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Fair To Midland - Arrows & Anchors lyrics



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01. Heavens To Murgatroyd

[Narrator:]
Now soon enough,
Someones gonna come along,
Could be your husband,
Could be your wife,
Hell, could be your best friend.
They're gonna come along and put a stick in your spokes,
And I want you to thank them,
Cause is it so bad when you're airborne,
That the only thing going through that little head of yours
Is hitting the ground.

02. Whiskey & Ritalin

From hand to heart and hands to head
These gritty teeth grind gears of infrared
He crash lands in dull white noise
All I hear is static in his voice

When those sweet red hands
Start their whirlwinds
And you're the drain

You're imagining things
Your pretend machine
Has sticks in its every spoke
You're inventing it all
From thin air and close calls
Welcome to the balancing act

Your rabbit's foot is hare and hounds
And I drag pianos, eyes glued to the ground
When he dialed 911
Busy signals sang familiar songs
Those sweet glad hands
Start their whirlwinds
And you're the plane

You're imagining things
Your pretend machine
Has sticks in its every spoke
You're inventing it all
From thin air and close calls
If we bought the stock we'd be broke

You taught us to claw

Put us through your speech
If I'm a red anchor
Then you're coming with me
And on the way down
We can sleep with the fish
As we go into the blue
We can both reminisce

And you better hide
Or learn how to climb
'cause you're coming with me
And on the way down
You will sleep with the fish
'cause you're coming with me

You're imagining things
Your pretend machine
Has sticks in its every spoke
You're inventing it all
From thin air and close calls
Welcome to the balancing act

03. Musical Chairs

You should be counting your blessings
From the sky
Your eagle eyes found the great blind faith
I could be kicking the bucket
But you should know
I never had very good aim

The right of way
Is a wild goose chase

It makes you wonder
If shooting for stars is like darts in the dark
It makes you wonder
If the beaten path is the promised land

If I worship the ground that he walks on
And it winds up that he has two left feet
Will he be walkin' on water?
Cause you should know
We never like to get our feet wet

The right of way
Is a wild goose chase

It makes you wonder
If shooting for stars is like darts in the dark
It makes you wonder
If the beaten path is the promised

I got dizzy
I got lost

It makes you wonder
If shooting for stars is like darts in the dark
It makes you wonder
If the beaten path is the promised land

It makes you wonder
(It makes you wonder)
It makes you wonder
(It makes you wonder)
It makes you wonder

And I'm just a stick in the mud

04. Uh-Oh

I went right back home
You would have done the same
And never washed your hands
If you knew they'd dig up dirt again
It took a drought
To wash her out

So I was the sun
That slapped the rain
Until we all knew she'd go down the drain

They're the jacks of all trades
The fruits of our labors were laid out to rot
They danced and sang to the song of amazing grace
I told you so
Uh-oh

I got a runnin' start and
During my second wind
Stirred up all the dust
With an iron fist and her hair brush
It was the prettiest picture you ever saw
The prettiest picture not on the wall

I heard a voice
Covered my eyes
Wore a big smile when we dropped like flies

They're the jacks of all trades
The fruits of our labors were laid out to rot
They danced and sang to the song of amazing grace

I told you so

I went right back home
You would've done the same
Don't dare wash your hands
We both know they'll dig up dirt again
I got a runnin' start
And during my second wind had a fit
Like the bitter son of abraham

Hold your breath
Did you see the light?
Or did your cold shoulder leave us in the ice?

They're the jacks of all trades
The fruits of our labors were laid out to rot
They danced and sang to the song of amazing grace
I told you so

Uh-oh

05. Amarillo Sleeps On My Pillow

Stay close if you wanna keep up
But don't get turned around.
Go ahead for the bullseye my friend
But know you're gonna get the horns.

Yellow-bellies never have any guts
But God, how he gets the glory.
The West was won from a cheater with a gun
And I hope he never lives it down.

Yeah... Yeah.....

Minced words from anonymous cowards
Fell down from kingdom come.
The threatened source of this obstacle course
Had us cornered in a guessing game.
Every attempt turned a kettle of fish,-
And loves making its waves
If I had to guess, he's still making a mess
Worse than any thunderstorm.

Whoa...

No one turned over leaves, no one's branching out
No one went on a limb when he belted out
Get gone!
Someone looked for a clue, someone got the axe
Someone yelled in the wake of the great collapse
Get gone!

Let's stall like a Neanderthal
That can't make up his mind.
I'm not sorry if you've heard it before
Broken records wanna make a case.
The croppers came, and were spinning yarn,
Our ears still opened up.
If failed attempts were a lottery ticket
You can bet I'd be rakin' it in.

No one turned over leaves, no one's branching out
No one went on a limb when he belted out
Get gone!
Someone looked for a clue, someone got the axe
Someone yelled in the wake of the great collapse
Get gone!

