1. |
Jungle Joe
04:18
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Jungle Joe, he had to go
He knew he wasn't coming back
Fly away on vines that sway
He knew he wasn't coming back
All that he knew, he wasn't coming back
Jungle Joe had come to know
A kind of emptiness inside
Dust, they say, had settled on his brain
Soiled the dreams he once held tight
Oh how tried to take it all in stride
But somehow this world just seemed to pass him by
Jungle Joe, he had to go
He knew he wasn't coming back
Hung to dry, he looked up at the sky
To find some solace in the sun
Which seemed so apparent to everyone
Maybe there’s a place for me, he thought, on the other side
Oh how he longed to take that flight
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2. |
Moving-In Song
03:29
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[NARRATION]
One life ends and another begins
In a small house at the end
Of an otherwise simple street
A mother and father brimming
With all that a new home brings
As a young boy clings to pant-legs & things
Turn the key and let the door swing open wide
Sunlight streaming in, the floorboards come to life
Room to room, the little house on Drayka Street
The backyard weeping willow makes the thing complete
Peer out through little pools of light
Lord knows you’re a sensitive child
Peek round, your pretty flaxen head
A place you could call home instead
Grab a box and crack it open, gesundheit!
Paper stacks or crumpled hats and coats, oh my!
Make-way for the davenport and drapes, a cavalcade of shapes goes by
You sit alone and cry
Peer out through little pools of light
Lord knows you’re a sensitive child
Out there, it just might be
A place for you, swaying in the breeze
Hearts break and willows weep
And some boys are found hanging from a tree
So steer clear of dangling vines
And maybe things will be just fine
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3. |
Box Of Letters
02:24
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In the wall
It waits
In the wall
All that remains
In the wall
A panel moves
Tiny hands will find
Their way to you
In the wall
To whom
In the wall
You
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4. |
Up & At'Em
02:44
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I just genuinely like Marvin Martian
I just genuinely like Danger Mouse
Spend hours on end in my bedroom
Like a dame in the nuthouse
I just genuinely like going ape shit
Caddywhompus and the like, romp around this place
Out of the gates like a track star
With a nail in his brain
Footsteps out in the hall
My heart like an anvil will fall
I just genuinely like penguins!
Thus, we waddle round the arctic, arm-in-arm
Stay tucked away in my igloo
While the wolves tear them apart!
Footsteps out in the hall
My heart like an anvil will fall
Footsteps closing in fast
This episode will be the last
Up and at’em boy
The sun is rolling out today
Brave the open air
Make mama proud to say
Up and at’em boy
No son of mine’ll waste away
With his eyes glued to that looney tube all day
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5. |
Eighteen Sets Of Eyes
03:33
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Eighteen sets of eyes
Are staring back at me
I never fit in
Ill at-ease in my skin
It’s measles-esque
Standing there with rats for hair
Elastic jeans
Cast out on the porch
And through the windows and doors
They’re gawking at me
Dangling down
The willows weep
Maybe I’ve found
A place for me
Bookish fuck with backward luck
And crooked teeth
Look across the street
Through a window we see
A girl recede
Clutching tight, the stuffing
Of my only friend
Tucked under my chin
A tuxedo-clad gent
Ely the penguin
Dangling round
The willow tree
Held safe and sound
Here underneath
Dangling down
The vines they mope
Each a helping hand
Or hangman’s rope
But still burning bright
In the back of his mind
That box of letters
Somehow left behind
Waiting for him
Reaching out to find
A stranger’s hand
Through the sands of time
And on to the next life
He could open one just to see
Maybe this was really meant to be
Eighteen sets of eyes
Are staring back at me
I never fit in
Ill at-ease in my skin
Who gives a shit?
