Here are the lyrics for Take the Picture.

VERSE

I think the rain has stopped, the cherry blossoms dropped
Take a walk outside, and maybe go for a ride
Let’s throw the ball around, see the rocks that we found
I think we’ll be home soon, that big white ball is the moon

CHORUS A

Will you know that I was right there with you?
And do you know that I already miss you?
And please don’t forget that if I’m not in the scene
I was off to the side, someone had to take the picture

VERSE

The last bite is yours, we can’t go into that store
Let’s go sketch the lake, you want the pink cupcake
It’s already 10 to 8, look I cleaned my plate
I loved the breakfast in bed, mmm peanut butter on bread

CHORUS A

Will you know that I was right there with you?
And do you know that I already miss you?
And please don’t forget that if I’m not in the scene
I was off to the side, someone had to take the picture

CHORUS B

Give me a second and one more try
The light’s not right, please move to the side
If you could stay put for one with me
Everyone smile on the count of three
I just want a shot before the sun goes down
I need another battery, I’ll run into town
Hey check out the one that I just took
It’s perfect

VERSE

I’m a shark in the pool, drop you off at school
Another concert today, of course I saw you play
Alright I skipped that one, that concert wasn’t much fun
I admit, I confess, I swear I saw all the rest,

CHORUS A

Will you know that I was right there with you?
And do you know that I already miss you?
And please don’t forget that if I’m not in the scene
I was off to the side, someone had to take the picture

CHORUS B

Give me a second and one more try
The light’s not right, please move to the side
If you could stay put for one with me
Everyone smile on the count of three
I just want a shot before the sun goes down
I need another battery, I’ll run into town
Hey check out the one that I just took
It’s perfect
(It’s my favorite face, don’t give me that look)

My first music video has been produced, but not by me. The folks over at Jalopnik put together a video for Rule 34. With all the Dragon/Car pr0n wandering around the net I thought this was bound to happen.

Check it out.

I only understand about a quarter of the comments on the thread as it appears to be all inside Jalopnik jokes. But, tt’s up to over 150 Diggs now. Funny!

Awhile ago I spent way too much time reading a thread on the always excellent Marginal Revolution blog discussing possible tactics for dealing with sudden and unwelcome time-travel to 1000 A.D. Clearly the thread needed to be put to music. (OK, it was clear to me at least.) That was so much fun that I thought it might be fun to do it again. And Tyler over at Marginal Revolution was nice enough to participate for another round.

Then Tyler announced the topic – “Are Books Overwritten?” Ruh ro.

Clearly the thought of writing another song to a blog post should have been squashed before it saw the light of day. I honestly had no idea how to write a song to that topic. After a bunch of thinking, the only path that revealed itself was a song written from the perspective of a (grumpy) chapter in a (very long) book going through the editing process. Needless to say, the chapter doesn’t think much of the editor. Hopefully the folks that participated in the thread will feel like the song does the topic justice.

Dear Editor

[Lyrics]

Here are the lyrics for Dear Editor.

VERSE

Inside my pages the second act closes
Our hero’s been through so much she seems hopeless
What will she do next, you don’t know what it will be
You can’t stop reading, cause I’m chapter 203

CHORUS

You wouldn’t know something that was well written
if it jumped off the page and moved into your home, Barnard
BA in English says I should be streamlined
Fix your typos and commas and leave me alone

VERSE

I know someone that deserves your “affection”
Story goes nowhere and reading them’s a chore
I’m sure they’d love all your “expert” attention
Do me a favor and bug chapter 94

CHORUS

You wouldn’t know something that was well written
if it jumped off the page and moved into your home, Barnard
BA in English says I should be streamlined
Fix your typos and commas and leave me alone

VERSE

I guess I know we’re running long and could get lighter
Maybe a few words should stay lost instead of found
I don’t appreciate your yellow highlighter
No my author isn’t paid by the pound

CHORUS

You wouldn’t know something that was well written
if it jumped off the page and moved into your home, Barnard
BA in English says I should be streamlined
Fix your typos and commas and leave me alone

Who is crazy enough to sign up for writing a song based on an unknown blog post and the comments that ensue? Me. That’s who. And who’s crazy enough to volunteer their blog as inspiration? Tyler Cowen over at Marginal Revolution.

Will it be a fun post like the one on what to do when you’ve been suddenly transported back in time 1000 years? Nope. Tyler decided that was too easy and chose to write a post whether books are too long. I am not shitting you. I signed up to write a song about the fact that some people think books are too long these days.

