All copyright © 2009 Chris Frank
1. Strange Birds
one sheet of glass to the river
guess who got a window seat?
nobody swims in the river
everybody's saving heat
strange birds sit still
right on the power line
they make no sound
just an arrival sign
and mornings are mostly for breakfast
and I brought nothing to eat
I do not buy any breakfast, hey
I bought a window seat
strange birds sit still
right on the power line
they make no sound
just an arrival sign
I remember what you said to me:
"the water is drawn from wells."
though I don't see what you, sir, must see
this morning I hear you well
strange birds sit still
right on the power line
they make no sound
just an arrival sign
2. The Weights
"Who wants to go to sleep?
who wants to go to rome?"
That's really all he says, so
maybe somebody take him home?
And we sleepers, in shifts get…
we sleep with anyone we can
That's not what he said but
that is what I understand
Nobody's holding me yet, please get
your hands back to where they came from
We are just speakers and this just a room
There are millions of us, I've seen some
Who wants to read ahead?
All of the good stuff's at the end
That's not what he said but
that is what I understand
Listen, she's singing sharai sharai
listen, she's living in the walls
There are no words to know her by
but you will know her when she calls
Soon, I would love to believe
If not soon, though, somewhen
Waiting again we will walk until then
left foot right, left foot right
Somebody set the weights
He tore a book in two
We only speak in shapes
and somebody's shaped like you
I carry so many weights in my head
you can move we with levers and string
Waiting to move me with words won't move much
I can read into everything
Listen, she's singing sharai sharai
listen, she's living in the walls
There are no words to know her by
but you will know her when she calls
Soon, I would love to believe
If not soon, though, somewhen
Waiting again we will walk until then
left foot right, left foot right
3. One By One
With wings on our backs
we wouldn't have to wear such silly clothes
we wouldn't have to walk everywhere we go
Every time an angel sings, I look up
Everything she looks like looks so
left, the left eye left of the nose
Write for me
I like names and sentences
And if we take apart
take me one by one
one by one
one by one
one by one
The kind of tired that you get
long long run
by the time the point had hit home
there wasn't so much home to hit
I would get like that I think if I
I hit home
even if there's just one thing to know
we'll see it if we take a little bit
Write for me
I like names and sentences
And if we take apart,
take me one by one
one by one
one by one
one by one
one by one
one by one
one by one
one by one
4. The Weekend
like a lightbulb
off and on
I do one thing well
I took the money
money's gone
we met at a friend's hotel
we stay all night
we stay all night when we can
she has to happen
I have to be
that was the work to be done
we opened the curtains
drew the blinds
we worked for everyone
we stay all night
we stay all night
we stay all night when we can
we stay all night
we came for the weekend and
just for the weekend and
then the weekend was gone
that word is the same
in every language
that word goes on and on
I wrote a letter
full of untranslatable things
I sent nothing, not today
today some memory sings
in color and seasons
the letter "I"
rules of grammar and games
a couple of lessons
mostly wrong
a couple of numbers and names
we stay all night
we stay all night
we stay all night
we stay all night
we came for the weekend and
just for the weekend and
then the weekend was gone
that word is the same
in every language
that word goes on and on