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Two things you should know about me — I’m obsessed with Mike Nichols’ The Graduate, and I’m even more obsessed with exploring unrequited love.In fact, this puppy is the lead-off track on a whole album about the unrequited stuff, The Year of Longing Dangerously. This If I had a shrink, he’d have a heyday.

I won’t replay for you the final scene from The Graduate.
I will not scream your name and beg you not to go through with it.
But I’m getting antsy… how ‘bout a change of plan?
Tell me have you ever thought about walking out on your man?

I know that once upon a time the two of you were pretty tight.
But can’t you hear the little voice that tells you something isn’t right?
What’s he got that I don’t? What’s the difference?
The grass is greener on this side girl. Stop sitting on the fence…

You should be with me.
You’ve got a choice so make a choice — pick someone else entirely.
Don’t you want to be with me?
You should be with me.

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Inspiration for today: if you tell yourself something a hundred times, it has to become true.

Sunlight, I need a little help.
Can you shine on me another day?
Sunlight, I’ve got a favor to ask.
I need one more day to be with her by her side.
All I need’s another day!

It’ll work out. I’ve got a feeling that it’ll work out.
It would be sad if things didn’t work out.
Someday soon we’ll be together.

Sunlight! Are you listening to me?
I don’t want much. All I need I can get
from her loving kiss.

It’ll work out. I’ve got a feeling that it’ll work out.
It would be sad if things didn’t work out.
Someday soon we’ll be together.

It’ll work out. It’s got to work out.

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I’ve had a request for some sunshine and happiness…From me, it don’t get much sunshinier than this little nugget from Hello My Name Is Aaron Wrixon.

The sun kisses the sleepy-eyed
A new day has begun
The birds talk in the trees outside
About the flowers having fun
Kristin opens her eyes up
And lets the day in

Everything looks better today
There’s magic in the air
Everything’s going to go her way
And if it doesn’t she won’t care
Kristin’s ready for anything
Kristin is stopping at nothing today
Tomorrow’s so far away

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From a songwriting point of view, I consider this one of my first more mature lyrics. Yes, it’s still pretty depressing, but if you hear it in the context of the actual song, it’s got verses, choruses, pre-choruses, a bridge, and repeating lyrical motifs. Wank wank.

Happy New Year, kids.

Twelve o’clock… it’s another year
And another shot at leaving here
Has burst just like a bubble in this glass of cheap champagne.
I turn and give a wooden kiss
To the one who got me into this
And drink to drown the voices running through my brain.

Do you know where you’re going? And are you sure it’s there you’re going?

Last night I dreamed the two of us
Were riding on the Westdale bus.
I told you I was sorry and you said it was OK.
Then the radio station woke me up
With that song that always chokes me up,
The one about mistakes you make and New Year’s Day.

Do you know where you’re going? And do you even care you’re going?

I know I was wrong. I should have stayed.
Can we start again? It’s New Year’s Day.
I’ve known all along but what can I say?
Give me a chance. It’s New Year’s Day.

I know I was wrong. I should have stayed.
Can we start again? It’s New Year’s Day.
I’ve known all along but what can I say?
Give me a chance. It’s New Year’s

Day after day I think what I’d do
If I had one more day… one more day with you

Two o’clock… it’s time to go,
To head for home in the blowing snow,
And lie with her in the cold and bitter bed I’ve made,
But you can bet I’ll dream of us
Riding on the Westdale bus
Holding hands and laughing?

I know I was wrong. I should have stayed.
Can we start again? It’s New Year’s Day.
I’ve known all along but what can I say?
Give me a chance. It’s New Year’s Day.

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Speaking of Seussian slackery…

I took a lot of inspiration at the time from the Flaming Lips, things like Hit To Death In The Future Head, and Mercury Rev’s Boces (still really good listens, if you’re into that sort of thing.)

If I’d had the balls or brains to orchestrate this one the way I wanted, I think it would have had a great big “Day In The Life” orchestragasm in there somewhere. That and floots. I luv floots.

P.S. Incidentally, Hit To Death is the Lips’ album that features “You Have To Be Jokin’,” a cover that’s still in my book all this time later.

Be careful not to step on a crack
For you might break an unsuspecting mother spider’s back
And that would leave her spider babies all alone
Little spider orphans in their little spider home
Before you tell me you don’t care
Think of the babies wond’ring why their mother isn’t there
How would you tell them mommy’s dead?
I’d hate to have that kind of pressure pressing down upon my head…

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Well look at that…One of the interesting things about rooting through all my old shit for this blog is finding the occasional truffle. Here’s one that I like.

