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1. |
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oh road to you i pray
i swear i've got what it takes
i just need you to give me the strength
to drive somewhere far away
i don't really care
olympia washington or wisconsin eau claire
doesn't really matter
just give me the strength
oh road my baby
oh road my love
i've got what it takes
i swear i've got what it takes
a battered ford fusion
it doesn't look that great
on the back driverside door
there's a big ass scrape
it's missing a hubcap on the passenger side
it's a salvage title for sure
but it still drives
i need your strength
or else i'll just stay
i can't do it on my own
give me the strength
give me the strength
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2. |
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Route recalculatin'
On the road
We're driving round some corners-
We don't know
Here we go
Shortcut's bound to be here-
We've been told
Gettin' old-
That was our exit
Right over there
I thought I'd share
We're gonna take the scenic-
That was our exit
Right over there
It's not quite fair
That objects in the rear view mirror-
Checkin' the phone
For new ideas
Cause traffic don't stop movin'-
Can't stay here
It's been a year
Livin' with fear
But life it just keeps happ'nin'-
Changing gears
No need for tears-
That was our exit
I do believe
And we've all grieved
So get your shit togeth'r-
That was our exit
I do perceive
It's time to leave
We're gonna make it home you know it
That was our exit
But don't you cry
We've passed it by
But all roads lead to Rome, stay with me-
That was our exit
Beneath the sky
I don't know why
It matters to me which road we take-
Home
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3. |
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L1: Turning in clockwise to the roundabout
L2: Cruising down the shoulder all along our route
L3: Cranking up the music til the speakers blow out
R1: I think we’ve been here before
R2: They say
L1: Litter and it will hurt, do not advise
L2: Adopt a highway today but watch the ice
L3: Seat belts must be worn day or night
R1: Only 15 minutes til the next exit
L1: No time to lose so right left away
L2: Merge onto I-911 without delay
L3: Taking this shortcut will save some time:
L4: Get on the toll road then turn on a dime
L1: Once on the one-way, make a U-turn back
L2: At the railroad crossing head onto the track
L3: To get through the narrow pass, turn sideways
L4: If the bridge is out, go on into the waves
L1: Spend the day at the Out ‘n’ Inn, just might
L2: Get a solid six hours, check out’s midnight
L3: We’ve gotta hit it before we gain the light
R1: I think we’ve been here before
R2: They say
L1: City limit in one mile, do not pass
L2: Fifty percent grade, step off the gas
L3: Right lane ends, now drive on the grass
R1: Just 30 minutes til the next exit
L1: Back on the highway with the windows down
L2: Passing meat wagons as their sirens sound
L3: Tailgate every bear that comes sniffin’ around
R1: I think we’ve been here before
R2: They say
L1: Road work recreation area ahead
L2: Give em a brake, the end is dead
L3: Reduce Speed Now notice goes unread
R1: Last hour to go til our exit
R2: The destination is
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4. |
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Seven miles down the secret road to that very old tower, you know the one,
And I'm beginning to grasp the deal about this place!
Thought I'd get my pen n' paper out,
Cuz here's something to write about:
All this weird stuff that I'm seeing along the way.
Everything that grows whose names I know,
Poplar birch trees, and a mango mangrove.
The road's only shown by the soft and warming glow
of a mother's loving squeeze. Eee.
The trees now grow to form a marquee
and in the sweet shade of my fav tea leaves
I can't count all the species of the grass spread out like a sea, to cross on foot.
Oh, eee, oh.
The lights might not mean anything and the plot has lost my map,
My grip on language's deal is gettin' thin.
Never been closer to the front door,
But still we're out here on the first floor,
Guess I'll find a cool spot to kick it 'round the rim.
Thought I'd get away from the worldly drawl,
But try to journey out and all you'll do is sprawl.
Still the view from here's not too shabby, ooo,
And the best I can do is to share with you.
So I'll try to record, though I do mean try,
because what passes by my eyes I feel unable to describe.
Three coatracks loom in the middle distance,
standing at the ready at the coats' insistence.
Everyone here's ready for their big debut,
when the morning's underfoot is the just-right dew.
