Idlewild: A Compilation

by They Might Be Giants

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1.
Am I Awake 03:03
Am I awake? What time is it? When I get through this day Can someone tell me how And how much longer now Am I awake? The coffee's cold, did I forget to drink it yet? Did I forget? My clothes are wet I don't remember drinking it When I get through this part Will the next one be the same? Will I be wondering If I'm awake? These are not the clothes I had on when I went to bed And something else besides my hair is growing from my head And when I close my eyes it looks the same as when I open them again Am I awake? What time is it? Is it that time again? Wasn't it already then? So does it have to be The time it was again? When I get through the day Can't someone tell me how And how much longer now Am I awake? Am I awake? When I get through this day Can someone tell me how And how much longer now Am I awake? When I get through this day Can someone tell me how And how much longer now Am I awake?
2.
We've been driving around From one end of this town to the other and back But no one's ever seen us (No one's ever seen us) Driving our Econoline van (And no one's ever heard of our band) And no one's ever heard of our band We're the Mesopotamians Sargon, Hammurabi, Ashurbanipal, and Gilgamesh Then they wouldn't understand a word we say So we'll scratch it all down into the clay Half believing there will sometime come a day Someone gives a damn Maybe when the concrete has crumbled to sand We're the Mesopotamians Sargon, Hammurabi, Ashurbanipal, and Gilgamesh The Mesopotamish sun is beating down And making cracks in the ground But there's nowhere else to stand In Mesopotamia (No one's ever seen us) The kingdom where we secretly reign (And no one's ever heard of our band) The land where we invisibly rule As the Mesopotamians Sargon, Hammurabi, Ashurbanipal, and Gilgamesh This is my last stick of gum I'm going to cut it up so everybody else gets some Except for Ashurbanipal, who says my haircut makes me look like a Mohenjo-daroan Hey, Ashurbanipal I'm a Mesopotamian Sargon, Hammurabi, Ashurbanipal, and Gilgamesh We're the Mesopotamians Sargon, Hammurabi, Ashurbanipal, and Gilgamesh "Hey, man, I thought that you were dead I thought you crashed your car" "No, man, I've been right here this whole time playing bass guitar For the Mesopotamians" We're the Mesopotamians Sargon, Hammurabi, Ashurbanipal Sargon, Hammurabi, Ashurbanipal, and Gilgamesh We're the Mesopotamians Sargon, Hammurabi, Ashurbanipal, and Gilgamesh
3.
Hangin' out While the monkeys type away Waiting in my room all day Why be realistic? Don't wake me from my dream I was individualistic They kicked me off the team We live in a dump Admit it's a dump Our friends are all nuts And half of 'em drunks And if they're not nuts Then they're retired nuts And that might be the hardest nut Makin' plans The kind that go awry Got a full life-time supply Why be realistic? Don't wake me from my dream I was individualistic They kicked me off the team We're living with bats What's good about that? I hear they lay eggs And when the eggs hatch You gotta believe then There's related madness From the lead that's in the sealing wax We live in a dump Admit, it's a dump Our friends are all nuts And half of 'em drunks And if they're not nuts Then they're retired nuts And that might be the hardest nut We live in a dump
4.
The color of infinity Inside an empty glass I'm squinting my eye and turning off And on and on and off the light It's for this experimental film Which nobody knows about And which I'm still figuring out What's going to go in my experimental film Yeah, you're all gonna be in this experimental film And even though I can't explain it I already know how great it's I already know the ending it's The part that makes your face implode I don't know what makes your face implode But that's the way the movie ends And in my experimental film Which nobody knows about But which I'm still figuring out Your face implodes at my experimental film Yeah, you're all gonna be in this experimental film And even though I can't explain it I already know how great it's Even though I can't explain it I already know how great it's The color of infinity Inside an empty glass It's for this experimental film Which nobody knows about And which I'm still figuring out What's going to go in my experimental film Yeah, you're all gonna be in this experimental film And even though I can't explain it I already know how great it's gonna Yeah, you're gonna be in this experimental film And even though I can't explain it I already know how great it's Even though I can't explain it I already know how great it's
5.
