VLowe her house of sin

her house of sin - 1998

the mighty prawn 00CM-856

words and music by vanessa lowe

produced by vanessa lowe

and jeremy lawton

engineered and mixed by jeremy lawton

at kerr macy, denver, colorado

additional engineering by bob tyler

mastered by david glasser

at airshow mastering, boulder, colorado

thank you: ed, dave, christian, jim, jason and especially jeremy

thank you, thank you:

stephanie and bob for having the idea.

1: her house of sin - 3:41

critters are marching on the floor

lipstick is smeared across the door

she lives in her house of sin

she watched her client run to catch his train

she thinks she is alone until the rain comes in

it happens in her house of sin

she knows everything

she likes laughing at him

she's a quote, "wanton woman"

and she likes it that way, yeah

his coat is hanging on the hook

he's hoping that she'll open up her eyes and look

he's vacuuming her house of sin

everything she wants is on his mind

his hands are shaking as he opens the blinds

the light falls on her face in boxes of gold

he thinks he should touch her, her skin must be so cold

he walks to where she lies upon her bed

he stops and for a moment he is scared she is dead

he keeps cleaning up her house of sin

she knows everything...

she watches him and thinks of all the years

he's come her every week and cleaned up all of her tears

they keep falling in her house of sin

she rises to her feet as he sweeps 'round

they find each other's eyes as the broom hits the ground

she holds him in her house of sin

she knows everything

she's not laughing at him

she's no wanton woman

and she likes it that way

Vanessa Lowe: Acoustic Guitars, Vocals

Jason Sarubbi: Bass

Christian Teele: Percussion

Jim Todd: Cello

February 1990

2: men - 3:10

i like my men in silence

i like it when they're tidy

i like him purring in my ear

i like when they act sappy

i like it when they're pretty

but i like to be prettier than them

do you know what makes them so fetching to me

can you place the wink or the flip of the head

so when he looks away you feel like you've gone dead

it's cool when they act quiet

i wonder what they're thinking

especially if he's thinking of me

they're fun when they're not moody

when they're not acting pissy

i like them when they're nice to me

do you know what makes them so fetching to me...

but sometimes i don't want them anywhere near me

i'd like to drop them all to the bottom of the sea

they can all go to hell and i wouldn't miss them

i wouldn't take one if you gave him to me for free

i like my men in togas

i like them with their shoes on

so i can take them out to eat

i like that they are different

and they are very different

i like them when they're not like me

do you know what makes them so fetching to me...

April 1995

3: here with me - 2:29

Tonight

Over ice

Sugary sweet and nice

My arms

‘Round your waist

Fingers are interlaced

I’ve got you here with me

Light

From the street

Velvety summer heat

Breath

Drawn in deep

Sorrow has gone to sleep

I’ve got you here with me

Everybody loses something

Somewhere along the way

Maybe the big trick is knowing

When and when not to stay

Away

Safe

And afraid

Familiar like lemonade

The room

Fills with sun

Something has just begun

I’ve got you here with me

May 1998

4: mona lisa - 3:21

Oh that Mona Lisa is such a heavenly creature

and we just want to love her when she’s near

But we know we can’t because she's dead

And we just want to tell her if she's ever in the neighborhood

She should stop by and have a Coke

Oh that Shakespeare dude fills me with attitude

He makes me want to slit my wrists or have a beer

I’m gonna take him home and have him write me a new poem

To make me fall in love with misery

But I know he can’t because he’s dead

And I just want to tell him if he’s ever in the neighborhood

He should stop by and have a Coke

You know Mozart ruled

But he never had a swimming pool

I bet he would have loved a pair of water wings

He wouldn’t have wrote a symphony if he’d have met Tiffany

And spent his precious time in shopping malls

Oh thank God he can’t because he’s dead

And I just want to tell him if he’s ever in the neighborhood

He should stop by and have a Coke

June 1998

5: the only one - 2:32

There was a pulse

And then a pause

And I appeared

I was the first

I was the last

I was the only one

And then I felt

I was alone

Under the sun

I was the only one

Water and sky

Are all I see

There's no one here

I'm all alone

I cracked myself

And took the flesh

Out of the shell

I was the first

I was the last

I was the only one

There was a cry

I could not tell

Where it was from

I was the only one

'Til I had you

December 1989

6: when you leave - 2:58

I can’t help what I see

You can’t help what you do

You keep lying

And I keep running from you

But I’m not running away

You’re just running around

All this lying

Makes you well known to the ground

I’ll forget you when I can

I’m out of luck ‘til then

But you’re not my only friend, boy

I won’t be happy when you leave

It’s not the kind of thing

Where it’s done and then I’m free

You can’t take it away

Make it something it’s not

Make it nothing

When you’ve been making a lot

I can’t help how I feel

Like you can’t help what you do

And I’ll go crazy

If I keep lying with you

I’ll forget you when I can...

It happened before

It’ll happen again

But not to me

Because

I’ll forget you when I can...

