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You By Me (Dan P./Toh Kay) liner notes
Watch Where You Walk lyrics and liner notes
Around the World lyrics and liner notes
Eyeballs
Sweets and Meats
Eat The Planet
Lyrics from the album "Eyeballs"
Hula Hoops
there’s this boy who cuts loose hula hoops and eyes bulge jaws drop he don’t stop he don’t stop for nothin
I’ve Set Sail
it’s soon but I’ve set sail again the wind feels right this time the waves are3 small but they rock my boat just enough it’s soon but i’ve set sail again I’ve put my trust in the constellations the pinholes of hope that steer my boat i’ve put my heart in the hands of the man in the moon it’s soon but I’ve set sail again and if you get seasick i’ll drop anchor and hold you close and if you get sunstroke i’ll let you sit in the hull of my boat it’s soon but i’ve set sail again the moon feels right this time it’s big and it’s bright and it’s in line with the stars it’s soon but I’ve set sail again
Eyeballs
when i’m not there i feel eyes bearing down on you i feel the pressure of a million desires could they be more than in my mind feeling them watching you when we go out everyone seems to notice you you say hello smile and wave and flip your hair don’t you know how that makes me feel feeling them watching you woa oh oh oh oh oh eyeballs eyeballs you don’t say the words but i can read it in your body language and so can they i hate the laughter in their eyes i’m not paranoid or insecure i know they’re watching you
Where’s Teddy
where’s teddy you should be by your friend where are you now are you sitting down where’s teddy you should be by your friends if if’s and but’s were candy and nuts you’d be here for one more year why can’t i tie a tie anymore what’s gone wrong my hands were stuck for so long to the steering wheel you can’t do what without the what you don’t think just react why can’t i answer the phone anymore whats gone wrong my hands were stuck for so long to the steering wheel seven out of ten eight out of ten nine out of ten good shot here’s your 50 cents good luck
Same Page
you know i’ve been hurt and i know you’ve been too but if you look out for me i’ll look out for you we’ll be scared together and we’ll take things slow pretend not to fall because we’re taking it slow we’re on the same page it’s good to know were on the same page
Heavy
let’s not get heavy yet no heavy talks and no heavy pets let’s not get heavy yet heavy yet let’s not make up the rules just yet we’ll close our eyes let go and just feel so far it feels like such a safe bet let’s not get heavy yet my mind is racing the trap is set oh i can’t get heavy yet i tried to warn you but you wouldn’t listen there’s things about me you’re happy you’re missing i might lose my place at such a fast pace let’s not get heavy yet i don’t think i should leave just yet the sun is rising and i haven’t slept oh i’ll just lay next to you a bit
Another Name in a Magazine
Oil Change
this afternoon me and my roomate changed my oil i felt like a man as i drained my oil pan i put my car up on bricks now there’s nothing i can’t fix if i could put you up on bricks i’ve never changed my own oil he said i was three quarts low he shook his head he shook his head and said dan you’re bad i said sometimes i forget and it might just be genetic cars escape me just like my dad and o should probably think more about where i’m going and how i’ll get there and i should probably check my tire pressure keep it high so i don’t stall don’t stall we gapped spark plugs and i guess i learned something new but i felt bad for that poor guy at Jiffy lube he’ll change oil, and i’ll write songs and we’ll all still get along forgive me i meant no wrong
8 Eyes
eight eyes we talked for hours that seemed like minutes clouds just opened up water just hit us but you didn’t say a word you just smiled and pulled at the end of your skirt we talked about your family and the things that make us both go crazy all eight of our eyes saw clearly through the fog and spitting rain 8 eyes we hopped the fence we were trespassing i got scared when the lights started flashing but you didn’t say a word you just smiled and pulled me in much closer we kissed on the waterslide it was dry but the kiss was wet and it felt right all eight of our eyes saw clearly through the fog and spitting rain 8 eyes
My Favorite Song
you could be my favorite song the way you stuck with me so long your melody’s catching me i’m humming your name when i’m driving if the radio picked up on your tune no doubt you’d be a big hit soon I’d be requesting you my favorite song Now i know you’re my favorite tune and i hope i hear it again real soon your name stuck in my head it’s a beat that i can’t shed i’d make all my friends a tape so they could hear and know how great you aremy favorite song not too fast and not too slow i could get used to your tempo we could sing it in harmony i’ll back up and you sing lead cause i don’t want to change it all that much i’d hate to ruin it with my touch i’d hate to foul you up my favorite song
I went In
a little hope tonight it wass small but it was all i needed a split second when we both lost control it wasn’t just me it wasn’t just me when we stopped in the street you stopped breathing and your head tilted back heart attack you closed your eyes and opened your mouth nothing came out so i went in you closed your eyes and opened your mouth we both stopped in the middle of the street i’d like to think that it wasn’t just me your head leaned back heart attack we both stopped in the middle of the street three months of frustration and self mutilation all burned away in the middle of the street but later that night you brought it all back why did i do that why did i do that why are you afraid of me afraid to be alone with me you know i’ll ask and then you’ll crash now i know why you’re afraid of me you closed your eyes...