Cloisonné 02:37
One, two, three, four Mind your business Mind your business Mind your never-shut, Quonset hut business My craft is exploding It's like I'm making cloisonné Choking on my dust With my three blind cats You have a friend in law enforcement Don't go calling law enforcement Business Mind your business Got too busy explaining Now it's just raining pain Pain in the form of a rain drop Yes, a rain drop made of pain Tell 'em the story, rain drop "I don't want to tell 'em, mister!" Tell 'em the story, rain drop "I don't want to tell 'em!" Keep your voice down Keep your voice down Keep your window-shaking, godforsaken voice down I'm sick of this beeswax I'm sick of these second-story Sleestaks Breathing on my dice Giving me back rubs When I'm deep in concentration You start getting all conversatin' Sleestak What's a Sleestak? That's your heart attack Towel rack Fallback You got no doctors All your doctors have gone home What's a Sleestak? What's a Sleestak? You have a friend in law enforcement Don't go calling law enforcement Cloisonné
6.
The lady said to the tiger As they stood behind some doors "I'm sick of this job I don't know what we're waiting here fors I'm turning off life support I'm putting an end to this joke" The tiger thought about this And then the tiger spoke "Starving the beast, at the very least Will just increase its hunger Go right ahead and starve me dead It will only make me stronger" The lady said "I'm bustin' out of this prison I got laser vision And I'm burning a hole in the wall" The tiger said, "Wait You'll start a fire Destroy the entire Lady and the tiger hall "Felines and dames in flames Will hardly serve your aims Do you surmise it's wise To have laser beams emitting from your eyes?" "Point taken, cat, I can well see that Our lives are worth protecting But I submit it's time we quit This hoping and expecting "Felines and dames in flames Will hardly serve my aims But in my dreams, it seems That my eyes are always shooting laser beams" The hall remains It still contains A pair of doors, a choice Behind one door, a muffled roar Behind the other, a voice
7.
Wake up Put on my makeup And pick the rake up And rake my hair And I think, maybe, but I don't know But I'm starting to feel like I got a Brain Problem Situation on my hands I think, maybe, but I don't know But I'm starting to feel like I got a Brain Problem Situation on my hands I think, maybe, but I don't know But I'm starting to feel like I got a Brain Problem Situation on my hands On my hands, I'm looking down, and I can't see what I've got On my hands there's a Brain Problem Situation Twenty nine inches of snow on the top of the Situation on the Brain And the scraper I buried somewhere in the springtime will emerge And I think, maybe, but I don't know But I'm starting to feel like I got a Brain Problem Situation on my hands I think, maybe, but I don't know But I'm starting to feel like I got a Brain Problem Situation in the bag In the bag, in the paper bag, is the source of the call It was traced to the paper bag Yes the call has been traced to the bag Stand up And put our hand up And with our eyes closed We touch our nose And the cop tells us, but we don't know But we're starting to feel like we got a Brain Problem Situation on our hands We think, officer, but we don't know But we're starting to feel like we got a Brain Problem Situation on our hands On our hands Ooo ooo On our hands In the drunk tank We're in the drunk tank We're in the drunk tank All by ourselves And I think, maybe, but I don't know But I'm starting to feel like I got a Brain Problem Situation on my hands And I think, maybe, but I don't know But I'm starting to feel like I got a Brain Problem Situation on my hands On my hands
8.
Tesla 02:04
Tesla Brought the X-ray photo to the world Brought the AC power to the world Here is a mind That can see across space Here is a mind soaring free Sound turns to light And light turns to waves And waves turn to all things perceived Maybe that knowledge would drive one insane How can that knowledge be tamed? Tesla Ushered the radio wave into the world Ushered the neon light Into the world The Hotel New Yorker He's dead on the floor The body of Nikola lies With just his papers No family to tell Out of the windows birds fly Under an X-ray of Mark Twain's skull The plan for the death-ray's design Tesla Brought the radar detection to the world Ushered remote control Into the world Ushered the bladeless turbine Into the world Ushered the neon light Into the world
9.
