39 Pink Flamingos

She’s got 39 pink flamingos in her backyard
And an orange polyethylene Buddha on the top of her car
Tattoos of Lenin and Santa, and one of Jay-Z
She’s not making or breaking the rules, she’s just free

And there are 39 pink flamingos in her garden plot
Her favorite Beatle was Ringo, she thought he was hot
And she wears Christmas sweaters in August, but she never sweats
It’s not her way to complain, or dwell on regrets

It’s just 28 days since I met her
And I wish it could go on forever
I love everything that she does
I was powerless to resist her
Part sorceress and part little sister
But really I fell just because... of her

39 pink flamingos, and there’s bound to be more
'Cause everything funky or kitschy, that's what she adores
She’s hooked on quinoa and Kreteks, not so much to forgive
‘Cause the usual rules don’t apply with just 6 months to live

But her joie de vivre never unraveled
Even while losing the battle
She was funny and fearless and strong
I’ve never known anyone like her
Part librarian and part mini-biker
And I’m different since she came along... with those

39 pink flamingos, now in my front yard
And that orange polyethylene Buddha in the trunk of my car
I’ve got a picture of her kissing Santa, and one by the sea
And we take it one day at a time
The Buddha and all 39
Flamingos and me

39 pink flamingos

H20 / The Trick

I don’t remember how it felt
To learn of that conveyor belt
That snakes through this little town down to the sea

l didn’t then connect the dots
Or anticipate the twisted plot
Or fathom all that it would mean, that it could mean to me

Then came a sorry situation
Fraught and full of complications
But sometimes necessity presents a remedy of elegance

There’s nothing like the universal solvent
Nothing else will turn the tide so quick
No looking back, no time to think
Just drop your burden in the drink
It’s that or the gallows, take your pick
And good old H2O will always do the trick

This has worked for men like me
For more than a thousand centuries
Mother nature saves the day, cleaning up our mess

And as the current rushes by
There’s barely time to say goodbye
We walk away and wash our hands with no need to confess

Just a momentary shiver
As you cast your fate into the river
And honestly it works just like a dream
Sending all the evidence downstream

‘Cause there’s nothing like the universal solvent
Nothing else will turn the tide so quick
One splash and all your worldly woes are swiftly going with the flow
Subtraction is the best arithmetic
And good old H2O will always do the trick

Bon voyage to all your troubles
Submerging in a swirling cloud of bubbles
Sinking slowly down into the deep
Then just go home and get a good night’s sleep

There’s nothing like the universal solvent
Nothing else will turn the tide so quick
Bundle up your Waterloo, and launch it toward the bounding blue
Now let’s see ‘em try and make the charges stick
‘Cause good old H2O will always do the trick

Good old H2O will always do
If you’ve got the stones to see it through
H2O will always do the trick

Scars & Confetti

You leaned in closer, I should have kissed you then
Your hair was longer, I pulled away from it and
Moved to the city, over the Tappen Zee Bridge
You liked the colors I can’t see anything

I’ll be your coffee, I’ll be your poster child
Walking like Jesus, when all the stores are closed
You think of drowning out in your parents’ pool
The water’s freezing, it was September

I think I know you
I was here before the start of the storm
It’s all around you now you’re coming back home
Now you’re coming back

You own that glimmer, I should have told you then
Now more than ever, the broken pieces fit
Scars and confetti, Sawmill and Pontiac clips
I kept Valhalla, I still want everything

I’ll be your sweater, you be my wailing wall
Fighting like Gandhi, when all the lines are down
You dream of flying along the Zuiderzee
The sky was yellow, I still remember

I think I know you
I was here before the start of the storm
It’s all around you, now you’re coming back home
Now you’re coming back

I think I know you
We were here before the start of the storm
It’s all around us, now we’re coming back home
Now we’re coming back

Same Boat

Nothing but blue
 And it’s all ocean view for miles and miles
 Too far from shore
 Can’t turn back anymore, still we're in denial

 With no compass or star, no guardian angel or breadcrumb trail
Soaked to the skin, only now it sinks in

We’re the same
The same
 And we’re in the same boat

No sign of land 
And we don’t understand this whole odyssey
 Out of our depth
 If we’re not all scared to death, maybe we ought to be

‘Cause those planks under your feet
 Are all that stand between us and Mr. Davy Jones
So our only hope is to keep her afloat, ‘cause

We’re in the same
The same boat

We might go overboard
 In between the sirens and the undertow 
Is there a red morning sky when you open your eyes?

