“My sisters and brothers they hated so bad To see me go west like someone gone mad To leave all my loved ones and kiss them goodbye Just hoping I’d see them in the sweet by-and-by.” California promised heaven (All the leaves are brown) A heaven we could not deny (And the sky is grey) But the dust we’re running from still stalks us in the night And all we’ve found is a bitter lie With our lives on our backs, beat a path in the earth Just hoping that we’d find blue skies and work The farmlands and sawmills worked fine for a time But with the father’s death came our decline He that would the daughter win Must with the mother first begin Diligence is the mother of good luck Diligence is the mother of good luck They don’t need to know my name Hide their faces, spare my children the shame They don’t need to know my name Hide their faces, spare my children the shame Where is the children’s father? Sacrificed on or left to the altar Where is the life I was promised? Best left unasked and best left unwanted How did they end up here? What are they going to do? How did they end up here? What are they going to do? He that would the daughter win Must with the mother first begin Diligence is the mother of good luck Diligence is the mother of good luck California promised heaven (All the leaves are brown) A heaven we could not deny (And the sky is grey) But I’ll deny most anything Rags and riches, gods and kings Just need to feel the wheels underneath me

The Canary I was named after my grandmothers in the tradition of my family I was born after my stillborn sister Romantic idealistic lies euphemize as fantasy But the water always bursts first from the blister Iridescent light leads down a path That’s left me miserable at times With my heart in my throat still beating, still beating Amelia, please don’t go Just stay Don’t go Amelia, please don’t go Just stay Don’t go Don’t go I remember the first time that I felt The cool breeze upon my face I didn’t understand it at the time But the calling of adventure and my heart’s increasing pace It was the ticker tape that I could not deny I’ll cut my hair short And I’ll sleep in my jacket so it appears worn Oh, I’m no baggage No willing passenger Those women who came before me Ain’t nothing like me, sir Ain’t nothing like me So this time I’ll do it, I’ll do it on my own This time I’m going out alone So this time I’ll do it, I’ll do it on my own This time I’m going out alone Amelia, please don’t go Just stay Don’t go Amelia, please don’t go Just stay Don’t go I can hear their pleas and cries falling far behind me Succeed or fail, this is who I’m to become 7000 miles of ocean stand between me and my destiny Somewhere beyond it or inside it “Women must pay for everything. They do get more glory than men for comparable [tasks] But they also get more notoriety when they crash.” Women must pay for everything When they crash

Progress versus risk Chaos and control A sluggish titan’s brisk Descent international A completely unremarkable excursion across the ocean Caught the eye of the world Technology expanded rapidly with great devotion From the sky, from the world at large There’s fire on both sides of the door And fire’s a good disciple, but wicked master Paralyzed in time Colourized and brilliant The future paradigm Would prove to be resilient A completely flawed analysis of future tech’s tenacity Caught the eye of the world As their hopes and dreams took fire right before their eyes Winds of change blow the whole worldwide With the swiftness of a flash It was captured in a photograph When transitory memory became permanent And we remember always As they pour us into molds We remember because We’re malleable as gold Fireball and tower Conceal the swastika Which might have served to sour Our desired erotica A completely overlooked detail Omission is deception Retract, denied by the world Emblazoned on the rudders And plastered on the tail It might have caught the eye of the world The bigger things that I cannot remember The little things that I cannot forget about when I’m alone in bed A picture might make my memory better No matter how much I might regret the fact, it gets into my head So take my picture, I’m decomposing Make it a solemn silhouette Cause this time is no different It might help you not forget my feeble voice So take my picture as I burn And print it out for all to see Because words are wind But image impacts our collective memory So take my picture, I’m decomposing Make it a solemn silhouette Cause this time is no different It might help you not forget So take my picture as I burn And print it out for all to see Because words are wind But image impacts our collective memory

