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How Do You Spell GBV

by A Fan's Guided By Voices Podcast

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1.
Still drinking in Northridge, the mid-western wizard He’s the uncle for all good kids, 100 songs in a suitcase Recorded on cassette, smoke rings in the Snakepit 500 Propeller jackets, 200 songs in a suitcase And as we go up, we go down The Fading Captain’s still making a sound The buzzing one-string and the amp drop, all the magazine cutouts Witches, moons, and pilots, 300 songs in a suitcase Airport 5 to Hazzard Hotrods, Circus Devils to Lifeguards ESP Ohio, 400 songs in a suitcase
2.
Dashed and discouraged, baby, crying on the outside Loaded up on will and all, but will it come our way? Great Miami marrow in our bones You’d think the locals could roll with the hometown gold on display Creeping and closing in: others’ expectations But build a catapult and we’ll have found a way To launch right over the loans, and the slow-down zones And the big school clones that are lined like a wall in our way ‘Cause what gets held to the ground Dreams of flight one day But with trust in the sound We can stand and with certainty say We will have our time We will have our day “Never mind the naysays!” Risk it all Led through the squall By the siren call, the one we were born to obey It can’t be denied You can’t pull away From the unshakeable drive To be downstairs, just banging away We will have our time Though maybe not today So we will fix our minds On when they hang our names In the hall of small fame
3.
4.
Nineteen something and five Becomes nineteen something and nine In the blink of an eye Your hometown is never right for you When you need a flipped out world Plug that guitar in and give us hope Cigarette trick dragon puffing smoke The riff machine Unleashed The riff machine Set free From the sandpaper factory Being famous, it just makes no sense It’s a terrifying experience There’s just one way out of lethargy Crank that stack and give us something to believe The riff machine Unleashed The riff machine Set free From the sandpaper factory Nineteen something and five Becomes twenty something and nine In the blink of an eye
5.
“Pollard throws no-hitter” is the headline of today The raiders all rejoice to be guided by that voice He always wins at basketball with his soft rock renegades Beastie Boys and Billy C. lost eleven points to three And it’s not fair that he’s so good at sports (five eleven nineteen seventy-eight)
6.
I woke up this morning and I felt kinda strange I had all these great melodies rattling around in my brain And I don’t know what to do to get ’em outta my head So I got out my computer and went on WebMD It did not have the answer as to what’s wrong with me So I went and saw a doctor, you’ll never believe what he said! I’ve got the GeeBeeVeeBees and I’ll never be the same Then he gave me a pamphlet that went on to explain How a band from Dayton, OH is the only way to ease my pain I tried to buy up all their albums but the challenge was tough At first my wife she was supportive, but then she said “Enough! Their discography’s too large and you’ll never find all of their stuff!” I can live with this condition it’s really not so bad At least the clubs are open and the girls are glad Of all the ailments out there, I guess there are worse ones to have I’ve got the GeeBeeVeeBees and I knew it all along Because everywhere I go I keep on humming their songs Fifty million Robert Pollard fans cannot be wrong
7.
Try to show them all their songs But it’d it take us all day long And I know, just a matter of time ‘til combat No one else has patience for that, I can’t believe They don’t like them as much as me Can’t help but think they are insane When they say they haven’t heard of Alien Lanes How are they not the laughing stock? Are they even amplified to rock? Play them to my baby every night Do you like that? She says, “It’s alright” And I know, I got to stick to my herd This is what it’s like to be an adult and a nerd No, I’ll never understand No, I’ll never understand Why don’t they like GBV as much as me? No, I’ll never understand No, I’ll never understand Why don’t they like GBV as much as me?
8.
9.
In the beginning was a frequency An unceasing singing eye dog guided by his master’s voice His master had no choice But to follow the imaginary band down to the basement Where Marshall stacks on all four tracks revealed It was a time of low fidelity The yearbook pic began to stick the voices to a tune His master’s voiced was doomed But to follow the imaginary band down to the rock show with scissor kicks and broken sticks concealed And as the voice in mind became revealed The imaginary band got real Long before they signed the record deal The imaginary band was real Then did the high and mid fidelity The sunfish under compound in My airforce devil’s drills Whatever did the voices will Was to follow his imaginary band Out to the spaceship With every tune a hit that too few knew And when the voices were the guides revealed The imaginary band got real With all the songs inside his head concealed The imaginary band got real Long before the voices songs revealed The imaginary band was real Long before became a record deal The imaginary band was real Long before the songs that we all feel The imaginary band got real
10.
Send me a line, note: I’m fine To notify your feelings alone in a great big world I said alone in a great big world Facing the grey, now-a-day So you don’t show them later alone in a great big world I said alone in a great big world In the longest run, would you like to stay? Seems like so much fun, how you’re gonna pay? Teasing the blade, in the shade ‘Cause you cannot accept being alone in a great big world I said alone in a great big world…a great big world
