Cool Hundred 1
Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Way out in the back trace. Me with that chrome taste in the back of my throat. You with that stupid look on your face. Taking the lock off the barn. Swinging the door open wide. Letting the yellow light fall on the prize inside. We had an amazing machine. It was going to change everything. It was money in the bank. We were written on the water.
Diamonds in the engine. Canaries in the mine. Slight songs echoing through the darkness. Everything was going to work out fine. Watching it gleam in the musty air. Hearing it purring in the straw. Teetering dumbly over the long night's open jaw. We had an amazing machine. It was going to change everything. It was money in the bank. We were written on the water.
Going to Fennario 2
Like Possums 3
Someday sleep will come
Like a roadside thief
And strip us of these things
That give our dreams relief
Sharp hearing, sharper visions
Stay on guard all night
Seek the lower engine
Toolkit fine and bright
Feel drained, feel sick
Feel awesome
Steal through the dawn like possums
Several Other Things 4
There cane a day when all the treasures I'd gathered
Began to weigh me down like chains
I got a blowtorch from a friend down at the body shop
It's always good to have good friends
Picture me at the curb before sunrise
Fresh flame noisy and blue
Getting rid of the dead weight,
And the evidence,
And several other things I'm never ever going to confess to
Never in this world, nor in the next one
Never at the point of the blade
Never in the living memory of anybody now present
Never when the memories fade
Long ago by a fire in the canyon
The prophets sang about the troubles to come
Traitors and vandals, cracks in the city walls
Gas leaks in the critical zone
Picture me among the desperate, forever
Doing what I have to do
Getting rid of the dead weight,
And the evidence,
And several other things I'm never ever going to confess to
Footnotes
- This song's title and lyrics were included in the book This Year: 365 Songs Annotated: A Book of Days. It is otherwise unreleased and the author of this site is not aware of any extant recordings of it. ↩
- ↩
- A file of this song in demo form was shared on a post on John Darnielle's Bluesky account. Also on Bluesky, Darnielle noted that the song "was intended for 'goths' but didn't get finished." Accessed 12/18/2025. ↩
- This song's title and lyrics were included in the book This Year: 365 Songs Annotated: A Book of Days. It is otherwise unreleased and the author of this site is not aware of any extant recordings of it. ↩