They Might Be Giants

Flood

This 1990 They Might Be Giants release was the first They Might Be Giants CD I bought, and what an excellent choice it was! John Flansburgh and John Linnell set out to put out a killer musical compilation, and that they did. Songs 2, 4, 6, and 9 were produced by Clive LAnger & Alan Winstanley. All other songs produced by They Might Be Giants and recorded and mixed by Roger Moutenot. All songs written by They Might Be Giants except "Istanbul" written by J. Kennedy & N. Simon. All songs published by They Might Be Giants Music, ASCAP except "Istanbul" published by Chappell & Co.. All lyrics are copyright 1990 They Might Be Giants, except "Istanbul" copyright 1953 Chappell & Co. Permission to reprint lyrics pending.

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Flood

Theme From Flood
Birdhouse In Your Soul
Lucky Ball & Chain
Istanbul (Not Constantinople)
Dead
Your Racist Friend
Particle Man
Twisting
We Want A Rock
Someone Keeps Moving My Chair
Hearing Aid
Minimum Wage
Letterbox
Whistling In The Dark
Hot Cha
Women & Men
Sapphire Bullets Of Pure Love
They Might Be Giants
Road Movie To Berlin

Theme From Flood...

Vocals: Marion Beckenstein and Joel Mitchell
Trombones: Rick McRae

Why is the world in love again
Why are we marching hand in hand
Why are the ocean levels rising up
It's a brand new record for 1990
They Might Be Giants, brand new album
Flood

Birdhouse In Your Soul...

Violin: Mark Feldman
Trumpet Sample: Frank London

I'm your only friend
I'm not your only friend
but I'm a little glowing friend
but really I'm not actually your friend,
but I am

Blue canary in the outlet by the lightswitch
Who watches over you
Make a little birdhouse in your soul
Not to put too fine a point on it
Say I'm the only bee in your bonnet
Make a little birdhouse in your soul

I have a secret to tell
From my electrical well
It's a simple message and I'm leaving out the whistles and bells
So the room must listen to me
Filibuster vigilantly
My name is blue canary one-word
Spelled L-I-T-E
My story's infinite
Like the Longines Symphonette
It doesn't rest

Blue canary in the outlet by the lightswitch
Who watches over you
Make a little birdhouse in your soul
Not to put too fine a point on it
Say I'm the only bee in your bonnet
Make a little birdhouse in your soul

I'm your only friend
I'm not your only friend
but I'm a little glowing friend
but really I'm not actually your friend but I am

There's a picture opposite me
Of my primitive ancestry
Which stood on rocky shores and kept the beaches shipwreck-free
Though I respect that a lot
I'd be fired if that were my job
After killing Jason off and countless screaming Argonauts
Bluebird of friendballss
Like guardian angels it's always near

Blue canary in the outlet by the lightswitch
Who watches over you
Make a little birdhouse in your soul
Not to put too fine a point on it
Say I'm the only bee in your bonnet
Make a little birdhouse in your soul
(And while you're at it
Leave the nitelite on inside the birdhouse in your soul)

Lucky Ball And Chain...

Drums: Alan Bezozi

I lost my lucky ball and chain
And now she's four years gone
Just five feet tall and sick of me
And all my rattling on
She threw away her baby-doll
I held on to my pride
But I was young and foolish then
I feel old and foolish now

Confidentially
She never called me baby-doll
Confidentially
I never had much pride
But now I rock a barstool
And I drink for two
Just pondering this timebomb in my mind

I lost my lucky ball and chain
And now she's four years gone
Just five feet tall and sick of me
And all my rattling on
She walked away from a happy man
I thought I was so cool
I just stood there whisling
"There goes the bride"
As she walked out the door
"There goes the bride"
As she walked out the door

I could shake my tiny fist
And swear I wasn't wrong
But what's the sense in arguing
When you're all alone
Sure as you can't steer a train
You can't change your fate
When she told me off that day
I knew I'd lost my home

Confidentially
I never told you of her charms
Confidentally
We never had a home
But this railroad apartment was the perfect place
When she'd sit and hold me in her arms

I lost my lucky ball and chain
And now she's four years gone
Just five feet tall and sick of me
And all my rattling on
She walked away from a happy man
I thought I was so cool
I just stood there whisling
"There goes the bride"
As she walked out the door
"There goes the bride"
As she walked out the door
"There goes the bride"
As she walked out the door

Istanbul (Not Constantinople)...