Staring at Payphones (Alone in Hoboken)
i imagine myself alone at Benny’s eating the world’s biggest slice across the room the payphone starts to ring i’m chewing on ice benny picks it up on his way to kick the jukebox he grabs the phone and says it’s for you now i grab the phone my hands are shaking hello you say it’s me now way no way i wake up covered in makeup straight from a dream to nightmare it seems i find myself alone again in Hoboken i’m staring at payphones i’m thinking of questions i’m pressing the numbers in my head i’m staring att payphones i’m staring at payphones i’m thinking of questions hypothetical intellectual arguements i’m staring at payphones three months later i’m back at benny’s eating my pepperoni pie across the room the payphone starts to ring i’m rubbing my eyes leona picks it up on her way to make a phone call phone call she grabs the phone and says it’s for you now i’m not afraid of you or the payphone hello i say it’s me go away in three months i woke up got myself cleaned up thank you for seeing what i couldn’t see things could be worse than being alone again in hoboken
No One Ever Leaves Me
now you’ve made it so clear you’ve realized my fears so clear you’ve got a lot of nerve no one no one ever leaves me i must have misunderstood you you’ve sent a tractor down my spine and straightened out the curves you’ve got a lot of nerve there’s better ways to spend your time than spending it with mine you’ve got a lot of nerve you can’t do this to me this can’t be happening you can’t do this to me
Perryville
before i was born my granma and my grandpa and my mother drove the car to perryville with my two older brothers now all kids know that there’s lots of fun things to do in summer but mom and grandma and grandpa had an idea like no other some kids go to the park and try to catch lightning bugs when it gets dark and some kids go to the baseball game and if they behave out for icecream but my two brothers got the treat of their life when they rolled into perryville that summer night they got out of the car and went into a house of worship walked past some pews and ahead lay the purpose of their trip behind some glass below the alter a little girl was petrified as she received her 1st communion her father shot her between the eyes some kids go to the park and try to catch lightning bugs when it gets dark and some kids go to the baseball game and if they behave out for icecream but my two brothers got the treat of their life when they rolled into perryville that summer night my mom said that the girl and her dress didn’t look so good they were kind of rotten both my brothers shied away mom doesn’t think they understood no they were to young to know that some kids go to the park and try to catch lightning bugs when it gets dark and some kids go to the baseball game and if they behave out for icecream but my two brothers got the treat of their life when they saw the rotting girl in front of their eyes
Lyrics from the album "Sweets and Meats"
up
They’re Talking
Heat blinded feelers can still smell the cheaters hiding in hallways and doorways and stairwells sneaking and peeking through keyholes for answers to questions that everyone’s just too afraid to ask we all expect too much now I think that I need to fade away fast I heard that he said that she heard a whisper behind someone’s back I don’t know who’s back was whispered behind was it mine this whole world seems poised for attack sometimes we all expect too much now I think that I need to fade away fast they’re talking out there
Clockwise
Clockwise and down in a spiral clockwise wouldn’t you like to see the world I could take you all around the world we’re gonna be the things your heart asks Mr. conscience please all around the world and I’ll watch you spinning clockwise and down in a spiral clockwise I miss my old friend where did he go he pissed himself down the drain and I watched him spinning clockwise wouldn’t you like to feed the world well I sat back and fed you to the world I watched it chew you up and spit you right back down again clockwise
I Know There’s More
I know there’s more than just a handfull of things that I can’t control but one of the things that I just can’t undo is how I feel about you It just seems so impossible completely unacceptable what keeps us from acting just like animals our ability to feel so close and hurt the ones we love the most and trample on each others hearts like vandals it just seems so impossible completely unpredictable today the earth the sun and moon decide to collide
The Letter
Dic tate rephrase I wrote the letter that sent you away translated from your left brain and wrote the essay that sent you away I’m excited to serve community in the name of God and country I’m a people person I’ve got no ties
Sharks
