1. Into the Spring

2. I Caught Fire

3. The Inner Burning

4. Little Kings

5. Lessons Learned

6. Primal Angel (Raw Energy)

7. We Are Prism

8. Eternity

9. Frost and Light

10. The Squawk

11. I Don't Care

12. At the End of the World

13. My Life Will Be Mine 

14. With Gold

EMBERS IGNITE “WORLD BURN BRIGHT”
by Sherri Muroff Kalt

WELCOME TO JONATHAN RIEDEL’S 
“DIVINE COMEDY” OF POST-PUNK MUSIC!

As we have discovered in his first two albums, “World Run Red” and “World Burned Black,” Jonathan has a unique ability to use his music to craft epic stories.  These albums feature a collage of startling electronic elements and striking lyrical imagery to portray a disenfranchised outsider’s volatile journey.  The emotional palette of each album is intense, vivid, and broad, beautifully conveying the outsider’s search for a place where he can safely be himself.

It is a quest that is at once idiosyncratic and universal; so many of us can relate to his struggles with worthlessness, shame, loneliness, and rage.  Whether enticing us with seductive rhythms and irresistible club beats ---  or unsettling us with dissonant chords and melancholy sonic phrases --- Jonathan ensures that we are immersed in the outsider’s hopes and fears, dreams and delusions.

“World Burn Bright,” the third album in Jonathan’s trilogy, approaches the upheavals, paradoxes, and uncertainty depicted in the first two albums from new angles.  The narrative and musical arcs of the trilogy are unmistakably intertwined.  But we can sense the outsider’s growth, primarily manifested in a deeper self-understanding, determined self-assertion, and broadening of his emotional repertoire.  His world is still smoldering, but the outlook is definitely brighter.

The album opens with a statement of intent and portent, "Before the end, let me do one great thing."  Is this the voice of the outsider continuing his journey, or Riedel, the artist, praying for creative inspiration. Then we hear the  steady repetition of a chime, creating the ethereal quality of “Into the Spring.”  Layers of gentle vocals lull us into a dream-like state.  Sensing that he will soon float away, a man implores his beloved to bond with --  and anchor --  him.  However, it is not clear whether disappearing into the next life is inevitable--  or can be delayed.  The use of whispering, multiple voices, and a surreal aural landscape brings to mind “The Depths” and “The Churning Sea” from “World Burned Black.”

“I Caught Fire” then traces the outsider’s journey from self-erasure to self-empowerment --  and introduces his determination to rid his life of the perpetrators of his pain.  The joyous, celebratory nature of this fundamental transformation is captured by infectious rhythms, catchy hooks, and pounding beats.  We can’t help grooving to the rapping --  and feeling as if WE caught fire too!

“The Inner Burning” transports us to a club environment with seductive electronic phrases and a driving tempo.  Jonathan’s rapid-fire delivery is particularly compelling.  Whether the outsider is referring to the burning of his real self or his “false” self is an open question.  Once again, Jonathan employs whispering voices --  a frequently used device in his songs.

Deep ambivalence about a dysfunctional relationship permeates “Little Kings.”  Symbolic images of jewels and royalty remind us of “World Run Red’s” “Amethyst” and “World Burned Black’s” “My Throne.”  As he declares to his lover that he is leaving, he vacillates between accusatory and self-blaming statements.  The outsider admits to confusion and struggle --  and the difficulty of navigating a life together.  By the end of the song, increasing layers of sound give way to a musical shift; might the outsider feel an “opening up”/release of tension as he makes his decision?

A series of simple chords opens “Lessons Learned,” a litany of good intentions gone awry.  Although the outsider acknowledges he lost his way, what will happen now?  Do lessons learned translate into second chances?

Like the start of a musical second act, “Primal Angel (Raw Energy)” inexorably draws us in with its slow, rhythmic beats, electronic effects, and use of repetition.  The outsider reflects upon living under hellish circumstances --  mistreated, tested, and shut down.  Nevertheless, he has managed to move toward light and love.  His repetition of the words “primal angel” and “raw energy” feels like a mantra; perhaps he is connecting with his core self and is determined to access that inherent power.  All I can tell you is that I personally have been glued to the dance floor, shouting this mantra to the heavens!