Scamper in and scramble up the stairs
On-end hairs as the envelope tears
A pair of trembling hands, have we
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6. |
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Plastic head in a cloud again
Ask the heavens to stop
Shedding light on the shape we’re in
It’s enough to melt your face off
Plastic head in an open flame
I’m not very much fun
Basking in the light of so much pain
It’s like staring right into the sun
Maybe everyone else is just numb
Plastic head in a cloud again
Have the heavens no shame
Black fog billowing, blistering skin
It’s burning a hole in my brain
And as for my heart, much the same
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7. |
I Dream Of Holly
04:54
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Sleep, the night is good
On a red-pine bed of wood
Silken black, the sky
Streaming through your open mind
Sleep, the darkness says
Lost at sea inside your head
Ghost-white vapors pass
Starlit Asian waters oh-so vast
Floating in the open waters there
Bobbing about by the bedside
A delicate lotus flower fair
Floating in the mindless open air
Petals unfurl, by the bedside a girl
With a dark and slanted stare
Holly half-reply
Calling out through open eyes
Floating in a flower
Glowing like a meteor shower
Holly here we are
Tragic as a falling star
Together in a dream
Any minute now my alarm will start to scream
Floating in the open waters there
Bobbing about by the bedside
A delicate lotus flower fair
Floating in the mindless open air
Petals unfurl, an enchanted young girl
With a dark and slanted stare
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8. |
Willow Tree
02:56
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Hang out for hours with the willow tree
I don’t give a fuck for me
I got all I need
New kid in town and you know it’s true
They’re gonna crack my head in two
Just something to do
Hang out underneath the willow tree
See the sun in golden streams
Line the vines and leaves
New kid in town, if they know I am
Stuff me in a garbage can
Don’t dare take a stand
Weeping never felt so right
As when these vines are holding me tight
No one here to tell me to buck up
All my fears, my sorrows
All my love
Free to fuck around
Like a flock of doves
Hang out for hours with the willow tree
Only place I care to be
Just Ely and me
New kid in town, gonna get me good
Strap me to the rusted hood
Of Grandma’s old Fleetwood
She’ll never notice
Weeping never felt so right
As when these vines are holding me tight
No one here to tell me to buck up
All my fears, my sorrows
All my love
Free to fuck around
Like a flock of doves
Keep out the world around
Underneath the willow, safe and sound
Hide out beneath of the willow tree
Only place I care to be
Wish someone else could see
Then from the corner of my eye
I see her standing there under the vines
She turns and runs, leaving me there
The girl with the dark and slanted stare
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9. |
Mom & Dad
02:19
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That boy ain’t right
He’s way too up-tight
Spends all of his time
With that tree
He’s awfully shy
Spends all day and night
Alone in a world
We can’t see
So often inclined
To get left behind
Lost with the vines
And the leaves
He’s awfully kind
A bit off at times
And different
Whatever that means
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10. |
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????????
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11. |
The Girl From My Dream
03:36
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Holly, can it be?
The girl from my dream
Waiting for me
Holly, there you sit
Beneath the hanging stems
Of the willow tree
Stumble out of bed, don’t wait a minute more
Nevermind your shoes and socks, just go
Rumble down the stairs and out the fucking door
If you’re lucky, she’ll be waiting so
Bumble through the yard and think of what to say
If and when you’re finally face-to-face
Grass is soft and sharp in shards of wispen-jade
Brushed against the lightness of each pace
Holly Yeong of lotus flower fame
And suddenly, there we are
She turns to me and I can see
The swelling tears in her eyes
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12. |
Park Bench (Letter 3)
05:22
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Fucking hell, what just happened?
