I've been kinda having trouble sleeping There's stories in my head that I think people would adore I'm gonna be a prophet for the masses I'm gonna bring them every message they've been waiting for From on high I guess this is the best that I could ask for A couple spiral notebooks and a hollow old guitar 'Cause people pay attention when you're singing So many people feeling lost, I wanna show them where they are And where they could be With love songs, wounds healed but They are not real I'm searching for a beautiful lie Something we can all believe, 'cause True stories always make me cry Let's stay inside this pretty dream And I promise you this fiction's gonna Carry us along 'Til we're all arriving safely In a place that we'll call home and belong Both of our swords are drawn and bloody Fighting back to back against a monstrous evil horde I won't betray the trust you gave me Love will make us strong enough to make it through the war Stay with me, despite the bleeding We go on My friends and I are tattered rebels We're gonna overthrow the government real soon They'll recognize it for the better Right when we've fed the poor and colonized the moon Like Stephen Hawking recommended awhile back, we'll Get earth on track I'm searching for a beautiful lie Something we can all believe, 'cause True stories always make me cry Let's stay inside this pretty dream And I promise you this fiction's gonna Carry us along 'Til we're all arriving safely In a place that we'll call home and belong My sun is down on the horizon I kiss my heroine and ride into the night My dad is proud but mama's sniffling Because I run away in every song I write Gotta be free I guess it's me Heart in a cast without a past to bother me Here in a place that's never cold Don't have to worry about my parents Or salvation for my soul 'Cause in the world I'm dreaming of Anyone can fall in love We'll slide into a better ending Like an old familiar glove It's great, it's fake, it's lovely This dream

Bag lunch, turkey sandwich and chips I finish off my milk and I lick my lips And as I rifle through my papers to get ready for class From the corner of my eye I see her waiting in line To get fed By the lady with the plastic glove And she smiles as she takes her bread Unaware that she's the target of An imaginary love in my head And she's carrying her tray to my slight dismay To a table full of hipsters, some of whom are gay 'Cause she's progressive Expressive Protestive But not aggressive I wish that I could be that cool, but I'm not Well, then I had a daydream A daydream My eyes glazed over and I believe I imagined something like this As she frowned into her french fries She held one to the light Then suddenly she squashed that fry With all her leftist might There was fire in her eyes She grit her pearly teeth She clenched her fist in fury And she leapt up from her seat "I've had enough!" she shouted out And every student froze "Let's all forget this shallow heartless place By God, I've got to go! So c'mon" She took my hand and whispered in my ear "Well you know, secretly I've loved you since That book report last year" Then we ran out to her motorcycle Small and sleek and fast And we kissed the way you kiss When you're abandoning your past We were free Yeah, free at long last We were free With the kind of kiss you only give When you're abandoning your past We were free We were free We were free Then I woke up

Trevor was a boy, shaggy and attractive, seventeen years old Surf-boy tan and board shorts green and gold Reading Batman comics, Half-Price Books still sells 'em for a steal Man, Catwoman has some sex appeal Amy was a girl, avid reader, skinny but in shape She likes playing soccer every day Looking at the shelves, Half-Price Books, she wonders if they have A novel to curl up with in the bath Trevor saw her reaching for a book by Nabakov The whole shelf started tipping and a couple books fell off He rushed to her assistance as Lolita crushed her toe He said, "I'll bet that hurt, that's the heaviest book I know. Now let me help you with that." Amy had to laugh. "Thank you stranger, it's heavy I agree. You're either pretty clever, or you're lucky." They talked about comics, sci-fi movies, sports and literature She was into him and he her Half an hour passed before they both pulled out their phones Got each other's number, on a future date to go Then the lights went out and they heard moaning by the door And when they walked up to the front, they saw the windows smeared with gore By a bunch of ZOMBIES! Literally ZOMBIES!! Everyone's a ZOMBIE And the smell of our brains is making them all drool It's ZOMBIES! Look out for that ZOMBIE!!! Oh fuck, it's a ZOMBIE! If we weren't gonna die this would be so cool "Trever, all the doors are blocked and I'm kinda getting scared! What do we do?" she asked as Trevor calmly tossed his hair "Well I'm a suburban spelunker, dude, trespassing is phat! Just follow me, I'll bet you there's an exit in the back." They tried to keep it quiet as they hustled down the aisle But then out from a corner came a zombie drooling bile Trevor started freaking out, but Amy kept control She grabbed a metal typewriter and she crushed the zombie's skull They finally found the exit and they ran Straight into a parking lot, where every minivan Was being driven by a ZOMBIE: Soccer mom ZOMBIES! White conservative ZOMBIES!" They still drive bad so it's hard to tell But they're ZOMBIES! Jesus shit these are ZOMBIES!! Evangelical ZOMBIES!!! They're gonna eat you first, 'cause you're going to hell Amy only had a bike so they took Trevor's ride A blue and silver Vespa with a pinstripe on the side He'd parked by a McDonald's 'cause that's where he ate his lunch Amy asked, "How can you eat that stuff?" but Trevor only shrugged The zombies started closing in as Trevor got his keys out He grabbed a broken parking sign as Amy kicked their knees out They splattered several zombie heads, then Trevor turned the key They scooted through the zombie horde and out into the street They stopped at a police station for help But every single cop there was in less than perfect health [beat] 'Cause their ZOMBIES! The 5-0 are all ZOMBIES!@! Aviator wearing ZOMBIES!! With big moustaches and police batons They're ZOMBIES!!!! The authorities are ZOMBIES!! It isn't cool to be a ZOMBIE! And this chorus could've been in a bad punk song They ran up to their bike and drove up to an empty park Hoping to catch a breather 'cause the day was getting dark It had a public bathroom so they washed away the stench Checked themselves for bite marks and relaxed on an old bench Trevor put his arm around her shoulder while they waited Until the moon came up and their adrenaline abated They camped out in the lonely field and hardly slept all night There was some romantic tension, but they both were kinda shy And at the break of dawn they rode away And with the coming daylight they saw everything had changed And Trevor asked: What happened to the ZOMBIES? Not a trace of the ZOMBIES? It's like there never were those ZOMBIES And everybody's back to their daily lives Without ZOMBIES I kinda miss the ZOMBIES Gotta hand it to those ZOMBIES Helped me meet a girl, and we had a pretty good time