Jonathan re-imagines a quote from the New Testament, “We are legion,” as “We are prism.”  The prism represents one soul fractured into many parts.  The outsider exhorts his rainbow compatriots to come out of hiding, proudly assert themselves, and rebel against oppressors.  While this funky electronic song clearly emphasizes human rights, it uses the despoiling of our oceans as a metaphor for the importance of fighting for our environmental home.  A background voice --  perhaps the leader of the troops (?) --  issues warnings about danger --  presumably on both levels.  As we have seen in many of Jonathan’s songs, references to God and angels are sprinkled throughout the lyrics.  Here, the message is clear: we are angels, not monsters.  We are ALL God’s creatures.

Reminiscent of “Into the Spring,” “Eternity” begins with the tolling of bells.  However, the ethereal quality quickly transitions into a driving rock effort.  The protagonist takes pains to emphasize the primacy of living with meaning and purpose over acquiring money and fame.  It seems he issues a warning of sorts:  no matter what you do, I will not be thrown off course.  Jonathan again uses whispering, this time as an internal voice repeating the haunting refrain “turning and turning me.”  Does his use of the word eternity mean to communicate his recognition that he’s in it for the long haul?  Or is eternity --  as in the afterlife --  hovering nearby, so it feels imperative to him to live authentically every moment?

The theme of rebellion also permeates “Frost and Light” --  but this time, Jonathan takes a quieter, more ethereal musical approach.  The outsider wants to fire up his fellow disenfranchised crew to cast off the rulers so they can “wash away the trauma” and “make room for something new.”  But first, he must take a break from the fight and attend to his own needs.  “Heal thyself” is now his priority.

At this point in the album, we return to the dance floor to celebrate emancipation and empowerment with unabashed zeal and a nod to camp.  “The Squawk” reels us in with an irresistible, persistent dance beat --  you just can’t stop moving!  With spoken voice and whispering, the themes of rebellion and re-birth are communicated in a fresh, off-beat fashion --  an undercurrent of threat riding on a wave of exhibitionism.

“I Don’t Care” makes it crystal clear that the outsider is done with expectations, blame, and “the shoulds.”  The song seduces us with bluesy swagger and a dollop of old-time rock-n-roll.  We can just imagine our hero strutting down a crowded street, declaring to one and all that he will do whatever he wants from now on.

With the outsider finally free of these lifelong expectations, the album takes another poetic, contemplative turn with “At the End of the World.”  Electronic sounds that convey a twinkling sensation serve as the backdrop for further contemplation of life on the other side.  Echoing “Into the Spring,” the outsider senses that his heart and soul are ready to fly; he imagines a bridge reaching out through time and space, connecting present and future.  But questions haunt him: will he meet his lover face to face again?  What if he can’t even find the other side?

“My Life Will Be Mine” expresses the outsider’s vow to stay grounded in his authentic self. Is this the 'other side', or the 'one great thing' he has asked for? Once again, Jonathan utilizes the building of musical layers, the above/heaven vs. below/earth dichotomy, and metaphor to convey a process of decay and transformation.  On the surface, Jonathan follows the natural life cycle of a leaf falling, decaying, then re-emerging with the light and warmth of spring.  On a deeper level, the lyrics portray a man’s physical breakdown and death, followed by re-birth.  We wonder: does the outsider need to kill off his old self to be his new self?  Is he now in the afterlife, bathed in light?  Regardless of interpretation and perspectives, we are reminded that change is an inherent part of life.

The final song of “World Burn Bright”, “With Gold,” serves as a bookend to the first song on the album, “Into the Spring.”  Identical ethereal chimes and similar musical techniques permeate both songs.  Themes and imagery are repeated; references to mythology and spirituality are resurrected.  Might this be another meditation on life after transformation?  Regardless, he is once again, finding solace and redemption in a relationship with another human being. Given that everything internally and externally now shines with gold, perhaps our outsider has reached a place in his journey where he instinctively knows he will be alright --  through all of nature’s --  indeed, life’s --  changes, through all cycles of falling and ascension.  Now in touch with his deepest and most authentic self, he can make the command, “World Burn Bright!” --  and, at last, it does.

World Burn Bright Lyric Book
All songs by Jonathan Riedel, copyright 2022.

 

1. INTO THE SPRING

 

“Before the end, let me come home.”

