Behind My Time
I would have been a good flower child
I was born several years behind my time
A hippie's life would suit me fine
Designate me giver of peace sign
No more living someone else's way
My official mantra: "Let's live for today"
When I have important things to say
Gather 'round and hear my guitar play
But as fate would have it, I'm stuck here
And it's obvious I don't belong
Hand to God, I can't be more sincere
I'm out of place, my timing's wrong
Each day I live in fear that I am wasting love I should be showing
We should be emulating trees that spend their whole existence growing
I seem to be the only one in the vicinity who's knowing
You're not allowed to pack a suitcase when you leave for where you're going
Running free just like this race began
Sleeping in the back of my VW van
Morning starts without a scripted plan
A hundred times a day, I say, "Far out, man!"
I'm forced to be dependent on technology and I can't take it
When my accountant asks me if I understand, I nod and fake it
I hear a radio these days inside a store and want to break it
All of this stress we must endure, I doubt my careworn heart will make it
I would have been a good flower child
I was born several years behind my time
Throw my arms around the nearest pine
Too bad it's not 1969
Bellevue Road
Years pass by and roll me further down the trail
Dreams I've fought so hard to make come true will fail
Pigments of our finest friendships will sun-fade and pale
But Bellevue Road is always there for me to go
Memories stored sweetly in my attic gray
Will tumble victims of neglect and tooth decay
Waves will crash on names and faces and wash them away
But Bellevue Road is always there for me to go
It might take some time for me to find my place
And people may mistake a footpath for my face
I could fall more miles behind their frenetic pace
But Bellevue Road is always there for me to go
Say what you will
I still get an adolescent thrill
Walking down that dead-end avenue
Love is young again, shiny and new
I will one day reach the end of my life's term
My body lowered beneath Gaia's epidermis
Chewed up beyond recognition stone-faced by the worm
But Bellevue Road will still be there for me to go
And Bellevue Road will still be there for me to ghost
Buzzkilla
I want to get a drum kit, put it in my living room
Practice non-stop 'round the clock, get really good soon
With my windows open in the middle of the afternoon
Give the people on my block a taste of living next to Keith Moon
But my plans for percussion
Go down like water in a toilet flushing
Behold! The Buzzkilla
Combo of a siren and a witch
With a style not run-of-the-milla
Shuts me down with flick of switch
She threatened me by saying, "Don't you go and buy that!"
Now, I'm low 'cause I won't be smacking on a hi hat
I was young playing out in the street run and bases
All the kids from the neighborhood, some with the braces
Early spring, want to show off, do a pop-a-wheelie
So I ace my snorkel 'cause I want to move freely
But as soon as my scarf's off
I'm frozen by the angry cough
"Ahem!" bellows the Buzzkilla
Motions me inside the house
Steps up on the scene like Godzilla
Never met a fire that she can't douse
Thought you told me, Mom, that you really couldn't give a hoot
About what other parents let their kids do, no, you won't follow suit
Be a leader, think for yourself, I have always heard you say
Now, you tell me bundle up like Robert and T.J.
After work on Friday, I've got to let off some steam
So, I inject my tunes, get them into my bloodstream
I take the stage in the corner of my kitchen
For the next three hours, I'm reality-ditching
Then a touch comes suddenly
They'll be no big finale
Oh, no! Here comes the Buzzkilla
Squashing all the people of Music Town
Whether it's Sgt. Pepper's or Thriller
I've no choice but turn it down
It's very much like being pulled over by the fuzz
My bubble gets popped and I totally lose my buzz
Case of Elite
On the nights that I play music, I am slightly amiss
You're on my mind as if your name was Beth and I'm Peter Criss
I don't wear face paint or have "Shout it Out Loud" on my set list
But I've got every album made by your kiss
Since we met, you've never acted once like one of these dames
Who gets her kicks hearing me beg please, darling, stop playing games
Or making me fall on my knees like dominoes down in flames
I'm thankful Layla is not one of your names
Once every seventy-five years
Comet Halley comes around
But only for a little while, never to reappear
If I was meant to have anything beside of me, you're the one
If this was a sailor story from the days of yore
And I met you in a harbor town when I came ashore
I would have sold my ship and then slammed the proverbial door
You're such a fine girl, I'd go sailing no more
We have shared so many good times that I'd like to repeat
Among the diamonds in my mind, they're in the case of elite
And just the same as Caroline, each one of them has been sweet
These are the ones that I would never delete
If I was meant to have anything beside of me, you're the one
Second chances don't come around reliably like the sun
Daphne
We met on a Saturday morning inside a house
Haunted by a film-projected ghost
"Jeepers!" you sweetly exclaimed as the lights flickered out
I sat watching with my breakfast toast
You fell unexpectedly through a trap door
You helped find the missing Professor White
In that minidress with legs I never can ignore
You are, like, far-out, man, out-of-sight!
Daphne, Daphne
Jinkies, won't you be mine?
If you want me, please leave a clue behind
For me, Daphne
You're more than just a meddling kid, let me extol
Countless episodes you've cheated death
Your lipstick's never smeared, you never get cold
Even after chase scenes, you're not out of breath
Such a gorgeous head of hair, its color akin
To pumpkins or a glass of Minute Maid
Do those shoes hurt when you run from a villain?
By the way, are they leather or suede?
