How good is The Feelers?
I was in London in March but I’ve never been a good judge of in the moment new songs. Watching it on a stream though. Wow. I mean that song is just great.
I completely agree that it's so hard to judge the new stuff live, and that was my first time seeing it. That being said, I thought it was great. I wish I had written down the lyrics somehow because there were a few lines that I remember thinking were really incredible. To be honest, though, I thought Lanyards was even better. It's hard to see ODP not being just as amazing as everything else they've written, especially with Kaufman producing.
Totally agree with you --- all of the new ones I heard this weekend sounded good, but Lanyards and The Feelers blew me away. I went back to Thursday's recording to try to get the lyrics down, here's what I could work out:
Lanyards
--
When you're stuck out in the middle you just figure that there's something you're missing
It turns out that California's just tripping and disinterested kissing
But back in my hometown there was nothing but the hum of the locusts
And the rest of my life to get used to being washed out of showbiz
I was down around the docks but I never saw anyone surfing
From a distance it looked pretty much perfect but it's different in person
The doctor said he only wants to help me make more healthy decisions
Went out about the Fourth of July, and I was back by Thanksgiving
I danced around the [surf?] and swam in the Pacific like a westernmost American
Laynards and the laminates, everyone's trying to get the right color wristband
Banging on the door again, she just wasn't answering, ... this is trouble man
Someone called an ambulance, ... good Samaritan
That girl from the Genesee cleaners wasn't from there either
Sunk into the seats downtown at some second-shot theater
She took me home to her place in a camper van behind some old warehouse
Says we couldn't come down and crash until we listen to Wipeout
Her character's cool, she's just [dailing in on?] motivation
She's into new things but she won't got to a second location
She's never gone deep but she might make an exeception for Shark Week
When they kicked in the doors, they said that's way too much blood for a nosebleed
Hospital security, everybody's trying to see the writin on the wristband
Said she had a meeting, thought they were mistaken but they ...
... spread out on her bed like she's showing off her wingspan
... right back to the heartland
The doctor said he only wants to help me make some better decisions
Went out about the Fourth of July, and I was back by Thanksgiving
Saw a few stars but I never made it into a movie
Still trying to make moves, but I'm back in Independence Missouri
The Feelers
--
There was an early morning meetup
A mansion on the mountain
Maestro still had glitter on his face
He led us to the office
And once my eyes adjusted
I took a little look around the place
On the mantel was a portrait
Of his father and a fortune
He'd amassed by being ruthless but polite
And a bottle with a model
A specific British clipper ship
On his desk there was a pistol and a pipe
The sunrise wasn't perfect, it was close enough to count
The vibrations were impatient, city's sick of running out
But first we set the prices, and then we talk about amounts
Sweet parade the morning brings
The drifters wearing angel wings
... the hymns they sing
So sad the war is over
Shepard started spinning out
The cowboy trying to dismount
St. Francis with the pigeons on his shoulder
So while you're here in person
I was kinda sorta hopin
I could ask you about this girl I met last night
She had the aura of an angel
But she had a couple problems
I guess the big one is she's someone else's wife
... plan in place
She said she was just putting out the feelers
When she asked if she could choke ya
Underneath the blacklight poster
Of the spaceman saying take me to your dealer
The scene it only moves at a few different speeds
Forage and gather, attack and retreat
First we're gonna finish up some business
Then we'll finally get some sleep
And all the things we never really noticed before
It turns out that they don't even matter
Cause someone hits the switch in the kitchen, all the insects just scatter
Broken birds all headed south
The pirate with the party mouth
The corner boys all calling out
So sad the war is finished
Each daybreak there's a new parade
From uptown in the old arcade
Along the way we lost the flame
There's burners in the kitchen
We've been staying late a lot
The mansion on the mountain
Do you think about the thing the maestro mentioned
How tomorrow's pretty much today
I don't predict a major change
Seems like you and me have got momentum
Feels like now we're in this pretty deep
We should get set up before we sleep
Feels like now we're in this pretty deep
We should get set up before we sleep
Hearing that Shepard's back gave me the shivers live, but something else got me on the second listen:
A specific British clipper ship
What does a British clipper ship have to do with Shepard and the drug-dealing Skins? Something rang a bell ... from wikipedia (
link):
These were the ships that ran drugs to China after the British victory in the First Opium War. From wikipedia (
link):
Oh, but wait a minute, that rings another bell ... again, from wikipedia (
link):
I don't know for sure which "specific" British clipper ship is on Shepard's mantel (though I bet it's this one:
link). What I do know is that we've branched out from Grant and Sherman. Craig's got a new war.