-Dibs-

-Dibs- is an album project of Star Ladle Truncheon (Erika Berkson voice | Paul Gaffney: guitar, electronics, voice | Steve Lichtenstein: guitar, keys, voice | Dan Gudgel: percussion, electronics).
All songs written, arranged & recorded by Star Ladle Truncheon, 2007 & 2008.

Dibs

She showed him skin
That was the thin edge of the blade.
Slipped between his ribs,
she declared dibs
and there she stayed.

She might not have called
Much, if at all. But made imputations
So much in the deeds
That played to his needs,
In peak-time conversations.

She let him be wild.
He never got riled about her excess
The nights were a blast,
on thoughts of the past
the mornings a mess.

In

They taught me as a kid,
protect your head, Make a cage with your arms
then nothing gets in.
A few lucky punches, a kick to the ribs,
but nothing important gets in.

She was hitting on me.
from the tone of her voice.
When she took off her shirt, I was sure.
What's happened since then?
I sold postcards of stars
as things got less and less pure

I didn't let her in,
but I gave her the key, I told her she filled me up.
The way she looked at me
then I wanted her in, I wanted her bad
And I'd trade for this feeling of luck everything that I had

She was hitting on me.
from the tone of her voice.
When she took off her shirt, I was sure.
What's happened since then?
I sold postcards of stars
as things got less and less pure

They taught me as a kid,
protect your head, Make a cage with your arms
then nothing gets in.
A few lucky punches, a kick to the ribs,
but nothing important gets in.

In Solution

That's the solution, right thru the skin.
Don't give it a chance to dissolve
Trust me, it's a system that works.
What do you want it to solve?

Shake it up, stir it in,
get one off if there's time.
It'll all be illegal sooner or late.
Don't touch your eyes, and you're fine.  

There may have been people, there may have been stumps,
you can betcha there was grass.
There might have been pavement, and cars in the city
But not for my kind of cash.
I floated on my back, and maybe I stood up.
There were times when all I wanted was to hold my luck.

That's the solution, right thru the skin.
Don't give it a chance to dissolve
Trust me, it's a system that works.
What do you want it to solve?  

You and all your people,
me and all my stunts,
woulda been better to be less fast.
I paraded my solution thru the bars in this city
now I can never go back.
I sank like a stone while you stole my luck.
There were times when all I wanted was to just give up.  

That's the solution, right thru the skin.
Don't give it a chance to dissolve
Trust me, it's a system that works.
What do you want it to solve?

You can't choose if it happens to you
but you can choose who you want to involve.

Build It Up, Burn It Hotter

It was always the flames
that I came to see.
Now I pour them everywhere,
to more or less degrees.

Once in the grain stacks
you know that I was trusted.
Then I became we,
and doubled down
and then we busted.

Our problems made us ruthless.
The cops they all were all thugs;
our ruthless problems,
how they used us.

They got me started
but I never was a starter
I burned the town
they rebuilt it,
then I burned it hotter.

The Drive Home

The gates were down on the storefonts
As I drove you home that night
And everything was quiet
And everything seemed alright

I told you everything that I could
And nothing was a lie
And I hope you can keep it all to yourself
And hold it deep inside

O, The gates were down on the storefronts
and we were both close to sleep
and all those promises I made to you
I hoped I'd be able to keep
I hope I'll be able to keep

Draw the praise away from yourself.

Buckle down and call it done.
Refinish the wood and you'll sleep better.
Smooth off all the edges of the corners
because the corners burn first.
It's the friction that keeps you awake.
Double-brace it or it'll shake.

Stand here now, stand it steady
If not you'd be a man, and a hero, already.

Let all of the gasping come,
and the plodding resignation.
Let all of the flaws come out,
down to the table
tragic or not
and sit if they're able.

Stand here now, stand it steady
If not you'd be a man, and a hero, already.
Start it now, if you think you're ready
But you better hold fast, and you'd better hold steady.

Nothing Left

I had to be me
you had to be you
there was nothing left
for either of us to do

You saw my fear
You saw my heart
Both of them were yours
Right from the start

And late that night
When we didn't sleep
You told me secrets
That I, I couldn't keep

You dropped me off
You drove away
That whole ride home
nothing left to say
you couldn't stay

I had to be me
you had to be you
there was nothing left
for either of us to do

Leave All the Rest

I'm staying with you
after all we've been through.
I know you're doing your best.