The cold finally broke this morning It’s quiet on the dock The sun feels so close and warming The air is heavy I’m dreaming of a life I can’t afford The ground starts to tremble beneath my feet Feels like my train is coming in I can hear it screaming in the distance My train is coming in Eyes cast towards the heavens They can tell my train is coming in All hands, all hands, all hands My train is coming in I’m standing here in disbelief Like how in the hell is this happening to me? But I’m holding onto this one relief When my train comes in and crashes into me It was over my head Like the sunshine That it rose up to eclipse Maybe it’s just in my head Or maybe the sunshine Never did exist Sweet taste of death in my mouth Brings quiet to all of my doubts Come rushing toward me, black wave The train that never did come early anyway (All hands, all hands, all hands) And it never is delayed (My train’s about to come in) Come rushing toward me, black wave The train that never did come early anyway And it never is delayed I’m dreaming of a life I can’t afford I’m dreaming of a life I can’t afford The ground starts to tremble beneath my feet Seems like my train is coming in I can hear it screaming in the distance My train is coming in Eyes cast towards the heavens They can tell my train is coming in All hands, all hands, all hands My train is coming in I’m standing here in disbelief Like how in the hell is this happening to me? Is this happening to me? But I’m holding onto this one relief When my train comes in and crashes into me It crashes into me And In the aftermath I’m just a struggling mass Painted black Just as everything that was left out on the tracks And those who pass me by cannot decide Whether I’m animal or human Animal or human Under the black mass

You won’t miss the water ‘til the well runs dry Can’t appreciate the taste with a bountiful supply Don’t know what it’s like to live until you barely survive I don’t know what it’s like to feel alive If you’re dumb enough to witness this insipid, wasteful christening You’re dumb enough to listen when they say the water’s glistening And as you scrape the bottom of this desiccated hole You’re told the water’s rising and the well’s completely full But it’s not without its comforts, like an aching in your side If you can tolerate the thirst, the thirst eventually subsides If you’re overextended, underprepared (It will run its course) What was the time that death was declared? (It’s almost over) And every day now, it’s getting worse (It can’t get worse) Year after year, verse after verse (This is full disclosure) Overextended and under the gun Put your faith in god, but keep your powder dry Because god sends nuts to those who have no teeth Love the son, spoil the rod Make sure it’s satisfied Cut the ground from underneath your feet Because we’re mired in the depths of this What we’re told is a chrysalis We’re eager for the blissful kiss of death Because the fireside chats are comforting While the population’s wondering If suffering’s not the only option left If suffering’s not the only option left If you’re overextended, underprepared (It will run its course) What was the time that death was declared? (It’s almost over) And every day now, it’s getting worse (It can’t get worse) Year after year, verse after verse (This is full disclosure) Overextended and under the gun And when they came for the crib They came for the table and the drapes on the walls They came for the clothes from the backs on my kids My god, they came for it all Ten years of a white flag, waving in the wind Ghost town, ghost country No sign of the sleeping And all we needed was a reason Ten years in a body bag, waiting in the wings No god, no country No sign of the sleeping And all we needed was a reason Ten years of a white flag, waving in the wind Ghost town, ghost country No sign of the sleeping And all we needed was a reason Ten years in a body bag, waiting in the wings No god, no country No sign of the sleeping And all we needed was a reason And you gave us one I’ve got a job for every able-bodied man Munition factories for women and children And all we needed was a reason And you gave us one You gave us one I’ve got a job for every able-bodied man Munition factories for women and children And all we needed was a reason And you gave us one, gave us one Ten years of a white flag, waving in the wind Ghost town, ghost country No sign of the sleeping And all we needed was a reason