The headband and the scarf you wear are groovy
Hanna & Barbera, you really got me
I don't stumble onto cases everywhere I go
I'm not really what you call a sleuth
But I know how annoyed you get when you're called danger prone
I noticed it when I was in my youth
I dreamed of animated perfection made of ivory
Hanna & Barbera played Aphrodite
Eleven Letters
I need a change, it's long overdue
Sign at the crossroads says "We can't go through"
The time has arrived now for letting us go
Talk to your insides, they'll tell you it's so
This way of life has come to smother me
I'm under quilts of lead face-down
Although this habitat is motherly
My sights are set beyond this town
They're far away
Take me to the highest point and cast me off into the swirling sky
Pull away, lose me
There's more than just eleven letters separating "U" and "I"
You stick by my shadow and soak up my sun
What used to be rare is suddenly well done
This way of life has come to smother me
I'm not afforded latitude
Although content at forty north degrees
My soul screams out for altitude
Please, don't delay
Take me to the highest point and cast me off into the swirling sky
Pull away, lose me
There's more than just eleven letters separating "U" and "I"
I'm ready for takeoff, you're hot on my trail
Each one of your tears guilty of blackmail
Extremo
He plays it so close to the vest
Locks up all his secrets deep inside a beating chest
He puts himself on full display
His heart is pressed upon his shirt sleeve like an applique
He likes to leap after a look
Plots his course, then reexamines all the steps he took
He lets the chips fall where they may
Then dives into the uncertainty and disarray
Extremo knows no middle ground
He's got a place out on the east and west end of the town
Extremo, loose and tightly wound
He often wears a foolscap underneath his golden crown
His thoughts and words are genuine
He's down-to-earth since he was born inside a salty mine
He saddles up a mile high
Gazes down upon the grazing flocks beneath the sky
It's much harder than it seems
Splitting open at the seams
Being pulled by polar teams
Left and right to the extremes
He's balanced on the beam and ball
Keeps himself in check and holds tight to his wherewithal
He's going to lose himself tonight
Sets out to somehow put all his worries out of sight
Extremo knows no middle ground
He's never set foot in the village square or heart of town
Extremo, free and tightly bound
He only sees the world through rosy shades or hopeless brown
The Fiddler
Well, my name is John, but they call me Kroo
I started rhyming at the age of ten back in '82
My epitaph will read: "Here lies a piece of work"
I'm down with Captain Morgan and Crunch, but not Kirk
Still devastating with a pen and paper
Weeds of MCs fear me like a landscaper
Mostly Czech, a little Irish, and my last name's German
And I can bust a rhyme as if my name was Erick Sermon
Like Han Solo on my head there's a bounty
It's envy 'cause I'm so much more than just All-County
I learn at light speed, they're slamming on the brakes
I'll score the hoop and draw the foul with all my pump fakes
Rolling with the Mrs., better known as Ally
I know the night sky on a level with Halley
When it's time to go for mine I don't dillydally
I'd be the star player at a rappers' pep rally
Once upon a time, I covered first base
Now, I'm just a singer with a guitar case
I'm Aquarius, creative, and highly-educated
I may have even made a rap song G-rated
Up on the mic like the low-post block
So look away, but listen to me and pass the rock
The reason that the lyrics and the music mesh
Because it's Kroo sesh
The voice preceding mine belongs to Wyatt's brother, Chet
Not taking up the guitar as a kid I do regret
My only music teachers came from vinyl under needles
And I still swear by my earliest the Beatles
Bohemia was my Menlo Park 'til I was thirty-five
I was kind of like the Wizard up on Kenwood Drive
I have a little trouble making many places on time
But I'm Mister Punctuality delivering a rhyme
If movies were real and I had my druthers
I would run with Al Czervik and the Hanson Brothers
You can often spot me in a navy pair of Puma sneakers
Smiling 'cause I know now that I'm coming out your speakers
A mad drop-stepping one thousand-point breaker
A beach-going, trivia-knowing bonus-round maker
I hope that Jimmy Buffett finds his missing salt shaker
And that you one day know the name of Bubble Gum Baker
Galaga, Tetris, The Catcher in the Rye
Crossword puzzles and gigs on F.I.
Baseball, blizzards, and brand new strings
These are a few of Kroo's favorite things
No need to compensate by buying things that seem impressive
The quality that I create already is excessive
'Cause in the words spoken by the Lizard King:
"I can do anything"
Fool
You've more than had your share
Of peeking through phragmites as you fix your stare
In the midnight air
Showing up to show her just how much you care
Though she is unaware
Whenever you are there
You know, it's sad to say
You never could convince her to extend her stay
Like Christmas Day
You tried in vain to stop her on her merry way
Or maybe just delay
Oh, your naivete!
Every time you try to orchestrate the Fates, you fail
The writing's on the the wall for you in Braille
For she's not coming here today beside your pool of drool
So what are you trying to accomplish here, fool?
You've really earned the name
For though she got the best of you and left you lame
You show up just the same
To see her plaque and statue in the Hall of Fame
That's deep inside your frame
A red, resilient flame
In spite of everything she's done
You're still a fool following one
She's got you buried in her purse
And I can't figure out who's worse
You want to leave the stage
But words lay claim to yet another notebook page
Your heart swings in a cage
It warbles and it wobbles more and more with age
About this war you wage
Refuse to disengage
General Lee
I found out by '78
I was meant for something great
I've learned it's hard to steer
En route to the stratosphere
Pudge waved a foul ball fair
"Sundown," "Sister Golden Hair"
Don't cut that birthday cake
For Ernie and Bert's sake
Campbell's soup with ABCs
Bicentennial motifs
Barbarino, Juan Epstein
Schoolhouse Rock, Big Red Machine
Kindergarten proving ground
Fidrych on the pitcher's mound
The Batmobile in my toy chest
Record World at T.S.S.
Mayor Koch, Mayor McCheese
Disco tunes by the Bee Gees
Jedis on the movie screen
R2-D2, Tattooine
Why couldn't there be a way
For me to somehow stay
Cradled in the sway
Of the arms of yesterday?
