Stony Plain, 1995, SPCD 1201
The Guy Who Came in From the Cold (M. McDonald)
Covered in ticker tape
Of welcome home tears
And all the hugs he hates
Dispelled his fears
He made it
And the colours were truly flying
Celebrate to be alive
He knows he'll live
To see thirty-five
He's got work to do now
And he knows it
The guy who came in from the cold
If Bob Dylan taught him how to think
Then Pete Townshend taught him to drink
And his father dropped him off there
Somewhere out there on his ledge
The punk rock demons had him on the edge
And he fears these days
Make his tales invalid
The guy who came in from the cold
Somewhere fear and joy had traded roles
Fear went the way of the buffalo
Comfort was a legend in one's dreams
So we are vanquished
So we are redeemed
It's too easy to blame society
He seeks justice discreetly
There's no doubt in his mind
That one day he will have it
In for a penny, in for a pound
He can take his shots
He's been around
One thing's for sure
He didn't grow up spoiled
The guy who came in from the cold
He wears his jeans
Like combat gear
Like a uniform
The whole damn year
If the ship comes in
He'll be ready
Downtime (M. McDonald)
Letting off steam as only I can
Ever since that sleeping dog
Got up and ran
Ever since the hearth went cold
Ever since the story got so old
Cut off with a crucifix
Maybe I'll pray
That I'll be alright if i don't see her
For a couple of days
Mother, don't you worry
I should be fine
I think I just need a little downtime
It was drawn and quartered
But there was no blood
There wasn't much of anything
After the flood
Is there a witness anywhere
Is it even worth it just to care?
Asleep at the wheel
While grinding gears
But I'll be alright if I don't
Hear about it
For a couple of years
Mother don't you worry
I should be fine
I think I just need
A little downtime
Into an empty wallet
With an I.D. card
I was shuffling around
Like I was in some prison yard
Now there's a light
I heard about
The news is all along
The paper route
Pack me up a lunch I may belong
But I'll be alright if I don't
Have to hear any of those songs
Mother don't you worry
I should be fine
I think I just need
A little downtime
The winds and the furies
They happen all the time
I think I just need
A little downtime
It's just a matter of drawing the line
Apres Vous (M. McDonald)
We scratched the surface
What a blemish
I can't believe what it looked like when we were finished
No overtime
We worked real hard
Nobody even sent us a get well card
Cuz the miles tell the stories that we embellish
We were in there
Like mustard and relish
Waltzing with some prophet
Who's leaning on the bar
Never considered riding
Someone else's car
You want it so bad
You don't know what's right
But you can do it all
If you live through tonight
Mopping the floor with
A shadow of you
There's the door...
Apres vous
Avoiding mirrors
Talking alone
I got a busy signal when I called me on the phone
Things aren't too clear now
We've got to talk
They tell me the answer's sitting on the next block
Well, congratulations
You're such a pal
I still remember you trashing some hotel
Calling your mother
I don't know why
Scared to death
But you're afraid to cry
You chose your leader
Now where'd he go?
You're thinking so fast
You're seeing way too slow
You know it's up to you
There's the door...
