Myotonic

Really Not to Blame

You haven’t chosen
The way you started out
But you may change along the way
Some are determined
They must make it to the top
Some just hope to be okay

No matter what they said
It’s all inside your head
Your guilt and shame
You’re really not to blame
With all that you’ve been through
You did what you could do
It’s all the same
You’re really not to blame

We’re only human
And we do the best we can
With opportunities to fail
Every one of us
Has seen the gates of hell
But most have lived to tell the tale

No matter what they said
It’s all inside your head
Your guilt and shame
You’re really not to blame
With all that you’ve been through
You did what you could do
It’s all the same
You’re really not to blame

Why?

You try to figure out the rules
But only find confusion
Like every plan you ever made
Is rooted in delusion
And though you feel so certain that you know
You’d better let it go

And still you wonder why
This really had to happen
And still you wonder why
It only goes to show
And still you wonder why
You need to have a reason
And nothing that your life will bring
Will ever be the same until you know

And it’s a mystery to me
What really lies behind it
And though there is no point at all
Can’t help but try to find it
This game of chance that we can’t tolerate
Is bound to be our fate

And still you wonder why
This really had to happen
And still you wonder why
It only goes to show
And still you wonder why
You need to have a reason
And nothing that your life will bring
Will ever be the same until you know

Be Like Those Guys

So once again they tell you
That everything you know is wrong
And you’ll never be like those guys
You know you’re not that strong

But then again – could they do what you do?
If they tried – you think that they’d know how?
If they dared – walk a mile in your shoes
Where would they be now?

They never fought your battles
They never won your war
They don’t know what it cost you
Or what you did it for

So you could – try to be like those guys
Then you’d know – what kind of joy they feel
Or stay the same. If that makes you unhappy
At least you know it’s real.

And then again – could they do what you do?
If they tried – you think that they’d know how?
If they dared – walk a mile in your shoes
Where would they be now?

Every Now and Then

No-one told you that there
Were no answers to the
Many questions that they
Just keep asking you and

No-one ever thought of
Changing anything
Because it’s always been the
Same and you just
Take your time

But still you feel
Every now and then
You’ll never make it
Anyway
But then again
Every now and then
You feel you did
Though you’re not certain what it means

I can still recall the
Days I spent in silent
Wonder at the things you
Told me you could do and

We were young and we were
So much brighter then but
Now those days are over
We have no excuses left

But still you feel
Every now and then
You’ll never make it
Anyway
But then again
Every now and then
You feel you did
Though you’re not certain what it means

Dead on Impact

A hundred years from now
Every thought I have will be gone
Like the pain I feel inside
And life goes on

And I will never know
The reason why or what good did it do
To hurt myself this way
Hurting you

A bird falls from the sky
Dead on impact – dead on impact
Crashes to the sidewalk
Dead on impact – dead on impact
And no-one knows what for

A hundred years from now
Someone who’s not even born today
Will walk these streets
Feeling the same way

She won’t know my thoughts
There’s no way she can even know my name
She’ll never guess that here today
I felt the same

A bird falls from the sky
Dead on impact – dead on impact
Crashes to the sidewalk
Dead on impact – dead on impact
And no-one knows what for

Poor You

Every morning he got up
Dreading each moment he had to be awake
The clock would tick and time would slow
There wasn’t anywhere he wouldn’t go
To avoid having to see anyone
He’d sit in a chair and lean against a wall
But that didnt seem to matter much at all

But late at night he had a saviour
In his sleep, in his dreams
She came to him and she said
“poor you, poor you
No one understands you
Poor you, poor you”

And every word that everyone would say
Got mumbled up in his head
Like mumble-jumble and everywhere he went
It seemed like everyone was saying to him,
“Blah blah blah”

But late at night, he had a mistress
In his dreams, in his sleep
And she would say “poor you, poor you”
No one understands you
poor you”

This story, though, not well told
Is not that old
It’s not that funny, it’s not that great
But I know it to be true

Because late at night, I have an angel
In my dreams, in my sleep
And as she runs her fingers through my hair
As I lay on her lap
And she says, “poor you, poor you
No one understands you, poor you
poor you”

Music & Lyrics by Daniel Johnston

Fail Before You Try

Like a joke you’ve heard one thousand times before
It’s just not funny anymore
All doors are open if you only find the way
Well you know that’s what they say

Tell us once again
We can all learn to fly
And watch us fail
Before we try
Fail
Before we try

They’re everywhere – you get their message loud and clear
They fill you up with hope and fear
You hope that you too can do anything at all
But still you fear that you may fall

You’ve got yourself to blame
And there is no reason why
You fail
Before you try
Fail
Before you try

Tell us once again
We can all learn to fly
And watch us fail
Before we try
Fail
Before we try