Sweet-Orrs and Capezios
Little League, boombox radios
Folded notes, back pocket combs
"Tainted Love" and "Centerfold"
Rubik's Cube, Smurfs, Mr. T
Intellivision, Dale Murphy
Jedis on the movie screen
Captain Solo in carbon-freeze
The ocean in which I sleep
Is dark and dismally deep
I imitate a falling leaf
In no time, I'm part of the reef
Everyone is whizzing by
In classrooms, the bullets fly
Global warming, melting ice
Beaches serve as sacrifice
Four-letter words said on TV
Soak up all the sun's UV
One-time clean water filthy
O.J. Simpson not guilty
I wish I could have the keys
Leapfrog all these recently
Lined-up trashcans like Fonzie
Backwards in the General Lee
Hallandale
This island has held my heart just like a prisoner in a penitentiary
But it's broke free and took flight down the Eastern seaboard into Miami
For a girl eternally embedded in the fondness of my memory
How I could get away with allowing her to get away is beyond me
I know this might sound absurd
But a novel's never done until the final word
It may seem like we are through
But we never even got to write a Chapter Two
Though this all may be a bit tardy
These words are dressed in sincerity
I only ask that you please accept my apology
I miss you more than the distance from Hershey to Hallandale
Silly me, admittedly, my voice rejoices in your name repeatedly
I received your letter, and I hope that my response elates you equally
With you beside me, I could finally grin in Gotham's mouth of misery
It only figures that I met you merely weeks before I got my degree
No, I don't mean to scare you to death
But as I'm waiting here to hear from you, I'm holding my breath
Not talking ditches or holes
But I really dug you, baby, more like mining for coal
I know this comes at you suddenly
You've got reason still to be angry
I only ask that you please accept my apology
I miss you more than the distance from Hershey to Hallandale
There's something pulling my thoughts southward with the forcefulness of gravity
I hope in due time that the same attraction draws at you reciprocally
If we lose touch again this time, it won't be my responsibility
But how could that be it between us when we started out reeking of destiny?
As someone I could never forget
You're a boulder I must push uphill each day to regret
The archer now pelts me with shame
I have nobody but myself on whom to pile the blame
I'm sure you don't really want to see
Someone who treated you so carelessly
I only ask that you please accept my apology
I miss you more than the distance from Hershey to Hallandale
Hilary, I cannot be
Any more sorry, forgive me
How can I erase that time and place?
Your smiling face from first base
The letters I've since set sail
Have fallen off the trail
I'm waiting to no avail
You haven't been in the mail
I Worry
Standing alone with your shield and sword
Watching overhead, around
In a scowling, tense, defensive pose
Pride-imprisoned, rancor-bound
Waiting for your foes to open fire
But there's none to be found
Still, you're shouting into hungry wind
That swallows up the sound
I can never understand the rationales that you go through
Why you make a damn crusade out of everything you do
As if every living person somehow has it out for you
Those who stand in your good graces are among the chosen few
At times, I think that you have really gone insane
Mouthing off to everything that reeks of a refrain
No one's tuning in to what you're hatching in your brain
The chip that you are hauling will cause long-term shoulder strain
I worry
As a metaphor you come to mind
Hades's triple-headed hound
The brilliant child's hopes are still alive
As if time's a score rewound
The fighter persevering, proud
Bleeds his passion one more round
The prolific wizard starry-eyed
Begs to vanish underground
Indigo
I remember you handing me a cassette
I stayed up all night and listened to it
You told me you loved me with eyes wet
I never thought that high I could get
I remember feeling like a sure bet
The summer sun vowed to never set
You told me you loved me with eyes wet
But woke up the next day deciding to let me go
It still shouldn't bother me, but it does
I remember you sitting by my side
I thought I finally had the score tied
You told me you loved me and then you cried
On my shoulder, your head lied
I remember the more and more I tried
The further I fell down on the slide
You told me you loved me and then you cried
How quickly those teardrops dried, I don't know
It still shouldn't bother me, but it does
As I'm lying here, wishing my stars away
I'm dreaming that your dreams are filled with thoughts of me
And with each passing year, as you grow old and gray
My memory, a dark secret
I hope it haunts you with regret
And plays on like that old cassette
But it don't
I remember driving to the Bay State
Without warning, I headed straight
A university to locate
I needed answers and couldn't wait
I remember you did not appreciate
You gave me the brush and then the gate
I gave you my soul on a golden plate
You left me standing with a can of paint
To color my world indigo
It still shouldn't bother me, but it does
Ivory Tower
People spend their lives looking for a little niche to crawl in
Some remain alive, many others are just buried under
In a job that forces them to dread the rising sun
You tell me, "That's life," but I must admit I really wonder:
How did things get this way?
Should I come out to play?
One's lot in life should not be paying bills and taxes
Copernicus was wrong--we orbit money, pride, and power
I don't need a job, but if you say that it is mandatory
I'll be the keeper of the Ivory Tower
Safe and sound away
From the terror of today
Away from you, together with me
I've got better things to do than think politically
A garden out back, an observatory
A guitar and some pencils all for fantasy
Ivory Tower
Most of my friends are imaginary, drawn on paper
I'll drive my car as slow as I want away from the corporate ladder
You look at me like I am six-headed Scylla
Cynicism and aloofness more than full-blown
You can interrogate my mind state, but I'll tell you one thing:
I am still the sanest man I've ever known
Why should I have to pay?
Doesn't anyone feel this way?
Away from you, together with me
I've got better things to do than give my time to thee
Gordon Lightfoot and Jim Croce
Canvases, a blender, and a modest library
Ivory Tower
And you laugh when I say, "I'd rather have been an Indian."
Constellations, temples, sport, and gratitude for Mother Earth
"Who you gonna vote for?" (Ivory Tower)
"Are you gonna settle down?" (Ivory Tower)
"Will you ever play the game?" (Down below it's colder)
"You're living in a dream world!" (Ivory Tower)
"Tell me what you're thinking." (Ivory Tower)
"You're getting no younger!" (Here I won't grow older)
"Come into the city." (Ivory Tower)
"Let me see your resume." (Ivory Tower)
"Have this done by Friday!" (I'll be out near Southold)
"Where are you working?" (Ivory Tower)
"How much are you making?" (Ivory Tower)
"Where are you living?" (In my Ivory Tower)
Ling
Ling, I wonder where you are
I'm not used to you so far
This town's lost all its appeal
No more ground for me to steal
Ling, I wish you'd come back home
I'd rather live in shadows than out here on my own
Ling, I don't know what to do
With my veins snapping in two
Thrown off the rug I depend
Into a chasm with no end
Ling, I'd follow you around
If only I could ascertain the name of that lucky town
You declined arms that held you tight
Dropping swiftly out of sight
You told me, "Soon forget, you might."
