What Matters Most (2023)

• But Wait, There's More
• Clouds With Ellipses
• Exhausting Lover
• Fragile
• Kristine From The 7th Grade
• Back To Anonymous
• Winslow Gardens
• Paddleboat Breakup
• What Matters Most
• Moments
• Happy Clapper (Deluxe Edition Bonus Track)
• Why Did You Tell Me Everything (Deluxe Edition Bonus Track)
• A Million Years Or So (Deluxe Edition Bonus Track)
• The Ghost In You (Vinyl Bonus Track) 

But Wait, There's More lyrics - Ben Folds

Wait

There's more

Wait

There's more

Wait, there's more

What used to be extreme's now a bore

That freak show in the landscaping parking lot

Was oh so funny then, now it's not

Enough

But wait, there's more

Did we really think we'd go back to normal?

Did we really ever think we could cut that cord?

'Cause look who's coming back, coming back for more

But wait, there's more

More, more, more

Do you still believe in the good of humankind?

I do, I do, I do, I do, I do

Wait

Time that you won't get back

There's more

All the places you'll never be

Wait

Books that you might have read

There's more

Grandmoms you can't unsee

But wait, there's more

More, more, more

Do you still believe in the good of humankind?

I do, I do, I do, I do, I do

There's more

But wait, there's more

Not sure that we can take too much more

Wait, there's more

Pray that there's a bottom somewhere in sight

Brothers and sisters, hold tight

Clouds With Ellipses lyrics - Ben Folds (feat. Dodie)

Fits and starts

Clouds and ellipses

I fill silences with the dark

And I, I can take it

I wanna know the uncensored thoughts

Or maybe not

I know you

And your rhythm

When you took an extra beat

That rang true

Were you being honest and thought better of it?

I watched the cloud hesitate, then nothing

Clouds with ellipses

They come and go and come and go and

Fade away

Clouds with ellipses

They come and go and come and go and

Fade away

For these moments

Nothing else matters

Life and doldrums and pain

We float free

Till the cloud bursts

Are you even real?

Is that what you started to tell me but couldn't?

Clouds with ellipses

They come and go and come and go and

Fade away

Clouds with ellipses

They come and go and come and go

Meet me here

Free and numinous

Soaring over the rain

We get to be our most beautiful versions

Until we come down

Someone else gets the real thing

And we get our dots and our clouds

Clouds with ellipses

They come and go and come and go and

Fade away

Clouds with ellipses

They come and go and come and go and

Fade away

Clouds with ellipses

They come and go and come and go

Exhausting Lover lyrics - Ben Folds

I woke up in a truck stop parking lot

A girl in a red white and blue halter top was staring

Thick glasses like mine

And a low bored monotone vocal fry

She said, who's the band on the bus?

What bus?

That one, nerd. The one that you got off of

Oh - probably no one you've heard of

Don't know what came over me

As I awkwardly dropped my room key

I said I think that's yours

And three hours later I was banging this verse out

Oh no - head meet floor

I don't wanna do this no more

Every kiss is a jam band solo

Never gonna say YOLO no mo'

My mind says no

My body says hell no

Let this be over

Exhausting lover

Not sure if she couldn't stop

Or if she wouldn't stop

As the motel carpet gave me five more raw spots

What's that stabbing my back?

Ah, that's a wire from her halter top

There was an hour where her head kept banging

Against the bottom of a table top

I saw my life in a split screen

But life's just one shot

What the hell would I tell my girlfriend

But the thing is she's not my girlfriend anymore

I traded it all for some third degree carpet burn

Oh no - head meet floor

I don't wanna do this no more

Every kiss is a jam band solo

Never gonna say YOLO no mo'

My mind says no

My body says hell no

Let this be over

Exhausting lover

Then she handed me a hot wheels track

I said, girl that's pretty weird

Where did you get that?

She said never mind that

Here nerd beat my ass in the bath like my dad did

When I was a bad kid

I said, nah what's this!

Let me up out of the Motel Six

And tell me where my pants went

That's when I heard the door breaking

It wasn't housekeeping

It was her boyfriend

Don't know what came over me

Out the door in my boxer briefs

Some dude live tweeted

As I ran half-naked past a Cracker Barrel

Oh no - head meet floor

I don't wanna do this no more

Every kiss is a jam band solo

Never gonna say YOLO no mo'

My mind says no

My body says hell no

Let this be over

Exhausting lover

I don't wanna do this no more

Exhausting lover

I don't wanna do this no more

Fragile lyrics - Ben Folds

You're only sorry

When you've been called out

And suddenly sane when I stand my ground

You have made such a mess

With no worry, no thought

Here come the tears

Now that you've been caught

Afraid to confront you

When you're so childlike

You pull no punches, and I absorb them

Just when I've had enough

Just before I might crack

You make me smile and

I take all of those thoughts back

Something so fragile about you

It's how you get away with what you do

It's like, crash, boom, oops

Did I break that too?

And I almost believe you

And just when I've had enough

And I thought I might leave

Rather than hurt you

I let you hurt me

Something so fragile about you

It's how you get away with what you do

It's like you're someone else

And when you come to

Your eyes well up

Oops, did I break that too?

And I almost believe you

Something so fragile about you

It's like I blacked out for a year and woke up with you

With a crash, boom, oops

Did I break that too?

Kristine From The 7th Grade lyrics - Ben Folds

Are you the same Kristine

I knew from 7th grade?

No, it's definitely you

Just with a new last name

Someone who laughed a lot

Is what I remember the most

But the face in your profile

Suggests maybe not so much anymore

Yeah, I got the e-mails

These last two years every day

And I just don't reply because

I'm not really sure what to say

Kristine, from the 7th grade

The anger, the ALL CAPS

And all the pseudoscience

The misspellings, they must be on purpose

We went to a good school, Kristine

So, what would you imagine I might

Take from this deluge of memes

With the cryptic, dark Bible quotes

Guns, and dead fetuses

Seriously Kristine, are you okay?

'Cause this world can be wonderful too, yeah?

Do you ever see it that way

Kristine, from the 7th grade

There's a break in the rain

A perfect time for a walk

The smell of wet leaves, the warm smiles and hellos

These things exist in the real world, you know

Oh, what a shame, Kristine

This disease that makes strangers of friends

But if these days it's really us's and them's

Maybe you should just take me off

Both of those lists

'Cause it's such a short, and sad and beautiful life

Do you ever see it that way?

Back To Anonymous lyrics - Ben Folds

These days

It doesn't matter, I can let myself go

No disguise, just go for a stroll

It's back to anonymous

But those years were

One big blur

I'm not sure where I have been

I dream the pieces back now and then

Is it cliche

Does it sound so ungrateful

When it comes out that way?

If so, I only mean to say

Thank you for those crazy days

But it's back to anonymous

Strangers

Creepy and comfortable that they knew my name

It's not at all what I thought that fame would be

It was just a small world

For a while

Is life better now?

