These Liner Notes (and lyrics) are courtesy of Steve Eidem.
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1. the man i used to be
i hope you remember me
i was you daddy once
wearing the sailor cap and dirty nails
to you i’m just a picture on your mother’s mantelpiece
who chose to fight the good fight in time to fail
into battle
and in your shadow
your daddy loves you still
yes i do
i never thought it’d be so hard to see you grow so fast
and turn into the man i used to be
but i hope you have more sense than i in matters such as these
medals don’t mean shit when a family is lost at sea
into battle
and in your shadow
your daddy loves you still
yes he does
yes he does
i save every moment i’ve reached out and almost touched you
but they all fade away must be a bad memory
2. that is why
though it’s hard to admit it’s true
i’ve come to depend on you
you and your angelic shout
load enough for two
and that is why
i’ll confide in you the truth this time
that is why
i just can’t go on and live this lie
yesterday all was right as rain
but now the forecast’s not
it’s partly cloudy with your trouser stains
and his copy of enquiring minds
but that never meant that much to her
she chose to keep her nose too clean
she’d rather keep it pointed anyway
in the spine of a magazine
and when you say i trust in you
i promise you the truth
and when you say i bet you won’t you know i will
and it’ll be better in the end
so when you think you’ve got it figured out
then you know you don’t
like all the rest you’d like to sit and pout
but of course you won’t
3. the king is half-undressed
so this is where she stands at night
on this cold avenue of lights
the reds and greens but mostly reds
for you he’s stopping
in seeing him she knows him less
his stick is wet she’s half undressed
and all and all they’re both obsessed
with so much nothing
i know it’s hard for you to see
what lies behind’s a mystery
if words could speak they’d mean even less
when the king is half undressed
she dots her “i’s” with a smiley face
a work of art in all but taste
the fool deserves the bed he’s made
where idiots slumber
divine she is to aire this fate
a crack of smile through all this hate
means nothing more in this serious state of
so much nothing
i know it’s hard for you to see
what lies behind is misery
if words could speak they’d mean even less
when the king is half undressed
blue autumns
sunshine kisses
hearts and flowers
and broken wishes
4. i wanna stay home*
when you need someone
and there’s no one there
there is always the 9 o’clock
to take you out somewhere
i take the train in town
like i did for years
there is only 7 more blocks
i could walk from here
i wanna stay home
i wanna stay home right here
i wanna stay home today
i wanna stay
it’s only 6 o’clock
when my day begins
there is always my alarm clock
to wake me up again
when i realize the weight
that’s firmly on my shoulders
on my shoulders
i just try and find the place
i can take a walk on my blind side
on my blind side
when these memories fade
in my ripe old age
please remember my dear
i wanna stay home…
5. she still loves him
he writes her a letter
tells her he won’t be home soon – she still loves him
he lost his temper
and belted his love ‘cross the room – she still loves him
drinks when he’s sad
gets happy then mad at the world – she still loves him
never remembers
that day in september when wed – she still loves him
so she recalls the days when they were younger
flowers could heal her wounds
but now those days are long since gone forever
now her pain just fill every room
faces aglow
as the light from the t.v. show
just separates them now – she still loves him
all they wanted to be
was as happy as couple number 3 on their favorite game show – she still loves him
he recalls the days when they were younger
the future could heal their wounds
but now those days are long since gone forever
now her pain just fill every room
i know some day this will all work out
she’ll never face this alone
the light in her eyes may be flickering dim
but she still loves him
6. all i want is everything*
ever since i was a twinkle in my father’s pants
they told me i could have it all and more when given chance
“we’ll get you anything you want”
a ferrari on my 16th birthday
“we’ll get you anything you need”
but what i need from you is so much more
all i wanna be is wanted
all i wanna be is wanted by you
all i wanna be is wanted
all i want is everything
i think i’d like to play guitar and be a beatle
that’d be so swell
and every show i would just dedicate this song to you
and i would envy all my fans
while i bitch about the price of fame
to my french maid lou-ann
she looks so sincere but she don’t understand
all i wanna be is wanted…
7. now she knows she’s wrong
it’s not the same without him here
20 years of him dead and gone
this vodka does a memory clear
though it’s too hard to imagine what these tears are for
a walkin’ posterboy for all that’s good
he got swallowed by the cracks before he understood
she likes to think he loved her but it hurts so bad
‘cause now she knows she’s wrong
it always seemed to strike her strange his working late until the
morning spending so much cash
and the sweet smell of his angel’s hair that seemed to cling to his
lips just like a wax mustache
a walking monument to dna
makin’ love under the podium at the p.t.a.
