1.Old World
I remember back when I was in the womb
It felt like I was the first baby on the moon
Blood cells were the stars and the placenta was the earth
and I had amniotic fluid as my space food
and I made all kinds of plans for when I got out
the things I would do the things I'd talk about (when I learned
to talk)
and for when I learned to walk I planned the places I would go
to
like new Brunswick and the mall and the Toronto zoo.
And from the uterus I planned out the world I would create
I'd ride a scooter or a bus and I would go on dates
And in the evenings I'd stay in and concentrate
On drafting plans for my own benevolent state
Yes I wanted to see that new world
That big brown black green and blue world
I was getting bored with the small old world I was in
I wanted to make that new world
My world would be a place where everyone would play saxophones
But never soprano saxophones just tenors and baritones
And once in a trumpet and a rusty old French horn
Would play a solo and make us shake our little bones
I was an ambitious little unborn child
When the doctor did the ultrasound I winked and I smiled
Then I just relaxed and laid back for a while
I was patient cause that was kind of my style
But to be honest I was looking forward to getting out of there
And doing things like growing teeth and a bit of hair
But I was also thinking that the whole birth thing was unfair
Cause it would be over so quickly after so much time to prepare
And then I was finally born into the disease of the world
And so were thousands of other little boys and girls
And we shook our little fists at the sky and cried and hurled
our insults
and our anger and took our flags and banners and unfurled them
and they said：
Take us back to the old world!
We don't want this ugly new world!
We were much happier back then, and we want back in,
Take us back to the old world!
2.Dancer／Romancer
I was born much too early surely, surely prematurely.
But I already knew that I wanted more by the time the placenta
hit the floor.
And it wasn't too much later, lying inside my incubator
Clenching my tiny newborn fists, trying to slit my little
newborn wrists
So I went to see the rabbi. I said 'rabbi, why why why why why？'
He said 'I've read the Torah and I've read the Talmud. You get
born, you meet some people ＆ then you die.'
He said 'everybody has a tiny Pope inside their head!
Go forth and multiply that's all the tiny Pope ever says.'
Then he said 'cause after all is said and done, from womb to
tomb and sperm to worm
There's nothing much else to do, so you've got to do what you've
got to do：
Dance, dance, dance, and romance.
You just can't help but dance.
Dance, dance, dance, and romance.
Take off your pants and dance.
3.Everybody Needs A Body (To Be Somebody)
I was out for a walk downtown last Saturday night
Coming back from a show or something like that
And I looked up at the sky and it was dark and covered with
clouds
And I thought about how I needed to get some kind of job
And I thought about how living out of a van isn't as romantic as
it's made out to be
Especially when the only one in the van is me
And I sat down on the curb and watched a squirrel get hit by a
car
And I wondered where you are, whoever you are
Every bit of the body needs something to do
Every good album needs a slow song or two
So out with the adenoids and in with the ballads
Every future needs androids, every model needs salads
Well as I was sitting there looking from the dead squirrel to
the distant taillights of the car that hit it
I thought about how if I did have a real job I'd probably last
two weeks and then quit it
And I thought about how my van was pretty nice after all and
since I was in my 30s now it seemed appropriate to be driving a
minivan anyway
Even if I didn't have an apartment or my own driveway
And then some university girls passed me on their way to 80s
night and they were all wearing the same kind of pants
I was sitting on the curb so I didn't notice their faces but
they all seemed excited to dance
And I thought about how when I dance people often think I have
some kind of rare syndrome or disease
So I don't dance too often but I'd like to dance as often as I
pleased
Cause every bit of the body needs something to do
Even agoraphobics need the occasional public rendezvous
You've got to keep dancing if you want to meet some kind of
woman or some kind of man
And we're all dancing as fast as we can
Everybody needs a body to be somebody
Everybody needs a body to be somebody.
4.The Things That People Make, Pt. 2
Like the things we don't have names for you're the dirt that
makes the ground
Like a broken vacuum cleaner you just push the dirt around
Oh let's not fight we don't have all night
You're right, you be the bait, I'll be the bite
You'll be the dictator I'll be the oppressed
You'll be the third world and I'll be the West
You'll be the last giant panda bear I'll be the last giant panda
bear sperm
You'll be the baby bird and I'll be the regurgitated worms
You'll be the shooter girl and I'll be the bar
You'll be the frat boy I'll be the guitar
You'll be the lost kid at the zoo I'll be the ice cream on your
chin
You'll be the newborn baby looking for a way back in
Thank God that I've got the things that I've got
But a lot of things I've got are things I never knew I needed
til
I met you and you taught me a thing or two about things
Things like love and buildings, things like death and happy
birthday cake
Things like how to give and never take
Things like the things that people make
You'll be construction and I'll be destruction
You'll be the worker I'll be the means of production
You'll be the leftist student punk I'll be the accountant you'll
become
You'll be the minivan I'll be the jeans you think make you look
young
Thank God that I've got the things that I've got
But a lot of things I've got are things I never knew I needed
til
I met you and you taught me a thing or two about things
Things like love and buildings, things like death and happy
birthday cake
Things like how to give and never take
Things like the things that people make
5.Mosquito
6.Grave Situation, Pt. 3
A man loved a man who loved a woman who loved another man
All four of them made a plan to go to a music show
Wax Mannequin, he played The Price, the crowd went wild, he
played it twice
They danced and sang until he stopped and then they shouted no
Play on play on but Wax was gone the crowd grew angry and with
their drawn
and deadly fists and muscled wrists they tore each other into
bits