I wish for once you were right
Ling, I need you here tonight
Float in as I clamber up to sleep's majestic height
Ling, it's now that time of year
Try to muster up some cheer
But from my eyes ice is poured
You're not under belt and sword
Ling, you've always been so hard to find
Even though you still reside just like a recluse in my mind
Missed the Point
You struck me as a girl with style
Something different and worthwhile
Pretty mind as well as face
Next to you I liked the space
Most of all, you seemed to be
Quite peculiar just like me
I went into CVS
Feeling rather devious
Opted not for Charlie Brown
Smiled broadly when I found
Lovers walking on the shore
Most obnoxious in the store
Was so proud of my selection
Thought there might be a connection
I learned after your inspection
You perceived over-affection
But, ah, you missed the point
In the kitchen of a bar
You declared I went too far
Though the bouquet showed some touch
Chosen card was a little much
Too intense for your own taste
The impression you embraced
"To be honest," I replied
"Actually, I like to write."
If I wanted to come on strong
Something twenty stanzas long
I'd have more than gladly wrote
Rather than a two-line note
Felt as if my breath had broke
When you didn't get the joke
"When you call my name, I melt."
How could that be how I felt
When I've hardly ever heard
You enunciate a word?!?
It didn't take a genius
To see I wasn't serious
All this left me scratching my head
Thought I had you clearly read
Signals now seemed inexact
Eccentricity an act
You said a handshake and a hello
Would have been a bit more apropos
I'm sorry that I didn't know
You came across as such a weirdo
But, ah, I missed the point
Non-Entity
Don't worry, honey, I can see your bag
It's the first thing I noticed in the photograph
I come and find you when I need a laugh
You tried to double yourself, but you tore in half
I cringe when I lay eyes upon your latest post
Where everybody sees a woman, I see a ghost
It's so strange how you've changed
Don't worry, honey, I can see your ride
I opened up the door again and nothing's inside
The gap between us some would call a divide
I used to seek you out, but now it's time to Hyde
I went to try and find you, but I'm kidding myself
Nothing ever comes of going back and dusting a shelf
You're gone, move on
Although I'm not the one you're out trying to impress
And you probably could care less
You've got to hear what I see
If I was to somehow meet you now, I'd flee
The girl you used to be is ancient history
She's a non-entity
Oooh, she's such a socialite
I see these pictures of plastic and I start to ignite
Arm and arm as if they're all so tight
I don't recall those lips and her face ain't right
I cringe when I lay eyes upon her latest post
Where everybody sees a woman, I see a ghost
It's so strange, how she's changed
I went to try and find her, but I'm kidding myself
Nothing ever comes of going back and dusting a shelf
She's gone, move on
Petrified Kite
I spend most of my time
Sitting in meadows of my past
Overly engrossed with visions in the grass
I spend most of my time
Walking down avenues of my past
Days without cost, shadows without cast
I spend most of my time
Looking in closets of my past
For something that I lost, and somehow didn't last
Let's be clear, things aren't what they appear
Though I may be surface smiling, I'm infested with fear
It's a bad look inside this old yellow book
Even when I'm flying high, I'm always caught on the hook
Just a petrified kite
I spend most of my time
Running through tunnels of my past
From days I fear the most, I know they're coming fast
I spend most of my time
Hiding in bunkers of my past
Keeping my fingers crossed whenever I hear a blast
Saturnine
Got the nightly news on once again
A story about a little girl, taken
Walking home from school by a gentleman
Who was just released from the state pen
And it gets me down
Gets me forty fathoms down
So far down, that my blues have turned to brown
I'm at the point where it hurts to even frown
I need more than just helium to get off the ground
I want to knock some sensitivity and make an eider-down
Of this world so jovially spinning through time
I'm saturnine
Thinking 'bout the past tense once again
Things used to be so simple then
Last night, I ran into a good friend
But I had to ask him, "How you been?"
Thoughts of you surround me once again
Records play every word we've spoken
Ain't it funny how this harmless harlequin
Came across as the man from the state pen?
Time to Go
Blood flows through our river-imitating veins
It marches by
The trees throw off their multi-colored manes
With every sigh
We run in never-ending oval lanes
Mimic the sky
We choke the wheel and suffocate the reins
Our hands are white
I dropped my anchor here
I did not want to leave
I feel him standing near
Tugging at my sleeve
Once again, time to go
Where I'm headed, I don't know
Say goodbye, come to tomorrow
Yesterday, said hello
Tears fall and slide down the window panes
From swollen skies
We watch as stages swirl into the drains
Through helpless eyes
Can't get too comfy with the current names
That flood our lives
Everyone's forced to stand and transfer trains
Rejoin the tide
I dropped my anchor here
I did not want to leave
I act like I don't hear
He grabs me by the ear
Once again, time to go
Curtains fall, end of show
Songs of glee, words of sorrow
Breath of peace, winds of woe
I vowed this time to resist
I swung at the air and missed
He throttled me with a fist
I packed up and he promptly crossed me off his list
Triple X
I've just reached the shores of Triple X
Seems I might be at the wrong address
Long since fired signals of distress
Forced to stay here underneath duress
Clouded elegies veil skies
I don't really care for Triple X
God forbid I lay down for some rest
Natives sit and press down on my chest
Locomotive pulse and shallow breath
Circulatory outcries
Here in this society
Reigns supreme, anxiety
Like a canopy hovering
Over my bed smothering
I now have to beg and plead
For Hypnos to come intercede
Hoping for a brief reprieve
But Triple X won't let me leave
I can't stand it here at Triple X
Land of confiscated happiness
All but seized nocturnal consciousness
Smugglers fined and placed below arrest
It's not a proud place to die
I need to improve my lie
Wind Chasing
I thought my eyes were tricking me
But it's you that I see
Tell me how and where you've been
Now that you're back again
You left me here without a trace
I miss that look on your face
You used to be so much fun
With a crush on the sun
Do you still address the sky
Wait for stars to reply?
