Well well well well Why do you taste so well? Oh no no no That ain’t the kind of smell Sky ain’t blue, we’re living in hell Well well well well well Well well well well The grounds need attending And you aren’t attending to them well Well well well well Why do you taste so well? You don’t taste so well You don’t taste so well Well well well well Who poisoned you? Well well well well You don’t taste anymore so well You don’t taste anymore so well Well well well well well well The grounds need attending to And you aren’t treatingRead More →

Light floats down day river on uh red raft o’ blood Night blocks out d’ heaven like uh big black shiny bug Its hard soft shell shinin’ white in one spot well It’s hard place dat I’m livin’ but I’m doin’ well well The white ice horse melted like uh spot uh silver well Its mane went last then disappeared the tail My life ran thru my veins Whistlin’ hollow well I froze in solid motion well well I heard the ocean swarmin’ body well well I heard the beetle clickin’ well I sensed the thickest silence scream Then I begin t’ dream My mindRead More →

I cry but I can’t buy Your Veteran’s Day poppy It don’t get me high It can only make me cry It can never grow another Son like the one who warmed me my days After rain amd warmed my breath My life’s blood Screamin’ empty she cries It don’t get me high It can only make me cry Your Veteran’s Day poppy (1969) Originally made available at Justin Sherill’s Home Page Replica, transcribed by Jonathan MachellRead More →

The decks were stacked The wind blew low, the wind blew high The stakes were low, the stakes were high Upon the My-O-My Hands low, hands high, Ho-ho-ho, hi-hi-hi Hands low, hands high Upon the My-O-My How was I to know she was so shy? Upon the My-O-My Across the light, across the night You can hear the Captain’s cry Hands low, hands high Upon the My-O-My Got to make her roll, got to make her fly Upon the My-O-My Now tell me, good Captain, How does it feel To be driven away from your own steering wheel Upon the My-O-My . . . (1974)Read More →

Twist ah luck that made you mine A stitch in time, your path crossed mine You’re the reason, love’s the rhyme It’s genuine Now you’re takin’ up all my time When we’re apart you’re on my mind Thinkin’ about you all the time Thinkin’ about you all the time Got my heart and me beatin’ overtime Got my heart and me beatin’ overtime Thinkin’ about you all the time Thinkin’ about you all the time I’m glad I played the game I played And I paid this heart of mine When we met I lost the bet And I lost this heart of mine (RepeatRead More →

25th Century Quaker as imagined by OpenAI

Mayflower child met uh 25th Century Quaker She’s uh pickin’ poppies ‘n’ bringin’ them into her hue Sun sifting thru and thru and thru Letting them all and all fill thru Me into you me to you me to you Into hue Blue cheese faces laces blue cheese faces faces ‘n’ phases ‘n’ phases ‘n’ faces Going thru the cottage cottage Going thru the cottage cottage Going thru the cottage cottage come with me baby, come with me come with me baby, come with me Quaker child Quaker paper child Flutterin’ ants flutter like fireflies Eyes that flutter like uh wide open shutter eyes thatRead More →

The path is the mask of love, a way, a way The flow is the task above today, There is no other way (repeat) You gotta trust us when y’ need a friend T’ find us y’ gotta look within Y’ gotta trust us (repeat) before y’ turn t’ dust (repeat) Y’ gotta see before y’ see Y’ gotta be before y’ll be (we love you) Y’ gotta touch without taint Y’ gotta hear without fear Y’ gotta feel t’ reveal Y’ gotta touch without taint Such is IS n’ AIN’T is AIN’T (repeat) We’re for you, love you, with you, love you, just a few We love you,Read More →

Tropical Hot Dog Night Like two flamingoes in a fruit fight Ev’ry colour of day Whirlin’ around at night I’m playin’ this music So the young girls will come out To meet the monster tonight Tropical Hot Dog Night Like two flamingoes in a fruit fight I don’t wanna know ‘bout wrong or right I don’t want to know – I’m anywhere tonight Tropical Hot Dog Night Like two flamingoes in a fruit fight Like steppin’ out of a triangle Into striped light Striped light, striped light Tropical Hot Dog Night – Everything’s wrong, at the same time it’s right The truth has no patternsRead More →

[Chorus:] I got too much time, too much time I got too much time to be without love In my life I’ve got a deep devotion Wide as the sky and deep as the ocean Every war that’s waged makes me cry Every bird that goes by gets me high [Spoken: Sometimes when it’s late and I’m a little hungry I heat up some old stale beans, open up a can of sardines, eat crackers and dream of somebody to cook for me.] [Repeat chorus, verse and chorus] (1972) Originally made available at Justin Sherill’s Home Page Replica.Read More →

The Thousandth and Tenth Day of the Human Totem Pole as imagined by OpenAI

The thousandth and tenth day of the human totem pole. The morning was distemper grey, Of the thousandth and tenth day of the human totem pole. The man at the bottom was smiling. He had just finished his breakfast smiling. It hadn’t rained or manured for over two hours. The man at the top was starving. The pole was a horrible looking thing With all of those eyes and ears And waving hands for balance. There was no way to get a copter in close So everybody was starving together. The man at the top had long ago given up But didn’t have nerve enoughRead More →