Well, that depends on how I'm feeling about it

It's not so much that I wanted out

I really didn't have a say

But it's a big world

With un-famous people who deserve

The grand applause

And they quietly carry on

I'd like to think that I could be that strong

Daydreaming on the bus, that's all

Now it's back to anonymous

The wife and I

Feeding the birds, in love

In comfortable clothes

The neighbors, they don't wink like they know

But back when they'd say

"Savor this moment

It's your time

Seize the day"

But I couldn't stay awake

And I didn't feel a thing

And she reminds me when I start to think

I might throw my hat back in the ring

But it's time to be

Winslow Gardens lyrics - Ben Folds

Ten minutes in Winslow Gardens

Never noticed the views or the walls

The whole world was closing

We just took the keys and signed the line

Old folks in the windows watching

Rolling in with our rain-soaked bags

We'd packed in a rush back home

When always leaving meant always coming back

Oh, some trips just go one way

Oh, just when plans are made

You find you've started all over again

Ten weeks in Winslow Gardens

Aired out and the mold is gone

Back home the toll grows higher

It's hard to reconcile

With the bluer skies

Oh, some trips just go one way

Oh, just when it seemed so safe

It started all over again

Far away across the ocean

A small crowd and an auctioneer

They're picking over the pieces of our lives

But in this tiny apartment

Sleeping like the dead through the night

Ten years in Winslow Gardens

A young couple moved in down the hall

In the window we're watching the rain

Strip the last of the leaves

For an early fall

Oh, some trips just go one way

Oh, just when plans are made

You started all over

We've started all over again

Ten years in Winslow Gardens

Ten minutes

Paddleboat Breakup lyrics - Ben Folds

Tossed about the ocean in boats built for a lake

Life is but a dream a stream of beautiful mistakes

On a quiet lake so far from the shore

We had paddled for an hour

Back would be way more

She said that's just great

What is wrong with you?

You wait 'til we're trapped in a boat to tell me we're through?

But in the safest dark it had seemed so clear

Tell the truth and let the daylight shine

Watch the shadows disappear

And then the morning came

And I couldn't bring myself to say it

So we went through all seasons

Wrapped in safety vests

The bright red sun it seared my soul

Her eyes they burned the rest

You must really hate me

To have planned it out like this

You can get us back to the shore

I'm not rowing shit

And then the questions came

With no place to hide

Why did I blurt it trapped alone in a boat

I rowed against the tide

I guess I had all day

But I couldn't bring myself to say it

So we turned in our vests and headed to our cars

She said bye and drove away but mine it would not start

And now the sun is setting and everyone has left

I'm waiting for the tow truck now and she's just sent a text

She says

You see, these last few days I've had something big to say

How romantic it would be to wait and I could tell you on the lake

But then you dropped that bomb

And I couldn't bring myself to say it

What Matters Most lyrics - Ben Folds

I could not see the haze

Back in the day when we lived inside of it

Now I'm floating away

And haunting the halls night and day

Out in some storage space out on the highway

Fifteen years tossed in boxes

Chocked with old bills, phones, pictures and trash

Oh, the dramas and memories attached

Now I'm wondering

What matters most?

A true friend is

Someone who when you are with them

You know what matters most

Oh, but that door slammed so tight

With you and our time trapped behind it

Now you're floating away

But in these days of overwhelming change

I just wanna know what I want

Because I only seem to know what I don't

With so little time

What matters most? Mmm

Tell me what, what matters most? Mmm

I keep going for the phone

To send you a note with the news

And I'm thinking, "Man, you won't believe this"

You're gone

Sorting through photos of fake smiles

And photos of real ones

Now I've thrown the whole lot in the bin

Just got a glimpse

Of what matters most, mmm

Tell me what

What matters most, mmm

Moments lyrics - Ben Folds (feat. Tall Heights)

Let's tell ourselves that's it's great to be alive

Let's take our time

To open up our eyes

We mumble words that sound meaningless

When meaning is impossible to find

We try to hold these moments as they glow

We'll breathe them in

And then we'll let them go

And so I ask you to bear witness to this crime

Of letting my heart shine

I'm ready to surrender

Let's take the signs like the lonely hummingbird

That hummed right by

I hummed along assured

These stormy skies won't be dark enough

To throw me off when everything's aligned

The sand in the face

The dull and quiet pain

But for now seems so far away

It seems so far away

And so I ask you to bear witness to this crime

Of letting my heart shine

I'm ready to surrender

We try to hold

These moments as they glow

We'll breathe them in and then we'll

Let them go

Let them go

And now we lie together

Face up to the stars

I'm letting my heart shine

I think I just surrendered

Ah, ah, ah

Ah, ah

Happy Clapper lyrics - Ben Folds

Who's this man who's clapping along to a magical song that no one else can hear?

Better keep our distance, dear

Woa-oh

Anyone with half a brain knows a public happy clapping display

Is not okay

Obviously someone doesn't get much screen time

Someone give this idiot a mirror so he knows

It's not sexy being high on life

Oh, that kind of high was never in style

Happy clapper

Happy clapper

Who's this man taking pictures of rocks

When there were bright lights looking stylish in black and white for blocks

And blocks?

Some of the time, they proclaimed Ansel vapid

But they're fucking dead so history decides

Who's clapping in the sky

Oh, who's this band from the streets of Marin

Following their dreams in a van to make happy music when

It's not very cool to make happy music

It's never been cool to be happy at all

Happy clapper

Happy clapper

Oh-woah my god, there's nothing wrong with a

Happy clapper

Happy clapper

No, there's nothing wrong with them

Misery's got plenty company, but the

Happy clapper don't need company

To be happy

I'm not saying be that bastard who walks up to strangers and says, "Why don't you smile?"

Don't be that guy

It's the sign of a pervert

I'm just wondering what's so wrong about clapping along to a song that's out of time

With domesticated humans standing in line

With domesticated humans bumming out

To the beat of shoe-buying music

Just like the skinny LA models do

Do we really need a reason to smile

Happy clapper's happy just being alive

Happy clapper

Happy clapper

Oh-woah my god, there's nothing wrong with a

Happy clapper

Happy clapper

No, there's nothing wrong with them

Misery's got plenty company, but the

Happy clapper don't need company

Don't need company

Don't need company

To be happy

Why Did You Tell Me Everything lyrics - Ben Folds

I believe we can feel conflicting things

Like the way you're my cure or your my disease

Like the way you miss him and you're still kissing me

Oh why, why did you tell me everything?

And I'm trying

To kill all these useless feelings

So that we can just get over and learn to be

But you look in my eyes when I'm so hard to see

Oh why, why did you tell me everything?

I'm not mad

At you

I'm just mad

At the truth

You keep on asking when I'll be okay

I can't give you an answer

At least not today

I'm too easily swayed when you start to sing

Oh why, why did you tell me everything

Should've been listening to all your thoughts

Not just the ones that sounded like love

I don't blame you; maybe you'll blame me

Oh, 'cause you fucking told me everything

Why did you tell me?

A Million Years Or So lyrics - Ben Folds

(originally by Roger Miller)

I'm not worried, 'cause I know

I'll forget you in a million years or so

I'll miss you, but I'll know

I won't miss you but a million years or so

How I loved you, loved you so

How I lost you, maybe time and tide will let me know

But I'm not worried, 'cause I know

I'll forget you in a million years or so

How I loved you, loved you so

How I lost you, maybe time and tide will let me know

But I'm not worried, 'cause I know

I'll forget you in a million years or so

The Ghost In You lyrics - Ben Folds

(originally by The Psychedelic Furs)

A man in my shoes runs a light

And all the papers lied tonight

But falling over you

Is the news of the day

Angels fall like rain

And love, love, love is all of heaven away

Inside you the time moves

And she don't fade

The ghost in you

She don't fade

Inside you the time moves

And she don't fade

A race is on, I'm on your side

And hearing you, my engines die

I'm in a mood for you

For running away

Stars come down in you

And love, love, love, you can't give it away

Inside you the time moves

And she don't fade

The ghost in you

She don't fade

Inside you the time moves

And she don't fade

Don't you go

It makes no sense

When all your talking supermen

Just take away the time

And get in the way

Ain't it just like rain?

