[Tori in der Box]

Tori Amos:
"Little Earthquakes"
Originaltext

  1. Crucify
  2. Girl
  3. Silent All These Years
  4. Precious Things
  5. Winter
  6. Happy Phantom
  7. China
  8. Leather
  9. Mother
  10. Tear In Your Hand
  11. Me And A Gun
  12. Little Earthquakes


1. CRUCIFY

     Every finger in the room is pointing at me
     I wanna spit in their faces
     Then I get afraid what that could bring
     I got a bowling ball in my stomach
     I got a desert in my mouth
     Figures that my COURAGE would choose to sell out now.

     I've been looking for a savior in these dirty streets
     Looking for a savior beneath these dirty sheets
     I've been raising up my hands
     Drive another nail in
     Just what GOD needs
     One more victim

     Why do we crucify ourselves
     Every day I crucify myself
     Nothing I do is good enough for you
     Crucify myself
     Every day I crucify myself
     And my HEART is sick of being in chains

     Got a kick for a dog beggin' for LOVE
     I gotta have my suffering
     So that I can have my cross
     I know a cat named Easter
     He says will you ever learn
     You're just an empty cage girl if you kill the bird

     I've been looking for a savior in these dirty streets
     Looking for a savior beneath these dirty sheets
     I've been raising up my hands
     Drive another nail in
     Got enough GUILT to start
     My own religion

     Why do we crucify ourselves
     Every day I crucify myself
     Nothing I do is good enough for you
     Crucify myself
     Every day I crucify myself
     And my HEART is sick of being in chains

     Please be
     Save me
     I CRY

     Looking for a savior in these dirty streets
     Looking for a savior beneath these dirty sheets
     I've been raising up my hands
     Drive another nail in
     Where are those angels
     When you need them

     Why do we crucify ourselves
     Every day I crucify myself
     Nothing I do is good enough for you
     Crucify myself
     Every day I crucify myself
     And my HEART is sick of being in chains

     Why do we change (chains?)
     Crucify ourselves
     Everyday

     Never going back again
     Crucify myself again
     You know
     Never going back again to
     Crucify myself
     Everyday




2. GIRL

     From in the shadow she calls
     And in the shadow she finds a way finds a way
     And in the shadow she CRAWLS
     Clutching her faded photograph my image UNDER her thumb
     Yes with a message for my heart
     Yes with a message for my heart

     She's been everybody else's girl maybe one day she'll be her own
     Everybody else's girl maybe one day she'll be her own

     And in the doorway they stay
	 And laugh as violins filled with water
     Screams from the BLUEBELLS can't make them go away
     We'll I'm not seventeen but I've cuts on my knees
     Falling down as the winter takes one more CHERRY TREE

     She's been everybody else's girl maybe one day she'll be her own
     Everybody else's girl maybe one day she'll be her own

     Everyone else's girl maybe one day she'll be her own
     rushin' rivers thread so thin limitation
     Everyone else's girl maybe one day she'll be her own
     dreams with the flying pigs turbid blue and the drugstores too safe in
     their coats anda in their do's yeah
     Everyone else's girl maybe one day maybe one day one day one day she'll
     be her own
     smother in our hearts a pillow to my dots

     And in the mist there she rides
     And castles are burning in my heart
     And as I twist I hold tight
     And I ride to work every morning wondering why
     "Sit in the chair and be good now"
     and become all that they told you
     the white coats enter her room
     and I'm callin' my baby callin' my baby callin' my baby callin'
     Everybody else's girl maybe one day she'll be her own
     Everybody else's girl maybe one day she'll be her own
     Everybody else's girl maybe one day she'll be her own




3. SILENT ALL THESE YEARS

     Excuse me but can I be you for a while
     My DOG won't bite if you sit real still
     I got the anti-Christ in the kitchen yellin' at me again
     Yeah I can hear that

     Been saved again by the garbage truck
     I got something to say you know but NOTHING comes
     Yes I know what you think of me you never shut up
     Yeah I can hear that

     But what if I'm a mermaid
     In these jeans of his with her name still on it
     Hey but I don't care
     Cause sometimes I said sometimes I hear my voice and it's been
     HERE silent all these years

     So you found a girl who thinks really deep thoughts
     What's so amazing about really deep thoughts
     Boy you best pray that I bleed real soon
     How's that thought for you