There ain’t no Santa Claus on the evenin’ stage There ain’t no way t’ pull the curtain ‘N hide from hunger’s rage There ain’t no town t’ stop in There ain’t no time t’ stop in There ain’t no straw for my horse There ain’t no straw for my bed There ain’t no comfort in cold boards There ain’t no rumours or food for my stomach ‘N someday I’m gonna be saved ‘Cause I gotta eat ‘n drink ‘n breathe ‘n sleep ‘N I’m ah slave Down in hominy’s grotto there’s ah soul die’n ‘n leavin’ Every second on the evenin’ stage There’s ah soulRead More →

Paper and wire killed my brother and my sister too And if you don’t watch out You know they’re going to get you too And if I don’t watch out You know they’re going to get me too Telephone Telephone Telephone Telephone Well I strangled the cord Ripped it off of the phone And I saw the bone And I saw the twinkling lights It must have been rats [?? is this right? – any ideas?] ‘Cause it sure was a drone It sure was a drag Paper and wire killed my brother and my sister too And if you don’t watch out You knowRead More →

Baby Percy told Elixir Sue Listen to me baby I’m gonna tell it to you Gonna need somebody on your bond You gonna need some bodies on your bond Just you bear this in mind True friends is hard to find You gonna need some bodies on your bond Gonna need somebody on your bond You gonna need some bodies on your bond Just you bear this in mind True friends is hard to find You gonna need some bodies on your bond I say bear this in mind I say bear this in mind Just you bear this in mind True friends is hard toRead More →

Sweet sweet sweet sweet bulbs grow in m’ latest garden Warm warm warm warm warm sun fingers wave In m’ latest garden Flowers dance their faces brave Come talk freely in the garden of m’ lady Her hominy smile her hominy snatch Only uh crow would peck n’ uh chicken would scratch Her lips turned up t’ kiss I see yuh Phoebe baby in yer bonnet With the sunset written on it ‘n the shadow of uh tree Curled around yuh knee in color n’ just behind yuh was the sea of negativity Tinklin’ like mercury in the wind Her feet kept by the groundRead More →

Well I was born in the desert came on up from New Orleans Came upon a tornado, sun not in the sky Ah waited ’round all day with the moon sticking in m’eye Hey hey hey all you young girls wherever you’re at Ah got a brand new Cadillac, got a Ferrari too Sure ’nuff baby, sure ’nuff n’ yes I do Got the time t’ teach ya n’ I bet you’ll learn some too Got the time t’ teach ya n’ I bet you’ll learn some too Sure ’nuff baby, sure ’nuff ‘n yes I do Hey hey hey all you young girls whatever you doRead More →

Nothing makes it move From the bottom to the top Does it start at the bottom? Or does it start at the top Magnet draw day from dark Sun zoom spark Sun zoom spark Now which hand’s got it? Bottom, or the top? Neither hand’s got it It’s just got it Hope it don’t stop Magnet draw day from dark Sun zoom spark Sun zoom spark Think you can uh hold it Once it start I don’t care who ya are or what size ya are I’m gonna magnetize ya Magnet draw day from dark Sun zoom spark Sun zoom spark Ohh, don’t let itRead More →

Sugar ‘n spikes ‘n neon lights ‘n walks ‘n lights ‘n chains coughin’ smoke whoopin’ hope Cardinal sky rush by falls bark in dark Fall back in dark Pies steam stale shoes move broom ‘n pale Moon in uh dime store sale Sugar ‘n spikes ‘n everything nice ‘n everything nice ‘n crazy That’s what little worlds are made of lady I’m paid up in home in ‘m new Friday’s house There’s no H on my faucet there’s no bed for m’ mouse My punch ‘n grow mind in diamond back time Now it’s king for uh day with my lady look fine Got m’Read More →

Justin Sherill writes: Interestingly, I received an email from a Peter Wray, who might just be the fellow mentioned in the song. Here’s a chunk of his email. “My only claim to fame was being mentioned in one of his songs (Sugar n Spikes). How I got in the lyrics I don’t know except that I met Beefheart on tour in Columbus Ohio in 1968 or 69.” “I remember that one of my friends in college got one of the first issues of TMR – when Warners included the lyric sheet – and came running into my room yelling and insisting that I somehow hadRead More →

Chills quick you Voices pick you Crows hex you Deluxe-um(?) Postum avion Wizard kiss and all be gone Scenes Dreams Boats to forever Bolted ether Creep the ether feather Sue Egypt Sue Egypt Boing pong hocus pocus avion I think of all those people that ride on my bones I think of all of those people that ride on my bones That nobody hears That nobody sees that nobody knows Sue Egypt Sue Egypt I think of all I think of all I think of all those people who ride on my bones That nobody sees, that nobody dares That nobody hears, that nobody caresRead More →