Violent Femmes - Why Do Birds Sing? Album Lyrics

Do you like American music
I like American music
Don't you like American music baby
I want you to hold me
I want your arms around me
I want you to hold me baby
Did you do too many drugs
I did too many drugs
Did you do too many drugs too baby
You were born too late
I was born too soon
But every time I look at that ugly moon
It reminds me of you
It reminds me of you ooh ooh ooh
I need a date to the prom
Would you like to come along
But nobody would go to the prom with me baby
They didn't like American music
They never heard American music
They didn't know the music was in my soul baby
You were born too soon
I was born too late
But every time I look at that ugly lake
It reminds me of me
It reminds me of me
Do you like American music
We like American music
I like American music baby
Do you like American music
We like all kinds of music
But I like American music best
Baby you were born too late
And I was born too late
But every time I look at that ugly lake
It reminds me of me
It reminds me of me
Do you like American music
It reminds me of me
Do you like American music

Life was fun

Life was great

'Til I made my big mistake

Oh no it'll never happen to me

Life was short

And life was sweet

I was thinking as I hit the street

I could hardly believe

I could scarcely conceive

But I had gone out the window

I had gone out the window

I had gone out the window

She was fine

She looked great

And so we made our big mistake

I swear I swear I swear

It'd never happen to her

But the pavement knocked her head around

When she hit the solid concrete ground

From 30 flights above

And she was thirty something loving nothing

Gone out the window

She had gone out the window

She had gone out the window

Catch me if I'm falling,

Catch me if I'm calling

He was smart he was wise

He'd profoundly philosophize

Empathy for all humanity

'Til one day by an open window

There's a note that read

I've gone out the window, I'm dead

He said yes to life for all of his life

But then one day he said no

I gotta go out the window

We all go out the window

Catch me I am falling

Catch me I am calling

Catch me we are falling

Catch me we are calling

I like his shoes I like his hat
I'd like me better if I looked like that
Uh -huh uh-huh
I like her shoes I like her hat
I'd like you better if you looked like that
Uh-huh uh-huh
But then my love starts burning
For what we are yearning to ignore
I like her clothes I love her dress
I'd like her better if she loved me best
I like his shoes I love his pants
I'd want him better if he wanted to dance
Uh-huh uh-huh
But then our love starts turning
For what we are learning to adore
I'm meeting people nice people too
I'm meeting people nice people like you
We're meeting people nice people too
We're meeting people nice people like you

Give me time to realize my crime
Let me love and steal.
I have danced inside your eyes
How can I be real.

Do you really want to hurt me
Do you really want to make me cry
Precious kisses words that burn me
Lovers never ask you why.
In my heart the fire is burning
Choose my color find a star
Precious people always tell me
That's a step a step too far.

Do you really want to hurt me
Do you really want to make me cry
Do you really want to hurt me
Do you really want to make me cry.

Words are few
I have spoken
I could waste a thousand years
Wrapped in sorrow, words are token
Come inside and catch my tears
You've been talking but believe me
If it's true you do not know
This boy loves without a reason
I'm prepared to let you go

If it's love you want from me
Then take it away
Everything's not what you see it's over again.

Do you really want to hurt me
Do you really want to make me cry
Do you really want to hurt me
Do you really want to make me cry.

Give me time to realize my crime
Let me love and steal.
I have danced inside your eyes
How can I be real.
If it's love you want from me then take it again.

Beauty sat bathing by a spring where fairest shades did hide her
The winds blew calm the birds did sing the cool streams ran beside her
My wanton thoughts enticed mine eye to see what was forbidden
But better memory said "fie" so vain desire was chidden

Hey nonny nonny oh hey nonny nonny
Hey nonny nonny oh hey nonny nonnie
Into a slumber then I fell when fond imagination
Seemed to see but could not tell her feature or her fashion

But even as babes in dreams do smile and sometimes fall a weeping
So I awaked as wise this while as when I fell a-sleeping
Hey nonny nonny oh hey nonny nonny
Hey nonny nonny oh hey nonny nonnie

Say man are you down for doing something positive in the community?
No I don't think I'll ever do that again
Well ain't you worried about doing the right thing?
Well I don't care if I hey nonny nonny nonny ho nonny nonny nonny