Apres vous
Rain or Shine (S. Loree)
There's pushing and shoving
The sun against the clouds
Neither one is settled
When the other is around
One's got a point
The other's got a line
One wants to pour
The other wants to shine
Far down below
They've drawn a crowd
Of curious people
Milling about
Their hands up in wonder
At this wonder that they've found
All this pushing and shoving
So far above the ground
What a sound
Others long for fire
Some desire rain
You can burn on the pyre
Or drown in the drain
You can stand down and listen
You can stand up and yell
But it doesn't rain or shine
There's pushing and shoving
The street against the crowd
Neither one is settled
When the other is around
Their hands up in anger
At this traffic that they've found
All this pushing and shoving
Down here on the ground
It doesn't rain or shine
Under the liberty bell
And it doesn't rain or shine
Behind the gates of hell
I know you never would
You know I never will
And it doesn't rain or shine
Beautiful Barfly (M. McDonald)
With a fluid DuMaurier move
She sized him up from hat to shoes
But where he's coming from
No one knows
And if he buys her one more drink
She'll go sit somewhere else
She thinks
It gets annoying on your own
But past the lavender and lace
From every tear she's cried
Rests noblesse and solemn grace
The most beautiful barfly
Walking around in brand new shoes
Amidst the trash and construction crews
At least she's going somewhere she knows
She's got a letter in her purse
Not quite a poem, maybe free verse
And if she mails it, she's not sure
That road seems to go nowhere
But it parked her here right now
Where the bloom of angry morning
Is the biggest game in town
That's no glassy stare
More like a mirror
(Look if you dare)
She's like the sirens
Watch your soul
And now the moment's
Wearing thin
It's come around to where it's been
She made her exit
I watched her go
I'm So Glad (M. McDonald)
Nothing's faster than the rich kids
If that's where you want to go
You ask about the lingo there
How the hell would I know
I'm so glad
You remembered my name
I'm so glad that you know my name
Peaking over the red line
I suppose that I've been there
You ask me if you're good enough
Why the hell would I care
Can't seem to get enough
Of the lights
When they only come on at night
And while you're waiting
The new day came
It ain't the same
It ain't the same
Just a giggle over cocktails
For some that would be it
You want to bring me to your table now
Where the hell would I sit
Raisins (F. Pier)
Let us fly the flags they're pretty in the sky
Let us wash our clothes and hang them out to dry
We drove through the night and this is what we found
Let us build a fire and watch the snow fall down
And I'll get drunk and I'll go home
And say my prayers and sleep alone
And set a bottle by the light
In case I wake up thirsty
In the middle of the night
I'm younger than I'll be but I'm older than I was
And I know God smiles on us at least I hope he does
We built heaven's door out of the indigenous wood
So let's start knocking or charge admission
Whichever does the most good
And I'll get drunk and I'll go home
And say my prayers and sleep alone
And hope my blankets keep me warm
Cuz nobody is
Gonna do their job for them
The fire and flags
The kingdom come
The harvest time
The prairie sun
The idle hours
The wasteful pride
The grapes of wrath
Have shrivelled up and died
I followed that river form the mountains of Jasper
To Saskatchewan's fruited plains
I'm headed out straight to hell or the hills of Drumheller
Whichever comes first or again
Last night we drank Drummond Draft and traded tales of yore
I stayed at a friend's and left at five a.m.
You won't see me around anymore
And I'll get drunk and I'll go home
And say my prayers and sleep alone
And wonder what kind of shape they're in
Where they're no longer safe
From what might have been
And I'll get drunk and I'll go home
And say my prayers and sleep alone
And set a bottle by the light
In case I wake up thirsty
In the middle of the night
Simple Little Wish (M. McDonald and S. Wicken)
The night was hostile as a jungle under this capsized moon
You came busting through the trees and all the warriors swooned
Among the dunes in your mind's desert far past the cryptic trysts
You knew the whole time it was all about...
One simple little wish
The heat rose up to the rafters
Above your killing field
You left the footprints of a goddess
You filled the shoes you filled
superfluous by nature
You confused the strategists
Cuz you knew the whole time
It was all about...
One simple little wish
Like Adam saw in Eve
That made him dress in snakeskin
And spiral down the tree
Like a room full of Romeos
Each and everyone stabbing
Themselves to death
With a swizzle stick
From one simple little wish
Gazing through the windows behind the regal drapes
You blinded them with vision and twisted them into shape
And as the stupid grins of marionettes piled up on your dish
You knew the whole time it was all about one simple little wish
Sherman tanks for small talk shooting up the breeze
That blew with mumbled candour so they got down on their knees
Your gaze akin to bullets you smile at the facial tics
Cuz you knew the whole time it was all about...
The ballroom ballerinas mimic your simple little twist
And the poets hang on any word from your simple little lips
And the chefs fight to put the garnish on your simple little dish
And the priests are bored of hearing about...
Shoes (M. McDonald)
Something about the colour
On that day
Said everything she
Wanted to say
Something like a dream come true
That took away all the blue
And sometimes
I wish I could be in her shoes
Find somebody to blow my fuse
And put together all the clues
I wish I could be in her shoes
My world seemed disconnected
And really far
She seemed so out of place
In that dirty bar
I stood up as if on cue
Cuz it seemed the right thing to do
Nods of approval from the old men
A round of tears for all the girls
I was cheering from the sidelines
Cuz she seemed to find her place in the world
She blushed the reddest red
I'd ever seen
She had champagne stars
In eyes of shamrock green
Seemed she'd never lost that smile
And I sat down after awhile
And sometimes I wish I could be in her shoes
Juliette (M. McDonald)
Are you ready yet Juliette?
