Friday, September 18, 2009

the world is absurd and beautiful and small

ok ani difranco is crazy amazing. she writes with a purpose and i could hear her play the guitar all the live long day. she writes coming from whatever place shes at. and never apologizes for that. i downloaded her newest itunes session and she talks about why she started to recently write joyful music. very inspiring. here are some fav lyrics of hers- some songs of hers i heard for the first time during special times or turning points in life so of course they are always close to my heart (and of course if i posted all my faves we'd be here all day)....

"i do it for the joy it brings
because i'm a joyful girl
because the world owes me nothing
and we owe each other the world
i do it because it's the least i can do
i do it because i learned it from you
and i do it just because i want to
because i want to..."
--joyful girl from living in clip

"...so i'll be outside, in love with the kind of beauty
it takes more than eyes to know
just show me a moment that is mine
its beauty blinding and unsurpassed
and i'll forget every moment that went by
and left me so half-hearted
cuz i felt it so half-assed..."
--half-assed from reprieve (this whole album is a.m.a.z.i.n.g)

"cuz the answer came like a shot in the back
while you were running from your lesson
which might explain
why years later all you could remember
was the terror of the question...
...and what do i do with all these letters
that i wrote to myself
but cannot address?"
--marrow from revelling/reckoning

"plus i have this whole new family
and i'm in love with each of them
and i'm on this list called lucky
whenever i'm in reach of them
and i'm learning how to say
that i'd be happy either way
with your love

i'm calling on the stars above

school is in session
get your chin off your desk
now pick up your pencil
turn over your test
use your education
and take an educated guess
about me"
-educated guess from educated guess (one of my favorite songs everrrrr)

"so i'm beginning to see some problems
with the ongoing work of my mind
and i've got myself a new mantra
it says: "don't forget to have a good time"
don't let the sellers of stuff
power enough
to rob you of your grace
love is all over the place
there's nothing wrong with your face
love is all over the place"
--present/infant from red letter year

"if you don't ask the right questions
every answer feels wrong
i was a terrible waitress
so i started to write songs..."
--hell yeah from out of range

"and god help you if you are an ugly girl
course too pretty is also your doom
cause everyone harbors a secret hatred
for the prettiest girl in the room
and god help you if you are a phoenix
and you dare to rise up from the ash
a thousand eyes will smolder with jealousy
while you are just flying past...

squint your eyes and look closer
i'm not between you and your ambition
i am a poster girl with no poster
i am thirty-two flavors and then some
and i'm beyond your peripheral vision
so you might want to turn your head
cause someday you might find you're starving
and eating all of the words you said..."
--32 flavors from not a pretty girl

ok thats all for now. oh yeah, LOVE

3 comments:

  1. ani difranco is a music god. so few artists have such resonating lyrics as she does... "because the world owes me nothing
    and we owe each other the world" GENIUSSSS

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  2. Great lyrics! I love lyrics that make a person think or that resonate so strongly.

    Check out Anne Heaton- she's one of my favorite singer-songwriters and she has amazing lyrics.

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  3. Those lyrics from Present/Infant are some of my favorite, period. Ani is so talented.

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