Think You Know the Answer

I used to sit for hours
As you told me what it’s all about
So wise and full of insight
You never seemed to doubt

You think you know the answer
Ever since you saw the light
You think you know the answer
And the answer’s always right
I appreciate it
But here’s what I don’t get:
Could you repeat the question?
‘Cause I didn’t ask it yet

Did you ever wonder
If what you know applies to me?
You taught my eyes to open
Now I teach myself to see

You think you know the answer
Ever since you saw the light
You think you know the answer
And the answer’s always right
I appreciate it
But here’s what I don’t get:
Could you repeat the question?
‘Cause I didn’t ask it yet

I might need a lifetime
To take my mind off this and that
Who needs a destination
When you don’t know where you’re at?

You think you know the answer
Ever since you saw the light
You think you know the answer
And the answer’s always right
I appreciate it
But here’s what I don’t get:
Could you repeat the question?
‘Cause I didn’t ask it yet

The Same Mistake

If this hand of mine
Only had a gentle touch
I would move the world
But I wouldn’t move it that much
And I know it’s true
When they say this too shall pass
Make no sudden moves
Everything is made of glass

Do you imagine
If it’s important
It cannot break?
It’s a shame
But have you noticed
It tears my heart out
To make the same mistake?
But still I do

In this frozen field
Break the surface where I go
And the tracks I made
Will be there as long as the snow
If this love of ours
Can endure the shock of me
I would have to say
It should last eternally

Do you imagine
If it’s important
It cannot break?
It’s a shame
But have you noticed
It tears my heart out
To make the same mistake?

But still I do declare today
I could reduce the ancient wonders
Of the world to burning rubble
In the twinkling of an eye
Oh, you just watch me
You just watch me

Do you imagine
If it’s important
It cannot break?
It’s a shame
But have you noticed
It tears my heart out
To make the same mistake?

What You Are

You can walk your way alone
You can have the strength to bear
A thousand heavy blows
You can take it all in stride
You can hold the pain inside
So sure it never shows

Still the day will come
When everyone will know
Exactly what you are

You can show them that you’re strong
You can make them all agree
Even when you’re wrong
You can stand up for your right
You can tell yourself again
You were meant to win the fight

Still the day will come
When everyone will know
Exactly what you are

You can act like you’re not there
You can run away and hide
Pretend that you don’t care

Still the day will come
When everyone will know
Exactly what you are

Everything you are
Everything you are

Feeding My Suspicion

Really, it’s kind of a shame
I was doing alright for a while
Turning the thoughts in my head
Slowly preparing to smile
Something came up as we spoke
Something I don’t want to see
Scaring the hell out of me
And always ends up

Feeding my suspicion
Feeding my suspicion
That it’s all a trick, it’s all a game
But not a game that I can learn to play
In any useful way
Feeding my suspicion
Feeding my suspicion
Once again

And so it happens again
Whatever goes on in my mind
Leaving me lost and afraid
Raving and legally blind
I can’t expect you to know
I only hope that you see
That this is real to me
As it keeps on

Feeding my suspicion
Feeding my suspicion
That it’s all a trick, it’s all a game
But not a game that I can learn to play
In any useful way
Feeding my suspicion
Feeding my suspicion
Once again

The Airplane Song

As our plane explodes in mid-air
The entire right side blown away
The oxygen masks dangle before me
But the sky sure is blue today
You grab my hand and ask me
“Is this the end? Just like this?”
I think for a second, then turn to you
And say “I’m afraid it is”

And as the plane spins out of control
We can regret all that we’ve ever done
But who can say how to live your life?
You never know how or when it is gone.
I can the regret the mistakes that I made
If I forget what I made them for
Regret that I’ve wasted too much time
Or that I didn’t waste it more

We’re falling at maximum speed now
I’m sure it won’t be long
But still, to die by your side
Sounds so much better in a song
The nearest exit may be behind you
But looking back is always tough
Even if you are a frequent flyer
You still feel you haven’t flown enough

If I don’t wake from this dream
I’ll never wake up again

Wrong Turn

Must have made a wrong turn
Somewhere on the way
Back then I didn’t know it
And I’m still not sure today
Must have been a warning
Some kind of hidden sign
How could I not have noticed?
Why was I so blind?

So this is where I ended up
This is not what I planned
No turning back, no second chance
I still don’t understand

Everyone I cared for
That I met along the way
I never meant to hurt them
But I hurt them every day

So this is where I ended up
It’s not what I had planned
No turning back, no second chance
I still don’t understand

Must have made a wrong turn
Somewhere on the way
Back then I didn’t know it
And I’m still not sure today
The question keeps returning
As I lie awake at night
What could I have accomplished
If I’d only got it right?

Intro

(Instrumental)