Same, it’s the same
 And we’re in the same
 It’s the same 
Same 
Yeah, we’re in the same boat

Nothin’ Like The Blues

I was born this side of the tracks
Under a good sign, in an upscale flat
Had a summer cottage South of Santa Cruz
Nothin' like the blues

If I need a job, well I get hired
Sometimes I quit, but I am never fired
Haven't been abandoned, haven't been abused
Nothin' like the blues

Ain’t got the blues
Not down and out
Got no excuse
To whine and pout
People think I’ve suffered
‘Cause I've been down a time or two
But it's nothin' like the blues

Got a French press, Swiss watch
Norwegian wood, and single malt Scotch
Couple Japanese cars, some Italian shoes
But I ain't got nothin' like the blues

Got a real good woman, she’s funny and smart
Sweet disposition and a generous heart
And my baby has never been untrue

Ain’t got the blues
Not down and out
Got no excuse
To mope about
People think I struggled

But they don’t have a clue
It's nothin' like the blues
It’s happy, but it’s true
And nothin' like the blues

Nothin' like the blues

Learn To Let You Go

This is not the first time I remember
Daffodils in January snow
And in that moment they stay frozen there forever
The day I had to learn to let you go

The new year casts a shadow on December
The firelight with faces all aglow
The last time we were all together
Before I had to learn to let you go

No one can say, cause nobody knows
Just where you ended up
Light years away, or just down the road
You were gone, that was enough

So even as the Summer starts to falter
And the Autumn leaves begin their splendid show
I remain unmoving like Gibraltar (that’s what’s called for)
This is how I’ve learned to let you go

This is not the first time I remember
Daffodils in January snow
And in that moment they stay frozen there forever
The day I had to learn to let you go

I will learn to let you go

Another Day In Black & White

I don't wanna be good with words
Be another talkin' head
Tried to reason, but it has not worked
So, I'm talking to your heart instead

Don't wait till you're old and gray
Don't wait, not another day
Don't wait, it won't be the same
Without your shoulder by my shoulder

It's black and white
It’s just another day In black and white

I know you're troubled and you've got some plans
How you're gonna stay safe and dry
Bein' careful I can understand
I think you're lettin' heaven pass you by

Don't wait, till you're old and gray
Don't wait, not another day
Don't wait, it won't be the same
Without your shoulder by my shoulder

It’s another day in black and white
Just another day in black and white

Just when I've got you out from under my skin
Let my bygones go by
Then I dream our summer reruns again
And I lay awake all night
Seeing colors until the light
Reveals another day in black and white

It’s another day in black and white
Just another day in black and white
Another day in black and white
It’s black and white
It's just another day in black and white

If She Comes Out

It’s gonna be a shock
If she comes out
Foundations will be rocked
If she comes out

Some will be thunderstruck
Both in and out of luck
They’ll say she’s run amok
If she comes out

She’s gonna take some flack
If she comes out
They’ll talk behind her back
If she comes out

Forked tongue and serpentine
Hissing behind the blinds
They’ll lose their narrow minds If she comes out

She’s got her reservations, why wouldn’t she?
So many expectations, who’s she s’posed to be?

Squares won’t understand
If she comes out
Their fit will hit the shan
If she comes out

Sanguine and bittersweet
To sail against the fleet
But it’s fait accompli
If she comes out

She doesn't telegraph her intentions, doesn’t wave a flag
Doesn’t wanna be the center of attention, or the next hashtag

But she’ll be on TV
If she comes out
Shaking her family tree
If she comes out

Will they warm up in time
To her new paradigm
Find out it’s not a crime
If she comes out?

