feel
That I don't trust the world, I might
Spend my day without fists all tight
Starting to unfurl
Out of nowhere the night spoke to me
Saying no sleep, no sleep tonight...
(Back
to top)
STARING AT THE BLIND
When your struggle to prove yourself has ended
When you've made your name to all that's come before
When your stature has been duly elevated.
Will you dare to stand outside your massive doors?
Will you curse the man who stands outside your sidewalk
Will you doubt the girl who tells you it's the truth
Will you look away from eyes that try to love you
Will you blame a heart once tortured and abused
When they shake you up
And they rattle your cage
When they turn you over
Check your pockets for change
Will you grab for your virtue
Or will you jump at the chance
To do a little dance
When your face reflects an eon full of struggle
And looks back at you from sidewalk stands and more
When you see eyes full of strongly held convictions.
Will you know which one to send right out the door.
Will you fantasize of quiet and belonging
And relish that your fantasy is true
Will you share the sense of awe in your sweet victory
While you give an awkward victory salute…
When they shake you up
And they rattle your cage
When they turn you over
Check your pockets for change
Will you grab for your virtue
Will you jump at the chance
To do a little dance.
And I knew you once when you were different
We were idealists on a fourth of July
We were staring at families and the fireworks
Now I'm staring down, and you're staring at the blind.
(Back
to top)
SWEET SEPTEMBER LOVE
Rain finally lets up
Over
Plantation skies
The black road is steaming
and the drain pipes start to cry
Sweet September love again
Sweet September love again
Can you hear my transmission girl,
my shift into the phase
My teeth aren't grabbing hold of much these days
Except
Sweet September love again
Sweet September love again
And all your ports are open
for anyone to land
Give me your weak
Give me your lost
Give me another chance, at
Sweet September love again
Sweet September love again
(Back
to top)
NO COMEDY HERE
There is nothing, there is nothing, there is nothing you can do
About this heart that you have stolen
There is nothing you can prove
You've done it all, done enough
There is nothing you can do
You feel the wall, feel the curtain
And it's closing awful soon
Every day, another tick
Every day a little closer
You feel the arms of your beloved
Start to drift a little looser
Feel the weight, feel the balance
As it slips along the railway
And below you are the teeth
To the monster you've been feeding
And how we now?
How are we doing?
You keep a good smile, but… alas
there's no comedy here.
There's a boy on the sahara
There're doing well in Lauderdale
There's a fist in someone's pocket
Here's your shovel, here's your pail
Take your suit, take your guitar
Them over there could use some kindling
And every day you hear the choir
But we never see you singing
You see the sky, you see the stars
You feel the writers on your back
But the words, you never read them
And there's no clouds right where you're at
And while we're screaming for some rain
We're screaming for some rain
The only water we are seeing
Is you pissing your Champaign
And how we now?
How are we doing?
You keep a good smile, but… alas
there's no comedy here.
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