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Knockout Bell

by Michael Alan Hams

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1.
92111 04:04
Well, we are Knockout Bell; and we are coming to you from Linda Vista Which is in San Diego, CA 92111 And if you’re not familiar with the Linda Vista area of San Diego, CA Just find yourself at the Fashion Valley Transit Center, catch that 120 Well, in Linda Vista there is a taco shop — a particular favorite of ours, here at Knockout Bell And one night I was walking home from said taco shop When a shadowy figure appeared out of a shadowy corner with a shadowy knife And I knew what I had to say, how it was all gonna go down: “So, you want all my money, huh? And my wallet, too, I suppose. Well, I’ll tell you what. I got a flier in my back pocket, and a cigarette behind my ear. And the only thing that I got left, is this burrito. So, if you wanna try to beat a dead horse while he’s down — well, be my guest. Shit, go to town. “But, I’ll tell you this: when I am done with that burrito, I’m gonna smoke that cigarette. And the next pretty girl that I see? Well, she is getting that flier. “So, you’re probably thinking to yourself, ‘Well, that don’t leave much for me.’ Well, for you I got my two big fists, and my big fat mouth. “Then that’s when you’re gonna say, ‘That’s not what I want. I mean, why the fuck would I bring a knife down here for a fucking burrito? Give me some money, man!’ “Well, too bad.”
2.
Oh! la Vache 05:03
I said, “Oh, la Vache!” “La Vache, le boeuf.” “The Bouffant?” “No, the bleu cheese baby…” Oh Denise, my barista in the morning And you can stop with all the warnings Cuz the roast you brew is fine And at least we can feast upon the chatter Cuz it really wouldn’t matter If I rolled into work on time Cuz when I drink, I think about you And all that coffee that you brew For this percolating heart And I’m on the brink; I sing about Truth And all the damage it can do To this palpitating art Now Mary, my librarian of choice Though, I’ve never heard her voice Any louder than a hush She scares me so, if she barely lifts a finger Puts this reader through the wringer My little literary lush Cuz when I read, I dream about you And all the books that would choose For this ever-hungry mind And I take what’s real, I feel for the clues I don’t get hung up on the blues Of your ever-changing eyes And I said, “Oh, la Vache!” Now, there’s Belinda — my marimba of emotion Cast my heart into the ocean Upon her ever-rising tide Her best friend Brandi is the candy-of-the-apple Man, she got Babylon to babble With that Albuquerque smile Now, how ‘bout Joni? Matrimonially minded Got her Master’s same as I did Pouring water into wine Her sister Jamie used to play me all her records On all those rainy days in Texas Back when time was out of mind And I like to think I haven’t a clue Washed up while weeping in this brew The paralysis of choice And I start to sink, I fend for the few Fight the flesh and flash a tune Find the breath to fill the voice And I said, “Oh, la Vache!” “La Vache, Bouffard”
3.
From these fences and fields, well I Get the feel that I don’t know Real from Reality And once I stop making deals, then I Sequence the squeals and I start to steal your security From the box to the beat, where ya Worked your feet till ya tried to meet your material And with the sand in the street, that ya Tried to sweep but ya only reaped your residual So, what is friction? And what keeps holding me down — But keeps on begging me to sound out your inscription? And, what is friction? Yeah, it keeps holding me back — But keeps on begging me to ask for your description Yeah, what is…? From the goose to the gown, that we Tried to drown but we couldn’t down your complexity And from the edges of town, where we Tried biting down and we couldn’t crown your obscenity But, what is friction? Yeah what keeps holding me down — But keeps on begging me to sound out your inscription? Yeah, what is friction? Yeah, it keeps holding me back — But keeps on begging me to ask for your description And, what is…? From these fences and fields, well I Get the feel that I don’t know Real from Reality And once I sequence the squeals, then I Stop making deals and I start to steal your security Oh, what is friction? Yeah, what keeps holding me down — But keeps on begging me to sound out your inscription? And, what is friction? Yeah, it keeps holding me back — But keeps on begging me to ask for your description And, what is…?
4.
