The Dresden Dolls

by The Dresden Dolls

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1.
05:53
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2.
02:59
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3.
04:53
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4.
05:57
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5.
01:24
6.
04:46
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7.
04:19
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8.
03:01
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9.
05:45
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10.
04:50
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11.
04:30
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12.
08:34
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about

"Accept the worst, expect the worst, DEMAND the worst" - Karen Mantler

credits

released 26 September 2003
Amanda Palmer: Piano, Toy Piano & Vocals
Brian Vilgione: Drums, Guitar, Vocals & Percussion

All songs written/composed by Amanda Palmer
Produced/Engineered by Martin Bisi & The Dresden Dolls
Recorded at B.C. Studios (Brooklyn, NY)
Mastered by Fred Kevorkian at Absolute Studio (NYC, NY)
Album cover photo by Lisa Lunskaya Gordon

tags

tags: alternative baroque pop cabaret dark cabaret punk cabaret Boston

license

all rights reserved

feeds

feeds for this album, this artist
Track Name: Good Day
so you don't want to hear about my good song?
and you don't want to hear about how i am getting on
with all the things that i can get done
the sun is in the sky & i am by my lonesome

so you don't want to hear about my good day?
you have better things to do than hear me say:

god it's been a lovely day
everything is going my way
i took out the trash today
and I'M ON FIRE

so you don't want to hear about my good friends?
you don't have the guts to take the truth or consequence
success is in the eye of the beholder
and it's looking even better over your cold shoulder

i'm not suggesting you up and
line me up for questioning
but jesus think about the bridges you are burning
and i'm betting
that even though you knew it from the start
you'd rather be a bitch
than be an ordinary broken heart

so go ahead and talk about your bad day
i want all the details of the pain and misery
that you are inflicting on the others
i consider them my sisters & i want their numbers

god it's been a lovely day
everything's been going my way
i took up croquet today
and I'M ON FIRE

i picked up the pieces of my broken ego
i have finally made my peace as far as you and me go
but i'd love to have you up to see the place
i'd like to do more than survive:
i'd like to rub it in your face

hey it's been a lovely day
everything is going my way
i had so much fun today
and I'M ON FIRE

god it's been a lovely day
everything's been going my way
ever since you went away
hey
I'M ON FIRE
Track Name: Girl Anachronism
you can tell
by the scars on my arms
and the cracks in my hips
and the dents in my car
and the blisters on my lips
that i'm the carefullest of girls

you can tell
from the glass on the floor
and the strings that are breaking
and i keep on breaking more
and it looks like i am shaking
but it's just the temperature

but then again
if it were any colder i could disengage
if i were any older i would act my age
but i don't think you'd believe me
it's not the way I'm meant to be
it's just the way the operation made me

and you can tell
from the state of my room
that they let me out too soon
and the pills that i ate
came a couple weeks too late
and i've got some issues to work through
there i go again
pretending to be you
make believing
that i have a soul beneath the surface
trying to convince you
it was accidentally on purpose

i am not so serious
this passion is a plagiarism
i might join your century
but only on a rare occasion
i was taken out before the labor pains set in
and now behold the world's worst accident:
I AM THE GIRL ANACHRONISM

and you can tell
by the red in my eyes
and the bruises on my thighs
and the knots in my hair
and the bathroom full of flies

that i'm not right now at all
there i go again
pretending that i'll fall

don't call the doctors cause
they've seen it all before
they'll say:
"just let her crash and burn she'll learn
the attention just encourages her"

and you can tell from the full-body cast
that you're sorry that you asked
though you did everything you could
like any decent person would
but i might be catching so don't touch
you'll start believing you're immune to gravity
and stuff
don't get me wet because the bandages will all come off

and you can tell
from the smoke at the stake
that the current state is critical

well it is
the little things
for instance:

in the time it takes to break it
she could make up ten excuses
"please excuse her for the day
it's just the way the medication makes her"

i don't necessarily
believe there is a cure for this
so i might join your century
but only as a doubtful guest
i was too precarious
removed as a caesarian
behold the world's worst accident:
I AM THE GIRL ANACHRONISM
Track Name: Missed Me
missed me
missed me
now you gotta kiss me
if you kiss me, mister
i might tell my sister
if i tell her, mister
she might tell my mother
and my mother, mister
she might tell my father
and my father, mister
he won't be too happy
and he'll have his lawyer
come up from the city
and arrest you, mister
so i wouldn't miss me
if you get me, mister, see?