Matchstick scratched on a sidewalk crack Gonna push away all the dark Streetlights don't shine when the power's out But we've got a little spark A dry brush fire in the stony field Right next to the junior high Chewing on instant oatmeal mix And staring up at a brilliant sky A blank sheet bigger than it's ever been Little stars sticking through like the head of a pin Makes me remember my cardboard rocket And astronaut dreams back when I was ten My heart's still stuck on that giant sheet So I'm taking in everything I can see Wondering who's staring down at me Blank sky looking back at my too-dark street And it'll fall Star by shooting star And we'll raise our hands To catch 'em in a little jar Like fireflies flashing in the summer street We'll collect red giants and save their heat Hiding them away 'til the winter days 'Cause we'll need the blaze when the sun retreats When the wind comes in all white and stark We'll fly our kites in Mimosa Park Dangling our stars from the tails they got And lighting up our whole block Next time the power's out Heard some banging in an old garage From a house covered up in rust Out came a man in camoflauge And he walked up next to us The grey-haired veteran shook our hands And he strained his ancient brow Then we listened to his homemade radio So we could hear what's going down A man in space was behind the mic He said they can't get the generators working right He saw cities going black all across the world Tucked in and curled up for a silent night He said a message came back from ground control And he's telling it to us before it gets too cold: "Batteries still seem to work okay And they're thinking this'll pass in a couple of days So just stay calm and we'll all be fine I'll repeat this message while I've got time But I'm living on a backup battery line So if the power cuts out give my love to my wife" 'Cause I'll fall One more shooting star So raise up your hands To catch me in a little jar Like a firefly flashing in the summer street Bottle up my heart and save its beat Hiding it away 'til the winter days 'Cause she'll need the blaze when the sun retreats When the wind comes in all white and stark Go fly your kites in Mimosa Park Dangling my heart from the tails they got And lighting up our whole block Next time the power's out