And love, love, love is only heaven away

Inside you the time moves

And she don't fade

The ghost in you

She don't fade

Inside you the time moves

And she don't fade

The ghost in you

She don't fade

So There (2015) - Ben Folds with yMusic Ensemble

• Capable Of Anything
• Not A Fan
• So There
• Long Way To Go
• Phone In A Pool
• Yes Man
• F10-D-A
• I'm Not The Man
• Concerto For Piano And Orchestra, Movement 1 (Instrumental)
• Concerto For Piano And Orchestra, Movement 2 (Instrumental)
• Concerto For Piano And Orchestra, Movement 3 (Instrumental)
• So There (Instrumental) 

Capable Of Anything lyrics - Ben Folds

What is this?

It doesn't make much sense

They sing it like a pop song

You're capable of anything

And I'm sure they meant

You could be president

Or you could just forgive me

But I stopped caring what you think about me

I gave up

We're told we are capable of anything

But you don't seem to think that you are

Capable of anything

Swung and missed

I put my heart in this

Mythical, holy, good guy

I want so bad to be

But I was weak and wrong

And when I owned it all

It only made you righteous now

You get to blame your life on me

But I stopped caring what you think about me

I gave up

We're told we are capable of anything

But you don't seem to think that you are

Capable of anything

You are capable of anything

But you don't seem to think that

You could fly so low or sink so high

That you could ever love again or even try

That you could steal, or cheat, or kill, or lie

But you might

Not A Fan lyrics - Ben Folds

I'm not a fan

But I understand

If there is something that moves you

That's not my cup of tea

It's part of what makes you beautiful to me

I'm not a fan

Like you and your friends

You're so well read; I grew up on sugar cereal and TV

I'm starting to wonder what you see in me

No, I'm not a fan

But maybe I could learn to be

Oh, there's always something from the start

You try to tell yourself it's only small

But it's not

And it's the very thing that later on will tear it all apart

I'm not a fan

And I wonder if you really are

Or does it make you feel smart?

A boy band with glasses

Just minus the heart

He's shaking his ass

And you call it art

I'll wait in the lobby; go meet him for real

We can all go to dinner, yeah, and I'll be third wheel

So go get your t-shirt signed, fangirl

I may or may not be here when you return

So fuck you

And your friends

So There lyrics - Ben Folds

A mattress and a stereo

Just like I started

And a note composed with thumbs and phone

On unpacked boxes

It's so well-written

But I won't be sending it

And I will not forget you

There is nothing to forget

Oh, so there

Through shiny streets and dirty snow

Blue skies in Ditmas

Oh Brooklyn it's my second sleep

I damn well did this

The world got big again

You couldn't get rid of it

And I cannot forget you

There is nothing to forget

Oh, so there

You taught me nothing

I owe you nothing

How could I forget you

When there's nothing to forget?

Oh, so there

Long Way To Go lyrics - Ben Folds

Yeah we got just five minutes

We got just five minutes

'Til the man cuts a rope

And we pull away

And there were no dry eyes

Try to keep yours to mine

There will be no guarantee

Of return

And it might be running out

Look around

We shut it down

We had a hell of a run

Hold on to your hat

Here we go

Long way to go

Long way to go

Long way to go

Long way to go

Long way to go

Long way to go

And the clock says (hey)

(Do do do do do do do do do do do

Do do do do)

Yeah we got just three minutes

'Til this all turns to mist

And the mist burns away

You'll walk alone

Back into the day

So let's drink up now

Or we can pour the rest of it out

Oh, but don't let this moment slip away

Have we learned anything

Anything, I gotta think

Maybe we learned when to hush

Hold on, here we go

Long way to go

Long way to go

Long way to go

Long way to go

Long way to go

Long way to go

And the clock says (hey)

(Do do do do do do do do do do do

Do do do do)

Yeah we've got just one minute

Long way to go

Long way to go

Long way to go

Long way to go

Long way to go

Long way to go

Long way to go

Long way to go

(Hey)

(Do do do do do do do do do do do

Do do do do do do do do do do do

Do do do do)

Phone In A Pool lyrics - Ben Folds

Take it easy, take it slow

Oh

Get on with the show

That's what I know

I woke in a cold sweat last night

Seems what's been good for the music

Hasn't always been so good for the life

I've thrown my phone in a pool

In New Orleans

Found the love of my life

Again y'all knows what I means

And I'll be back on your sofa in a puddle in a couple of weeks

Oh yeah

I can't tell what you're saying when you yell at the same time

You could be telling me the story of your life

Your life

Is my malfunction so surprising 'cause I always seem so stable and bright?

Ain't it always the quiet types?

I've thrown my phone in a pool

In New Orleans

Found the love of my life

Again y'all knows what I means

And I'll be back on your sofa in a puddle in a couple of weeks

Well I won't

I won't

I won't

I won't blame New Orleans

Can't you people function for a little while

Without me bouncing off the satellite for a night?

Drink it fast or drink it slow

That's what I know

When you've gotten to the bottom of it

It's time to go

And when you've lived to be two hundred feel free to proffer your advice

But until that time

Here's my auto reply

I've thrown my phone in a pool

In New Orleans

Found the love of my life

Again y'all knows what I means

And I'll be back on your sofa in a puddle in a couple of weeks

That's what I know

That's what I know

Yes Man lyrics - Ben Folds

Why didn't you tell me that

I got fat?

It's so easy I could see it now looking back

As I empty one more round of smiling photographs

So many things you never mentioned to me

You didn't think I could listen

Do I come across so weak?

I guess sometimes I am

Now you're so gone

Oh, I don't need a yes man and a song

Oh, why didn't you tell me 'bout it?

I watched a patch of morning light

As it crept across the bed and it reached your sleepy eyes

And in that time, I'd forgotten why

I couldn't tell you why I was mad

So I held it in and you kept it back

Every picture that I click

And drag

It's obvious

Now we're so gone

Oh, I don't need a yes man and a song

Oh, why didn't you tell me 'bout it?

I know, sometimes you try to talk to me

And I make a joke of it

I do that sometimes

I know it's gonna hurt

Why didn't you tell me that I got fat?

Now I'm crying all the way from the photomat

'Cause I see I got more chins than

A Chinese phone book has

Now you're so gone

Oh, I don't need a yes man and a song

Oh, why didn't you tell me 'bout it?

Oh, why didn't you tell me 'bout it?

F10-D-A lyrics - Ben Folds

F

F

F, A

Effed in the A

Effed in the A... with a D

With a D

Effed in the A

Effed in the A with a D

With a D

With a big, fat D

C?

Effed in the A

Effed in the A

With a D

With a D

Effed in the A

Effed in the A

With a D, a D

A big, fat D

C? C what it's like to B-flat out

Effed in the A (Effed in the A!)

Effed in the A (Effed in the A!)

Effed in the A with a D (With a D!)

With a D! With a D!

Effed in the A! Effed in the A with a big, fat D

With a D, with a D, oh, C?

C, E, C, E C what it's like to B-flat out?

Effed in the A, effed in the A with a D

With a D, with a D

Effed in the A, effed in the A

With a D, a D

A big, fat D

C what it's like to be?

F10-D-A!

I'm Not The Man lyrics - Ben Folds

What will they write about me?

What will the version be when all is said and done?

