Emerald City was performed and arranged by:

ian bjornstad
david broecker
david douglas
scott solter
john vanderslice
—
produced by scott solter
recorded at tiny telephone by scott solter and john vanderslice
mixed at tiny telephone by scott solter
mastered by dave harris at studio b
—
all songs by jv
transcendental brats BMI 2007
—
managed and booked by adam@billions.com

Hello

hello

thanks mom and ray

for isabelle andrée fix

Time To Go music video

Directed by Brent Chesanek

Kookaburra

Lightning shot from the sky
It breathed life into every living thing

It made you, it made me
It gave us the kookaburra
It gave us frangipane tree

From dusk to dawn
And dawn to dusk
The sky will fill
With vaporized dust raining…

White on white
Like streamers of dirty confetti
White on white
The Chrysler Tower had disappeared
White on white
The Capitol dome was invisible
White on white
The hoisted flag had disappeared

It can’t be stopped
Thunder clouds are tightening
In the sky tonight
We can’t be saved
Electricity will scribble out
Your name

Lightning shot from the sky
It gives it takes away from
Every living thing

It made you, it made me
It gave us the terabyte
It gave us 117v

From dusk to dawn
And dawn to dusk
The sky will fill
With vaporized dust raining…
White on white
Like streamers of dirty confetti
White on white
The looming spire had disappeared
White on white
The budestag was invisible
White on white
The hoisted flag had disappeared

White phosphor rain
And blackout bombs
Are falling out of the sky tonight
We can’t be saved
Electricity crossing out
Your family name

Time to Go

We pushed the horses as long as we could
Over Cooley Pass into Sierra Woods
Burned the wagon wheels for heat, for food
We cut down Timothy Gant who died so twelve
Could make it through

Time to go
We’ll never make come back
It’s time to go
Try to make it to the shore
It’s time to go
And now I know it’s time to go

In Bakersfield we found a planned community
With plentiful two-bedrooms and full amenities
We sold the horses, we sold our guns
A specter of Timothy Gant appeared on my lawn
And told me to run

Time to go
We’ll never make it back
It’s time to go
Been banished to the cracks
Of molten ash
Don’t know what you had
Till it’s time to go

The Parade

Be calm, be quiet
As your mom walks by
Be calm, be quiet
When your mom walks by

And look at me and follow my lead
I’m combing my hair
Putting lotion on my skin
Waving to friends
Hey it’s me again

Be calm, be quiet
As the cop drives by
Stand right there like a poisoned well
When the cops drive by
And look at me leaning against the fence

Playing scratch and win
Lighting a smoke
Nodding to friends
Hey it’s me again

We ditched out the parade
And what was there to commemorate
And what was left to remember
Not sure what really happened on that day

I got steel dust in a vial
And anodized tiles
In my pocket from tower two

Be calm, be quiet
As the drones fly by
Look at me still as a Monterey pine
When the drones fly by
Look at me and follow my lead

I’m combing my hair
Lighting a smoke
Playing scratch and win
If they catch me, they catch me
But I’ll be running

White Dove

I met my new neighbor
Had a drink on her veranda
We watched the ocean
Batter Bonita Point

“Do you have any children?”
The air around us changed
As grief washed across her face

White dove
What are you thinking of?

“We had a daughter
Disappeared at eight
We gave them money
All we could do was wait
She’s found garroted and bound”

White dove
What are you thinking of?
Don’t come around here no more
It’s not about mercy
Not about tears anymore
White dove
What are you thinking of?

Sword of vengeance
Occupies my mind
Who could do such a horrible crime?

Across the qadaas
They’re killing off our side
Walking bombs they don’t
Wear camouflage

Tablespoon of Codeine

There is a guy from the Sun-Tribune
Staking out my house in a Chevy Impala
Since yesterday noon

Should I speak to him
Or just stay quiet
They hear the whistle blow and
Out pours the blood of my child

A tablespoon of codeine
Will put you right to bed
I don’t want any more codeine
Wanted to make it
On my own tonight
My own tonight

So I said some things
That can’t be said
About a ritual tower, the uses of
More American dead

And what happened in
September was a fake
But they’re chasing demolition
Or remote controlled planes

Whatever you do
You have to commit
And whatever you do
You have to put your blood into it

So I said some things
That can’t be said
From the FAA, the empty desk
Of Alan Armisted

The Tower

I’m staying now
In a vacation house
It’s off season
There’s no reason to leave

Today in the fishing boat
I pulled the choke
And started the engine and
Set it on slow

I trolled down the river
Under collapsing oaks
Dead leaves and mossy trees
You know I made my way down to the gulf

I let my friends go
So let my friends know

Tonight I’m staying in
To do my tarot
I got stuck on a card
I couldn’t let go

It’s a burning tower
Hit by lightning
And people are jumping out
It’s coming down
It’s coming down

The Minaret

It’s the end of spring
And light hangs on
Dripping over geraniums
And hummingbird wings

In the blaze of summer
We’ll tap our weapons out
To the cadence of a melody
They sang at normandy:
“Tt won’t be the same again
Emma, just walk away it’s the end”

We crossed on the ridge
And cut their women down
I climbed up on the minaret
And occupied the town

They scattered in the woods
To gather up their strength
Dripping blood on the road
Oh how the animals looked on

They all see how we’ve changed
All the rules of the game

I can see both sides
And it paralyzed me

An eye for an eye
Was a way to limit revenge
We’ve done away with all of that
Oh read how it all begins

It was written years ago
Same names, same war

I can see both sides
And it paralyzed me inside

Numbered Lithograph

When you left me at the table
To go to the ATM
I’ve never been lonelier

Your cell phone shuddered and blinked
It was your boyfriend again
I’ve never been lonelier

A light-skinned black
Held a Charles Rennie Mackintosh
Numbered lithograph

I moved to the end of the southern line
And lost most of my friends
I’ve never been lonelier

A bird flew in my house one day
He panicked and thrashed
Up against the window glass
He crashed and crashed
I’ve never been lonelier

The boy recoiled as he
Got out of the heated pool
It was midnight

Central Booking

I got your letter with a stamp of Godard
I’ll never open it, I know how dead we are

Splotches of ink
Are not tears, they’re not blood
And hope of a K1
Is not physical love

The whole mess
Could sink me again
You say in Corvisart
I’ll stay in bed
Looks like the CIS
Has won once again

The smaller and weaker
Use words to survive
Words are not currency
When you arrive

On overstayed visas
And cancelled requests
I’ve got a D.I.A.
You’ve got an arrest

The whole mess
Could sink me again
Held up at Kennedy
Sent back to de Gaulle
Looks like September
Has won once again