The Kindness of Strangers (1998)

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Tracks

The Good Don’t Last (10:04) - MIDI
- Introduction
- The Good Don’t Last
- The Radiant Is
In The Mouth Of Madness (4:45) - MIDI
Cakewalk On Easy Street (5:01) - MIDI
June (5:29)
Strange World (4:20) - MIDI
Harm’s Way (11:05) - MIDI
Flow (15:48) - MIDI
- True Believer
- A Constant Flow Of Sound
- Into The Source
Into Fire (bonus track on the Japanese release from “From The Vaults”)

MIDI files courtesy of Peter Freund

Neal Morse: lead vocals, piano, all synths, acoustic and an occasional electric guitar
Alan Morse: main electric guitar, cello, mellotron and vocals
Dave Meros: bass and vocals
Nick D’Virgilio: drums, percussion and vocals
Ryo Okumoto: Hammond organ and Mellotron

Lyrics

The Good Don’t Last

Introduction

The Good Don’t Last

We could have been God’s dream
We could have lived the LIFE!
Could have done great things

Man, it would have been so nice
It could have been me
Could have been you
We could have done anything we wanted to do
And I don’t know how it happened
But we got it all wrong
The bad don’t mean anything
And the good don’t last too long

We could have watched ‘Black Like Me’
Instead we watched the big guns
And everybody knows the words
To “seasons in the sun”

Could have had give
Could have had take
We could’ve made anything we wanted to make
So we made ‘Wheel Of Fortune’
And all the popular songs
We made a land where crap is king
And the good don’t last too long

Now there’s darkened doorways creaking in my bed
I got the Mannix theme song playing in my head
Put this one to bed

The Radiant Is

No Words
No denying
The Radiant is
Is still here
Watching
And multiplying
And it’s not going to
Disappear

In the Mouth of Madness

Hey there, would you like to ride
On the best event since suicide
Hey, people come and board the train
Come anesthetize your frazzled brain
Hey you, Mister fancy pants
Don’t play it safe - come take a chance
Hey, Mrs. I don’t really care
Come along with us, there’s room to spare

Come fill your heart with gladness
We have no sense - no sadness
Here in the mouth of madness

Hey, Mister, don’t you walk away
Why save yourself for a rainy day?
If you miss it you will fall behind
Don’t think too much - just lose your mind

You’ll be a Gypsy man
You’ll never feel sadness
Here in the mouth of madness

We’ve got no self control
Come be the first to shout it, NOW!
We’re gonna make you whole!

Hey there would you like to ride
On the best event since suicide
Hey, people come and board the train
Come anesthetize your frazzled brain
Hey! this is your last chance
To lose control and live the dance
Hey, people we’re about to go
Don’t fill the crowd be in the show

You’ve got no self control
Now you don’t feel sadness
You’re in the mouth of madness
You be a Gypsy man
You’ve got no sense - no sadness
You’re in the mouth of madness

Cakewalk On Easy Street

Wednesday
It’s suppository time again
Ain’t it grand?
Friday
I get my leg back on again
I’ll get to stand

‘Cuz it’s a cakewalk on easy street
It’s a new kind of day
It’s a good time
The best you ever had
It’s the new-fangled way

Air-raid
Sirens in the night again
Not far away
I’m failing
At everything I try to win
But that’s O.K.

‘Cuz it’s a cakewalk on easy street
It’s a new kind of day
It’s a cakewalk on easy street

I have nothing bad to say
‘Cept all my friends have gone away
Half of me is plastic and wood
But at least I’ve got my arms - that’s good

‘Cuz it’s a cake walk on easy street
It’s a new kind of day
It’s a good time
The best you ever had
It’s the new-fangled way
It’s a cakewalk on easy street

June

June
Came upon us much too soon
Then was gone
Gone
Like the mountains of the moon
At dawn

Then the sun came up on a sleepy day
And never went down at night
And the crowd kept on singin’ Waste Away
but it just didn’t feel right
And the prince and the drummer and the fire girls
Couldn’t get our guitars in tune
And I knew it was over when the sound man said
“I wish we were still in June”

June
Telephones in private rooms
Hot bath
Bathe
In the smell of the buzz’ perfume
Man, I want to go back

CHORUS

And I knew
It couldn’t be true
It wasn’t free
It wasn’t for me

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah etc.