Not because of any lyrical prowess, mind you. So much of what I was doing 15 years ago was just Seussian slackery that it’s hard to pick anything from that time as a favorite.

But I like this one because, independent of any environmental consciousness — and trust me, I didn’t have one — I seem to have nicely articulated the global warming panic we’re living under these days.

Not like it took a genius to figure out in ‘94 that the world was in a bad way. It’s just funny to see that even yours truly noticed.

P.S. I can state with reasonable certainty that the reference to Mother was cribbed from Soundgarden’s “Hands All Over.”

The trees are gone
And the ground is broken
The kids are mad
‘Cause their dogs are chokin’
The stacks are up
And they’re smokin’ smog
Can’t see for lookin’ in this fog

The sidewalk’s cracked
And it’s hurting my feet
The swimming pools are drying up
With all this goofy heat
The sky is sick and it’s falling to bits
Too many chemicals in our armpits

I guess we should have listened
When they said
Take care of Mother or 
She’ll end up dead
How were we to know?
We thought they were crazy
I guess we could have seen the signs
If things hadn’t been so hazy

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The music for this dark little beast was written about ten years ago, but it took me much longer to pen some words, obviously.When I wrote it I tried to contrast Jerome and Leo disposing of a body with the absolute banality of their talk over the trunk about Michelle cheating on Jerome. For me the fact that it was nothing out of the ordinary was a very Sopranos-y thing.

When I showed the lyric to a friend, however, she misinterpreted the story — to her it seemed the men were burying Michelle.

I like that version a lot better.

Let’s head out now while the clouds are still over the moon
It looks like rain, but we can’t wait much more
I’ll go get the lime, you get the shovels from the barn
Meet me with the car at the cellar door

Give me a hand; lift on the count of three
Get in the front and let’s get gone, Jerome
I know it’s a risk, but we’ll have to take the highway
We need to be back before Kate gets home

I don’t want to hear another word about Michelle
She did what she did, now focus on the task at hand
People will talk, but Jerome you need to let them
Sometimes shit happens… be the bigger man

Tell me again you’re sure that you weren’t followed
Tell me again that no-one saw you come
You shoot off your mouth when you’ve been drinking
Tell me one more time that you ain’t been dumb

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This would be the first of many attempts to grapple with my fear and loathing of organized religion, done up in that passive-agressive way that I have of couching the uncomfortable in the ridiculous (viz “Penguin’s In Love,” for just one example). Roger Ramjet as Jesus, get it?As far as lineage goes, “Save Us Roger” begat “Lied To” which begat “Men And Brethren.” How ironic that my most blasphemous song led to my most reverent.

Have you come to save the day?
To make our problems go away?
If we get down on our knees
Will you come and save us please?
Can’t you see we need your help?
Come and save us from ourselves
We need you right now more than ever
Help us get our act together
Save us, Roger
Will you save us?

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The original version of a song I ended up releasing as “Kristin and the New Day.” Written at a cafeteria table in McMaster University’s Togo Salmon Hall, under the watchful eye of Danielle Grant and the obvious influence of both T.S. Eliot and Dr. Seuss.

Let’s take the day off and ride out to the beach
We’ll watch the fish just out of reach
And count the mermaids each by each

We’ll find a hundred dollars in the sand
Digging with our hands
So that we don’t hurt the clams

Ride out with me

We’ll play in the needles that wash up on the shore
Listen to the ocean’s roar
And dig in the sand some more

And as the sun sinks down into the deep
We’ll jump into the back of the Jeep
And fall asleep

Ride out with me

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For Love and Marine Biology, I wanted to write a combination of Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn’s “You’re the Reason Our Kids Are Ugly” and the Human League’s “Don’t You Want Me Baby?”. This is what turned out.

[BOY]
Saturday night, my paycheck was heavy in my pocket.
I went to the bar to make the scene.
I saw you and my eyes flew out of their sockets.
And I said “Watch and learn fellers!
Tonight I’m going home with a beauty queen.”
[GIRL]
Saturday night at the bar with my girlfriends…
Talking about what to talk about.
I saw you and said “Well, there goes my weekend:
Ten bucks says this joker asks me out.”
[BOTH]
But something drew me to you.
I felt like I knew you, baby.
[BOY]
I bought you a drink.
[GIRL]
Yeah, you bought me one drink…
[BOTH]
And the rest was history.
Something drew me to you.
I felt like I knew you, baby.
[BOY]
I took you home.
[GIRL]
You took me to your parents’ basement.
[BOTH]
And the rest was history.
The rest was history.

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