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Matt's Lyrics: This is a start. I will get some more up eventually. If the song title is blue that means you can listen to it and sing along if you like. Or not.
All material copyright ©
1997 Matt Barrett
Is This It?
We're playing soldiers now
we're shooting guns
destroying everything
we're having fun
But what will our father say
when he hears about the kind of games we play?
What will our father say when he comes home?
We're playing doctor now
and making bread
I'll see the patient now he looks underfed
I'll give him some of these and maybe one of these
and maybe some of those
but what will our father say when he comes home?
Is this it is there nothing more?
is this what we've been waiting for?
I am the president
I am the king
I am the ruler now of everything
but what will my father say
when he hears about decisions I have made?
What will my father say when he comes home?
Is this it is there nothing more?
is this what we've been waiting for?
The Price of Illusion
Shadows seem to enter
time appears unkind
when the only words of guidance
are coming from the blind
so now and then you tell yourself
the perfect world you seek
awaits the perfect time
and if music is the answer
what is there to do
but make yourself a legend
to the ones who crave the
blues
but make no mistake that the
whole thing seems fake
as a rose tattoo
Knowledge and fortune
it's not what you think
the price of illusion's
the price of a drink
A victory for meaning
ovation from the crowd
but fame and adulation
is selling by the pound
still you've got a cure for
loneliness
that hides the silence in
between the sounds
a thank you for the lesson
a thank you for the pain
a thank you for the troubled
songs
that paved your way to fame
and if you believe the scriptures
then there's nothing left
for you to lose down here
or to gain
knowledge and fortune
it's not what you think
the price of illusion's
the price of a drink
Here is your salvation
they've handed you the key
you put it in your closet
for a time when you're in
need
and it sits beneath a pile
of all that you've acquired
in your greed
but with a little effort
take a little pause
justify existence and recognize
the cause
of your own dissatisfaction
a reaction to a
breakdown of the laws
or human flaws
knowledge and fortune
it's not what you think
the price of illusion's
the price of a drink
Kafka and Camus
I'd like to call her on the phone but just the same
I can't continue playing this neurotic game
and so I play guitar and hang out in my room
reading Kafka and Camus
And when I see her with her friends out on the town
she makes it clear she doesn't want me hanging round
so I avoid the places that I know she goes
Maybe she avoids them too. Who knows?
Maybe she is thinking of me as I sing this song
I believe that being without her has made me strong
or at least it has exposed my weaknesses to me
I wish to God sometimes she hadn't seen
And so I live my life find pleasure where I can
my songs, my books, my toys make me feel like a man
Why should I waste my time looking for someone else
when what I need to do is find myself
Old Friend
(For Jimmi Quidd aka Hatzidimitriou)
Jimmy died yesterday
all alone in a New York hospital bed
and I don't know what to say
except I wish I could have been a better friend
He had some problems, I know
the help he needed was beyond you and me
but when we spoke on the phone
it sounded like he was trying to break free
and if there's one thing I know
that his dying has meant to me
though there's no time left for him
there's time left for you and time left for me
to be what our old friend always wanted us to be
We were telling ourselves
we were the greatest and would not be denied
but we were lost in the swell
and still drowning on the night that Jimmi died
cause he was larger than life
and still his world became a kind of hell
and any fool can survive
but it takes a hero to excel
and if there's one thing I know
that his dying has meant to me
though there's no time left for him
there's time left for you and time left for me
to be what our old friend always wanted us to be
They took his body away
next to his father he'll be buried overseas
and we're alive here today
to smell the flowers and sit under the trees
and our lives will go on
and the lives of other boys and girls
still I don't think that he's gone
he's hangin out somewhere in another world
and if there's one thing I know
that his life has meant to me
though there's no time left for him
there's time left for you and time left for me
to be what our old friend always wanted us to be
6-Pack
She's got the answer to all of her problems
she thinks she's got a grasp on the world
her friends won't tell her I guess they're afraid to
she's just another misguided girl
She's out of bed by 11:05
reaching for the only thing that keeps her alive...
She gets a 6-pack and it keeps her stable
a 6-pack and she feels OK
She drinks a 6-pack at the breakfast table
a 6-pack to start her day
Don't try to tell her what she's doing wrong cuz
she'll just get nasty or else start to cry
In times of passion don't say you love her
cuz you'll destroy her when you say goodbye
Don't expect her to follow your lead
she'll reach for the fridge if you don't have what she needs
She needs a 6-pack to keep her stable
a 6-pack and she feels OK
She drinks a 6-pack at the breakfast table
a 6-pack to start her day
She needs a 6-pack and it keeps her stable
a 6-pack and she feels OK
She drinks a 6-pack at the breakfast table
a 6-pack to start her day
She's on her way!
