Ten tales I tell of myself and the cradle I’m stepping out of. One is the voices of passing strangers saying terrible things in their cars. One is a puppet that somebody untied but still dances along with the strings. One is a face someone poured from a bottle to be young, to be beautiful again. Ten tales I tell of myself and the cradle I’m stepping out of. One is the dusk covered in black flies, they pour out of her silent mouth. One is a rope made of dead man’s wisdom I keep waking up with it in my hand. One is a ballet being fought in the alley between the dancer and the doubt. Ten tales I tell of myself and the cradle I’m stepping out of. One day I will come home. One is a cup held by drunken priest everything tastes holy to him. One is a wheel held by a fisherman to him home is just debts no honest man can pay. One is what I have been, it’s all that I am but it’s wedding bells ringing in a ghost town. One is what I will be, it’s all that I am but it’s anger running through a still-born sea. Ten tales I tell of myself and the cradle I’m stepping out of.

I saw Wendy the other day, she was with one of the Lost Boys, strung out on cocaine. Heartbreak keeps going up to people, shaking them down, demanding an answer while terrible faith, she just sits and cries on my shoulder. Quiet rage she beats hollow on the roof while my room silently fills with naked animals. I’ll give myself to those naked animals. So come, buy your ticket to the freak show, come watch me fall. I’ll be here in this cage, just another naked animal. I’ll give myself to those naked animals.

Cocaine uppercuts, we're young, we're fucking up- we're ruined by the lightest touch. Cigarettes and old red wine, and fucking beneath the broken pine- and I was simple and you were kind. We come with the dust, and we're gone with the wind- hey there, darling, what's your name again? The floor's covered in love letters from people we can't remember- we just like the sound of the words. Wild thoughts and movie star dreams are balanced by our apathy- changing is hard to do and it's so fucking easy to sleep. We come with the dust, and we're gone with the wind- hey there, darling, let's get lost again. - We're on our way (cause no one asked us to stay) we're on our way (won't you please ask me to stay?)

Him: Fell in the lake in your wedding gown could either take it off or you’ll drown. But divorce gets ugly in a small town- so you drown. Her: I wouldn’t drown if I held your hand but baby you can barely stand. So much to drink, so much to ache- it’s getting late. Him: Your eyes like broken glass, two cigarettes burnt down too fast- echoes of a holy place we no longer go. Both: Oh our endless, dying love will never be good enough. Endless cracks covered by endless paint At our best, we’re temporary saints. Her: You cling to me like the smell of smoke that filled my lungs once and made me choke- and all the well-meaning regular folk tell me I should quit. Him: Let’s go to bed before we tell cruel jokes, before you need another smoke, before I need another drink- before we really think. Both: Oh our endless, dying love will never be good enough. Endless cracks covered by endless paint At our best, we’re temporary saints.

We woke up and I figured I was looking pretty good, so I said, “Hey there darling, want to get some breakfast or stay here?” We stayed there all morning- it was a surprisingly quick morning. The next morning I woke up, I was all alone and I said, “Hey there, want to get some breakfast or stay here?” Well, I stayed there all morning- it was a surprisingly long morning. You and me, or maybe me and me- we can go dancing all night long or maybe just a short song. You and me, or maybe baby, just me- we can go dancing until the sunlight comes, god knows he won’t be the first one. I went to the priest, to confess all these things I done and he said, “You better stop skipping breakfast, son.” So, we got some breakfast- it was an unsurprisingly uncomfortable breakfast. I think I’m fine skipping breakfast. You and me, or maybe me and me- we can go dancing all night long or maybe just a short song. You and me, or maybe baby, just me- we can go dancing until the sunlight comes, god knows he won’t be the first one.

Angelina came gentle and silver like a moonshine song- kerosene tongue was burning down slow. She was wearing dead man’s shoes, I was drinking milk turned blue- all it ever was was an empty drawer. We painted riddles on my bedroom walls, our tongues traced holy words- warm metallic taste as the night’s wheel burned. – She was gone when I woke up, I was still holding a silver cup- I tried to drink but I was already burned. My memories remembered me, turned my mirrors into razorblades- I traded my blood for a little company. – Don’t hold onto me, I’m goin’- I’m goin’ home. How did I not see this coming? How did I not see you go?

The screen door slams, even now- cause you left but you'll always be leaving now. And I keep staring at your letter, but I still don't know what it means. Is a dream a lie if it don't come true? Or is it something worse? And I cursed and I cried but darling, now I know, now I know. One day this will fade- the longest way around is the shortest way home. So the door slams even now, and I still think of you. Maybe I'll die alone, maybe I won't- but darling I made it home, I made it home. And I'm so sorry that I never found the words to say "I'm sorry." One day this will fade- the longest way around is the shortest home. One day this will fade.

