1. |
The Merry Man of Uz
02:53
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THE NARRATOR:
There lived once a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job,
and he was blameless and upright. He feared God and shunned evil.
And seven sons were born to him, and three daughters. And his
flocks came to seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five
hundred yokes of cattle, five hundred she-asses, and a great
abundance of slaves.
And that man was greater than all the dwellers of the east.
One day, the sons of God came to stand in attendance before the
Lord, and the Satan, too, came among them. And the Lord said to the
Satan:
GOD:
Have you paid heed to my servant Job?
Surely there is no one quite as righteous anywhere as he.
How he fears the Lord and sings my praises daily merrily!
Spotless as a lamb, no blemish has besmirched his goodly face.
Certainly there lives no man a finer product of my grace.
THE SATAN:
Oh please, how can a man complain to Thee
who’s not begot disgrace?
Can life be strife with pleasantry?
Take all a righteous man has and a wrathful one shall curse Thee to
Thy face.
GOD: So we shall see!
THE CHILDREN OF GOD:
And marauders came to slay and plunder all that Job had owned.
And a mighty wind collapsed the corners of his children’s home.
And throughout it all not once did Job offend against the Lord.
But shall we see a righteous man withstand the curse of flesh and
bone?
THE SATAN: May I?
GOD: You may.
THE SATAN: How soon?
GOD: Today.
THE SATAN: Why, thank you, God!
His skin?
GOD: Burn thin.
THE SATAN: His Face?
GOD: Erase.
THE SATAN: How grand!
His mind?
GOD: I don’t mind.
THE SATAN: And pain?
GOD: Fair game.
THE SATAN: You’re far too kind!
GOD: You may do anything that you wish to do to Job providing that you
do not let him die.
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2. |
A Boy & His Kite
03:53
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If I was going to fly a kite,
I’d fly a kite right by a tree,
And get my kite stuck in that tree,
Make no attempt to set it free,
And wait there ‘til I die.
I would not tug or yank or twist
The string tied tightly to my wrist;
I would sit down and wait and see
My own unfolding destiny
And wait there ‘til I die.
…I’d like to wait until I die.
I would not let my family know;
I would not pack a change of clothes.
My boss, I’m sure, would go berserk—
I would not call in sick to work—
I would wait there ‘til I die.
And when the day had turned to night
(For when has day not turned to night?),
Into the Darkness I would sing
Of my desire to be Nothing,
And wait there ‘til I die.
…I’d like to wait until I die.
Oh please don’t look for me
Asleep by a tree,
A string ‘round my wrist
And my head in my knees,
And don’t try to find
The kite left behind
By me
Please.
Towards my lawful destiny
—It is his lawful destiny—
I seek the solace of that tree
—It is his right, You must agree—
And ‘til the day that tree is found
Around my wrist a string is bound—
I’m waiting ‘til I die.
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3. |
In Amsterdam
04:38
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Hey Bob, last night I had a dream.
If Dan lived, he’d ask, “What was it?”
…or maybe he’d say nothing…
—regardless, here’s my dream:
it was of my only father,
cross-legged, meditating
in a red-light district window,
and um…
well, in my dream I am in Amsterdam…
my wife nor I know who I am…
I turn to her,
I tell her: “I won’t be home for Shabbos.
It’s not that I don’t love you;
it’s just that I hate Shabbos,
with all its peace and quiet,
and all its gentle prayer…
I was not raised with quiet,”
and then…
she screams, “I know! Goddamn,
this is Amsterdam!”
I scream, “Don’t scream! I’m still a man!”
“No, you are a coward,” she says,
and I know I am.
I’m worse than my father. At least
he was good enough in the end.
It’s been two years since she left me,
and three since Dan last died.
The truth is I miss Shabbos.
I miss what I should’ve tried
while I had an ex-wife’s father,
while I had broken bread.
Now who will be my father?
Oh, Bob…
in my heart I am still in Amsterdam.
My dad is dead and so is Dan
and I am a liar—it’s true—
and I know I am!
I’m worse than my father. At least
he was good enough in the end.
He was good enough in the end.
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4. |
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Have you considered
What you intend to do
When your father stops breathing
And his face has turned blue,
When the nurse brings you tissues
And a toe has been tagged
And they wheel off the gurney
With a man in a bag?
Will you try to stay strong for your mother—
Will you stay all night by her side,
Or collapse into her bosom,
Too embarrassed to even have tried
To be there as a good son should be there—
And if not, what will you do instead?
What will you do
When your father is dead?
What will you do
When your father is dead?
What will you do, what will you do
When your father is dead?
When he lies in the casket
In his Saturday bests
And his lips have been crusted
By a cold morbid rest,
When the guests have found their places,
And the rabbi has arrived,
And he comes to rip the garments
Of the ones who have survived,
When he chants some bullshit in Hebrew
And you haven’t any clue what he’s said,
What will you do
When your father is dead?
What will you do
When your father is dead?
What will you do, what will you do
When your father is dead?
When the shivah has ended
And the guests have gone home
And you’ve tried to say Kaddish
In your bedroom alone,
Are you Jacob, asleep on a jagged rock,
As the angels climb up to the Lord,
Or Job, the afflicted, the tortured by God,
With his boils and his blisters and soars,
Or Noah, the drunk, who accosted his sons,
And then crawled back into bed…?
What will you do
When your father is dead?
What will you do
When your father is dead?
What will you do, what will you do,
When your father is dead?
What will you do
When your father is dead?
What will you do
When your father is dead?
What will you do, what will you do,
When your father is dead?
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5. |
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I wanted a turtle real bad
I asked my old man
He said A man must go wanting
the value
of a dollar
is the truth Can you earn it Come to shul
on Yom Kippur
sit down stand up in scratchy clothes
and read from a book filled with words you don’t know
and remember Treblinka REMEMBER
YOU’RE WORSE THAN HITLER, DIG IT?
