The Meadowlands

Record Notes:
The Meadowlands
Produced by Pedal Boy & the Wrens
Released 2003, Absolutely Kosher

MP3s

Everyone Choose Sides

Lyrics

The House That Guilt Built
Happy
She Sends Kisses
This Boy is Exhausted
Hopeless
Faster Gun
Thirteen Grand
Boys, You Won’t Remember
Ex-Girl Collection
Per Second Second
Everyone Choose Sides
13 Months in 6 Minutes
This is Not What You Had Planned

the house that guilt built
Its been so long
since you’ve heard from me
got a wife and kid
that I never see
and I’m nowhere near
what I dreamed I’d be
i can’t believe
what life has done to me

happy
You’re the one I want
you’re a chance to take
you’re a hard break
and swore you’d never leave again
you’re the only one
that I ever trusted
or who ever cared at all
is this how its going to be
is this how you wanted me
broken down again
its almost over now
is this why you wanted me
to watch as you walk away
you kept on killing me
and you don’t even want to touch me
I was wrong
I’ve wasted on
can’t figure out
what happened to us
I won’t count on you anymore
I’ll be all right
don’t worry about me
aren’t you happy now
you got what you want
I wanted you
but I’m over that now
I’m so sick of you and what we went through
your lies to me
won’t win again
so don’t kid yourself
its better this way
its all back to me

she sends kisses
ten tons against me and you’ve gone
I put your favorite records on
and sit around
it spins around
and you’re around again
struck dumb while drugs run at how high reeds
cue every memory at half-speeds
just like….charles, hold-me-downs
I’m-coming sounds
cut crap, who’s filling shoes like these anymore?
past clumsy crushes beneath Thrill Pier
hopes pinned to poses honed in men’s room mirrors
a sophomore at Brown
she worked Lost & Found
I put your face on her all year
from five rows of photos when you wrote
of posed you, dressed blue, a backyard boat
signed at the bottom with this quote:
(#4 North Shore) a cape may address
your new one I guess
‘all’s well in hell and all here’s hoping’
she sends kisses
some signed ‘with Love, Beth oooooo xxxxx’
she sends kisses
same old beth - some signed 666
our shore town knockdown sure was fun
yeah, white trash, what have you
I fired replies back gun by gun
past Seven Wrecks I read your four answers: 1. your move 2. I’m tres involved 3. move on 4. love, Beth
I walk it down
this tourist town
‘just thought I’d’ calls
just friends
she sends kisses
and all at once back doors blow open
she sends….
in envelopes stamped w/ ‘Hope & Hearts’ - ripped right open
she sends…
but I’m corrupt - I wrote back good luck

this boy is exhausted
lock me in
tied to work
splitting rocks
cutting diamonds
100 days
with no pay
not anymore
cause I’m caught
I can’t type
I can’t temp
I’m way past college
no ways out
no back doors not anymore
but then once a while
we’ll play a show then that makes it worthwhile
our sights set low
as jerry squares off the set - here we go
but…this boy is exhausted
8 years long
a single song
come to this
triple guessing
double down
a v.p.’s faith is one single long
cause I can’t write
what I know - it’s not worth writing
I can’t tell
a hit from hell
from one sing-along
but then greg plugs in
a treble checking that says we might win
hell’s henry pearls
the woven strap wins the galloway girls but….
but then kev jumps in
and hits the floor as the stick hits the rim
I guess we’re done
cause every win on this record’s hard won but….

hopeless
not this time too
I’m the only one you got to use
and if I tell you all this could be
nothing more than a way to leave you
would you want me
and now you’re sorry for the things you did to me
I want you to know
I feel I was the one who got used and use to
just about anything you would tell me
but those days are more than over now
hopeless
that this will turn out better
this isn’t want I wanted
I should have listened to them
go thank yourself for nothing
its really all you’re good for
every year you wasted
and every half ass offer

faster gun
snow scenes level lonely bastards

thirteen grand
Talk about all that you kept bottled up inside
Makes you laugh
then it makes you cry
I said it all too late
Is this real at all
you’re not so sure
It’s easy now because you’re safe
can’t change your mind
Moving on is not fair when it leaves me on my own
I lived my life waiting for tomorrow
but I guess it’s your turn now
We trade these lines to get us by
but what’s it matter
You keep saying Jersey’s not a home
I thought I had it all figured out
but look who got it wrong

boys you won’t
Boys you won’t remember
from the minute
you walked into the room
every letter started broken hearted
and ended way too soon
lived through underrated
getting jaded
to wind up with no one
hiding in new places
singing “I guess we’re done”
I don’t want you to wonder why
it won’t do any good
you don’t know what you got into
until you know when its all gone wrong
and I don’t feel the need to try and explain

