Jeremy Gratton

i’ve seen the mind of people in a sea of giant egos
i’ve seen pride turn wise men into weak fools
i’ve seen lovely women turn ugly from material things
i’ve seen the death of truth, and the truth of monetary gain
i’ve seen good people tortured, beaten, afraid, and shamed
i’ve seen floods arise from great gobs of rain

i’ve seen hurricanes, lightning, snow and sleet
i’ve seen hunger, famine, and profitable charities
i’ve seen greed turn people into monstrous beings
i’ve seen brutality, violence, and terrible things

i’ve seen madness stored in faith and rage
i’ve seen loneliness, and melancholic pain
i’ve seen people frightened by change
i’ve seen honor, integrity, and felt amazed

i’ve seen children malnourished with nothing to eat
i’ve seen others waste lots of food intentionally
i’ve seen people litter, and disrespect our earth
i’ve seen the absolute miracle of birth

i’ve seen smiles, nightmares, joy, and dreams
i’ve seen horrible, devastating atrocities
i’ve seen murder, rape, hate, and pillaging
i’ve seen disillusion, fear, and grieving

i’ve seen racism, fascism, and socialism
i’ve seen mormonism, cannibalism, and catholicism
i’ve seen suicide, homicide, and genocide
i’ve seen rednecks, fat cats, poor dogs, and sick monkeys

i’ve seen cancer, a-i-d-s, and obesity
i’ve seen fame, cures, and plastic surgery
i’ve seen addiction, affliction, and religion
i’ve seen christians, muslims, and confusion

but i’ve never seen anything so entertaining as you and me
and i’m open, because i like to see everything

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loneliness is flaunting her dress, she is cold and bitter
says she misses how we intertwined, and how we fit together
these thoughts just help remind her of her flesh and mortal sins
she writes them off as a sort of weakness, and hates me for all of them

you can tell them i’m never coming home
you can tell them i’d rather be alone…
that their eyes don’t see what’s inside of me

she says the dreams aren’t enough to sustain her mind
she can feel my inconvenient energy near her sometimes
if sadness and emptiness is what you’ve made of it,
then perhaps it is time… for us to close this connection
i’ll see you in the next life

you can tell them i’m never coming home
you can tell them i’d rather be alone…
that their eyes don’t see what’s inside of me

you can tell them i’m never coming home
you can tell them i’d rather be alone…
that their eyes don’t see what’s inside of me

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left me here inside my head, inside this place,
inside disgrace, all alone and i can’t hide
living like a drifter, floating in the moment,
with no explanation for this life

left me with an avalanche,
impending doom above my head,
and here i am in amazement
broken branches, fallen trees,
tells us all what’s to be,
all the silence and snow in the air

it’s the calm of the land, it’s the lonesome call of winter
it’s the fires that brew in the night during solstice
it’s the thing that you do that’s considered fair justice
it’s the love that you give, it’s the love that you give

lying in a liar’s den,
no telling what could have been,
it’s 20 more miles left on the road
feeling out of season, out of time, and out of reason,
i’ve only got you left to hold

it’s the calm of the land, it’s the lonesome call of winter
it’s the fires that brew in the night during solstice
it’s the thing that you do that’s considered fair justice
it’s the love that you give, it’s the love that you give

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fear is on channel 3
watch us all bleed and breed
and sink into our holes
hate is on channel 5
watch violence destroy lives
and melt inside our souls
lies are on channel 9
watch the sadness in the eyes
and hide inside our homes
death is on channel 12
watch us all burn in hell
and greed will take its toll

call me what you wish or will
i dislike paying part of the bill
that helps put an end to life
it’s not that i have no hope for us
it’s just i no longer see the cause
it’s time you critics get that right

the fight is not overseas,
in the desert, or airways
it’s right here in this country
terror was a bullet
but the man has the gun, and now…
look at what he’s chosen
look at what he’s done

call me what you wish or will
i dislike paying part of the bill
that helps put an end to life
it’s not that i have no hope for us
i just no longer see the cause
and it’s time to bring our troops back home

war is on channel 4
someone ought to reach on over
and turn off the goddamn tv

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i’ve got a broken kind of love
i’ve got a heart made of steel
silk arteries and tissue
which tells me that i miss you

i’ve got a bottle full of pills
seems, i never get my fill
yeah, i take ‘em for the pain
but it never seems to go away

it’s not the things you do when you’re alone
it’s not the voice you hear on the telephone
maybe, if you find that you want to speak your mind
maybe, you can keep it to yourself

seems i sing from the bottom
of a cold and empty bottle
at least i know who i am
but don’t misjudge me…
that’s not all i am

it’s not the things you do when you’re alone
it’s not the voice you hear on the telephone
maybe, if you find that you’ve got to speak your mind
maybe, you can keep it to yourself

lead us on with your image
lead us on with your grand vision
lead us on with the power of song

you can lead us on, but you know we’ll come around
you can lead us on, but you know we’ll come around
you can lead us on, but you know we’ll come around
you can lead us on, but you know… we will come around

