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HARD STUFF LYRICS
"CRACK IN THE UNIVERSE"
(Kramer)
Wilson moved his family out the city
Where times are tough, life is fast and hard and gritty
Moved out to the country where the air is clean and pure
Enrolled his kids in the community college
To gain some working knowledge
Grow up, get married, and settle down
To the American Dream on the edge of town
The dream became a nightmare
When three escaped convicts
Broke into his world
Took the life of his youngest girl
In the space of a breath
There was sudden death
Like a soul had slipped and fallen through
A crack in the universe
A crack in the universe
Ellen was a nice girl raised in Queens
Looking good in designer jeans
She met up with some politicos on the lower east side
Joined a gang of radicals
French-fried fanaticals
Who thought theyd be revolutionary stars
Go and rob an armored car
But man, it turned out different
In a shootout with the police
That left three people dead
On the news they said Ellen took a slug in the head
The New York Post had a photo up close
Might a been a body
Might a been a ghost
From a crack in the universe
Crack in the universe
Lord, Lord
Its not a blessing and it might be a curse
Crack in the universe.
On Tuesday I went to the post office
Pick up a package and mail a letter
Drop a line to an old friend
That I hoped was doing better
The place was the scene of some kind of horrible crime
Another postal worker had lost his mind
Couldnt stand the tension, lost his pension
Afraid of growing old out in the cold no one to hold
As he did his stalking, that Glock did his talking
Yeah he settled the score up and down the floor
SWAT team sniper caught him at the door
The mailman put in a fresh clip
Turned and slipped
Through a crack in the universe
A crack in the universe
Lord, Lord
Its not a blessing and it might be a curse
A crack in the universe
A crack in the universe
A crack.
"JUNKIE ROMANCE"
(FARREN/KRAMER)
So you wanna look like Johnny
And you wanna act like Keef
And you crave some soft cocoon, boy
For your Charlie Parker grief
And you court the adoration
Of the ones with no esteem
And a hollow point delivery
Dope fiend self-inflicted dream
Its a junkie romance, kid
Alive on Avenue D
Its junkie romance, kid
Nothing comes for free.
As she shoots up through her stockings
You see her thighs as pale as death
And you cant feel her freezing
But theres frost upon her breath.
An old time Rx croaker
The doctor? Yeah, hes in
A drugstore substitution
For the thing the priests call sin.
Its junkie romance, kid
Alive on Avenue D
Its junkie romance, kid
Youre dead on MTV.
Its junkie romance, kid
Singing waiting for the man
Its junkie romance, kid
The kingdom if you can
Its junkie romance, kid
Hes waiting in the back
Its junkie romance, kid
Yeah, always dressed in black.
Its junkie romance, kid
Youre dead on MTV
its junkie romance, kid
Nothing comes for free.
"BAD SEED"
(FARREN/KRAMER)
Cops on Ninth Street busting at random
DA on TV say dont try understand em
Custodial sentencing is all they need
Thats bad seed
I said bad seed
Genetic bad seed
Were talking bout bad seed.
Tattooed Neanderthal been messing with your daughter?
Shoot him down daddy dont give no quarter
Zero tolerance, let the bastard bleed
No big thing, hes just bad seed.
Thats bad seed
No question bad seed
Mutation bad seed
Were talking bad seed.
Pleading to a misdemeanor, copping to probation
Judicial system crapshoot becomes an education
Tell it to the judge, submit or concede?
I dont think so were just bad seed.
Thats bad seed
Generations of bad seed
Celebrations of bad seed
All your babies
Dogs with rabies, bad seed
You can taste em
And maybe waste em all, bad seed
A long line
You can define that bad seed
Start a war for
Body bags for bad seed
In the ghetto
In Chicago, more bad seed
Philadelphia got
Atlanta Georgia got bad seed
Small towns got bad seed
Big cities got
Detroit got bad seed
New York City got bad seed
LA got plenty of bad seed
"POISON"
(KRAMER)
The partisans not the artisans
Are doing their dirty show
But I ripped my pants
Doing some dance
That I learned in France
And they think there aint nothin to know.
Used, abused
Locked up, beaten and fined
But I got free
Copped a plea
And I can see
That there aint no freedom bell gonna chime
This time.
Truth and love are my law and worship
Form and conscience my manifestation and guide
Nature and peace are my shelter and companion
Order is my attitude
Beauty and perfection
Are my attack.
False faces
Fast company
A night of thrills
With no jealousy, no poison.
Nobodys tool
Will be a public fool
To manipulate the masses
Who lie and cheat
And eat their meat
While the rest all clean their glasses
In status classes.