No, she’s done nothing wrong
And if she ever drops the bomb
Well, she’ll still be my mom
If she comes out

Serendipity

Ordinary people, wild at heart
Great expectations, true romance
Waiting forever, worlds apart
Broken flowers dying to dance

Never ending story, déjà vu
Left behind, nothing to lose
Suddenly

Serendipity
Strangers on a train
East of Eden, destination unknown
Struck by lightning, singing in the rain
Perfect storm, away we go

Out of nowhere, change of plans
No reservations, nothing but the truth
Life is beautiful, wonderland
Infatuation bulletproof

Better off dead the way we were
Overnight the lonely cure
Somehow meant to be

Walking on sunshine one fine day
New horizons, clear blue skies
Just like heaven, this must be the place
Where the heart is, sweet surprise

Once lost souls with time to kill
Lifted up the day the earth stood still
All together now

Strangers on a train
East of Eden, destination unknown
Struck by lightning, singing in the rain
Perfect storm, away we go

Sound of music, something in the wind
What dreams may come in the nick of time
Love happens now and then
Strange magic, it’s a wonderful life
Lucky stars, paper moon, good night

All Done

It’s time to go
This can’t be news
Not for an oracle like you

It’s not a dream
This time’s for real
And I know you wanna tell me how you feel

But I’m all done
You’d only be wasting your breath
All done
We’ve already talked this to death
It’s over
Over

Let’s be adult
Let’s be polite
No need for this to turn into a fight

We’re way beyond
The time to talk
And there’s no chance of turning back the clock

'Cause I'm all done
It’s pointless to cry and complain
All done
There’s nothing left to explain
It’s over
Over

You used to say this was your one and only fear
Well, Nostradamus, then you should have known the end was near

It’s over

Autumn’s Only Child

It was at the end of Summer when she came to me
And right on season everything changed
We put our collars up against the Winter wind
And lived carelessly, if carefully arranged

And grew up in the Spring that warmed the Winter's cold
And waited while the Summer slithered by
And now we're standing face to face with Fall again
And I fall again for Autumn's only child

She's got a thousand rustic charms I can depend upon
But she'll change before I know the moment's gone
And if I think to bundle up, she bounces back again
And hums her tune until I play along...

And I play along with Autumn's only child

Well, the new year comes before I've seen the old one home
And June turns to July without a fuss
And she says, "What do you bet about the season's end this time?”
And what do you think about the two of us?

‘Cause it's at the end of Summer when she came to me
And right on season everything's gonna change
So now I put my collar up against the Winter wind
But will I fall again for Autumn's only child?

I put my collar up against the Winter wind
But will I fall again for Autumn's only child?

CO-DEPEND ON ME

So she finally threw you out, called you a drunken lout
Well, I won’t say I told you so
And now you end up here, and reek of beer
‘Cause you’ve got nowhere else to go

Tell me why, oh why you think that you could drive in your condition
My, oh my, that’s quite a nice supply of bad decisions

And if you need the kind of friend who’s gonna save you from yourself
Don’t look at me, you’re gonna wanna find somebody else
But if you need a wingman, and one who’s always judgment free
You can co-depend on me

Now if you need a drink, don’t overthink
I got white lightnin’ in a jar
OR I can make it snow, just let me know
Cause I got Crystal and Molly in the car

And we’ll be riding high, masters of the road, devil may care
Sliding by In the fast lane to thin air

So if you need the kind of friend who’s gonna moralize and chastise you
I pray God’s speed, and I’ll take that to be my cue
But if you need a partner in crime not just some half-ass referee
Well, you can co-depend on me

Yeah, I might like to be the kind of friend who’s gonna tell you when you’re wrong
But that would take a change of heart, and then this would be a different song
But on your way up to down in flames, if you’d like some company
You can co-depend on me

Yeah, you can co-depend on me