I went to the marina saw a man in a speedo scratching himself and staring at sharks his shirt was unbuttoned long grey chest hairs and the sharks just kept swimming more bored than annoyed and the man on the tape says that they’d suffocate if the sharks would stop swimming in circles even though there’s no place for them to go in this aquarium they just keep swimming in circles they’re such noble creatures the marina’s main feature and they glide through captivity with oceans more dignity than we’ll ever know judging by that speedo and the man on the tape says that they’d suffocate if the sharks would stop swimming in circles even though there’s no place for them to go in this aquarium they just keep swimming in circles
How to Suffer
If you could teach me how to suffer I’d never leave you for another I’ll help you clean your plate and we could erase all our mistakes and now who wins now who’s the sucker I’ve watched more lines slip by than a trucker what are your regrets do you have regrets I’m obviously you and me not done yet remember when I said that I didn’t really mean it and you turned away you turned away I’ll help yop clean you plate and we could repeat our best mistakes and now who wins now who’s the sucker I’ve watched more lines slip by than a trucker what are your regrets do you have regrets I’m obviously obviously you and me not done yet
Tornado Joe
this place is quicksand don’t you ever come back I guess you knew what’s good for you you got out before you sank this place is quicksand you look after yourself and you’ll see soon I’ll get out too either there or somewhere else hey ho tornado Joe rip through me again I miss the mess in our old van I miss your bag of pens hey ho tornado Joe I propose a toast to you and me and rock and you you’ve got to blow out towards the coast there’s so much I still don’t know about this far left coast but my short time here for sure has shown it ain’t no mecca no paradise the ocean’s great and the weather’s nice but isolation is everywhere and you can’t escape it by coming here because anxiety can hitch a ride on planes and loneliness travels from state to state all my stuff is in bags and crates but I can’t escape my baggage brains oh this place is quicksand.
Got Through Another One
Got through another one one day one hour one minute I’m up in it got through another one I’ve watched you every night slip into overdrive I’m finding it hard to believe sometimes got through another one... everything came up stale with you when it rains it hails I’m finding it easy to fail on you hit overdrive I believe you’re trying we’re not through it yet but I can see you haven’t quit I believe you’re trying I watched your charm dissolve again I sat back and listened while you insulted friends my conscience says it’s true I sucked the life out of you I did what I needed to do to you hit overdrive got through another one one day one hour one minute I’m up in it got through another one
Stepping Stones to CA
Stepping Stones to California lightning storms and cheap tequilla old El Paso heat so unforgiving generators humming this could be more than just a pit stop a town so quiet you could hear a pin drop go away to school or get glued to a barstool we’re on our way to bigger shows another town where no one knows we’re on the road and feeling great on a Monday Tuesday filler date bleached my hair in a bathroom sink toilet’s overflowing on these stepping stones to California
So Many Days
so many days it’s hard to breathe so many miles you’re so hard to read did you forget the things that you said I hope not yet we’re both so used to this hand signals sent through electric phone wired crossed again I’m suspecting that you’ve started drifting the mailbox the answering machine all short on answers to questions I can’t help from pacing so many days it’s hard to breathe so many miles you’re so hard to read did you forget the things that you said I hope not yet
Pope
The pope came to St. Louis the pope came and the media scared the crowds Some say that the secret service used the media for their own purpose mad up a lie about the mess it would be so we’d all stay home and watch the pope on our tv’s my mom won the lottery at her church so she got to be 3rd row from heaven and all she could see is a digital pope in a digital robe on closed circuit tv more cops than catholics they herded the pigs from out in the sticks it was like a parade at forty miles an hour and the pope zipped past in his see through car and we laughed and he waved and I think he smiled it all happened so fast all the people were chanting John Paul II we love you he pope came to St. Louis the pope came and the media scared the crowds
Better Days Ahead
Do you remember back when we rode the bus to the stadium the bleacher seat line wrapped around the block you cut in line and waved us up no one would ever stop you you’re so old we’re so young better days ahead do you remember back when we were so tight such good friends and not just tollerating each day in our own ways how many more days can we each take better days ahead.