he’s the principal of principles this love gone bad cause now she
knows she’s wrong
it hardly seems worth it baby
too late in asking why
he juggled his honesty with 2 balls and an alibi
now she knows that
now she knows that
now she knows she’s wrong
8. bedspring kiss
jimmy
his secrets out
the one he locked inside and denied every word about
he’s guilty so his story claims
twisting in his seat he repeats alone his name
counting the woes
between his every line
searchin’ miles and miles to define
just what it all means
jimmy
as quiet as a church mouse
painted every graphic scene but with few details
his accomplice had made sure of this
when she sealed it with a bedspring kiss
and when her time had come to go
jimmy washed all of the bloodstains from her clothes
but with a needle in his vein
it became too hard to explain
just what it all means
counting the words between his every line
searchin’ miles and miles to define
just what it all means
killing his time
a monkey in his vein
he knew he could not explain
just what it all means
just what it all means
9. baby’s coming back*
i knew that when i saw her
that my life would soon move over from the fast lane
gone would be the days of all my drinkin’ and carryin’ on
but when i settled down
the party king uncrowned
this stubborn memory hadn’t faded
too many dumb mistakes
and all the grief it makes
left nothin’ else to be debated
and if you say that you understand then you’re lyin’
but if you figure that i’m alright now i can’t deny it
baby’s comin’ back
baby’s comin’ back
so i’m on my best behavior
i can’t take it anymore
i just woke up on the floor today
i’ve long run out of my last chances but she’s on her way
if i had a dollar
for every single time i fought her
i’d buy a handgun
but that couldn’t shoot away
the bullseye that she made on my heart
and if i sound like a beaten man well i guess so
but on her way is the sweetest prize and i can’t let go
what i told her on the telephone was that i’d been so bad
i wouldn’t blame her if she mowed down these wild oats i’d sown
but when she said she’d give me one more chance
i said knock three times when you arrive
baby’s comin’ back…(you know the rest)
10. calling sarah
i know it sounds unfair
she’s like a painting standing there
i thank the heavens up above
for the one i’m thinkin’ of
calling sarah
crawling back to sarah
‘cause you’re the one
sometimes it’s awful hard to take
the way she takes me all the way
she’s delicious beyond compare
i’d love to tell her but instead i stare
and when you ask me if i really love you
i can’t wait to tell you
but if you ever feel you don’t believe me
don’t you trust your feeling
‘cause i’d be so hard to take when you’re away
i wouldn’t last one day
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andy sturmer: most of the singing, drums, some guitar and keyboards, roger manning: lots of piano, harpsichord and singing
jason falkner: most of the guitars and basses and some background singing, chris manning: band witchdoctor and mime.
we all clapped our hands
tommy morgan played harmonica and took judo lessons.
chuck findlay played trumpet and was late for the tonight show
lenny castro and luis conte played percussion then did the lambada
john pattitucci played upright bass than joined them (lenny and luis).
steve mcdonald played bass, breathed fire and spit blood
sid page and his north hollywood wire choir provided string accompaniment and made every night a “saturday night fiedler”.
babyface ratto and chris coyle provided the background belching and barroom banter on “now she knows she’s wrong”!
produced by albhy galuten co-produced by jack joseph puig
engineered and mixed by jack joseph puig
recorded and mixed at: schnee studios, studio 55, ocean way recording
assisted by: ken allerdyce, ken felton, rall rogut
special thanks: phil quartararo, jeff fenster, steve samiof, bob catania, audrey strahl, jerre hall, danny goodwin, shona scott, tony noe, miihan gorkey, “heavy” jenny bronstein, dawn hood and everyone else at charisma records, carter, jeff ayeroff, kaz kaz kaz, jellyfish axelrod, irving azoff, peter lubin, paul kremens, paul atkinson, al teller, steve ralbovsky, ken komisar, ken friedman, linda blum, maria mcnally, danny strick, nanci walker, ron handler, barry simons, peter afterman and redd kross.
management: industrial management, chris coyle and victor ratto.
legal representation: alan mintz.
all songs written by a. sturmer/r. manning except * written by sturmer. all songs © 1990 virgin songs, inc./little green appletoons (bmi)/sunshine suicide sings (ascap) except* © 1990 virgin song, inc./little green appletoons (bmi) all rights for little green appletoons controlled and administered by virgin songs, inc. lyrics reproduced by kind permission of the publishers. all rights reserved. international copyright secured.
steve mcdonald appears courtesy of atlantic records
art direction: mick haggerty, steve samiof,
design: r. wippo meckler/re:design
photography: peter darley miller
