Old 97's Album

Well I must have been stoned when this whole started,
'Cause I just can't seem to think straight anymore.

Can't figure out where I'm at, maybe Memphis, maybe Mexico.
I think you're swell but I ain't gonna tell you so.
I think you're great but it's late and I'd better go.

Hitchhike to Rhome. Take the Greyhound to Fredericksburg.
Well I'm flat broke, I've been smoking butts for days.

You say, "Maybe you can stay with me." I say, "Lady, that's a dangerous plan."
You're quite a woman, but I don't wanna be your man.
You're quite a kisser, but listen close and understand.

Take a letter to God. "Dear Sir: I'm dissatisfied.
Well it ain't your fault they keep pouring salt on my heart.

All I need is a brief reprieve. I keep leaving. I ain't gettin' nowhere."
Won't you linger, let me run my fingers through your hair?
Won't you stay? I can't play like I don't care.
I think you're dope, and I hope I'm making myself clear.
I think you're fly and that's why I'm getting out of here.

Well, I must have been stoned.
Good Lord, I wish I'd been stoned.

[No lyrics]

When i first met doreen
She was barely seventeen.
She was drinking whiskey sours in the bar.

The way she tossed 'em back
I would've had a heart attack.
But as it is i let her drive my car.

We galloped through the boroughs
Like a pair of horny thoroughbreds,
Until i said, "stop the car, doreen."

Well you can roll your eyes and nod
But i swear that i saw god,
In the moonlight on a side street in the wreckage we call queens.

Doreen, doreen, last night i had an awful dream.
You were laying in the arms of a man i'd never seen.
Come clean doreen. come clean doreen.

Well i'm pulling into cleveland
LyricsIn a seven-seater tour van.
There's eight of us, so i'm sleeping on the floor.

The guy that plays the banjo
Keeps on handing me the old crow,
Which multiplies my sorrow, i can't take it anymore.

Doreen, doreen, last night i had an awful dream.
You were laying in the arms of a man i'd never seen.
Come clean doreen. come clean doreen.

Now i'm begging and i'm pleading,
"well pull over guys, i'm bleeding.
There's a fina off the highway with a phone."

I'm calling you doreen,
But it rings and rings and rings.
Where is it that you are, if you aren't in our bed at home.

Doreen, doreen, last night i had an awful dream.
You were laying in the arms of a man i'd never seen.
Come clean doreen. come clean doreen.

This is the story of Victoria Lee,
She started off on Percodan and ended up with me.
She lived in Berkeley 'til the earthquake shook her loose.
She lives in Texas now where nothin' ever moves.

Victoria you talk so low that no one else can hear,
Unless you point your megaphone directly at their ear.
This is the story of Victoria Lee,
She started on Rohypinol and ended up with me.

You'd like to think they're your friends, but they're not your friends,
And in the end a friend's the one you'll never know, oh don't you know?
You'd like to think you're groovy, it's your movie, you see through me, but it's true,
And in the end you'll know, Victoria don't go. Victoria, Victoria don't go.

This is the story of Victoria's heart,
You might think it's stupid, but I still think it's art.
She lost her lover to an accident at sea.
She pushed him overboard and ended up with me.

Victoria, you dance so fast that no one else can see.
Victoria I hope you use just one more dance for me.
This is the story of Victoria's heart.
It's a really big one, and I don't know where to start.
(Occasionally used on early versions of "Victoria Lee")

You'd like to think they're your friends, but they're not your friends,
And in the end a friend's the one you'll never know, oh don't you know?
You'd like to think you're groovy, it's your movie, you see through me, but it's true,
And in the end you'll know, Victoria don't go. Victoria, Victoria don't go.

I got a timebomb, in my mind Mom.
I hear it ticking but I don't know why.
I call the police, but they don't like me.
I hear 'em whispering when I walk by.

I got a landmine in my bloodline.
I'm not immune to getting blown apart.
She's like a claymore, that's what she's there for.
She's waiting 'round here to get blown apart.

Having her on my brain's like getting hit by a train,
She's gonna kill me. Oh Celeste, oh Celeste.

I got a timebemb, in my mind Mom,
It's gonna go off, but I don't know when.
I need a doctor to extract her.
I got a feeling she'd get right back in again

I got a timebemb, in my mind Mom,
I got it badly for a stick-legged girl
She's gonna kill me, and I don't mean softly.
I got it badly for a stick-legged girl

Having her on my brain's like getting hit by a train,
She's gonna kill me. Oh Celeste, oh Celeste, oh Celeste.

