the audio player below features “live” performances of royce playing acoustic guitar and singing, circa 1999/2000. There are no overdubs, just a few basic effects and an occasional splice to reduce noise. “Again and Again,” “Blah Blah Blues,” and “Trapped in Dreams” are new to the site, remastered from a cassette tape buried deep in a box and rediscovered only recently.
lyrics:
“into you”: wrote some words down the other day some really nice ones, they were about you something about how when I look into your eyes I feel like I belong I feel like I might have a chance how you make me feel everything how you make me feel a little bit of everything I don’t know, baby I think I tossed ’em I think I might have goofed wouldn’t be the first time played out my hand too soon I think I missed out on the pot I don’t know what I said but I know what I was trying to say…I’m into you
“again and again”: keep peeling those layers of this onion or that one and all you’ll get is stink and burning tears and lost years what ya think you’re gonna steal my star and my thunder? I wonder put the lightning in your pocket socket and store it for a rainy day and use it to light your way this pale light speaks a million words to those who will listen I hear you what’s bad is bad, seems like it’s getting worse to be cursed sometimes I’m full of life and I choke on hope it seems like love is all around in every sound and whisper I hear when you are near store it for a rainy day and use it to sound your way this pale light speaks a million words to those who will listen I hear you I go to kiss you on the lips but my face ends up in your humid pits it’s so hard to resist doing it again…. I see a shooting star and I wish I could change your heart it tears me apart again and again again and again…
“blah blah blues”: you call me late at night on the phone to talk about nothing you wake me up from a deep sleep and dreams of heaven I’m so tired of listening to you when all I want to do is hold you I got the blah blah blues you call me one afternoon on phone when you want directions to my favorite restaurant so you could take your other man who shall remain nameless to let me know you’re running around with him to let me know you’d rather be with him the phone is torture the phone is a warzone god how I miss how it would ring the phone is a cold bath followed by a sand blast god how I miss how it would ring and shake me out of this nothingness and save me from this zombie heck I got the blah blah blues you call me late at night on the phone to tell me you don’t love me and that you never could even if I was the last bluesman on the planet the little games you play are driving us all insane I got the blah blah blues you haven’t called me on the phone in months since you said I was pure evil and a psychic infection sent by Satan but I’ve been gargling with listerine and washing in gasoline god how I miss your anal retentive obsessive compulsions the phone is torture the phone is a warzone god how I miss how it would ring the phone is a cold bath followed by a sand blast god how I miss how it would ring and shake me out of this nothingness and save me from this zombie heck I got the blah blah blues
“massive indoor isolated supernova”: I’m wondering when my rainbow will ever come screw the pot of gold right now I just want some color you come in here and look at my worthless shit it’s worth less than shit you can take some if you want it you want some massive indoor isolated supernova? time has long since slipped away my eyes have been blind since just about first light you could probably still make a difference but I doubt it it would take a massive indoor isolated supernova I don’t know what else to call it either it’s there or it isn’t I used to care but now making it through the day is my mission it would take a massive indoor isolated supernova little girl I love you because you’re good little girl but I wanna make you bad innocence don’t mean nothin’ if it lasts forever it’ll end tonight when I show you my massive indoor isolated supernova I don’t know what else to call either it’s there or it isn’t I used to care but now making it through the day is my mission it would take a massive indoor isolated supernova
“trapped in dreams”: ants crawling on my legs thoughts swarming in my brain the sting feels the same and my heart is raw from the bites as the seconds tick through this moment another loss slow, strange, and sudden your voice soft in my ears whisper warm on my cheek your face the sun in my dreams and the star in the sky of my long and lonely endless night the gloomy, glowing hint of a sun about to rise there it goes the dancing, imploding horizon here it comes I just can’t bear it or the ants crawling on my legs or the gossamer chains of this spider web of memories or these lost, stolen moments this is where we are trapped in dreams encased in amber and thrown into this nightmare quicksand searching of any kind of a light and for you to save me encased in amber and thrown into the quicksand of this nightmare searching of any kind of a light and for you to save me
“whiplash”: flea killing spree lives worth much less than mine I’m good at the carnage I don’t care about karma although I know it snaps back sometimes whiplash ocean blues on my mind and segments of time your ghost in my room chills down my spine your soul was here once upon mine those days sure left fast just like you they’re gone and ain’t never comin’ back whiplash a trail of dead ends and wounded friends behind me lonely nights ahead lonely nights behind and wondrous thunderstorms where the power zaps out candle flames dance and remind me of you seething those days sure left fast yeah they sure left fast whiplash
“quiet song”: neysa’s head’s on my knee she is drifting into sleep dreaming of when she was a little girl before the pain came to stay before it all went wrong before the sun disappeared and the world was a still a quiet song I have a nice view from above and so much music to share with her and a heart full of love and a heart full of strength our souls joined as one our souls dancing slowly to the quiet song she doesn’t want me to wake her up but she doesn’t want me to stop she doesn’t want to let down her guard but she doesn’t want to get up she tries to tell herself that there’s a world beyond the quiet song but she’s wrong time to get up and go see Chinese buddhists time to get up and look for apartments time to get up and go see the doctor time to get up and keep her commitments but love when you find the time to pause you’ll hear the quiet song and dream dreams that last the whole day long neysa’s head’s on my knee she is drifting into sleep dreaming of when she was a little girl
reverse e n t r o p y 