ANI DIFRANCO – You Had Time

how can I go home
with nothing to say
I know you’re going to look at me that way
and say what did you do out there
and what did you decide
you said you needed time
and you had time

you are a china shop
and I am a bull
you are really good food
and I am full
I guess everything is timing
I guess everything’s been said
so I am coming home with an empty head

you’ll say did they love you or what
I’ll say they love what I do
the only one who really loves me is you
and you’ll say girl did you kick some butt
and I’ll say I don’t really remember
but my fingers are sore
and my voice is too

you’ll say it’s really good to see you
you’ll say I missed you horribly
you’ll say let me carry that
give that to me
and you will take the heavy stuff
and you will drive the car
and I’ll look out the window making jokes
about the way things are

how can I go home
with nothing to say
I know you’re going to look at me that way
and say what did you do out there
and what did you decide
you said you needed time
and you had time

ANI DIFRANCO – Zoo

I can no longer watch TV
Cause that shit really melts my brain
I think I’m what they call sensitive
And easily thrown off my game

All that bloodshed and pettiness
Just makes the world seem so insane
And I just feel drained

When I go to do my food shopping
And all I can see is the packaging
One big mountain of garbage
About to be happening

And I walk past my own self-loathing
Like I walk past animals in the zoo
Trying not to really see them
And the prison they didn’t choose

If I should ever quit your spotlight
I hope you won’t think me wrong
Says the poet to the moonlight
Says the singer to the song

It’s enough just to stay upright
Upright in every single way
Pour your love into your children
Until there’s nothing left to say

Pour your love into your children
Until there’s nothing left to say

ANI DIFRANCO – Work Your Way Out

lying on the floor
four stories high
in the corridor
between the asphalt and the sky
I am caught like bottled water
the light daughter
I wonder what you look like
under your t-shirt
I wonder what you sound like
when you’re not wearing words
I wonder what we have
when we’re not pretending
it’s never-ending, haven’t you heard?
I don’t need to tell you
what this is about
you just start on the inside
and work your way out
we are all polylingual
but some of us pretend
there’s virtue in relying
on not trying to understand
we’re all citizens of the womb
before we subdivide
into sexes and shades
this side
that side
and I don’t need to tell you
what this is about
you just start on the inside
and work your way out
undressing for the fan
like it was a man
wondering about all the things
that I’ll never understand
there are some things that you can’t know
unless you’ve been there
but oh how far we could go
if we started to share
I don’t need to tell you
what it is about
you just start on the inside
you just start on the inside
and work your way out

ANI DIFRANCO – Which Side Are You On?

They stole a few elections,
Still we the people won
We voted out corruption and
Big corporations

We voted for an end to war
New direction
We ain’t gonna stop now
Until our job is done

Come on all good workers
This year is our time
Now there some folks in washington
Who cares what’s on our minds

Come one-come all voters
Lets all vote next time
Show ‘em which side are you on now
Which side are you on

Which side are you on now
Which side are you on
Which side are you on now
Which side are you on

Which side are you on now
Which side are you on
Which side are you on now
Which side are you on

30 years of diggin’
Got us in this hole
The curse of reaganomics
Has finally taken it’s toll

Lord knows the free market
Is anything but free
It costs dearly to the planet
And the likes of you and me

I don’t need those money lenders
Suckin’ on my tit
A little socialism
Don’t scare me one bit!

We could do a whole lot worse
Than europe or canada
C’mon mr. president
C’mon congress make the law

Which side are you on now
Which side are you on
Which side are you on now
Which side are you on

They say in orleans parish
There are no neutrals there
There’s just too much misery
There’s too much despair

America who are we
Now our innocence is gone
Which side are you on now
Which side are you on

Too many stories written
Out in black and white
C’mon people of privilege
It’s time to join the fight

Are we living in the shadow of slavery
Or are we moving on
Tell me which side are you on now
Which side are you on

Which side are you on boys
Which side are you on
Which side are you on boys
Which side are you on
Which side are you on boys
Which side are you on
Which side are you on now
Which side are you on

My mother was a feminist
She taught me to see
That the road to ruin is paved
With patriarchy

So, let the way of the women
Guide democracy
From plunder and pollution
Let mother earth be free

Feminism ain’t about women
No, that’s not who it is for
It’s about a shifting consciousness
That’ll bring an end to war

So listen up you fathers
Listen up you sons
Which side are you on now
Which side are you on

Which side are you on now
Which side are you on
Which side are you on now
Which side are you on

So are we just consumers
Or are we citizens
Are we gonna make more garbage
Or are we gonna make amends

Are you part of the solution
Or are you part of the con?
Which side are you on now
Which side are you on?

