August and Everything After

[Verse 1]

Step out the front door like a ghost into a fog

Where no one notices the contrast of white on white

In between the moon and you, the angels get a better view

Of the crumbling difference between wrong and right

Well, I walk in the air between the rain

Through myself and back again

Where? I don't know

Maria says she's dying

Through the door, I hear her crying

Why? I don't know

[Chorus]

'Round here, we always stand up straight

'Round here, something radiates

[Verse 2]

Maria came from Nashville with a suitcase in her hand

She said she'd like to meet a boy who looks like Elvis

And she walks along the edge of where the ocean meets the land

Just like she's walking on a wire in the circus

She parks her car outside of my house and takes her clothes off

Says she's close to understanding Jesus

And she knows she's more than just a little misunderstood

She has trouble acting normal when she's nervous

[Chorus]

'Round here, we're carving out our names

'Round here, we all look the same

'Round here, we talk just like lions but we sacrifice like lambs

'Round here, she's slipping though my hands

[Bridge]

Sleeping children better run like the wind

Out of the lightning dream

Mama's little baby better get herself in

Out of the lightning

[Verse 3]

She says, "It's only in my head"

She says, "Shh, I know it's only in my head"

But the girl on the car in the parking lot

Says, "Man, you should try to take a shot

Can't you see my walls are crumbling?"

Then she looks up at the building

And says she's thinking of jumping

She says she's tired of life

She must be tired of something

[Chorus]

'Round here, she's always on my mind

'Round here, hey man, got lots of time

Round here, we're never sent to bed early

Man, nobody makes us wait

'Round here we stay up very, very, very, very late

I, I can't see nothing, nothing 'round here

You catch me if I'm falling, you catch me if I'm falling

Will you catch me? 'Cause I'm falling down on you

[Outro]

I said I'm under the gun 'round here

Oh man, I said I'm under the gun 'round here

Well I can't see nothing, nothing 'round here

[Intro]

Sha-la-la-la, la-la-la

Mm, uh-huh

[Verse 1]

I was down at the New Amsterdam

Staring at this yellow-haired girl

Mr. Jones strikes up a conversation

With a black-haired flamenco dancer

You know, she dances while his father plays guitar

She's suddenly beautiful

And we all want something beautiful

Man, I wish I was beautiful

[Verse 2]

So come dance this silence down through the morning

Sha-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la, yeah

Uh-huh, yeah

Cut up, Maria

Show me some of them Spanish dances and

Pass me a bottle, Mr. Jones

Believe in me

Help me believe in anything

'Cause I wanna be someone who believes

Yeah

[Chorus]

Mr. Jones and me

Tell each other fairy tales

And we stare at them beautiful women

She's looking at you

Oh no, no, she's looking at me

Smiling in the bright lights

Coming through in stereo

When everybody loves you

You can never be lonely

[Verse 3]

Well, I'm gon' paint my picture

Paint myself in blue and red, and black, and gray

All of the beautiful colors are very, very meaningful

Yeah, well, you know gray is my favorite color

I felt so symbolic yesterday

If I knew Picasso

I would buy myself a gray guitar and play

[Chorus]

Mr. Jones and me

Look into the future

Yeah, we stare at the beautiful women

She's looking at you

I don't think so, she's looking at me

Standing in the spotlight

I bought myself a gray guitar

When everybody loves me

I will never be lonely

[Post-Chorus]

I will never be lonely

Said, I'm never gonna be lonely

[Bridge]

I wanna be a lion

Yeah, everybody wanna pass as cats

We all wanna be big, big stars

Yeah, but we got different reasons for that

Believe in me

'Cause I don't believe in anything

And I, I wanna be someone to believe

To believe, to believe, yeah

[Chorus]

Mr. Jones and me

Stumbling through the barrio

Yeah, we stare at the beautiful women

She's perfect for you

Man, there's got to be somebody for me

I wanna be Bob Dylan

Mr. Jones wishes he was someone

Just a little more funky

When everybody loves you

Oh son, that's just about as funky as you can be

Mr. Jones and me

Staring at the video

When I look at the television, I wanna see me

Staring right back at me

We all wanna be big stars

But we don't know why and we don't know how

But when everybody loves me

I wanna be just about as happy as I can be

[Outro]

Mr. Jones and me

We're gonna be big stars

15 ContributorsPerfect Blue Buildings LyricsIn the ‘August and Everything After: Live’ album, Duritz says that this song was his favorite on the album, but it was also the hardest to record. He says that the band was just starting, and this song… Read More Just down the street from your hotel, baby

I stay at home with my disease

Ain't this position familiar, darling?