"THE REALM OF PIRATE KINGS"
(FARREN/KRAMER)
We are drowning
In the ever rising tide of ancient lies
We are floundering
In the wreckage of pure beautys hell denied
We are conveyed
Through passages of darkness and distrust
We are betrayed
In the labyrinth of fear and disgust.
We are confined
To the narrow formal rage of hollow minds
We are defined
By the shriek deafened self-inflicted blind
We are defaced
By the vandals of regression at the gates
We are disgraced
By the torturers confession that awaits
But somewhere on the other side
Hope stands and freedom rings
Somewhere out beyond the dawn
A soaring eagle sings
Somewhere theres a masterpiece
To rise above these things
A marker that will guide us
To the realm of pirate kings.
Someday, some way well return.
We are chained
We are shackled to the treadmill of demand
We restrained
But proud romance of an ancient rebel stand
We are deprived
Of the self destruct relief of wild bunch conflict
Yet we survive
Because our eyes have seen the glory of tumult.
Someday, some way well return
Like pirate kings.
"INCIDENT ON STOCK ISLAND"
(KRAMER)
I was working in this cabinet shop on Stock Island
Listening to the new Aaron Neville tape.
It was one of those sticky hot summer days.
Suddenly I hear loud angry voices just outside the window.
Kenny! Hold up! Dont do this!
Kennys saying, That motherfucker says I cheated him!
Kenny and his brother Vince come flying thru the window,
Eyes blazing, out of control.
Kennys running to the rear of the shop
With Vince right behind him
Screaming, Stop! Kenny, stop!
Kenny crashes into the office and jumps on Franklin,
Hes an electrician we share shop space with.
Theyre all screaming.
Vince physically restrains his brother
And they both leave the office.
Kennys beside himself with anger.
Vince says
Next time, Im gonna let him kick Franklins ass.
Kenny is still hot and punches out a couple of cabinets.
Vince takes Kenny for a ride in his pickup to cool him off.
Halfhour later, Franklins getting into his stepvan
when Kenny walks up and begins to apologize for going off earlier.
Vince and I are watching from about 30 feet away
Out in the hot, tropical sun.
I cant hear what Kennys saying
But I can tell by his body language that hes getting upset.
Franklin starts saying, Fuck you, Kenny, fuck you.
Franklin lets the clutch out a bit and pulls up a few feet
And then says Fuck you, Kenny, fuck you!
I say to Vince, Why dont he just drive on away?
Kenny reaches up in Franklins truck, grabs him by the shirt,
And Franklins still saying, Fuck you, Kenny!
And Kenny pulls Franklin outta his truck
And slams him down in the dirt,
And Kenny blasts Franklin
Three or four very hard hooks to the head,
And Franklins getting up but Kenny throws an upper cut
That has hospital written all over it.
Yeah, it had hospital written all over it!
Kenny stops and realizes how bad all this is
And says, Fuck this shit and gets in his truck and leaves.
And Franklin, his face is starting to swell up
Like an eggplant.
And he walks past me and Vince and says,
Thanks a lot, you dickheads.
I still cant figure out why he didnt just drive on away?
So I get some ice for Franklins face
And he calls the cops
And we all have to give statements
And I wasnt proud of any of us.
"PILLAR OF FIRE"
(FARREN/KRAMER)
Shakes gotta case of colt 45 an I got an AK47
Shakes gotta VCR to go an I got an AK47
Buds gotta a brand new pair of reeboks an I got an AK47
Buds gotta pipe an Shakes gotta lighter an I got an AK47
The warnings plain for all to see
The writing crowds the wall
Now greed has spawned disaster
And pride precedes the fall
The rapid fire of destiny
Takes history by the hour
Now you and me have chained ourselves
To the pillar of fire.
The deputys got a shotgun
The Marines got CS gas
The cops have got a swagger
Says you can kiss my ass
Politician now aint nothing
But another word for liar
The only truth is in the light
of the pillar of fire.
Rising from the jewelfield
Rising from the plain
Rising from the liquormart
Rising from the pain
Rising from consuming rage
Rising from the mire
Rising from Los Angeles
Awesome pillar of fire.
The Huxtables cant save us
Willy Horton takes the point
St. Theresa of the Roses
Works a topless joint
Cant trust no ballgame hero
Til hes on the barricade
And Eddie Murphys having lunch
With Himmler in the shade
And high above the carnage
Cold eyes with no desire
While you and me in fascination
Approach the pillar of fire.
"HOPE FOR SALE"
(FARREN/KRAMER)
Foxes dying by the freeway
Eagles grounded by hard rain
Sea turtles losing all direction
Dolphins even have a word for pain
Human children play in dirty
daddys inside drinking to despair
Bunch of old car tires outside burning
The stench of burning rubber in the air.
Hope for sale
Hope for sale.