maybe, i’ll be coming home to you

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as soon as you’re born, they make you feel small
by giving you no time instead of it all
till the pain is so big you feel nothing at all
a working class hero is something to be
a working class hero is something to be
they hurt you at home and they hit you at school
they hate you if you’re clever and they despise a fool
till you’re so fucking crazy you can’t follow their rules
a working class hero is something to be
a working class hero is something to be
well, they’ve tortured and scared you for twenty odd years
then they expect you to pick a career
when you can’t really function, you’re so full of fear
a working class hero is something to be
a working class hero is something to be
keep you doped with religion and sex and tv
and you think you’re so clever and classless and free
but you’re still fucking peasants as far as i can see
a working class hero is something to be
a working class hero is something to be
there’s room at the top, they are telling you still
but first you must learn how to smile as you kill
if you want to be like the folks on the hill
a working class hero is something to be
a working class hero is something to be
if you want to be a hero, well just follow me
if you want to be a hero, well just follow me

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© John Lennon (Sony/ATV songs LLC)

i gotta call, but i read your letters
always seem to make me feel better
and i’ve offered you many things
like pompous flesh and fortune rings

walk a while with the shoes of grace
you look so good these days
what does a body have to do
to get theirs right next to you

and ya ask me for the meaning to life
and i must abide
the only meaning to this life is to live it
and live it as well as you’d like

and i’d like to see you today
i’d like to walk a while with you
and i don’t care what your good book says
i want to lie naked with you

days go by just like we’ve lost them
seems absurd to have to work them
you know i don’t want to have to
seems so uncomplimentary to me

and ya know i’ve got better things to do
like spend more time with you
scratch my ass or take a luxury cruise
anything else, other than punch the clock of blues

and ya ask me for the meaning to life
and i feel i must abide
the only meaning to this life is to live it
and live it as well as you’d like

and i’d like to see you today
i’d like to walk a while with you
and i don’t care what our employers say
i want to lie naked with you…

i want to make love with you

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it’s a fine line my friend, one you can’t defend,
and you know that you’re gonna cross it in the end
silence doesn’t suit you well, this i can tell,
by the look upon your face as you walk on by

yes, i know what it’s like to walk on through this life
and wonder if you will even survive

times will always change, sometimes in peculiar ways,
watch as the waves’ weight turn the sand into stone
paralyze the wicked ways, on those wanton days,
fear is just an exit sign on your long road… to change

yes, i know what it’s like to walk on through this life
and wonder if you will even survive…
you will even survive…
you will even survive

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parade around inside the town
with your fancy hands and big cigars
and your driftin’ in just like dead wood
the ground does shake and the temples do awake
as the words go by and finally die…
seems we all can’t walk that way
watched you turned the corner
with an ace and a king and a bitter man’s laugh
and you walked in just like you owned us all
to your surprise, in the back of the line,
there stood a man with a badge in his hand
and he was asking around about your name

so, you riddled and wormed and rhymed and burned
all the evidence you had in your firm,
but the tides turned towards you by the end of the day
later on, in front of the building,
the boys in blue did catch up with you
to ask you questions about fiction and truth
the silence was enough to mutilate
and you could tell by their posture they wouldn’t hesitate
to put ya in the back of the car and take you downtown
you denied their pungent allegations with sincere reservations
it wasn’t enough to convince them you were innocent

they kept on pushing and pushing and pushing
you kept on defending and defending
and by the 11th hour, you were well spent
they brought forth the paper and the pen
and wanted you to use it then
to confess to a murder you knew you did
you were cold and confused and felt abused
thirsty and hungry and felt misused,
but you didn’t use that paper and you refused to look at it
you knew if you did, they would see the guilt,
stemming from the murder of, a beautiful young girl
who was someone’s lovely daughter

the trial came and went one day and mr. rawlins walked away
this is a story of an utmost tragedy
due to a technicality, an unjust judge and greedy jury,
that no good sonofabitch is still free

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they were burning books long before you came
god forbid anyone learns anything
they were killing them right in the streets
they were… dropping them down to their knees

pass the token and pay the fee,
the piper is coming and he’s bringing misery
i’ve been the prophet of…
i’ve been the martyr of… many things
just don’t ask me about love

welcome to my hell, i know you all want to dream
if you buy one, we’ll toss another one in for free
and you don’t have to do a goddamn thing,
‘cuz in the end, no one has time to complain

perhaps, my manners aren’t what they should be
should i ask before i speak
i know where the missiles landed, i offer no apologies
never mind the facts… i’ll just raise the tax on epitaphs

well, well, welcome to my hell, i know you all want to dream
if you buy one, we’ll toss another one in for free
and you don’t have to do a goddamn thing,
‘cuz in the end, no one has time to complain

i can’t let you write my eulogy tonight,
or give me what you lack
all us mortal beings make me want to laugh
criticize, neglect our spirits and then swim in a sea of black

well, meet the master of your infamy
the devil of your selfishness and emperor of your city
the freak inside of you, the freak inside of me…
i think you know what i mean

welcome to my hell, i know you all want to dream
if you buy one, we’ll toss another one in for free
and you don’t have to do a goddamn thing,
‘cuz in the end, no one has time to complain

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