An as-of-yet unreleased
Tapeworm song. Played by
A Perfect Circle during their winter 2001 tour. Thus the odd situation that a cover version of the song has been heard by the general public before the original version's release. Leave it to
Maynard.
These lyrics are about as unofficial as unofficial gets; like I said, the song is unreleased. I got these by listening to the song about fifty times and doing my best to make out the lyrics. I'm pretty damn sure that these are completely accurate, but I wouldn't bet my life on it. Thanks to Ælien for his assistance.
By the way, these lyrics come from the performance in Portland, Oregon (January 31, 2001). I chose this particular version because A. this was the first recording to be released on the internet, and thus the most widely distributed; B. this is by far the most high-quality version available of the song; and C. Portland kicks ass. You can get this track at (http://www.aperfectcircle.org/multimedia/).
This next song has been just a rumor for the last two years. It's a song I did with Danny Lohner for the Tapeworm project. We spiced it up a bit.
Dead as dead can be,
the doctor tells me.
But I just can't believe him;
ever the optimistic one
long show.
Your ability to become
my perfect enemy.
Wake up
to face me.
Rise up,
show me.
Someday
I'll say you're
vacant and
maybe you're better off this way.
Leaning over you here,
cold and catatonic,
I catch a brief reflection
of what you could and might have been.
It's your light
and your ability.
My perfect enemy.
Wake up!
Why can't you face me?
Rise up,
show me.
Some day
I'll say you're
vacant and
maybe you're better off this way.
Maybe you're better off this way.
Maybe you're better off this way.
You're better off this way.
You're better off this...
You're better off this...
Maybe you're better off!
Wake up!
Why can't you face me?
C'mon and rise up
until you show me.
Someday
I'll say you're
vacant and
maybe you're better off this...
Go ahead and play dead.
I know that you can hear this.
Go ahead and play dead.
I know that you can hear me.
Why can't you turn and face me?
Why can't you turn and face me?
Why can't you turn and face me?
You fucking disappoint me.
Other performances have slight lyrical variations, but nothing very major, with one exception: at the
Toronto show (
March 14, 2001), the end of the song seems to go like this:
maybe you're better off this way.
Go ahead and play dead.
I know that you can hear this.
Go ahead and play dead.
Why can't you turn and face me?
I shove across the bullshit.
I shove across the bullshit.
I shove across the bullshit.
You fucking disappoint me.
However, at the
Michigan show on
March 29, 2001, the lyrics were again the same as in
Portland.
Trent Reznor (of
nine inch nails and
Tapeworm) commented after the
Portland show that he was displeased that the song had been played before it was "fully realised"; perhaps this lyrical experimentation is indicative of the song's incomplete state.