The few surviving samurai survey the battlefield Count the arms, the legs and heads, and then divide by five Drenched in blood, they move across the screen Do I need to point or do you see the one I mean? The one in back The way he acts Is he reminding you Of anyone we know? Isn't he so Like certain people I could name? Halfway through the 30 minutes, halfway 'round the world Here's the story on the genocidal overlord In her palace with her epaulettes Watch her little gestures as she lights her cigarette Look at her, you Must see it too Is she reminding you Of anyone we know? Isn't she so Like certain people I could name? Disembodied and detached, a voice describes the scene As a lizard stalks a helpless creature on TV Music underscores the tragedy Eyes with no expression watch the unsuspecting prey Who is it like? Doesn't it strike You as the very image Of someone we know? Isn't it so Like certain people How could anybody miss The obvious And the uncanny and The clear resemblance? Isn't it just Like certain people I could name?
10.
Hi, I forgot your name Whatever My point is Hi, your head's on fire Oh damn, you must've got one of them Combustible heads I read an article all about them You're on fire You're on fire I won't lie You're on fire Combustible head (I won't lie) Combustible head (I won't lie) Combustible head (I won't lie) Combustible head Hey, how's it going Is that your car they're towing? I'm pretty sure that's your car No, you can't park there Whoa, your head's on fire Oh damn, you must've got one of them Combustible heads I read an article all about them You're on fire You're on fire I won't lie You're on fire Combustible head (I won't lie) Combustible head (I won't lie) Combustible head (I won't lie) Combustible head The lights are low The music is extremely loud You're hard to get to know But you're easy to spot in a crowd As I'm sure you're aware You've got one of those rare Combustible heads I read an article all about them You're on fire You're on fire I won't lie You're on fire Oh damn, you must've got one of them (Oh damn) Combustible heads (You must've got one of them) I read an article all about them (Combustible head) You're on fire (Combustible head) You're on fire (Combustible head) I won't lie (Combustible head) You're on fire (Combustible head) I won't lie I won't lie I won't lie
11.
I'm not much of a natural dancer But I've got a friend who's a natural dancer You could call her a jumpin' bean She's got ants in her pants and she's gonna dance I know a girl who's a jumpin' bean She's got keys and a token when she hits the scene Yeah I know a girl who's got a record machine She acts like David Lee Roth when he turned 21 I know a girl who's a natural dancer With a cape and a hat she's a natural dancer She coughs and she laughs and she makes a lot of calls And all of the people applaud As she leaves the store As she leaves the store (damn good times) All of the people applaud (damn good times) As she leaves the store As she leaves the store (damn good times) All of the people applaud (damn good times) Can she do the karaoke? Yes she can, but she won't 'Cause she's highly qualified and she's not a joke When it comes to opera, she is ossified So all of you operas better step aside When my friend got amnesia She can't remember the show she saw Like the one with the guy with amnesia Who got off of the island on a helicopter I know a girl who's a natural dancer With a cape and a hat she's a natural dancer She coughs and she laughs and she makes a lot of calls And all of the people applaud As she leaves the store As she leaves the store (damn good times) All of the people applaud (damn good times) As she leaves the store As she leaves the store (damn good times) All of the people applaud (damn good times)
12.
Words are like The middle class A drinking glass A mask Words are like A Spanish town A wedding gown A crown Words are like A happy dream A racing team A wooden beam A seam Words are like A rusty nail A minor scale A snail Words are like A postcard stamp A highway ramp A cramp Words are like Kaleidoscopes The taste of soap A billy goat A coat Words are like A teenage star A prison guard A faded scar A car
13.
