Derek Senn

ALASKA

I had a great day of surfing in my cubicle

I found a California fixer these days it ain’t that hard

and I set a move date back to the lower 48

I need a new chapter I’m over Alaska

The Butte county beauty was never lost on me

we used to drive the levees and soak up scenery

skeletal orchards decrepit towns

the low sun aglow on the slow Sacramento

Keep heading west and you’ll end up back east

keep trying to bet yourself and you might just get beat

I’m gonna look down south there’s a sentiment I’m after

It’s back down the Alcan I’m over Alaska

Derek Senn – vocals, acoustic guitar

Damon Castillo – electric guitar

Kristian Ducharme – wurlitzer, B3

Paul Griffith – drums, tambourine

HOW COULD A MAN

She’s a yogi she’s a reader she’s an unapologetic eater a carnivore poor pigs cows and chickens

she’s even-keeled until crossed  that’s when dishes get tossed

don’t bequeath your fine china to her she’s a laundress she’s a gourmet chef

an EMT she won’t shy away she’ll suture cuts she’ll pick a tick right off your nuts

if you puke your guts out she’s there to console you she hates treadmills and gyms

loves open water swims hiking biking camping bodysurfing

she rode her Bianchi through the Portuguese wine country full self-supported

she lived in Argentina she’s a trilingual gringa she cursed her way through a natural birth

she’s got perfect skin and when her fallopian tubes were tied God cried a tear

and how could a man not fall completely x3

she’s a cumbia dancer she thinks TV’s a cancer  she loves to spar intellectually

she’s up for anything so no BS she will go anywhere there is an adventure

if you ask her to learn to play the drums and go onstage

she’ll learn to play the drums and go onstage

and someone once tried to test her well into her third trimester

he said you wanna go to Ko Lipe she said OK

and they rode that boat for hours and hours through that black Thai night

while he puked into the sea and she held him and consoled him and earnestly told him

I’ll take care of you if you take care of me

and how could a man not fall completely x3

in love

Derek Senn – vocals, acoustic guitar

Damon Castillo – bass, electric guitar

Kristian Ducharme – wurlitzer, juno, moog

Paul Griffith - drums

BOTOX

The gal down the block just got botoxed

she’s driving her Porsche off to where her horse

sleeps with the chickens

she will disagree the concept of free comes from within

She won’t let him go to see the horse show

there’s no magic pill it makes her too nervous when he’s there

so she takes a nip the horse takes a trip and goes under

Derek Senn – vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, harmonica

Damon Castillo – bass

Kristian Ducharme – piano, mellotron, wurlitzer

Paul Griffith - drums

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR

It sounded nice to have peace and quiet

a break from the kids so we shipped them off to camp katydid

and then we had peace and quiet just the wife and me

so we shared a medical brownie

and we spent our quiet evening in the fetal position

be careful what you wish for we used to be hardcore not anymore be careful what you wish for

and then we went to the bar for a drinky we threw back a couple next to  a kinky couple

they said do you want to party at our place where we can uncouple so we can quadruple

we said thanks but we’ve got to go we really like to watch the antiques roadshow

be careful what you wish for we used to be hardcore not anymore be careful what you wish for

and then we got around to resuscitating our rock-n-roll dream

and so we dusted off the drums and amplifiers back before kids we were good we used to gig

but before we even made it through half a song

our neighbor chuck came along and sounded the gong

and we picked up the kids today they both said camp was great so we booked next years dates

how can we miss them if they don’t go away

but they’ll soon be gone forever at least they had better

and we’ll have quiet be careful what you wish for

because I wanted it to speed up more when they were 3 and 4

not anymore be careful what you wish for

Derek Senn – vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar

Damon Castillo – bass, electric guitar

Kristian Ducharme – B3

Paul Griffith – drums, shaker

Larry Kim - saxaphone

HAVE A NICE DAY

My 12,992^nd day dawns balmy and gray same as the previous day

alarm bell wake up do my hair and make-up what to wear today

white and light gray same as the previous day

I pop my prescription and swallow the cliché cherish every day

and I cling to it like flotsam from the shipwreck of my shattered expectations

have a nice day have a nice hum drum day I’m all dolled up for the dull day

have a nice day have a nice hum drum day I’m all dolled up for the dull day

my 12,997^th day and one thing is for sure I’m gonna get a pedicure

and it’s time for a shake-up I’m tossing all my make-up

I’m going to go cruelty free it’s just more me

and I can almost taste the freedom as soon as the kids ship off to school

I’m gonna do some cyber shopping with my chai then its rose by the racquet club pool