Will they remember all of the places seen, the poems lost

Or am I just wandering on? Yeah, I'm just wandering on

There could be fewer days ahead than gone

And all I've spent are long since on my way

To learn that nothing comes for free

But I'm not the man...

I'm not the man... I used to be

So it all comes out in the wash

What would you see?

Tattered pages in the ink stained pockets of your jeans?

So I've come to pay my respects at the wake

I've buried it all and I'm dancing on my own grave

There could be fewer days ahead than gone

And all I've spent are long since on my way

To learn that nothing comes for free

But I'm not the man...

I'm not the man... I used to be

Don't leave me behind

Don't leave me behind

Like I left you behind

There could be fewer days ahead than gone

And all I've spent are long since on my way

To learn that nothing comes for free

I had a lot of time to waste

I wrote the lines upon my face

Chasing down the shots they bought for me

And I'm not the man; I'm not the man

I'm not the man, but I used to be

I used to be my father's son

(I used to be) number one

(I used to be) paper and pencil

(I used to be) endless potential

(I used to be) Heaven and Earth

(I used to be) my net worth

(I used to be) one public, drunken moment

(I used to be) high paid and low rent

(I used to be) a man on a mission

My best chart position

The man in the mirror

Your brother, your killer

A new day, a new town

Your racehorse, your cash cow

'Til I let you all down

No, I want to be. I want to be

I just want to be

Concerto For Piano And Orchestra, Movement 1 lyrics - Ben Folds

(Instrumental)

Concerto For Piano And Orchestra, Movement 2 lyrics - Ben Folds

(Instrumental)

Concerto For Piano And Orchestra, Movement 3 lyrics - Ben Folds

(Instrumental)

So There (Instrumental) lyrics - Ben Folds

(Instrumental)

compilation: The Best Imitation Of Myself: A Retrospective (2011)

• Brick (Radio Mix)
• Annie Waits
• Philosophy
• Underground
• Landed (Strings Version)
• One Angry Dwarf And 200 Solemn Faces
• Don't Change Your Plans
• The Luckiest
• Smoke
• Rockin' The Suburbs
• Kate
• Gracie
• Still Fighting It (Extended Version)
• You Don't Know Me
• There's Always Someone Cooler Than You
• Still
• From Above
• House
• Julianne (1997 Version)
• Video
• Song For The Dumped
• Missing The War
• Mess
• Magic
• Selfless, Cold And Composed
• Zak And Sara
• Girl
• Just Pretend
• Fred Jones Pt. 2
• Careless Whisper
• All U Can Eat
• Long Tall Texan
• Army
• Battle Of Who Could Care Less
• Kylie From Connecticut
• Effington
• Picture Window
• Sentimental Guy
• Not The Same
• Unrelated
• Best Imitation Of Myself
• Rocky
• Boxing
• Julianne (1994 Version)
• Evaporated
• Alice Childress
• Barrytown
• Amelia Bright
• Tell Me What I Did
• Rock Star
• Losing Lisa (Demo)
• Break Up At Food Court
• Hiro's Song (Demo)
• Wandering
• The Secret Life Of Morgan Davis (Alternate Mix)
• Such Great Heights
• Bitches Ain't Shit
• Time (Alternate Version)
• Sleazy
• Because The Origami
• Stumblin' Home Winter Blues
• Underground (Demo)
• Steven's Last Night In Town
• Song For The Dumped (Demo)
• Narcolepsy
• Dr. Yang 

Brick (Radio Mix) lyrics - Ben Folds

6 AM, day after Christmas

I throw some clothes on in the dark

The smell of cold, car seat is freezing

The world is sleeping, I am numb

Up the stairs to her apartment

She is balled up on the couch

Her mom and dad went down to Charlotte

They're not home to find us out

And we drive

Now that I have found someone

I'm feeling more alone

Than I ever have before

She's a brick and I'm drownin' slowly

Off the coast and I'm headed nowhere

She's a brick and I'm drownin' slowly

They call her name at seven-thirty

I pace around the parking lot

And I walk down to buy her flowers

And sell some gifts that I got

Can't you see

It's not me you're dying for?

Now she's feeling more alone

Than she ever has before

She's a brick and I'm drownin' slowly

Off the coast and I'm headed nowhere

She's a brick and I'm drownin' slowly

As weeks went by, it showed that she was not fine

They told me, "Son, it's time to tell the truth."

And she broke down and I broke down

'Cause I was tired of lying

Driving back to her apartment

For the moment, we're alone

Yeah, she's alone and I'm alone

Now I know it

She's a brick and I'm drownin' slowly

Off the coast and I'm headed nowhere

She's a brick and I'm drownin' slowly

Philosophy lyrics - Ben Folds

Won't you look up at the skyline

At the mortar, block, and glass

And check out the reflections in my eyes

See they always used to be there

Even when this all was grass

And I sang and danced about a high-rise

And you were laughing at my helmet hat

Laughing at my torch

Go ahead you can laugh all you want

I got my philosophy

(Keeps my feet on the ground)

And I trust it like the ground

That's why my philosophy

Keeps me walking when I'm falling down

I see that there is evil

And I know that there is good

And the in-betweens I never understood

Won't you look at me I'm crazy

But I get the job done

I'm crazy but I get the job done

I say go ahead and laugh all you want

But I got my philosophy

(Keeps my feet on the ground)

And I trust it like the ground

That's why my philosophy

Keeps me walking when I'm falling down

I pushed you 'cause I loved you guys

I didn't realize you weren't having fun

And I dragged you up the stairs

And I told you to fly

You were flapping your arms

Then you started to cry, you were too high

Too high...

Now you take this all for granted

You take the mortar, block, and glass

And you forget the speech that moved the stone

But it's really not that you can't see

The forest from the trees

You've never been out in the woods alone

So you can laugh all you want to

I've got my philosophy

(It keeps my feet on the ground)

And I love you you're my friend

But you got no philosophy

Now it's time for this song to end

Landed (Strings Version) lyrics - Ben Folds

We'd hit the bottom

I thought it was my fault

And in a way I guess it was

I'm just now finding out

What it was all about

We'd moved to the West Coast

Away from everyone

She never told me that you called

Back when I was still

I was still in love

'Til I opened my eyes and walked out the door

And the clouds came tumbling down

And it's bye-bye, goodbye I tried

And I twisted it wrong just to make it right

Had to leave myself behind

And I've been flying high all night

So come pick me up

I've landed

The daily dramas

She made from nothing

So nothing ever made 'em right

She liked to push me

And talk me back down 'til I believed I was the crazy one

And in a way

I guess I was

But I opened my eyes and walked out the door

And the clouds came tumbling down

And it's bye-bye, goodbye I tried

Treading the sea of a troubled mind

Had to leave myself behind

Singing bye-bye, goodbye I tried

If you wrote me off

I'd understand it

'Cause I've been on

Some other planet

So come pick me up

I've landed

And you will be so

Happy to know

I've come alone

It's over

But I opened my eyes and walked out the door

And the clouds came tumbling down

And it's bye-bye, goodbye I tried

Down comes the reign of the telephone czar

It's okay to call

And I will answer for myself

Come pick me up

I've landed

One Angry Dwarf And 200 Solemn Faces lyrics - Ben Folds

September '75, I was 47 inches high

My mom said by Christmas I would have

A bad-ass mother G.I. Joe for your little minds to blow

I still got beat up after class

Yeah, now I'm big and important

One angry dwarf and 200 solemn faces are you

If you really wanna see me

Check the papers and the TV

Look who's tellin' who what to do

Kiss my ass goodbye

Don't give me that bullshit, you know who I am

I'm your nightmare little man

Vic, you stole my lunch money, made me cry

Jane, remember second grade?