Something in the woods made my eyes swell closed Probably just the pollen from the spring weed growths And I couldn't see a thing It didn't really sting, but I got scared I wandered towards the burble of a nearby stream Splashed it on my eyelids and rubbed them clean And the smell began to change From pine needles to sage and ginger root I looked up to see Unfamiliar trees circling the moon There was a lake nearby I saw women washing up and speaking Greek I ducked to hide When I saw the bows and arrows they were carrying The fairest one Reminded me of statues that I'd seen And I was stunned I knew it when she said her name was Artemis A man approached the women with a hunter's grace He smiled towards fair Artemis and they embraced She leaned into his chest Held arm against her breast as they kissed They whispered to each other in the thin moonlight I strained hard to hear them but I could not quite Glancing towards the east They looked sorta guilty where they stood But their friendship seemed pure Makes me less of a voyeur, so that's good Another man came forward from the eastern bank His eyes were like the sun, burning bright and blank And he had a jealous twist Around his mouth, as if he'd been betrayed The dawn began to break as he called to them "Hello sister Artemis! And Orion, your friend." Orion took his leave As he saw Apollo seething at his sight The rest went off to hunt I can't believe my luck I wasn't spied At the lake nearby I saw women washing up and speaking Greek I ducked to hide When I saw the bows and arrows they were carrying The fairest one Reminded me of statues that I'd seen And I was stunned I knew it when she said her name was Artemis Half an hour passed 'til I decided it was safe Scraped away the bugs and mud and left my hiding place Dizzy from the strangeness of the scene they'd played, I walked away As I wandered off I found the sea's bright edge Where Apollo taunted Artemis: he coldly said "I bet you can't hit the ball That's floating on the water, 'cause it's too far" She raised her bow and aimed towards the distant sea As she did I had a feeling she'd been deceived The deadly arrow flew And as it struck clean and true we heard a cry The wavelets carried here Orion's body pierced right through the eye And she saw his blood Weeping o'er the man she killed from trickery Her only love Pretty features twisted up with grief She took his corpse Tied him to an arrow with a string And shot her bow Draped him in the sky across the stars Across the stars I guess she must have heard me as I sobbed out loud Commanding that I come out from my leafy shroud She told me that she knew 'Cause she could see me too from on the lake An oracle had told her that I would come today To tell the world the story of her love's poor fate She said I'd better go And tell it well before she changed her mind That's why I'm not a deer Like all the other fearful men who spied She transformed them all To prey for hunters following with dogs So please clap loud To let her know I'm doing my job

I'm waiting for the avalanche to begin I'm waiting for the Ice Age from my hallway I'm waiting to hear the whispers of my neighbors Between the children, through the brick walls cracks Because they saw when that rock cracked against my forehead And they saw electric sparks around where I bled I wrapped it up, and hurried to the doctor, crying "What's wrong with me?" And when he saw, he said, "My God-- You're a machine" Japan, Japan You took my dream away Japan, Japan You owe me big 'Cause you let me think I'm an ordinary girl like anyone With a boyfriend who I'm allowed to love But not anymore 'Cause of what I'm made of So I'm singing alone about the time before we knew Back when you said you'd never Leave me for some other girl with eyes more blue Then you kissed me, and my Digital heart skipped a beat in perfect sync With every crosswalk sign and stoplight in the street But then today I told you what I am So you hit me in the face, called me an empty tin can Now tonight I'll leave my broken home To go and try to find some other town, where folks will Leave me alone Japan, Japan You took my dream away Japan, Japan You owe me big 'Cause you crammed An analog heart in a microchip With batteries and wire to carry it You should have known it would never fit You should have known it would never fit You should have known

"Hello, my love" Said Paris on the walls of Troy "Your countrymen have come But they won't take away my prize" Then he kissed her swollen lips But Helen didn't speak She stared right through him At a line of bows drawn by Greeks They let go And hail hit Paris' side He let go And Aphrodite cried Helen stood alone, eyes dry "Hello, my love" Said Menelaus on the walls of Troy "For ten years I led Greece's sons To die for you, my wife" Then he raise his heavy axe For the justice the gods demand Helen brushed blood from his cheek With a tender trembling hand And he let go Axe clanking to the ground She let go Dropped her Trojan crown And they embraced To end the war, without a sound

I French-kissed a girl from a world war novel She made me pancakes in her bombshelled hovel She left to find family, so I went to France Where I met the Dauphine in the court at a dance We went promenading down her marble floor Until young revolutionaries banged down the door She smuggled me out through a passage beneath I came up through a sewer with moss in my teeth And I washed at a river 'til my ship came in So I could fight the Confederates' army again Playing cards in the orchard with runaway slaves 'Til I up and got kidnapped by Indian braves And we went on a vision quest deep in the woods Where nightmares all flew, freezing me where I stood They helped me to realize just where I should go So I shook all their hands and went looking for home I've been flying above Having adventures and looking for love I faced the grim reaper and sent him the bill He doesn't mind since I'm gonna get killed When I die, let no-one grieve 'Cause I would be smiling if I could breathe I went to the site of my grandparents' graves In the back of a church where I'd almost got saved And the dead people's ghosts all complained on the wind Of their friends and descendants who'd forgot about them I left them to visit my childhood home A house by the woods where the dinosaurs roam I greeted the lizards and we all reminisced Of when I was a kid, back before I'd been kissed And they let me ride in their time machine Reversing the clocks with a clank and a wheeze The bombs unexploded, divorces reversed I saw a dead man jumping out of his hearse The machine made a stranger of each of my friends I awkwardly kissed each ex-girlfriend again Then I hit the beginning and all was forgot And there was my mom giving birth on a cot I've been flying above Having adventures and looking for love I faced the grim reaper and sent him the bill He doesn't mind since I'm gonna get killed When I die, let no-one grieve 'Cause I would be smiling if I could breathe I previewed the future on old T.V. screens As I shot towards the present in that time machine Then I saw the woods so I stopped and I parked Said, "Thanks for the ride," and walked on in the dark The night was so black that I hardly could see But I'd seen the future and knew just where to be So I went to the hospital near where I live And past all the blood donors waiting to give A room in the E.R. was waiting for me I climbed on the bed and wrapped up in the sheets The doctor there told me I was ready to go That I'd suffered head trauma an hour ago And that all of the things that I'd done and I'd seen Were just my brain's final fantastical dream And in another few seconds my journey would end So I made him promise that he'd tell me when I've been flying above Having adventures and looking for love I faced the grim reaper and sent him the bill He doesn't mind since I'm gonna get killed When I die, let no-one grieve 'Cause I would be smiling if I could breathe "Ready? When."