 

The world is ice

The moon’s aglow

The flurries dance 

Soft and slow 

Our breath hangs in the air all smoky blue 

 

The virgin frost

Is all around

We tread upon 

The cracking ground

I know I should be scared but not with you

 

Walk with me

Through the field

Talk to me

Souls revealed 

Hold my hand 

Before I float

Far away

Into the spring

 

Darling,

I need to cry, I need to pray

I love you more than I can say

I’ve got confessions still left on my tongue

Your face is all I have to see

If heaven’s out there let it be

I wish that Holy light would never come 

 

So walk with me

Through the field 

Talk to me

Souls revealed

Hold my hand 

Before I float

Far away

Into the spring 

 

Hold me now

Before I’m gone

Hold me close

Before the dawn

Hold me down 

Before I float

Far away

Into the spring 

Into the spring

 

The ladder’s hear

the rungs are high

they pierce the clouds

and pass the sky

an angels’ choir is singing in my head

(All their voices calling)

 

I need to climb

I need to reach

I need to light

upon the beach

But can I fly with so much left unsaid

(I feel my body falling)

 

So walk with me

Through the field 

Talk to me

Souls revealed

Hold my hand 

Before I float

Far away

Into the spring 

 

Hold me now

Before I’m gone

Hold me close

Before the dawn

Hold me down 

Before I float

Far away

Into the spring 

Into the spring

 

 

 

2. I CAUGHT FIRE

 

“I was just a pile of bones

Brittle and dry and all alone

’Til I stood up on my own”

 

I put myself on hold

So safe and so controlled

And all the scars and the creases, 

The wrinkles and the imperfections

I ironed out the folds

 

And I was faceless

And I was empty

And I was spit shined and 

see-through, a pane of glass with no reflection

And I was nothing

 

But not now

But not tonight

I caught fire

I burn bright

 

There was a violent jerk

My system ran berserk

And all my flesh burned, my skin flayed

My sweat was steaming up to heaven

The angels did their work 

 

Now I’m aflame

Now I’m alight

I caught fire

I burn bright

 

And so today

And so tonight

I caught fire

I burn bright

 

“And I rolled around in bleach

And I shaved my head

And I pulled my teeth

And I wrapped my eyes with tape

And I shut my mouth

And I gut my shape

 

Now I shine like a diamond ring

Like a holy fire 

Like a pearly wing

Now I’m whet and galvanized 

Like a soldier’s blade

Like an Eagle’s eyes”

 

I’m wider than the sky

I’m flying ten miles high

And all the fear and the pain and

The wicked ones who pull me under

I pluck them from my eye

 

And they’ll be faceless

And they’ll be empty

And they’ll be bad dreams I wake from

that fade away with light of morning

And they’ll be nothing

 

This is the hour

This is the night

I catch fire

I burn bright

 

I won the war

I won the fight 

I caught fire

I burn bright

 

“And I rolled around in bleach

And I shaved my head

And I pulled my teeth

And I wrapped my eyes with tape

And I shut my mouth

And I gut my shape

 

Now I shine like a diamond ring

Like a holy fire 

Like a pearly wing

Now I’m whet and galvanized 

Like a soldier’s blade

Like an Eagle’s eye

 

Now I’m deep as the ocean

As I press the sky

As I carve the mountains

As I fly from star to star

‘Til the edge of eternity isn’t far

 

Now I roll with the old ones

with the mighty gods

and the quantum motions

All I can do is expand

with the whole of the universe in my hand

 

See me rise up from the pyre…”

 

I caught fire!

 

 

 

3. THE INNER BURNING

 

I wanted to color it

But the color was black

I wanted to free it

But I was under attack

 

I wanted to make it but 

But all the pieces were fake

I wanted to shake it but 

I was beaten and naked 

 

And so

I wanted to hide it

Like it was never alive

I wanted to kill it

But it would never have died

I couldn’t command it

And overthought it and planned it

And now I’m steaming with 

These demons that are teaming inside

 

It was the inner, inner

It was the burning, burning 

It was the inner, inner

It was the burning, burning 

It was the inner, inner

It was the burning, burning 

It was the inner, inner

It was the burning, burning 

 

I needed to complete it

There were so many holes

I needed to be steering 

But there were no controls 

 

I had to take it and face it but

There was no time to waste 

I needed to believe it

But the need was deceiving me

 

So 

I saddled up the cattle

And I pulled at the yoke

I rattled with the battle

‘Til the ember was stoked

My life was brittle and broken

And on my dreams I was choking

How do you light a fire

And not go up in smoke?