Streetlights
Streetlights who would believe that a halogen lamp could conceive that’s what she said and it stuck in my head it was her explanation of teen pregnancy don’t you know what happens to all the girls who stay up all night under the streetlights the light seeps through the walls plants a seed and babies fall so when I see those city streets all lit up like a christmas tree her wisdom comes to me and I thank God that I can go out at night because I don’t have ovaries
Hey James
hey Dan let’s start a band call your friend Lance and we’ll rock the pants of of the world we’ll meet some girls and break their hearts into millions of pieces hey James let’s write some music I want to show the world that we love it we’ll get everyone to trust us, and then we’ll find a way to abuse it we’re not bad guys but we could learn how to watch this whole world burn we’ll rip the whole wide world apart with our guitars hey Lance let’s make ‘em dance play a beat so thay just can’t stand there staring you’ve got what it takes to crumble mountains with earthquakes there’s just no way when you play your drums that they could stand there looking dumb we could cover the world in flames Lance Dan and James and when we’re done this world will never be the same
You Listened
you listened to me when all my friends let me down and lost their minds you listened to me patiently and gave out sound advice I miss the way you lick the tartar sauce off your fillet o’ fish your sweat band bracelets that don’t fit and all your piles of useless shit I miss the way our legs tied up in knots so long ago but I think more than all these things I miss your ears the most you listened to me when all my friends let me down and lost their minds you listened to me patiently I want you back in my life.
Lyrics from the album, "EAT THE PLANET"
FanSpin like a fan just puishing air around again if we could speak eye to eye maybe we'd start to understand nerves starting to break the same hot air recirculates spin like a fan spin like a fan I don't listen when I talk I think I talk just to be heard do you listen when I talk don't want to hear another word I think I need to say again I know I talk just to be heard I'm your biggest fan oh could you just say the word oh these summer nights the temperature drops when the fog rolls in and we open windows pull up the sheets and cool down again and we reconnect when the heat subsides I'm with you tonight spin like a fan
Deep Blue
Deep Blue dark water stay true north star deep blue dark water don't let them drift too far two seperate boats drifting aimless on the sea they bumped heads on the waves of history without maps to set them back on course they just hold hands and float farther from the shore we all just watched from our spots there on the beach rescue decisions were discussed but never reached storm clouds at night he tries to steer to safer waters but the sky it never clears the ocean breathes lifts them upside down spun in circles and flips them upside down tossed into a brand new food chain new predators circling to stake thei claim Deep Blue..
Shelf
Shelf on the wall that I screwed in crooked it;s holding books and I'll never read them honorable mention for my good intentions one hundred projects one hundred distractions if you're not waiting around anymore I'll stack your books back on the floor shelf on the wall that I screwed in crooked thought I had measured but it still looks stupid it holds your books where the whole world can see them lets people know that you're not just good lookin' if you're not coming around anymore I'll stack your books back on the floor So many pages so much information but none of the stories could hold my attention wisdom to share knowledge and power I threw them out set them next to the dumpster if you come back and knock on my front door your books won't be here anymore
Eat the Planet
I'll take one of everything in the whole wide world swallow everything till our stomaches curl eat these candle holders eat these figurines eat a boat and trailer to set my soul at ease eat the car we're driving eat the front yard eat thehouse we live in eat all my guitars right here's a toaster oven and microwave to chew eat this television and chase it with shampoo let's eat the planet start chewin' we don'[t need it let's eat the planet EAT IT we don't need it Let's eat the planet eat the planet eat the planet EAT IT
Hurt
What gives with your facination with only things that will hurt you there's worse things to lose than patience but I think mine is wearing through you're so drawn to pain like a deer in the headlight of a train oh talk to me tell me this whole world has gone insane say all of them are jerks tell me I'm the only one that's sane oh tell me how it hurts oh I need to hear it first save each story up for me spill your guts I'm yours to keep save your misery for me spill your guts and you'll be free
Foot Down