11.
The crown prince of the flyover states Leave your tribute by the door of the garage and get away Go down, down the street again Is it a wonder that we do it for ourselves Uncompromising flawless visions The crown prince of the flyover states Is painting a picture that’s grown bigger than its frame Get out, just to be free again Is it a wonder that we do it for ourselves Uncompromising flawless visions Wright State From the top of the cathedral To the mouths of all the people
12.
Have you found your Yoko yet? Have you seen what she can do To have her love shine all around you? You say it hasn’t happened yet, and you feel like such a fool But then her love will soon surround you After all the trials that we’ve been through Do you think I’d still be in love with you I’m in love with you, it’s true Have you found your Yoko yet? Do you think she’s out of reach And did she take it all for granted? Chewed you up and spit you out Like a pit that was a peach And in the end you felt enchanted And did she test you on how much you could take While your miserable heart is about to break It’s about to break, oh yeah Have you found your Yoko yet? Have you seen what she can do To have her love shine all around you? You say it hasn’t happened yet, and you feel like such a fool But then her love will soon astound you After all the trials that we’ve been through Do you think I’d still be in love with you I’m in love with you, it’s true I do, yeah
13.
35 and giving up Take all of the songs you wrote Stick ’em on a record Then it’s time to give it up Not asking to be big like Bob Would like for you to sing along 35 enough’s enough Time to get a fucking boat There ain’t nobody listening When’re you gonna give it up? Not asking to be big like Bob Would like for you to sing along
14.
Headache fortress rings A cloud manager comes in Total blackout for the mistress We do not care ’bout Henry Sin And the hooks are here And we spit out the gums But to be honest: It’s Demos on drums A stable cuckoo A nervous brother In liquor aquariums We tend to smother I would die alone I would be the last I won’t count the hours I will die fast And the hooks are here And we spit out the gums But to be honest: It’s Demos on drums
15.
Pete’s gone missing in Ohio While Big Daddy’s still making the scene And Mitch is now a new cover boy For a defunct smut magazine Sold at the drive thru Down on NEEDMORE At the drive thru Down on NEEDMORE Freedom cruisin’ Down on NEEDMORE Towards the drive thru Down on NEEDMORE
16.
Literal eyes, and the might of the post-punk dead men Growing in size ’til the speaker pops and round the clock obscurity Learning to crawl with a lifetime of untangled energy Breaking the walls into the field they run They lived in scientific lingo While underground Until the spirits moved a mountain Unleashing sound Let’s play something that we’ve never played before Give it accidental tension on the 4 A little late but not delaying Spirits grow Let’s go somewhere that we never thought we’d see The next room’s brighter when you weep to water trees A little late but not delaying Spirits grow Middle ground men take a hot shot at a pop rock community To the new end of town where masters ascend So come along and grab the good kids Gather round like all of us did We’re an army young and old and strong They lived in scientific lingo While underground Until the spirits moved a mountain Unleashing sound Let’s play something that we’ve never played before Give it accidental tension on the 4 A little late but not delaying Spirits grow Let’s go somewhere that we never thought we’d see The next room’s brighter when you weep to water trees A little late but not delaying Spirits grow
17.
Century Cups Up and up and up and out Never did we learn what they’re about Century Cups So we drank them dry In the saturated sundown Climbed out of windows Find my feet on the ground Century Cups Never did we once attempt to stay With antiquated avalanches In requisite replays Hey hey hey Century cups
18.
Starting to fly, starting to spy the autumn leaves I’m hung out to dry, scheming to find out how to breathe Leaving the nest there’s too much freedom and the blue sky can deceive Behind the veneer the night is so vast it’s hard to know what to believe Summer hearts are such a drag but summer hurts the least Mathematical dawn and the infinite songs, we live until we cease I know that’s a drag but it ain’t the only drag we know Sad if we lost it, but life ain’t a drink to savor slow Starting to write, starting to comprehend the lo-fi theme Pollard stay true, do what you do, remind us to live our dreams Heading out west, the sky opens up, those red earth memories Beyond the red line King Shit and his Boys make trebled melodies Autumn hearts they take the pain and turn it into song The scientists hold out hope and hope it won’t be long If that’s a drag, it ain’t the only drag we know Sad when we lost it, pay our respects To the Monument Club, let’s go! Robert Pollard and the Monument Club Robert Pollard and the Monument Club
19.
Uncle Bob And Echo Had a point Off to business Rolling rocking the joint He was playing in my head It was Uncle Bob And his brother and a couple of new mothers 3 cheers for Uncle Bob A bank we’ll rob with a point Exploding money job Pampering the visible shakes of Uncle Bob He wrote me back once Me too An Inspirational figure Uncle Bob The mystery knob Where will it turn and what have you learned From Uncle Bob
20.
