Notes from the Sherpa Underground

Music and Lyrics by Jake Laufer (except track 9)

© 2009 Raving Prawn Productions

1) Only One in Town

I said stop it's not so late

Did you wear that on your date

You asked, I didn't understand

You said I made a big mistake

Took what wasn't mine to take

And now it's spinning out of hand.

Yeah you caught me by surprise

Now I'm falling through those eyes

They light this empty heartless town

You're fixed to move on that I see

I'm reaching for you helplessly

How can I stay without you around?

Say without a sound

Chorus

Hey – You’re the only one in town who gets me

Say – Now we’re falling off the end of history

Hey – You’re the only one in town

Don’t let me down tonight

When I saw you cross the hall

I was feeling three foot tall

Apart in pieces on the floor

You picked me up and stepped within

Got inside this hollow skin

And made me feel alright

Stay with me tonight

Chorus:

BRIDGE

‘Before you leave me with your photograph

Trade the pictures for the times we should have

All around you flies your satellite – can't you see we’re falling through your window calling

Hey!

We’ve been falling falling slow and steady

Chorus

02) Subway Girl

You were pretty sweet – on you subway seat

You were dancing by yourself

Grooving to a song and were singing along and were feeling noone else

I asked for a name and you told me again, as you held me by the eye

I knew for a day that it would be ok to be that kind of guy

Was it the loneliness in your eyes

You’ll never feel it again, I’ll show you

You took the railings with both hands

You’ll never need ‘em again, I’ll hold you

Three weeks in yeah you moved right in– said your roommate’s such a whore

Always on your case, yeah he’s trashing the place, you just can’t take him anymore

Was it your emerald spaced-out eyes

I would follow the sea to hold you.

And it’s everything that you said.

Got me wondering how I fell into this now

When every day another way it’s complicating

Every night when I get home I know you’re waiting

Feel it through, to know the way out

Fall in line it’s borrowed time you know we’ll be forgiven yeah

You were pretty sweet on your subway seat

You were dancing by yourself

Moving to a song and were singing along and were feeling noone else

Was it the loneliness in your eyes

You’ll never feel it again I’ll show you

You dropped your monkeys on my head

And I’m wondering why I told you

You’ll never feel it again

You’ll never feel it again

Now I’m wondering why I told you

You’ll never feel it again

03) Song Called Nora

The one that I adored

Worked at the local health-food store

A smoothie-bearing hoodie wearing treat

Oh Nora it was you

You crawled into my head, by lucky accident

We kept it all discreet

For 30 days you filled my heart

But then we just drifted apart

For all that time I dreamt of Nora

Lit me up like a Menorah

Turned me on to things I’d dare not try

Busted walls, let me in

Like Frankfurt said to East Berlin

Come over now, it’s alright

Now Sammy is a friend

Who gets to rambling now and then

About the latest girl who’s come around

Wish that this were first

Cuz each time it gets worse

He’s been let down again

Planted in the ground

So sure that they were going strong

But overnight she upped and done him wrong

If evil had a name, it’s Nora

The low-life queen of New Gomorra

Tuned him up, and then she let him go

Got no soul, full of lies – probably not into guys

He said, you’re lucky that you never met her

Don’t know if this were right or wrong

But as it happened, it did not too take long

Soon I slid right back to Nora

She’s got that thing you can’t ignore

A fool would know how could I stay away

Not afraid of freaky sin

Invites her nympho roommate in

Oh Nora, I need more-a, oh Nora, I adore ya, some day I might get o’er you, but for now I can’t afford to – whoa!

04) The Only Way

I turned the lights down, sat down upon the bed
Put my headphones on to quiet the voice in my head
Stare into something I've never seen
Bring out from silence sound, far from between.

This is not the only way, but it's my only way
Don't know what you hear
Traveling the mine laid path less followed
Wish the highway were clear.

This is all that I would ask you to see
This wave of light and sound serves as a shadow of me
Crawl into and see the same
That I lost my name

I've spent all this time caught up in
questionable wisdom and skeptical rhyme
Going about all that's been escaping me.
Chalk it up to what you will,
this twisted code of standards fail me still...
As I thought ways can't mend, I find myself whole
when I see you again.

This is all that I would ask you to see
This wave of light and sound serves as a shadow of me
Crawl into and see the same

This is all that I would ask you to see
This wave of light and sound finally sailed you to me
Climb into we'll feel the same
That I lost my name

05) Handsome Party

Broken bottles in the basement

Broken promise from the handsome party

You never figured out the placement

Never knew we both could fail so smartly

I didn’t see you there with anyone

I was sifting through the faces

You went drifting for a discount Sunday

I was just covering the bases

Slowly pushing just to make it part way

I didn’t see you there with anyone

You weren’t sitting in our old apartment

I slipped and fell into another one

So goes the kid who didn’t know what wait meant

Back in school I was the punch-line

The one who answered for the disappointment

I was digging for the streamline

Always searching for my soul contentment.

I didn’t see you there with anyone

I didn’t hear you when you called out brightly

It never mattered we were overdone

One out of two to come apart so slightly

I want to wake up in your sunrise

Feel your waiting breath upon my shoulder

Fly away behind your waking eyes

Tell you now we’re only getting older

I didn’t see you there with anyone

I’d dig a mile for the conversation

I didn’t see you there with anyone

I’m just a miner for some motivation

I didn’t see you there with anyone.