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5. |
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I’m back here and it’s hard to see
Was driving but I’m walking now
The music on the radio
Was getting to me anyhow
I’m going to another place
That looks like where I’ve been before
My ribs have been a railroad
Your heart has been a carnivore
Maybe it’s not different yet
I guess it’s not the same
And it’s a bad bad bad bad vibe
It’s a bad bad bad bad vibe
It’s a bad bad bad bad vibe
But it could be worse
I’m back here and it’s tough to see
I’m calmer if I count to ten
I get up when the sun goes down
And ghost through Maryland again
Maybe it’s not different yet
I guess it’s not the same
And it’s a bad bad bad bad vibe
It’s a bad bad bad bad vibe
It’s a bad bad bad bad vibe
But it could be worse
It’s fine, I’ll wash my hands in Frostburg
Never mind, I’ll wash my hands in Frostburg
I’ll clean my face in Frostburg
And make a mess in Frostburg
And it’s a bad bad bad bad vibe
It’s a bad bad bad bad vibe
It’s a bad bad bad bad vibe
But it could be worse
And it’s a bad bad bad bad vibe
It’s a bad bad bad bad vibe
It’s a bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad
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6. |
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Factory moon, flat penny
In this moment I could kill us all
Outside Newark Outside Gary
In this moment I could kill us all
Past and future necessary
It's the gas that makes us go
Little town survives on poison
It's the gas that makes us go
I turn my head to look
It's a paper mill or they make solvents
Floating coal down the Ohio River
This is the place where they burn the maybes
To shore up the everlasting now
Factory moon, flat penny
In this moment I could kill us all
I crane my neck to see it shining
In this moment I could kill us all
I don't see the cliff approaching
It's the gas that makes us go
Til my sleepy friend starts screaming
It's the gas that makes us go
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7. |
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this is how it (COUGH) feels
this is how it probably feels
i'm still walking
i'm still walking
i wonder how long i'll wait
i wonder how long i'll wait
i forgot or you didn't tell me in the first place
i forgot or you didn't tell me...
i couldn't look at you in the same way anymore
this is how it probably felt
i can't remember
this is probably the same place i went
did you do it to punish them?
are you ashamed?
were you scared? which is it?
i'm not sorry
go fuck yoursel
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8. |
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been a while since i've seen the back of my eyelids
been a while since i've dreamed
renting motel rooms just to stare at the ceiling
the road goes on forever
it never ends
running from an unmoving past, somehow sisyphean
no distance far enough
no time long enough
because
night air changes
oh night air changes
the past into the present
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9. |
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Scrape up my consciousness off of the pavement
and toss it into the air.
I don't know where I'm at,
But I can see the girl is just standing there.
I can't see her face, but I feel the road beneath
me, so I know that she must be near.
I let go of the wheel.
Freefall and conceal
My eyes from the world and into hers
Full of magic and all the colors of gummy worms
I can't hide my face from this place forever
I arise and see that my body is safe
She's no longer here I think I escaped
Her colorful fun-land with sweets galore
My poor poor soul isn't there no more
I wonder if I'll ever see her again
or will I just float
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10. |
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no hitchhiker
i said
no hitchhikerrrrr
lord im
no hitchhiker
no more
spent too much time
on the road
too much time
without a home
livin in between things
not good for the soul
no hitchhiker
i said
no hitchhikerrrrr
lord im
no hitchhiker
no moreno hitchhiker
i said
no hitchhikerrrrr
lord im
no hitchhiker
no more
spent too much time
on the road
too much time
without a home
livin in between things
not good for the soul
no hitchhiker
i said
no hitchhikerrrrr
lord im
no hitchhiker
no more
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11. |
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It's 776 miles from Chicago to Easton
From the start of something new to the end of something old
And I catch my reflection in a vending machine
Somewhere in Ohio, see the state of my eyes
I can nap for twenty minutes in this parking lot,
Maybe.
I used to love the challenge, pushing my endurance
But the cracks are starting to show
Coffee and coffee. In the ring under pink lighting
The short man fights the tall woman he trained
Grapple for grapple. hold for hold
It's ballet. This company's shutting down next year
Turns out he was touching his trainees
In other places. Still I watch
Staring unseeing at the map on the wall
At a Pennsylvania rest stop.
I used to love the challenge. The cliff face,
The bitter friend, the mosh pit, coffee and coffee
The pain is losing its meaning now
Blending into the everyday
Like creamer swirling into the black
Keep your eyes on the road.
Drive-through hamburger
The end of something old
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