ANI DIFRANCO – Used To You

I’m still here because
I’ve got nothing else to do
you’re an asshole
but I’m getting used to you
I like the fact that
you talk incessantly
I got a thing for assholes
who tell good stories

I think that drinking
is the only thing that you do right
you’re gonna self-destruct
I think that’s what I like
you like me so you try and make me
feel like shit
I think it’s kind of funny yeah
I kind of enjoy it

if you’re gonna do it, overdo it
that’s how you know you’re alive
go ahead, take yourself a coma nap
take a puddle dive

you said, this is my bedroom window
you said, this is my view
you said, lie down here with me
and see the things that I do
like you were trying to tell me something
about the way you live
like you would give me something
if you had something to give

and for all your talk
you don’t say much that’s real
I think I know more than you
about the way that you feel
I understand your anger
and your apathy
I think if I was you,
you’re who I’d be

I’m still here
’cause I got nothing else to do
you’re an asshole but
I’m getting used to you
I could love you, yeah
I’ve entertained the thought
but I could never like you
so I guess I’d better not

ANI DIFRANCO – Unworry

I know I’ve seen you around
You can’t forget that hair
But I didn’t hear you come in
How long have you been sitting there?

You know you can tell me anything
I promise I don’t scare
Let’s only ever be allies even if the whole background dissolves
And little pink hearts can pop over our heads but we’ll keep our cool

You know I have enjoyed my life
It’s been exciting
And I’ve become more peaceful
No more fighting

And I ain’t gonna waste your time
Wronging and righting
Round and round centered by the grooves on an old oak tree
Nibbled by minnows and licked by a salty sea
And I gotta say I’m amazed not in a good way at how much I don’t remember
I just gotta hope though I’m slow it’s all part of what I know the facts are pretend anyway
Yeah the facts are pretend anyway

I know I’ve seen you around
Always in that uniform
Pirate hat just a little stained
Sword just a little worn

You know you can tell me anything
I’m not just tooting my own horn
Let’s only ever be allies even if the whole background dissolves
And little pink hearts can pop over our heads but we’ll keep our cool

Baby teach me to unworry
I will teach you to unhide
In the city where they don’t need x-rays
To see each other’s insides

Under a big old oak tree
Synchronicities gather in tide
Round and round centered by the grooves on an old oak tree
Nibbled by minnows and licked by a salty sea
And I gotta say I’m amazed not in a good way at how much I don’t remember
I just gotta hope though I’m slow it’s all part of what I know the facts are pretend anyway
Yeah the facts are pretend anyway
Yeah the facts are pretend

ANI DIFRANCO – Untouchable Face

think i’m going for a walk now
i feel a little unsteady
i don’t want nobody to follow me
‘cept maybe you
i could make you happy you know
if you weren’t already
i could do a lot of things
and i do

tell you the truth i prefer
the worst of you
too bad you had to have a better half
she’s not really my type
but i think you two are forever
and i hate to say it but
you’re perfect together

so fuck you
and your untouchable face
and fuck you
for existing in the first place
and who am i
that i should be vying for your touch
and who am i
i bet you can’t even tell me that much

two-thirty in the morning
and my gas tank will be empty soon
neon sign on the horizon
rubbing elbows with the moon
a safe haven of sleepless
where the deep fryer’s always on
radio is counting down
the top 20 country songs
and out on the porch the fly strip is
waving like a flag in the wind
y’know, i don’t look forward
to seeing you again soon
you’ll look like a photograph of yourself
taken from far far away
and i won’t know what to do
and i won’t know what to say