missed me
missed me
now you gotta kiss me
if you kiss me, mister
you must think i'm pretty
if you think so, mister
you must want to fuck me
if you fuck me, mister
it must mean you love me

if you love me mister
you would never leave me
it's as simple as can be

missed me
missed me
now you gotta kiss me
if you miss me, mister
why do you keep leaving
if you trick me, mister
i will make you suffer
and they'll get you, mister
put you in the slammer
and forget you, mister
then you'll miss me, won't you?
won't you miss me?

missed me
missed me
now you gotta kiss me
if you kiss me, mister
take responsibility
i'm fragile, mister
just like any girl would be
and so misunderstood
(so treat me delicately)

MISSED ME
MISSED ME
now you've gone and done it
hope you're happy
in the county penitentiary
it serves you right
for kissing little girls
but i'll visit...
if you miss me...

SAY YOU MISS ME
(how's the food they feed you?)
do you
MISS ME?
(will you kiss me through the window?)
DO YOU MISS ME?
MISS ME?
will they ever let you go?
i miss my mister so...
Track Name: Half Jack
half underwater
i'm half my mother's daughter
a fraction's left up to dispute
the whole collection
half-off the price they're asking
in the halfway house of ill repute

half accidental
half pain
half instrumental
i have a lot to think about
you think they're joking
you have to go provoke him
i guess it's high time you found out

it's half biology
and half corrective surgery gone wrong
you'll notice something funny
if you hang around here for too long
long ago
long ago
long ago in some black hole
before they had these pills to take it back

i'm half jill
and half jack

two halves are equal
a cross between two evils
it's not an enviable lot

but if you listen
you'll learn to hear the difference
between the halfs and half nots

and when i let him in
i feel the stitches getting sicker
i try to wash him out
but like they say
the blood is thicker
i see my mother in my face
but only when i travel
i run as fast as i can run
but jack comes tumbling after

and when i'm brave enough
and find a clever way to kick him out
and i'm so high
not even you and all your love could bring me

down on 83rd he never
found the magic words
to change the fact:

i'm half jill
i'm half jack

i'm halfway home now
half hoping
for a showdown
'cause i'm not big enough
to house this crowd
it might destroy me
but i'd sacrifice my body
if it meant i'd get the jack part
out

SEE JACK RUN
Track Name: Coin-Operated Boy
coin-operated boy
sitting on the shelf
he is just a toy
but i turn him on
and he comes to life
automatic joy
that is why i want a
coin-operated boy

made of plastic and elastic
he is rugged and long-lasting
who could ever, ever ask for more?
love without complications galore

many shapes and weights to choose from
i will never leave my bedroom
i will never cry at night again
wrap my arms around him and pretend

coin-operated boy
all the other real
ones that i destroy
cannot hold a candle
to my new boy and i'll
never let him go
and i'll never be alone
not with my
coin-operated boy

this bridge was written
to make you feel smittener
with my sad picture
of girl getting bitterer
will you extract me
from my plastic fantasy
i didn't think so
but i'm still convincible
will you still persist
even after i bet you
a billion dollars
that i'll never love you
and will you persist
even after i kiss you
good-bye for the last time
will you keep on trying
to prove it
i'm dying

to lose it
i'm losing
my confidence
i want to
i want you
i want a
coin-operated boy

and if i had a star to wish on
for my life i can't imagine
any flesh and blood would be his match
i can even take him in the bath

coin-operated boy
he may not be real
experienced with girls
but i know he feels
like a boy should feel
isn't that the point?
that is why i want a
coin-operated boy
with a pretty
coin-operated voice
saying that he loves
that he's thinking of me
straight and to the point
that is why i want a
coin-operated boy
Track Name: Gravity
gravity plays favorites
i know it 'cause i saw
honest to god, officer
it's awful

down at work i'm getting
too familiar with the floor
trading in my talents
by the mouthful

hate to break it to you
but it's out of my control
forces go to work
while we are sleeping

if i could attack with
a more sensible approach
obviously that's what
i'd be doing.... right?

