1. |
Victoryville
04:49
|
|||
|
VICTORYVILLE (by Scott Mickelson)
Too far gone for even dogs to pick up the scent
Two more drinks and you'll detect a slight accent
I've made few decisions they've all been made for me
I was taught to pay full price for mediocrity
That's the way life is in Victoryville
No questions asked and ample parking
Low on crime and the real estate is high
Buy your place in the sun in Victoryville
I met a woman there she paralyzed me with fear
Kept four cats and named then all Angel
She ate a diet of Fruit Loops and pills
Said I should try it for anything that ills
She was born and raised in Victoryville
In the basement beneath the Victory Grille
All the local papers wrote about it
It was front page news.
I want to be the one who got out alive
I want to walk in larger than life
I wanted to be the winner in a city that lies about its name
Want to curse the pavement, I've got nothing left to blame
When I go back to Victoryville
Will there be people who wished I lived there still
Or just traces of my life like the lines on my face
When I go back to Victoryville
|
||||
2. |
Target Girl
04:10
|
|||
|
TARGET GIRL (by Scott Mickelson)
I love homelessness and Hip Hop music and Jesus
And T-shirts with no words on them
I wear this one hoping for better weather
Suddenly the temperature rises
And in the midst of a dust storm I can see for miles
Can't ever find my name on souvenir keychains
I ain't bothered, I don't care for drama
Cause everything looks like a hammer to a nail
And I take it on the head most days
Everything's for sale when you've got nothing
But I've learned not to flinch
Or close my eyes or move an inch
There's nothing safer in this world than like as a Target Girl
Common decency tells me you don't cut off an old lady
You make me sick and I don't want your name
You're not the flame I was looking for
And it's all in the leave
What you don't know can certainly hurt you.
But I've learned not to flinch
Or close my eyes or move an inch
There's nothing safer in this world than like as a Target Girl
I'll bite on your cigarette
Don't need a blindfold, place your bet
There's nothing safer in this world than like as a Target Girl
|
||||
3. |
Crying In Spanish
04:35
|
|||
|
CRYING IN SPANISH (by Scott Mickelson)
They say there was a mighty flood
And it's time to get right with God
And the blood running through my veins ain't clear
But if you listen you might hear someone, somewhere
Is crying in Spanish
I raise Great Danes in Iowa
And good help is hard to find
But as soon as they lock the front church door
And the crowd thins out you can be sure
Someone, somewhere is crying in Spanish
I fill my plate at the Great Valley Steakhouse
And the people who clear my plate I don't think much about
It's like working in the belly of the whale
But it's better than working in jail where
Someone, somewhere is crying in Spanish
And you wipe my baby's ass
And you weed my garden
And you clean my kitchen but I'll still let you go
They say there was an almighty flood
And it's time to get right with God
Perhaps the cover is better than the book
The more you read, the less you look
But someone, somewhere is crying In Spanish.
|
||||
4. |
Monster In The Room
05:17
|
|||
|
MONSTER IN THE ROOM (by Scott Mickelson)
Green teeth, bad breathe, one eye and that one's blind
Black nails, spiked tails when all else fails
Blame it on the Monster In The Room
Big roar, loud snore, I've heard that sound before
Unchained, untamed we both play the same game
Waiting for the monster in the room.
There's a hundred dark nights awaiting me
Switch on the bedroom lamp so I can see
It's time to find some friendlier company
Beware, don't stare, never let it smell your fear
Don't tremble it might hear, walk away disappear
Cause your waiting for the monster in the room.
Well it gave me the chills but not the good kind
Told my favorite joke, forgot the punch line
Turn down all the blinds can't let the neighbors see
No brain, no pain shoot it down it'll just get up again
And in the end was it worth the price of admission
Waiting for the monster in the room
|
||||
5. |
Concrete Kid
04:02
|
|||
|
CONCRETE KID (by Scott Mickelson)
They call me the Concrete Kid
I make my living cutting down weeds in an empty lot
I walk a dog but I don't talk on a telephone.
Have you ever been to St. Paul Minnesota
I came here in '46, never been back since.
There's nothing I haven't seen before.
I remember the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show.
Own all their records but I don't own a stereo
I nail them to the wall and I read the LP cover
One day I'm going to go up fishing in the Great Lakes
When the weather feels right. Might even take a friend or two.
There's nothing I haven't seen before.
I watched Ali take them down he's still the best around
And all that boxing with your feet looks like fighting in the street.
They call me the Concrete Kid
I pour it on thick and I lay it down hard.
One day I'm going to move up to New York City
When I can sell this car—might keep the apartment
There's nothing I haven't seen before.
