Shayfer James||Counterfeit Arcade Starters
Starters from Shayfer James’ “Counterfeit Arcade” album. Words in [ ] are interchangeable or optional
Weight of the World
“ The last man standing our sinister charade ” “ He nobly knelt before us ” “ He sang our savior’s chorus ” “ We left him spinning bloody plates upon his broken blade ” “ That’s just the weight of the world ” “ We do what we must to get by ” “ The weak and the weary will never survive ” “ We do what we must to stay alive ” “ We’ll all be the weak and the weary some time ” “ Preaching pain to every unsuspecting passerby ” “ We knew [her/him/them] well before this ” “ [He/she/they] promised portraits of us ” “ We cut [her/his/their] throat ” “ In the distance we’ll hear melancholy moans ” “ The long forgotten have a habit of collecting loans ”
For the Departed
“ Just a moment dear, I hear someone at the door ” “ The beating of a heart that I hid beneath the floor ” “ They’ve come for me, love ” “ Save yourself, I am far beyond repair ” “ They will bury me alive but I’m not inclined to care ” “ I am too far gone now ” “ Dry your eyes and count to ten ” “ They’ll have me on the pyre by then ” “ Forget the man I used to be, you’ll move along more easily ” “ A moment dear, I hear someone in the hall ” “ Plundering of promises we hung up on the wall ” “ They’ve come for us, love ” “ Save yourself, I am bitter to the bone ” “ I’m growing rather fond of the wondering alone ” “ Now I must finish what I started ” “ I’ll write a symphony for the departed ” “ I have no time for second chances ” “ I survive on bourbon, blood, and backward glances ” “ Your cries become the wind ” “ A desperate please best left unheard ” “ My contrived goodbye ” “ A poet’s pantomime ” “ A drunken jester’s final words ”
Where We Belong
“ There’s a mean storm coming ” “ Strong enough to cut you down ” “ There’s a war been waging ” “ Better get the children underground ” “ I know we’re far beyond the point of no return ” “ Let’s say we light a fire and be the first to burn ” “ Do you recall the day when we went wrong? ” “ Ease your weary mind, we’ll be alone ” “ Where the skies are grey, where we belong ” “ Where we belong ” “ There’s a freight train coming, barreling around the bend ” “ There’s a red light flashing ” “ Ladies and gentlemen this is the end ” “ I do believe that we’ve a lesson left to learn ” “ Take your seats, your salutations, and your turn ” “ On the way to our salvation we’ll be making plans ” “ Overthrow the king ” “ Pick apart the promised lands ”
L.V.S
“ Oh mighty warrior ” “ Oh fervent counselor ” “ Of palest eye you were, and cautious care ” “ Your laughter lingers on ” “ Where ever you have gone I’ll see you there ” “ The mountains bow before you ” “ The clouds are open wide ” “ Your lady waiting for you ” “ We, my friend, will met again ” “ Oh gentle guardian ” “ Oh perfect paladin ” “ Cheeks of a Cheshire grin and wisdom warm ”
Villainous Thing
“ Won’t you come inside? ” “ I fear the passing year did not deserve you ” “ By some devious design ” “ You’re very near, as I prefer you ” “ You have always been a delicate disaster ” “ Fine in fire and of frame ” “ Me and you are overdue for fiendish laughter ” “ Oh, dear, let me see those smokey eyes ” “ You’re a villainous thing ” “You’re a villainous thing and we can’t have you living a lie ” “ Oh, dear, let’s remove those pretty clothes ” “ You’re a villainous thing and I don’t think anyone knows ” “ Waste no worry for the world ” “ Let it be a tragedy of love and glory ” “ Waste no worry for the world, let it be a tragedy of love and glory ” “ While they wait by the gates of pearl, we’ll be building palaces in purgatory ” “ You’ll find no ever after here ” “ You’ll find no ever after here, it’s clear that isn’t what you came for ” “ It’s clear that isn’t what you came for ” “ I’ll be your puckish puppeteer ” “ This delightful little detour ”
Battle Cry