except fuck you…

i see you and i’m so perplexed
what was i thinking
what will i think of next
where can i hide
in the back room there’s a lamp
that hangs over the pool table
and when the fan is on it swings
gently side to side
there’s a changing constellation
of balls as we are playing
i see orion and say nothing
the only thing i can think of saying

is fuck you…

ANI DIFRANCO – To The Teeth

the sun is settin on the century
and we are armed to the teeth
we are all working together now
to make our lives mercifully brief
schoolkids keep trying to teach us
what guns are all about
confuse liberty with weaponry
and watch your kids act it out
every year now like Christmas
some boy gets the milk-fed sub-urban blues
reaches for the available arsenal
and saunters off to make the news
and women in the middle
are learning what poor women have always known
that the edge is closer than you think
when your men bring the guns home

look at where the profits are
that’s how you’ll find the source
of the big lie that you and i
both know so well
it the time it takes this cultural
death wish to run its course
they’re gonna make a pretty penny
and then they’re all going to hell
he said the chickens all come home to roost
yeah, malcom forecasted this flood
are we really gonna sleep through another century
while the rich profir off our blood?
true, it may take some doing
to see this undoing done
but in my humble opinion
here’s what i suggest we do:

open fire on hollywood
open fire on MTV
open fire on NBC
and CBS and ABC
open fire on the NRA
and all the lies they told us
along the way
open fire on each weapons manufacturer
while he’s giving head
to some republician senator

and if i hear one more time
about fool’s rights
to his tools of rage
I’m gonna take all my friends
and I’m gonna move to Canada
and we’re gonna die of old age

ANI DIFRANCO – Tiptoe

tiptoeing through the used condoms
strewn on the piers
off the west side highway
sunset behind the skyline of jersey
walking towards the water
with a fetus holding court in my gut
my body highjacked
my tits swollen
I’m sore
the river has more colors at sunset than my sock drawer ever dreamed of
I could wake up screaming sometimes
but I don’t
I could step off the end of this pier
but I’ve got shit to do
and I’ve an appointment on tuesday
to shed uninvited blood and tissue
I’ll miss you I say to the river
to the water
to the son or
daughter I thought better of
I could fall in love with jersey at sunset
but I leave
the view
to the rats
and tiptoe back

ANI DIFRANCO – The Slant

the slant
a building settling around me
my figure female framed crookedly
in the threshold
of the room
door scraping floorboards
with every opening
carving a rough history
of bedroom scenes
the plot hard to follow
the text obscured
in the fields of sheets
slowly gathering the stains
of seasons spent lying there
red and brown
like leaves fallen
the colors of an eternal cycle
fading with the
wash cycle
and the rinse cycle
again an unfamiliar smell
like my name misspelled
or misspoken
a cycle broken
the sound of them strong
stalking talking about their prey
like the way hammer meets nail
pounding, they say
pounding out the rhythms of attraction
like a woman was a drum like a body was a weapon
like there was something more they wanted
than the journey
like it was owed to them
steel toed they walk
and I’m wondering why this fear of men
maybe it’s because I’m hungry
and like a baby I’m dependent on them
to feed me
I am a work in progress
dressed in the fabric of a world unfolding
offering me intricte patterns of questions
rhythms that never come clean
and strengths that you still haven’t seen

ANI DIFRANCO – Talk To Me Now

he said ani, you’ve gotten tough
’cause my tone was curt
yeah, and when I’m approached in a dark alley
I don’t lift my skirt
in this city
self-preservation
is a full time occupation
I’m determined
to survive on this shore
you know I don’t
avert my eyes anymore
in a man’s world
I am a woman by birth
and after nineteen times around I have found
they will stop at nothing once they know what you are worth
talk to me now
I played the powerless
in too many dark scenes
and I was blessed with a birth and a death
and I guess I just want some say in between
don’t you understand
in the day to day
and the face to face
I have to act
just as strong as I can
just to preserve a place
where I can be who I am
so if you still know how
talk to me now