One More Time
I went down to hang around in town
no one was around so I sat down and drowned
all my fears in half a dozen beers
the pinball game beside me kept on ringing in my ears
The TV spoke gibberish to me
I scanned my mind for someone who might possibly be free
No one to phone I gave in to alone
the days had run together in an endless drone
I had a joint that I could smoke if I could find it in my bedroom
I picked it up with greedy fingers
lit it quick and drew the smoke inside
I came out there wasn't any doubt
suddenly I knew what life was all about
all I saw affected me much more
I had to ask myself what had I waited for
the television shows that took on meaning now
because I was so high
I even saw commercials that were so profound
I felt like I could cry
I came down
I crumbled to the ground
I searched my whole apartment but a rouch could not be found
I felt low
I paced to and from
I knew that my bad habit would not let me go
One more time I crawl out of the slime
and build myself a mountain that I have to climb
Nothing at all to Write Home About
I was looking for a situation
something to occupy my free time
she was waiting for an invitation
when she realized I was too shy
She grabbed the waiter and she sent me a drink
in fact she kept them coming until I couldn't think
I felt her lifting my head off the table
and through the haze I could see in her eyes
That this was nothing at all to write home about
nothing at all
I woke up about 3 hours later
all alone in a big double bed
the smell of her cooking drifted in from the kitchen
at least it appeared that I would be fed
She came and asked me if I'd had a nice rest
I asked her "What is this some kind of a test?"
She said "It's very simple. You're my prisoner".
I tugged on the handcuffs as she got undressed
This was nothing at all to write home about
nothing at all
I turned up about 4 days later
I needed a bath and I needed a shave
I didn't love her but I sure couldn't hate her
she really took good care of her slaves
I found a table at the same cafe
hoping that maybe she would pass this way
but if she was a creation of my imagination
then I'd like to imagine her one more time
cause she was nothing at all to write home about
nothing at all
All My Friends from Greece
I took a long hard look at the world
and I wondered what I would do without it
Everything is so out of control
and there is nothing that I can do about it
Never before has fear of war been enough to drive a man insane
so every night I search the skies
Give me another moon
give me another sun
give me another world that I can live upon
I leave this planet to what's left of everyone
I leave it up to you there's work to be done
Give me another world where I can be
Give me another world
where I can live in peace with all my friends from Greece
I took a long hard look at my friends
and their methods of forgetting
the potential that each of us has
to stop this ignorance from spreading
They read the news
respond on cues
ignore the signs
of crucial times
drink themselves blind
with beer and wine
Give me another moon
give me another sun
give me another world that I can live upon
I leave this planet to what's left of everyone
I leave it up to you there's work to be done
Give me another world where I can be
Give me another world
where I can live in peace with all my friends from Greece
Madison Avenue Hymn
Young Jimmy Jones left his
family and home
to do the work of the lord
a small congregation sought
his mediation
he arrived in a second hand
ford
with faith and free labor
from all his good neighbors
the small church's assets
soon grew
now he's doing God's Will
from a house on a hill
and he drives a Ferrari or
two
Give me money give me freedom
give me glory that I deserve
I don't want answers
I've got no questions
money's power rules the world
My old friend Rubin
who preached revolution
and taught me which people
to hate
like the fat politicians
and people whose missions
were turning the wheels of
the state
he laughed at the brokers
and tried to provoke us
to fulfill his socialist dreams
now he sits in a penthouse
and counts all the dough
that he's gathered in various
schemes
Give me money give me freedom
give me glory that I deserve
I don't want answers
I've got no questions
money's power rules the world
Little Jack Horner sat on street
corners
the only place they'd let
him play
through bad and good weather
refused to say never
got better and better by day
he laughed at the norm and
scorned those who'd conform
to the big record companies
whims
now I've been told his last
record went gold
it's called Madison Avenue
Hymn
Give me money give me freedom
give me glory that I deserve
I don't want answers
I've got no questions
money's power rules the world
If you think you're above it
a creature of love
immune to all of this greed
and your God will protect
you from sin and starvation
and provide you with all that
you need
sooner or later you'll get
the chance
to sacrifice all the things
you believe
will you stick by your guns
or will you take the plunge
with the ace that you've kept
up your sleeve?