 

I had an inner, inner

I had a burning, burning 

I had an inner, inner

I had a burning, burning 

I had an inner, inner

I had a burning, burning 

I had an inner, inner

I had a burning, burning 

 

It was the inner, inner

It was the burning, burning 

It was the inner, inner

It was the burning, burning 

It was the inner, inner

It was the burning, burning 

It was the inner, inner

It was the burning, burning 

 

Hey, hey, hey I’m not nothing

Hey, hey, hey I’m not a victim here

Hey, hey, hey I feel the fire

Hey, hey, hey the one inside of me

 

(Repeat verse one)

(Repeat chorus)

(Repeat verse two)

(Repeat chorus)

 

You’re bigotry’s no concern

I’m ready to let it all burn

You’re apathy’s no concern

I’m ready to let it all burn

You’re money is no concern

I’m ready to let it all burn

I’ll happily wait my turn

And steadily watch it burn

 

Hey, hey, hey I’m not nothing

Hey, hey, hey I’m not a victim here

Hey, hey, hey I feel the fire

Hey, hey, hey the one inside of me

 

Hey, hey, hey I’m not nothing

Hey, hey, hey I’ve got a heart to feed

Hey, hey, hey I feel the fire

Hey, hey, hey the one inside of me

 

 

 

4. LITTLE KINGS

 

I bought you a band

Of glittering gold

And a flower of pearly white

I polished the band 

I watered the flower

And I bathed them in pure light

 

I asked you to dance

I asked you to stay

And to be your only man

You gave me a wink

Then wandered away

Did the band not fit your hand

 

(Falling in love and falling apart)

And the cuts were dripping jewels

(So many pieces to a broken heart)

They don’t teach this stuff in schools

(Maybe someday they’ll give us the tools)

We were kings that played like fools

(Until then we’re kings playing the fools)

Little kings that played like fools

 

I built you a house

Of Iron and glass

And a hearth of gilded bone

I kept it so warm

I kept it so clean

But you kept on throwing stones

 

I filled in the holes

I fettered the beams 

‘Til the walls were strong and sound

They rose to the sun

They glimmered and gleamed 

But the roof kept crumbling down

 

(Learning to kiss and learning to fight)

And the cuts were dripping jewels

(Learning to walk through a darkened night)

They don’t teach this stuff in schools

(Maybe someday they’ll tell us the rules)

We were kings that played like fools

(Until then we’re kings playing the fools)

Little kings that played like fools

 

I said you should leave

I said you should go

There was no more home for us

I pushed you away

Right out the door

There were no words I could trust

 

I saw that you called

I picked up the phone

And I threw it in the fire

I still hear it ring

I still hear you sing

With a siren’s sweet desire 

 

(You gotta believe, you gotta let go)

And I don’t know where I stand

(You gotta accept what you cannot know)

Did I not obey commands

(You cannot corral these kicking mules)

Was I not part of your plan

(We’ll always be kings, we’ll always be fools)

 

And the cuts were dripping jewels

(I’m sorry, I’m sorry)

They don’t teach this stuff in schools

(It’s a weakness, It’s a weakness)

And the cuts were dripping jewels

(I’m sorry, I’m sorry)

They don’t teach this stuff in schools

(Maybe someday, someday)

And the cuts were dripping jewels

(I’m sorry, I’m sorry)

 

They don’t teach this stuff in schools

(I will find you, I will find you) 

We were kings that played like fools

(I’m sorry, I’m sorry)

Little kings that played like fools

(Maybe someday, someday)

 

 

 

5. LESSONS LEARNED 

 

I’ve stepped a few times on your shoes

I brought you joy and I brought the blues

I promised so much I couldn’t keep

I feel so bad…I cannot sleep

 

And the hours turn from night to day

And I’ve lost my will and I’ve lost me way

And I only hope you’ll stay one more

Can I keep you, somehow, in the door

 

Life is fleeting, and life is strange

I work so hard to make a change

To be the master of my fate

But I’m always short and I’m always late 

 

And the chances slip right through my fingers

Dropping me in thorns and stingers

Snaring me, there’s no way out

If I let my heart one drop of doubt

 

I’ve stepped a few times on your shoes

I brought you joy and I’ve brought the blues

Can’t we call these lessons learned

Or do we let this fire burn

 

Or do we let this fire burn

 

Or do we let this fire burn

 

 

 

6. PRIMAL ANGEL (RAW ENERGY)

 

