Pawn On The Chessboard
you're just a pawn on the chessboard
not me i'm a man of decision
pawn on the chessboard
not me i'm a man of means I know my way around here
i've got it figured out you see
i walk a straight line but i've got the angle
it's all up to me
i'm the man with the clout running the gauntlet
gonna do it in broad daylight
gonna make this move cause in the black of night
headless horsemen ride the specters haunt
dim shadow castles hide eerie voices that taunt
you're just a pawn on the chessboard
not me i'm a man of decision
pawn on the chessboard
not me i'm a man of means i know my way around here
i don't listen to the words of fools
to the bishops cant their golden rules
it's all down and dirty it's black and white
the thrill of the kill is what gives me the right
and the king and queen are no threat to me
i move through the ranks they cannot see
i strike with the lance on the angle
i can breach their walls match their power
i can hold them in check
still it's the hand of fate that moves you
you're just a pawn on the chessboard
not me i'm a man of decision
pawn on the chessboard
not me i'm a man of means i know my way around here
Take A Look At These Hands
i was caught in between
of a man and machine
couldn't make me decide
between the guilt and the pride
cause i've got two hands
i'm using my hands
yes i've got good hands
take a look at these hands
i'm using my hands
yes i've got two hands
take a look at these
living in this land
where nobody cares
so i washed my hands
of the whole affair
cause i've got two hands
i'm using my hands
take a look at these hands
yes i've got good hands
surgical hands
yes i've got two hands
take a look at these
now i'm mechanized
fully computerized
no more blood no more bone
just a mechanical clone
but i've got two hands
i've got two hands
i'm using my hands
take a look at these hands
i've got two hands
yes i'm using my hands
take a look at these
i was caught in between
of a man and machine
couldn't make me decide
between the guilt and the pride
cause i've got two hands
i'm using my hands
squandering no hands
surgical hands
wide receiver hands
take a look at these
goal keeper hands
yes i've got two hands
hash slinging hands
guitar playing hands
scrutinize these hands
riding with no hands
sequencer hands
take a look at these
What It Is
i'm gonna make a break
i'm gonna find out what it is
over on the other side
it's only just a chance i take i choose
don't worry should i win or lose
you know i will enjoy the ride
adventure makes it all worthwhile
i'm breaking out of rank and file
i'm out of here
what it is
is it black
is it white
is it day
is it night
is it rich
is it poor
i can tell you it's a struggle for sure
what it is what is it what it is
i'm gonna make a break
i'm gonna find out what it is
over on the other side
it's only just a chance i take i choose
don't worry should i win or lose
you know i will enjoy the ride
adventure makes it all worthwhile
i'm breaking out of rank and file
i'm out of here
what it is
is it wrong
is it right
is it so far gone
is it just in sight
is it strong
is it weak
is it the truth or only pleasure we seek
what it is what is it what it is
The Cold Current
dead tired at day's end
the night shift siren screams
awake in less than laundered sheets
i walk off bad dreams
tell me tell me tell me
which is harder for you
to give or receive your highest hopes
when you find in time
noone really knows the ropes
out of plumb
out of square
the house of dreams falls about me everywhere
faster and faster
down the cold current
i learn i can't swim
opportunity knocks
noone makes a reservation
i burn a candle for the cause
of my self-preservation
oh what i would give
for some peace of mind
pity those of us poor fools
who love that most which leaves us most behind
out of plumb
out of square
the house of dreams falls about me everywhere
faster and faster
down the cold current
i learn i can't swim
Man Of Steel
going on six years now
i've been working at the grocery
i've seen all kinds they come and go
just changing scenery
can't say i've done a thing
that makes me stand out from the rest
save smashing cars on Friday nights at the speedway
you know i'm the grand slam best
when the countdown ends and i grab the wheel
i'm a kid again and i love how i feel
i may have backed down to one or two in my time
but out there i'm a man of steel
i wonder some just what become
a suburb bum like me
sacked out in the backyard summers
sucking up iced tea
those high paid TV glamour jocks
hah i'm not impressed
i myself am a dough boy of the highest rank
and i double dare you put me to the test
when the countdown ends and i grab the wheel
i'm a kid again and i love how i feel
i may have backed down to one or two in my time
but out there i'm a man of steel
She Only Show Me So Much
she only show me so much
oh she keep me guessing
she only show me so much
ooh she keep me spinning dizzy
i don't know if i'm coming or going
she only show me so much
you know she was my main thing
i couldn't please her
she left me standing here in the cold rain
she's more than just a tease
she's a lemon squeezer
but she just took the weekend off
she only show me so much
oh she keep me guessing
she only show me so much
ooh she keep me spinning dizzy
i don't know if i'm coming or going
she only show me so much
rolling like a stone
minding my own
when this steamroller come and hit me head on
now i'm sifting through this junk art
looking for the spare part
trying to get a fix up on this broken down... heart
she only show me so much
ooh she keep me spinning dizzy
i don't know if i'm coming or going
she only show me so much
i'm just a small fish in a big pond
how's it always i'm the one getting caught up in this net
it's hot as bloody hell in here
and i'm breaking out all over in a cold sweat
she only show me so much
oh she keep me guessing
she only show me so much
she only show me so much
oh she keep me guessing
she only show me so much
Roses Are For Lovers
i dreamed i saw red roses last night
hand-picked in the woods
a token gift to me so right
they had given me the goods
roses are for lovers
so these can't be for me
roses are for lovers
my dreams won't let me be
i dreamed i saw a fox last night
only tame to me
with your heart you can see right
but your eyes cannot see
roses are for lovers
so these can't be for me
i wish i could discover
my own true destiny
i dreamed i was in love last night
idealized romance
and when i awoke today
i had lost my only chance
The Masque
it's the morning after fat tuesday
boozed up bedraggled body out of the bed
a look in the mirror a picture of horror
have a jag on the hair of the dog instead
i've got a name
i've got a job to do
i get frustrated by it all
and i feel that certain tension build
behind the eyes head ready to burst
it's the strangest sense of urgency
there's more to this than meets the eye
in the passion of the masquerade
remove the masque
open my eyes
get me out of here
i don't fit this disguise
did i buy it on Bourbon or maybe Toulouse
did i buy under pressure
i've been straining and stretching and taking abuse
but the damned thing won't come off
oh open my eyes
i know i've seen it before
i've suffered this blindness
since i walked through the door
i bit off the apple
more than i can chew
now i'm lost outside Eden
well what can i do
there's more to this than meets the eye
in the passion of the masquerade
remove the masque
open my eyes
get me out of here
i don't fit this disguise
remove the masque
this baffle before my eyes
oh can you get me out of here
you see i don't fit this disguise
With thanks to Jeremy Parzen for digitizing some old cassette tapes of The Things in the very nick of time before they might otherwise have disintegrated into totally useless things, indeed.