Well, all monkeys do what they see

Help me stay awake, I'm falling

Down on Virginia and La Loma

Where I got friends who'll care for me

You got an attitude of everything I ever wanted

I got an attitude of need

So help me stay awake, I'm falling

Asleep in perfect blue buildings

Beside the green apple sea

Gonna get me a little oblivion, baby

And try to keep myself away from me

It's 4:30 a.m. on a Tuesday

It doesn't get much worse than this

In beds in little rooms, in buildings in the middle

Of these lives which are completely meaningless

Help me stay awake, I'm falling

Asleep in perfect blue buildings

Beside the green apple sea

I wanna get me a little oblivion, baby

I'm trying to keep myself away from myself and me

Well, I got bones beneath my skin, mister

There's a skeleton in every man's house

Beneath the dust and love and sweat that hangs on everybody

There's a dead man trying to get out

So please help me stay awake, I'm falling

Asleep in perfect blue buildings

Beside the green apple sea

I wanna get me a little oblivion, baby

I'm trying to keep myself away from myself and me

Asleep in perfect blue buildings

Beside the green apple sea

I wanna get me a little oblivion, baby

I'm trying to keep myself away from myself and me

Oh, in a perfect blue building

Well, I can't keep myself away from me

In a perfect blue building

So how am I gonna keep myself away?

How am I gonna keep myself away from me?

Keep myself away

How am I gonna keep myself away from me?

Keep myself away

How am I gonna keep myself away from me?

43 ContributorsAnna Begins Lyrics“Anna Begins” is track #5 off of “August and Everything After” which was released on September 14, 1993.

Anna is a girl from Australia that Duritz met on vacation in Greece in 1989. He wrote this song for… Read More My friend assures me, "It's all or nothing"

I am not worried, I am not overly concerned

My friend implores me, "For one time only

Make an exception" I am not worried

Wrap her up in a package of lies

Send her off to a coconut island

I am not worried

I am not overly concerned

With the status of my emotions

Oh, she says, "You're changing"

But we're always changing

It does not bother me to say

This isn't love

'Cause if you don't wanna talk about it

Then it isn't love

And I guess, I'm gonna have to live with that

But I'm sure there's something in a shade of gray

Or something in between

And I can always change my name

If that's what you mean

My friend assures me, "It's all or nothing"

But I am not really worried

I am not overly concerned

You try to tell yourself the things, you try to tell yourself

To make yourself forget, to make yourself forget

I am not worried

"If it's love," She said

"Then we've gonna have to think about the consequences"

Cause she can't stop shaking

And I can't stop touching her

And this time, when kindness falls like rain

It washes her away

And Anna begins to change her mind

"These seconds when I'm shaking

Leave me shuddering for days," She says

And I'm not ready for this sort of thing

But I'm not gonna break

And I'm not gonna worry about it anymore

I'm not gonna bend and I'm not gonna break

Gonna worry about it anymore

No, no, no, no, no

It seems like I should say

"As long as this is love"

But it's not all that easy, so maybe I should

Snap her up in a butterfly net

And pin her down on a photograph album

I am not worried

'Cause I've done this sort of thing before

But then I start to think about the consequences

'Cause I don't get no sleep in a quiet room

And this time, when kindness falls like rain

It washes me away

And Anna begins to change my mind

Every time she sneezes, I believe it's love

And oh, Lord, I'm not ready for this sort of thing

(Rain falls down)

She's talking in her sleep

It's keeping me awake

(Rain comes pouring down)