“ I stumbled out into the cold below a thoughtless moon ” “ I saw the phantoms of my friends, but they were gone too soon ” “ My enemies began to shout and shriek ” “ A silence overwhelmed them and I began to speak ” “ Hear my battle cry ” “ Hear that mighty sound ” “ They’ve come before and many more will try to strike me down ” “ Hear that might roar ” “ If you make it out alive, the Devil will be waiting by your door ” “ I met a stranger on my way to here from God knows where ” “ [He/She/They] won my lover in a dirty game of solitaire ” “ [He/She/They] stole my crown and placed it crookedly upon [his/her/their] head ” “ He turned around, I took him down ” “ You’ll sacrifice the truth to justify your sins, but I don’t need an excuse to let the darkness in ” “ You’ll sacrifice the truth to justify your sins ” “ I don’t need an excuse to let the darkness in ”
Peace
“ I’d rather live alone than live a lie ” “ I will never deserve peace ” “ There’s trouble in my bones, a frigid tide ” “ I spoke to the ghost on my way to sleep ” “ The boards in the floor called my footsteps a thief ” “ The air tasted ashes ”
Digging Up Hatchets
“ We’re digging up hatchets today and sharpening the blades ” “ We’re digging up hatchets ” “ A stitch of hope remains ” “ This Hell that we’ve raised ” “ We’re witnessing the waking of the dead ” “ We’re ripping all the wires from our heads ” “ We’re pumping all the poison from our veins ” “ Scrubbing out these wicked stains ” “ We’re burying mercy and grace in unmarked shallow graves ” “ The piper must be paid for the tune that he played ” “ Let us pause and be thankful for this evening and the fact that we’re breathing ” “ Maybe living has a meaning after all ” “ There’s a plan for us lunatics and lairs ” “ We have faulty gears and wires ” “ They can’t save us but they’ll do the best they can ”
Under the Willow
“ [Lover] weep for me no more ” “ I’ve been right here under the willow ” “ [Mother] I think I found my soul ” “ I’ve been the portrait of despair ” “ I’ve been the portrait of despair despite this hat and badge I wear ” “ I’ve been a captive and a coward ” “ Thunder shook me to the core ” “ I was hiding under the willow ” “ [Father] Punish me no more ” “ I met a wise man under the willow ” “ [Lover] look for me no more ” “ I’ve been a bastard and a fool ” “ Rewritten nearly every rule ” “ I believe I’m worth redemption ” “ I was sleeping under the willow ”
Goodspeed
“ Funny how it’s easier to see the forest for the trees when winter steals the leaves ” “ There’s many ways to hide a heart that bleeds ” “ There’s many ways to hide a heart that bleeds, but I prefer the ease of rolling up my sleeves ” “ You’ve got some nerve to be coming around with that smile on your face ” “ I used to be someone you could believe ” “ [But] It’s been a while ” “ You’ve got some nerve to be coming around with that card up your sleeve ” “ Those thorns in your crown ” “ Good luck, godspeed ” “ I know I’ll see you again ” “ Good luck, godspeed, I know I’ll see you again ” “ Funny how the night is not as long when you depend upon the dark before the dawn ” “ There’s many ways to right a thing that’s wrong ” “ You smile, you move along ” “ I prefer a song ” “ Let me not make mazes with words, let me be perfectly clear ” “ Let me not make mazes with words ” “ Let me be perfectly clear ” “ Get the Hell out of here ” “ Get yourself out of here ” “ I’ll always call you a friend indeed ”
Have a Seat Misery
“ Have a seat misery, lord how I’ve missed you ” “ Lord how I’ve missed you ” “ Don’t go crying to me ” “ Don’t go crying to me that I kept you away for too long ” “ Just put your feet up, friend ” “ I read all your postcards ” “ In a way, I’m happy to say that you’ve never been gone ” “ Let me light that for you ” “ Seems your hand’s a bit shaky ” “ We’ve got damage to do and I know you’ll need smoke in your chest ” “ We’ve got damage to do ” “ Don’t ever mistake me ” “ Of all my friends you know you are the one I like best ”