Well I fell in love with a cloud that floated by But she broke my heart with the cold wind of the night Then she saw me walking and turned off all the rain But I had seen her crying and I thought I was to blame So I held my breath for a year to ease the pain And I acted tough at the sweet sound of her name But then I saw her dancing so high up in the sky And I could feel her watching from the corner of her eye But she drifted off, and fell out of my mind Now some words ring true, but most Truths they’re hard to find And one steady voice is still strong enough to lie Cuz in the moonlight, gawking, and making such a noise While in my headroom, talking, that should come as no surprise And what was once love, sinks slowly into rust And letters lost behind you in the dust Cuz in the meanwhile, questions, well they’re fought like all the rest And while we meant well, working, the axle in my chest But I drifted off, and fell out of my mind Now, one thing’s for sure: Is we can never tell which way the wind will blow Until we find our way So, hold on as we go, for we forgot to say to Lighten up your load unless you're hellbent on some helping And, away we go! Where all the languages that you thought that you would know Well they’re getting tangled in the Spangle and the Snow Until that reservoir is two inches below The line you thought you’d need for melting So, yeah I fell in love with a cloud that floated by And she broke my heart with the cold wind of the night And when they saw me walking, they turned on all the rain And I could hear them laughing without a hint of shame But they drifted off, and fell out of my mind
5.
This was a battleship’s broken hip Ground in the gears of a power trip But don’t let your memory slip Cuz this was the place where the vultures And cultures collided with arrogance Caught up in their own Devil’s Dance Yeah, this was America Here was the home of the tease And the land of the slightly incompetent Yet mistaken for prominent Cuz we had a business that passed as a church In the eyes of its fellowship Seduced into membership Cuz this was America (but, was this ‘my America?’) That was the ‘ding’ of the Knockout Bell That got all those hounds selling blasphemy Tied up with their own rosaries Cuz we had a name that we dragged through the mud While our smiles handled currency But that’s breaking down currently Cuz this is America
6.
3,2,1... 03:26
So you shed a couple coats of feathers And you let the seraphim settle in? Well you’d put your lips to anything Even if you found out where it’s been Now there are those that may call that trying But, they’d be implying that you would want to win But we both know that of all the good things you’ve done They were better done in sin Now you’ll spend a couple days with money But you’ll spend a couple weeks without And you’ll spend most of your free time Just trying to dig your way back out Now some may find that funny Sitting sunny up in their cloud When all your nickels turn to dimes When it’s negative you count Like 3,2,1… and 33 Yeah it’s a cadger’s life for me And 51 shiny guns Are hiding in that tree And 24 metal doors have all Closed their arms to me Cuz no-one said how hard it is To look but not to see So you caused a cumbersome collision In this cosmic pursuit of Truth And you blamed it all on alcohol As you stumbled around on your roof Now, please make your decision But we will all need to see the proof That what you said came from your head And not from me, the man with the hooves So yeah I sold you 66 silver bullets And roughly 600 bottles of gin And when I asked you what was lacking You asked me, ‘Where to begin?’ Now, you can load these turrets But just pray that they do not start to spin Cuz all the loved ones in your life Will soon be ashes again Like 3,2,1… and 33 Yeah it’s a cadger’s life for me And 51 shiny guns Are hiding in that tree And 24 metal doors have all Closed their arms to me Cuz no-one said how hard it is To look but not to see
7.
Tangle & Li 03:50
Well, Tangle Yeah he’ll weave his twisted strings Of inconsistent melodies Cuz he believes it was in his dreams where he had written All those symphonies That, well, he can’t complete And, yeah he can see Even though his eyes, they may have shifted Just what is Real and What Just Seems To Be But he concedes That his tongue it does get twisted And the taste of Truth? Well, that’ll always be out of reach And for all of his charm Well he let that girl’s number just wash right off his arm (Not too smooth, hombre) Now, Li Well she can read between the lines he has scripted She don’t need the name to know the man But she can breathe Cuz she can sort through all that shit he has conscripted She don’t need to know to understand But Li is real She’s not just the ink upon Tangle’s paper Pressing and pulsing Cuz she would pull through these paragraphs Naw, cuz she believes it is to her dreams that she would always cater To the wanderlust of her Golden Calf But for all she knows This could be the wolf just dressed up in woolen clothes Because it’s a digital kiss in this long distance lullaby Now, Tangle Well he’ll peel another veil as he steps in closer Because, uh, with tambourines he can’t be beat And Li can feel the tiger’s tail But for those who know her They can take the hint that she can take the heat And they can see Just what is Real and What is Only Their Projection And boy do they feel every mile between their thoughts But what they dream is theirs It’s theirs for their protection Until their two lines are tied up in knots Because it’s a digital kiss in this long distance lullaby