You can reach for your service pistol By the time you get it I’m betting that this will be over and done with Leave your badge and your gun You won’t be coming home tonight Because you’re dealing with a man at the end of his rope And I’ll be swinging for the fences on a prayer and a hope There’ll be no celebrations, or banner, libations Just your sad and lonely wife You want the glory Resplendent kill You want the story of the ill-famed blood you spilled Because there’s a Midwest overcoat And it’s begging to be filled And if I’m not caught wearing it, you will You’ll have to do better than that You’ll have to do better than that Because it passed right through the abdomen of this same old lucky cat Yea, you’ll have to do better than that Fuck it In 1916 at 7 years old, I shot a kid in the mug with a found pistol First taste of the bracelets, first taste of the can Gave him a taste of the grave before his life began And all we know is all that we’ve been told Reformed or refined, as if by design By a prison system that’s all but resigned When the ideal prisoner should spend his life drifting back and forth Back and forth Back and forth So swaddle me in a Native blanket You know I can’t stand being cold Leave me out front of the bleeding church To meet the head of the household I sold my soul for a handful of kills and a bankroll I sold my soul Swaddle me in a Native blanket You know I can’t stand being cold Leave me out front of the bleeding church To meet the head of the household I sold my soul You want the glory Resplendent kill You want the story of the ill-famed blood you spilled There’s a Midwest overcoat And it’s begging to be filled And if I’m not caught wearing it, you will Drive, just drive Get in the car Just drive away Just drive Get in the car Just drive away You’ll have to do better than that You’ll have to do better than that Because it passed right through the abdomen of this same old lucky cat Yea, you’ll have to do better than that Oh, you’ll have to do better than that You’ll have to do better than that Because it passed right through the abdomen of this same old lucky cat Yea, you’ll have to do better than that Oh no I think I’m bleeding out So take the wheel So take the wheel Oh no I think I’m bleeding out So take the wheel So take the wheel

The wingspan of my exploits is vast as the sea Familiar commencement, familiar routine As my Mother lay dying, my Father would scream “Son, do you dream the American dream?” Oh no, not me Not on your life I’m gonna live on the edge of a knife And prey on the fools who should handle it timidly You had your big dreams and planted a seed You wanted a flower, but turned out a weed My petals will curl and fall to the ground You’ll whisper my name and you’ll spread me around And as you grow in my supposed image You won’t inherit the truth of how I feel You’ll just assume that it’s real Father, forgive me For I know not what I do Father, if I could, I’d chose to be like you Forget this fucking face Forget you ever saw it Empty your pockets, your keys and your wallet A mere $50, my life was delayed Locked up and shut down for more than a decade And so I sew my seed, year after year I’ll be the meanest bastard you’ve ever seen when I get out of here And so I sew my seed, year after year I’ll be the meanest bastard you’ve ever seen when I get out of here Freedom is incarceration by a different name I’m free to walk the streets, but I’m financially detained And so I sew my seed, year after year I’ll be the meanest bastard when I get out of here There’s nowhere left to turn, there’s nowhere left to run So I’ll take what I’m owed or I’ll eat this fucking gun And so I sew my seed, year after year I’ll be the meanest bastard you’ve ever seen when I get out of here You had your big dreams and planted a seed You wanted a flower, but turned out a weed My petals will curl and fall to the ground You’ll whisper my name and you’ll spread me around On the wings of the wind, to the end of the earth My legend will grow as my story gives birth To a new generation of violent offenders Who worship my memory Hyperbolize my splendor And as you grow in my supposed image You won’t inherit the truth of how I feel And as you grow in my supposed image You’ll piss away your precious, fleeting youth Assuming you know the truth Assuming you know the truth

