FOREVER HASN'T HAPPENED YET JOHN DOE
[2005] Yep Roc Records

Your lopsided heart emptied out on Hwy 99 as you drop down into the Central Valley of California. There is a pain, like shortness of breath or a catch in your throat. Flat land, rusty wire, dirt and dust blows in the open car window. You can smell the irrigation water and someone's getting hurt out there. The skin is soft and bruises easily. Welcome home. yrs, John Doe This is not punk rock but it uses all the same ingredients; sex, drugs, death, loss, longing & alienation. The difference is the speed & melody of the songs which are set in a beautiful but harsh landscape. This is Americana like the scariest blues & the saddest country can be. This is a record made the way Muddy Waters would make records, all thrown into a very small & sweaty room until the song squeezes through the cracks. Neko Case, Kristin Hersh, Cindy Lee Berryhill & Veronica Jane (Doe's 16 yr old daughter) provide the female foil that was Exene's role in X & she contributes by co-writing "Hwy 5," a duet with Neko. Grant-Lee Phillips & Dave Alvin lend their unique talents in beautiful, heart-wrenching & savage electric songs respectively. Not for the faint of heart, this CD was recorded in ultra black & white.

LYRICS

The Losing Kind 

I don’t know that I ever knew you
but you say you can see right through me
the moon is bright & the road is clear
did you just say, “the end is near”?
you said you gave me all your kisses
now yr fed up ‘cause you feel kiss-less
there’s doom in my heart & blood in you eyes
I wish we weren’t the losing kind


Heartless 

someone broke yr heart
when they dropped it on the ground
now asked to borrow mine
just to get around
when I said “no” 
you stole it anyway
when I said “no”
you stole it w/out a second thought
now you gone & broke that too
& you nickname me heartless
yr careless w/ things you should be careful w/
things that are fragile
yr careless w/ things that are fragile
you could be more careful
now I’m so heartless
at least that’s what you say. 


Mama Don’t 

mama don’t let me think
I’ll just think about you
mama don’t let me talk
I’ll wanna talk to you
mama please let me breathe
you take my breath away
mama don’t let me go
‘cause I’ll just fade away
so let me run
we’ll run away together
we won’t come back
‘cause we’ll be high
mama don’t let me drink
I might get drunk on you
mama don’t let me sleep
‘cause I’ll just dream of you
mama don’t say goodbye
don’t kiss me one last time
I might lose my life
if I can’t live w/ you
& I can’t live w/ you
so we should run
we’ll run away forever
we won’t look back
‘cause we’ll be high


Twin Brother 

crows on the a hillside
kids in the yard
school in your lunchbox
you’re studying so hard
your twin brother’s crying
he busted his new glasses

Mom’s gonna be mad
probably scream for an hour
put us in our room
& won’t give us dinner
every morning at the school bus
I’m never, ever late
if I could just
hold you up
for this minute
for this moment
if I could only hold you
‘til it starts to go away

we used to have some horses
I used to throw the hay
my step dad hurt somebody
& it all went away
someday I’ll buy you glasses
that won’t ever break


Hwy 5
by JD & Exene

dearest darling 4 AM
dearest darling at the kitchen
this town ain’t Pacific time
this town is a borrowed lie
crummy tummy mess, sleeping fully dressed
sing me a song of forever
you sound so sleepy in that jail
midnight
running lights
lights on the horizon
take me away
blossoms tumble from the trees
dirty needles in the street
rain is soaking through my shirt
petals soaked in blood & dirt
handmade had-me-downs
welcome to this town
sing me a song of forever
you sound so sleepy in that jail
midnight . . . 


Worried Brow 

I’m wishin’ & wishin’ I could smooth yr worried brow
it’s like a rising sun, baby when you smile
have you been sleepin’?
you whisper in the phone
I been around the world
not sure I’m coming home
I took you to the train
held you one last time
constantly wishing I could smooth your worried mind
worried brow, worried brow
wish I could smooth your worried brow
I can’t fix you forever
but I can make you feel better right now


Your Parade 
by JD, G. Page, D. Carpenter, E. Stone

all I see is a blue sky
don’t know why I’m feeling sad about you
here I go again getting high
feeding every bit of sad about you
you take & take and then you give
you’re positively negative
and though I know it’s a mistake
I’m just a float in your parade
a shooting star in a winter sky
I make a wish that I’m not sad about you


There’s a Black Horse 

there’s a black horse in a photograph
his mane blows in your face
your eyes are hidden
will you be taken away
black & white feathers blow across the lawn
the dogs are sleeping on them
the scaffold is almost done
we’re hiding in the hills
the rope hasn’t snapped yet
feel like I could live forever
forever hasn’t happened yet
the shadow of blackbirds
as many as in a pie
passes over your burning head
as you prepare to die


Ready 

it was black, it was always black
& no one really gave two craps
it was skinny & it was always dark
no one ever knew it would go this far
her hands, she was always wringing her hands
& worrying about the strangest thing
there are friends & then there are friends
most of the time you can’t tell where one ends & one begins
Johnny’s dead & I know why
he stuck a needle in his eye
Johnny’s dead but I couldn’t cry
‘cause Johnny always seemed ready
it was hot & it hurt like hell
he sang his song just like breaking a bell
her wrist it still has a scar
where he cigarette burned her in her own car
there was lust & some kind of love
but we were all so fucked up
he lied when he said he was OK
but he had possession over his own judgment day


She’s Not 

she’s not coming down
beg if you want to
she’s not coming down
skyscraper lights
backdrop to a balcony
she won’t come around
mercury yellow turns white
standing in the shadows
you see her bedroom light
fear of falling
fear of heights
you wind up calling her
but there’s no reason why
she’s not turning on
even though she loved you
she’s not turning on
her softer touch
pushed you from the balcony
wanting her too much


Repeat Performance 

inside it’s warm
a drop of sweat slips down your neck
a hundred bodies
keep me company in the dark
out the side of my eye
I pick you out & pick you up
in the corner you, corner me
shut it down ‘til the lights turn on.
want to save you from your past
an everlasting sad
nestled in your back
impossible to crack
I will save you
who will save the savior on his back
wide awake dead of night
stupid jokes that just make me like you
wrist of white
hair gone black
not sure that I can handle that
how’d I find you in such a crowd
to lose you to a martini cloud.
want to save you from your past . . .