Joe Fahey Music

All Quiet on the Midwestern Front

It’s 37 degrees out
and that’s above zero
the snow I never shoveled
is starting to melt

there’s a vaccine on the horizon
there’s a sunrise in the East
there’s a peaceful, easy feeling
it’s all quiet on the midwestern front

the eagle sailed like a schooner
the hawk let out a lonesome cry
the sun shone like a space heater
on maximum overdrive

tomorrow is tomorrow
and yesterday was yesterday
with no predictions or redos to process
today is just today

there’s a vaccine on the horizon
there’s a sunrise in the East
there’s a peaceful, easy feeling
it’s all quiet on the midwestern front

 

Two Left Feet

got two left feet
just born that way
you got believe it when I say
I try to get it right
every day, every day
I try to get it right

having two left feet
sets you apart from the rest
for one thing
you can’t walk in a straight line
you’re always going to the right
to the right to the right
you’re always going to the right

got two left feet
just raised that way
you gotta believe it
when it’s on display
I try and get it right every day
but I just can’t get it right
get it right
get it right
get it right

you can’t dance well
with two left feet
but nobody’s ever
gonna dance like you
so you do what you do
because that’s all you can do
and maybe things’ll take a turn
after that
after that
after that

 

Down to the Wire

it’s always down to the wire
why is it always down to the wire?
because if there was no wire
you wouldn’t do anything

I stayed up late last night
and the year before that as well
haven’t slept since that one election
but that’s ok I heard that sleep
was just a waste of time
Abe Lincoln said that
I saw it on his Facebook
post at 4:20am

it’s always down to the wire
why is it always down to the wire?
because if there was no wire
you wouldn’t do anything

drove up to the parish
to get your communion wafers
forgot my ID on the nightstand
I was counting on my rosary for a valid ID

bought a stack of concert tickets
at the dawn of 2020
no Buddy Holly just the crickets
kinda funny funny funny about
2020 2020 2020

missed a deadline hit to the Fineline
as the band just hit the merch line
why the fuck didn’t I get here on time?
I missed the last 3 notes at this last chance saloon

it’s always down to the wire
WHY IS IT ALWAYS DOWN TO THE WIRE???
WHY IS IT ALWAYS DOWN TO THE WIRE???
WIRE WIRE WIRE WIRE WIRE!!!!

 

Untethered

freedom began during the early days
disconnection from the given things
that tied you down like you had clipped wings
and you just kept drifting, drifting along
wondering if this direction is not wrong

untethered
but also feeling weathered
by this unrelentless storm
that never goes away
un-tethered
for worse or for better
finding a new form
to make it through
these later days

the expanse of this new horizon line
deceives you in a sidetracked way
more empty lanes make a wider freeway
and you kept driving, driving along
listening to about a million songs

untethered
but also feeling weathered
by this unrelentless storm
that never goes away
un-tethered
for worse or for better
finding a new form
to make it through
these later days

the disconnection from all those given things
were like gifts wrapped with ribbons and bling
and they freed you from the way you used to sing
and you kept getting freer and freer
until the sun shone like a diamond ring

untethered
but also feeling weathered
by this unrelentless storm
that never goes away
un-tethered
for worse or for better
finding a new form
to make it through
these later days
 

The Balmy Snows of June

this waterway is all we got
to connect us to the sea
won’t you help me build a raft
and take a chance on me

won’t you join me at the river?
when the cottonwood’s in bloom
of your love I’d gladly take a sliver
during the balmy snows of June

the birds are free and so are we
but not these 12-dollar cocktails
let’s hit the trail share some words
then work out all the details 

won’t you join me at the river?
when the cottonwood’s in bloom
of your love I’d gladly take a sliver
during the balmy snows of June

let’s have a picnic on the bridge
and listen to the water flow
share our love behind the ridge

on top of the cotton snow
won’t you join me at the river?
when the cottonwood’s in bloom
of your love I’d gladly take a sliver
during the balmy snows of June
during the balmy snows of June

 

Nobody’s Afraid of Ringo

His darkness was not an issue
no brooding on the edge of town
he was happy to get in a word edgewise
get some bouncy notes on the piano down

Nobody’s afraid of Ringo
he just rocks the roof not the boat
nobody’s afraid of Ringo
everyone agrees he’s the G.O.A.T.

He loves love and he loves peace
Even when he’s beating the drums
he could rest a cigarette on his lip
and rock an Edwardian coat

Nobody’s afraid of Ringo
he just rocks the roof not the boat
nobody’s afraid of Ringo
everyone agrees he’s the G.O.A.T.

son and  cousin of a baker
he could really shake a shaker
and take some reverb from a submarine
for the mix on the tambourine

He got his work done fast on Pepper
but he never left his post
you could find him playing chess with Mal Evans
sipping tea and eating toast

Nobody’s afraid of Ringo
he just rocks the roof not the boat
nobody’s afraid of Ringo
everyone agrees he’s the G.O.A.T.