When the shofar blows (God knows) if He’s listening
you can have a turtle
Tekiah!
Three turtles for twelve dollars down at Big Al’s Aquarium Services
I named ‘em after the characters in an Archie Comics Magazine
I put ‘em in a tank on top of my dresser
I too am a turtle on top of my dresser
I suffer & move
I bask in the heat
I swim to the top for a raw piece of meat
and I sink when I’m sink
the Feeder is God—oh I hunger and long
and my turtle stopped breathing
and the shofar is blowing
I fear for you, Betty/I dream of you, Hitler
I sent my old man to the showers I’m sorry
Shefarim!
It’s 3AM on a Thursday night
I’m 15 on a Thursday night
I’m on mushrooms on a Thursday night
and the whole world is a turtle tank
I go to my room
I turn on the light
look over at Archie it gives me a fright oh
DAMN DADDY YUCK! Archie is dead
HIS EYES ROLLED back in his head Cold
Daddy DAMN! Death is a bust I
remember Treblinka/I weep for you, Betty
I bag up my turtle (HEIL HITLER!) I’m sorry
I’m dragging the shovel (Heil Hitler!) I’m coming
I dig for you, Archie/I dig for you, Tatte (Heil Hitler!)
I’m sorry (Heil Hitler!) I’m sorry
Entschuldig mir Tatte I’m sorry I’m sorry
Teruah!
In ’99 my Daddy ain’t fine
In 2010 man it happens again
The monitor’s beeping My mother is weeping
I dream of you Archie your spoon and your bread
I’m digging a hole Veronica’s dead
A capo’s on guard at the foot of the bed Archie
I see your striped pyjamas Betty
I see your sunken eyes
The snow is crunching under my clogs
I’m digging a hole
for Veronica Lodge
I’m torching the earth to soften the soil
Tekiah Gadola!
I’m sorry
I’m sorry
I’m sorry
I’m sorry
I’m sorry
I’m sorry
I’m sorry
I’m sorry
I’m sorry
I’m sorry
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6. |
A Confession of Murder
04:39
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7. |
The Passing of the Boats
04:12
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8. |
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9. |
The Algonquin Bridge
01:26
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THE ALGONQUIN BRIDGE
Poem by Benjamin Hackman
I was biking down the Algonquin Bridge real fast on my way to the ferry in a fancy white scarf and I turned quick to pass an old man with a dog and the wood on the bridge was real slippery from the morning dew and when I leaned in to turn my wheels slid out from under me and I slid the rest of the way down the bridge on my side and I had that feeling in my head like when this is over am I gonna get back up and how bad is this all gonna hurt but I got up right away thank God and my scarf was still fancy and white and I wasn't spooked or nothing at all like that in fact all I could think about was catching that goddamn ferry and the old man said real matter of fact You were biking too fast and I said I was trying to catch the ferry and he gave me a look as if to say you're a slave to bad faith and your decisions reflect that young man and when the hell you gonna wake up and realize there's more to life than crossing bridges fast and catching ferries and I thought this old prick can't judge me and I rode to the ferry and made it just on time and sat down next to Erin and we talked about work and later on my backside hurt real bad and felt bruised and I couldn't sit down without a cushion but the truth is I didn't mind cuz I kinda like how purple it all got hell it reminds me I'm alive and sitting down is a choice it's my choice goddamn it even if it hurts and you know what I hate to say it but that old man was probably right I mean I was going too fast and I'm always going too fast but sometimes you gotta go too fast in order to fall over on The Algonquin Bridge.
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10. |
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11. |
Devil Oh Devil
03:23
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DEVIL OH DEVIL
Lyrics by Benjamin Hackman
Oh Devil, oh Devil,
leave my sister alone!
Take your fang out of her flesh
and take your venom from her bone.
Oh, I swear to slay you, Devil,
if you do not leave her be.
You already took my father.
You will take no more from me.
Oh, you watched her while she cut herself,
you watched her writhe and moan,
with her curtains drawn in darkness
in her bedroom all alone.
Oh, you came and you caressed her
as she begged the Lord to send her to sleep.
You knelt down and she accepted,
but she was never yours to keep.
Put that blood back in her veins
and take that look out of her eye,
and send away the ambulance
that made my mama cry.
To the place from which you took her
you shall bring her back today.
It is a place where no one loves her,
but we are born to live that way.
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12. |
The Ascending Ladder
03:24
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13. |
999-9255
03:46
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14. |
הבל הבלים
04:35
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הבל הבלים (Havel Havalim)
Lyrics by Benjamin Hackman
To each man God gives His breath.
To each worm God gives a man.
No one halts a gust of wind.
Every breath, it blows as planned.
Mourn more, you’ll come to know:
If it can rain it can surely snow.
Ask for nothing,
Hold on to nothing,
And the Lord, He won’t take it away.
All you’ve built will be undone.
All you’ve earned will not be spent.
What you have beneath the sun
Is far less than you have dreamt.
And those whom you hold dear
In due time shall disappear.
Ask for nothing,
Hold on to nothing,
And the Lord, He won’t take it away.
You are a house of clay.
From the dust do not discern.
What you are you must obey.
To the earth you shall return.
You will not possess the wind.
All you are God will rescind.
Ask for nothing,
Hold on to nothing.
You came with nothing,
You’ll leave here with nothing.
You are nothing.
You’ve always been nothing.
And the Lord cannot take you away.
Oh, dear Lord, do not take me away.
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15. |
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16. |
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17. |
The House of Mourning
03:57
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18. |
Leviathan
05:15
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The Holy Gasp Toronto, Ontario
We do all sorts'a stuff. Try and keep up.
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