have a nice day have a nice hum drum day I’m all dolled up for the dull day

have a nice day have a nice hum drum day I’m all dolled up for the dull day

Derek Senn – vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar

Damon Castillo – bass

Kristian Ducharme - juno

Paul Griffith - drums

THE NUCLEAR FAMILY

She wanted a ring and a proposal I got her one made her one

a couple kids on a cul-de-sac so we made some and bought on one

and the disconnect it crept in in imperceptible ways

and slowly the corrosion ate through our better days

and once we put the kids down we go our separate ways

I slip down to my home office stare at the screen and say

estoy aburrido ya no la quiero quitate la blusa y la minifalda te juro que te quiero

last night was relatively civil and then we go into the wine

I’ve been hoarding my last Percocet tonight I’m gonna feel just fine

the kids are on their consoles I taught them how to play

let’s spend the nights together in our own virtual way

the nuclear family meltdown is underway

I slip into my fallout shelter stare at the screen and say

estoy aburrido ya no la quiero quitate la blusa y la minifalda te juro que te quiero

Derek Senn – vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, hand claps

Damon Castillo – bass, hand claps, keyboards

Kristian Ducharme – B3

Paul Griffith - drums

BABYSITTER

Two under two let me tell you what you’re missing sleepless nights night after night

a fear of flying but not because of terrorists diarrhea vomit and pee

a milking mechanism milking mommy’s mammaries

but tonight it’s all good yeah tonight it’s alright because we’ve got a babysitter

and I’m up here up on the stage singing my songs playing guitar

my old lady’s over there she’s sitting in a booth in a red plush booth having a drink

we’re living it up we’re out on the town we’re having a ball we’re painting the town

we’re letting our guard down because we’ve got a babysitter

and my left side pocket is aflutter aflitter incoming call from the babysitter

expecting the worst I don’t want to pick up because my buzz is kicking in I’m on my third cup

and for just a sliver of a night I don’t want to be Mr. Responsibility

But I’ve got to pick up because I’ve got to know is it is or is it isn’t copacetic in the home

babysitter says everything is fine but your boy Charlie Roy  won’t stop crying

I say put him on the line I’ll stop him from crying by singing him his favorite nursery rhyme

it goes he’s having a dance party Charlie Roy he’s having a dance party

he’s gonna wiggle wiggle wiggle and jiggle jiggle jiggle

cuz he’s having a dance party Charlie Roy he’s having a dance party

and I’m up here I’m up on the stage I’m singing my songs I’m playing guitar

my old lady’s over there she’s sitting in a booth in a red plush booth she’s having a drink

we’re living it up we’re out on the town we’re having a ball we’re painting the town

we’re letting our guard down letting our guard down letting our guard down

because we got a babysitter

Derek Senn – vocals, acoustic guitar

Damon Castillo – bass, electric guitar

Kristian Ducharme – B3, rhodes

Paul Griffith – drums, tambourine

PRETTY THINGS

So the leaves have turned and fallen fifty times since my birth

and the trees will wait out the winter buds will break come the thaw

some trees will die and decompose I’ll chainsaw one to heat my home

when I was a boy my Labrador died I reckoned I’d see her on the other side

I asked my priest will she go up to heaven he said no

so she remained inside a box inside a drawer next to my socks

when it’s my time should I be burned I don’t want to be shelved in an urn

scatter me up here at the lake bring instruments and have a raucous wake

I’m sitting here in my cabin with my woman and my cat

we’ve got each other books and a guitar you don’t need much we’ve come to learn that

the days are shorter and there’s and arctic breeze and we’re enveloped in crimson maple trees

and I took her ashes and spread them in the meadow

she really liked it there so it seemed apropos

and it will soon be a sea of snow and after the break-up pretty things will grow

after the break-up pretty things will grow

Derek Senn – vocals, acoustic guitar, keyboards, harmonica

Damon Castillo – bass, electric guitar

Kristian Ducharme – B3

Paul Griffith – drums, tambourine

COLD CALLING CAN

I’m on the clock I’m working on a catchy chorus I’m on the clock I’m working on my first verse