John the Baptist sleeping’, pissin’ on a hotel mattress, he’s always got cigarettes but he never has matches. He walks with spiders and drinks himself to stone, been running’ his whole life, but he’s never left home. So tonight he’s gonna swim into the future, gonna tie a rock to his bootlaces and jump into the river -Oh, the wheel or the weight? Romeo and Juliet blindfoldin’ Fate and Love, give them their last cigarettes and step aside for the firin’ squad. But then the firin’ squad turns around and starts shootin’ at the couple- Romeo and Juliet paid a lot, but Fate and Love paid double. So tonight, Romeo and Juliet are drivin’ for the border, drivin’ towards a life of always looking over their shoulder. -Oh, the wheel or the weight? Dickinson was born with riddles carved in her eyes, dyin’ words of prophets are tattooed on her thighs. She keeps barging into empty rooms swearing she heard voices, keeps trying to tell herself that loneliness ain’t no kind of poison. So tonight, she driven’ to the heart of the city holdin’ out a cup hopin’ the homeless will fill it with pity. -Oh, the wheel or the weight? Cicero’s in the alley, mutterin’ small talk to the wall- each and every brick, he’s got names for them all. They’re the only ones that love him now, the only ones that can- he used to be famous long ago so people just don’t understand. So tonight, he’s tearin’ that alley down, brick by brick- takin’ the bricks with him as he leaves, but then his pockets rip. -Oh, the wheel or the weight? Eve is sitting at a crowded bar, missin’ her home ever since she went East she’s been livin’ alone. Adam, he jumped ship once she got pregnant now she’s raisin’ two twin boys, workin’ at a gas station. So tonight, she’s takin’ her kids as far as the East Line can, maybe it’s just a bit further, maybe it’s just around the bend. -Oh, the wheel or the weight? Pinnochio is breakin’ down with a mirror held to his past, now every morning is like a screenplay with no cast. He still thinks of himself as just another mannequin baby forgotten like a hangover by a gin-soaked lady. So tonight, he’s got a ship and he’s gonna sail right into the middle of the ocean, and he’s gonna wait for the whale. -Oh, the wheel or the weight? Cinderella’s in the city, workin’ in a high rise ever since it turned out the Prince was just another guy. She wasted so much time just waitin’ to be saved she did it herself one night just hoppin’ on a Downtown train. So tonight she’s drivin’ beneath the neon lights- Midnight, she smiles, is whatever she decides. -Oh, the wheel or the weight? Robin Hood’s at a bar, twistin’ his wedding ring- should he go home to Marian or stay with the Bright Young Thing? It’s not things ain’t good at home, no they always are, but he was born on fire and strangers’ eyes are rivers. But tonight, he’s leavin’ the ring with the girl, gonna drive alone into the night, somewhere, lookin’ to get hurt. -Oh, the wheel or the weight? Noah’s sittin’, chippin’ at a dead oak tree, starin’ at the dark clouds only he can see. He’s been livin’ alone at the old folks’ home these days, ever since he won the Lottery, but the State couldn’t pay. So tonight he’s sailin’ out to sea in a ship full of holes, hopin’ the insurance money will buy him a new home. -Oh, the wheel or the weight? Cleopatra’s in Boston, ridin’ on the Red Line, starin’ at the jagged teeth of the city skyline. Every morning she lies in bed like a clock never wound, every night the same four walls, the same silent sounds. So tonight she’s drivin’ out towards the Heartland, chasin’ a golden idol across the dirt and the sand. -Oh, the wheel or the weight? Billy the Kid, livin’ beside a silver lake, tyin’ endless knots to try to tie down his whiskey shakes. His conscience keeps throwin’ out prayers like throwin’ stones at a window, but stones ain’t no seeds, oh no they’ll never grow. So tonight he’s tied a noose and he hands it to the judge, says “You’re only doin’ now what God already done.” -Oh, the wheel or the weight? Peter Pan still remembers Wendy’s freckled skin, her lips leavin’ his, walkin’ out and whisperin,’ “When I lose this poem, darlin’ you’ll be forgotten,” then she left the map behind and moved into a new apartment. So tonight Peter’s sayin’ goodbye to the Lost Boys, he’s gonna grow old in England, a shattered lightbulb with a voice. -Oh, the wheel or the weight? These are all my friends that you see in this lonesome haze, I’ve just rearranged their faces and given them all Big Names. These days I don’t see no one and I’m dyin’ for some sleep, but that’s the one secret the night intends to keep. So tonight- like every night- I see them in this tired tune, kiss them all goodnight, and say, “I’ll see you all soon.” -Oh, the wheel or the weight? –Oh, the wheel and the weight.