New Monster Avenue
Lyrics
Shadows on the broad lawn canopy of trees
Sometime after midnight the ground is gonna freeze
Birds in the frosty air
What are they doing there?
Greenhouse full of butcher's-brooms
Breezes at my back
Sometime before the sun comes up
The earth is gonna crack
I look down at my hands
Like they were mirrors
Fresh coffee at sunrise
Warm my lips against the cup
Been waiting such a long time now
My number's finally coming up
All the neighbors come on out to their front porches
Waving torches
Banter
- It took me a long time to write the new record [Get Lonely]. I didn’t really know what I was supposed to do next after the last one. I just didn’t know. Started just trying to write random stories about stuff, didn’t feel right. Didn’t know what to do. But I had this idea, when I was digging through my childhood stuff; I remembered how much I really liked monsters and so I started to write these songs about monsters. Mentioned that on NPR and then I got a lot of mail going, ‘So you’re still working on the monster concept album?’ No. But anyway, I got a couple of them, a couple songs about monsters done before I found some other direction. But there was something in them. There’s always something, you know- I assume you’re like me, that when you see the monster movie and all the citizens of the town gather to burn the monster alive, you go, 'Were people in the 30s in favor of the town in this set up?’ Because I would look at it as a kid and I’d go, 'Why- Why are they going to kill the innocent monster from the depths? He hasn’t- He was living in a cave under the ocean and then one of your people was swimming because you wanted to get some underwater footage and now he has to die so you can film people swimming under- it doesn’t seem right.’ That was my position on the monsters; that remains my position on the monsters. (2006-08-22)
- This song is sort of about the feeling that you get if you stay in your house for too long and you feel like maybe you don’t relate to anybody at all. And you sort of resent them, but you’re certain they’re going to come and get you. I’m here to tell you you’re absolutely right. (2006-09-26)
Live Performances
Footnotes