Get gone, I said...

No one turned over leaves, no one's branching out
No one went on a limb when he belted out
Get gone!
Someone looked for a clue, someone got the axe
Someone yelled in the wake of the great collapse
Get gone!

Yeah...

06. A Loophole In Limbo

Into the middle we go

I smell a rat and just in case
I set up traps and you're the bait, surprise
Surprise
If curiosity kills cats, we'd better
We'd better teach the cat to fight back

I'm waiting for you
I don't know why, when you always take your time
Into the middle we go
Let's see you try to kill me

Our eyes fell to the floor
Your eyes and mine

The middleman man straddles the fence
He never loses, never wins with confidence
Then more power to him
He doesn't need a telescope
To figure out he's jumping rope, hand over fist

I'm waiting for you
I don't know why, when you always take your time
Into the middle we go
Let's see you try to kill me

Our eyes fell to the floor
Your eyes on mine

I'm waiting for you
I don't know why, when you always take your time
Into the middle we go
Let's see you try

I'm waiting for you
I don't know why, when you always take your time
Into the middle we go
Let's see you try to kill me

08. Short-Haired Tornado

If you croak I hope ya know I'm gonna toss you in the trash
You can't really blame us, we're only doin' what you asked
If you have yourself a son, I'm gonna tell your baby boy
That father time's chock full of lies
So don't jump in just yet

Doubting thomas deserves much more than we can give
If we win the lottery, let's buy an island just for him
So when that hurricane tries beatin' down the door
We can make him bat its eyes until it can't see what's a-...

Until we can't see what's ahead

You can sew me in stitches
And curse at the cautious
While it lasts
'Cause soon we'll all forget

If we croak I hope ya know it's gonna be in single files
Hunting for models that were never worth the while
Each one of us caught heat for throwing jack frost in july
And staring at the sun till our eyes were done
And we could not see what's a-...

Until we can't see what's ahead
You can sew me in stitches
And curse at the cautious
While it lasts
'Cause soon we'll all forget

10. Rikki Tikki Tavi

Listen to me

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Hey Rikki-Tikki, Rikki-Tikki, Rikki-Tikki Tavi
I am not a machine so don't treat me like buttons
Rikki-Tikki, Rikki-Tikki, Rikki-Tikki Tavi
We're not identical twins So don't finish my sentence
Tell me the truth, or don't tell me anything
I'd rather have heart than courage or a brain
Rikki-Tikki, Rikki-Tikki, Rikki-Tikki Tavi
Don't pay any mind to a voice behind curtains

If you meet the Devil's wife
Make sure you wear a suit and tie
and leave him wear he stands
And if he tries to shake your hand
just hit him with her frying pan
and leave him where he stands

AHHHHHHHHHHH Run Tikki-tikki Run Tikki-tikki Ruuunnn
Run Tikki-tikki Run Tikki-tikki Ruuunnn

Listen to me (7 times)

Rikki-tikki, Rikki-tikki, Rikki-Tikki Tavi
if you want a Picasso you better start diggin
Rikki-tikki, Rikki-tikki, Rikki-Tikki Tavi
if I build the ark will you wait for the water
The only thing that ever turned him blue
Was thinking the sky is what he should be turned to
Rikki-tikki, Rikki-tikki, Rikki-Tikki Tavi
There are snakes in the grass so we better go hunting

If you meet the Devil's wife
Make sure you wear a suit and tie
And leave him where he stands
If he tries to shake your hand
just hit him with her frying pan
And leave him where he stands
Let her take the kitchen sink
And cut her from her apron strings
Just leave him where he stands
All you need is amnesty
So grab my hand and come with me
Just leave him where he stands

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRIKKI

11. Golden Parachutes

here they come, shaking in their boots

they'll be skipping stones with your bones
when these ants know
where to find you
and steal all your thunder
the windows will shutter
and i'll wear a tie (and i'll wear a tie)


Were you shaking in your boots?
Did it scare it you half to death?
When you saw the falling arrows.

Won't that be a sight?
Won't that be a sight?

Here they come, attached at the hip
Swallowing swords when they soar
Now my clones know
Where to find you
Your bread and your butter
Your dim flying colors
Will both pick a side
And I'll wear a tie.

Chorus:
Were you shaking in your boots?
Did it scare you half to death?
When you saw the falling arrows.
Did you stop dead in your tracks?
Or join the whole stampede?
Just to keep from spilling over...

Won't that be a sight?
Won't that be a sight?

12. Bright Bulbs & Sharp Tools

Now heaven knows I've got one short damn fuse
So come sit down a spell while I light up the room
If walls could talk, they'd be know-it-alls
So we live in the sticks and aren't some fish you can catch

And it makes my skin crawl
I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed so what's the use?
She knew, she knew...