06) Center City

Have you seen my doctor, seen my lawyer

Have you seen my baby, I got a message for her

That I’m heading out of Memphis going straight for Philly

Where the grass is made of concrete and the kids are hanging chilly

Heading back to Center City, gonna repossess my girl

Since I got into town early, I hit Famous for some lox

Pizza at Lorenzo’s where they charged me for the box

And since my babe was still at work, I don’t like a scene

I went off to Delilah’s got a lapdance from Janine

Going back to Center City, grab your pretzel and your gatt

Where the welcome wagon runs you down and everybody’s fat

Off to Center City, gonna repossess my girl

So I tried to call an escort, but I didn’t have a phone

Went to watch the Phillies game, and found I was alone

To think about my baby and wonder where she’s at

Which part of this town I’m in where everybody’s fat

Well I’m hanging down on South Street, feeling like a yokel

Some drunken mummer’s bearing down can tell I’m not a local

So when the throwing died down, the leader of the pack

Took me for my wallet and then punched me in the back

I should have known this happens each time I come around

Now, Boathouse Row in on my right, cuz I’m heading out of town

Heading back from Center City, Yeah!

Have you seen my doctor, have you seen my lawyer

Cuz I’m heading out of Memphis, going straight for Philly

Where the fine cuisine is Scrapple and the chicks are kind of gritty

Heading back to Center City

Don’t go back to Center City

Fool me twice in Center City, gotta relocate my girl!

07) I Wish You Well

The snow has fallen, the fog’s come behind
All that’s left to say that’s on our minds
Down in the shadows, a glimmer of light
A momentary window closed tonight

And every song is older than we used to be
Closer to a truth that may never set us free

It’s a bittersweet reality
In which we dwell

I wish you well

What I never noticed is how we came to be
Tossed upon the southern stormy seas

Far from our fortune farther from home

Outside of ourselves and alone

For all the heights you’ve taken me, how can I complain
But when the climb is over it’s one solace that remains

As nostalgia passes under, I’m reminded of the pain

Though you can’t tell

I wish you well

Sure, don’t believe, what you can’t see

Still feels the same, to a different degree

Was this the best that we could do?

Answer me this question, let me step into your mind

Was it harder on the leaver than on the one who’s left behind

If the wise one sees it coming, I’d be lucky to’ve been blind.

Safe in a shell

We hide so well

Though you can’t tell

I wish you well

08) Denial

It’s all been coming down

Many moons we’ve been around, it’s all been coming down

Now we sit here face to face

Time on canvas to erase

What was lost can’t soon regain

All that’s left from passion’s pain

It’s all been coming down

Damned if it never seemed the same, can’t sail a ship on a puddle of rain

And the storms behind my window

Spoken hopes and silent fears

Laughter lost replaced by bitter flowingyears

Tell me now then why begin

This emptiness we’re now within

This is not the end

It’s not too late to reconsider

It’s on you for bringing me this far, just can’t accept that’s who we are

I was foolish unprotected

I’m slipping flailing in the air, I look inside but you’re not there

Darkened light behind your window

Everywhere you go, I’ll follow you there
Anywhere you go I’ll follow you there

No matter where you choose to land

I’ll be behind you, take this hand

We were only just beginning.

You’re tripping, failing, I don’t care

Can’t turn around if you’re not there

Shut the light behind our window

Anywhere you go, I’ll follow you there

Everywhere you go I’ll follow you there

*09) Hungry Like the Wolf (Bates LeBon, Taylor, Taylor, Taylor)

10) Outside Looking In

Been here so long, my beautiful friend

Hate to let you go

But now it seems we’ve come to the end

Here’s the last to know

You stood between, I fell behind

Reaching from the outside

Behind the scenes, you turned out my mind

Dancing in the twilight

All that you got from me, I gave up so easily

But you don’t let me play my hand

You pull the string that holds me tight

Knocked me down when I looked right

Laid to waste another night

Waiting to begin

Come out my love wherever you are

Darling, can you hear me

Find out find out we’ve come so far

Still you’re nowhere near me

Say what you want to say

Step inside or drift away

I’ll never make you understand\

You pull the string that holds me tight

Laid to waste another night

Waiting to begin

Dig out what we both denied

Buried under wasted pride

Searching from the other side

The outside looking in

And it’s alright, even as you fail me now, I’ll be waiting anyhow

I will see it through

Seems I’ve waited for a thousand years, held on to the souveniers

They take me back to you

And it’s alright, even as you fail me now, I’ll be waiting anyhow

I will see it through

Seems I’ve waited for a thousand years, pack up all the souveniers

Take them back to you

You pull the string …

11) One More Day

Got one more hand

Got one last arm to reach you

Got one more dream to keep

From drifting drifting, drifiting

Got one more angle

Another place to call my home

Got one less wall before me

To keep from crashing

Give it one more day

Give it one last try

Give it one more day

You’ll see it coming, see me coming

Got every notion

And best intentions in the way

Filtered out emotion

To keep on trackin

Bring out sing out

Find what this endless game’s about

It’s you that’s coming through

There’s nothing within can’t be let out

Chorus

If this were just the first time

I’d believe it could be the last

If we knew to meet the darkness

This would have never come to pass

We’ll face the world tomorrow

Block out the sight

Let it all come down around us

We’re not alone tonight

Chorus x2