8.
So you got your right foot tied tight Tied to the top And baby, well you’re just twistin’ away You take that trouble and you Turn it to gold Just to melt it away Until you’re right back where you began Which is just a-wishin’ away You watch the world through your double disguise Until you fade away But this is your lucky day But you took the wrong turn back Back into town, man you just drove away You dove for truth but you wound up with wit So what? You’ll just give it away? Until you’re right back where you began Which is just a-wastin’ away You wait and watch for those whispers to begin Because they will, and you’ll just wither away Yeah, then you fell asleep It probably wasn’t easy, but it happened And for what must have felt were hours Well, there were turns and there were tosses Oh, but this was nightly, right on the money And now, thoughts they will race And yeah, they’ll chase down those silver fishes And they’ll ride rings of red around your tired eyes Oh, but the taste was sweeter than honey
9.
You say with no conviction that you have no time I responded sleepily that I don’t care You have your addictions, and baby I got mine The only thing that separates is when or where Define your situation with your voiceless words Then note the lack of sympathy in my dull reply Your drunken invitations were very loudly heard You tried so many times in many different ways To find a reason Now you say you don’t like dollar bills, or the thought of them But I wonder how you buy your clothes, or how your rent gets paid Yeah I believe you had your fill with all of them Now you dabble in denial that you favor shade And your inconsistent will will get the best of you Or get the rest of what is left once we are through You’ve taken all of these pills and made them medicine And watered down the chemistry of what we knew To find a reason Exist in this, your existential calamity The trials and tribulations of your last request Your try for bliss was met with much hostility Those summer days spent slumbering in my idle rest And our lasting kiss was shot down by my scrutiny And our last goodbye was memorized inside my head And your name upon my list of infidelities The tangle of your heart is caught inside my chest Yeah we found a reason
10.
11.
It was the quiet of the morning, and I had two thousand miles to go But I felt nothing, no I was the night as it swallowed the road So I keep on, yeah I keep on It was the right time for leaving, because my hope outweighed my doubt And I must keep believing, that any love that we had could help me out So I keep on And I paint my smile wide And what I said were tears of joy, well they’re all just lies Cuz I’m still that same old boy who’s lost inside But I lost so much more, when I lost my way Then it was the bright flash of winter, that woke all the thoughts inside my head And they all tasted bitter, as I stoked all the flames that I had fled So I keep on And I paint my smile wide And what I said were tears of joy, well they’re all just lies Cuz I’m still that same old boy who’s lost inside But I lost so much more… And I hope these letters from exile don’t get lost along the way Or get torn up and thrown away if they reach your hand Cuz I cry nights And the sting of your words, they hold me tight They hold me tight, and they won’t let go Then it was the quiet of the morning, when every ounce of strength that I had left had left me dry It left with a warning, said any love that I had lost could still be mine So I keep on, yeah I keep on

about

An album.

Based loosely on a book as yet to be written.

Give a listen.

credits

released November 5, 2016

The Baron, gtr (1, 8)
Bobby Roquero, bass (1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9)
Kris Towne, gtr/ synth (3, 6, 9)
Adam Jacobs, keys/ clarinet (2, 3, 6, 8)
Moses Constable, bass (2)
Phillip MacKnitt, gtr (2)
Joseph Nelson, trombone (2)
Austin Reitz, bari sax/ bass clarinet (2, 8)
Sean Davenport, keys (4)
Andrew Armerding, banjo (4)
Gregory Michael Theilmann, gtr (4)
Chad Pittman, upright bass (4)
Marco Paul, keys (7)
Javier Alejandre, gtr (7)
Nicolas Silveira, perc (7)
Mario Ibanez, gtr (7)
Carlos Valente Jr, backup vox (11)

All other sounds by Michael Alan Hams

Words and Music by MAH
Produced by MAH
Mixed and Engineered by MAH and Robert T. Garrity at:
Controls for the Sun Studios
San Diego, CA

Cover Photograph: Christian Motos

Telegram and Balloon Productions
2016

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Michael Alan Hams Red Hook, New York

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