     My scream got lost in a paper cup
     You think there's a heaven where some screams have gone
     I got 25 bucks and a cracker do you think it's enough
     To get us there

     But what if I'm a mermaid
     In these jeans of his with her name still on it
     Hey but I don't care
     Cause sometimes I said sometimes I hear my voice and it's been
     HERE silent all these

     Years go by will I still be waiting
     For somebody else to understand
     Years go by if I'm stripped of my beauty
     And the orange clouds raining in my head
     Years go by will I choke on my tears
     Till finally there is nothing left
     One more casualty
     You know we're to EASY easy easy

     Well I love the way we communicate
     Your eyes focus on my funny lip shape
     Let's hear what you think of me now but baby don't look up
     The sky is falling

     Your MOTHER shows up in a nasty dress
     It's your turn now to stand where I stand
     Everybody lookin' at you here take hold of my hand
     Yeah I can hear them

     But what if I'm a mermaid
     In these jeans of his with her name still on it
     Hey but I don't care
     Cause sometimes I said sometimes I hear my voice
     I hear my voice
     I hear my voice
     And it's been HERE silent all these years
     I've been here silent all these years
     Silent all these
     Silent all these years




4. PRECIOUS THINGS

     So I ran faster
     But it caught me here
     Yes my loyalties turned
     Like my ankle
     In the seventh grade
     Running after BILLY
     Running after the rain

     These precious things
     Let them bleed
     Let them wash away
     These precious things
     Let them break their hold over me

     He said you're really an ugly girl
     But I like the way you play
     And I died
     But I thanked him
     Can you believe that sick sick
     holding on to his picture
     Dressing up every day
     I wanna smash the faces
     Of those beautiful BOYS
     Those christian boys
     So you can make me cum that doesn't make you JESUS

     These precious things
     Let them bleed
     Let them wash away
     These precious things
     Let them break their hold over me

     I remember
     Yes in my peach party dress
     No one dared
     No one cared
     To tell me where the pretty girls are
     Those demigods
     With their NINE-INCH nails and little fascist panties tucked inside the
     heart of every nice girl

     These precious things
     Let them bleed
     Let them wash away
     These precious things
     Let them break
     Let them wash away
     These these precious things
     Let them bleed now
     Let them wash away
     These these precious things
     Let them break their hold over me

     Precious
     Precious




5. WINTER

     Snow can wait
     I forgot my mittens
     Wipe my nose
     Get my new boots on
     I get a little warm in my heart
     When I think of winter
     I put my hand in my father's glove

     I run off where the DRIFTS GET DEEPER
     Sleeping beauty trips me with a frown
     I hear a voice
     "You must learn to stand up for yourself
     Cause I can't alyways be around"

     He says when you gonna make up your mind
     When you gonna love you as much as I do
     When you gonna make up your mind
     Cause things are gonna CHANGE so fast
     All the white horses are still in bed
     I tell you that I'll always want you near
     You say that things change my dear

     Boys get discovered as winter MELTS
     Flowers competing for the sun
     Years go by and I'm here still waiting
     Withering where some snowman was
     Mirror mirror where's the crystal palace
     But I only can see myself
     SKATING around the truth who I am
     But I know dad the ice is getting thin

     When you gonna make up your mind
     When you gonna love you as much as I do
     When you gonna make up your mind
     Cause things are gonna CHANGE so fast
     All the white horses are still in bed
     I tell you that I'll always want you near
     You say that things change my dear

     Hair is grey and the fires are burning
     So many dreams on the shelf
     You say I wanted you to be PROUD of me
     I always wanted that myself

     When you gonna make up your mind
     When you gonna love you as much as I do
     When you gonna make up your mind
     Cause things are gonna change so fast
     All the WHITE HORSES have gone ahead
     I tell you that I'll always want you near
     You say that things change my dear

     Never change

     All the white horses




6. HAPPY PHANTOM

     And if I die today I'll be the HAPPY Phantom
     And I'll go chasin' the nuns out in the yard
     And I'll run naked through the streets without my mask on
     And I will never need umbrellas in the rain
     I'll wake up in strawberry fields every day
     And the atrocities of school I can forgive
     The HAPPY phantom has no right to bitch