I’m on the clock inspiration can’t wait cold calling can cold calling can

the melody’s fleeting hurry up call and sing the melody’s fleeting to the answering machine

the melody’s fleeting inspiration can’t wait cold calling can cold calling can

and when we’re living in the poorhouse we’ll be singing the songs I made up on the clock

and you can’t ignore the signal when the signal kicks you out of your house

I know trust me I know

I’m having a lackluster quarter monetarily speaking but glory be musically I’m rich

yeah I’ve got four new kick-ass songs already and get this

this morning at the sweet shoppe I started a fifth

and there ain’t a damn thing the Fed head can say when they grill him up on the hill today

to undermine their worth one iota because they’re mine and that’s that

yum I made them from scratch yeah I own them free and clear no loans or liens are attached

and if  we sink into depression I’ll just make us up a happy batch

and when we’re living in the poorhouse we’ll be singing the songs I made up on the clock

and you can’t ignore the signal when the signal kicks you out of your house

Derek Senn – vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar

Damon Castillo – bass, electric guitar

Kristian Ducharme - moog

Paul Griffith – drums, doumbek

THE SONG MINE

Deep inside the song mine blasting away looking for a vein

it’s just about tapped out deep inside the song mine

I wish it produced more I wish it fed my family of four

but I still find the occasional nugget deep inside the song mine

what’s that above melodious and glimmering

it looks like a chorus shiny and shimmering

my grandpa was one as was his son I hope my boy will follow

cuz I can think of nothing finer than the life of a song miner

but mining verses has its curse

and during this latest extraction something calamitous happened

as I was looking for the words to milk this metaphor

an avalanche of clichés blocked all the exit ways

and I was stuck down there for days I couldn’t get past those clichés

and then the caged bird died deep inside the song mine

so that song never saw the light of day it’s forever entombed in cliché

sometimes you hit the motherlode sometimes your head explodes

looking for the right line deep inside the song mine

and some say it’s just dumb luck yeah but you still have to show up

so I’ll just keep on digging next to Old Man Prine deep inside the song mine

Derek Senn – vocals, acoustic guitar

THE OIL OLIGOPOLY

I drove to work again today ten blocks God bless the USA

and I drove a mile to the treadmill I treaded and treaded and watched TV and treaded

and I treaded and treaded and watched Flavor Flav

until the light emitting diodes said two miles

and then I got back in my automobile and drove home one mile

and now I’m driving to a protest to protest the gouging of the gasoline buying consumer by

I’m driving to a protest to protest the gouging of the gasoline buying consumer by

the oil oligopoly

and I drove to the track to day I circled the oval at a high velocity in my V8

I drove home my kid was still up

so I strapped him in the back and I drove around town until he wasn’t

then I drove to the drive-through

a gaunt grizzled green party pooper was stationed in the booth

he passed me my shake shook his head said why do you drive that

well I told him the truth because I can

and now I’m driving to a protest to protest the gouging of the gasoline buying consumer by

I’m driving to a protest to protest the gouging of the gasoline buying consumer by

the oil oligopoly

Derek Senn – vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar

Damon Castillo – bass

Kristian Ducharme – yamaha motif, B3

Paul Griffith – drums, tambourine

SOME CHASE A GIRL

First time I saw you I just knew next thing I knew you moved to Peru

what to do I was into you so I flew to Peru

in Ayacucho I took tea the shining path extorted me

lovesick and in loves throes I caught a bus to Cusco

I found a hostel freshened up had another coca tea cup

I killed time until I got guts to track your digs down

and some are rejected some reject some click some never connect

some tie a knot and then it frays in two some chase a girl to Peru

so I knock on the door and what do I see a Peruano staring at me

he vibed me and then summoned you but by then I basically knew

so I went to Bolivia and toured the mines and their dark and dreary confines

I scaled an active volcano and hoped it would blow

and a friend said I should see Quito but I bought a fare to Toledo

poor broken an super sad I moved back in with my mom and dad

and the rejection well it festered like an infection

I took long walks in the hills with my psychological ills

and on one particularly heavy day when you cringe at how much your thoughts weigh

I came home mom looked me in the eye and said guess who just stopped on by

she’s at the creek she said she’d wait for you at the foot of the bridge until a quarter to two

something tells me she’s fond of you call it a girl’s intuition

and some pay a fee to troll J date presumably to land a Jewish mate

some stray succumbing to their libido some chase s boy to Toledo

and some are rejected some reject some click some never connect

some tie a knot and then it frays in two some chase a girl to Peru

Derek Senn – vocals, acoustic guitar