ANI DIFRANCO – Swandive

cradling the softest, warmest part of you in my hand
feels like a little baby bird fallen from the nest
i think that your body is something i understand
i think that i’m happy, i think that i’m blessed

i’ve got a lack of inhibition
i’ve got a loss of perspective
i’ve had a little bit to drink
and it’s making me think
that i can jump ship and swim
that the ocean will hold me
that there’s got to be more
than this boat i’m in

‘cuz they can call me crazy if i fail
all the chance that i need
is one-in-a-million
and they can call me brilliant
if i succeed
gravity is nothing to me, moving at the speed of sound
i’m just going to get my feet wet
until i drown

and i teeter between tired
and really, really tired
im wiped and im wired but i guess its just as well
because i built my own empire
out of car tires and chicken wire
and i’m queen of my own compost heap
and i’m getting used to the smell

and i’ve got a lack of information
but i got a little revelation
and i’m climbing up on the railing
trying not to look down
i’m going to do my best swan dive
in the shark-infested waters
i’m gonna pull out my tampon
and start splashing around

‘cuz i don’t care if they eat me alive
i’ve got better thing to do than survive
i’ve got a memory of your warm skin in my hand
and i’ve got a vision of blue sky and dry land

i’m cradling the hardest, heaviest part of me in my hand
the ship is pitching and heaving, my limbs are bobbing and weaving
and i think this is what i understand
i just need a little vaccination for my far-away vacation
i’m going to go ahead boldly because a little bird told me
that jumping is easy, that falling is fun
up until you hit the sidewalk, shivering, stunned

and they can call me crazy if i fail
all the chance that i need
is one-in-a-million
and they can call me brilliant
if i succeed
gravity is nothing to me
moving at the speed of sound
i’m just gonna get my feet wet
until i drown…

ANI DIFRANCO – Splinter

Something about this landscape just don’t feel right
Hyper air-conditioned and lit up all night

Like we just gotta see how comfortable comfortable can get
Like we can’t even bring ourselves to sweat

Sweat in the summer, shiver in the winter
Just enough to know that we’re alive
Watch out for that TV, it’s full of splinters
And remember you can always go outside
Really, really, really far outside

And some might call it conservation
And some might call it common sense
And maybe it’s because I am Libra
But I say balance balance balance balance
I say balance balance balance balance

Who put all this stuff in my apartment?
Who put all this ice in my drink?
Who put the poison in the atmosphere?
Who put the poison in the way I think?

O women, won’t you be our windows
Women who bleed and bleed and bleed
Women who swim with the tide, women who change when the wind blows
Show us we are connected to everything
Show us we are not separate from everything

So here’s to the trials of living
Here’s to feeling our share of pain
All the way from childbirth to dying
Here’s to being connected to everything
Here’s to staying connected to everything

ANI DIFRANCO – Sick Of Me

how sick of me must you be by now? while you’re standing just outside of
what your pride will allow, always reaching into yourself to find a new way to
understand me. when i’m sure that there’s no one else in the world that could
withstand me. yeah, the first person in your life to ever really matter is
saying the last thing that you want to hear. and you are listening hard through
the splintering shards of your life as it shatters. and you’re standing firm
and you’re staying close and you’re seeing clear. i took to the stage with my
outrage in the bad old days when you were the “make me mad” guy. but
the songs they come out more slowly now that i am the bad guy. and i say, baby
i’m sorry that i am so crazy, i am astounded by your patience. but you say/
“believe or not baby, the joy you bring me still outweighs it.”
yeah, the first
person in your life to ever really matter is saying the last thing that you
want to hear. and you are listening hard through the splintering shards of
your life as it shatters, and you’re standing firm and you’re staying close
and you’re seeing clear. tell me how sick of me must you be by now?