Down down put your foot down so hard to watch you getting shoved around down down down put your foot down lay it down rise above these clowns well here's a word for those who prey upon the weaker ones well it may pay for now but you're time come when the oppressed are backed up against the wall their inner strength will surface one for all when pressure builds too much to keep it bottled up when it's time to tell them that you've had enough the scales will tip you're next in line you'll know it's time to put your food down
Steady Lines
Steady Lines we've drawn together blur with time and run together painted scenes rich with color lucid dreams light as a feather drifting up above all consciousness beyond all weightlessness there's a photograph of the recent past your hand in mine steady lines
Heartbeat/Survival
Oh excuses run over hills from coast to coast through everyone and oh how they fly through the sky over clouds into the sun in the food we eat in the air we breathe every thought overwhelmed and undone heartbeat survival if we could turn our backs on the past and not just tread in the same tracks and oh to just let go of all false hopes for the future and watch the show we could be in the moment with our eyes wide open every thought a beautifull surprise heartbeat survival
Behind the Curtain
Behind the curtain behind the scenes relentless planning and hollow dreams you draw the image he plants the seed calculated plotting and posturing you paint the picture to meet his needs behind the curtain behind the scene cut throat rumors spread like disease backstage parties and cocktail dreams where alte-egos become identities you built a network of people to please behind the curtain behind the scene went out on a limb today watch it break I made a claim today I couldn't fake coming to terms with fate I can't change out on a limb today watch it break when you started struggling I just started crumbling and all my pieces tumbled away when did you give up don't you give up there's still time we could make this right
Losing My Shirt
She said that I think that's it's respectable you never gave up I just laughed and said some people just don't know when to shut up sometimes hard luck it just comes easier than hard work and now I'm a big jerk she said what kind of answe is that I didn't ask for an attack my brain shut down I knew right then and there I should shut up cause sometimes hard luck it just comes easier than hard work and now I'm losing my shirt she's such a flirt so misdirected the world is infected
Riot
Why did you show up dressed for a riot this town is peacefull and these streets are quiet why did you dress for a riot oh I see your boots and I see your baton some time ago you were probably picked on I see your helmet and I see your frown but this party can't be held down
Set your Alarm
Set your alarm we're headed right into the storm get on the bus before we rust set your alarm shake your past I've got a tank filled up with gas get on the bus before we rust set your alarm beats drop like a rock full stop I think we were made for each other freeze frame I need to take this in you'll say this party is over before it begins set your alarm we're headed right into the storm get on the bus let's build some trust set your alarm
Beginning to See
You're beginning to see that I'm not perfect you're starting to notice and I'm getting nervous your starting to notice so far so good I've hidden what I could you took the very best of me and the rest of me is put away so well you couldn't hardly tell how twisted my guts look inside completely fried
Stuck in the Middle
Stuck in the middle of it in the middle of it one too many wasted minds a whole page of wasted rhymes stuck in the middle of a grown up fit and the wall just slams into a clenched up fist he was chasing down some dream of a life without the screams stuck in the middle of a grown up war and the room starts spinning so he hugs the floor Stuck in the middle of it stuck in the middle with a king sized fiddle stuck in the middle of it on the road an uphill climb a whole month of wasted time stuck in the middle of a hurricane just without the wind without the rain we were hanging on to hope while you walked on that tightrope stuck in the middle of a hate free town with the surfer bums and the hippie clowns dread the day when we both just don't hesitate his eyes were blue and the red tape was torn in two I said dread the day when we both learn to behave the sky was truth and the sunsets were all we knew all we knew
Cut Myself Again
Damn I cut myself again when am I going to learn not to cut my face I hate when I bleed all over the place amature shaver damn toilet paper damn god damn I burned myself again when am I going to lear to stay away from the flames the heat feels good but it's too much pain god damn I burned myself again the bleeding's finally stopped the sink is dry and the floor is mopped and all that's left is just a little dot amature shaver damn toilet paper damn
The Star