I watched the landing on the moon and I know that it's true
But don't believe a thing you hear when you watch the cable news
Keep you voice down low so no one else will know
I've got to get back to work sweeping up this dirt.
|
||||
6. |
Nicorette
04:07
|
|||
|
NICORETTE (by Scott Mickelson)
It says right here how to buy babies in China
It says right here there's a baby grand in Biscayne Bay
It says right here how the firemen started the fire
They needed something to put out
Now the Park Hotel's in ashes
I held my breath trying to get out
Now there's only so much Nicorette I can chew
Thank you waitress no Shark Fin soup for me
I'll try the special don't mind the Mercury
But can I please have the table by the door
I only eat here for distraction
Now there's a man outside preaching his
Anti-American manifesto
I hope I don't make eye contact
Now there's only so much Nicorette I can chew
Only so much to help me through
It says right here how they closed Penn Central
Something just didn't smell right
I brace myself awaiting an earful
Tough times for window washers
So hard to tell which way the wind blows
But the weather up here is oh so fine
Now there's only so much Nicorette I can chew
|
||||
7. |
Gay In Texas
02:33
|
|||
|
GAY IN TEXAS (by Scott Mickelson)
Fix a flat, spare's in back
I'm thinking that you don't want to be gay in Texas
Stuck outside, Central Supply
And wondering why you'd want to be gay in Texas
Rhode Island plates, I made my big escape
But now I'm in tough shape
And I don't want to be gay in Texas
Still in Elena, two misdemeanors
They took me to the cleaners and I sure don't
Want to be gay in Texas.
I saw a black tear shaped tatoo
On a face that reminds me of you
There's no room for escape here
I'll be home late dear
I'll text you if it's unclear.
Born with a condition, there's no medication
It seems I'm in remission
And I don't want to be gay in Texas
Like a white convention, no need for distinction
I'm in danger of extinction
And I sure don't want to be gay in Texas
|
||||
8. |
Washateria
03:52
|
|||
|
WASHATERIA (by Scott Mickelson)
I drive a Royal Cab but I'm no prince or king
I count the miles and drive you from here to there
These passengers they wonder if this is some kind of game show
The things I say and questions I ask aren't worth the fare
On Judgement Day —I'll do all the talking
Every word will be heard
My father named me Edsel Ford he thought it was clever
I swear the man shouldn't have done so much thinking
He drove an armored car until he lost the privilege
Then he passed his legacy to me.
On Judgement Day —I'll do all the talking
Megaphone—every word will be heard
I gave it all away and what I'll say is true
I could have had everything when I had you
She said “drop me on the corner with the Washateria”
And took the suitcase from the backseat of the the car
Well I know where she's coming from and going to
And that's more than I can say for me
There's no quicker way of of getting lost than walking in my shoes
On Judgement Day— better stay out of my way
Microphone—your speakers will be blown
I gave up everyone I thought I'd make a coup
I could have had everything when I had you
|
||||
9. |
Victoryville II
03:59
|
|||
|
VICTORYVILLE (by Scott Mickelson)
Too far gone for even dogs to pick up the scent
Two more drinks and you'll detect a slight accent
I've made few decisions they've all been made for me
I was taught to pay full price for mediocrity
That's the way life is in Victoryville
No questions asked and ample parking
Low on crime and the real estate is high
Buy your place in the sun in Victoryville
I met a woman there she paralyzed me with fear
Kept four cats and named then all Angel
She ate a diet of Fruit Loops and pills
Said I should try it for anything that ills
She was born and raised in Victoryville
In the basement beneath the Victory Grille
All the local papers wrote about it
It was front page news.
I want to be the one who got out alive
I want to walk in larger than life
I wanted to be the winner in a city that lies about its name
Want to curse the pavement, I've got nothing left to blame
When I go back to Victoryville
Will there be people who wished I lived there still
Or just traces of my life like the lines on my face
When I go back to Victoryville
|
||||
FAT OPIE San Francisco, California
Lead by singer Scott Mickelson, FAT OPIE continues to paint both musical and lyrical portraits of contemporary life as an
American. Their critically acclaimed new CD “Victoryville” is their best work yet.
“It's American folk-Rock with a post punk edge, rustic but scarred.”- Alternative Press Magazine
“Thom Yorke and Jeff Tweedy had a baby and named it Mumford.”- New Times (San Luis Obispo)
... more
If you like FAT OPIE, you may also like:
Hold The Door For Strangers
by Labrador
Philadelphia-based Labrador make unfussy and empathetic alt-country meant to sincerely bolster the downcast in times of strife.
go to album
The eclectic influences of this California group shine through on these creeping tracks, full of dark electronics and intimate vocals.
go to album
Bright and rollicking songs that draw on country and folk, scuffing up the edges and adding grit and gravel.
go to album
featured on Bandcamp Radio Jan 23, 2018
go to album
Strummerville A Go-Go #001
by Joe Strummer Fund
Strummer's foundation provides opportunities to aspiring musicians while working to prevent poverty.
go to album
Suburbia Space Program
by Wolf Collage
featured on Bandcamp Radio Jul 23, 2013
go to album
Inspired by an emotional pilgrimage to Ethiopia, the latest album from UK art-pop band Hejira is a record steeped in heritage and heart.
go to album
