Story Of The Year

Les Disques du Crepuscule
TWI 197
Written, arranged and produced by
Mikel Rouse
EXITMUSIC RECORDINGS

“…these beautiful constructions breathe and live with immediately enough conviction in the process.”
-LE SOIR

1982 was a tough year for the band with the exit of original bassist Jeff Burk. Burk was an amazing musician and laid the basic foundation of early Tirez Tirez’s sound. He was replaced by James Bergman (also of Broken Consort). The new band also expanded to keyboards and woodwinds finding Rouse at odds with his classical and pop influences colliding. Story Of The Year, therefore, is a compilation of out-takes from both the Shield ’81 sessions (some of which has never been released) and the Story Of The Year sessions. Rouse was dissapointed with the result but many fans in Europe still claim this record as an all time favorite.

01. Dreams
02. Living In This City
03. Darkness
04. The Cough
05. Another World
06. This Is New York
07. Real People
08. Story Of The Year
09. Inside Albany
10. There Ain’t Nothin’

Lyrics

DREAMS

Stepped aside when he ran
Lucky dream lucky man
Once they’re gone seldom found
Like a wave underground

Watch your dreams
They cloud the air
Through a glass
They might become austere
Moving even further
From the blast

Kiss the floor kiss the palm
Watch chaos turn to calm
Got me down get me up
Once I tried got enough

They come and they go
Maresy dates doesey dotes
Once they’re gone seldom found
Like a wave underground

Watch your dreams
They cloud the air
Through a glass
They might become austere
Moving even further
From the blast

Taking all the chances that you can
Taking all the chances that you can
Taking all the chances that you can

LIVING IN THIS CITY (I’m so Proud)

Vitamins, minerals
Check it out
Crisp and cool and full of blood

Where I come from in Missouri
They’ll go to a stockyard
And rent-a-cow

Call it entertainment
I’m so far away from that now

I’m living in this city
Living in this city
I’m so proud

Irreverant, irreverant
That’s my kind of cocktail lounge
Don’t do it-cocktail lounge

Someday, God willing
We’ll do a film together
Master class

Living in this city
Living in this city
I’m so proud

There goes the pastry chef
Pastry chef
Ol’ pastry chef

And if I have to die before you die

I’ll be living in this city
Living in this city
I’m so proud

DARKNESS

Got me on a roll
Nothing up my sleeve
Alone here in the darkness baby
So hard to believe

Walking in the rain
Near the rivers edge
Feel like I could jump right in there
Got to get you back

Alone in the dark
Alone yea
Alone in the
Alone in the dark

Fate’s been cruel to me
Many times before
Raised up by the back hand baby
Lending on the floor

But you picked me up
Turned the sky to blue
Feel like I could jump right in there
What else could I do

Alone in the dark
Alone yea
Alone in the
Alone in the dark

REAL PEOPLE

You’re hilarious on the hand and on the mind
(When something happens)
Not a brain storm:
You’re dead for a long time
(Did something happen)

Cold frame, warm frame,
You say to yourself
(As something happens)
And now you want me to add white
(When something happens)

How’s the shapes man?
I’m burning like everything
I’m right in the thick of things
You say to yourself:

Save me some of that,
Save me some of that
(When something happens)
Well I thought you were going
You save me some of that
(Did something happen

Well I thought it was
All wrapped up
(When something happens)

How’s the shapes man?
I’m burning like everything
I’m right in the thick of things
You say to yourself:

“>You may never be alone again
You may matter or sink or swim
You may come to understand
You may call me on the phone

What’s happening tomorrow?
(When something happens)
Tomorrow is Saturday
(Did something happen)

I could walk up burning
Like everything
(As something happens)
I could cut plates
And now you want me
To add white
(If something happens)

How’s the shapes man?
I’m burning like everything
I’m right in the thick of things
You say to yourself:

You may never be alone again
You may matter or sink or swim
You may come to understand
You may call me on the phone

When, did, as, when
When, did, as, when
When, did, as, when
When, did, as, when

ANOTHER WORLD

When all your hopes
And fears are realized
When all that glitters turns to gold
When we can see the world
Through clearer eyes
When you take hold of the world

I hear a cry from you
And babe I’ll die for you
Another year or two
Another world for you

Another year has come and gone
And if we’re on the edge of time
Let’s take a ride together
Hold on tight now
Look-you’re spinning like a top

I hear a cry from you
And babe I’ll die for you
Another year or two
Another world for you

THIS IS NEW YORK

I can see the dance so clearly
Dressed up in some satin gown
Open up those gates around me
Watch the walls come
Tumbling down

And I can see you glad all over
Trying so hard not to smile
Open up those gates of heaven

I could climb the highest mountain
Then shift gears and turn away
Turn my back on all the sorrow
Turn my back in time to play

And when my timing seems erratic
Giving off some kind of vibes
Open up those gates around me

This is New York
-this is the city I live in

I could be a pink carnation
Sitting on someone’s lapel
I could be a hateful sergeant
Yelling for the troops to spread

And I could make a contribution
Put a crowbar in my pants
Open up those gates around me

This is New York
-this is the city I live in

ALBANY

Inside, outside
I’ll say
Hold my hand
Make everything into
A grand arrangement
Nothing ventured
Nothing gained towards you
My foolish heart

Inside Albany
How I will try
I’ll let it slide
How I will die
My foolish hear t

STORY OF THE YEAR

Listen-you promised me
The story of the year
Listen-you promised me
If I would stay right here

Most of all you promised me
Shaking cans for poverty
It’s a cruel world full of pain
Nothing new there, try again

Toss it around, toss it around
Toss it around, toss it around
Money talks, bullshit walks
They paved paradise
Put in a polyurethane heart

Listen-you promised me
The story of the year
Listen-the number of beats
Per second disappear

THE COUGH

How did you ever ask me
How did you ever ask me
How did you ever ask me
How did you ever ask me why

Well there’s security in figures
And there is love in figures
Woke up in a stranger’s bed
The strangest sight

It’s going east and west
I wanna go north and south
It’s going east and west
I wanna go north and south

CHORUS
Why can’t you spell-I can’t spell
Once in a while-no I do not
Why don’t you drive-I can’t drive
Once you have tried

You need a light-I hate light
I’ve spent some time-
Killing some time
Passing through crowds
I looked up
Clearing my throat-
Clearing my throat

How did you ever ask me
How did you ever ask me
How did you ever ask me
How did you ever ask me why

Well I was sitting on the fire escape
And I thought of your name
Put the word in two sentences
Repeated it

It’s going east and west
I wanna go north and south
It’s going east and west
I wanna go north and south

CHORUS

How did you ever ask me
How did you ever ask me
How did you ever ask me
How did you ever ask me why
Well I’ve been studying up on mood
You gonna get the habit
Hands fit perfectly over features
I will never forget that scene

How did you ever ask me
How did you ever ask me
How did you ever ask me
How did you ever ask me

THERE AIN’T NOTHIN’

There ain’t nothin’
You can say
That changes around
Yesterday
There ain’t nothin’
I can see
That makes me believe
I am free

There ain’t nothin’
Like a train
That takes you somewhere
Back again
There ain’t nothin’
I believe
Except maybe that
I aIN’Y free

There ain’t nothin’
In my way
That takes you somewhere
Back again
There ain’t nothin’
All around
There ain’t nothin’
But the sound

There ain’t nothin’
Like the shade
You lie in all day
The arcade
There ain’t
Like the Jets
Who let you down slow
Like the Mets

There ain’t nothin’
You can say
That changes around
Yesterday
There ain’t nothin’
That I know
That changes a thing
Said before