You are the star of my favorite episodes every line tape recorded in my mind over exposed how do I tell them everything that you mean to me you're a mountain on my cloud you're electricity when there's a lapse in my logic and my brain doesn't connect I just snap and I let loose with some thing I'll soon regret that's when you grab my hand and look me in the eye and you force me to talk it out even though I'd rather not and that's why.. when a list of every awkward thing I've said sticks in my head somehow you find a way to make me laugh out loud instead oh the birds and the bees you make them all weak in the knees and every doubt I've ever had just floats away in the breeze if I could build an unbreakable silence you'd blast through with your bullshit siren you'd find the holes in my see through logic let's catch an airplane to the closest island
Darlin' Blue
Darlin' don't you be blue things could go worse than they're going for you darlin' don't you be blue the bills pile up above our heads from the ground and hope walks away from this ocean town at the end of the earth but not the end of the road keep your chin up, and we'll share the load darlin don't you be blue things could get worse than they're gettin to you darlin don't you be blue
I saw an Ocean
I saw an ocean of people today floating down stiarways and riding the subway each had a story that I'll never know a piece in the puzzle of Tokyo's soul and you're at a desk sitting in the midwest and in each stranger's face I saw a trace of you I felt so close to you this afternoon the sun was shining and I saw the moon riding the train through strange towns with strange names my heart grew heavy not one looked the same and not one of them knew what I might mean to you or what you mean to me they may never see your smile I saw an ocean of people today a piece in the puzzle
Liner notes from the album "You By Me"- Dan P./Toh Kay split
In some ways, covering someone else's songs carries more responsibility than just writing and recording your own work. Whenever you cover a song, it's your responsibility to put an original twist on the tune and make it your own in some way.. otherwise why bother. It's already been done. With these Streetlight songs though, they already mean so much to so many people, that I knew to mess with it too much would definitely rub SM fans the wrong way. Walking that line was my biggest challenge for this project. Streetlight Manifesto songs tend to be LONG. Their songs are these ever changing epic journeys with twists everywhere and lots of tricky parts.. and I rarely write a song over two minutes long. To make things work, I had to hack things up a bit. Sometimes with a scalpel, sometimes with an axe. Excuse the mess.
Moment of Silence- I chose to cover Moment Of Silence because I love that moment when they play it live, and they come in with that epic horn line, and the whole crowd recognizes the song right off the bat, and then there's a pause, which is the perfect time for the crowd to scream.. and they do.. every night. It was fun to split up the horn line into multiple acoustic guitar takes, and to leave some space for some Django inspired guitar leads. If you're familiar with the song to start with, then you're really expecting that reggae feel to bust in after the horn intro, so I liked the curveball of coming in with a super straight, fast, driving ska feel. Wow, it was hard to spit out all those lyrics so fast. I wrote my own Bad Religion inspired background vocal counter melody at the end of this one.
Somewhere In The Between- I think this is my favorite Streetlight song. I couldn't help but pick their biggest sing-along! Lyrically, I like that it's dark, but with glimmers of hope here and there. I feel like the mid-tempo ska bounce kind of spotlights the positivity. If you're really familiar with the album version of this one, you'll notice that I actually transcribed all the horn solos, and pretty much play them note for note on guitar. Ridiculous, but it's meant as a head nod to Streetlight's unstoppable horn section. It seems funny to cover their tunes and not record any horns at all, but I'm a pretty shite sax player.
Crash- I love this song, but the only way I could see it working for me to cover it was to just strip things way down. There are so many intense parts in the original version, and so many crazy horn-driven sections, and I knew I wouldn't be able to pull that off. For my slimmed down version, the melody (which is beautiful) and the lyrics (which are really smart) are both spotlighted and really carry the song all by themselves.
Fall Together- More Django Reinhardt inspired guitar leads on this one. It's really fun to play harmonized guitar leads. I would recommend it to just about anybody. Bend a note here and there for extra fun. I got to say "fucked" in this song, which I generally avoid in my own songs. Sorry mom.
Big Sleep- I picked this one (like Somewhere In The Between) because it's another great sing along. Most of the song I have no idea what Tomas' lyrics are about, but I really think the last verse is beautiful and made me want to cover this one. "How did it come to this!!!" Here's another song where I tried to just strip things down and let the lyrics and melody carry the tune.