I used to be happy
I used to be
Such a loving man
I used to be

That was before
The end of my world
That was before
The end of my world

She used to be happy
She used to be
Such a loving woman
She used to be

That was before
The end of her world
That was before
The end of her world

We used to be happy
We used to be
Such a loving people
We used to be

That was before
The end of our world
That was before
The end of our world

Have mercy on me I got girl trouble up the ass
Have mercy on me people I got girl trouble up the ass
And don't tell me no joke cause I'm not gonna laugh
I need the cure only one cure in this world
I need the cure only one cure in this world
Hey James Brown I need a woman or a girl
Hit me in the morning hit me in the night
Hit me when I'm wrong hit me when I'm right
Hit me when I'm up hit when I'm down
Hit me hit me hit me hit me all over town
Girl trouble I got girl trouble up the ass
And don't tell me cause I'm not gonna laugh
I'm not trying to fool you people
I'm not giving you no jive
Make me feel I'd rather be dead than alive
Take a look around what's shoving up my behind
Problems drive me out of my mind
Girl trouble I got girl trouble up the ass
And don't tell me no joke 'cause I'm not gonna laugh

He likes me
He likes me
Ooh...isn't that nice

He likes me
He likes me
Ooh...isn't that nice

That your brand new friend
He likes your old true friend
And isn't that the way that it ought to be

That your brand new friend
He has good will to send
And you're so free you're so free
You're so free and I am history

He likes you
He says that he loves you
Ooh that's good to know

You like him
I hope you don't love him
And ooh...you should know

That your old true friend
He doesn't like your brand friend
Person to person it's not on purpose but I take it personally

And soon your brand new friend
I hope I'll have a bon voyage to send
And you're so free you're so free
You're so free and I am history

You say you won't pick
And you won't make a choice
But I'm so mad I could spit and I hear it in your voice

You said he likes me
He likes me
Ooh isn't that swell

He likes me you said
He likes me
Ooh tell him

Hell...o from me
A great big hello from me
Jesus always taught me that I should love my enemy

Darling my heart's in pain
That's why my song's insane
And you're so free and I am history

He likes me but I don't like him

She said to me oh I don't know what you mean
All I'm trying to do is
Trying to make your scene
I said to her no way baby life ain't what it seem

Well don't you know baby that life is a scream
She came up to me in her high fashion and sheen
Well don't you know that she was trying to come clean
I said to her no way baby life ain't what it seem

Well don't you know baby that life's a scream
She said to me oh I love it when you're mean
Don't you know it's boring when it's quiet and serene
I said to her no way baby life ain't what it seem

Got to get it through your head that life is a scream

You're a flamingo
You stand on one leg
You're a flamingo baby
You hatched from an egg

Well you hold your foot up
So delicately over the sea
And when it comes down
It comes down on me

Well it used to want to hump you
I used to want to rock and roll
I was attracted to your gracefulness
But your surprise sure took its toll

Now I guess I'd better go out now
Gonna try to find something new
And all I'm left with is this craving
For some flamingo stew

Now the beauty's in the gutter
The loveliness is off her throne
In the eyes of the beholder it's gone
And now he feels kind of alone

But this feeling it's the kind that will shortly pass
I'm gonna find myself another bird
And roll on down the grass

I'm not doing something I'm supposed to do
I'm doing something I'm not supposed to
I don't know about that
I don't know about that

I don't know nothing bout nothing like that
Destroyed my people are
Destroyed my people are
Destroyed for lack of knowledge

I wonder if I'm happy
Wonder if I'm mad
I wonder why the whole wide world is so wonderfully sad
I don't know bout that but I can tell you this

That when I drink a lot of beer why'know I gotta piss off
People should be pissed off
People should be pissed off
For lack of knowledge

Read read read read read read read everything you can read and
Learn learn learn learn learn learn learn everything you can learn
'Cause there is no tomorrow like today
And there is no today like tomorrow

And they will stick you and they will stick you in the end

I always felt that I was different
I always thought that that was good
I always thought that I was different
I always felt that that was good

Sometimes in school people pick on me
In the gym locker room or in the hallway
Cruel things people do and say
Wait a minute wait a minute

I'll make more money tonight
Than you ever dreamed of
You thought I was strange
Well just look at me now

If you are lucky I'll play in your city
And you can come see me if you got the...
Somebody stole all my clothes that I like to wear
But I'm so rich and famous baby what do I care

Wait a minute wait a minute
If you got the money If you got the money
If you got the money If you got the money

I'm free and I'm happy
I am free from your hatred
I've parted from the part
That I participated in
So I'm free it was easy

I know nothing of your hatred
I've known and shone the light
And the darkness abated
So I'm free

Run, skip, jump, play
My little boy is happy
Look he's smiling because
He knows no fear here

My mommy's calling me
And I'm running through the fields
Because I'm free
Every day in every way

I'm getting better and better and better
And better and better and better, etc.
Because there's no fear, here why

I can't tell you now 'cause
I'm running through the woods
And I just jumped a little bit higher
Cause I'm free
And that's the way he created me to be

I have turned from your hatred
I turned on the light
And there was nothing there that waited to get me
This ain't a song about that
This is a song about this