now
necks are cracking sideways
hit me from the back side
i am on the white side
you are on the black side
out a piece that's bite size
shoot me from my good side
if you want a straight line
this'd be a good time

gravity works slowly if you
notice it at all
some of us are getting
mighty lucky
aren't we
if you had to live with this
you'd rather lie than fall
you think i can't fly?
well you just watch me

necks are cracking sideways
hit me from back side
i am on the thin side
you are on the fat side
cut a piece that's bite size
shoot me from my bad side
if you want a straight line
this'd be a good time

the sky is always falling down on me
so officer,
forgive me
please
Track Name: Bad Habit
biting keeps your words at bay
ending to the sores that stay
happiness is just a gash away
when i open a familiar scar
pain goes shooting like a star
comfort hasn't failed to follow so far

and you might say it's self-indulgent
you might say it's self-destructive
but you see it's more productive
than if i were to be happy

& pens and pen-knives take the blame
crane my neck & scratch my name
but the ugly marks
are worth the momentary gain
when i jab a sharpened object in
choirs of angels seem to sing
hymns of hate in memorandum

and you might say it's self-indulgent
you might say it's self-destructive
but you see it's more productive
than if i were to be healthy

and sappy songs about sex and cheating
bland accounts of two lovers meeting
make me want to give mankind a beating

and as the skin rips off
i cherish the revolting thought
that even if i quit
there's not a chance in hell i'd stop
and anyone can see the signs
mittens in the summertime
thank-you for your pity,
you are too kind

and you might say it's self-destructive
but you see i'd kick the bucket
sixty times before i'd kick the habit

and you might say it's self-inflicted
but you see that's contradictive
why on earth would anyone practice
self-destruction?

and pain opinions are sitcom feeding
they don't know that their minds are teething
makes me want to give mankind a beating...

i've tried bandages and sinking
i've tried gloves and even thinking
i've tried vaseline...
i've tried everything...

and no-one cares if your back is bleeding
they're concerned with their hair receding
looking back it was all maltreating
every thought that occurred misleading...
makes me want to give myself a beating...
Track Name: The Perfect Fit
i could make a dress
a robe fit for a prince
i could clothe a continent
but i can't sew a stitch

i can paint my face
and stand very very still
it's not very practical
but it still pays the bills

i can't change my name
but i could be your type
i can dance and win at games
like backgammon & life

i used to be the smart one
sharp as a tack
funny that how skipping years ahead
has held me back

i used to be the bright one
top in my class
funny what they give you
when you just learn how to ask

i can write a song
but i can't sing in key
i can play piano
but i never learned to read

i can't trap a mouse
but i can pet a cat
no i'm really serious
i'm really very good at that

i can't fix a car
but i can fix a flat
i could fix a lot of things
but i'd rather not get into that

i used to be the bright one
smart as a whip
funny how you slip so far
when teachers don't keep track of it

i used to be the tight one
the perfect fit
funny how those compliments
can make you feel so full of it

i can shuffle, cut and deal
but i can't draw a hand
i can't draw a lot of things
i hope you understand

i'm not exceptionally shy
but i've never had a man
who i could straight in the eye
and tell my secret plans

i can take a vow
and i can wear a ring
and i can make you promises
but they won't mean a thing

can't you just do it for me?
i'll pay you well...
fuck i'll give you anything
if you could end this

can't you just fix it for me
it's gone berserk
fuck i'll give you anything
if you can make the damn thing work

can't you just fix it for me?
i'll pay you well...
fuck i'll pay you anything...
if you could end this hell...
Track Name: The Jeep Song
i've been driving around town
with my head spinning around
everywhere i look i see
your '96 jeep cherokee