You know you're missing something good
I want to gift wrap it all
But I'm not sure if I should
You know your silhouette Juliette
Is tattooed on my mind
But as long as it does
The same things you do
Everything will work out fine
The costume ball is over
The make-up's washed away
We put away the wishful sun
And we can still see the real light of day
Got a cigarette Juliette?
I just had to try
Come on, come on, get out of bed
It don't matter how or why
How's my etiquette Juliette?
Don't know why I'm in a hurry
If there's room for me
Inside your soul
I want to that other worry
Are you ready yet Juliette?
Don't think I can wait much longer
There's an element we overlooked
And it's only getting stronger
All Talk (M. McDonald)
Unless I am mistaken
There's something in the air tonight
We ought to stick around
I think there's gonna be a fight
Let's get a front row seat
So we can see all the blows
We all saw it coming
It's been dull around here you know
If they don't sit together
They're scattered about the same room
While off key headliners go around singing the same old tunes
It took a little while
But we all got our dance steps down
And everybody's still talking
About they're gonna leave this town
It's all talk
You can see it in our eyes
It even shows in the way we walk
Unsanctioned bones
Unsolicited skin
Token brains
That don't play to win
No matter how you add it up
No matter how you break it down
It's all talk
Left on its own
It'll redefine the same old thing
And what we find in the kitty
We can use for kindling
It bothers me more
Than you'll know
Nobody showed me
How it's supposed to go
And I don't think I'll ever get it
No matter how much hinting...
Don't Forget About Me (D. Brown)
Ann-Marie's got a pretty little house
And a calico kitten so there isn't a mouse
And a candle in the window
She doesn't light for anyone
She feels like a princess when she walks in the city
The boys come around and say she's so pretty
But when she looks into the mirror and sees her reflection
She's a lonely little girl she needs some protection
She says Hey
Don't forget about me
She's got a painting on the wall that was done by a friend
And a jar full of flowers that another one sent
And a bottle of wine
She doesn't pour for anyone
There's Polaroid pictures by the telephone
Such a cozy little life
In a cozy little home
But when she's laying in her bed
She stares at the ceiling
It's a long day ahead
But that's not what she's feeling
All the girls see the way that she is
they want to live the way that she lives
And all the boys try to win her
They don't see the loneliness that's in her
Ann-Marie has a pretty little house
And a calico kitten so there isn't a mouse
But when the candle in the window sees the light of flame
She'll pour another glass of wine she's lonely again
And saying Hey don't forget about me
Dropping Like Flies (M. McDonald)
I can tell you ain't been
Thinking about physical fitness
Don't have a clue what to say
Besides its none of my business
The things that you do
Aren't the things that you say
You're probably gonna pack it in anyway
You expect me to believe
You're gonna make it
And you're gonna survive
But that's not quite what it is
People like you are just dropping like flies
So what's it like now
Representing what you hate?
Can you still see your reflection
In your tarnished sliver plate?
Maybe you saw the wrong movie
Or read the wrong book
Now you're even dressing like
All those crooks
Remember any good times?
Before everyone changed
Their mainline?
Airtight (M. McDonald)
I'm airtight - nobody's gonna steal my life away
I'm airtight - all my valuables are locked away
What you see you can have
I didn't need it anyway
I'm wide open - my friends mean the world to me
I'm wide open - glad to be in the family
It is what it is
And it's a piece of cake to let it be
I'm airborne - I got no weight to hold me down
I'm airborne - there's nothing I need in lost and found
I'm a hot knife through butter
And I'm just walking around downtown
I'm bright eyed - I can see through anything
I'm bright eyed - and shooting for eternity
You better get on board
This bus don't stop long for anything
bonus hidden track: Swine Flu (?)
...guest starring Carolyn Mark, Craig Korth, Daniel Augustin, Lael Johnston, Hutty Bum Bo, Jane Hawley, Anthony Pavlic
This album garnered considerable positive press, from the Edmonton Journal to the Globe and Mail, much of it dealing with the fact that Mike quit drinking prior to this album, the subject of the first song. The critics weren't interested only in Mike's private life, though; they praised the songwriting and the music.
As usual, there's a lineup change, and this time there are appearances from some old familiar names, notably Ford Pier and Jane Hawley. There's also a song by Steve Loree, although he doesn't play on the album. This is also the first Jr. album to include a bonus track after a long period of silence (on the CD, at least).
Copyright info coming soon.
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