Those seals on TV aint really crying
They accept that they were born to die
Coyotes at the end of runway seven
Dont aspire for the sky
Lets really put a value on the family
29.95 should buy the child
Subliterate, substandard and subhuman
And shoot the bastards if they get too wild.
Hope for sale
Hope for sale
daddys inside drinking to despair
Hope for sale.
"THE EDGE OF THE SWITCHBLADE"
(KRAMER)
He had some wild hair and a wild mind
Knew something about everything
Shaman warrior poet priest
Who loved to dance and sing.
He could rock the house with style and nerve
Knew when to take a chance
A mainline mellow who saw the future
And took a rebel stance.
He was strong, he was not afraid
He was the edge of the switchblade
Cutting edge of the switchblade
Edge of the switchblade.
Chicago called, the festival of life
We drove out and took the stand
Police riot ultra violence
The shit had hit the fan.
London called, come on over
Bring your message across the sea
We took our slams, kicked out the jams
Set some young minds free.
It was all for the music, we barely got paid
We were the edge of the switchblade
Cutting edge on the switchblade
Edge of the switchblade.
Free your mind and ass will follow
Is what I used to hear
Still I wonder why it is
The truth brings out the fear
Its possible you can do great things
So give yourself a break
On the cutting edge, you might get cut
Thats a chance you have to take.
Youll be outside the mainstream, like a renegade
Youll be the edge of the switchblade
Cutting edge on a switchblade
Edge of the switchblade.
"SHARKSKIN SUIT"
(KRAMER)
Theres a style of suit that I really dig
But you cannot wear them if you get too big
Cool in the past
Cool in the present
When the light hits right
Its damn iridescent
If I stumble on a robbery
Ill scream dont shoot!
Couldnt stand to have any holes
In my sharkskin suit.
The Cadillac of suits.
Yeah, theyre worn by pimps and some wiseguys, see?
Aint no doubt about it they are right for me
Like Frankie, Sammy,
And that rat pack mob
Were showing America
Dont dress like a slob
With Joey and Dino
They were all in cahoots
Its Oceans 11
In sharkskin suits.
The Cadillac of suits.
It was confirmed last night for the world to see
Lyle Lovett was on TV
He was cool as always
And smart to boot
What do you think he was wearing?
A brown sharkskin suit
Sharkskins eternal
Sharkskins grand
Its just the thing
If you play in a band
The tapered leg
The narrow lapel
The cut and shine
Well, youre cool as hell
If I make a million bucks
And thats a lot of loot
Some of it would go
For some sharkskin suits.
The Cadillac of suits.
SO LONG, HANK
(KRAMER)
ON MARCH 10, 1994
CHARLES BUKOWSKI DIED
HEARTBREAK
IM GOING TO MISS THAT MAN
OF POEMS
BOOKS
SHORT STORIES WHAT THEY CALL
SPOKEN WORD PERFORMANCES
HANK TOLD THE TRUTH IN
ALL THINGS ALL THINGS
MEN WOMEN
HOPE DESPAIR
LONLINESS ISOLATION
IN PEACE WHEN HE COULD FIND IT
THE BOTTLE WOMAN.
WRITING IT ALL DOWN ON PAPER.
HANK WHO HELPED ME FIND MY WAY
WASNT HIS INTENTION
IN THE 1980S
IN NEW YORK CITY
MR STEVE AND I
WORKING FOR A SLUMLORD
FOUND FACTORUM
AND WERE REBORN!
SAW OURSELVES THERE ON THE PAGE
DRINKING FUCKING UP DRINKING
MAKE A COUPLE OF BUCKS AND
RUN TO THE PARK INN.
WITH CRAZY NEGATIVE GIRLFRIENDS
JUST LIKE HANK
SAYING ME TOO!
SEEING MYSELF AND
FEELING LIKE MAYBE IM NOT
THE DISASTER I THOUGHT I WAS
I LOVED THIS MAN
I LOVED THIS MANS WORK
I TOOK SOLACE IN HANK
WHO NEVER FAILED TO KNOCK ME OUT
STILL DOES STILL DOES
ALWAYS WILL
LOS ANGELES ON BUK DIED
HANKS CITY
HES GONE
SAD
BUT HES ALWAYS GONNA BE THERE
FOR ME AND YOU
OH HANK! GREAT REVEALER!
BRUTAL TRUTH TELLER! GIANT MAN OF LETTERS AND STORIES AND POEMS
YOURE FREE NOW HIT THAT TRIFORD MUTHAFUCKER
FLY HANK, SOAR
DRINK FUCK SLEEP AND DREAM
AND I WILL NEVER FORGET
AND I WILL SPREAD YOUR IDEA
THAT KINDNESS IS
JUST ABOUT THE BEST WE CAN DO.
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