     Oo who the time is getting close
     Oo who time to be a ghost
     Oo who every day we're getting closer
     The sun is getting dim
     Will we pay for who we been

     So if I die today I'll be the HAPPY phantom
     And I'll go wearin' my NAUGHTIES like a jewel
     They'll be my ticket to the universal opera
     There's Judy Garland taking Buddha by the hand
     And then these seven little men get up to dance
     they say Confucius does his crossword with a pen
     I'm still the angel to a girl who hates to SIN

     Oo who the time is getting close
     Oo who time to be a ghost
     Oo who every day we're getting closer
     The sun is getting dim
     Will I pay for who I been

     Or will I see you dear and wish I could come back
     You found a girl that you could TRULY love again
     Will you still call for me when she falls asleep
     Or do we soon forget the things we cannot see

     Oo who the time is getting close
     Oo who time to be a ghost
     Oo who every day we're getting closer
     The sun is getting dim
     Will I pay for who I been

     And if I die today
     And if I die today
     And if I die today
     Chasin' the nuns out in the yard




7. CHINA

     China all the way to New York
     I can feel the distance getting close
     You're right next to me
     But I need an airplane
     I can feel the DISTANCE as you breathe

     Sometimes I think you want me to touch you
     How can I when you build a great WALL around you
     In your eyes I saw a future together
     You just look away in the distance

     China decorates our table
     Funny how the CRACKS don't seem to show
     Pour the wine dear
     You say we'll take a holiday
     But we never can agree on where to go

     Sometimes I think you want me to touch you
     How can I when you build a great WALL around you
     In your eyes I saw a future together
     You just look away in the distance

     China all the way to New York
     Maybe you got lost in MEXICO
     You're right next to me
     I think that you can hear me
     Funny how the distance learns to grow

     Sometimes I think you want me to touch you
     How can I when you build a great WALL around you

     I can feel the distance
     I can feel the distance
     I can feel the distance getting close




8. LEATHER

     Look I'm standing naked before you
     Don't you want more than my sex
     I can scream as loud as your last one
     But I can't claim innocence

     Oh god could it be the weather
     Oh god why am I here
     If love isn't forever
     And its NOT THE WEATHER
     Hand me my leather

     I could just pretend that you love me
     The night would lose all sense of fear
     But why do I need you to love me
     When you can't hold what I hold dear

     Oh god could it be the weather
     Oh god why am I here
     If love isn't forever
     And its NOT THE WEATHER
     Hand me my leather

     I almost ran over an angel
     He had a nice big fat cigar
     "IN A SENSE" he said "you're alone here
     So if you jump you best jump far"

     Oh god could it be the weather
     Oh god why am I here
     If love isn't forever
     And its NOT THE WEATHER
     Oh god could it be the weather
     Oh god its all very clear
     If love isn't forever
     And its NOT THE WEATHER
     Hand me my leather




9. MOTHER

     Go go go go now
     Out of the nest it's time
     Go go go now
     Circus girl without a safety net
     Here here here now don't cry
     You raised your hand for the assignment
     Tuck those ribbons under your helmet
     Be a good soldier
     First my left foot then my right behind the OTHER
     Pantyhose running in the cold

     Mother the car is here
     Somebody leave the light on
     Green limosine for the redhead DANCING dancing girl
     And when I dance for him
     Somebody leave the light on
     Just in just in case I like the dancing I can remember where I come
     from

     I walked into your dream
     And now I've forgotten how to dream my own dream
     You are the CLEVER one aren't you
     Brides in veils for you
     We told you all of our secrets
     All but one
     And don't you even try
     The phone has been disconnected
     Dripping with blood and with time and with your advice
     Poison me against the MOON

     Mother the car is here
     Somebody leave the light on
     Black chariot for the redhead DANCING dancing girl
     He's gonna change my name
     Maybe you'll leave the light on
     Just in just in case I like the dancing I can remember where I come
     from

     I escape into your escape into our very favorite fearscape
     It's across the sky and across my heart and I cross my legs oh my god
     First my left foot then my right behind the other
     Breadcrumbs lost under the snow

     Oo who mother
     Oo mother the car is here
     Maybe maybe you'll leave the light on for the for the for the dancing
     girl
     He's gonna change my name
     Maybe you'll leave the light
     Just in case I like the dancing I can remember where I come come from