Everything was going alright
For just a fraction of a second
Thought I’d stepped into the light
By chance she found me on this park bench
By chance I didn’t get tongue-tied
For once it didn’t dominate me
Felt I was reaching out from inside
Then in an instant without warning
She just threw it all away
She raised her foot up in the air
And without a care
She came down
She brought it down
And stepped on an ant
Another footstep pressing on my chest
Another cardiac arrest
I’ve had enough, I might confess
If I had any say at all
I’d say there’s nothing left
Better this than locked-up in my room
At home with that half-cocked buffoon
He’s banging on my door all day so hard
I’d like to take an ice-pick from the drawer
And jam it in his heart
I just die and they don’t bat an eye
Another sunrise having blown my mind
I just die a little bit inside
Whenever drunken bums curl up at night
Clutching their collar tight
How can I just fall apart each time
A person walks by or looks me in the eye
How can I expose this heart of mine
When every conversation makes me want to cry
Clutching the hollow place inside
Brains are somewhat sunny-side up in my head
Out amidst the sweltering unrest
Every ray of light is like a kiss of death
Sealing our fate in this hot mess
Brains are somewhat sunny-side up, so they say
Molten yellow running down my face
Maybe it’s just me but I can’t bare the strain
Of all the heartache, suffering and pain
That annihilates the senses in the brazen light of day
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13. |
Origin Of Holly Yeong
03:47
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Tucked away, a tiny village
Just east of the Seomjin waves
Where sailors come for pint and pillage
Where young girls are sold as slaves
One among them with her long hair
Pulled tight in a hangman’s braid
Flung herself into the night-air
And sunk to a watery grave
Mother died in vain
Father’s debts to pay
Swallowed up at sea, miss Holly Yeong
Coughed up on the beach with salty lungs
Swallowed up at sea and left for dead
Coughed up on the beach in lotus flower bed
Taken in and told to scrub
Every crevice and every hole
Papa Grub sure has a preference
For young girls who know their role
Half a world away
How her poor heart aches
Swallowed up at sea, miss Holly Yeong
Coughed up on the beach with a foreign tongue
Swallowed up at sea and left for dead
Coughed up on the beach in lotus flower bed
Holly, you’re safe now here with me
Underneath the willow tree
You got all you need
Don’t cry, see the sun caught streaming through
He won’t lay a hand on you
For at-least another hour or two
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14. |
Magpies
03:56
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NARRATION:
Things are looking up
For the young boy
And his willow tree
A box of letters to explore
And a budding friendship
With the girl next-door
Though broken hearts need all the more
Dark eyes and carnival lights
My heart is on a carousel high
Hard times left somewhere behind
With Holly Yeong here by my side
Magpies and cartwheel cries
I feel head over heels tonight
Dark eyes, a milk-carton smile
She's what I’ve been missing all this time
Whisper softly
How she looks so odd
People talking
She’s not what you thought
They don’t have the time
For kids that don’t all look alike
But we don’t pay no mind
Just a couple of magpies
Dark eyes and carnival lights
A world-away in every sigh
Hard times are still burning bright
For Holly Yeong here by my side
Starlight, we’re spending our nights
With Marvin Martian, Rainbow Bright
Dark eyes they harbor a kind of
Torment she can’t even describe
Whisper softly
How she acts so queer
Better off, she’d be
To up and disappear
They don’t have the time
For kids that don’t all look alike
But we don’t pay no mind
Just a couple of magpies
No they don’t have the time
For kids that don’t fall into line
We see eye-to-eye
Just a couple of magpies
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15. |
Dead Hamster (Letter 4)
03:30
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Golden waves break over my window
Morning tide is rolling on in
Blinds in rows half-open eyelids glow
Tears warm in the light
Harvey, have you any idea?
How beautiful the sun at your side
Heaven intermingling in the strands
Glazed, fluffy and wild
Golden waves break over my window
Morning tide is rolling on in
Blinds in rows half-open eyelids close
Tears washed away in the light
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16. |
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Fishhooks in my brain
Fishhooks in my brain
Scratching and tugging and twisting away
Why can’t they give me a break?
Racking up phobias, writhing in place
Such are the thoughts of the day
Fishhooks in my brain
Fishhooks in my brain
Worthless and socially fucked in the head
Choking back chitchat at school
Crybaby curled up crooked in bed
They always laugh at the fool
Stepfather sticking his dick in a friend
Hours at the office run late
Mother is worried but she can pretend
How she admires his strength
Fishhooks in my brain
Reeling from the pain
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17. |
On The Blink
03:27
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It’s weighing on me
Eighteen pry
Just when I think
Everything is on the blink
Out in the yard
She comes calling
Just when it seems
Only walls will talk to me
She knocks at my door
It’s weighing on me
Eighteen sets of eyes
Just when I think
Everything is on the blink
In through my window
Comes crawling
Just when they say
Now he up and lost his way
She takes up my arm
Just when I think
Everything is on the blink
Out in the yard
She comes calling
Just when it seems
Only walls will talk to me
She turns up at my door
With her dark eyes imprisoned no more
Will I cave?
