Water Hammer

1. Irrational Man

No one here but you and me
As far as anyone can see
Our footsteps echo gracefully
In an empty travel agency

Bad dog bark for no good reason
Plant the seeds in picking season
Pledge allegiance with more treason
Fallow the land and start again

Irrational man
Irrational man
Irrational man

Irrational to the end
And to the end we go
Irrational in the head
The evidence will show

No one here to make you happy
Or turn off your relentless yapping
Population always napping
Turn your cheek for more bitch slapping

Gone today, here tomorrow
Sticking out like Kilimanjaro
Empty head make words ring hollow
Ego way too big to swallow

Irrational man
Irrational man
Irrational man

Irrational to the end
And to the end we go
Irrational in the head
The evidence will show

Bury your head beneath the sand

Irrational to the end
And to the end we go
Irrational in the head
The evidence will show

Irrational man
Irrational man
Irrational man
Irrational man

2. Cloudburst of a Dream

Hiding in the sun
Won’t you let the blindness come
Your shadow is undone
I believe the light has won
In this arid land
Nothing grows in the sand
We could use a helping hand
Just a sliver of a strand

Rain coming down hard
Tears of a star
Fall from the sky
I’ve got clouds in my eyes

Falling to my knees
In the shade of Camphor trees
Just a quiver of a breeze
Make it pour, if you please
Nothing in this stream
Dry as bone, vapor steam
I can hear the desert scream
Got a cloudburst of a dream

Rain coming down hard
Tears of a star
Fall from the sky
I’ve got clouds in my eyes

3. Zanja Madre

This is a wasteland
No water at all
Empty skies above us
Below, nowhere to fall

Oh zanja madre
Oh zanja madre

We will build our homes here
From the dust and stone
Grow flowers in the desert
And roses out of bone

Oh zanja madre
Oh zanja madre

4. Law of the River

California desert sand
Nothing rises in this barren land
It doesn’t rain here
The empty sky
We need assistance
Do or die

Bureau! Bureau!
Blossom from the dust!

Who wants the water
Law of the river
Who gets the water
From the river
Who wants the water
Law of the river
Who gets the water now

5. Liquid Gold Ghosts

Sometimes I walk alone late at night
Down the quiet palm tree lined streets
The ghosts of settlements past
Whisper in the shadows
“Where is the liquid gold you promised?”
“We are dying of thirst, dying of thirst, dying…”

6. Wasters

There is not enough for everyone
But you want to have your cake and eat it too

Waster
Racing to the wasteland
Drinking every drop
Wasting all you can

Waster
Bracing for the impact
Bracing for the kickback
Wasting all you have

There are far too many people in this world
But you don’t care – it’s not your problem to solve

You’re a Waster
Racing to the wasteland
Drinking every drop
Wasting all you can

You’re a Waster
Bracing for the impact
Bracing for the kickback
Wasting all you have

Only wanted to grow your garden
Didn’t bother to beg our pardon
Pay today for tomorrow’s bargain
Point of view will congeal then harden

7. Flash Flood

Summer comes
The days grow long
Orchards start to wither
Falcons fly to far off lairs
King snake starts to slither

Spirit of the river
You’re finally awake
Put your finger on the trigger
Open up the flood gates

Winter dies
The nights grow warm
Horizon starts to shimmer
Breath runs dry in the dirty wind
Flash flood swallows the swimmer

Spirit of the river
You’re finally awake
Put your finger on the trigger
Open up the flood gates

Open up the flood gates

OPEN UP THE FLOOD GATES!

8. Water Hammer

A pressure surge is building in the water main
It’s gonna blow and leave a giant crater in the street
People are gonna die and property will be destroyed
PR disaster front page news

Water hammer

We need to replace the aging infrastructure
Potholes ruining axles and sidewalks buckle
But no one wants to pay anymore in taxes
So corrosion will burn a hole in the public coffers

Water hammer
Water hammer

What will it take before we open our eyes?
How far can we go before the pipe explodes?

Water hammer
Water hammer

How many bridges have to collapse in an earthquake?
How many carcinogens can our bodies take?

Water hammer
Water hammer

9. Them Bakersfield Boys

Who’s been making that god awful noise?
I do believe it’s them Bakersfield boys
Who decides if you don’t get a choice
My best guess - the Bakersfield boys

Bakersfield boys have got a plan
To protect their farms from the government man
To keep their fields in friendly hands
And long haired hippies away from their lands

Who's the bunch that Obama annoys?
I do believe it's them Bakersfield boys
Who ignores what logic destroys?
Once again, them Bakersfield boys

Richie and Mikey don’t have a clue
Scotty and Bobby don’t know what to do
Teddy and Uki, big dumb Frankie
Nebby’s so old, he’s gettin' kinda cranky

They stuck their straws in the muddy depths
And ran the engines with no regrets
Flooded crops with drowning dreams
Under the cover of misty moonbeams