Play for me your latest song
Teach me words to sing along
We can talk about old times
Drinking beer, adding limes
I hope to God that you stay
But if you don't, lead the way
I know it bothers you I feel this way
I know it's hard for you to understand
How I could choose to spend another day
Just to wind chase with this man
I was in the lost and found
When you were not around
Bless the time that we meet
Take my life and complete
Promise me you're back for good
I think it's time that I should
Tell you all the identity
Of my beloved...it is me
Words and Music by John Kreuscher
1,082 Productions
Copyright 2003, 2006, 2009, 2013, 2019, 2022
All Rights Reserved
I would have been a good flower child
I was born several years behind my time
A hippie's life would suit me fine
Designate me giver of peace sign
No more living someone else's way
My official mantra: "Let's live for today"
When I have important things to say
Gather 'round and hear my guitar play
But as fate would have it, I'm stuck here
And it's obvious I don't belong
Hand to God, I can't be more sincere
I'm out of place, my timing's wrong
Each day I live in fear that I am wasting love I should be showing
We should be emulating trees that spend their whole existence growing
I seem to be the only one in the vicinity who's knowing
You're not allowed to pack a suitcase when you leave for where you're going
Running free just like this race began
Sleeping in the back of my VW van
Morning starts without a scripted plan
A hundred times a day, I say, "Far out, man!"
I'm forced to be dependent on technology and I can't take it
When my accountant asks me if I understand, I nod and fake it
I hear a radio these days inside a store and want to break it
All of this stress we must endure, I doubt my careworn heart will make it
I would have been a good flower child
I was born several years behind my time
Throw my arms around the nearest pine
Too bad it's not 1969
Bellevue Road
Years pass by and roll me further down the trail
Dreams I've fought so hard to make come true will fail
Pigments of our finest friendships will sun-fade and pale
But Bellevue Road is always there for me to go
Memories stored sweetly in my attic gray
Will tumble victims of neglect and tooth decay
Waves will crash on names and faces and wash them away
But Bellevue Road is always there for me to go
It might take some time for me to find my place
And people may mistake a footpath for my face
I could fall more miles behind their frenetic pace
But Bellevue Road is always there for me to go
Say what you will
I still get an adolescent thrill
Walking down that dead-end avenue
Love is young again, shiny and new
I will one day reach the end of my life's term
My body lowered beneath Gaia's epidermis
Chewed up beyond recognition stone-faced by the worm
But Bellevue Road will still be there for me to go
And Bellevue Road will still be there for me to ghost
Buzzkilla
I want to get a drum kit, put it in my living room
Practice non-stop 'round the clock, get really good soon
With my windows open in the middle of the afternoon
Give the people on my block a taste of living next to Keith Moon
But my plans for percussion
Go down like water in a toilet flushing
Behold! The Buzzkilla
Combo of a siren and a witch
With a style not run-of-the-milla
Shuts me down with flick of switch
She threatened me by saying, "Don't you go and buy that!"
Now, I'm low 'cause I won't be smacking on a hi hat
I was young playing out in the street run and bases
All the kids from the neighborhood, some with the braces
Early spring, want to show off, do a pop-a-wheelie
So I ace my snorkel 'cause I want to move freely
But as soon as my scarf's off
I'm frozen by the angry cough
"Ahem!" bellows the Buzzkilla
Motions me inside the house
Steps up on the scene like Godzilla
Never met a fire that she can't douse
Thought you told me, Mom, that you really couldn't give a hoot
About what other parents let their kids do, no, you won't follow suit
Be a leader, think for yourself, I have always heard you say
Now, you tell me bundle up like Robert and T.J.
After work on Friday, I've got to let off some steam
So, I inject my tunes, get them into my bloodstream
I take the stage in the corner of my kitchen
For the next three hours, I'm reality-ditching
Then a touch comes suddenly
They'll be no big finale
Oh, no! Here comes the Buzzkilla
Squashing all the people of Music Town
Whether it's Sgt. Pepper's or Thriller
I've no choice but turn it down
It's very much like being pulled over by the fuzz
My bubble gets popped and I totally lose my buzz
Case of Elite
On the nights that I play music, I am slightly amiss
You're on my mind as if your name was Beth and I'm Peter Criss
I don't wear face paint or have "Shout it Out Loud" on my set list
But I've got every album made by your kiss
Since we met, you've never acted once like one of these dames
Who gets her kicks hearing me beg please, darling, stop playing games
Or making me fall on my knees like dominoes down in flames
I'm thankful Layla is not one of your names
Once every seventy-five years
Comet Halley comes around
But only for a little while, never to reappear
If I was meant to have anything beside of me, you're the one
If this was a sailor story from the days of yore
And I met you in a harbor town when I came ashore
I would have sold my ship and then slammed the proverbial door
You're such a fine girl, I'd go sailing no more
We have shared so many good times that I'd like to repeat
Among the diamonds in my mind, they're in the case of elite
And just the same as Caroline, each one of them has been sweet
These are the ones that I would never delete
If I was meant to have anything beside of me, you're the one
Second chances don't come around reliably like the sun
Daphne
We met on a Saturday morning inside a house
Haunted by a film-projected ghost
"Jeepers!" you sweetly exclaimed as the lights flickered out
I sat watching with my breakfast toast
You fell unexpectedly through a trap door
You helped find the missing Professor White
In that minidress with legs I never can ignore
You are, like, far-out, man, out-of-sight!
Daphne, Daphne
Jinkies, won't you be mine?
If you want me, please leave a clue behind
For me, Daphne
You're more than just a meddling kid, let me extol
Countless episodes you've cheated death
Your lipstick's never smeared, you never get cold
Even after chase scenes, you're not out of breath
Such a gorgeous head of hair, its color akin
To pumpkins or a glass of Minute Maid
Do those shoes hurt when you run from a villain?
By the way, are they leather or suede?