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18. |
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[none]
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19. |
Betrayal Song
01:56
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What have I done?
Turned my back on Holly Yeong
They chased her down
In the backyard where we found ourselves out
As she looked up at me
They circled around shouting, “get up freak”
Through little pools of light
I know too well that look in her eye
Holly, what to do?
Will you ever forgive me
For ducking out on you?
NARRATION:
Broken hearts need all the more
And so must stick together
Or else
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20. |
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Howling winds are heartless, cold as ice
Cry myself to sleep another night
Burn the clothes that held me back all day
Naked free and watch the willow sway
A helpless stupid fuck, am I
A gutless sitting duck, am I
“Donnie Doormat in a funk, I’ll bet”
He stuck his fucking finger in my chest
“Always feeling sorry for yourself”
“Weak just like your father, may he burn-in-hell”
A self-indulgent fuss, am I
A sack of bulging puss, am I
Tonight I’ll paint myself a yellow-gold
In honor of my hamster, rest his soul
In honor of the sun that fried my brain
To represent the coward I remain
If I could reach up with my yellow hand
And grab hold of one of these willow strands
I’d fly away into the blessed night
And start a new life swinging by and by
A phony, faggy mope, am I
At the end of my rope, am I
A twat who couldn’t cope, am I
At the end of my rope, bye bye
Caught in the undercurrent, white sands
Cave in the coming light of day
Grains of the sun & moon change hands
I feel it all slipping away
Train yourself to swallow your fears
All of your cares down the drain
Bury the thoughts that bring you to tears
In sands of denial, so plain
Cover my eyes against the bright sun
Can’t bear to face another day
Strange how the majesty of new light come
Exposes a world so depraved
So efficient we have become
Our toughness and our resolve
Pile it on, you cocksured scum
Till you feel nothing at all
See all other faces dissolve
Now will anyone come when you call?
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21. |
Make This Right
02:39
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Flakes in a free-fall across the sky
Great cherry blossom trees of Asian white
I’ve gotta find her and make this right
Can’t bear to see it fritter off and die
Flowers of every shape and size
Some open-up at every new sunrise
Others seem unfit to face the times
Here today and gone in the blink of an eye
Climbing the branches toward her light
She opens up the window with a smile
I can’t believe, a complete surprise
Thought I’d never look into those eyes again
Flowers of every shape and size
Great cherry blossom trees of Asian white
Too many petals brushed aside
In this world, like so many tears that I’ve cried
I stood with the crowd as they cast aside
The one true thing I’ve got in this life
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22. |
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A final look up at the sun
Out amongst the branches
No more tears and dry they run
I’ll be on my way
Wrap the vine around my neck
I’m off to see the world
Sailing through the air, I’ll bet
They’ll think of me somehow
And never live it down
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23. |
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The letter it drops to the ground
With two sets of tears streaming down
They hold on tight to each other tonight
And weep for the one we call Jungle Joe
If your petals are wearing thin
If you feel your world folding in
Been told that it’s sink or swim
Holly I’ll lift you up
Should your colors ever fade
In the cold-blooded light of day
I’ll cover your eyes and say
Holly never again, without a friend
The willow tree held us in her arms
But the sun perhaps meant us no harm
There are beautiful sights that are also brought to life
If we dare to step into the light
If your petals are wearing thin
If you feel your world folding in
Been told that it’s sink or swim
Holly I’ll lift you up
Should your colors ever fade
In the cold-blooded light of day
I’ll cover your eyes and say
Holly never again, without a friend
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