Hunted by the prey

I got bit by vampires
playing on the wrong side of town again
I stayed out too late
didn't even know her name
so why was I unable to run?

hunted by the prey
hunted by the prey
hunted by the prey

She took me downtown
mystified by streetlights
driving through the cigarette
strip of neon signs
"this cities dead" she said
but I knew what she meant
(the leaves don't bloom
like her teeth in the blue moon do)

hunted by the prey
hunted by the prey
hunted by the prey

She let me off in my neighborhood
it was good to meet you
wonder when I'll see you again
once the guilt has washed away
I'll be back
to haunt the alleyways
where you hide in black shadows

I can see you running away
but you can not escape
I can see you running away
but you can not escape

hunted by the prey
hunted by the prey
hunted by the prey

Good Intentions

Everyone's just trying to please us
trying to make us open our eyes
some give us free advice
others sell Jesus Christ
some people pay for their salvation their whole lives
and never receive a sweet reprieve
or even pennies for their eyes

I don't believe in true intentions,
so don't tell me you're just curious
beneath the face
of all we fail to mention
we curse the heavens
furious

I'm in love with the morning sun
and all the passing trains
and you are just another snowflake
different and the same.

Talk Shop

something about the house felt like a song
creeps up like a peeling onion
i'm afraid of the way history is told
will the earth have air and water when I'm old?

when the bell tolls
confession is done
no one's going to carry me
so I'm learning to walk
one foot in front of the other
is that how we talk shop?
why do we even bother
waking up?

we say
give me space
push each other away
regurgitate scripted lines
waiting for our day to come
I just want to love everyone
but there's never enough time
that is my sentence
that is my punishment
that is my crime

words without action
work without passion
welcome to the new millennium
beat the dead horse
into a well rehearsed delirium
later rinse repeat
hold you're breath until you're beet red
drink until you're braindead
cry yourself to sleep

just
please don't
blame me

Purple Blood

I don't get caught up in the past anymore
I've learned that photograph's never capture the war
no one wants to be the one to make a stand
no one wants to walk the plank
but everyone wants to see
the view from the edge

your face is shifting colors
I'm losing the friend I know
switching trains - changing lanes
I hate to see you go
but seasons sneak the years by
and children scream at the winter sky
while I try and meditate
you and I drift further and further away

without a hint of irony
without the sting of alcohol
what do we have in common?

pink tongues and purple blood
otherwise nothing

Move Along

I found peace
in a place I cannot be
visited eternity
but I could not return
to seek the truth
is an unforgiving battle
if you are here
for the scenic route
move along
move along
move along

the trees are all done turning
and the roads are all jammed up
the lakes and rivers frozen
go home and have a cup of tea
move along
move along
move along

someones president and all his merry men
drowning in flames at the gates of heaven
won't someone please let them in?

sorry, the lot is full
we are closed until further notice
move along
move along
move along

I found water
at the bottom of the ocean
what more could you want?

Five Dimensions

In this sanctuary I've got everything I need
the pantry's socked with sugar and sunflower seeds
good friends - travel on the weekends
domesticated like a wild animal
spoken like a true gentleman

and now in five dimensions
I'll find myself a burden to bear
lighter than an ice cube
but heavier than air
everyone stare at me now
does anyone know how he survives
with a dying conscience
behind chemical eyes?

we move through corridors
forced to carry megaphones
just to hear ourselves over
the white noise in our
aching bones
we strain to see the waterfall
thats imploding in the distance

are you with me
or against me
if this is our last moment
I must know

Highbeams

I want to know how you speak my language
watch me set myself on fire
you are more courageous than I
when all color has been washed from the sky
how will you see yourself?
how will I?

a blank slate
waiting for you to paint the dawn
a fire escape
for you to count your prayers on
a rusty gate
for me to hide my secrets behind
a purple drape
to block all the light from the sun

driving through the snow
I imagine entering light speed
a black hole envelopes everything
outside of my high beams
and it's a beautiful thing
to go disappearing alone
at midnight in new england
when everyone's asleep in their homes
and there's nowhere for a hundred miles to go
but nothing seems to matter
when you're driving alone in the snow

E2

I try to contain myself but I just build up
all the love I have to share is a well in my soul
drop a penny down the hole
too many hands to hold
I have light like a star
waiting to implode
sex like an electric guitar
bending a blue note

I try to contain myself but I just build up
sometimes I'm overwhelmed
sometimes I'm bankrupt

for now
I'll let you be my muse
and someday perhaps
this castle of cards
can unfold into the truth