I was shut out, shut down

And shuttered up

and my key thrown in the bay

 

Now I’m all in, run your bets

No regrets

Cause I’ve got hands in play 

 

You wanna know me

You wanna take me on

But you can’t handle this gun

 

Down in the thickets

Down in my private hell

I learned how to fly to the sun

 

I am a primal angel

Raw energy

I am a primal angel

Raw energy

 

You don’t get me, you 

Never understood 

But I am a soldier for love

 

See me reaching

Eyes to the rising sun

No hood, no glasses, no gloves 

 

I’ve been whet and tested and

Galvanized

I’m expert, I am ordained

 

I’ve got bullets

I’ve got a clientele and

I’m gonna make it rain 

 

I am a primal angel

Raw energy

I am a primal angel

Raw energy

 

I was shut out, shut down

And shuttered up

and my key thrown in the bay

 

Now I’m all in, run your bets

No regrets 

Cause I’ve got hands in play 

 

You don’t get me, you 

Never understood 

But I am a soldier for love

 

See me reaching

Eyes to the rising sun

No hood, no glasses, no gloves

 

I am a primal angel

Raw energy

I am a primal angel

Raw energy

I am a primal angel

Raw energy

I am a primal angel

Raw energy

 

 

 

 

7. WE ARE PRISM

 

“1…2…everybody!”

 

Climbing

from the water

Claws grip

the edges of the boat

 

Rising 

Sons and daughters

Stay cool

Your enemies can’t float

 

As the feathers fly

And the colors spray

You will take the night

And you’ll take day

And you’re finally free from

The nets and strings and hooks,

Rusty hooks

 

And your scales will glint

And you eyes will gleam

And you’ll cry your song 

While the hunters scream

You’d forgive them if they’d

Just put down their books,

Holy books

 

This war’s 

On your shoulders 

Stand up 

And stretch your pearly wings 

 

Bare your

Fangs and molars

Pump down

The venom to the sting

 

Cause this was our world

And this was our home

And we let them in

And we let them roam

‘Til they robbed us, cut us

Covered us in shrouds 

bloody shrouds

 

And we can’t go back

We won’t the same

But we will not walk off 

into the flames

We will make them shake

And say our names out loud

mighty loud

 

“If you think this isn’t your problem,

You’re wrong!

You’ve gotta get up

You’ve gotta stand up

You’ve gotta fight!”

 

We Are Prism

We Are Prism

 

“You can’t stay down there forever,

Climb! 

Climb up!

Come out of hiding!”

 

We Are Prism

We Are Prism

 

Sing my

Little angels

We’ve put

All our faith in you

 

We Are Prism

We Are Prism

 

“This is our world!

This is our time!

This is our destiny!”

 

Roar my 

Little monsters

God loves

All us creatures, too

 

We Are Prism

We Are Prism

“These are our homes!

These are our bodies!

These are out dreams!”

 

All us creatures, too!

 

“And they cannot take them

away from us!”

 

We Are Prism

We Are Prism

 

“Don’t think for one minute 

they’re not sitting down right now

making plans…plans for us! 

Plans for you!”

 

All us creatures, too!

 

“My children, fly forward

and be all that you are!”

 

We Are Prism

We Are Prism

 

“Your colors are everything!

Your colors are everything!”

 

All us creatures, too!

 

“Don’t let them fade away!”

 

 

8. ETERNITY

 

I don’t have jet planes or mansions or cars

I don’t have store fronts or cafes or bars

I don’t have ships that can travel the world

I don’t have gold chains or cufflinks or pearls

 

I don’t have buildings that tower and fall

I don’t have cults that will strike when I call

I don’t play friends with a back full of knives

I don’t play games with my enemies’ lives

 

This is a lot to take

But I make no mistakes

I’ve got eternity

Turning inside of me

 

I’ve got creation and I’ve got my mind

I’ve got momentum to leave this behind

I’ve got integrity, I’ve got the will

I’ve got precision to go for the kill

 

I’ve got compassion, I’ll do you no harm

but I’ve got the volume to sound the alarm

And if you want to go back I won’t stop you

But if you’re weighing me down I will drop you

 

This is a lot to take

But I make no mistakes

I’ve got eternity

Turning inside of me

 

This is a lot to take

But I make no mistakes

I’ve got eternity

Turning inside of me

 

My life has meaning and my life has purpose

I don’t need three rings to show you a circus

I don’t need trinkets to beat all the odds

I don’t need goblets to drink with the gods

 