Violin: Mark Feldman
Trumpet: Charlie Spalvida

Istanbul was Constantinople
Now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople
Been a long time gone, Constantinople
Now it's Turkish delight on a moonlit night
Every gal in Constantinople
Lives in Istanbul, not Constantinople
So if you've a date in Constantinople
She'll be waiting in Istanbul

Even old New York
Was once New Amsterdam
Why they changed it I can't say
People just liked it better that way

So take me back to Constantinople
No you can't go back to Constantinople
Been a long time gone, Constantinople
Why did Constantinople get the works
That's nobody's business but the Turks
Istanbul
Istanbul

Even old New York
Was once New Amsterdam
Why they changed it I can't say
People just liked it better that way

So take me back to Constantinople
No you can't go back to Constantinople
Been a long time gone, Constantinople
Why did Constantinople get the works
That's nobody's business but the Turks
Istanbul

Dead...

I returned a bag of groceries
accidentally taken off the shelf
before the expiration date

I came back as a bag of groceries
accidentally taken off the shelf
before the date stamped on myself

Did a large procession wave their
torches as my head fell in the basket,
And was everybody dancing on the casket?
Now it's over I'm dead and I haven't
done anything that I want
Or, I'm still alive
and there's nothing I want to do

I will never say the word
"procrastinate" again; I'll never
see myself in a mirror with my eyes closed
I didn't apologize for when I was eight
and I made my younger brother
have to be my personal slave

Did a large procession wave their
torches as my head fell in the basket,
And was everybody dancing on the casket?
Now it's over I'm dead and I haven't
done anything that I want
Or, I'm still alive
and there's nothing I want to do

So I won't sit at home anymore
And you won't see my head in the window
And I won't be around ever anymore
And I'll be up there on the wall at the store

I returned a bag of groceries
accidentally taken off the shelf
before the expiration date

I came back as a bag of groceries
accidentally taken off the shelf
before the date stamped on myself

Your Racist Friend...

Trumpet: Charlie Spalvide

This is where the party ends
I can't stand here listening to you
And your racist friend
I know politics bore you
But I feel like a hypocrite talking to you
And your racist friend

It was the loveliest party that I ever attended
If anything was broken I'm sure it could be mended
My head is tired from this bobbing and pretending
Listen to some bullet-head and the madness that he's saying

This is where the party ends
I'll just sit here wondering how you
Can stand by your racist friend
I know politics bore you
But I feel like a hypocrite talking to you
You and your racist friend

This is where the party ends
I can't stand here listening to you
And your racist friend
I know politics bore you
But I feel like a hypocrite talking to you
And your racist friend

Out from the kitchen to the bedroom to the hallway
Your friend apologizes, he could see it my way
He let the contents of the bottle do the thinking
Can't shake the devil's hand and say you're only kidding

This is where the party ends
I can't stand here listening to you
And your racist friend
I know politics bore you
But I feel like a hypocrite talking to you
And your racist friend

Particle Man...

Snare & Tambourine: Alan Bezozi
Handclaps: The Skyline Staff

Particle man, particle man
Doing the things a particle can
What's he like? It's not important
Particle man
Is he a dot or is he a speck
When he's underwater does he get wet
Or does the water get him instead
Nobody knows
Particle man

Triangle man, triangle man
Triangle man hates particle man
They have a fight, triangle wins
Triangle man

Universe man, universe man
Size of the entire universe man
Usually kind to smaller man
Universe man
He's got a watch with a minute hand
Millenium hand and an eon hand
And when they meet it's a happy land
Powerful man
Universe man

Person man, person man
Hit in the head with a frying pan
Lives his life in a garbage can
Person man
Is he depressed of is he a mess
Does he feel totally worthless
Who came up with person man
Degraded man
Person man

Triangle man, triangle man
Triangle man hates person man
They have a fight, triangle wins
Triangle man

Twisting...

Drums: Alan Bezozi Handclaps: The Skyline Staff

She set your goldfish free
And now she's sighing
Blew out your pilot light
And made a wish
She doesn't have to have her db's records back, now
But there's not a lot of things
That she'll take back

She wants to see you again
She wants to see you again
Slowly twisting
In the wind
Twisting, twisting
In the wind

She's not your satellite
She doesn't miss you
So turn off your smoke machine
And Marshall stack
She doesn't have to have her Young Fresh Fellows tape back
But there's not a lot of things
That she'll take back, now

She wants to see you again
She wants to see you again
Slowly twisting
In the wind
Twisting, twisting
In the wind
(scream)

We Want A Rock...