Eighteen-hundred miles from this old nightclub
A girl is turning 22 today.
How am I supposed to entertain you?
My fingertips are useless when my mind's so far away.

Eighteen-hundred miles from Manhattan
The nightclub yawns and opens up it's doors.
Thank god that I don't have to pay the cover,
'Cause every night I'm broker than I was the night before

Yeah this old nightclub stole my youth,
This old nightclub stole my true love,
It follows me around from town to town.
I just might get drunk tonight and burn the nightclub down,
I just might get drunk tonight and burn the nightclub down.

Telephones make strangers out of lovers,
Whiskey makes the strangers all look good.
Well my angel of the morning is in mourning.
My life was misspent, don't let me be misunderstood.

And this old nightclub stole my youth,
This old nightclub stole my true love,
It follows me around from town to town.
I just might get drunk tonight and burn the nightclub down,
I just might get drunk tonight and burn the nightclub down.

I got a four leaf clover.
It ain't done one single lick of good.
I'm still a drunk and I'm still a loser.
I'm living in a lousy neighborhood.

I got a real live horseshoe,
And I hung it upside-down above my door.
But it don't do nothing to impress you,
So I don't know what the hell it's for.

Why don't you come over? I'll show you my four leaf clover.
Who'm I trying to kid? I'm not the kind of guy you'd go
for.
I got a four leaf clover, but I ain't got no hope of
getting you.

I got a lucky silver dollar.
My granddad gave it to me now he's dead.
At times like this I wish that I cound join him,
It might just stop this pounding in my head.

Why don't you come over? I'll show you my four leaf clover.
Who'm I trying to kid? I'm not the kind of guy you'd go
for.
I got a four leaf clover, but I ain't got no hope of
getting you.
I ain't got no hope of getting you.

[No lyrics]

What remains of the day remains to be seen
By the TV that we never turn on
Each other's enough I never had it so rough
Ever since I been gone

White noise swells in my head
Making me worry it's the summertime
But itá•s the dead of the fall itá•s the dead of the night
Hell yes I mind

CHORUS:
I would give anything not to feel so jagged
Iá•d give anything not to feel so jagged
Iá•d give anything not to feel so jagged

I couldn't drink enough to make this make sense
But I think I'm gonna give it a try
There's no settling down there's only driving downstate
So I drive

REPEAT CHORUS

OUTRO:
I'd give anything not to feel so jagged

It was a lonely holiday
I was alone -- you were away
In Fayetteville or in another state
There's so many towns I hate

When you leave me, it breaks me like a bone
But it's never as bad as when you come home
Thought so much about suicide
Parts of me have already died

CHORUS:
Lonely -- baby I'm not lonely
Baby I'm not -- I've got my imaginary friends
Happy -- baby I'm so happy
Baby I'm so -- I've got my imaginary friends
And if you don't love me, would you please pretend?

It was a lonely holiday
I was alone -- I was afraid
The bedroom walls were closing in
It must be closing time again

When you leave me, it breaks me like the note
That you said got stuck in your throat
Thought so much about suicide
Parts of me have already died

CHORUS

And the hole
In the screen is barely big enough for you
And not near enough for me to go

And the whole damn complicated
Situation could've been
Avoided if I'd only shut the window

CHORUS:
And I may be leavin' myself open
To a murder or a heart attack
But I'm leavin' the back door open
'Til you come back, 'til you come back

And I may be movin' myself closer
To a real untimely end
But I'm leavin' the back door open
'Til you come home again, 'til you come home again

And I told
The neighbors, I put pictures up
And handed out some flyers at the show

And the whole town speculating
Situation could've been
Avoided if I'd only shut the window

CHORUS

REPEAT CHORUS

Heartbreak, old friend, goodbye it's me again.
Of late, I've had some thought of movin' in.
Of all the many ways a man will lose his home,
Well, there ain't none better than the girl who's movin' on.

True love, I knew some thought of, some thought of leavin' you.
Bad thoughts I had, when valentines were due.
Of all the many ways a man will break his heart,
Well there ain't none meaner than he pulls his own apart

CHORUS:
Valentine, the destroyer, Valentine, you belong
In the stars, where you are, always rollin' on.
Cried, I've cried till I couldn't carry on.
It's a lonely, lonely feelin' when your Valentine is wrong.
It's a lonely, lonely feelin' when your Valentine is wrong.

Of all the many things that you were countin' on,
Well, there ain't none better than the girl who's movin' on.
No, there ain't none better than the girl who's movin' on.