Said you couldn't stand my face

Rather than kiss me

You said you'd rather die

I'm big and important

One angry dwarf and 200 solemn faces are you

If you really wanna see me

Check the papers and the TV

Look who's tellin' who what to do

No, kiss my ass goodbye

You'll be sorry one day

Yes you will, yes you will

You shouldn't push me around

'Cause I will, yes I will

You will be sorry when I'm big

Yes you will, yes you will

You will be sorry

Now I'm big and important

One angry dwarf and 200 solemn faces are you

If you really wanna see me

Check the papers and the TV

No, look who's tellin' who what to do

Kiss my ass

Kiss my ass

Kiss my ass goodbye now

Kiss my ass

Kiss my ass goodbye now

Kiss my ass

Kiss my ass goodbye now

Kiss my ass

Kiss my ass goodbye now

September '75, I was 47 inches high

September '75

September '75

Don't Change Your Plans lyrics - Ben Folds

Sometimes I get the feeling

That I won't be on this planet for very long

I really like it here

I'm quite attached to it, I hope I'm wrong

All I really wanna say

You're the reason I wanna stay

I loved you 'fore I met you

And I met you just in time

'Cause there was nothing left

I sat here on my suitcase

In our empty new apartment 'til the sun went down

Then I walked back down the stairs

With all my bags and drove away

You must be freaking out

All I know is I gotta be

Where my heart says I oughta be

It often makes no sense, in fact

I never understand these things I feel

Don't change your plans for me

I won't move to L.A

The leaves are falling back east

That's where I'm gonna stay

You have made me smile again

In fact, I might be sore from it

It's been a while

I know we've been together many times before

I'll see you on the other side

But don't change your plans for me

I won't move to L.A

The leaves are falling back east

That's where I'm gonna stay

All I really wanna say

Is you're the reason I wanna stay

But destiny is calling and won't hold

And when my time is up I'm outta here

All I know is I've gotta be

Where my heart says I oughta be

It often makes no sense, in fact

I never understand these things

I feel

I love you, goodbye

I love you, goodbye

Smoke lyrics - Ben Folds

Leaf by leaf and page by page

Throw this book away

All the sadness, all the rage

Throw this book away

Rip out the binding and tear the glue

And all of the grief we never even knew

We had it all along

Now it's smoke

The things we've written in it

Never really happened

All the things we've written in it

Never really happened

And all of the people come and gone

Never really lived

All the people come have gone

No one to forgive

Smoke

We will not write a new one

There will not be a new one

Another one, another one

Here's an evening dark with shame

(Throw it on the fire)

Here's the time I took the blame

(Throw it on the fire)

Here is the time when we didn't speak

It seems, for years and years

And here's a secret

No one will ever know

The reasons for the tears

They are smoke

Smoke

Smoke

We will not write a new one

There will not be a new one

Another one, another one

Where do all the secrets live?

They travel in the air

You can smell them when they burn

They travel

Those who say the past is not dead

Can stop and smell the smoke

You keep saying the past is not dead

Well, stop and smell the smoke (you keep saying)

You keep on saying the past is not even past (you keep saying)

And you keep saying (you keep saying)

We are smoke

Smoke

Smoke

Kate lyrics - Ben Folds

She plays "Wipe Out" on the drums

The squirrels and the birds come

Gather around to sing the guitar

Oh, I

Have you got nothing to say?

When all words fail, she speaks

Her mix tape's a masterpiece

Walks through the garden

So the roses can see

Oh, I

Have you got nothing to say?

And you can see

Daisies in her footsteps

Dandelions (dandelions)

Butterflies (butterflies)

I wanna be Kate

Kate

Kate

Kate

Every day she wears the same thing

I think she smokes pot

She's everything I want

She's everything I'm not

Oh, I

Have you got nothing to say?

She never gets wet

She smiles and it's a rainbow (oh, whoa)

And she speaks (and she speaks)

And she breathes (and she breathes)

I wanna be Kate

Kate

Kate

Kate

Down by Rosemary and Cameron

She hands out the Bhagavad Gita

I see her around every couple days

I wanna see her so that I can say, "Hey, Kate"

She never gets wet

She smiles and it's a rainbow

You can see (you can see)

I wanna, wanna, wanna, wanna be Kate

Kate

Kate

No, no

Kate

Kate

Kate

No, no, no, no, no, no

Still Fighting It (Extended Version) lyrics - Ben Folds

Good morning, son

I am a bird

Wearing a brown polyester shirt

You want a Coke?

Maybe some fries?

The roast-beef combo's only nine ninety five

It's okay, you don't have to pay

I've got all the change

Everybody knows

It hurts to grow up

And everybody does

It's so weird to be back here

Let me tell you what

The years go on and

We're still fighting it, we're still fighting it

And you're so much like me

I'm sorry

Good morning, son

Twenty years from now

Maybe we'll both sit down and have a few beers

And I can tell you 'bout today

And how I picked you up and everything changed

It was pain

Sunny days and rain

I knew you'd feel the same things

Everybody knows

It sucks to grow up

And everybody does

It's so weird to be back here

Let me tell you what

The years go on and

We're still fighting it, we're still fighting it

You'll try and try and one day you'll fly

Away from me

Good morning, son

Good morning, son

Good morning, son

Good morning, son

Good morning, son

I am a bird

Good morning, son

Good morning, son

It was pain

Sunny days and rain

I knew you'd feel the same things

Everybody knows

It hurts to grow up

And everybody does

It's so weird to be back here

Let me tell you what

The years go on and

We're still fighting it, we're still fighting it

Oh, we're still fighting it, we're still fighting it

And you're so much like me

I'm sorry

House lyrics - Ben Folds

There's a sign up in the yard and the, the furniture has gone

Filled with fetid memories unworthy of a song

Flashes of sad and angry faces come and go

Could anyone live between those walls and never know?

And I could go there but I'm not going

Pulse is slowing, no, I'm not nervous anymore

I've had the nightmares, I've seen some counselors

But I'm not going back up in that house again

It's just like waking up in that second and a half

The bliss of not remembering before it all comes flooding back

So what do I do as all these voices come and go?

Could anyone live inside my head and never know?

And I could go there, I'm not going

Pulse is slowing, no, I'm not nervous anymore

I've seen the nightmares and some counselors

I'm not going back up in that house again, in that house again

I'm not sorry for what I'm feeling

Blow the walls out, bring the ceiling to the ground

I've had the nightmares, seen the counselors

I'm not going back up in that house again

Julianne (1997 Version) lyrics - Ben Folds

I met this girl, she looked like Axl Rose

Got drunk and took her home and we slept in our clothes

And in the morning, put my feet on the floor and thought:

"Being awake never felt like this before"

And Julianne, you know she wouldn't approve

Talked all day on the phone 'cause I had nothing to do

Got rid of Axl by the afternoon

Being awake never felt so clear and blue

That's all I knew

Guess that I was innocent too

I sing a song, yeah, and it won't be the blues

'Cause I don't miss Julianne

My friend, she told me she felt sorry for me

She said the truth would come crashing down on me

That I'd feel sorry but the truth of it is

That I feel guilty for not giving a shit

That's all I knew

Guess that I was innocent too

I'll sing a song, yeah, and it won't be the blues

I don't miss Julianne

I got a bag of trash, got my bag of trash

I walk it up and down, I drag it up and down the road

How could she miss a man

Who drags a bag of trash down the road?