And the man, the man the lady and the other man they turned and
ran
Through flying kicks and pointed sticks and the gnashing teeth
of angry kids
Man number one he made it and the lady made it too
But bits of flesh were all they left behind of man number four
and number two
And when lady and man one were done with crying tears for
everyone
They planned to leave the living land for the palace of the
damned
Man one who loved no ladies bought an expensive black Mercedes
And drove it to the funeral and then drove it off a cliff
And the lady who loved the final man tied a belt onto a ceiling
fan
And swung from it until the neighbors found her cold and stiff
And now all three men and lady have made the trip to Hades
Their love burns the hottest fires to ash and sends the demons
panicking
And from the flaming rivers leaping fish made out of cinders
Splash and dance a fishy dance to the singing of Wax Mannequin
7.Precious Island
Some sailors say they sail for several years and seldom see the
sand at all
Oh I know that must be kind of dull
The sea's a salty slippery friend it smells like fish and death
and never ends
Oh you know this life is kind of dull
All we do is sail around for miles and miles and
All we want is a bit of dirt and sand
A little precious island
Precious island, precious island
When all the world is wet you bet we get a little funny in the
head
And we don't care if it's Hamilton or somewhere with better
hotels like maybe Thailand
Everything that's not the sea
Is a little precious island to me
All we do is sail around for miles and miles and
All we want is a bit of dirt and sand
A little precious island
Precious island, precious island
When all the world is wet you bet we get a little funny in the
head
And we don't care if it's Oshawa or somewhere with fewer trucks
like the Scottish Highlands
Everything that's not the sea
Is a little precious island to me
There's a thousand reasons to hate the water
Unless you are a killer whale, a squid or a sea otter
You need a precious island, precious island
When all the world is wet you bet we get a little funny in the
head
And we don't care if it's Pickering or somewhere where the cows
are loud and the malls are silent
Everything that's not the sea
Is a little precious island to me
8.Animal Hides
Hello birds in the bushes, hello cows in the sheds
Hello fish in the rivers, crayfish in river beds
The students say we can learn something from you
And for once what the students say is true
Every animal has seen an animal die
And every animal needs somewhere to hide
The flood has been coming since the idea began
The hunter's right behind you so hide if you can
Watch out for meteors be careful with knives
When you run you should run for your lives
God help you if you are alone
God help you if you are alone
If they said he'd help you, they lied
Every animal needs somewhere to hide
9.The Berlin Conference
Why have I called you here？ I guess I've got a thing for
meetings
But please, take a chair, let's get past the formal greetings
It's so cold outside, let's ponder wandering the tropics
And get to work tabling the topics that we're here to discuss
Disgust runs through my northern veins when I consider what
we're wasting
think of the southern gains we could all be tasting
speaking of taste, waiter, another gin and tonic
Don't look at me that way, Teutonic thirst is chronic and this
is thirsty work.
Let's not be gentle, gentleman, this project's continental
Oh, don't worry about that spill, friend, the tablecloths are
rentals
Pass me the map and the brandy, I've got a pen already
Where's the ruler？ Where's the compass？ Ready, hold it
steadynow, will you look at that!
Some call us rivals, they say we've got interests not friends
Well you say tomato, and I say dividends
Divided we stand but united we'll do business
is this civilized or what？ Can I get a witness, let's sign this
and light a cigar!
Oh, far be it for me to presume or decide
I just called the meeting I'm not taking sides
Side of beef？ Cider？ More port or maybe champagne
from the cellar, oh waiter we'll need you again
It's best to be under the influence, oh
When deciding our spheres of influence, no
Scrambling's for eggs not for colonization
Sit settle down just relax and be patient
Here is a piece of the pie for you, and here is a piece of the
pie for you too
And for you, no pie, after all you came late! Do you ask for a
kiss on the very first date
So lodge a complaint, it's a hodgepodge a paint by numbers call
it whatever you want
But let's focus on finding a final agreement, OK？ I'm too drunk
to think any more and I say
50 is the magic number, wormless are the birds who slumber
in three months we'll do it let's begin
10.When The World Ends
11.Everything Will Probably Be OK
This is a simple little song
There's nothing wrong with a simple song
It's not about death or fear
Unlike most of the songs on here
This record's got plenty of those
Well I write about what I know
That's alright but you've got to lighten up
To make it through the years
I guess I'm guilty of repetition
But I like themes and I like tradition
Well it's OK to always sing
About animals and things
And to use the same old chords
That's not true, I've been using more
Well regardless, try to branch out
Don't write about sad things anymore
'Cause everything will probably be OK
Tomorrow's just another word for today
Well I'm pretty sure, that that's a non sequitur
But I like this song so I'll go along with whatever you say
Whenever you get depressed
Try to remember that you're blessed
To play music for a living
Well I hardly call this living
It's more like dying slowly
Oh Mathias, holy moly
When life gives you old tomatoes
You can make ravioli
'Cause everything will probably be OK
Tomorrow's just another word for today
Well you see the glass half full and I don't see a glass at all
When I'm not depressed I'm bored and I end up staring at the
wall
Whenever I get bored
I just play the omnichord
So why not play the ukulele
Or help out some Israelis
Well I do those things I guess
And I probably should complain less
But I think we might just be different
I see suck where you see success
But everything will probably be OK
And tomorrow's just another word for today
That line still doesn't make any sense at all to me
Whatever, at least I got you to agree
That everything will probably be OK
Tomorrow's just another word for today
Nothing is permanent, but it's pertinent to say
That everything will probably be OK
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