     Mother mother mother




10. TEAR IN YOUR HAND

     All the world just stopped now
     So you say you don't wanna stay together anymore
     Let me take a deep breath babe
     If you need me, me and neil'll be hangin' out with the DREAM KING

     Neil says hi by the way
     I don't believe you're leaving cause me and Charles Manson like the
     same ice cream
     I think it's that girl and I think there're pieces of me you've never
     seen
     Maybe she's just pieces of me you've never seen well

     All the world is
     All I am
     The black of the blackest ocean
     And that tear in your hand
     All the world is DANGLIN'... danglin'... danglin' for me DARLIN'
     You don't know the power that you have
     With that tear in your hand
     That tear in your hand

     Maybe I ain't used to maybes smashing in a cold room cutting my hands
     up every time I touch you
     Maybe maybe it's time to wave goodbye now
     Time to wave goodbye now

     Caught a ride with the moon
     I know I know you well well better than I used to
     HAZE all clouded up my mind
     In the DAZE of the why it could've never been
     So you say and I say you know you're full of wish
     And your "baby baby baby babies"
     I tell you there're pieces of me you've never seen
     Maybe she's just pieces of me you've never seen well

     All the world is
     All I am
     The black of the blackest ocean
     And that tear in your hand
     All the world is DANGLIN'... danglin'... danglin' for me DARLIN'
     You don't know the power that you have
     With that tear in your hand
     That tear in your hand

     With that tear in your hand
     Tear in




11. ME AND A GUN

     5am friday morning thursday night far from sleep
     I'm still up and driving can't go home obviously
     So I'll just change direction cause they'll soon know where I live
     And I wanna live
     Got a full tank and some chips

     It was me and a gun and a man on my back
     And I sang "holy holy" as he buttoned down his pants

     You can laugh
     Its kind of funny
     Things you think
     Times like these
     Like I haven't seen BARBADOS so I must get out of this

     Yes I wore a slinky red thing
     Does that mean I should spread for you, your friends
     Your father, Mr Ed

     It was me and a gun and a man on my back
     But I haven't seen BARBADOS so I must get out of this

     And I know what this means
     Me and Jesus a few years back used to hang
     And he said "it's your choice babe just remember
     I don't hink you'll be back in 3 days time so you choose well"
     Tell me whats right
     Is it my right to be on my stomach of Fred's Seville

     It was me and a gun and a man on my back
     But I haven't seen BARBADOS so I must get out of this

     and do you know CAROLINA
     Where the biscuits are soft and sweet
     These things go through your head when there's a man on your back
     And you're pushed flat on your stomach it's not a classic caddilac

     It was me and a gun and a man on my back
     But I haven't seen BARBADOS so I must get out of this
     I haven't seen BARBADOS so I must get out of this




12. LITTLE EARTHQUAKES

     Yellow bird flying gets shot in the wing
     Good year for hunters and Christmas parties
     and I hate
     and I hate
     and I hate
     and I hate elevator music
     The way we fight
     The way I'm left here silent

     Oh these little earthquakes
     Here we go again
     These little earthquakes
     Doesn't take much to RIP us into pieces

     We danced in graveyards with vampires till dawn
     We laughed in the faces of kings never afraid to burn
     and I hate
     and I hate
     and I hate
     and I hate disintegration
     Watching us wither
     Black winged roses that safely changed their COLOR

     Oh these little earthquakes
     Here we go again
     These little earthquakes
     Doesn't take much to rip us into pieces

     I can't reach you
     I can't reach you
     I can't reach you
     I can't reach you
     can't reach you
     Give me life
     Give me pain
     Give me myself again
     Give me life
     Give me pain
     Give me myself again
     Give me life
     Give me pain
     Give me myself again
     Give me life
     Give me pain
     Give me myself again
     Give me life
     Give me pain
     Give me myself again
     Give me life
     Give me pain
     Give me myself again
     Give me life
     Give me pain
     Give me myself again
     Give me life
     Give me pain
     Give me myself again

     Oh these little earthquakes
     Here we go again
     These little earthquakes
     Doesn't take much to rip us into pieces
     Doesn't take much to rip us into pieces
     Doesn't take much to rip us into pieces