1. |
Portland Avenue
04:29
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Don’t you wonder where Annie went
After the third time they picked her up
No one here has seen her since
And I’ve got an apartment full of her stuff
It feels like yesterday since we saw her face
And her dimples popping out of her smile
Does anyone else here miss her laugh
Didn’t think she’d be gone all this while
Chorus
It’s a late night it’s an early in the morning theme
You don’t know if you’re awake or else you’re asleep
By the time the sun catches you alone in your room
You’re all tangled up in all those bad dreams
Last time I saw Annie she looked so good
Riding downtown on the train
She was the loudest person in the neighborhood
What I wouldn’t give to hear her holler again
Tell me when you’re ready and I’ll start the car
And help you get into your coat
We can take the long way it ain’t that far
And we’ll be home before you know it
Chorus
Annie dear, can you hear my voice
Do you recognize my face
We’ve been sitting here for so many years
You wouldn’t believe how much I’ve aged
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2. |
Little Sun
03:57
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I can see the city in February
I remember Little Sun’s wail
Sliding in the slush on the avenue
To get to the Times Hotel
The music it plays everywhere
Did you hear better when you were young
The tones are getting quiet
Come back home, Little Sun
The last time we got together
And our ears were wearing out
And preoccupied by finance
And unable to hear the shout
Of a hundred-year-old melody
The rattling of worn-out reeds
It’s a matter for perception
The music we choose to hear
The music it plays everywhere
Was it better when we were young
Or have we lost our focus
We need you here, Little Sun
The music it plays everywhere
Even when we’re old and undone
We just have to listen louder
It’s time to come home, Little Sun
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3. |
Bear Head Lake
07:20
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Look, there’s a shooting star
It’s a wave in the sea
Moving close to where we stand
And breaking on the shore
I can’t feel the sand
Beneath my feet where it landed
And pushed its way into the earth
Razing our sandcastle to the ground
The receding plumes of ash
Like water ripple through the sky
And bring chaos to the radio waves
Deafening our information
I remove my shoes
To accept the cool October
Water as it rushes back to the lake
And pools in the sky above
We turned away from the blinding light
To look at one another
But the reflection off the water
Was preoccupying your eyes
I remove my shoes
To accept the cool October
Water as it rushes back to the lake
And pools in the sky above
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4. |
Boombox
03:55
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There’s a woman next door out on her porch
With a boombox blasting at full force
And she dances real slow in her woolly socks
And slides on the wooden floor through the dust
Chorus
(Says / singing) When I’m dancing
This is how I dance
I let the music move me
This way and that
If you have a dance
I can appreciate that
But when I’m dancing
This is how I dance
There’s a bar downtown where they play the blues
On a tiny stage in a corner booth
Where I can close my eyes and feel the groove
And you can dance even if you don’t move
Chorus
I got a friend who can’t play a single note
But the music gets right down into their soul
They hear it play no matter where they go
You’d hear it too if you’d just listen now
Chorus
I’m alone now and that’s alright
I’ve done what I’ve done and it feels just fine
I can dance these memories all in my mind
And I can take a turn in my own time
Chorus
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5. |
Pale Fire
07:31
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I’m driving somewhere out on a highway in New Mexico and I’m tired and not in a hurry and I stopped to watch the sunset and I fell asleep and woke up in time to watch the same sun rising. That was it.
I seen the sunset
For the longest while
At the edge of my sight
It burned in pale fire
But when the sun was gone—the fire burned on
And when the sky was
Finally dark
And the air was quiet
And holy
But when the sun was gone—the fire burned on
I could be anywhere
The only sound is
My scraping footsteps
On the surface of the world
But when the sun was gone—the fire burned on
The ground grew beneath me
I could feel it
Through the soles of my shoes
It was clinging to my skin
But when the sun was gone—the fire burned on
I fell and surrendered
On damp fallen leaves
I stared through the branches
To the sun—climbing
But when the sun was gone—the fire burned on
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6. |
Ten Watt
05:30
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I can feel my energy getting dimmer
This generator won’t quite light up the road
My engine only fires on 5 cylinders
Straining to pull up this heavy load
About 20 watts is what’s needed
I’m generating about 7 on a good day
Everybody’s just gonna have to be patient
Cuz I really don’t need to come outside anyway
And I guess it’s always been that way
My room is situated in the corner
I can see three directions from my chair
It’s a box canyon apartment in the city
And no one can sneak up on me there
And I guess it’s always been that way
There’s no need for you to be lonely
I’m just sitting around here all day
You can stop by when you wanna
And sit down with your violin and play
I took a long walk this morning
Just to get outside and take the air
October reminds me of my childhood
Kicking leaves and starting fires everywhere
And I guess it’s always been that way
I tried to walk the way the birds fly
Cutting over all of the neighbors’ lawns
Climbing fences? at my age?
Yeah, but I’m just an old man when the cops are called
And I guess it’s always been that way
Now 20 watts is what’s required
And I think I might be up to 10
I’m gonna sit on the stoop and watch the traffic
And I might never get up again
And I guess it’s always been that way
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7. |
Stray
04:40
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How can you say he’s gone astray
The days find him alone
Always miles from anywhere
Never finding his way home
How can you say he’s always dirty
Well, he’s got nowhere to wash
Everyone avoids him
No matter what the cost
To his damaged ego
To his worn-out shoes
Thin clothes against the cold
Thin hearts against his own
Let the rope out easy
Bring everyone on board
Mend the broken hearts
Take on their heavy loads
He hears about your religion
All about his sinful ways
All about the god who loves him
But will punish him anyways
But he already knows the lake of fire
He swims in it every day
He’s beaten down with neglect
And burned with hypocrisy
How can you say there’s a stray
In the middle of your town
He can feel the anger in your eyes
Where empathy should be found
I hear he’s lost his family
Or they let him wander away
Can anyone speak on his behalf
Or has someone rigged the game
Let the rope out easy
Bring everyone on board
Mend the broken hearts
Take on their heavy loads
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8. |
Sloth
03:39
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I did my best
But I came up short
She asked me what time it was
I answered “just about four”
She said “you going out”
I said “I don’t know”
She looked disgusted
But that’s just the way it goes
Chorus
It feels like I’m moving awfully slow these days
So don’t bother to wait just go on your way
And I’ll catch up or either stay behind
Don’t let my plans worry your mind
My ambition is suited
To a non-industrial epoch
My desire to succeed
Is based on a subjective metric
My career goals are a little patch of sun
Or maybe that little bit of shade
Chorus
Pass me on the freeway
What do I care about that
My car is slow
But it’s good on gas
I’ll get to where I’m going
Or maybe change my mind
And make a detour
Whatever happens gonna be fine
Chorus
I did my best
But I came up short
She asked me what time it was
I answered “just about four”
She said “you going out”
I said “I don’t know”
She looked disgusted
But that’s just the way it goes
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Charlie Parr Duluth, Minnesota
"Parr is scruffy and uncomfortable looking, with a longish beard and balding head. He dropped out of high school in the
1980s, but he looks older than that. He's pathologically deadpan in his delivery of in between song banter. The crowd really enjoyed his depressingly hilarious dead cat story. He never smiles." - Lucy Steigerwald
TOUR DATES: www.charlieparr.com/shows.html
... more
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