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Lyrics and Notes              Solo Demo--6/22/02              Lil Zillas              Sacred Lunatics

1. Faceplant
Written in the fall of 1997 and winter of 1998. Without lyrics it tells the story of the bicycle accident in which I attempted to jump a skateboard ramp on my mountain bike; needless to say, likely the stupidest thing I have ever done. I broke my nose, lost a few teeth and was knocked unconscious for several minutes.

2. FSM
Written in the spring of 1998. The lyrics speak of an inner journey, the dream of a young man seeking a comfortable and vulnerable space in which to express himself, and explore the wholeness of his being. This song was originally recorded by my first band Sacred Lunatics.

"FSM"

Lost on the edge of a civilization, should I decide to enter now?
Without a guide will I wander hopelessly, endlessly crawling across the burning sands?
Is this nothing more than a mirage or is it truly an oasis?
I must follow the eagles path, soaring unto the ends of the Earth.
I will follow him through the distant mountains,
leaving the spires and masses of the city far behind,
until I can find my way down into the valley,
a refuge for all the little lost boys and girls.

3. Lonely for Omi
Written in the winter of 2001. It was originally conceived as a solo piano introduction to the Ben Folds Five song "Air", for which my fellow student Omi Vaidya had created a short film. After having written the piece, which was not the focus of the film, I decided it was one of my best works and continued to develop it into a full performance piece.

4. Broken Windows Theory
Written in the summer of 2001. The closest "Instrumental" comes to a pop song. It speaks of the apathy and despair I felt in regards to the conditions of my life at the time. The Broken Windows theory is a sociological concept developed by political scientist James Q. Wilson and criminologist George L. Kelling. The theory says that if small crimes such as the breaking of windows in a housing project go unpunished and the windows themselves are not repaired, this state of affairs suggests to people in the area that no one cares about the condition of the neighborhood, which then leads to more serious crimes. I doesn't subscribe to this theory myself, as I feel it has been used to victimize the poor and, in my opinion, hasn't been shown to be correct in practice, only in theory.

"Broken Windows Theory"

In an empty house I hide from myself, from you, and the heat of the day.
There's cobwebs on the dishes upstairs.
Broken windows feel like nobody cares.
Making lots of mischief
Making lots of mischief

Who's that knocking on my back door? It's you!
You never answered when I wrote you.
Broken windows feel like you don't care.
Making lots of mischief
Making lots of mischief

Holding you in my arms, close and tight, felt so right.
Now you're gone and so am I.
You're letting go, I can try
Making lots of mischief
Making lots of mischief

In my empty house I sing to myself, to you, and the heat of the day.
Still cobwebs on the dishes upstairs,
broken windows feel like nobody cares.
Making lots of mischief
Making lots of mischief
Making lots of mischief
Making lots of mischief

5. Instrumental
Written in the summer of 2001. Title track of the album. A joke because this song actually has the most extensive lyrics of any song on the record. Although the song is ostensibly about being in love and not having to use words because the feelings are clear, it is also about why I like instrumental music so much. It is because an instrumental song requires no words to explain its meaning, it means what it says without being explained.

"Instrumental"

As human beings we require words to define.
Expressing our common needs and desires, has given us space and time;
And yet the planets moved in perfect rhythm before I knew their names and motions,
And long before the ancients set their eyes upon the heavens
the full moon pulled heavily on lovers hearts and endless oceans.
Even before we had the language to tell each other how we felt, we knew already inside.

We've been on speaking terms for years, but often there are no words,
Only laughter only tears, only your eyes, only your lips;
And sometimes when I have to get you out of my mind and the words won't come, I don't let it stop me, no.
My heart beat in perfect rhythm before I made music, before I sang songs.
My heart beats even when I am not listening, when not defined in conscious mind.

In the times when I am at my most beautiful, I need no words to explain myself;
And in those times the only sound I hear is the smile in your laughter, and I know it can't be anybody else.

When I can find the words to tell you all the ways I love you, you're nearly always out of reach.
Your heart and ears so full of life, the cruelties and the joys, it's no wonder you can't hear me.
Still, I'll come round to your door. We'll exchange a few, making sure we're still both listening,
defining our boundaries, communicating wants and needs.
Remember, I held you close and you drew near before this declaration,
and the planets swing from year to year in cycling celebration.
Even before we had the language to tell each other how we felt, we knew already inside.

6. Murder in Small Town X
Written in the summer and fall of 2001. This song was inspired by the title of the "reality" tv show of the same name. I felt the title was such a great concept and tongue-in-cheek sociopolitical statement that I had to come up with something inspired using the title to make up for the fact that it was being used for an inane "reality" tv game show. This song features a saxophone solo by John Whooley formerly of the Santa Cruz-based jazz, funk, metal, surf, circus, gypsy, jam, nightmare Estradasphere.