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On the Shortness of Life

by Queen Cabbage

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1.
Will you stay past closing time? — Of course, my love. Of course. Will you wait for Caroline? — Of course, my love. Of course. Will you give a damn for her? — Of course, my love. Of course. Will she live like she deserves? — Of course, my love. Of course. Will you bring her to meet your friends? — Of course, my love. Of course. Will she sing and shake and bend? — Of course, my love. Of course. Will you give her love and food? — Of course, my love. Of course. Will you suffocate her soon? — Of course, my love. Of course. Will you place your hands like so? — Like so, my love? Like so? Will she lose her vision, though? — I’m afraid, that too will go. Will you falter? Would you care? — Of course, my love. Of course. Will she die buried in there? — I’m afraid, my love, Of course… Of course, my love. Of course.
2.
Kublai Khan 04:41
We see you have built a pleasure dome on a hill We’ve come to document your accomplishments and good will We bring you our literary sense and our finest gifts We’ll enter your ice caves and tell the tales to our kids Nothing will silence us Nothing will blindfold us Art cannot end us Soon in the ground there appears a mighty rift The void it exposes threatens to burn our gifts With swift and deafening half-intermitted bursts The chasm shoots forth what may kill us all, or worse… The stones that will silence us The darkness that blindfolds us The fear that will end us Kublai Khan, show yourself to me! If I beat my chest, surely I will see The opulence, the rivers that can speak— The damsels with their dulcimers and blue beads Surely, I can build dreams, Plant vast, golden prairies, breathe new life into ancient history Surely, I’ll fill blue streams, Kublai Khan, if you just show yourself to me Receding from your stately pleasure dome on the hill Ten miles out to sea, the outlines of ice caves chill my blood To just above freezing; oh, if only I could revive The damsel’s song, delicate, ephemeral; it’s trapped our minds We fear that it’s silenced us We see that it’s blindfolded us Our theft, our art—will end us Take heed; believe us
3.
Checking a few times an hour to make sure there’s the right blend of tonic in your gin Checking the meter to read if a sleeper is hiding inside of my skin Boiling a few cups of water to make sure there are no little creatures inside Charging your phone; if it reaches much lower than twenty percent, you’ll be tied Tied (x3) Hand over hand to your present Hand over hand of your friend’s Hands at ten and two through vast and soon-forgotten land Then hand in your specs, young man. Hope you don’t notice that I’ve become sickly and suffer from shoddy upkeep I’ll just need a day to recover; I’ll come back much stronger; I only need sleep I’ll watch from the window and feel the blood rushing to fix me, but trust me, I’ve tried Raking red leaves; if they reach the stone wall, you’ll be all out of space! You’ll be tied Tied (x5) Hand over hand to your future Hand over hand to your land OH, excellent news! Hand over all your pity-pilfered pride, Or hand in your gloves, tough guy Hand over hand, you’ll proceed now Hand over hand over hand Hand! Over hand! Over hand! Over hand! (ad nauseam) HAND OVER, MAN! OVERHAND! OVER!
4.
River, Run! 04:18
I can see that you’ve been sleeping Sorry, dear—I’ll get out of your hair— But when you wake, please come and find me I’ll be right here—I’m the worm in your ear Among these boxes, the air is toxic Sorry, dear—we’ll go where it’s clear— While you are sleeping, please try to see me Downstream from your room—I’ll be expecting you soon The river is fraught with branches and rocks It flows where we cannot see Come! Build a raft with me! I can feel your hesitation Climb on, my dear—I promise I’ll steer— But if you could, come try and join me— The rudders and oars—and helm—are all yours The river is wide and speckled with white It crashes and spins and seethes Come! Ride it blind with me! I’ve heard it runs down beyond populous towns To a delta of thick brackish marsh Come, before the sunlight gets harsh!
5.
Way Down 04:57
No one will find us here We are extremely alone Wreckage scattered all across the stones No one will think to look We can take off our clothes Dip beneath the surface to the throes Stay down Stay down Way down No one will hear you gasp and gurgle Your thrashing won’t make a lasting murmur Your only audience is whatever lives underground Stay down Stay down Way down
6.
Will you bear this pall with me? — I will, my friend. I will Will we fall down to our knees? — I’m sure, my friend, we will. Let’s sing the songs she loved — We will, my friend. We will I want all those tears expunged — Let them cry, my friend. They need this. Try and make the best of this — I will, my friend. I will It’s really nothing time can’t fix — And heal, my friend, I will Thomas! Give her one last kiss! — And feel, my friend. Just feel Before the casket’s all but sealed — And seal, my friend, it will Will she sleep beneath the earth — Perfectly still and free from harm Among the roots beneath new birth? — She’ll rot, my friend, but she’ll be warm Perhaps she’ll rest above the hearth — Or on a lonely windowsill— I’d rather not take the choice to heart — So long as she’s allowed to lie still. She will, my friend. She will She will, my friend. She will

credits

released May 16, 2018

Guitar, Vocals, Toilet, Sink, Air vent, Sony TCM-200DV "Cassette-corder" - Ben Stein
Cover photo & design by Ben Stein

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Queen Cabbage New York, New York

Originating in late 2017 at SUNY Purchase, Queen Cabbage is a folky art rock band dedicated to synthesizing silliness, seriousness, life, death, the beautiful, and the grotesque into earnest, powerful, emotionally immediate music for eager feet to dance and stumble to, for thoughtful hearts to beat and break to, and—most importantly—for authority figures to disapprove of. Queens ~~ Welcome! ... more

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