This week, I feel like I've been born again

You know that Julianne, she would have a fit

She'd find a reason for the things that I did

She gave me credit for the things that I've never been

That's all I knew

Guess that I was innocent too

I can try just hard as I can

I don't miss Julianne

I can try hard as I can

I don't miss Julianne

Video lyrics - Ben Folds

Barren stares as they light up the screen

Bearing teardrops that shatter in slow-motion

Novocaine our brains and we're out like lights

As I'm growing older I'm bored

I remember when misery thrilled me much more

When I can't relax

And I'd like to go back

But that's gone

Yeah, that's gone, turn around

Turn the volume down

We're counting the days down

'Til the day when we live in a video

I'll be stone-faced and pale

You'll pout in stereo

24 hours every day of the year

Oh, what fun I can't wait 'til the future gets here

Closing in on the pain and the torture

He's slamming the doors like it's something to strive for

The girl tearing the curtains down looks funny as hell

And of sense of humor can there be any doubt

Yeah well natural selection just weeded it out

Used to keep me from laughing out loud

But that's gone

We don't think that way no more

That's gone, turn around, turn the volume down

We're counting the days down

'Til the day when we live in a video

I'll be stone-faced and pale

You'll pout in stereo

24 hours every day of the year

Oh, what fun I can't wait 'til the future gets

Well I've seen some old friends sort of die

Or just turn into whatever must've been inside

And whatever all of us had then in common

Grew up and left home

We don't think that way no more

Turn around, turn the volume down

We're counting the days down

'Til the day when we live in a video

I'm stone-faced and pale

You'll pout in stereo

24 hours every day of the year

Oh, what fun I can't wait 'til the future gets here

Missing The War lyrics - Ben Folds

All is quiet

His tired eyes

See figures jotted down

And clothes all strewn around the bedroom floor

Now nothing's adding up

And nothing's making sense

She's sleeping like a baby

She doesn't know he wasn't meant for this

I'm missing the war (ba ba ba ba)

I'm missing the war all night (ba ba ba ba)

Missing the war (ba ba ba ba)

I'm missing the war (aah...)

He drove home again

Pissed and beaten

It's really no big deal

It happens all the time

It's no big deal

I'm missing the war (ba ba ba ba)

I'm missing the war all night (ba ba ba ba)

Missing the war (ba ba ba ba)

I'm missing the war

'Til beads of sunlight hit me in the morning

So much time, so little to say

Time may fly

And dreams may die

The shaking voice that tells him go

Still thinks he might

He knows he won't

I'm missing the war (ba ba ba ba)

I'm missing the war all night (ba ba ba ba)

Missing the war (ba ba ba ba)

I'm missing the war (aah...)

(Aah...)

Missing the war (aah...)

Missing the war (aah...)

Mess lyrics - Ben Folds

Was a time when I had nothing to explain

Oh, this mess I have made

But then things got complicated

My innocence has all but faded

Oh, this mess I have made

And I don't believe in God

So I can't be saved

All alone, as I've learned to be

In this mess I have made

Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh

Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh

All the untested virtue

The things I said I'd never do

Least of all to you

I know he's kind and true

I know that he is good to you

He'll never care for you more than I do

But I don't (No, I don't)

Believe in love

So I can't (So I can't)

Be tamed (Be saved)

All alone as I've learned to be

In this mess (In this mess)

I have made

The same mistakes

Over and over again

There are rooms in this house that I don't open anymore

Dusty books and pictures on the floor

But she will never see

She'll never see that part of me

I want to be for her

What I could never be for you

And I don't (No, I don't)

Believe in God

So I can't (So I can't)

Be saved (Be saved)

All alone as I've learned to be

In this mess (In this mess)

I have made

Ooh

Magic lyrics - Ben Folds

From the back of your big brown eyes

I knew you'd be gone as soon as you could

And I hoped you would

We could see that you weren't yourself

And the lines on your face did tell

It's just as well

You'd never be yourself again

Saw you last night

Dance by the light of the moon

Stars in your eyes

Free from the life that you knew

You're the magic that holds the sky up from the ground

You're the breath that blows these cool winds 'round

Trading places with an angel now

Saw you last night

Dance by the light of the moon

Stars in your eyes

Free from the life that you knew

Saw you last night

Stars in the sky

Smiled in my room

Selfless, Cold And Composed lyrics - Ben Folds

I said what you wanted to hear

And what I wanted to say

So I will take it back

And all the dishes intact?

Let them be broken, broken

It's easy to be

Easy and free

When it doesn't mean anything

You remain selfless, cold and composed

You've done me no favor

To call and be nice

Telling me I

Can take anything I like

You don't owe me to be so polite

You've done no wrong

You've done no wrong

Get out of my sight

It's easy to be

Easy and free

When it doesn't mean anything

You remain

Selfless, cold and composed

Come on baby, now throw me a right to the chin

Don't just stare like you never cared, I know you did

But you just smiled like a bank teller

Blankly telling me, "Have a nice life."

Come on baby now throw me a right to the chin

Just one sign that would show me that you give a shit

Don't you just smile like a bank teller blankly telling me "Have a nice life"

Come on baby now throw me a right to the chin

Just one sign that would show me that you give a shit

But you just smile politely

And I grow weaker and I

Said what you wanted to hear

And what I wanted to say

So I will take it back

It's easy to be

Easy and free

When it doesn't mean anything

It doesn't mean anything

We can take anything

You can take anything

You're so selfless, cold

You're so selfless, cold

You're so selfless, cold and composed

Girl lyrics - Ben Folds

Ah, yeah

Girl, it's been a long time

Since we had it going on that way

The feeling's getting stronger

Each and every day

Ah

Wake up, oh yeah

I can feel you but you're not there

Holding on to thin air

'Cause you're dreaming of somebody else

Girl, it's been a long time

Since we had it going on that way

The feeling's getting stronger

Each and every day

(I'll be there, I'll be there)

(I'll be there, I'll be there)

If you call me back, girl

(I'll be there, I'll be there)

I will be your man

(I'll be there, I'll be there)

'Cause your roommate lied her ass off

(You were there, you were there)

Girl

Just Pretend lyrics - Ben Folds (with The Bens)

[Ben Kweller:]

Well I held you with our un-dry eyes

Happy years pass by

It's OK to cry

[The Bens:]

After all

In the end

Just pretend

[Ben Lee:]

Well it's sticks and stones and broken homes

That taught us how to smile

[The Bens:]

After all

In the end

Just pretend

[Ben Folds:]

There's a name that plays in my head

All day long

Like a song

She's with me every day

[The Bens:]

After all

In the end

Just pretend

Everyone needs

Everyone needs

Everyone needs

[Ben Kweller:]

If the sun can shine

You'll be just fine

Look into your mind

Where you're free

[The Bens:]

After all

In the end

Just pretend

[Ben Lee:]

'Cause we hurt each other once before

Let's not do that again

[The Bens:]

After all

In the end

Just pretend

[Ben Folds:]

And a voice so familiar

Wakes me up in the middle

And she thinks that I'm having a bad dream

[The Bens:]

After all

In the end

Just pretend

Everyone needs

Everyone needs

Everyone needs

[Ben Kweller:]

After all

It's the end

Fred Jones Pt. 2 lyrics - Ben Folds

Fred sits alone at his desk in the dark

There's an awkward young shadow waits in the hall

He's cleared all his things, and he's put them in boxes

Things that remind him, "Life has been good."