My soul is lightning, my spirit is fire

My mind is water, my voice is a lyre

My body’s air, and my ear are receivers

My god is love, and I’m a believer

My love is god, and I’m a believer

 

This is a lot to take

But I make no mistakes

I’ve got eternity

Turning inside of me

 

This is a lot to take

But I make no mistakes

I’ve got eternity

Turning inside of me

 

Turning and turning me…

 

 

 

9. FROST AND LIGHT

 

All through the night

I bathe in frost and light

and gaze at the moon

All this delight

Silver, blue and white

Painting the room

 

We can wash away the crouching trauma

the charred and plastic diaramas

and clean

and cool

the slate for something new

 

And the crystallizing nascent waters

Stitch the wounds of ancient slaughters

It’s mystic

Justice

Saving us from doom

 

All through the night

I dance in frost and light

catching the snow

 

All roads unite

they twist inside my mind

and guide where to go

 

And tomorrow brings the burning sun

and the heat will fire up everyone

Like a manic

Static,

Stripped and panicked show

 

And the jungles will be lush with rain

’til they dry and crack and spark with flames

And the kings

and queens

are cast right off their thrones

 

All through the night

I walk in frost and light

And plan for the down

One day I might

step back in the fight

but that’s not now

 

 

10. THE SQUAWK

 

I am a phoenix and my fire will rise

I am a phoenix and my fire will rise

I’ve got these feathers that can hypnotize

I’m gonna snare you with my milky eyes

 

And do the squawk

Let’s make’m talk

They’re so bloody tight

But we’re alright

We’re here to fight

and do the squawk

 

I am a phoenix gonna make you stare

I am a phoenix gonna make you stare

And if you wanna make the jokers scared

Just strike a match and lay your ashes bare

 

And do the squawk

Let’s make’m talk

They’re so bloody tight

But we’re alright

We’re here to fight

And do the squawk

 

I am a phoenix see my mighty wings

I am a phoenix see my mighty wings

Some hunters caught me with their pointy things

And now I’ll show them how a caged bird sings

 

I am a phoenix and my fire will rise

I am a phoenix and my fire will rise

I’ve died and lived again a thousand times

I’m gonna cut those hunters down to size

 

And do the squawk

Let’s make’m talk

They’re so bloody tight

But we’re alright

We’re here to fight

And do the squawk

 

“I am a warrior god

and I serve my people

and I serve my king

and I serve my queen!”

 

“We’re gonna unbutton that button!

And we’re gonna hike up that skirt!

We’re gonna mess up that hair!

And we’re gonna kiss this face with some glitter!”

 

“Yes, Queen! You better serve it to the gods!

You own this room!

You own this floor!

You own this crown!

You own this court!”

 

And do the squawk

 

“There’s never gonna be another me

and there’s never gonna be another me

on a night like this!”

 

“There’s never gonna be another me

and there’s never gonna be another me

on a night like this!”

 

And do the squawk

And do the squawk

And do the squawk

 

And do the squawk

 

And do the squawk

 

You think it’s wrong

To love yourself

You think it’s wrong

To have the time of your life

 

You think your free

But you’re not free

I am free

And you’re jealous of me

 

Caw! Caw! Caw!....

 

And do the squawk

 

And do the squawk

 

 

11. I DON’T CARE

 

I’m not the prince you’d expect me to be

I had the looks but they’re leaving me

I read the books but the ink has run from all the tears

I don’t care, I don’t care, I don’t care

 

I wrung my hands ‘til they’re bloody red

I used to bash myself in the head

I can’t bear one more anxiety attack

I don’t care, I don’t care, I don’t care

 

You can keep the money

You can keep the car

You can keep the house

I can’t stay where we are

 

You can keep the job

You can keep the score

You can keep the heart

I don’t need anymore

 

I got a whole bunch of fancy degrees

Still I don’t drink responsibly 

I threw my will out the window with my common sense

I don’t care, I don’t care, I don’t care

 

I’m gonna watch everybody run

I’m gonna sing ‘cause singing is fun

I’m gonna dance like there ain’t no work to be done

I don’t care, I don’t care, I don’t care

 

You can win the medal

You can win the prize

You can win a trip to

Holy paradise

 

You can be so clever

You can be so bright

You can own the sun

And never see the light

 

I don’t care, I don’t care, I don’t care

I don’t care, I don’t care, I don’t care

I gonna party in the alley with my freaky flair

I don’t care, I don’t care, I don’t care

 

“I got 99 voices inside my head

and not one of them is impressed.”