Bakersfield boys taking up the front row
At a Buck Owens country pickin’ show
Nothing fallen’ from the sky
So they’re gonna hit the pumps until the wells run dry

Who plays with their guns like toys?
I do believe it's them Bakersfield Boys
Who behind that ear splittin' noise?
Once again, them Bakersfield boys

Bakersfield boys
Them Bakersfield boys
Bakersfield boys

10. Prince Palmdale Versus Lord Lancaster

The Prince lived up high
The Lord down below
Like a puppet on a string
To let the people know
Who's really in control
And calling all the shots
But the Lord refused to play
And it tied the Prince in knots

We should build a fence
To keep the two apart
Irrationality
Turned into an art
The Prince and the Lord
Will never get along
Immortalized
In this song

11. Don't Pay Bill

I know of a man
A vicious wolf in suit and tie
Mistaken for a lamb
Who makes the weakest cub of the pride

Nothing you can say
Will pull him out into the light
He hides within the dark
Drinking blood and taking flight

Hey
Bill is due, but no one wants to pay
He makes a mess, but no one wants to say
The game is rigged, but no one wants to play

He talks behind your back
Whispers nonsense in your ears
That rises in the steam
And plays upon your darkest fears

Nothing you can do
To turn the tide or quell the storm
Approaching from within
The demon takes another form

Hey
Bill is due, but no one wants to pay
He makes a cross, but no one wants to pray
He’s putting all his malice on displace

Hey
Bill is due, but no one wants to pay
He pulls a sword to hold the world at bay
Looking for a victim to betray

12. Interlude in Sea Minor

13. Rob You Blind

ROB:
All you really want is information
I could help you make a little calculation
Only takes three thousand acre feet
Once it gets delivered it will taste so sweet

YOU:
Everybody knows you’ve got a reputation
For greasing your way with lubrication
You don’t care what comes out of your mouth
Hot air rises but the needle goes south

US:
Rob will rob you blind
From the bottom line
He sees dollar signs
Rob will rob you blind

ROB:
All you really need is deviation
I could help you change your sorry situation
But everybody tells me that I’m blowing smoke
Laughing in my face as if I told a joke

YOU:
You still act like I’m on your side
Like I would never notice being taken for a ride
You are like a snake movin' through the grass
No one gonna care when I whup your asp

US:
Rob will rob you blind
From the bottom line
He sees dollar signs
Rob will rob you blind

OP-ED:
He was appointed to a vacant seat
Which he took for a trampoline
To win elections for a higher place
it's gonna blow up in his face

US:
Rob will rob you blind
From the bottom line
Until the end of time
Rob will rob you blind

14. Will Serve

We will serve you if you like
We can build a longer pipe
We will take it from below
From the melting mountain snow

We will serve what you need
We will make the basin bleed
We will give you what we can
Water far beneath the sand

15. Shadows Like Them

Shadows like them
Can show you the way through the dark
Shadows like them
Can give you a shiver deep in your heart

If you don't believe what you see
Skeptical heads could disagree
Missing the forest for the trees
Shadows like them, lost on the breeze

Shadows like them
Were once as alive as you and me
Shadows like them
Used to be shining, young, and free

If you don't believe what you hear
You could be paralyzed with fear
The future is always drawing near
Shadows like them will disappear

If you don't believe what you see
Logic and reason guarantee
Both of us will always be
Shadows like them, missing at sea

Shadows like them
Shadows like them
Shadows like them

Shadows like them
Always hidden from the sun
Shadows like them
End of days has just begun

16. Dangerous Mutant Sheep Herd

Down, down, down
(They go) down, down, down

Down in the valley
They grow alfalfa
To feed the mutants
Roaming in the fields
They are gigantic
Like tanks with sweaters
They scare the vultures
And squint at the sun
They’re drilling deeper than they ever have before
To find the water that will fill their hands with gold

Down, down, down
(They go) down, down, down

Electric fences
Cannot contain them
They can escape
Any time they like
Glow in the dark
Throughout the winter
To find intruders
Eat them for dinner
They’re drilling deeper through the layers of the clay
To find the water that will chase the dust away

Down, down, down
(They go) down, down, down

DOWN, DOWN, DOWN!

17. Adiós El Niño

What can you take when there's nothing to take from?
Stare at the walls of your home
What can you crush when the target is rubble,
Broken, and cracked to the bone?

Thunder and lightning are not quite as frightening
As losing your seat on the throne

Not a cloud in the bluest of skies
Not a tear in the bluest of eyes
Just a trace of our final goodbye
The best that a dollar can buy
El Niño, we gave it a try

Not a cloud
Not a cloud
Not a cloud
Not a cloud

Not a cloud in the bluest of skies
Not a tear in the bluest of eyes
Just a trace of our final goodbye
The best that a dollar can buy
El Niño, we gave it a try