 

All the Birds of North America

All the Birds of North America
couldn’t get a handle on you
behind the glass
with those binoculars
won’t even come out to say boo

Cos they’d fly, fly, fly, fly away
they’d fly fly fly fly away
All the words in your vernacular
couldn’t say how you feel today

you watch the birds
with your binoculars
wishing you could fly away

wish you could fly fly fly fly away
wish you could fly fly fly fly away
wish you could fly fly fly fly away
wish you could fly fly fly fly away

You watch the world through a flat screen
aurora borealis on display
the birds they watch you
though their binoculars
wondering why you don’t fly away

you wanna fly fly fly fly away
wish you could fly fly fly fly away
you wanna fly fly fly fly away
fly fly fly fly away

 

One-note Melody

You’re walking on the beach
It seemed so out of reach
But you finally ate a peach
so now you’re walking on the beach

One note melody
That’s all you can write
One note melody
I guess it’s all right

you’re skipping lots of stones
and thinking about your home
it’s full of tvs and phones
But now you’re skipping stones

One note melody
That’s all you can write
One note melody
I guess it’s all right

you’re drawing in the sand
In some new distant land
Maybe start a band
Or just drawing in the sand

One note melody
That’s all you can write
One note melody
I guess it’s all right

 

Going to Cancun

I’m going to Cancun
but I’ll be back real soon
trying be a good dad after
attempting a coup down at the office

all the power’s out at home
feels like time for me to roam
the wheels on my suitcase
clicking faster than the paparazzi

think I’ll grab a magazine
and a pack of Dentyne
check the kiosks down in duty-free
for a cloak of invisibilty

Lying in the sun
with my new man bun
I think the optics and tequila
are both trying to kill me

the Mescal worm made me stumble
even heard a turtle mumble
one night in Cancun even makes
the tough guys tumble

Lying in the sun
with my new man bun
I think the optics and tequila
are both trying to kill me
 

The Day I Left the Flat Earth Society

The day I left the Flat Earth Society
there was a rainbow in the sky
I steered my car in that direction
and followed it to the end of the line

as I stood at the edge of the world
I knew I should’ve thought a little deeper
before tendering my resignation
in that moment of indignation

As my eyes saw the heavens
and my toes touched the cosmos
and my elbows stayed behind
in case I get into a bind

I thought about the note I left
and how it might be perceived
as I stared down at the universe
I let my shoulders go and finally breathed

as I stood at the edge of the world
I knew I should’ve thought a little deeper
before tendering my resignation
in that moment of indignation

As I jumped into the stars
I felt a hundred million pounds go free
I let go of all my passwords,
and my monthly service fees

as I stood at the edge of the world
I knew I should’ve thought a little deeper
before tendering my resignation
in that moment of indignation

 

I Don’t Really Care

Yeah, let’s get out of this one-horse town
get ourselves a credit card
rent a car
maybe book a room
book a room
book a room
book a room

We can do what we wanna do
it’s a free country for me and Q
we’ll be marching down Pennsylvania Avenue

I don’t really care 
I don’t really care

the left might think they’re all right
in a blind and narrow way
they might think it’s always going to go
the way they think it’s rigged to go

saw you at the rally in the Beehive State
in that camouflage bikini and it felt like fate

I don’t really care
I don’t really care

the message on my phone “be there...
it’s gonna be wild, wild, wild”
we gotta fight like hell and stop the steal
the storm is coming, this shit's gettin’ real

scaling the walls like chimpanzees
instead of using the stairs like the elites
got our chemical sprays and flag-pole spears
sending GPS selfies in our tactical gear

they’re probably drinking 7-Up from a platinum cup
got a silver platter for their Pronto-pups
the Shaman’s in the chamber
performing quite the show
like the Grand Poo-BAH of the water buffalo

I don’t really care 
I don’t really care

and we don’t even care
what the facts are here
they just have to fit in a different little bit
and make it sound like the truth

now it’s midnight at the oasis near Belvidere
eating Chicken McNuggets in homemade riot gear

I don’t really care 
I don’t really care
I don’t really care
I don’t really
I don’t really
I don’t really care

 

Where’s That Confounded Bridge?

I think that Led Zeppelin really nailed
that 64-thousand dollar question
when they asked the teenage wasteland
where’s that confounded bridge

some knew they were just messing
and riffing on James Brown
but most of us were too high
to get that down

but yes, I would like to know where
that confounded bridge is too
the link that joins us together
in just about any type of weather

bank to bank with its tethers,
over canyons and rivers
some suspend and some quiver
sometimes you need to get to the other side

bond with your friends in the west...
embrace the greatness of the west
join together with the west
on the humid banks of the river

the air is so thick you could
capture it in a tupperware bowl
seal up your crescent city soul
to share with your friends
when that artic air blends
with the warmth that it sends

yes, I would like to know
where that confounded bridge is
the link that joins us together
in just about any type of weather
bank to bank with its tethers,
over canyons and rivers

some suspend and some quiver
and sometimes you need to get to the other side
and bond with your friends in the west...
join with your friends in the west

east to west....
east to west....
east to west

the humid banks of the river
the air is so thick you could capture it,
in a tupperware bowl
crescent city soul...
to share with your soulmates
while the arctic air blends
with the warmth that it sends

 

The Oldest Punk in the World

He was the oldest punk in the world
He was the oldest punk in the world
He was the oldest punk in the world
He was the oldest punk in the world

He was the oldest punk in the world
He was the oldest punk in the world
He was the oldest punk in the world
He was the oldest punk in the world

He was the oldest punk in the world
He was the oldest punk in the world

she asked him what he was rebelling against
he said whadyya got?

she asked him what he was punking against
he said whadyya got?

he said let’s do this song this way
because we can do it any way
he said let’s do it this way
because I don’t know the chords anyway

All lyrics written by Joseph Brian Fahey
© 2022 Rough Fish Music

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