The headband and the scarf you wear are groovy
Hanna & Barbera, you really got me
I don't stumble onto cases everywhere I go
I'm not really what you call a sleuth
But I know how annoyed you get when you're called danger prone
I noticed it when I was in my youth
I dreamed of animated perfection made of ivory
Hanna & Barbera played Aphrodite
Eleven Letters
I need a change, it's long overdue
Sign at the crossroads says "We can't go through"
The time has arrived now for letting us go
Talk to your insides, they'll tell you it's so
This way of life has come to smother me
I'm under quilts of lead face-down
Although this habitat is motherly
My sights are set beyond this town
They're far away
Take me to the highest point and cast me off into the swirling sky
Pull away, lose me
There's more than just eleven letters separating "U" and "I"
You stick by my shadow and soak up my sun
What used to be rare is suddenly well done
This way of life has come to smother me
I'm not afforded latitude
Although content at forty north degrees
My soul screams out for altitude
Please, don't delay
Take me to the highest point and cast me off into the swirling sky
Pull away, lose me
There's more than just eleven letters separating "U" and "I"
I'm ready for takeoff, you're hot on my trail
Each one of your tears guilty of blackmail
Extremo
He plays it so close to the vest
Locks up all his secrets deep inside a beating chest
He puts himself on full display
His heart is pressed upon his shirt sleeve like an applique
He likes to leap after a look
Plots his course, then reexamines all the steps he took
He lets the chips fall where they may
Then dives into the uncertainty and disarray
Extremo knows no middle ground
He's got a place out on the east and west end of the town
Extremo, loose and tightly wound
He often wears a foolscap underneath his golden crown
His thoughts and words are genuine
He's down-to-earth since he was born inside a salty mine
He saddles up a mile high
Gazes down upon the grazing flocks beneath the sky
It's much harder than it seems
Splitting open at the seams
Being pulled by polar teams
Left and right to the extremes
He's balanced on the beam and ball
Keeps himself in check and holds tight to his wherewithal
He's going to lose himself tonight
Sets out to somehow put all his worries out of sight
Extremo knows no middle ground
He's never set foot in the village square or heart of town
Extremo, free and tightly bound
He only sees the world through rosy shades or hopeless brown
The Fiddler
Well, my name is John, but they call me Kroo
I started rhyming at the age of ten back in '82
My epitaph will read: "Here lies a piece of work"
I'm down with Captain Morgan and Crunch, but not Kirk
Still devastating with a pen and paper
Weeds of MCs fear me like a landscaper
Mostly Czech, a little Irish, and my last name's German
And I can bust a rhyme as if my name was Erick Sermon
Like Han Solo on my head there's a bounty
It's envy 'cause I'm so much more than just All-County
I learn at light speed, they're slamming on the brakes
I'll score the hoop and draw the foul with all my pump fakes
Rolling with the Mrs., better known as Ally
I know the night sky on a level with Halley
When it's time to go for mine I don't dillydally
I'd be the star player at a rappers' pep rally
Once upon a time, I covered first base
Now, I'm just a singer with a guitar case
I'm Aquarius, creative, and highly-educated
I may have even made a rap song G-rated
Up on the mic like the low-post block
So look away, but listen to me and pass the rock
The reason that the lyrics and the music mesh
Because it's Kroo sesh
The voice preceding mine belongs to Wyatt's brother, Chet
Not taking up the guitar as a kid I do regret
My only music teachers came from vinyl under needles
And I still swear by my earliest the Beatles
Bohemia was my Menlo Park 'til I was thirty-five
I was kind of like the Wizard up on Kenwood Drive
I have a little trouble making many places on time
But I'm Mister Punctuality delivering a rhyme
If movies were real and I had my druthers
I would run with Al Czervik and the Hanson Brothers
You can often spot me in a navy pair of Puma sneakers
Smiling 'cause I know now that I'm coming out your speakers
A mad drop-stepping one thousand-point breaker
A beach-going, trivia-knowing bonus-round maker
I hope that Jimmy Buffett finds his missing salt shaker
And that you one day know the name of Bubble Gum Baker
Galaga, Tetris, The Catcher in the Rye
Crossword puzzles and gigs on F.I.
Baseball, blizzards, and brand new strings
These are a few of Kroo's favorite things
No need to compensate by buying things that seem impressive
The quality that I create already is excessive
'Cause in the words spoken by the Lizard King:
"I can do anything"
Fool
You've more than had your share
Of peeking through phragmites as you fix your stare
In the midnight air
Showing up to show her just how much you care
Though she is unaware
Whenever you are there
You know, it's sad to say
You never could convince her to extend her stay
Like Christmas Day
You tried in vain to stop her on her merry way
Or maybe just delay
Oh, your naivete!
Every time you try to orchestrate the Fates, you fail
The writing's on the the wall for you in Braille
For she's not coming here today beside your pool of drool
So what are you trying to accomplish here, fool?
You've really earned the name
For though she got the best of you and left you lame
You show up just the same
To see her plaque and statue in the Hall of Fame
That's deep inside your frame
A red, resilient flame
In spite of everything she's done
You're still a fool following one
She's got you buried in her purse
And I can't figure out who's worse
You want to leave the stage
But words lay claim to yet another notebook page
Your heart swings in a cage
It warbles and it wobbles more and more with age
About this war you wage
Refuse to disengage
General Lee
I found out by '78
I was meant for something great
I've learned it's hard to steer
En route to the stratosphere
Pudge waved a foul ball fair
"Sundown," "Sister Golden Hair"
Don't cut that birthday cake
For Ernie and Bert's sake
Campbell's soup with ABCs
Bicentennial motifs
Barbarino, Juan Epstein
Schoolhouse Rock, Big Red Machine
Kindergarten proving ground
Fidrych on the pitcher's mound
The Batmobile in my toy chest
Record World at T.S.S.
Mayor Koch, Mayor McCheese
Disco tunes by the Bee Gees
Jedis on the movie screen
R2-D2, Tattooine
Why couldn't there be a way
For me to somehow stay
Cradled in the sway
Of the arms of yesterday?
