Nighttown All songs by Chris Eckman, copyright 1997, Wolffsongs/EMI Publishing GMBH ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Follow Me an Angel The city's shiverin' Shivers in the heat That we call summertime And I'm deliverin' The one piece of the puzzle That you could not find Follow me an angel Follow every fool I can tonight Follow me an angel From the rooftops These streets Don't seem so bright The clocks have lost their hands The clouds take off their shirts And show their scars to me And we're out kickin cans Chasin' sirens Past the gate ... of your driveway Now here's the teeth to the city The keys to your wings The promise that I won't say no Though we ain't lookin' pretty There's some places open late Where we can go Follow me an angel Follow every fucked-up fool tonight Follow me an angel From the rooftops These streets don't seem so bright ------------------------------------------------------------------------ These Proud Streets (not available in CD booklet; coming soon) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Tremble (Goes the Night) Gettin' stupid ... crooked feet a pinball on ... Scott Walker Street gettin' stupid ... in a bar not goin' home ... til the band plays "Superstar" everything's on the edge of everything else you're hittin' a stride, that cannot be stopped people been callin' all the way from Florida ya said, you're going down there, for a week or more Tremble goes ... Tremble goes the night Tremble goes ... Tremble goes the night gettin stupid ... dancin' veins night rain on ... the Greyhound sign gettin' stupid ... flashlight face strangers got ... the clearest eyes nothin's worth envy, but I can't help myself go find your glory, ya don't need my help when it explodes, ya better line up to bet the dead don't have birthdays, they just forget Tremble goes ... Tremble goes the night Tremble goes ... Tremble goes the night shadows sparkle ... streetcars burn all of God's drunks ... we wait our turn so you're leavin' ... write it on a cake I'll take a piece ... and I'll join the wait When you get back, we'll find a heart and soul chapel see if there's anything, left to unravel now go drop this five, in the band's tip jar I'm not goin' home ... til the band plays "Superstar" ("Superstar") Tremble goes ... Tremble goes the night Tremble goes ... Tremble goes the night ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Unwind you're an open gate on a barbed wire fence swingin' back and forth you know it scares me half to death funny how it moved from a blessin' to a curse ain't it funny how we moved from the cursed, to the doomed will you will you unwind this heart of mine? heart of mine busted but not broke shaken up and stirred watch out who you tell this night is hangin' on each word but when the mornin' comes and the lies are cheap you'll say: "to live is to lose" I'll say: "losin's the one thing... that we all keep" will you... will you unwind? this heart of mine... heart of mine both a blessin' and a curse in everything we've heard a blessin' and a curse this night is hangin' on... each... word Lift Your Burdens Up Been a lot of rain out there rainin' blind summer's comin' slow ... this year it's rainin' blind If ya come back tonight ... I'll let it ... fall away if ya come back tonight ya better have ... the guts to stay gravel's loose ... and the load is shiftin' dreams are heavy ... they could use ... some ... liftin' come back now ... lay all your burdens down and with a little luck ... I'll lift your burdens up between my thoughts and my deeds delusion lies I've forgotten everything we ever tried but if ya come back tonight careful what you bring the sky's unwinding here twisted like a busted spring gravel's loose ... and the load is shiftin' dreams are heavy ... they could use ... some ... liftin' come back now ... and lay all your burdens down and with a little luck ... I'll lift your burdens up ... burdens up If ya need me ... you can call If ya need me ... I will call you If ya need me ... you can call If I need you ... I will call you ain't goin' anywhere fast gonna sit right here til the sky blows ... blows on past come back now ... lay all your burdens down and with a little luck ... I'll lift your burdens up and when the trigger's pulled ... ya know I'll follow through and you can bet your luck ... I'll list your burdens up ... burdens up ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Prayer for You when you burn your kingdom through the ashes I will come I know it makes no difference but I can't leave ya to your fun usin' up your torch song gifts why do you rush the end along? actin' like you'll soon forget the end is comin' on its own Just this once I'll say a prayer for you though I won't pretend to help just this once I'll say a prayer for you burnin' up the floorboards burned every place you stood every second chance: firewood bad luck is a famous name for what you brought yourself and I'm too dumb to help just this once I'll say a prayer for you though I won't pretend I'm right if you ask I'll say a prayer for you they say the city don't give up and I believe that's true (don't you?) ricochets from boom to bust like most of us who never cared enough... just this once I'll say a prayer for you though I won't pretend I'm right if you ask I'll say a prayer for you in the middle of the street I will stop I'll say a prayer for you if that's what you really want I will stop... I'll say a prayer for you in the middle of the street... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Immaculate said this was our town the joke it was on us we were just passin thru' on the way to givin' up joked this was our town that someday we'd be thrilled by anything we loved and everything we killed but the biggest risk we'll ever take will be to stay here in one place swearin' gold is struck on the way to givin' up I try not to forget how close we came to it ooh -- Immaculate ... ooh -- Immaculate ... ain't we strange enough that we don't have to prove we know how to last and we know how to lose gonna chase it down find the truth in store were we better off just one stop before? will there be a run of days, when sittin' pretty will make sense? when somethin' like a prayer, up and pays the rent? I try not to forget how close we came to it ooh -- Immaculate ... ooh -- Immaculate ... you're the fever that I dream the only dream I dream awake a dream the mornin' cannot shake you're the fever that I dream the only dream I dream awake a dream the mornin' cannot shake (the fever that I dream) ooh -- Immaculate ... ooh -- Immaculate ... ooh -- Immaculate ... ooh -- Immaculate ... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Nocturno (instrumental) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Heartless This is where it starts This is... where it stops And when it finally stops I hope, starts right up walk the glitter mile past hotels of sand people say'n lots of things ain't my job... to listen I don't believe what they say you've done don't believe in anything anything that lasts for long everytime I change my mind... you say I'm heartless... but I want the same thing as you This is where it stops This is... where it starts And when it finally starts I hope it pulls right up everytime I change my mind... you say I'm heartless... but I want the same thing as you why do ya say they built this desert in our way? open your eyes watch it slowly come alive somethin' new changin' into somethin' new... somethin' that I... saved for you everytime I change my mind... everytime I change my mind you say I'm heartless... but I want the same thing as you everytime I change my mind... everytime I change my mind you say I'm heartless ... but I want the same thing as you hmmmmmm something new... something new... something new... something new... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Slow Red Dawn We need a better idea, here quick Before the sun's beatin' down on our necks We need a better idea Watch us speed, to the end of the world Promise all, that we've already heard and still we're nowhere I don't care to know all the details How you left him to shout down the stairs I don't care to know Slow Red Dawn is gonna come Slow Red Dawn is comin' on Slow Red Dawn Do you see that thin strip of light there? On the skyline, it seems unaware that we haven't slept yet But as long as we still laugh for keeps and you swear you were dyin' to leave There's no reason to sleep Slow Red Dawn is gonna come Slow Red Dawn is comin' on Slow Red Dawn Slow Red Dawn is gonna come Slow Red Dawn is comin' on Slow Red Dawn Do ya see that light there? On the skyline unaware Do ya see that light there? comin' on Are we gonna let it flag? I think we got it in the bag Do ya see the light there? Comin' on ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Harbour Lights Harbour lights will change your plans more than judge or jury can what a sight flickerin' like prayers of grace how could you ever lose this place? what a sight But I'm sure I don't stand a ghost of a chance to stay here past the time, when all my checks run out to stay here past the time, when all my checks... run... out Chinese junks are driftin' in the foghorn blows its low warnin' across the stars glistening fluorescent tears finally know what kept me here harbour lights and I wonder if you are makin' it through we all hang from a single thread and a thousand truths we all hang from a single thread and a thousand... truths harbour lights will change your plans more than judge or jury can what a sight But I'm sure I don't stand a ghost of a chance to stay here past the time, when all my checks run out and I wonder if you are makin' it through I wonder under which moon do you sleep tonight I wonder under which moon do you say... good... night ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Forever Gone Streaks of light on the graveyard walk your bright star was crashin' crashin' the dark dreamed of a cold night to freeze it in place dreamed of ship bells and thunder ringin' us under dreamed all the way home that you'd never go talked up and down it mornin', noon and night alone in the optimists chair said our instincts were right but now I know the clean choice was the worst choice of all I'd rather feel guilt than this desert inside I'd rather steal wicked than lay down in pride gone forever forever gone made a mess of this town but that's what we always do throwin' glass to the floor now it's cuttin' right through more than a year's time 'til ya give up the scheme my wood matches meltin' the ghosts from your wedding ring never trusted fate but I wish that I had fate is what answered your slow cry for help fate was your motive your fate was yourself gone forever forever gone made a mess of this town but that's what we always do throwin' glass to the floor now it's cuttin' right through gone forever forever gone I'd rather feel guilt than this desert inside I'd rather steal wicked than lay down in pride seems like a long time... oooh! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Nightbirds The nightbirds stumble in like broken pendulums the nightbirds stumble in flown from thick to thin 'neath a cloud of suspicion you're a lucky man say it again the nightrain's pourin' down as the nightsky hits the town the nightbirds stumble in there are orders to be filled there are tall ones to be killed there are songs of praises to be sung will they all go south on us? with the crazies, with our trust? I trust you'll tell me if you lose that trust the nightrain's pourin' down as the nightsky hits the town the nightbirds stumble in you're a lucky man say it again I'm a lucky man say it again ------------------------------------------------------------------------