1. THESE DAYS

I was walking around, just a face in the crowd
Trying to keep myself out of the rain
Saw a vagabond king wear a styrofoam crown
Wondered if I might end up the same
There's a man out on the corner, singing old songs about change
Everybody's got their cross to bear these days

She came looking for some shelter with a suitcase full of dreams
To a motel room on the boulevard
I guess she's trying to be James Dean
She's seen all the disciples and all the wanna-be's
No one wants to be themselves these days
Still there's nothing to hold on to but these days

Chorus:
These days - the stars seem out of reach
These days - there ain't a ladder on the streets
These days - are fast, love don't last in this graceless age
There ain't anybody left but but us these days

Jimmy Shoes busted both his legs, trying to learn to fly
From a second storey window, he just jumped and closed his eyes
His mamma said he was crazy - he said "Mamma I've got to try,
Don't you know that all my heroes died
And I guess I'd rather die than fade away"

Chorus:
These days - the stars seem out of reach
But these days - there ain't a ladder on the streets
These days - are fast, nothing lasts in this graceless age
Even innocence has caught the midnight train
And there ain't anybody left but but us these days

I know Rome's still burning
Though the times have changed
This world keeps turning round and round and round and round
These days

Chorus:
These days - the stars seem out of reach
But these days - there ain't a ladder on the streets
These days - are fast, nothing lasts in this graceless age
Even innocence has caught the midnight train
And there ain't anybody left but but us these days

These days - the stars seem out of reach
These days - there ain't a ladder on the streets
These days - are fast, nothing lasts in this graceless age
There ain't no time to waste
There ain't anybody left to take the blame
And there ain't anybody left but but us these days
There ain't anybody left but but us these days


2. (IT'S HARD) LETTING YOU GO

It ain't no fun lying down to sleep
And there ain't no secrets left for me to keep
I wish the stars up in the sky
Would all just call in sick
And the clouds would take the moon out
On some one-way trip

I drove all night down streets that wouldn't bend
But somehow they drove me back here once again
To the place I lost at love, and the place I lost my soul
I wish I'd just burn down this place that we called home
It would all have been so easy
If you'd only made me cry
And told me how you're leaving me
To some organ grinder's lullaby

It's hard, so hard - it's tearing out my heart
It's hard letting you go

Now the sky, it shines a different kind of blue
And the neighbor's dog don't bark like he used to
Well - me, these days
I just miss you - it's the nights that I go insane
Unless you're coming back for me
That's one thing I know that won't change

It's hard, so hard - it's tearing out my heart
It's hard letting you go

Now some tarot card shark said I'll draw you a heart
And we'll find you somebody else new
But I've made my last trip to those carnival lips
When I bet all that I had on you

It's hard, it's hard, it's hard, so hard
It's hard letting you go
It's hard, so hard, it's tearing out my heart
But it's hard letting you go


3. ROCKING IN THE FREE WORLD

There's colors on the street
Red, white and blue
People shufflin' their feet
People sleepin' in their shoes
But there's a warnin' sign on the road ahead
There's a lot of people sayin' we'd be better off dead
Don't feel like Satan, but I am to them
So I try to forget it, any way I can.

Keep on rockin' in the free world,
Keep on rockin' in the free world
Keep on rockin' in the free world,
Keep on rockin' in the free world.

I see a woman in the night
With a baby in her hand
Under an old street light
Near a garbage can
Now she puts the kid away, and she's gone to get a hit
She hates her life, and what she's done to it
There's one more kid that will never go to school
Never get to fall in love, never get to be cool.

Keep on rockin' in the free world,
Keep on rockin' in the free world
Keep on rockin' in the free world,
Keep on rockin' in the free world.

We got a thousand points of light
For the homeless man
We got a kinder, gentler,
Machine gun hand
We got department stores and toilet paper
Got styrofoam boxes for the ozone layer
Got a man of the people, says keep hope alive
Got fuel to burn, got roads to drive.

Keep on rockin' in the free world,
Keep on rockin' in the free world
Keep on rockin' in the free world,
Keep on rockin' in the free world


4. HELTER SKELTER

When you get to the bottom
You go back to the top of the slide
And you stop and you turn
And you go for a ride
Till you get to the bottom
Then you see me again

Do you, don't you want me to love you?
I'm coming down fast, but I'm miles above you
Tell me, tell me, tell me the answer
You may be a lover but you ain't no dancer

Helter skelter
Helter skelter
Helter skelter

Do you, don't you want me to make you?
Coming down fast I don't want me to break you
Tell me , tell me, tell me the answer
You may be a lover but you ain't no dancer

Helter skelter
Helter skelter
Helter skelter

When you get to the bottom
you go back to the top of the slide
Where you stop and you turn
And you go for a ride
Till you get to the bottom
And I see you again

Do you, don't you want me to love you ?
Coming down fast I'm right above you
Tell me , tell me, tell me the answer
You may be a lover but you ain't no dancer

Helter skelter
Helter skelter
Helter skelter


5. HEY GOD

Hey God, I'm just a little man got a wife and family
But I almost lost the house, yeah I bought into the dream
We're barely holding on when I'm in way too deep
We're two paychecks away from living out on the streets

She's a workin' single mom, like a saint she don't complain
She never says a word, but she thinks that she's to blame
Her son just got convicted, he blew some punk away
She did her best to raise him, but the world got in the way

Chorus:
Hey God - tell me what the hell is going on
Seems like all the good shit's gone
It keeps on getting harder hanging on
Hey God, there's nights you know I want to scream
These days you're even harder to believe
I know how busy you must be, but Hey God....
Do you ever think about me

Born into the ghetto in 1991, just a happy child
Playing beneath the summer sun
A vacant lot's his playground, by 12 he's got a gun
The odds are bet against him, junior don't make 21

Chorus

I'd get down on my knees, I'm going to try this thing your way
Seen a dying man too proud to beg spit on his own grave
Was he too gone to save?
Did you even know his name?
Are you the one to blame, I got something to say

Chorus


6. THESE DAYS

I was walking around, just a face in the crowd
Trying to keep myself out of the rain
Saw a vagabond king wear a styrofoam crown
Wondered if I might end up the same
There's a man out on the corner, singing old songs about change
Everybody's got their cross to bear these days

She came looking for some shelter with a suitcase full of dreams
To a motel room on the boulevard
I guess she's trying to be James Dean
She's seen all the disciples and all the wanna-be's
No one wants to be themselves these days
Still there's nothing to hold on to but these days

Chorus:
These days - the stars seem out of reach
These days - there ain't a ladder on the streets
These days - are fast, love don't last in this graceless age
There ain't anybody left but but us these days

Jimmy Shoes busted both his legs, trying to learn to fly
From a second storey window, he just jumped and closed his eyes
His mamma said he was crazy - he said "Mamma I've got to try,
Don't you know that all my heroes died
And I guess I'd rather die than fade away"

Chorus:
These days - the stars seem out of reach
But these days - there ain't a ladder on the streets
These days - are fast, nothing lasts in this graceless age
Even innocence has caught the midnight train
And there ain't anybody left but but us these days

I know Rome's still burning
Though the times have changed
This world keeps turning round and round and round and round
These days

Chorus:
These days - the stars seem out of reach
But these days - there ain't a ladder on the streets
These days - are fast, nothing lasts in this graceless age
Even innocence has caught the midnight train
And there ain't anybody left but but us these days

These days - the stars seem out of reach
These days - there ain't a ladder on the streets
These days - are fast, nothing lasts in this graceless age
There ain't no time to waste
There ain't anybody left to take the blame
And there ain't anybody left but but us these days
There ain't anybody left but but us these days