Twenty-five years

He's worked at the paper

A man's here to take him downstairs

"And I'm sorry, Mr. Jones

It's time."

There was no party, and there were no songs

'Cause today's just a day like the day that he started

No one is left here that knows his first name

And life barrels on like a runaway train

Where the passengers change

They don't change anything

You get off; someone else can get on

"And I'm sorry, Mr. Jones

It's time."

Streetlight shines through the shades

Casting lines on the floor, and lines on his face

He reflects on the day

Fred gets his paints out and goes to the basement

Projecting some slides onto a plain white

Canvas and traces it

Fills in the spaces

He turns off the slides, and it doesn't look right

Yeah, and all of these bastards

Have taken his place

He's forgotten but not yet gone

And I'm sorry, Mr. Jones

And I'm sorry, Mr. Jones

And I'm sorry, Mr. Jones

It's time

Careless Whisper lyrics - Ben Folds (feat. Rufus Wainwright)

(originally by George Michael)

I feel so unsure

As I take your hand and lead you to the dance floor

As the music dies

Something in your eyes

Calls to mind a silver screen

And all its sad goodbyes

I'm never gonna dance again

Guilty feet have got no rhythm

Though it's easy to pretend

I know you're not a fool

I should've known better than to cheat a friend

And waste a chance that I've been given

So I'm never gonna dance again

The way I danced with you

Time can never heal

The careless whispers of a good friend

Ignorance is kind

To the heart and mind

There's no comfort in the truth

Pain is all you'll find

I'm never gonna dance again

Guilty feet have got no rhythm

Though it's easy to pretend

I know you're not a fool

I should've known better than to cheat a friend

And waste a chance that I've been given

So I'm never gonna dance again

The way I danced with you

Tonight the music seems so loud

I wish that we could lose this crowd

Baby, it's better this way

We'd hurt each other with the things we want to say

We could have been so good together

We could have made this last forever

But now who's gonna dance with me

Please stay

I'm never gonna dance again

Guilty feet have got no rhythm

Though it's easy to pretend

I know you're not a fool

I should've known better than to cheat a friend

And waste a chance that I've been given

So I'm never gonna dance again

The way I danced with you

Long Tall Texan lyrics - Ben Folds

Well I'm a long tall Texan

I wear a ten-gallon hat

(He rides from Texas with his ten-gallon hat)

Yeah I'm a long tall Texan

I wear a ten-gallon hat

(He rides from Texas with his ten-gallon hat)

And people look at me and they say

"Oh Roy, oh, Roy, is that your hat?"

"Yeah, that's my hat"

Well I'm a long tall Texan

I ride it to enforce the law

(He rides from Texas to enforce the law)

Yeah I'm a long tall Texan

I ride it to enforce the law

(He rides from Texas to enforce the law)

And people look at me and they say

"Oh Roy, oh, Roy is you the law?"

"Yeah, I'm the fucking law"

Well I'm a long tall Texan

(I don't know the rest of the words

Anybody know?...)

Yeah I'm a long tall Texan

"Oh Roy, oh, Roy, is you the law?"

1, 2, 1, 2, 3, hey!

Sorry, sorry

Army lyrics - Ben Folds

Well I thought about the army

Dad said, son you're fucking high

And I thought, yeah there's a first for everything

So I took my old man's advice

Three sad semesters

It was only fifteen grand spent in bed

I thought about the army

I dropped out and joined a band instead

Grew a mustache and a mullet

Got a job at Chick-Fil-A

Citing artistic differences

The band broke up in May

And in June reformed without me

And they got a different name

I nuked another grandma's apple pie

And hung my head in shame

Oh no

I've been thinking a lot today

I've been thinking a lot today

Whoa, I think I'll write a screenplay

Whoa, I think I'll take it to LA

Whoa, I think I'll get it done yesterday

Aw, shit

In this time of introspection

On the eve of my election

I say to my reflection

God, please spare me more rejection

'Cause my peers they criticize me

And my ex-wives all despise me

Try to put it all behind me

But my redneck past is nipping at my heels

I've been thinking a lot today

I've been thinking a lot today

I've been thinking a lot today

I thought about the army

Battle Of Who Could Care Less lyrics - Ben Folds

Do you not hear me anymore?

I know it's not your thing to care

I know it's cool to be so bored

It sucks me in when you're aloof

It sucks me in, it sucks it works

I guess it's cool to be alone

Do you never rest

Fighting the battle of who could care less?

Everyday

You wake up late

Sometimes I wish I was that way

You think Rockford Files is cool

But there are some things that you would change if it were up to you

So think about your masterpiece (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)

Watch the Rockford Files and call to see if Paul can score some weed

Will you never rest

Fighting the battle of who could care less?

Unearned unhappiness

That's all right, I guess

I've got this great idea

Why don't we pitch it to the Franklin fucking Mint?

Fine pewter portraits of

General Apathy and Major Boredom singing

"Whatever and ever amen"

Oh well, maybe not, I'll try again

This should cheer you up for sure

See, I've got your old I.D.

And you're all dressed up like the Cure

You never rest

Fighting the battle of who could care less

Unearned unhappiness

You're my hero, I confess

Unrelated lyrics - Ben Folds

What will it take to make me happy today?

A baby with a bagel

Or a hat that looks like hair?

What would I see to make the sun come out before me?

A dog that has to wear the leash before he can pee...

Best Imitation Of Myself lyrics - Ben Folds

I feel like a quote out of context

Withholding the rest

So I can be for you what you want to see

I've got the gesture and sounds

Got the timing down

It's uncanny, yeah, you'd think it was me

Do you think I should take a class

To lose my southern accent

Did I make me up, or make the face 'til it stuck

I do the best imitation of myself

The problem-with-you speech

You gave me was fine

I liked the theories about my little stage

And I swore I was listening

But I started drifting

Around the part about me acting my age

So now if it's all the same

I've people to entertain

You know I juggle one-handed

Do some magic tricks and

The best imitation of myself

Maybe I'm thinking myself in a hole

Wondering who I am, when I ought to know

Straighten up now time to go

Fool somebody else

Fool somebody else

Last night I was east with them and west within

Trying to be for you what you wanna see

But I can't help it with you

The good and bad comes through

Hanging out with no one but me

But it's all the same

It comes from the same place

And if my mind's somewhere else

You won't be able to tell

I do the best imitation of myself

Yes it's uncanny to see

You'd really think it was me

The best imitation of myself

The best imitation of myself

Rocky lyrics - Ben Folds

We were in a park

And I could jump so far

Seems that all I'd ever done

Were smoking pot out in the car

And this fear faded in

From my deputies in my old school

He says

"Ben, we both know you're a saint

I've been running through these fields

It's such a lovely place you drink

Is it your imagination

It's been years since I've been on my feet?"

Now it's Rocky's day

And it's on it's way

Sun won't be coming out today

Now it's Rocky's day

And it's time he went away

Sun won't be coming out today

Now I recall

But I don't know who

Told me Rocky was a runner

Won a medal back in school

Now at Christmas mamma says

You go up in Rocky's room

And as we watch the sun go down

He thanks me for my dreams

He says "I know you think you are

But you're not completely free

The man who's seen the spectre of the

Completely free."

Now it's Rocky's day

And it's on it's way

Sun won't be coming out today

Now it's Rocky's day

And it's on it's way

Sun won't be coming out today

Then he smiled

And he turned and walked away

He said over his shoulder

"I'll be gone when you're awake."