March 1998

7: honor bound - 3:34

There was a tiger

And the tiger was forced

To stay inside his lair

He said, "I want to be there with you

Or you can be here with me

But I have to quench my appetites

Or I'll die"

There was a hunter

And the hunter was forced

To stay inside his house

He said, "I want to be there with you

Or you can be here with me

But I have to quench my appetites

Or I'll die Or I'll die tonight”

And the land there was free

But the land had its price

The loser could win by the role of the dice

Tiger would take to the high

Hunter would take to the low

And the teeth could take hold

Or the force of the arrow

There was a language

And the language was course

The sounds were often blunt

But honor was its source

It bonded rivals

In the war that took place

By pride they were bound

To the anguish they faced

They said, "I want to be there with you

O r you can be here with me

But I have to quench my appetites

Or I'll die Or I'll die tonight”

March 1990

8: cold storm - 3:19

In the garden where we played

All the monsters have gone away

But they followed you home

I saw the night was squeezing closed

And the weapons that we chose

Fade away and cut you

I wanted to be near you

I wanted to save you

To tell you that I love you

And mean it

Be sterling like a true friend

An anchor in a cold storm

When the natives closed you in

I could hear the crashing din

Through the vent in the bathroom

And all the cowboys that we played

And the damsels that we saved

Couldn't heal the hopeless

I wanted to be near you...

I could burrow through the ground

And come up where you needed me

When you needed me

All you have to do

Is just tug on the string

That's hanging out my window

They blew the fairy tales apart

Like a soldier at the start

Of a blinding frenzy

The thorns that came up through the skin

Should have never left within

Where they might have only teased you

I wanted to be near you...

June 1990

9: dizzy - 2:46

How do you know when you should go

Or if you should leave him

Go away, don't believe him

But never tell him that you love him

Unless you want to go crazy

The whole thing makes me dizzy

Where will you end up if you can't take a stand up

Live a life to the last drop

Fill it up to the top

But never tell him that you love him...

Do you know what you know

Do you say what you mean

Don't play those games with me

I can't take no more

Tell me what you think you want

But only if you're sure

How can you tell if the story will end well

Will you give me the secret

So I'll know how to choose it

'Cause now I never tell him that I love him....

February 1995

10: man of minor - 3:43

It’s the coldest day of winter

Your the warmth that’s left my hands

Your the golden and the gilded

Flashing glint in miner’s pan

You didn’t break in loudly

Nothing stolen like a thief

You didn’t posture proudly

All growling snarly teeth

You're the man of minor

Keys and moods and subtle touch

You meant to meet me softly

Took your time, but not too much

You’re the watchful and the weary

Guardian of the brittle branch

Eager still to find the treasure

The lucky man will take his chance

You didn’t break in loudly...

You’re the one who brought the bounty

A luxury I did not need

The laughing one who rumbles greatly

Quick of wit and slow of speed

You didn’t break in loudly...

I remember suddenly suddenly

I remember asking you to stay

And I remember suddenly suddenly

I remember what you did

You didn’t break in loudly...

February 1997

11: 3 years - 3:06

You know the morning’s fine

It’s just an easy time

The part that sucks is after five

I turn the t.v. on

But it makes me numb

And all I want to do is call

I’ve loved you for 3 years

I’ve loved you in dog years

If you could count my tears

you could count so high

Sometimes the light stays on

Until I see the sun

And I know the day will start to thaw again

I put the coffee up

I turn the radio on

Because the Elliott Smith CDs are gone

I’ve loved you for 3 years...

You know I miss you so much

I may never kiss you again

The hardest thing we could do

I’ve loved you for 3 years...

April 1998

12: collide-a-scope - 3:35

I'm stuck in the collide-a-scope

It shifts without a warning sign

It cuts me in a million pieces

I'll never make up my mind

I'm stuck in the collide-a-scope

It turns before I'm on my feet

I'm thrown against the shiny surface

Looking for the rest of me

And all I have to do is smile and call you a wonderful guy

And then I'm back inside my head but I don't want to throw it away

I'm looking for my periscope

So I can see the other side

I'm tired of all the pretty colors

They never help me decide

I'm stuck in the collide-a-scope

It's making me sick to my stomach

Shaking me like I'm a rattle

I give up 'cause there's no hope

And all I have to do is smile and call you a wonderful guy

And then I'm back inside my head but I don't want to throw it away

But all I really do is cry and turn the light out

And when I gave up getting high I lost my way out

black grey blue

crazy purple hue

I want red

at night now

it's turned down low

and muted

it's dying

changing

I want to go home

and all i have to do is smile...

May 1995

vanessa lowe: acoustic guitar, electric guitar on ‘collide-a-scope’ and singing

christian teele: drums and percussion

jason sarubbi: electric and acoustic bass

jim todd: cello on ‘her house of sin’

ed marshall: electric guitar on ‘men’ and ‘collide-a-scope’

dave nobel: electric guitar on ‘cold storm’ and ‘men’