ANI DIFRANCO – Shy

the heat is so great
it plays tricks with the eye
it turns the road to water
and then from water to sky
and there’s a crack in the concrete floor
and it starts at the sink
there’s a bathroom in a gas station
and i’ve locked myself in it to think

and back in the city
the sun bakes the trash on the curb
the men are pissing in doorways
and the rats run in herds
i’ve got a dream of your face
that scares me awake
i put too much on my table
and now i got too much a stake

and i might let you off easy
yeah i might lead you on
i might wait for you to look for me
and then i might be gone
where i come from and where i’m going
and i’m lost in between
i might go up to that phone booth
and leave a veiled invitation on you machine

and you’ll stop me, won’t you
if you’ve heard this one before
the one where i surprise you
by showing up at your front door
saying ‘let’s not ask what’s next,
or how, or why’
i am leaving in the morning
so let’s not be shy

the door opens, the room winces
the housekeeper comes in without a warning
and i squint at the muscular motel lady
says ‘hey good morning’
and she jumps, her keys jingle
and she leaves as quick as she came in
and i roll over and taste the pillow with my grin
well, the sheets are twisted and tangled
and the heat is so great
and i swear i can feel the mattress
sinking underneath your weight
oh sleep is like a fever
and I’m glad when it ends
and the road flows like a river
and pulls me around every bend

and you’ll stop me, won’t you…

the heat is so great
it plays tricks with the eye
it turns road to water
and water to sky
and there’s a crack in the concrete floor
and it starts at the sink
there’s a bathroom in a gas station
and i’ve locked myself
in it to think

and you’ll stop me, won’t you…

ANI DIFRANCO – Shameless

i cannot name this
i cannot explain this
and i really don’t want to
just call me shameless
i can’t even slow this down
let alone stop this
and i keep looking around
but i cannot top this

if i had any sense
i guess i’d fear this
i guess i’d keep it down
so no one would hear this
i guess i’d shut my mouth
and rethink a minute
but i can’t shut it now
‘cuz there’s something in it

we’re in a room without a door
and i am sure without a doubt
they’re gonna wanna know
how we got in here
and they’re gonna wanna know
how we plan to get out
we better have a good explanation
for all the fun that we had
‘cuz they are coming for us, baby
they are going to be mad
they are going to be mad at us

this is my skeleton
this is the skin it’s in
that is, according to light
and gravity
i’ll take off my disguise
the mask you met me in
‘cuz i got something
for you to see
just gimme your skeleton
give me the skin it’s in
yeah baby, this is you
according to me
i never avert my eyes
i never compromise
so nevermind
the poetry

we’re in a room without a door…

i gotta cover my butt ‘cuz i covet
another man’s wife
i got to divide my emotions
between wrong and right
then i get to see how close i can get to it
without giving in
then i get to rub up against it
till i break the skin
rub up against it
till i break the skin

they’re gonna be mad at us
they’re gonna be mad at me and you
yeah, they’re gonna be mad at us
and all the things we wanna do
they’re gonna be mad at us
they’re gonna be mad at me and you
they’re gonna be mad at us
and all the things we like do

just please don’t name this
please don’t explain this
just blame it all on me
say i was shameless
say i couldn’t slow it down
let alone stop it
and say you just hung around
‘cuz you couldn’t top it

ANI DIFRANCO – Promiscuity

Promiscuity is nothing more than traveling
There’s more than one way to see the world
And some of us like to stick close to home
And some of us are Columbus
What can I say?

Nature always gets her way
Nature always gets her way

And seeing the world through another’s eyes
Is like busting a window in a house of lies
And in the end you make up your own mind

And there’s wide open spaces
And little cornered off places
And check ‘em out
Check ‘em out
Take your time

How far is too far?
How much is enough?
You gotta test this stuff

I mean how you gonna know
What you need
What you like
Till you been around the block
A few times on that bike

I mean how you gonna know
Who you are
What you feel
Till you feel a few things
That just don’t feel real

And promiscuity is research and development
Evolution begs embellishment
And baby you’re a star

And you got two invisible eyes on society
And when society gets cruel
Make like you’re nature’s tool
Which you are

And nature always gets her way
Nature always gets her way

And monogamy is that carnival trophy you earn
When you throw that ball into that urn
It’s somewhat dumb luck, somewhat learned
And you just know when it’s your turn

And honesty is the hardest part
Yeah honesty is the highest art
And honestly i myself just started
And eureka I’m less broken hearted

I mean how you gonna know
What you need
What you like
Till you been around the block
A few times on that bike