Violin: Mark Feldman

Where was I? I forgot
the point that I was making
I said if I was smart that I would
save up for a piece of string
And a rock to wind the string around
Everybody wants a rock to wind a piece of string around
Everybody wants a rock to wind a piece of string around

Throw the crib door wide
Let the people crawl inside
Someone in this town
Is trying to burn their playhouse down
They want to stop the ones who want
A rock to wind a string around
But everybody wants a rock
To wind a piece of string around
Throw the crib door wide
Let the people crawl inside
Someone in this town
Is trying to burn their playhouse down
They want to stop the ones who want
A rock to wind a string around
But everybody wants a rock
To wind a piece of string around

If I were a carpenter I'd
Hammer on my piglet, I'd
Collect the seven dollars and I'd
Buy a big prosthetic forehead
And wear it on my real head
Everybody wants prosthetic
Foreheads on their real heads

Throw the crib door wide
Let the people crawl inside
Someone in this town
Is trying to burn their playhouse down
They want to stop the ones who want
Prosthetic foreheads on their real heads
But everybody wants prosthetic
Prosthetic foreheads on their real heads
Throw the crib door wide
Let the people crawl inside
Someone in this town
Is trying to burn the foreheads down
They want to stop the ones who want
A rock to wind a string around
But everybody wants a rock
To wind a piece of string around

Someone Keeps Moving My Chair...

Mr. Horrible
Mr. Horrible
Telephone call for Mr. Horrible
But before he can talk to the ugballss men
There's some horrible business left for him to attend to
Something unpleasant has spilled on his brain
As he sponges it off they say

"Is this Horrible?
Is this Horrible?
It's the ugballss men, Mr. Horrible
We're just trying to bug you
We thought that our dreadfulness
Might be a thing to annoy you with."

But Mr. Horrible says, "I don't mind,
The thing that bothers me is:
Someone keeps moving my chair."

"Would you mind if we balance
This glass of milk
Where your visiting friend
accidentally was killed?
Would it be okay with you
If we wrote a reminder
Of things we'll forget to do today otherwise
Using a green magic marker, if it's alright
On the back of your head?"

"Mr. Horrible
Mr. Horrible
We're not done with you yet, Mr. Horrible
You have to try on this bag so the ugballss men
Can decide if you're just as embarrassing as they think
We're not simply sure about this."

But Mr. Horrible says, "I don't mind,
The thing that bothers me is:
Someone keeps moving my chair.
Someone keeps moving my chair."

Hearing Aid...

Guitar: Arto Lindsay
Percussion Rolls: Alan Bezozi

Frosty the supervisor
Lives by himself
Sometimes I feel sorry for him
Usually I can't

I turned off my hearing aid
Don't say
The electric chair's not good enough
For king-lazy-bones like myself

More coffee for me, boss
Because I'm not as messed up as I want to be

I turned off my hearing aid
Don't say
The electric chair's not good enough
For king-lazy-bones like myself
Because
Because

Minumum Wage...

Whipcrack: Roger Moutenot

Letterbox...

Drums: Alan Bezozi

I'll never know what you'll find when you
Open up your letter box tomorrow
Cause a little bird never tells me anything
I want to know, she's my best friend
She's a sparrow
And I'll never never know what you never never
Want to know when you know what you are, O

If I had a pair of eyes in the back of my head for each time
You forgot to take out all the things you forgot to talk about when you took a bite out of my spine
I would have a lot of eyes on me by this time
Wouldn't I? Wouldn't that just be fine

Too late or soon to make notes about love and there's no time for sorrow
Run around in the rain with a hole in the brain till tomorrow

Whistling In The Dark...

Trumpet: Frank London
Trombone: Rick McRae

A woman came up to me and said
"I'd like to posion your mind
With wrong ideas that appeal to you
Though I am not unkind"
She looked at me, I looked at something
Written across her scalp
And this is what it faintly said
As I tried to call for help

There's only one thing that I know how to do well
And I've often been told that you only can do
What you know how to do well
And that's be you
Be what you're like
Be like yourself
And so I'm having a wonderful time
But I'd rather be whistling in the dark
Whistling in the dark
Whistling in the dark
Whistling in the dark
Whistling in the dark
Whistling in the dark
There's only one thing that I like
And that is whistling in the dark