What have I done…

It seemed time for an uncomplicated pop song (not that any of my songs are super complex in the first place). But in this nice little package you get everything you’re looking for in a standard radio friendly pop song (does anyone listen to the radio anymore?):

• boy and girl meet, wrong thing feels right, turns out to be right thing after all (Standard Love Song Theme #237)
• under three minutes
• easy to remember repeating chorus lyric that’s also the title of the song
• chorus goes up a whole step for the big finish
• doubled guitar goes up a third in final chorus

Let me tell you people… you can’t ask for more from a pop song. We’ve spared no expense. And this baby comes with the undercoating for free! Take her for a test drive.

Days Like This

Lyrics

Here are the lyrics for Days Like This.

VERSE

You’re in my airspace and I tell myself it doesn’t matter
We’re steady circling, and i feel my common sense begin to scatter

CHORUS

Nobody told me there’d be days like this
When you’d be there to hold me, there’d be days like this
You could have bought and sold me, there’d be days like this
And I’m holding out for more

VERSE

Knock interrupts us and it’s just in time to stop for getting
We’re still connected and I think we know where this is heading

CHORUS

Nobody told me there’d be days like this
When you’d be there to hold me, there’d be days like this
You could have bought and sold me, there’d be days like this
And I’m holding out for more

BRIDGE

I couldn’t place you, you’re not the same as those i see
It took forever, to figure out the problem was with me

VERSE

The sun is up and reality is back, and now we’re in it
Though we said goodbye, all i know is you each hour each minute

CHORUS

Nobody told me there’d be days like this
When you’d be there to hold me, there’d be days like this
You could have bought and sold me, there’d be days like this
And I’m holding out for more

Nobody told me there’d be days like this
When you’d be there to hold me, there’d be days like this
You could have bought and sold me, there’d be days like this
And I’m holding out for more

A few months ago I decided I wanted to try and do a cover. Based on the result, it was clearly a bad idea. I probably should have been discouraged but instead, after months of therapy, I decided to try again. The victim this time was one of my favorite artists – Jonathan Coulton and his excellent song SkyMall. The first few moments of the original have a very sweet quality. For this version I decided to try and extend that quality to the entire song by encasing it in a thick layer of vanilla frosting. Hopefully the result is something you’ll enjoy.

Thanks to Steve, Kira, and Debbie for a patient ear while reviewing the many iterations.

P.S. I wonder if you can find the easter egg in the song. Nobody’s noticed so far.

Skymall

[LYRICS]

Lyrics to Skymall by Jonathan Coulton.

VERSE

O’Hare is nice this time of year
I check my bags and find my seat and buy a beer and settle in

Such is my life here on the road
Now my seat back is up, tray table stowed and there’s nothing to do
I gotta get myself through

CHORUS

So I am shopping in Sky Mall
That five-mile-high mall
That always has just what I need
When I get to the gate and remember too late
I should have brought something to read
I’m OK, cause I know that I’ m gonna shop SkyMall

VERSE

I bought a pair of bonsai trees
I bought a big fake rock where I can hide my keys from everyone

And I imagine what all my friends would say
To see this lovable Santa dance and sway to my favorite songs
My favorite holiday songs

CHORUS

And I am shopping in SkyMall
That five-mile-high mall
That always has just what I need
When I get to the gate and remember too late
I should have brought something to read
I’m OK, cause I know that I’m gonna shop SkyMall

BRIDGE

In Cleveland, I bought a replica of the sword that was broken
And then somewhere above Detroit some Successories that say “Lead with Vision”

VERSE

I love you best when I’m away
And while I’m out here I look forward to the day when I come home

Cause there’s something special waiting there
It’s a whimsical statue of a bear that holds a bottle of wine
But please don’t touch it, it’s mine

CHORUS

Because I bought it at SkyMall
That five-mile-high mall
That always has just what I need
When I get to the gate and remember too late
I should have brought something to read
I’m OK, cause I know that I’m gonna shop SkyMall
Cause I know that I’m gonna shop SkyMall

Apparently my diction leaves something to be desired as there have been several requests for lyrics for all the tracks. Wish granted! You can click on the Lyrics category, or when you go to each individual song post (click on the name of the track in the left column) there’s a link to the lyrics at the bottom of each song post. Thanks for the suggestion.