 

This won’t end for us happily

There’s no skin in the game for me

 

You see I’m done with expectations

I’m done with all the games

You see I’ve done humiliation 

I’m done with all the shame

You see I’m done with all the should’nts

I’m done with taking blame

I’m done with scraping pennies

And pining for the fame

The whole world could burn tomorrow 

And they’d never know my name

So you can take your book of manners

And throw it in the flames

 

I don’t care, I don’t care, I don’t care

I don’t care, I don’t care, I don’t care

I don’t care, I don’t care, I don’t care

I don’t care, I don’t care, I don’t care

I’m gonna strut down the mountain with my ass in the air

I don’t care, I don’t care, I don’t care

 

 

 

12. AT THE END OF THE WORLD

 

The storm clouds drew apart

The sun shone on my heart

And the rainbows stretched like ladders to the sky

 

And the colors filled my eyes

And my wounds were clean and dry

And I knew my soul was ready now to fly

 

At the end of the world

A bridge will reach out though all space and time

At the end of the world

 

At the end of the world

I’ll meet you, lover, face to face and cry

At the end of the world

 

Our time was spinning out

We had no hope or doubt

But at least we had one day to fall in love

 

So we drank a sea of wine

And we kissed a million times

And we stared out at the fading stars above

 

At the end of the world

A bridge will reach out though all space and time

At the end of the world

 

At the end of the world

I’ll meet you, lover, face to face and cry

At the end of the world

 

At the end of the world

A comet splashes dust across our eyes

At the end of the world

 

At the end of the world

You’ll hold me ’til the sweetest bliss is mine

At the end of the world

 

“Do you see the moon above?

Oh, God! It’s all on fire…”

 

The light was getting dim

The veil was pulling thin

And I have to go alone into the night

 

And, lover, I’m afraid

The river man’s been paid

But what if he can’t find the other side

 

But what if he can’t find the other side

 

At the end of the world

 

At the end of the world

 

At the end of the world

A bridge will reach out though all space and time

At the end of the world

 

At the end of the world

I’ll meet you, lover, face to face and cry

At the end of the world

 

 

 

 

13. MY LIFE WILL BE MINE

 

My edges curled, my surface stained

My colors rich began to fade

I felt the weight of gravity

Break my knees

 

I took my weak and rusty sword

I said a prayer and cut the cord

I held my body through it all

And let it fall

 

So my life could be mine

So my life could be mine

 

Then from the ground I looked above

Flat on my back, a dying dove

The tempest rolled and snow and sleet

Covered me

 

The earth received me, in it’s way

It made my flesh, ripe for decay

And whispered sweetly, not to run

this must be done

 

So my life could be mine

So my life could be mine

 

So I closed my eyes

And I bathed in sleep

And I let my dreams

Run wild and deep

 

And a tiny move

Made millions more

Up through the roof

Down through the floor

 

And then a shoot tore me apart

It split the skin around my heart

And stretched an arm up to the sun,

It’s holy one

 

The sweetest pain and agony

Began to scream in harmony

I pulled my body from the grave

This path was paved

 

So my life could be mine

So my life could be mine

 

Then I cracked my eyes 

Two slits of light

And the world came in

With colors bright

 

And I felt the air

And I filled my lungs

And I cried with joy

For what’s to come

 

Now my life will be mine

And my life will be mine

 

Now my life will be mine

And my life will be mine

 

 

 

14. WITH GOLD

 

The day is over like a memory

And the evening folds us in a mystery

The sky is churning like a colored sea

And the clouds are burning like an angel’s wing

 

And the trees shine with the brightest gold

And the stars shine with gold

 

Our fingers lace like a holy vow

And your worried face is so gentle now

We start to sway with a melody

And we spin and fall with the autumn leaves

 

And your hair shines with the brightest gold

And your eyes shine with gold

 

And my heart shines with the brightest gold

And our souls shine with gold

 

Our bodies tangle by the firelight

And your kisses tell me it’ll be all right

The morning’s coming, such a bitter sight

Will you meet me again here tomorrow night

 

And our rings shine with the brightest gold

And our skin shines with gold

 

And the dawn comes with the brightest gold

And our time shines with gold

 

 

 

 

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