(Repeat)

[No lyrics]

I was in a real bad way
When you turned the power on
And you made me feel for all the world
Like I was the king of all the world

I was on a window ledge
When you came upon me there
Everything was upside for the moment
Right around the time I had to get going

Can't count me out
Cause I've got your number
You make me feel like I'm
The king of all of the world
King of all of the world
The king of all of the world

Now I'm on my way up north
All its gonna do is rain
And I'm gonna want to go back to the world
Where I was the king of all of the world
Lyrics
Can't count me out
Cause I've got your number
You make me feel like I'm
The king of all of the world
King of all of the world
The king of all of the world

I was in a real bad way
When you turned the power on
And you made me feel so right at home
I wonder if I'm ever gonna get back home

Can't count me out
Cause I've got your number
You make me feel like I'm
The king of all of the world
King of all of the world
The king of all of the world

If I wander out
Of a picture window

She woke from a dream
Her head was on fire
Why was he so nervous?

He took her to the park
She crossed her arms
And lowered her eyelids

Some day somebody's gonna ask you
A question that you should say yes to
Once in your life
Maybe tonight I've got a question for you

She'd had no idea
She started to cry
She said in a good way

He took her by the hand
Walked her back home
They took the long way

Some day somebody's gonna ask you
A question that you should say yes to
Once in your life
Baby tonight I've got a question for you

Roller skate skinny and the terrible twos
How can you have everything and nothing to lose
You and nobody see eye to eye
You're gonna wake up with a ghost instead of a guy

Bulletin board on the wall of a church
Soaking up the city from a top-step perch
You're gonna break down on a midnight date
Gonna curse this town, you're gonna run late

You're pretty as a penny, roller-skate skinny
Pretty as a penny, roller-skate skinny

Do you want to meet up at the Pickwood Bowl
We could knock nine down and leave one in the hole
Wouldn't be here if the Athenia hadn't sunk
Or if Dear ol Dad hadn't got so drunk

Every other day is a kick in the shins
Every other day it's like the day just wins
But you make it all right, you make it OK
LyricsYou make me sorta glad that I waited till today

You're pretty as a penny, roller-skate skinny
Pretty as a penny, roller-skate skinny

(guitar break)

Roller-skate skinny and the terrible twos
Two years in and it's time to choose
Love feels good when it sits right down, puts its feet up on the table it
Sends a bowl around

Ain't nobody gonna see eye to eye
With a girl who's only gonna stand collarbone high
Rain's gonna come in fair-sized drips
And we're gonna go to heaven wearing paper-hat ships

You're pretty as a penny, roller-skate skinny
Pretty as a penny, roller-skate skinny

I believe in love, but it don't believe in....
I believe in love, but it don't believe in me
I believe in love, but it don't believe in me

(repeat)

The Empty Bottle was half empty, tide was low, and I was thirsty.
Saw her sitting at the bar, you know how some girls are,
Always making eyes, well she wasn't making eyes.

So I sidled up beside her, settled down and shouted, "Hi there."
"My name's Stewart Ransom Miller, I'm a serial lady-killer."
She said, "I'm already dead," that's exactly what she said.

So we tripped the lights fantastic, we was both made of elastic.
Midnight came and midnight went, and I though I was the President.
She said, "Do you have a car," and I said, "Do I have a car?"

What's so great about the Barrier Reef?
What's so fine about art?
What's so good about a Good Times Van,
When you're working on a broken,
Working on a broken,
Working on a broken man?

My heart wasn't in it, not for one single minute.
I went through the motions with her. Her on top, and me on liquor.
LyricsDidn't do no good, well I didn't think it would.

What's so great about the Barrier Reef?
What's so fine about art?
What's so good about a Good Times Van,
When you're working on a broken,
Working on a broken,
Working on a broken man?

When you're working on a broken,
Working on a broken,
Working on a broken man.

When you're working on a broken,
Working on a broken,
Working on a broken man.

Nineteen
Is not the age of reason.
I didn't have a reason
For setting you free.

I've seen
A lot of love go sour.
But that's not our love.
You see the problem was

I was only nineteen.

Yeah, I was only nineteen.
Finished up with high school.
Headed for a state school.
Wandered into you.

Big screen
Kissing in a movie.
God, you moved me around.
We got seriously down.
Lyrics
But I was only nineteen.

Chorus:
All I ever wanted to do
Was lie around in bed with you.
I was only nineteen. I was only nineteen.
I was only nineteen. I was only nineteen.

I've seen
A lot of love go bad now.
That's not how our affair
Would've wound up I swear.

But I was only nineteen.

Chorus

I was only nineteen.