Ruby jewels glowing on a darkened stage The floor is getting restless Those of us who refuse to act our age Are getting ready to impress* us This is not make believe But neither is it real A momentary distortion Of what we think and feel And if you just understood You could be here with me… Cigarettes glowing on a frightened stage In the still between explosions *Impressment, colloquially the ‘press gang,’ is the taking of men into a military or naval force by compulsion.
21.
This is not the sun we open for This is not the song I was hoping for Maybe all the wrongs were groping for a chance to live again And if I refuse to shine then I won’t fade away Now I’m bobbing for a clue Everybody’s wrong but no one’s sure Everybody hurts but no one’s sore Everybody cries on the bathroom floor attempting to be(at) their gods Now I’m bobbing for a clue
22.
In the story of rock ‘n roll, there are many tales that have been told Rock n rollers all around, flying high on all that sound But one man’s story stands tall and proud, sharing songs big and loud Pass the words, the hits are his and they’re AWESOME! All the kids say we should “Rock like Pollard” Mix our riffs with random noises Maybe we should go on tour, rabble rouse into a blur And win one for the Captain Everybody wants to Rock Like Pollard Most of us fall so short Riffs are flowing through his veins, sending sound waves to our brains All the Good Kids Go Insane!
23.
How far are you willing to go? How far are you willing to take it? You’re such a lazy so and so and nobody thinks you’re going to make it Imitating the Fading Captain now How much were you willing to show? How long were you willing to fake it? You’re always saying I don’t know, you have to buy it if you break it Imitating the Fading Captain now And where do we go from here? The future seems so unclear We might find a better life, launch our own satellite Epiphany, please come to me, help me to see Epiphany, inspire me, make me believe How far are you willing to go? How far are you willing to take it? You’re such a lazy so and so, and nobody thought that you could ever make it Imitating the Fading Captain now And where do we go from here? The future seems so unclear We might find a better life, launch our own satellite But where to we go from here? The truth is resounding clear There must be a better way, there might be a price to pay But where do we go from here? Where do we go from here?
24.
You are a giant I guess wishes come true We are compliant All of us hot freaks wanna be you Come all you glad girls and you robot boys Take your gold stars and love the lo-fi noise The club is open, it’s the golden rule We’re finally here, and shit yeah it’s cool We’re finally here, and shit yeah it’s cool Cardinals in jars Freedom quite sinful you Send Christmas cards Father, sergeant, we’re all in Bob’s crew Join in the fight and grab your space gun Vote for me, dummy, it’s a vote for fun The club is open, it’s the golden rule We’re finally here, and shit yeah it’s cool So lend me your ear, and don’t be a fool We’re finally here, and shit yeah it’s cool Or something like that…
25.
He’s on beer-colored vinyl His salty salutes are never final He’s a Nightwalker in the day He can’t drive on Alien Lanes And the pricks, they have no games But he can still “Motor Away” Because Robert Pollard, he could take Crumbs right off your birthday cake And turn them into something you could hum He is Guided By Voices A Circus Devil with many choices His Hazzard Hotrod never runs out of gas He’s my Faulty Superhero And Ricked Wicky’s Calling Zero His Boston Spaceship just crashed But Robert Pollard, he could take Crumbs right off your birthday cake And turn them into something you could hum Yeah, Robert Pollard’s melodies They mean a lot to you and me Let’s just hope that he is never done Here it comes, Space Gun
26.
It’s like breathing, it’s so easy Like doing nothing at all Until you start to think Then everything starts to fall apart It’s like eating at the table With your family all around Until you hear the sound of the voice that you don’t want around Life, life, life writes itself If you let it, life writes itself It’s like sleeping under blankets In the silence in the dark But if you think too much then it all begins to fall apart
27.
“Military School Dance Dismissal” really hits me in the feels, makes me reel, takes me back to a day in my youth, when I, a military school cadet myself, was tasked with the planning, smooth execution, and dismissal of a dance. It’s remarkable how the lyrics of his songs can mean different things to anyone who hears them. They’re just obscure enough. Is that what makes it art? “Legendary Breakfast Code” can make me hungry, and when I hear “Motor Away” I want to drive, and singing along drunkenly to “Hold on Hope” I feel lucky and happy just being alive. It’s remarkable how the lyrics of his songs can mean different things to anyone who hears them. They’re just obscure enough. Is that what makes it art? What do you visualize when you hear “Kicker of Elves”? Do you see Putin or Trump or some ogre, or do you see yourself? Until I found out that Titus was an Avenue in Dayton, I saw it as a mountain with a vampire’s castle at the top. It’s amazing how the lyrics of his songs can mean different things to anyone who hears them. They’re just obscure enough. Is that what makes it art?

about

Songs about and inspired by Guided By Voices.

credits

released December 14, 2018

Cover painting by Sheldon Rooney
Mastered by Myles Boisen
Compiled by Jeff Gomez
Avatar: Robert Pollard

www.everygbvlp.com

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A Fan's Guided By Voices Podcast Dayton, Ohio

Self-Inflicted Aural Nostalgia: A Fan's Guided By Voices Podcast spent all of 2018 taking an in-depth look at every GBV record, starting with their 1987 debut.

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