June
Came upon us much too soon
Then was gone

CHORUS

And we knew
It couldn’t be true

Strange World

Mary was on Face The Nation
Sunday morning ten o’clock
It’s a very strange world
In a very strange time

Jimmy makes a handsome living
Juggling weapons in the park
It’s a very strange world
In a very strange time

And so it goes slowly down the road
And so I say - I got no friends today

The bomber got his manifesto
Published in the New York Times
It’s a very strange world
Got some interesting minds

Advertising pays more than a lot
While the teacher’s selling pies in the parking lot
It’s a very strange world
With some well hidden crimes

I didn’t know life could get so cold
I didn’t see - I thought they were all like me

It’s a very strange world
But I think I like it

I didn’t know life could get so cold
I didn’t see - I thought they were all like me
And so it goes slowly down the road
And so I say - I got no friends today

Mary went to Face The Nation
Sunday morning ten o’clock
It’s a very strange time
In a very strange world

Harm’s Way

Burned by their fields on a cold stainless day
Blown by the wind - they got nothin’ to say
I can’t look the other way
Just to stay out of harm’s way

Toes in the dirt - here’s a fork in the road
Blood on my shirt and a lump in my throat
I can’t look the other way
Just to stay out of harm’s way

Pretty maids in a row
Tried to hide from the cold
With their heads held up high
They’re just waiting around to die

The word resigned comes to mind
The leaders race while we fall behind
But they can’t touch the sky
They’re just waiting around to die

No they can’t touch the sky
They’re just waiting around to die

Touched by the gold as the moment is framed
No one will look and so no one is blamed
I can’t look the other way
I won’t stay out of harm’s way

The Venus slowly rises in the night
The people softly lit by restless moonlight
And as the Jackal preys upon the Netherworld
You can hear as she surprises and sings…RISE!

And as the Jackal preys upon the Netherworld
You can hear her as she rises and sings…RISE!

Touched by the wind as the movement returns
Now we begin all the lessons to learn

I can’t look the other way
I won’t stay out of harm’s way

Flow

Flow

Sunlight gliding
Children sighing
In their dreams
Never hiding

True believer
You are ever
Forever
The great deceiver
Will never boil your blood
Or swallow you whole…yeah…

Shocked outrageous
I have slipped in the slime
Touch me - I’m contagious
Seeping into your mind

True believer
You are ever
Forever
The great deceiver
Will never swallow your soul
No never…yeah…

True believer
You are ever
Forever

A Constant Flow of Sound

Now we come and go
We get around
A constant flow of sight and sound
A constant flow of sound

Shock on the gate
We’re so sorry
Guests are not allowed

We’re gone forever
Headlong together
We’re gone - we’re so far gone
The true believer
Has burst the ocean wide
We’re gone - we’re so far gone
To where the last of the long lost people are hiding

Lock your doors
Everything’s delivered
Turn on the news
All things considered
Looks like we’re out of time

Into The Source

Go forth
Into the source
Go
Evading force
Go forth

Into Fire

They rage into the night
Cloaked in gowns of thunder
And the rising tide
Your flesh will start to burn with the hunger
Your soul will open wide
All the devils that tormented you
All the angels that you never knew
Into the depths you will plunder
You will plunder
Into the fire!

Bathed in tainted blood
As the death count grows higher
It’s the dawn of the day
Licensed with the will of desire
It’s a crime that doesn’t pay
It’s the temple of all sacrifice
It’s the burning that will leave no ice
Throw yourself upon the flaming pyre
It’s getting higher
Into the fire!

They rage into the night
Cloaked in gowns of thunder
And the rising tide
Your flesh will start to burn with the hunger
Your soul will open wide
People remember what you see
‘Cause what you did - did THIS to me!
Into the depths you will plunder
You will plunder
Into the fire!

Neal Morse:

“Dave says of this writing/recording session, “By far, that’s the most fun I’ve ever had in the studio!”. This was also recorded at Kevin’s in April of ‘97 and was written and recorded in 4 hours. Ryo brought the charts (he had written the music that day) and while the rest of the band was cutting the track, I was in the corner scribbling down lines like “Throw yourself upon the flaming pyre”. In the 3rd hour Dave, Ryo and I wrote the whole lyric. I remember Dave throwing in critical words when I was stuck like, ‘tainted’, to which came a resounding “ooohhhh, that’s good!” from the rest of us, and the line “bathed in tainted blood” was born. Collaboration at its finest! Note: that’s Ryo on the top background vocal part. While Dave, Ryo and I were doing the backgrounds we were laughing so hard we were crying! Maybe you had to be there…”

Note: “Into Fire” is the result of JVC requesting a Heavy Metal song as a bonus track for the Japanese release of “The Kindness Of Strangers”