The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner - Ben Folds Five
Narcolepsy
I should warn you I go to sleep
I know you don't know what I mean
Yet
I get
Upset or happy
I go to sleep
Nothing hurts when
I go to sleep
But I'm not tired
I'm not tired
I'm not tired
I'm not tired
I know it seems that I don't care
But something in me does I swear
I don't remember all last year
I left you awake to cry the tears
While I was dreaming
(In streams, flowing between the shores of joy and sadness)
I'm drowning
Save me wake me up
I should warn you I go to sleep
You won't know when I go to sleep
Cause I'm not tired
I'm not tired
I'm not tired
I'm not tired
I'm not tired
I'm not tired
I'm not tired
I'm not tired
I'm not tired
I'm not tired
I'm not tired
I'm not tired
I'm not tired
I'm not tired
I'm not tired
I just sleep
Don't Change Your Plans
Sometimes I get the feeling
That I won't be on this planet for very long
I really like it here
I'm quite attached to it
I hope I'm wrong
All I really wanna say
You're the reason I wanna stay
I loved you before I met you
And I met you just in time
Cause there was nothing left
I sat here on my suitcase
In our empty new apartment
Until the sun went down
And I walked back down the stairs
With all my bags and drove away
You must be freaking out
All I know is I gotta be
Where my heart says I ought to be
It often makes no sense, in fact
I never understand these things I feel
Don't change your plans for me
I won't move to L.A.
The leaves are falling back east
That's where I'm gonna stay
You have made me smile again
In fact I might be sore from it
It's been a while
I know we've been together
Many times before
I'll see you on the other side
But don't change your plans for me
I won't move to L.A.
The leaves are falling back east
That's where I'm gonna stay
All I really wanna say
You're the reason I wanna stay
But destiny is calling and won't hold
And when my time is up
I'm out of here
All I know is I gotta be
Where my heart says I ought to be
It often makes no sense, in fact
I never understand these things I feel
I love you, good bye
I love you, good bye
Mess
There was a time when I had nothing to explain
Oh, this mess I had made
But then things got complicated
My innocence has all but faded
Oh, this mess I have made
And I don't believe in god
So I can't be saved
All alone as I've learned to be
In this mess
I have made
All the untested virtue
The things I said I'd never do
Least of all to you
And though he's kind and true
I know that he is good to you
He'll never care for you more than I do
But I don't (no I don't believe) believe in love
So I can't (so I can't) be tamed (can't be saved)
All alone (all alone) as I've learned to be
In this mess (in this mess)
I have made
The same mistake
Over and over again
There are rooms in this house
That I don't open any more
Dusty books of pictures on the floor
That she will never see
She'll never see that part of me
I want to be for her
What I could never be for you
And I don't (no I don't believe) believe in god
So I can't (so I can't) be saved (can't be saved)
All alone (all alone) as I've learned to be
In this mess (in this mess)
I have made
Magic
From the back of your big brown eyes
I knew you'd be gone as soon as you could
And I hoped you would
We could see that you weren't yourself
And the lines on your face did tell
It's just as well
You'd never be yourself again
Saw you last night
Dance by the light of the moon
Stars in your eyes
Free from the life that you knew
Sha la la la la la la la
Sha la la la la la la la la la da da
La da da la da da
You're the magic that holds the sky up from the ground
You're the breath that blows these cool winds round
Trading places with an angel now
Saw you last night
Dance by the light of the moon
Stars in your eyes
Free from the life that you knew
Saw you last night
Stars in the sky
Smiled in my room
Sha la la la la la la la
Sha la la la la la la la la la da da
La da da la da da
Sha la la la la la la la
Sha la la la la la la la la la da da
La da da la da da
Hospital Song
Lying awake in my hospital room
Silas Creek Parkway is my only view
And the doctor just came by and told me the news
I need a second opinion
I don't believe that it's true
Army
Well I thought about the army
Dad said 'son you're fucking high'
And I thought 'yeah there's a first for everything'
So I took my old man's advice
Three sad semesters
It was only fifteen grand
Spent in bed
I thought about the army
I dropped out and joined a band instead
Grew a moustache and a mullet
Got a job at Chic-fil-A
Citing artistic differences the band broke up in May
And in June reformed without me
And they'd got a different name
I nuked another grandma's apple pie
And hung my head in shame
Been thinking a lot today
Been thinking a lot today
(oh) I think I'll write a screenplay
(oh) I think I'll take it to L.A.
(oh) I think I'll get it done yesterday
Aw shit
In this time of introspection
On the eve of my election
I say to my reflection
God please spare me more rejection
Cause my peers they criticize me
And my ex-wives all despise me
Try to put it all behind me
But my redneck past is nipping at my heels
(ha ha ha)
I've been thinking a lot today
I've been thinking a lot today
I've been thinking a lot today
I thought about the army
Your Redneck Past
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
La la la la la la la la la la la
La la la la la
Choose
From any number of magazines
Who do you want to be?
Billy Idol or Kool Moe Dee?