I won't leave you alone.
Me? No, not on the phone.
Just give me time to get dressed.

It got heavy real fast,
but we'll bury the past,
and I'll love you 'til you're impressed.

I'll call us a car.
No, just stay where you are.
Grab the cash, and leave all the rest.
Grab the cash, and leave all the rest.

I heard what you said
when you got out of bed.
It'll take some time to digest.

I'll pray for our luck,
but we always fuck up.
We were never really that blessed.

It's hard to go on
from the night into dawn
when the days leave us both so depressed.

We both did our part,
thought we were so smart.
Get out fast, and leave all the rest.
Get out fast, and leave all the rest.

In The Back of the Car

I'm uninterruptible and I'm universally liked,
My motives: corruptible, and my drink has been spiked.
I just left the coast yesterday morning,
I can't believe how fast they can strike.
At me, in the back of the car.

I'm not widely known, at least not in this situation.
I've been available to history but I'm not yet in syndication.
I swear people will notice I'm missing,
I don't like your implications.
Towards me, in the back, of the car.

The gates are down on the storefronts
and you're asleep on my arm.
We don't know where they are taking us
but you can bet they mean harm.
Well, I'll try to talk some sense to them
but you might wake up in alarm.
The gates are down on the storefronts
and you are asleep on my arm.

Well it’s all our fault we’re in so deep
And that's the one secret I hoped to keep
I made the deals but we’ll both pay
I can’t believe you’re still asleep
Here in the back of the car.

What did you do to the real valet?
How did you know where we stayed?
How can you go through with this?
What cut do you get paid?
Here, in the back of the car.

Well, if you let me out of this,
I give my word I won't resist.
That's me, in the back of the car.

The gates are down on the storefronts
you're not asleep, so don't pretend.
I don't know how they roped you into this
but you can bet this is the end.
Well, I'll try to talk some sense to them
but you, I just can't defend.
The gates are down on the storefronts
you're not asleep, so please, don't pretend.  

I Would Have Loved

I waited in your shower
for more than seven hours
Things were really turning sour
I was gonna have to run.

They took away my keys
And then they took and took from me
So now I'm taking too, you see
I've always been a little numb

I would have loved to have been there
But I was spending your cash
I would have loved to have been there tonight
I would have loved to have been there
but I was stealing your stash
It'll be hard but you'll be alright.

It wasn't cruelty
that parted you and me
You want to be empty
I guess that's good enough for some.

I'm glad you made it through
I did what I had to do.
You'd have done it to me too
but we all know you're kinda dumb.

I would have loved to have been there
when you made an ass
I would have loved to have been there tonight
I would have loved to have been there
for your lack of class
I knew , oh I knew, that you'd never fight.

I would have loved to have been there
with you talking trash
I would have loved to have been there tonight
I would have loved to have been there,
and not preventing the crash.
You'll get by but it'll be tight.

Maybe That Looked Like Falling  

Frankie and I are getting out of here,
you should too, but don't try to fly.
You call this winning. So declare your 'victory'
in a whisper while you run to try and hide.
I don't care what you took,
I don't care what you flushed
anymore I don't even care why.

I put down my arms with you
but trouble was all you could give.
You owe me a lot, but that's all in the past.
If love's gone, at least life can last.

I thought I could fix us, working alone,
and I worked, but the fix, it never came.
We stayed true for most of those weeks,
I won't trust you, but I won't wish you pain.
I would have loved to have been there
when you sold me out.
Was that you? well then, you can't be the same.

You disarmed me so fast
but trouble was all you could give.
You owe me a lot, but that's all in the past.
If love's gone, at least life can last.

I stood up as strong as I could
and maybe that looked like falling.
I thought you were admiring my face,
turns out that you were just stalling.
I would've tried harder if I thought that you would.
Now I see you, Now I see you, Now I see you,
but I can't hear you calling.

Can I just be forgiven, please?
They took me for a ride
but you, you were more driven.
If love's gone, at least we're still living.