Sweet-Orrs and Capezios
Little League, boombox radios
Folded notes, back pocket combs
"Tainted Love" and "Centerfold"
Rubik's Cube, Smurfs, Mr. T
Intellivision, Dale Murphy
Jedis on the movie screen
Captain Solo in carbon-freeze
The ocean in which I sleep
Is dark and dismally deep
I imitate a falling leaf
In no time, I'm part of the reef
Everyone is whizzing by
In classrooms, the bullets fly
Global warming, melting ice
Beaches serve as sacrifice
Four-letter words said on TV
Soak up all the sun's UV
One-time clean water filthy
O.J. Simpson not guilty
I wish I could have the keys
Leapfrog all these recently
Lined-up trashcans like Fonzie
Backwards in the General Lee
Hallandale
This island has held my heart just like a prisoner in a penitentiary
But it's broke free and took flight down the Eastern seaboard into Miami
For a girl eternally embedded in the fondness of my memory
How I could get away with allowing her to get away is beyond me
I know this might sound absurd
But a novel's never done until the final word
It may seem like we are through
But we never even got to write a Chapter Two
Though this all may be a bit tardy
These words are dressed in sincerity
I only ask that you please accept my apology
I miss you more than the distance from Hershey to Hallandale
Silly me, admittedly, my voice rejoices in your name repeatedly
I received your letter, and I hope that my response elates you equally
With you beside me, I could finally grin in Gotham's mouth of misery
It only figures that I met you merely weeks before I got my degree
No, I don't mean to scare you to death
But as I'm waiting here to hear from you, I'm holding my breath
Not talking ditches or holes
But I really dug you, baby, more like mining for coal
I know this comes at you suddenly
You've got reason still to be angry
I only ask that you please accept my apology
I miss you more than the distance from Hershey to Hallandale
There's something pulling my thoughts southward with the forcefulness of gravity
I hope in due time that the same attraction draws at you reciprocally
If we lose touch again this time, it won't be my responsibility
But how could that be it between us when we started out reeking of destiny?
As someone I could never forget
You're a boulder I must push uphill each day to regret
The archer now pelts me with shame
I have nobody but myself on whom to pile the blame
I'm sure you don't really want to see
Someone who treated you so carelessly
I only ask that you please accept my apology
I miss you more than the distance from Hershey to Hallandale
Hilary, I cannot be
Any more sorry, forgive me
How can I erase that time and place?
Your smiling face from first base
The letters I've since set sail
Have fallen off the trail
I'm waiting to no avail
You haven't been in the mail
I Worry
Standing alone with your shield and sword
Watching overhead, around
In a scowling, tense, defensive pose
Pride-imprisoned, rancor-bound
Waiting for your foes to open fire
But there's none to be found
Still, you're shouting into hungry wind
That swallows up the sound
I can never understand the rationales that you go through
Why you make a damn crusade out of everything you do
As if every living person somehow has it out for you
Those who stand in your good graces are among the chosen few
At times, I think that you have really gone insane
Mouthing off to everything that reeks of a refrain
No one's tuning in to what you're hatching in your brain
The chip that you are hauling will cause long-term shoulder strain
I worry
As a metaphor you come to mind
Hades's triple-headed hound
The brilliant child's hopes are still alive
As if time's a score rewound
The fighter persevering, proud
Bleeds his passion one more round
The prolific wizard starry-eyed
Begs to vanish underground
Indigo
I remember you handing me a cassette
I stayed up all night and listened to it
You told me you loved me with eyes wet
I never thought that high I could get
I remember feeling like a sure bet
The summer sun vowed to never set
You told me you loved me with eyes wet
But woke up the next day deciding to let me go
It still shouldn't bother me, but it does
I remember you sitting by my side
I thought I finally had the score tied
You told me you loved me and then you cried
On my shoulder, your head lied
I remember the more and more I tried
The further I fell down on the slide
You told me you loved me and then you cried
How quickly those teardrops dried, I don't know
It still shouldn't bother me, but it does
As I'm lying here, wishing my stars away
I'm dreaming that your dreams are filled with thoughts of me
And with each passing year, as you grow old and gray
My memory, a dark secret
I hope it haunts you with regret
And plays on like that old cassette
But it don't
I remember driving to the Bay State
Without warning, I headed straight
A university to locate
I needed answers and couldn't wait
I remember you did not appreciate
You gave me the brush and then the gate
I gave you my soul on a golden plate
You left me standing with a can of paint
To color my world indigo
It still shouldn't bother me, but it does
Ivory Tower
People spend their lives looking for a little niche to crawl in
Some remain alive, many others are just buried under
In a job that forces them to dread the rising sun
You tell me, "That's life," but I must admit I really wonder:
How did things get this way?
Should I come out to play?
One's lot in life should not be paying bills and taxes
Copernicus was wrong--we orbit money, pride, and power
I don't need a job, but if you say that it is mandatory
I'll be the keeper of the Ivory Tower
Safe and sound away
From the terror of today
Away from you, together with me
I've got better things to do than think politically
A garden out back, an observatory
A guitar and some pencils all for fantasy
Ivory Tower
Most of my friends are imaginary, drawn on paper
I'll drive my car as slow as I want away from the corporate ladder
You look at me like I am six-headed Scylla
Cynicism and aloofness more than full-blown
You can interrogate my mind state, but I'll tell you one thing:
I am still the sanest man I've ever known
Why should I have to pay?
Doesn't anyone feel this way?
Away from you, together with me
I've got better things to do than give my time to thee
Gordon Lightfoot and Jim Croce
Canvases, a blender, and a modest library
Ivory Tower
And you laugh when I say, "I'd rather have been an Indian."
Constellations, temples, sport, and gratitude for Mother Earth
"Who you gonna vote for?" (Ivory Tower)
"Are you gonna settle down?" (Ivory Tower)
"Will you ever play the game?" (Down below it's colder)
"You're living in a dream world!" (Ivory Tower)
"Tell me what you're thinking." (Ivory Tower)
"You're getting no younger!" (Here I won't grow older)
"Come into the city." (Ivory Tower)
"Let me see your resume." (Ivory Tower)
"Have this done by Friday!" (I'll be out near Southold)
"Where are you working?" (Ivory Tower)
"How much are you making?" (Ivory Tower)
"Where are you living?" (In my Ivory Tower)
Ling
Ling, I wonder where you are
I'm not used to you so far
This town's lost all its appeal
No more ground for me to steal
Ling, I wish you'd come back home
I'd rather live in shadows than out here on my own
Ling, I don't know what to do
With my veins snapping in two
Thrown off the rug I depend
Into a chasm with no end
Ling, I'd follow you around
If only I could ascertain the name of that lucky town
You declined arms that held you tight
Dropping swiftly out of sight
You told me, "Soon forget, you might."