you're a bully and a clown
you made me cry and put me down
after all that i've been through
you'd think i'd hate the sight of you

but with every jeep i see
my broken heart still skips a beat
i guess it's just my stupid luck
that all of boston drives
the same black fucking truck

it could be him
or am i tripping
and i'm crashing into everything
and thinking about
skipping town awhile
until these cars go out of style

i try to see it in reverse
it makes the situation
hundreds of times worse
when i wonder if it makes
you want to cry
every time you see
a light blue volvo driving by

so don't tell me if you're
off to see the world
i know you won't get very far
don't tell me if you
get another girl, baby
just tell me if you
get another car

the number of them is insane
every exit's an
ex-boyfriend memory lane
every major street's
a minor heart attack
i see a red jeep
and i want to paint it black

it could be him
or am i tripping
and i'm crashing
into everything
i can't wait
til you trade the damn thing in
buy it and they will
have put me in the loony bin

it could be him
my heart is pounding
it's just no use
i'm surrounded
but one day
i'll steal your car
and switch the gears
and drive that cherokee
straight off
this trail of tears
Track Name: Slide
a late april day
and it's sunny outside
and a red little girl
is at the top of a slide
and an orange old man
at the bottom
wants to take her
for a ride

so she slips and she tumbles
the orange man mumbles
pennies fall down from the sky
and he tells her he'll take her
away where it's safe
and of course it is a lie

she's a third the way down
and her skirts are yanked up
and her little girl cheeks
start to wrinkle
but her smile is wide
and her legs are spread wider
her hair growing long
and her hips
getting wider
past getting brighter
light growing weaker

she is halfway down now
but the man is impatient
shakes change in his pocket
he might have to wait
but she's coming...

who are you blaming
they're just playing
(that's a good one)
who left the playground
a good decade
before the bell rang

as she starts to draw nearer
the view becomes clearer
the splinters are painful
but she doesn't feel it
the pennies were loaded
and as they exploded
she starts to spin out of control

her eyes are now closing
her sleeves are unrolling
up past her head
and her veins are all showing
not that she noticed
she's thoroughly focused
on one old man who's laughing
who's laughing...

don't worry
i've got you

THE ORANGE MAN GOT YOU
Track Name: Truce
you can have washington
i'll take new jersey
you can have london
but i want new york city

i should get providence
i've got a job now
los angeles - obvious -
that's where you belong now

you can have africa,
asia, australia
as long as you keep your hands
off
café pamplona

we can split germany
right down the middle
you'd hate it there anyway
take berlin and
we'll call it even

you can have all of
the carry-on baggage
i'll trade the saskia jokes
for the alphabet language

and special occasions
we'll split between parents
who forced us to hate them
on alternating weekends

you call it over
and i call you psycho
significant other???
just say we were lovers
and we'll call it even

i am the tower
around which you orbited
i am not proud
i am just taking orders
i fall to the ground
within hours of impact
i hit back when hit
and attack when attacked

i am the ground zero
ex-friend you ordered
disguised as a hero to
get past your borders
i know when i'm wanted
i'll leave if you ask me to
mind my own business
and speak when i'm spoken to

you get rt. 2 between
concord and lexington
i want mass ave
from the square
to my apartment

and if we should meet
through some misunderstanding
i'll be very sweet
very patient and forgiving
(now get off my side of the state)

and if we should see
one another in passing
despite these techniques
there is sometimes
no avoiding
(there must be some kind of mistake)

we'll raise high the white flags
and bow heads and shake hands
declaring the land we're on
unamerican
we'll call it even

i am the tower
around which you orbited
i am not proud
i am just taking orders
i fall to the ground
within hours of impact
i hit back when hit
and attack when attacked
and i am an accident
waiting to happen
i'm laughing like mad
as you strangle the captain
my place may be taken
but make no mistake
from a little black box
i can say without shame
that you've lost

so
take whatever you'd like
i'll strike like the states on fire
you won't sleep very tight
no hiding
no safe cover
make your bed and now lie
just like you always do
you can fake it for the papers
but
i'm onto you...