If you're afraid they might discover your redneck past
There are a hundred ways to cover your redneck past
They'll never send you home
Roots
The funny limbs that grow underground
That keep you from falling down
Don't you think that you'll need them now?
Just find a place where no one knows of your redneck past
Yeah you can easily dispose of your redneck past
You'll show them all back home
D�sol�, je suis American
Please cook my steak again
Je suis American
D�sol�, je ne parle pas Fran�ais
Go! Go, go! C'mon!
Laws
Vary from state to state
Getcha some books on tape
To learn about holes in space
If you're afraid they might uncover your redneck ass
There are a hundred ways to cover your redneck past
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
It's good to be back home
Oh oh
Oh oh
Oh oh
Oh oh
Oh oh
Oh oh
Note: the French section in this song can be translated as:
Sorry, I am American
Please cook my steak again
I am American
Sorry, I do not speak French
Your Most Valuable Possession
6:49am, Friday, November 20th
"Good morning, Mr. Ben. It's about 6:30, Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Um, just laying here in the bed, half awake, half asleep, thinking about you. I was, uh, wondering if you were looking after your most valuable possession - your mind. I was thinking about uh, John Glenn, his space journey and all. They said that when you're in space you lose, uh, muscle mass... and the body mass... and I wondered if there was any... end to it, or whether if you didn't exercise in space, how long it would be 'fore you were just... a head, or a mind, and have no body or arms - you'd have them but you couldn't use them. I was wondering if, uh, if your body mass would drop to a certain level, and then it would stop right there... and keep whatever you needed to use your mind, because it would still be working. 30 seconds remaining... anyway, I was just pondering that. What do you think about that? I hope everything is going all right. I'm going to wake up here in a little while - I forget what I was thinking about."
Regrets
I thought about sitting on the floor in second grade
I couldn't keep the pace
I thought I was the only one moving in slow motion
While the other kids knew something I did not
But if I acted like a clown
I thought it would get me through, it did
But that don't work no more
You're not a kid no more
I thought I'd do some traveling
Never did
Regrets
Regrets
I thought about the hours wasted
Watching TV, drinking beer
I thought about the things I thought about
Until immobilized with fear
And all the great ideas I had
And how we just made fun
Of those who had the guts to try and fail
And then I ended up in jail
Regrets
Regrets
Regrets
Regrets
...but just for a day
Seems the police
Had made a computer mistake
Said there must be thousands like me
With the same name
Anyway, I thought about the things I settled for
Or never tried
I never visited my grandma even once
When she was sick before she died
So I don't blame if you never come
And see me here again
Regrets
Regrets
Regrets
Jane
Jane be Jane
You're better that way
Not when you're trying
Imitating something
You think you saw
So Jane be Jane
And if sometimes that might
Drive them away
Let them stay there
You don't need them anyway
You're worried there might not be anything at all inside
But that you're worried should tell you that's not right
Don't try to see yourself
The way that others do
It's no use
You're worried there might not be anything at all inside
But that you're worried should tell you that's not right
You had it harder than
Anyone could know
So hard to let it go
But it's your life
And you can decorate it as you like
Beneath the pain and armour
In your eyes
The truth still shines
Jane be Jane
Jane be Jane
Lullabye
Goodnight, goodnight, sweet baby
The world has more for you
Than it seems, goodnight, goodnight
Let the moonlight take the lid off your dreams
We took a small flight
In the middle of the night
From one tiny place to another
And my parents they remain
Good night, good night, sweet baby
The world has more for you
Than it seems, good night, good night
Let the moonlight take the lid off your dreams
We took a small flight
In the middle of the night
From one tiny place to another
And my parents they remained
At the shack with Lorraine
And my aunt and my Grandpa and brother
We walked past the tarmac and boarded the craft
The rain had me chilled to the bones
Just the three of us took flight that night
Uncle Richard, me, and James Earl Jones
And the pilot he gave me a blanket
And the tall dark man sang to me in deep rich tones
Goodnight, goodnight, sweet baby
The world has more for you
Than it seems, goodnight, goodnight
Let the moonlight take the lid off your dreams
(Theme From) Dr. Pyser (instrumental, Australian bonus track)
Disc Two - Truth and Rumours With Ben Folds Five
The Australian version comes with a bonus disc, which contains the following songs. Tracks 1-6 are taken from the Live At The Wireless session that Ben Folds Five recorded when they were in Australia in 1998, and tracks 7-18 are an interview of the guys, which is called Truth and Rumours With Ben Folds Five. I have not transcribed this disc.
Intro Into Emaline
Emaline
Intro To Steven's Last Night In Town
Steven's Last Night In Town
Intro To Brick
Brick
Who Is Reinhold Messner?
Do You Know Who The Real Reinhold Messner Is?
How Did Army Come About?
Are There Any Guest Performers On The Record?
How Did You Create Don't Change Your Plans?
Who Are Your Biggest Influences?
Darren - What Was The Inspiration For Magic?
Is There A Theme To This Record?
Mess Has A Great Rhythm...
What's The Most Messed Up Thing...
Will You Be Touring To Support This Record?
Is Your Redneck Past About Your Redneck Past?