Oh what a typical story Contested site, the Americas With treaties broken, the same sad token Torn and repaired it with paraffin Disembodied heads Disembowel the earth A monument of our arrogance A monolith of our bloated bunk, self-worth Disembodied heads Disembowel the earth We marred the land with our leaders Eight eyes to watch “little snakes” Regal expressions for Native repression At rest frozen on their faces We can make an exception And they can make some concessions Because there’s gold in the Black Hills Armed to the teeth We can make an example of every one of these savages The rights they have we gave to them And we can take them away without giving a damn Ain't that exactly how it is And that’s exactly what they did Oh, you don’t think it’s right But that’s exactly what they did What an impressive display Of complete dissolution Two fucking faces owned slaves One supplied the largest Aboriginal execution Once somebody said, I don’t believe “the only good Indians are dead... But I believe [that] nine out of ten are...”* And so they took his head And carved his eyes into the Native mountainside We can make an exception And they can make some concessions Because there’s gold in the Black Hills Armed to the teeth We can make an example of every one of these savages Because the rights they have we gave to them And we can take them away without giving a damn Oh yes, the rights they have we gave to them And we can take em, take em, take em, take em away Forgotten in the shadows cast by celebrated busts Lies a site depicting history’s ignoble blood lust There might be flowers in the windows, but only ashes in the streets Impoverished and broken sings the songs of their defeat But it’s your vacation, your holiday It’s a reminder every story gets sculpted and decayed It’s your vacation, your holiday You may feel cheated by it’s honesty Just pack the car and drive away It’s your vacation, your holiday It’s your vacation, your holiday It’s your vacation, your holiday It’s your vacation, your holiday About face Enjoy the ride There’s a different version of history carved in the mountain side Your mind’s made up Your hands are tied But colonialism by all definitions is the father to a genocide

The hapless hills of Hollywood Hide halfhearted happiness A hardened heroine hangs her head Hear her hyperventilate Here her hands had hammered home Her half-written history With her heart in her hands Her hands stopped holding on A penny for your thoughts A quarter for the show The truth should turn to rot Whichever way the wind blows The truth, yes a blonde, despondent from her failures Fury rages claiming innocence lost That spawned chaotic behaviors A handbag and some women’s shoes Hidden on the forest floor Discovered by a hiker on the hill Haphazardly hanging out was her self-destruction And her handwritten history “I’m afraid I’m a coward. I’m sorry for everything.” A penny for your thoughts A quarter for the show The truth should turn to rot Whichever way the wind blows A penny for your thoughts A quarter for the show The truth should turn to rot Whichever way the wind blows The truth, yes a blonde, couldn’t give a shit about her failures Suffering in silence of a chemical imbalance That spawned erratic behavior The truth, yes a blonde, yes a blond, yes a blonde Apparent in the night, but absent come the dawn The truth, yes a blonde, yes a blond, yes a blonde Apparent in the night, but absent come the dawn Where is the country I came here to find? It’s running its hands through my hair It’s borders and boundaries are clearly defined It’s forty-five feet through the air Only the night sky will witness my flight Without so much as a care Out past the margins of all that’s finite Forty-five feet through the air It’s forty-five feet from here to there It’s forty-five feet through the air Forty-five feet to bliss from despair Only forty-five feet through the air It’s forty-five feet from here to there It’s forty-five feet through the air Forty-five feet to bliss from despair Only forty-five feet through the air It’s forty-five feet from here to there It’s forty-five feet through the air Forty-five feet to bliss from despair Only forty-five feet through the air The world rushes past and it’s softly obscured By the quiet and stillness of death Take from me this body It’s all that I have left Floating effortlessly The scent of gardenias in the air A veil should mask her face And her short blonde hair

Once I built a railroad, I made it run I made it race against time Once I built a railroad, but now it’s done Brother, can you spare a dime? Once I built a railroad, I made it run Made it race against time Once I built a railroad, but now it’s done Brother, can you spare a dime? And time might run in straight lines Why does this all seem so damn cyclical? Time might run in straight lines Why does this all feel so played out before? Let’s make America great again Let’s make America great again Land of innovation, land of common sense Let’s make American great again What separates us now is off by less than six degrees It’s not necessarily character, it’s opportunity All praise be to the new god who speaks so elegantly Who says, “America is not great, but it can be.” Once I built a tower up to the sun Brick and rivet and lime Once I built a tower, but now it’s done Brother, can you spare a dime? Once everything was simply falling downward Once everything was full collapse Let’s make America great again Let’s make America great again Land of innovation, land of common sense Let’s make American great again And I know I’m not the first to say it Not the first to have these thoughts out loud No country’s history is free from bullshit But everyone just seems so fucking proud Leap with faith, fly blindly Through a history gone wrong Let the people’s voices rip through your ears “I sold my kingdom for a song.” “I sold my kingdom for a song.” “I sold my kingdom for a song.”