Get all 4 David Nagler releases available on Bandcamp and save 25%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Mortal Enemies, Songs of Advice and Adversity, The Appointees, Volumes 1 & 2, and Carl Sandburg's Chicago Poems.
1. |
Court in Session
03:55
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You are in my courtroom, boy
I suggest you listen to me
In this room I make the rules
about weird sex and pregnancy
and on Sunday
the prosecution will rest
No one cares about you, boy
or what you’re here for
You don’t like what I have to say?
Why not try paying me more
and on Sunday
the prosecution will rest
Come on over here, boy
Let me give some advice to you
Just because you think something’s right
That don’t make it true
and on Sunday
the prosecution will rest
Don’t try to tell me, boy
I come from a world where crosses burn
You’re out of order, boy
and now my court is adjourned
and on Sunday
the prosecution will rest
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2. |
Pay to Learn
05:02
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In this day and age
You need to pay to learn
If you don’t, then you’ll learn wrong
Take a tip from me
And my philanthropy
Don’t let the world drag you along
Everyone needs incentive
We need to be inventive
and pay to learn
You will be taught
as you pay to learn
only what we view as vital
You will listen up
then repeat it back
to us at next week’s recital
Privatize every session
and terminate the regression
Pay to learn
We’ll get into your brain
While you pay to learn
and undo every single error
A perpetual migraine
is a small price to pay
for a life not lived in terror
Our research is extensive
and our salaries are expensive
so pay to learn
In this day and age
You need to pay to learn
If you don’t, you’ll learn wrong
Take a tip from me
my philosophy is
Don’t let the world drag you along
Stop all your invective
Try to gain perspective
Pay to learn
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3. |
No Worse Enemy
03:17
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The gospel according to
The Patron Saint of Chaos:
Never ever let our leaders
betray us
Will I shoot you in the head
Just wait and see
No better friend
No worse enemy
I don’t like weakness
Especially in my allies
There is no greater threat
to me than surprise
Am I full of hate?
Just wait and see
I’m no better friend
No worse enemy
I bet they say, “Well, that’s just the Mad Dog
barking up another tree...”
But here I am with tears in my eyes
no anger or artillery
but don’t fuck with me
The gospel according to
The Patron Saint of Chaos:
A liberal’s skin is thin
and fine as dental floss
Are you a coward?
I’m waiting to see
’till then I’m no better friend
No worse enemy
I’m no better friend
no worse enemy
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4. |
Boat Afloat
03:31
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You really let me have it
when I was on the stand
but I was too busy
with the task at hand:
Keeping the boat afloat
on a stream of revenue
Keeping the boat afloat
on a stream of revenue
You say I forgot about
one or two mil
But every now and then
a mountain is just a molehill
when I was keeping the boat afloat
on a stream of revenue
Keeping the boat afloat
like any ship captain would do
I like a nice painting
I like a good movie
When it serves as an asset
Or as a buoy
For keeping the boat afloat
on a stream of revenue
Keeping the boat afloat
like any ship captain would do
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5. |
Pompeii
03:37
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We could see it from a distance
Through the disparity
and vulgarity
We could see it from a distance
and now it’s overrun
We could see it from a distance
Through the cheering
and profiteering
We could see it from a distance
What could we have done?
What was once civilization
is now barren terrain
The pleasure palaces
have been leveled with pain
We could see it from a distance
It began to erupt
and seemed so abrupt
We could see it from a distance
and it’s too late to run
What was once civilization
is now barren terrain
The pleasure palaces
have been leveled with pain
We could see it from a distance
It began to erupt
it was all so abrupt
We could see it from a distance
What could we have done?
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6. |
The Nonbelievers
03:58
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I’ve got a husband
and five sisters
My father ran a shipping company
To know me is to like me
I think you will agree
When I was younger
and less admired
People liked to tell me no
but now I like to tell them exactly
where they can go
Money gets misplaced
Details are erased
Sometimes workers are underpaid
but life goes on
when mistakes are made
I like freedom
and responsibility
I know how to get along
I like to take the non-believers
and prove them wrong
I like work
I like power
I know how to get along
I like to take the non-believers
and prove them wrong
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7. |
Tonto
03:03
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I was born in Bozeman
Raised in Whitefish
My daddy was a plumber
Up on the trails of Glacier
is where you’d find me
almost every summer
I say giddy-up Tonto
Let’s show them desk jockeys
where we come from
Giddy-up Tonto
Let’s show them desk jockeys
where we come from
Lead bullets and fishing tackle
may harm your neighbor
but they won’t destroy the land
The water and the soil
are resilient
When the future is at hand
So giddy-up Tonto
Let’s show them desk jockeys
where we come from
Giddy-up Tonto
Let’s show them desk jockeys
that we belong
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8. |
Mechanical Bull
03:03
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People change their minds
They let their feelings uncoil
Their opinions fluctuate
like the price of oil
All we can do
is ride the mechanical bull
To keep our spirits high
And our wallets full
We talk about friends
As if trust is continual
Then lean on this excuse
when they’re ineffectual
All we can do
is ride the mechanical bull
To keep our spirits high
And our wallets full
You want to change your life
But stay safe and sound
Like a bird in a nest
Like oil in the ground
What we can do
is ride the mechanical bull
To keep our spirits high
And our wallets full
Everyone knows
a favor isn’t free
I’ll let the climate change
if it helps me
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9. |
Floundering
03:02
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When you’re trapped in a mine
It’s cold and dark
Or so I’ve heard
That’s what my sources say
You hold on to something
that’s pure and true
though you may not
see the light of day
I can help you
when you’re floundering
I can save you
when you’re sinking
but if something goes wrong
you see my name attached to
you don’t know me
and I don’t know you
I remember something
my second wife said:
“Partisanship can take
a back seat to love”
and I believe her
or at least I’d like to
But I know true love doesn’t come
from up above
and I can help you
when you’re floundering
I can save you
when you’re sinking
but if something goes wrong
you see my name attached to
you don’t know me
and I don’t know you
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10. |
Enemy Camp
03:13
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You call me an enemy of the state
A plague on the nation
To assert your dominance
over the situation
It’s time to lock me up
Let me languish
I am enemy camp
that you must vanquish
You won’t take the high road
Or take the options off the table
You knew the enemy
all along was me
It’s time to lock me up
Let me languish
I am enemy camp
that you must vanquish
I am waiting for you, General
alone in my cell
Maybe your fears are unfounded
But only time will tell
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11. |
Steel
04:10
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Steeling myself
until I am strong
Steeling myself
until I am cold
I want to make the world happen again
Steeling myself
until I can commit
Steeling myself
until I can conceive
Making the world happen again
Steeling myself
until I can speak
Steeling myself
until I can fight
I want to make the world happen again
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David Nagler New York
David Nagler is a Brooklyn-based musician and songwriter. His groups include As For the Future, Tape Hiss, and Nova Social, and he is the musical director for Wesley Stace’s Cabinet of Wonders.
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