The Idiot
The idiot walks into town with baggy trousers falling down
past angry men in country stores exchanging looks and local lore
The idiot walks to the square with smiling eyes and wild hair
And me? I sit and watch him very intently
The idiot with lanky frame pauses to join in children's games
they laugh at him and call him names
but he loves them just the same
The idiot renews his stride while mothers make their daughters hide
in fear that this crazy man may one day come too near
Who are you and who am I? We both live and we both die
under clear and cloudy skies
and are we as mad to you as you appear to other's eyes
The idiot with flowers bright adores the sun its golden light
while most complain of summer heat
he dances barefoot down the street
He stoops to pet a canine friend
he whispers in his ear and then I see
that they are both laughing hysterically
Who are you and who am I? We both live and we both die
under clear and cloudy skies
and are we as mad to you as you appear to other's eyes
I went to my room where shelves and books of knowledge loom
no way to undo what books and logic led me to
I trace back my fears through turbulent chaotic years and see
the happy idiot that once was me
Niko Leaves Tonight
Niko is on his way
full of dreams and Nescafe
down streets of broken stones
Niko wants to leave his home
Greetings on the street
eyes returning to his feet
he hears the people say
"What's the boy up to today?"
Niko leaves tonight
Niko leaves tonight
for cities' shining lights
Niko's gonna leave it all behind
Niko is a man
he tells himself as best he can
a man needs room to grow
things to see and people to know
so hiding all his fears
from his friends of many years
standing at the pier
he hops on the boat and disappears
Niko leaves tonight
Niko leaves tonight
for cities' shining lights
Niko's gonna leave it all behind
Niko's on his way full of dreams and Nescafe
on streets filled with decay
as childhood dreams they fade away
Niko leaves tonight
Niko leaves tonight
for cities' shining lights
Niko's gonna leave it all behind
Let it Go
The IRS is coming so whatcha gonna do?
They heard about your money and they're going after you
They know about your assets they know about your stocks
They're gonna take it all and put your ass in hock
Better hide your money or let it go
Let it go
It's funny in the movies, it's funny on the tube
but it isn't very funny when it's happening to you
your government is hungry and has many mouths to feed
and a man's home is his castle til he's handed them the deed.
Better hide your money or let it go
Let it go
An army of bureaucrats spreading like the plague
it isn't incidental that the laws are vague
You can hear their hound dogs sniffin' out that green
Your generous donation to the war machine
Better hide your money or let it go
Let it go
"If you want our taxes then let us have our say"
began a revolution that began the USA
What's happened to our cities?
What's happened to our schools?
The rich have got their fingers in the pockets of the poor
Better hide your money or let it go
Let it go
So if you don't pay your taxes to the modern feudal lords
who's gonna protect you from the hostile commie hordes?
They'll take away your wages and make you work for free
providing you with nothing but the bare necessities
(sounds OK to me)
Better hide your money or let it go
Let it go
The Truth Hurts
I know that good times are often forgotten
when everything else appears rotten
and I open my eyes and you appear
I turn off my mind and you grow near
but soon I forget you are there
I've been trying hard to be alert
I've been crying out cuz the truth hurts
I think there is something out of line
I think that you're wasting all your time
wasting all your time
I know that you think that I'm something special
but it's just the way you perceive me
I am just part of the scenery
just like the shrubs and the greenery
but you're convinced that you need me
But I've been trying hard to be alert
I've been crying out cuz the truth hurts
I think there is something out of line
I think that you're wasting all your time
wasting all your time
Maybe when I've found my way to tomorrow
I'll leave you a trail and you'll follow
avoiding the dangers I've shown you
it's not because I've outgrown you
I'll find you when I've found myself
(If I haven't found somebody else)
Cause I've been trying hard to be alert
I've been crying out cuz the truth hurts
I think there is something out of line
I think that you've wasted all your time
wasted all your time
Obscured By Clouds (Never recorded. Sorry)
I had a dream of scene
on a mountaintop
where I went to find a little
time
while I tried to stop the
world
and I met a man full of pain
and love
with scars upon his hands
and he spoke of his plans
for me
in some far distant land
But that was when I was fast
asleep
and I have appointments I
have to keep
so I jump from my bed and
take my place in the crowd
still alone for cryin out
loud
with heart and soul obscurred
by clouds
I had a friend a special friend
in whom I could depend on
in hard times
but my friends all disappear
don't ask me why
and though the years have
gone by
I still think of him
and how I'd like to try to
call him up
he would really be surprised
and I know that he lives in
New York
and I just have to pick
up the phone
but there's a part of me that
clicks off with the dial tone
still alone for cryin out
loud
with heart and soul obscurred
by clouds
It's five oclock
and my socks smell like alchohol
and I can't recall what I
did
or what I said to her at all
but she'd give to me something
real
something I don't believe
that I could deserve
and her words cannot pacify
me now
so I'm looking for my salvation
in the pages of some old book
though I could witness a greater
truth if I knew how to look
still alone for cryin out
loud
with heart and soul obscured
by clouds
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