Now it's Rocky's day

And it's on it's way

Sun won't be coming out today

Now it's Rocky's day

And it's on it's way

Sun won't be coming out today

Boxing lyrics - Ben Folds

Howard, the strangest things

Have happened lately

When I take a good swing

And all my dreams

They pivot and slip

I drop my fists and they're back

Laughing, Howard

My intention's become not to lose what I've won

Ambition has given way to desperation and I

Lost the fight from my eyes

Boxing's been good to me, Howard

Now I'm old, you're growing old

The whole time we knew

In a couple of years I'd be through

Has boxing been good to you?

Howard, I confess I'm scared and lonely and tired

They seem to think I'm made of clay

Another day, I'm not cut out for this

I just know what to say, I say

Boxing's been good to me, Howard

Now I'm old, you're growing old

The whole time we knew

In a couple of years I'd be through

Has boxing been good to you?

Well sometimes I punch myself hard as I can

Yelling nobody cares hoping someone will tell me how

Wrong I am

Boxing's been good to me, Howard

Now I'm old, you're growing old

The whole time we knew

In a couple of years I'd be through

Has boxing been good

Has boxing been good

Has boxing been good to you?

Julianne (1994 Version) lyrics - Ben Folds

I met this girl, she looked like Axl Rose

Got drunk and took her home and we slept in our clothes

In the morning put my feet on the floor and thought

Being awake never felt like this before

And Julianne I know she wouldn't approve

Talked all day on the phone 'cause I had nothing to do

Got rid of Axl by the afternoon

Being awake never felt so beautiful

That's all I knew

Guess that I was innocent too

I'll sing a song and it won't be the blues

'Cause I don't miss Julianne

A friend she told me she felt sorry for me

She said the truth would come crashing down on me

That I'd be sorry but the truth of it is

That I feel guilty for not giving a shit

That's all I knew

Guess that I was innocent too

I'll sing a song and it won't be the blues

'Cause I don't miss Julianne

I got a bag of trash

I got my bag of trash

I drag it up and down, I drag it up and down the road

How could she miss a man

Who drags a bag of trash down the road

This week I feel like I been born again

You know that Julianne she would have a fit

She'd find a reason for the things that I did

And gave me credit for the things that I've never been

That's what I knew

Guess that I was innocent too

I can try just as hard as I can

But I don't miss Julianne

Yeah, I can try just as hard as I can

I don't miss Julianne

Evaporated lyrics - Ben Folds

What I've kept with me

And what I've thrown away

Now where the hell I've ended up

On this glary random day

Where the things I really cared about

Just left along the way

From being too pent up and proud

Woke up way too late

Feeling hung over and old

And the sun was shining bright

And I walked barefoot down the road

Started thinking about my old man

It seems that all men

Wanna get into a car and go

Anywhere

Here I stand sad and free

I can't cry and I can't see

What I've done

Oh God, what have I done?

Don't you know I'm numb, man

No, I can't feel a thing at all

'Cause it's all smiles and business these days

And I'm indifferent to the loss

I've faith that there's a soul somewhere

That's leading me around

I wonder if she knows

Which way is down

Here I stand sad and free

I can't cry and I can't see

What I've done

Oh God, what have I done? Ooh

I poured my heart out

I poured my heart out

It evaporated

See?

Blind man on a canyon's edge of a panoramic scene

Or maybe I'm a kite that's flying high and random

Dangling a string

Or slumped over in a vacant room

Head on a stranger's knee

I'm sure back home

They think I've lost my mind

Here I stand sad and free

I can't cry and I can't see

What I've done

Oh God, what have I done?

Alice Childress lyrics - Ben Folds

Some summers in the evening after 6 or so

I walk on down the hill

Maybe buy a beer

I think about my friends

Sometimes I wish they lived out here

But they wouldn't dig this town

No, they wouldn't dig this town

Try not to think about it, Alice Childress

Try not to think about it anymore

Try not to think about it, Alice Childress

Anymore

No, not anymore, oh

Alice, the world is full of ugly things

That you can't change

Pretend it's not that way

It's my idea of faith

You can blow it off

And say there's good in nearly everyone

Just give them all a chance

Now let's give them all a chance

Try not to think about it, Alice Childress

Try not to think about it anymore

Try not to think about it, Alice Childress

Anymore

No, not anymore, oh

No, it didn't work out

No, it didn't work out the way we thought it would

No, it didn't work out

(An arranged marriage is not so good)

Thank God it's you

You know, your timing is impeccable

I'm not fooling you

I don't know what to do

Some dude just knocked me cold

And left me on the sidewalk

Took everything I had

And everything I had

Try not to think about it, Alice Childress

Try not to think about it anymore

It's getting late where you are, Alice Childress

Anymore

No, not anymore

Anymore

No, not anymore

Barrytown lyrics - Ben Folds

(originally by Steely Dan)

I'm not one to look behind I know that times must change

But over there in Barrytown they do things very strange

And though you're not my enemy

I like things like they used to be

And though you'd like some company

I'm standing by myself

Go play with someone else

I can see by what you carry that you come from Barrytown

Don't believe I'm taken in by stories I have heard

I just read the Daily News and swear by every word

And don't think that I'm out of line

For speaking out for what is mine

I'd like to see you do just fine

But look at what you wear

And the way you cut your hair

I can see by what you carry that you come from Barrytown

In the beginning we recall that the world was round

Barrytown people got to be from another world

Leave me or I'll be just like the others you will meet

They won't act as kindly if they see you on the street

And don't you scream or make a shout

It's nothing you can do about it

It was there where you came out

It's a special lack of grace

I can see it in your face

I can see by what you carry that you come from Barrytown

Amelia Bright lyrics - Ben Folds

Hey

Something, it's new

It got into me

And I hope that it got into you

But wait

Like colors, like paint

A trumpets been played

And I hope that it's got, hope that it got into you

There's no doubt

Here lies Amelia Bright

In a red 50s dress from a thrift shop nearby

I lay on my back and stared at the sky

With Amelia Bright

There's clothes that aren't put away

There's me spread all over the floor

I am lost in one place

I'm stuck and I'm strayed

And I hope that you feel the same too

And there's no doubt

Here lies Amelia Bright

In a red 50s dress from a thrift shop nearby

I lay on the grass and stared at the sky

With Amelia Bright

There's no doubt

There's nothing to work out

You're alone

'Cause you're always on your own

When you yawn, it makes me want to yawn too

Blank expressionless clue

What got into you

With a necklace no shoes

A promise or two

And a life to rewrite and improve

There's no doubt

Here lies Amelia Bright

In a red 50s dress from a thrift shop nearby

I lay on my back and stared at the sky

With Amelia Bright

Tell Me What I Did lyrics - Ben Folds

My nose was hurting

And I was shouting something

We were two kids

And I was fat and grumpy

Push you down some stairs

I said, "Your mom smells like old underwear."

And then you split my lip

Won't you tell me what I did?

Tell me what I did

Tell me what I did

Shelley was pretty

She studied algebra

She made some cookies

For the whole math class

She would talk to me

Even though I was a bully

I always knew she'd be somebody

Now she's the editor-in-chief

Of a free magazine

Tell me what I did

Tell me

The kids formed a circle

Just like "Enter The Dragon"

I was defending myself

From snowballs coming at me

I said, "I'll come back then

And get you one-on-one."

"Oh yeah? We're no longer friends,"

As he started to run

Screaming, "Tell me what I did."

Tears in my eyes

"Tell me what I did

Tell me what I did."

Tell me what I did

Tell me what I did

Tell me what I did

Tell me what I did

T-t-t-tell me what I did