And Anna begins to toss and turn

And every word is nonsense, but I understand

And oh, Lord, I'm not ready for this sort of thing

Her kindness bangs a gong

It's moving me along

And Anna begins to fade away

It's chasing me away, she disappears

And oh, Lord, I'm not ready for this sort of thing

[Verse 1]

When I think of Heaven, deliver me in a black-winged bird

I think of flying down in your sea of pens and feathers

And all other instruments of faith and sex and God

In the belly of a black-winged bird

[Pre-Chorus]

Don't try to feed me

'Cause I've been here before

And I deserve a little more

[Chorus]

And I belong in the service of the queen

And I belong anywhere but in between

She's been crying and I've been thinking

And I am the Rain King

[Verse 2]

And I said, "Mama, mama, mama, why am I so alone"

'Cause I can't go outside, I'm scared I might not make it home

Well I'm alive, I'm alive, but I'm sinking in

If there's anyone at home at your place, darling

Why don't you invite me in?

[Pre-Chorus]

Don't try to feed me

'Cause I've been here before

And I deserve a little more

[Chorus]

And I belong in the service of the queen

And I belong anywhere but in between

She's been lying and I've been sinking

And I am the Rain King

[Bridge]

Hey, I only want the same as anyone

Henderson is waiting for the sun

Oh, it seems night endlessly begins and ends

After all the dreaming, I come home again

[Verse 1]

When I think of Heaven, deliver me in a black-winged bird

I think of dying, lay me down in a field of flame and heather

Render up my body into the burning heart of God

In the belly of a black-winged bird

[Pre-Chorus]

Don't try to bleed me

'Cause I've been here before

And I deserve a little more

[Chorus]

And I belong in the service of the queen

And I belong anywhere but in between

She's been dying and I've been drinking

And I am the Rain King

[Outro]

Well I said that "I am the Rain King"

Well I said, "I, I, I, I, I, well I am the Rain King", yeah

15 ContributorsA Murder of One LyricsBlue morning, blue morning

Wrapped in strands of fist and bone

Curiosity, kitten

Doesn't have to mean you're on your own

You can look outside your window

He doesn't have to know

We can talk a while, baby

We can take it nice and slow

All your life is such a shame, shame, shame

All your love is just a dream, dream, dream

Well, are you happy where you're sleeping?

Does he keep you safe and warm?

Does he tell you when you're sorry?

Does he tell you when you're wrong?

Well, I've been watching you for hours

It's been years since we were born

We were perfect when we started

I've been wondering where we've gone

All your life is such a shame, shame, shame

All your love is just a dream, dream, dream

Well, I dreamt I saw you walking

Up a hillside in the snow

Casting shadows on the winter sky

As you stood there counting crows

One for sorrow, two for joy

Three for girls, and four for boys

Five for silver, six for gold

Seven for a secret never to be told

But there's a bird that nests inside you

Sleeping underneath your skin

Yeah, when you open up your wings to speak

I wish you'd let me in

All your life is such a shame, shame, shame

All your love is just a dream, dream, dream

Open up your eyes, you can see the flames, flames, flames

Of your wasted life, you should be ashamed

Yeah, you don't want to waste your life, baby

You don't wanna waste your life now, darling

You don't wanna waste your life, baby

You don't wanna waste your life now, darling

Oh, you don't wanna waste your life now, babe

I said, you don't wanna waste your life now, darling

Oh, you don't wanna waste your life now, baby

Oh, you don't wanna

You don't wanna waste your life now, darling

Change, change, change

Change, change, change

Change, change, change

I walk along these hillsides

In the summer 'neath the sunshine

I am feathered by the moonlight falling down on me

I said, I walk along these hillsides

In the summer 'neath the sunshine

I am feathered by the moonlight falling down on me

I said, I will walk along these hillsides

In the summer 'neath the sunshine

I am feathered by the moonlight falling down on me

I said, I will walk along these hillsides

In the summer 'neath the sunshine

I am feathered by the moonlight

Change, change, change

Change, change, change

Change, change, change

Oh, change, change, change

Oh, change, change, change

Change, change, change change

Change, change, change, change, change