Palriga - Calvin Johnson

Perfectly blended nasty and nice

When you closed shop that night I gave in without a fight

I already had too many that week

Unprepared to do battle on so little sleep

I don’t care about your other little boys or girls

Snail trail across this town that’s your choice and you will

Don’t believe you want this to end

Some things seem so natural by your side

Like exploring haunted houses and laying out at night

Staring at the branches and the backlit sky

That moment was complete

Nothing unfulfilled about it

Other times, blank slate

Slate vain with promise, anticipation

Confusion, desire

Desire, confusion

Since before the beginning

Always start when I hear your name

«Grr,» means, «let's purr»

It was an awful lot of fun and you seem to concur

Tracing a summer diary

Full of similar scratches

Only deeper, is a proper way to say

Goodbye

Girl playing pear-shaped, a ruthless carpet beggar

I’ll hope for the former and pray for the latter

A man to kiss and hug would bore you to death

So please take back all those kind things you said

Hopeless romantic means naked ambition

And sparks fly frantic and naked stays hidden

Such a cold dismissal

Like letting out the cat, blowing on a thistle

You did me a favor by cutting me off

I did myself the embarrassment of showing how soft I can be

A total cave-in

A total cave-in

Your curiosity

Finally stared me down

Watching you dissect the other side

Is an endless source of amusement and pride

You carved your initials on their learning tree

And bored a hole through the arrogant heart of their breed

So many layers covering up what’s deep inside

Doesn’t keep it hidden from my sight

You’re afraid I’ll see there’s nothing there

But there is

There is

When you conquer that fear

It’s gonna be tremendous

So, flowers for a self-made superstar

Don’t wait, go and buy yourself a really good cigar

You already have something better than fame

An inner-strength that’s growing every day

Growing every day

Thanks for the bread, salt, and kindness

If I hit another dead nerve I’ll call your highness

When you read this letter aloud

Be careful to emphasize the rusty tune horn half

Beg bittersweet taste of my crown

When it’s been tossed around

When it’s been used as a testing ground

A girl, a plan, a canal

Palriga

A girl, a plan, a canal

Palriga

A girl, a plan, a canal

Palriga

Palriga tramples through the loneliest of towns

The isolation is tremendous

You be the girl

And you always will