I wish for once you were right
Ling, I need you here tonight
Float in as I clamber up to sleep's majestic height
Ling, it's now that time of year
Try to muster up some cheer
But from my eyes ice is poured
You're not under belt and sword
Ling, you've always been so hard to find
Even though you still reside just like a recluse in my mind
Missed the Point
You struck me as a girl with style
Something different and worthwhile
Pretty mind as well as face
Next to you I liked the space
Most of all, you seemed to be
Quite peculiar just like me
I went into CVS
Feeling rather devious
Opted not for Charlie Brown
Smiled broadly when I found
Lovers walking on the shore
Most obnoxious in the store
Was so proud of my selection
Thought there might be a connection
I learned after your inspection
You perceived over-affection
But, ah, you missed the point
In the kitchen of a bar
You declared I went too far
Though the bouquet showed some touch
Chosen card was a little much
Too intense for your own taste
The impression you embraced
"To be honest," I replied
"Actually, I like to write."
If I wanted to come on strong
Something twenty stanzas long
I'd have more than gladly wrote
Rather than a two-line note
Felt as if my breath had broke
When you didn't get the joke
"When you call my name, I melt."
How could that be how I felt
When I've hardly ever heard
You enunciate a word?!?
It didn't take a genius
To see I wasn't serious
All this left me scratching my head
Thought I had you clearly read
Signals now seemed inexact
Eccentricity an act
You said a handshake and a hello
Would have been a bit more apropos
I'm sorry that I didn't know
You came across as such a weirdo
But, ah, I missed the point
Non-Entity
Don't worry, honey, I can see your bag
It's the first thing I noticed in the photograph
I come and find you when I need a laugh
You tried to double yourself, but you tore in half
I cringe when I lay eyes upon your latest post
Where everybody sees a woman, I see a ghost
It's so strange how you've changed
Don't worry, honey, I can see your ride
I opened up the door again and nothing's inside
The gap between us some would call a divide
I used to seek you out, but now it's time to Hyde
I went to try and find you, but I'm kidding myself
Nothing ever comes of going back and dusting a shelf
You're gone, move on
Although I'm not the one you're out trying to impress
And you probably could care less
You've got to hear what I see
If I was to somehow meet you now, I'd flee
The girl you used to be is ancient history
She's a non-entity
Oooh, she's such a socialite
I see these pictures of plastic and I start to ignite
Arm and arm as if they're all so tight
I don't recall those lips and her face ain't right
I cringe when I lay eyes upon her latest post
Where everybody sees a woman, I see a ghost
It's so strange, how she's changed
I went to try and find her, but I'm kidding myself
Nothing ever comes of going back and dusting a shelf
She's gone, move on
Petrified Kite
I spend most of my time
Sitting in meadows of my past
Overly engrossed with visions in the grass
I spend most of my time
Walking down avenues of my past
Days without cost, shadows without cast
I spend most of my time
Looking in closets of my past
For something that I lost, and somehow didn't last
Let's be clear, things aren't what they appear
Though I may be surface smiling, I'm infested with fear
It's a bad look inside this old yellow book
Even when I'm flying high, I'm always caught on the hook
Just a petrified kite
I spend most of my time
Running through tunnels of my past
From days I fear the most, I know they're coming fast
I spend most of my time
Hiding in bunkers of my past
Keeping my fingers crossed whenever I hear a blast
Saturnine
Got the nightly news on once again
A story about a little girl, taken
Walking home from school by a gentleman
Who was just released from the state pen
And it gets me down
Gets me forty fathoms down
So far down, that my blues have turned to brown
I'm at the point where it hurts to even frown
I need more than just helium to get off the ground
I want to knock some sensitivity and make an eider-down
Of this world so jovially spinning through time
I'm saturnine
Thinking 'bout the past tense once again
Things used to be so simple then
Last night, I ran into a good friend
But I had to ask him, "How you been?"
Thoughts of you surround me once again
Records play every word we've spoken
Ain't it funny how this harmless harlequin
Came across as the man from the state pen?
Time to Go
Blood flows through our river-imitating veins
It marches by
The trees throw off their multi-colored manes
With every sigh
We run in never-ending oval lanes
Mimic the sky
We choke the wheel and suffocate the reins
Our hands are white
I dropped my anchor here
I did not want to leave
I feel him standing near
Tugging at my sleeve
Once again, time to go
Where I'm headed, I don't know
Say goodbye, come to tomorrow
Yesterday, said hello
Tears fall and slide down the window panes
From swollen skies
We watch as stages swirl into the drains
Through helpless eyes
Can't get too comfy with the current names
That flood our lives
Everyone's forced to stand and transfer trains
Rejoin the tide
I dropped my anchor here
I did not want to leave
I act like I don't hear
He grabs me by the ear
Once again, time to go
Curtains fall, end of show
Songs of glee, words of sorrow
Breath of peace, winds of woe
I vowed this time to resist
I swung at the air and missed
He throttled me with a fist
I packed up and he promptly crossed me off his list
Triple X
I've just reached the shores of Triple X
Seems I might be at the wrong address
Long since fired signals of distress
Forced to stay here underneath duress
Clouded elegies veil skies
I don't really care for Triple X
God forbid I lay down for some rest
Natives sit and press down on my chest
Locomotive pulse and shallow breath
Circulatory outcries
Here in this society
Reigns supreme, anxiety
Like a canopy hovering
Over my bed smothering
I now have to beg and plead
For Hypnos to come intercede
Hoping for a brief reprieve
But Triple X won't let me leave
I can't stand it here at Triple X
Land of confiscated happiness
All but seized nocturnal consciousness
Smugglers fined and placed below arrest
It's not a proud place to die
I need to improve my lie
Wind Chasing
I thought my eyes were tricking me
But it's you that I see
Tell me how and where you've been
Now that you're back again
You left me here without a trace
I miss that look on your face
You used to be so much fun
With a crush on the sun
Do you still address the sky
Wait for stars to reply?
Play for me your latest song
Teach me words to sing along
We can talk about old times
Drinking beer, adding limes
I hope to God that you stay
But if you don't, lead the way
I know it bothers you I feel this way
I know it's hard for you to understand
How I could choose to spend another day
Just to wind chase with this man
I was in the lost and found
When you were not around
Bless the time that we meet
Take my life and complete
Promise me you're back for good
I think it's time that I should
Tell you all the identity
Of my beloved...it is me
Words and Music by John Kreuscher
1,082 Productions
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All Rights Reserved