A man came up to me and said
"I'd like to change your mind
By hitting it with a rock," he said
"Though I am not unkind."
We laughed at his little joke
And then I merrily walked away
And hit my head on the wall of the jail
Where the two of us live today

There's only one thing that I know how to do well
And I've often been told that you only can do
What you know how to do well
And that's be you
Be what you're like
Be like yourself
And so I'm having a wonderful time
But I'd rather be whistling in the dark
Whistling in the dark
Whistling in the dark
Whistling in the dark
Whistling in the dark
Whistling in the dark
There's only one thing that I like
And that is whistling in the dark

Whistling
Whistling
Whistling in the dark
Whisling (whistling) whistling (whistling)
Dark (dark) dark (dark)
Whisling (whistling) whistling (whistling)
Dark (dark) dark (dark)

Hot Cha...

Drums: Alan Bezozi

Hot Cha, where are you
Everybody's eyes are closed
I can't see why I miss you so
So Hot Cha, where are you

First time Hot Cha went away
A floating island was his home
Then the phone rang off the hook
and Hot Cha had to run back home

Hot Cha, where are you
Everybody's eyes are closed
I can't see why I miss you so
So Hot Cha, where are you

Second time Hot Cha went away
Left the bathtub running over
Stereo on and cooking bacon
Never came back to tell us why

If that honey would come back
We would throw such a party
Drink and cook the prodigal son
Fondue forks for everybody

Hot Cha, where are you
Everybody's eyes are closed
I can't see why I miss you so
So Hot Cha, where are you
Hot Cha, where are you
Hot Cha, where are you

Women & Men...

When the ship runs out of ocean
And the vessel runs aground
Land's where we know the boat is found
Now there's nothing unexpected
About the water giving out
"Land"'s not a word we have to shout
But there's something beside the shoreline
Moving across the beachhead
Coming up from the shipwreck
Making as if to say:
Women & Men
Women & Men
Women & Men
Women & Men

(Women & Men)
Bringing with them messages of love
And everywhere they go love will grow
(Women & Men)
When you see the faces of the women
And the men, you too will know

Women & Men have crossed the ocean
They now begin to pour
Out from the boat and up the shore
Two by two they enter the jungle
And soon they number more
Three by three as well as four by four
Soon the stream of people gets wider
Then it becomes a river
River becomes an ocean
Carrying ships that bear
Women & Men
Women & Men
Women & Men
Women & Men

Sapphire Bullets Of Pure Love...

Pistol shots
Gun shots
Pistol shots
Gun shots
Bullets from a revolver
Bullets from a gun
Bullets through the atmosphere
Here they come

John, I've been bad and they're
Coming after me
Dome someone wrong and I fear
That it was me

Sapphire bullets
Bullets of pure love

They Might Be Giants...

Drums: Alan Bezozi

(Hang on
Hang on tight)
They might be giants (boy)
They might be giants
They might be rain
They might be heat
They might be frying up a stalk of wheat

They might be giants (boy)
They might be giants
They might be brain
They might be washed
They might be Dr. Spock's backup band

(To make the merry-go-round go faster
So that everyone needs to hang on tighter
Just to keep from being thrown to the wolves)

Tabloid footprints in your hair
Tabloid footprints everywhere
We can't be silent because they might be giants
And what are we gonna do unless they are

They might be giants (boy)
They might be giants
They might be bald
They might be snow
They might be something else in the snow

(Hang on tight)

They might be giants (boy)
They might be giants
They might be fake
They might be lies
They might be big, big, fake, fake lies

Tabloid footprints in your hair
Tabloid footprints everywhere
We can't be silent because they might be giants
And what are we gonna do unless they are

They might be giants (boy)
They might be giants (boy)
They might be giants (boy)
They might be giants (boy)

Road Movie To Berlin...

Mid-Section Drums: Alan Bezozi

We're in a road movie to Berlin
Can't drive out the way we drove in
So sneak out this glass of bourbon
And we'll go

We were once so close to heaven
Peter came out and gave us medals
Declaring us the nicest of the damned

Time won't find the lost
It'll sweep up our skeleton bones
So take the wheel and I will take the pedals

We're in a road movie to Berlin
Can't drive out the way we drove in
So sneak out this glass of bourbon
And we'll go

Created by: Craig pJ Hansen, pjhansen@mudslide.net
Last Updated:

Current Document: http://www.mudslide.net
©1999 Craig R. Hansen, All Rights Reserved.

All materials copyright 1994 Elektra Entertainment, a division of Warner Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.