Shiva Burlesque
Mercury Blues - 1990
Before you go blow
out the candle
Before you do make a wish
I think I’d take the cake
Or maybe steal a million dollars
Cover ourselves in jewels
Go down to the park
Reflecting all the stars
Ride upon the swing
Forget about everything
Smile it's the
edge of the world
It's the edge of the world
Now I can see the
Mona Lisa
That cold and lonely work of art
But I'd never thought it'd be this hard
Peeling an orange in your kitchen
You know I understand
The juice all over my hand
Smile it's the
edge of the world
It's the edge of the world
Who is the Mona Lisa
I saw god on a
BART
train
Going under the bay
Halfway from Jack
London Square
He was a woman
And she told me with her eyes
It’s time now to believe in something
The stain on her raincoat her beautiful hair
Meanwhile in the
forest
I know somebody is digging
All those crumbling Indian relics
Nez Perce
relics turquoise shell
If dreams are sacred so are bones
Meanwhile at the
station
Yes the night falls again
Like cellophane on the side walk
All open windows turn into mirrors
Look at yourself
My friend was ill
I made it down
Just to say hello hello hello
And my sick friend is glad I'm there
To throw the curtains back again again
And out in the
summer
The morning air is sweet
The horns all blow so softly
When you step up off the street
I bring no flowers
but we can talk an hour
Before I say goodbye goodbye goodbye
They say it's best you get your rest
I come tomorrow you'll feel better then again again again
I’ll go out
in the summer
The morning air is sweet
The leaves all blow so softly
When you step up off the street
And through the
door I see the sun
See how it shines on everyone
The world revolving in my mind
I feel my heart is keeping time
I close my eyes see streets I've crossed
Open my eyes nothing is lost
Nothing is lost
And when you rise
you'll be alright
You're getting better my sick friend
And today I feel alright
It's time I go now my sick friend
I feel alright
I feel alright
I feel alright now my sick friend
It was three o'clock
school had let out
Well the bus filled up I looked around
Saw the cherry tree motion to me
Come undress yourself under my leaves
I never saw it
go
It pulled away so slow
That the lot was
clear except for a car
And the driver said I'd take you how far
To the orchards end I'll be your friend
Come and rest yourself under the leaves
The maze of drunks
was deep
The harvest moon could barely see
And I found myself
curled up by a tyre
With the shirt sleeve tied over my eyes
When I heard your voice speaking so low
Recognized your hand you took my pulse
I never saw you
go
You pulled away so slow
So slow
I have no savior
Meet Chester the
Chimp
Observe his disarming smile
And in his little tuxedo
He wants to be your pal
To Chester the Chimp
Life is a gas
And so he steps on it all the way
Come on lets give him a hand
I'm Chester the
Chimp
And I'm stealin' the show
I drive around in my little red car
Blaring the stereo
I'm Chester the Chimp
And I f-f-feel
I'm gonna blow my top
If you don't gimme the wheel
We'll drive to Century
City
That's where I wrote this song
The theme to my TV series
C'mon and sing along
Chester's got a
lucky number
If you guess it he'll make you a star
Like the chimps in Century City
Every American knows who you are
On Judgment Day
At Heaven's Gate
Chester is shaking the bars
He tries to bribe St. Peter
Shows him his credit cards
And for a big boffo finish
At the end of the show
I steal Gabriel's
trumpet
Blow Chester blow
Chester's got a
lucky number
If you guess it he'll make you a star
Brought to you by Go-Go Cola
Just one sip you'll know who you are
Children can you
spare me some
You know I'm living under the weather
Remember what Hank
Williams said
My friends we're all in this together
So take my photo
for a dime or two
I got mud on my shoes and the Mercury
Blues
Mercury Blues
Commercial holographic
sex
Oh Malcolm
X my soul is gone
Can you dig me livin' off the fat
Of the White House lawn
Hey Stagger
Lee don't point that thing at me
I hold a pair of twos and the Mercury Blues
