Lyrics
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NOW AND THEN:
(A scherzo composed for reflections in pools of sweat for the home-town crowd)
Gutterfucking street bums and the world is dying,
Chunky tame prophet machine; much has changed
They made an apostle vision to pray to, they built
A special image, oh, yes, their need is tremendous.
Drastically different, sudden blurring changes
A stop time ragged wail, vocal chord shutters suspended
Under deadly deadlines; a magnificently long stretch,
Tremendous deadlines, from here to the horizon.
And she has cists in her ovaries, said that before, but
Worth saying again though she’s gone. Drowned in
Striking out experiences, like visions of red, like
Hitting your head into a wall; insane, the sense of
Impact and shock somehow necessary, is given
Meaning, lots of changes. The book on the way
The baby aborted, the secret bed where corrupting
Copulation occurred, the Canadian beer golem, the
Blank spaces on the inside of your brain, the music, the
Indistinct return and subsequent disappearance of loved ones
I abused long ago, that one fucking guy with his teeth in
The street, a new obsession, seven thousand more cigarettes,
A waitress, a dancer, new session work; publications, the mail,
The laughter of the walls; I never gave anyone anything, losing it
My rhythm, quick, like lunatic laughter, slipped away, and
The trades robbed me of my honesty; the vodka in rivers,
The children of swine, the pretty blond with weeping hands,
And the period cellist, and a thousand other lost beginnings
And the typer, so silent, sits and watches as we lose it.
Much has changed; things are good.
copyright 2002 by Seth Barkan
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