He fights like hell because he wants to glow
And would tackle the sun to be a bright bulb
I wonder if he'll wake us up in time

(Chorus)
He's gray and has to hide somewhere in between black and white
Cause its safe, but never was brave
Before it's over
I hope he takes you too
You too

They say attack can be the best defense
And I've got mother's smile and both my dad's fists
If John Doe escapes carry his name and when it's time to sign
Ask where, not why

And it makes my blood boil
Those black letter days all their mail just winds up lost

(Chorus)
He's gray, And has to hide somewhere in between black and white
Cause it's safe, But never was brave
Before it's over
I hope he takes you too
You too

You'll see whispers in the winter
My temper doesn't laugh
And every spring I hear them sing, I hear them sing
Oh Every spring I hear them sing,
I hear them sing
Every spring I hear them sing

If he's going down
If he's going under the ground
I hope he takes you too
You too, whoa

I hope he takes you too
You too

13. Coppertank Island

Ladies and gentlemen
we are in a little bit of a predicament
he said take your time
but didn't back his words
heroes and holy ghosts
which one of you steps
on the others' toes
and then risks his neck like
it's a moving target?
you?

was that just you being stubborn?
can't you say pretty please?
wasn't it an eggshell carpet
that brought you to your knees?
if the right built the anchor
and the wrong have set sail
i'm a whale, i'm a well, i'm a whale

busy bees and worry worts

we are not in the business of fireworks
or turning heads
that whistle in the dark
sitting ducks and guinea pigs
are the first to catch word
of straws in the wind don't stop them
remember this it's just two cents
two cents never made you rich

was that just you being stubborn?
can't you say pretty please?
wasn't it an eggshell carpet
that brought you to your knees?
if the right built the anchor
and the wrong have set sail
i'm a whale, I'm a well, I'm a whale
you?

i've shown my white feathers..!

was that just you being stubborn?
can't you say pretty please?
wasn't it an eggshell carpet
that brought you to your knees?
if the right built the anchor
and the wrong have set sail
i'm a whale, I'm a well, I'm a whale

15. The Greener Grass

When you cry, try not to smile.
You could fill up a lake with the tears of a crocodile.
We were too young to be eating crow,
as if I would know

(I'm scared) 11 hours till the electric arcs
(I'm scared) Send scorches through the sky
(I'm scared) Then the whole earth opens wide

And I cannot wait for the earthquake
that buries us in a warm grave.
The one-legged race, on our last leg.
The will is yours, so just take it.
The will is yours.

I'd rather find Jesus outside of a book;
the same thing goes for robin hood.

Never darken my door again,
if opportunity knocks, let's make him beg.

Yeah, where did you go?
I promise I will kill you right now.
Oh, where did you go?
Bring a match while you feather your nest.
Yeah, where did you go?
I promise I will kill you right now.
I promise you, I will kill you right now.

You could fill up a lake with the tears of a crocodile.
(I cannot wait for the earthquake) You lead by the nose and always get lost.
(to bury me in a cold grave) We always get lost.

Get outta this town,
hatchet men yelling timber will get us chopped down.
Get outta this hell off this rusted train track
you still take lying down.

(So) Swing us around while you're armed to the tooth,
keep yourself in the dark of some deep cobalt blue.
(So) Swing us around by the skin of your teeth,
writing us off in invisible ink.
(So) Swing us around while you're armed to the tooth,
keep yourself in the dark of some deep cobalt blue.
(So) Swing us around by the skin of your teeth,
writing us off in invisible ink.

You can still find me between devils and deep blue seas
in the desert's hands on a sheet of sand.
A dry tidal wave over my feet of clay
on unfinished glass,
looking for greener grass.

Trying to make the welkin ring,
but all my sounds are boomerangs.

Yeah, where did you go?
I promise I will kill you right now.
Oh, where did you go?
Bring a match while you feather your nest.
Yeah, where did you go?
I promise I will kill you right now.
I promise you, I will kill you right now.
I promise you, I will kill you right now.

Not today, not again;
dress it up in stolen silver and garbage.

16. Pour The Coal To 'Er

He headed out to rub elbows with oysters today,
It takes a special kind of sap, to make the birds fall in your lap,
Ohh, he saw it coming, from miles away.
And it's all to plain to see, we are a swarm of busy bees in flight.

Riddle me this! What can you find?
That always chokes on the bitter end [?]
Riddle me this! In your hind sight,
While you write a word, in a book. [?]

He headed out with the white flag, with axes to grind.
It takes a special kind of sap to decide he's giving up.
Ohh lord, i tried to show you, you're miles away.
Where it's crystal clear, because the fog is living here for now.

Riddle me this! What can you find?
That always chokes on the bitter end.
Riddle me this! In your hind sight,
While you ride the white elephant.

We'd love to live in days way back when
Wondering what could have been.
If we had a time machine, a cure for cold feet.
We might not play these waiting games.