I mean how you gonna know
Who you are
What you feel
Till you feel a few things
That just don’t feel real

ANI DIFRANCO – Pixie

I’m a pixie
I’m a paperdoll
I’m a cartoon
I’m a chipper cheerful free for all
And I light up a room
I’m the color me happy girl
Miss live and let live
And when they’re out for blood
I always give

The man behind the counter looks like he’s got
A half a dozen places he’d rather be
And furthermore it looks like he’s prepared
To take it all out on me
Buddy, I don’t really care what your problem is
Just don’t make it mine
Come on kids, let’s all hold hands
And pretend we’re having a good time

Maybe you don’t like your job
Maybe you didn’t get enough sleep
Well, nobody likes their job
Nobody got enough sleep
Maybe you just had
The worst day of your life
But, you know, there’s no escape
And there’s no excuse
So just suck up and be nice

All the privileged white kids on TV
Playing at death
Brandishing their cold cuts
With their ghostly make-up
And their heroin breath
And all the little fishes are flapping wildly
On their hooks
While all the top critics find great meaning
In the telephone book

The little emperor he has no clothes
So he can’t come out to play
And besides which life is suffering
And he likes it that way
And the little guy is not so friendly
But you know life has been cruel
So wipe that smile off your face baby
And try to be cool

Maybe you don’t like your job
Maybe you didn’t get enough sleep
Well, nobody likes their job
Nobody got enough sleep
Maybe you just had
The worst day of your life
But, you know, there’s no escape
And there’s no excuse
So just suck up and be nice

Yeah, I would like to perfect the art
Of being studiously aloof
Like life is just a boring chore
And I am living proof
I could join forces with an army
Of ornery hipsters
But then I guess I’d be out of a job
So I guess that’s out of the picture

Cause I’m a pixie
I’m a paperdoll
I’m a cartoon
I’m a chipper cheerful free for all
And I light up a room
I’m the color me happy girl
Miss live and let live
And when they’re out for blood
I always give

ANI DIFRANCO – Out Of Habit

the butter melts out of habit
the toast isn’t even warm
the waitress and the man in the plaid shirt
play out a scene they’ve played
so many times before
I am watching the sun stumble home in the morning
from a bar on the east side of town
and the coffee is just water dressed in brown
beautiful but boring
he visited me yesterday
he noticed my fingers
and asked me if I would play
I didn’t really care a lot
but I couldn’t think of a reason why not
I said if you don’t come any closer I don’t mind if you stay
my thighs have been involved in many accidents
and now I can’t get insured
and I don’t need to be lured by you
my cunt is built like a wound that won’t heal
and now you don’t have to ask
because you know how I feel
you know how I feel

art is why I get up in the morning
but my definition ends there
and it doesn’t seem fair
that I’m living for something I can’t even define
there you are right there
in the meantime

I don’t want to play for you anymore
show me what you can do
tell me what are you here for
I want my old friends
I want my old face
I want my old mind
fuck this time and place

the butter melts out of habit
you know, the toast isn’t even warm

ANI DIFRANCO – Not A Pretty Girl

I am not a pretty girl
that is not what I do
I ain’t no damsel in distess
and I don’t need to be rescued
so put me down punk
maybe you’d prefer a maiden fair
isn’t there a kitten stuck up a tree somewhere

I am not an angry girl
but it seems like I’ve got everyone fooled
every time I say something they find hard to hear
they chalk it up to my anger
and never to their own fear
and imagine you’re a girl
just trying to finally come clean
knowing full well they’d prefer you
were dirty and smiling

and I am sorry
I am not a maiden fair
and I am not a kitten stuck up a tree somewhere

and generally my generation
wouldn’t be caught dead working for the man
and generally I agree with them
trouble is you gotta have youself an alternate plan
and I have earned my disillusionment
I have been working all of my life
and I am a patriot
I have been fighting the good fight
and what if there are no damsels in distress
what if I knew that and I called your bluff?
don’t you think every kitten figures out how to get down
whether or not you ever show up

I am not a pretty girl
I don’t want to be a pretty girl
no I want to be more than a pretty girl