1. |
Gasoline
03:07
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He woke up late and he stumbled to the backyard where he kept the gasoline. He took a deep breath and he heard the buzzing in between his ears, and he felt clean. And every now and then he’d turn to check and see the door was locked and no one home. Then with great joy he remembered that you can’t ever be caught when you’re alone.
So he’d sit and stare, spending each grey afternoon sat arguing with shadows on the wall, and he’d wait and listen to everything that scared him half to death before he passed out in the hall.
When he woke up he took a nap to fall away and make it go somewhere else he left the gas can beside the bed to take a breath from when he could, like that would help. And in the bathroom he could see the scrapes and cuts and spit out blood and rotten teeth, and when he turned around the see the can on fire he just smiled with pure relief.
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2. |
Even When She's Sick
03:01
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Even when she’s sick she don’t understand she blows her nose she blows my mind, makes me feel like a better man. With a fever I believe her when she says she’s mine every single time.
Mountains of tissues solve all my issues, and all that Sudafed gets us high.
And if it don’t get any better we’ll lay down and die together.
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3. |
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He was working on a book of prose, she was looking up and down her nose at the words he’s used. That boy loved his booze. He got up and he got in his car, didn’t have a chance to say goodbye, and he wasn’t sure that his mind was pure.
He’d driven to that spot before, and it didn’t hurt, but it wasn’t short. He’d been in that spot before, and it didn’t hurt, but it wasn’t short.
He woke up and he was sitting there, sweating from the scotch and Georgia air. The house? It stood. That made him good. When he heard the chickens start to caw, he peeled away and left a note for Ma. The peacocks stared in the Georgia air.
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4. |
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I used to have time all the time, I used to be bored. Now I’m so busy I don’t know who I am anymore. I used to just hang out and chill. I was so broke. The more that you make, the more that you need that’s no joke.
O, my grandfather said don’t get old.
Now I clench my fist, make my to-do list and cry. I miss being younger, I miss not knowing that we die. Now I just sit here and think of how this all ends, and if I stay busy enough I won’t miss my friends.
O, my grandfather said don’t get old.
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5. |
When My Ship Comes In
02:22
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When my ship comes in, I’ll finally be a better man. At some unknown future date, I’ll be the best me that I can. When my ship comes in, I’ll be saintly, I’ll be true. When my ship comes rolling in.
There’s nothing left for me to satirize. It’s all been said and it’s all been real. I can make things happen if I want. That’s always been my whole appeal.
When the dust has clung to hair and skin, and all the leaves are crunching black, when all the wood has crumbled in my hands, you’ll always find me going back.
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6. |
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When I saw the news in the paper I thought my plan had worked. I knew to make things better I had to make things a little bit worse. When I lost control, drove off that road, I was covered with water and earth. I swam to shore, then ran some more, but I guess it wasn’t enough.
You’d be sad for a year or two, instead of sad all the time. I assumed it’d take them years to find that that body wasn’t mine.
Well I guess that I’ve been found now. I guess my time is up. Take my keys, and we’ll meet outside in my rusted out pickup truck. I’ll wash my hands, I’ll wash my heart, while you wait in the front seat. I’ll be down that hall, in the bathroom stall, where the window leads to the street.
You’ll be sad for a day or two, instead of sad all the time. I always thought it’d take them years to find that that body wasn’t mine.
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7. |
Light In October
02:16
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I’m pulling bits of paper from the air and knowing too well how it’s gotten there. It sounds like the ships are finally coming in. And when I turn around I see your face and feel the heat closing in at a frightening pace, and I’ll get a swig in hell from Gunga Din.
It was cold and wet and hot all at once and I was sweating hard and shivering a bunch.
I’m living in the sunburnt part of town where streets go up and homes go down and it doesn’t look any better since last winter. The waits are long for water at the tower and folks are getting more restless by the hour. Look around and tell me we’re not all sinners.
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8. |
How Sad It Gets
02:38
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Two friends with their food stamps and their lonesome memories, sat naked in their living room one cold dark Christmas Eve. You might ask why, it might seem strange you might think they lost a bet, but they just want to see how sad it gets.
One friend overextends takes his last chance getting out. With messages and letters sent to houses long burned down. You might ask why, it might get weird, you might know that he regrets how he finally saw how sad it gets.
How sad it gets depends on who you are. How sad it gets is never very far. How sad it gets is not that funny when it comes as a surprise, and you finally see how sad it gets.
How sad it gets depends on who you are. How sad it gets is never very far. How sad it gets is pretty fucked up when it comes as a surprise, and you finally see how sad it gets.
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Michael J. O'Connor Santa Rosa, California
Michael J. O'Connor has been slogging his way through the underground music world for the last 15 years and counting. He has
performed at theaters, on street corners, in convalescent homes, and at giant music festivals all over the country.
BOOKING/INQUIRIES: michael.oconnor5185@gmail.com
... more
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