I've been waiting for awhile Watching for those asteroids to hit I'd bet my empty wallet, There's prophets getting nervous by the minute 'Cause when we kiss This world's gonna end From all the grandmas in their gardens To the youngest thugs in Harlem Don't ask how I know this It's just written on your lips As we sit and look around Talking about anything but us There's tension in our voices Just as if we're worried that we'll miss the bus But we've got all the time We need The clocks are waiting up For you and me, yeah 'Cause when we kiss The world's gonna end WELL The bullet train just stopped a little too ahead of schedule Seven men in masks carrying weapons-grade plutonium in packs Storm the boxcars and hijack the controls And reluctantly the engine pulls its freight across the plains, down the main The passengers all kept their hands behind their heads Some wanted to resist, but not a word was said Either way they figured they were already just as good as dead And the train sped on, roll on, roll on Say, baby Is this the only chance that we're gonna get Lean in, I'm shaking I guess we've got a few minutes left Way up among the satellites that watch the earth below A military radar caught a message from the masked men's radio So generals shouted orders all across the world The soldiers grabbed their boots and got prepared: "Our time has come, let's get gone!" And their moms filled up buckets with their tears The parliaments protested, but the orders were cleared So missile silos opened, and the helicopters prepped By the time we all realized our mistake It was far too late! Say, baby Is this the only chance that we're gonna get Lean in, I'm shaking I guess we've got a few minutes left Oh, tell me is the sky on fire yet As the train full of terrorists rolled by our field She brushed away the leaves We saw a sky full of missiles that weren't gonna yield But this girl still looked at ease She said, "Boy, I can feel it too I'm afraid, but I'm not gonna run If the world blows up and if I could kiss you I'm sure as Hell not gonna miss either one!" So the sky turned red as I touched her cheek And presidents panicked while she blushed deep She whispered something quiet as the train derailed But I couldn't hear her through the screaming of the bombs that fell We both grinned as the first explosions shook the air The terrorists' dirty bomb went off, but we didn't care She leaned in closer, and I knew this was the end We finally quit stalling as the rumbling began Our lips connected as God second-guessed Creation, cities blew to bits In minutes everything made sense And we embraced to meet our deaths It came in fire and in ice Swear I could see the Northern Lights As Earth abandoned us we Shut our eyes and rose To meet a blank sky And as the young and old All grew suddenly cold I swear I never felt so alive

Pack your bags and shut the door, it's finally time to leave After all this waiting, girl, I hardly can believe That we're packing hats and jackets as the sun goes back around While it's shining over China we'll be leaving this old town The place where we are going ain't up north or in the south It ain't the Hotel California or the Deep Rock Candy Mount Honestly, I couldn't tell you where we're gonna go But I can guarantee it's gonna feel like home So come with me my darling and we'll whisper of our love While we're driving to the highway with the baby stars above And when we reach the city we will till the tortured earth Breathing in the myth as it comes streaming through the dirt All around the world there's other people leaving too In trains and trucks and satellites, and some in just their shoes Each one's got a story and they'll tell you if you ask They haven't read the script yet, but they're sure they're in the cast A lonely Grecian goddess, two lovers who just died A high-schooler who daydreams and a robot who is kind An astronaut in orbit and a man who hit his head-- All these people are my neighbors, soon as this sun sets So come with me my darling and we'll whisper of our love While we're driving to the highway with the baby stars above And when we reach the city we will till the tortured earth Breathing in the myth as it comes streaming through the dirt A different piece of home rides on the coattails of each lie We lift them 'til a brand-new constellation fills the sky