ex-girl collection
fourth floor room
each girl I’ve brought back home to bloom
all fold on close inspection
each one leaves a banner hanging from the eaves
marking the eve of election
ex-girl collection
why/ into why not
into what else you got?
it’s just how men mark time
ann slams in
another lightening round begins
this could get interesting
where’s ann been?
she pours herself a don’t-ask gin
no ice and light on the bitters
I’m done with quitters
‘why / charles, I found out
wipe that smile off your mouth
I think it’s tell-me time…’
britt hit hard
she found my box of beth’s best cards
hand cut and signed with ‘x’s
called at work
‘happy anniversary, jerk’
and I just laughed at the timing with you on hold line 2 still crying
‘why
play sex on the cuff?
does beth like it rough?
and learn your dirty lines?
and keep her hair cropped
(the other shoe dropped)
‘is this how men mark time in couples?’, she cursed
(this sounds too rehearsed)
as ann, hand on hip, accusing me to the rafters
the words turn and spit and scorch right through to the plaster
I’m called 10 kinds of a bastard
curses came faster
why / into why not?
into charles gone to pot
in hotter water
line up to lift up a toast
to the ones I hurt most
and how the well’s gone lime
with charles on the plow
I’m roger over and how
slower now men mark time
fine
why, what else you got?

per second second
I had this dream again ann shot me….
per second second faster from the winner’s line
and the lord pulled up yea-high
we drove on
throw coal to fire try to make Short Hills
lordy gathered kills - two from france and one from avalon
kill’s kitchen lazy-susan spinning down
a sure sign he’s left town
kill can’t hide
not for long
God’s button-down silk-blended shirt by ralph lauren ($65)
pants by House of Men ($95)
hair by Xi of fort lee
he had a _ _ and the slickest DA cut
a dueling scar or what
it’s so him
soooo A.D.
I gave as sexy as I got
in every vacant lot
the lord taught me a lot
SBS / CCD / 8-track of crimson & clover
drove playing it over and over
shot rock-splitter to god: carry me home
we picked up Hope who fell down faith and pulled up stakes
staking odds on bigger breaks
bottle spins (kiss)
win I spy
I spy sex becomes our crappy sad reward
for another day endured
leg on dash
hand on thigh
she said, ‘you’re on my hair! You’re on my hair! Press hard I’m almost there.
Driver, yes! Spill the wine!’
homecomings all reveal
shortcomings and old devil’s deal
I’m shot

everyone choose sides
….13 grand
a year in the meadowlands
bored and rural-poor, lord, at 35, right? I’m the best 17 year old ever
worked these sands
I won’t go back again
quitter quitter one boy bitter - rough luck
man to man hand to hand fight 40
we’re losing sand!
a wrens’ ditch battle plan
record after record black and deckered tack! tack!
definition: hell and high water
fatty come a courtin’ lord the money!
everyone choose sides
the whole to-do of what to do for money
poorer or not this year and hell’s the difference
let’s talk plans
and luck said, ‘double damned
were you give women worth winning or what?
a wasted share of shots at high-tide heaven’
greener grasses fade from where you wind up
everyone choose sides
I’m back! I’m back! So sing to raise the blind up
I’ve walked away from more than you imagine and I sleep just fine
we fought and brought up more - the shovels high up
on the 10-ton line

13 months in 6 minutes
not yet 21 - with introductions done - a first slow dance just ends.
I was at my best - we ignored the rest (my band and your friends).
But as better night became best day we left the party while last records played.
What started as dessert back at your house ended on the couch…
hours at your mouth…sunday’s on our hands. We followed where it led.
I followed you to bed. We started secret plans.
Forward 7 months: I’ve only seen you once…I never call on time.
Trying to seem tough, I said one visit’s enough - enough to keep you mine (of course it wasn’t…)
We were done by june. You’d graduate and leave for london soon.
Your layover at newark’s near my house. We met for dinner there…
just one hour to spare - your 20’s all mapped out. I’m in my driest drought
feeling old and shot and how.
And this is what I thought: I seem to still be caught…
I’m a footnote at best…I envy who comes next…wish we could just make out.
‘The hour’s almost up’, you said into your cup. And it makes no difference now, as I help lift your bags out,
that I’m lost and out of rope while on my wrist you wrote your newest number down.
I kind of said your name but you’d turned to your plane so I backed my car out.
I knew we’d never write (somehow that seemed all right) but this counts as calling three years out.

this is not what you had planned
Don’t you even know what’s right?

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Record Description:
Produced by Pedal Boy & the Wrens
Released 2003, Absolutely Kosher

Year:
2003