Outnumbered a million to one All of the dicks in this dick town Can't keep Johnny down Men piled up in a towering mound None of them once has found a way To keep Johnny down Spending days by myself Remembering slights I'm not a monument to justice Plus which, I don't forget a face And they can't (down, down, down) Can't keep Johnny down (down, down, down) They haven't yet built the man (down, down, down) That'll keep old Johnny down (down, down, down) Some dude Hitting golf balls on the moon Bathroom in his pants And he thinks he's better than me I'm pointing a finger at my own face They can't know what's in here And they can't keep Johnny down Beneath my dignity To flip off the guy When he pulls up alongside To say my gas cap is unscrewed And they can't (down, down, down) Can't keep Johnny down (down, down, down) They haven't yet built the man (down, down, down) That'll keep old Johnny down (down, down, down) And they don't (down, down, down) Don't know what I've seen (down, down, down) They can't know what's in here (down, down, down) And they can't keep Johnny down (down, down, down)
14.
I'm impressed, I'm impressed When that gorilla beats his chest I fall to bits I confess I admit I'm impressed When the torpedo in the vest barks his orders I'm impressed And I find that my head's nodding yes Though my legs are not following I'm inspired by events To remember the exits in back of me I'm impressed, I'm impressed When that gorilla pounds his desk I fall to bits I confess I admit I'm impressed Through generalissimo's request I can't help but feel impressed On the one hand he'll Give you five good reasons to follow him On the other hand You see nobody leaving the stadium I'm impressed, I'm impressed By that Godzilla's flaming breath I fall to bits I confess I admit I'm impressed When the tornado from the west crushes buildings I'm impressed And I find that my head's nodding yes Though my legs are not following I'm inspired by events To remember the exits in back of me I'm impressed, I'm impressed When that gorilla beats his chest I fall to bits I confess I admit I'm impressed When the torpedo in the vest barks his orders I'm impressed
15.
The known, the unknown, and the underknown Look at what she found Digging all around by the goldfish pond She's going to get in trouble now Shaking up the bees, swinging from the tree Doesn't understand She's in trouble now It's a new year Careful what you pack There's no going back She's lost from the beginning She's the new girl She thinks she's smart; she's just curious She thinks she's alone Doesn't even know someone's watching her She's going to get in trouble now Waving from the shore, never knew before Doesn't understand She's in trouble now It's a new year Careful what you pack There's no going back She's lost from the beginning She's the new girl Careful what you pack There's no going back She's lost from the beginning She's the new girl
16.
Uh huh Uh huh uh huh Uh huh Uh huh uh huh Uh huh Clap your hands Clap your hands Clap your hands Clap your hands Clap your hands Stomp your feet Stomp your feet Stomp your feet Stomp your feet Stomp your feet Jump in the air Jump in the air Jump in the air Jump in the air
17.
Istanbul was Constantinople Now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople Been a long time gone, Constantinople Now it's Turkish delight on a moonlit night Every gal in Constantinople Lives in Istanbul, not Constantinople So if you've a date in Constantinople She'll be waiting in Istanbul Even old New York Was once New Amsterdam So take me back to Constantinople (yikes) No, you can't go back to Constantinople (yikes) Been a long time gone, Constantinople (yikes) Why did Constantinople get the works? (yikes) That's nobody's business but the Turks' (Shall we play?) Even old New York Was once New Amsterdam Yikes Yikes Yikes Yikes Ahhhhh Ahhh Ahhhhh Ahhh Ahhhhh Ahhh Ahhhhh Ahhhhh Ahhh Ahhhhh Ahhh Ahhhhh Ahhh Ahhhhh Even old New York Was once New Amsterdam So take me back to Constantinople (yikes) No, you can't go back to Constantinople (yikes) Been a long time gone, Constantinople (yikes) Why did Constantinople get the works? (yikes) That's nobody's business but the Turks' Even old New York Was once New Amsterdam So take me back to Constantinople (yikes) No, you can't go back to Constantinople (yikes) Been a long time gone, Constantinople (yikes) Why did Constantinople get the works? (yikes) That's nobody's business but the Turks'

about

Idlewild: A Compilation is an ultra-vivid illustration of the band’s prodigious output and singular musical vision. From the trance-inducing “Am I Awake?” to the haunting biography-in-miniature of “Tesla,” the scope of Idlewild is as wide as it is beguiling.

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released May 1, 2020

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