The Mercury Blues
If you been up
on the levee
You know the water is high
But no one wants to hear it down in the city
The blues just makes them cry
Cry
Well mama was a
circus girl
She always let the lions go free nightly
And daddy gathered moss
And sold it to the robbers on the highway
I am a butterfly
since I shed my skin
I got nothing to lose but the Mercury Blues
The Mercury Blues
One summer I was
a kite on a string
I danced above the tree where I was tied
Birds on my skin carried me higher
When my string finally snapped the children cried
I blew above the
tiny sea
Till I couldn't hear them call no more
When I saw the spires of the city
I fell down to the killing floor
Then the world
did not explode
And I knew that I had soul
And the song on the radio kept on playin'
Do the Pony
One night I was
just myself for awhile
I slept on cardboard that smelled like limes and tar
A cold wind blew down the alley
But the heat from below the street was warm
Sold my blood and
bought a Cadillac
Drove it down to the Moonlight
Mile
Someone said man you look a wreck
When I turned around I had to smile
And the Mardi Gras
began
And I looked down at my hands
As the crowd shouted to the band
Do the Pony
Sparrow on the
ground about to fly
I've got no angel on my shoulder
So my head turns 'round when you're close by
And though it's cold
Please sing to
me awhile
Now fly away
Sparrow sings her
song
Up on a wire above my head
From a mulberry she sings
A penny for
a spool of thread
Sing to me awhile
Now fly away
I would sing and
fly myself
If I could only feel
Like a priest that kneels
Feel the spark inside
Which the bird can't hide
As she leaps from twig to sky
From a mulberry
she sings
A penny for a spool of thread
And sings to me
awhile
Now fly away
You make me feel
more than good
More like I have become someone that I should
I saw you in the drugstore in the summertime
Humming String
of Pearls drinking cola suicides
When I looked in
your eyes
In your eyes in your eyes
I found peace
Hey you rock &
rollers the Howlin’
Wolf has come
To sing you lullabies when you're crashed down on the rug
So while you dream of sugar plums
Tell your wooden soldiers the war is done
Now here's a flower
it's called forget-me-not
You let it grow everybody knows
It's a natural thing it's a natural thing
It's a natural thing and come this spring
It could bring
Peace of mind peace
on Earth
In your time
10. AT LAST OUR FLAG HAS FALLEN
At last our flag
has fallen
Her banners bright to fade
Those brilliant stars have been shot down
Before the promenade
At last our flag
has fallen
Trampled torched and torn
The age of treason lurks to rise
Let sound the herald’s horn
At last our flag
has fallen
She lies down in the pile
Those twinkly stars are callin’
Behold the spangled sky
At last our flag has fallen
You could get shot
shot
To be or not to be
Shot shot believe it or not
You could get shot shot
To be or not to be
Shot shot believe it or not
Lee Harvey
Oswald
Meet Jack Ruby
Chrome halo
Chrome wheel
Eddie Cochran hit
the big time
He was goin' pretty fast
In a
cab near Piccadilly
With the motor on his lap
From the trunk they pried his guitar
Raised it high for all to see
And ever since he's been a big star
And the children love to sing
Chrome halo
Chrome king
Step on the gas
the road is clear
The past fades in the mirror
You've got to drive away
I was riding with
Marc Bolan
Down a
quiet country path
We were chantin' Hare Hare
By the green light of the dash
Well he looked just like a stranger
And I could see him getting higher
Until the car was a cathedral
And the wheels were the choir
Chrome halo
Chrome king
Step on the gas
the road is clear
The angels in the rear view mirror say
You've got to drive away
Chrome halo
Chrome wheel
[Well the last thing I remember Doc]
I took the one-eighteen
all the way to Topanga
I was racin' dune buggies with Gerard
Malanga
There were fires burning everybody was dancin'
I was hanging-ten with Charlie Manson
You can't surf
at Spahn Ranch
You can't surf at Spahn Ranch
[Two girls for every boy]
[Rockin’]