The Song Fight Bulletin Board

Pleasant Row - The Lowest Bitter ft. Vom Vorton on GCSE German

Translations in italics

Liner Notes:

Spoiler

This is a song about Berlin. I love Berlin, and it's been a while since I've been there and it's probably gonna be a while until I can go again with COVID travel restrictions. The chorus of this song is kinda about how you end up romanticising even the bad stuff about a place/person/thing you love, so I'm referring to the "pleasant" crumbling DDR tower blocks, or the two hour long queues at the official worst airport in the world Berlin Schönefeld (okay, it's a stretch to say I truly miss that, but it was still a big part of the Berlin experience before it shut down for good last year).

There's really no need to speak German in Berlin, almost everyone knows English, but because I have a GCSE in German I like to try and show off my language skills and mostly just end up embarrassing myself. Vom Vorton has a 1000+ day German duolingo streak, so I went to him and asked him to rein in his perfect German and give me some clumsy, stilted pronunciations of some German phrases, a mix of stuff I might actually say and bizarre phrases my GCSE German course thought was necessary. Not once have I felt the need to ask for a slice of Black Forest Gateau, so thanks for making me learn that Mr Staples.

A pleasant row of plattenbau (a building constructed of large, prefabricated concrete slabs)
towers over east Berlin
A pleasant row of empty bottles
stacked up beside the bin
A pleasant row of people queueing
at the Schönefeld security bit
for two hours
but I miss every part of it

(I remember...)
getting Berliner Pils from a späti, drinking in the park (a type of convenience shop found generally in Germany, particularly in Berlin, which is known to operate late at night)
I miss it
watching bands in some smoke-filled basement bar
I miss it
talking shit, smoking weed beside the Spree (The Spree is the main river of Berlin)
I miss it
making out with some French boy on the night bus, and feeling free
I miss it

got my pocket dictionary,
got ideas above my station
from half-remembered useless phrases
from GCSE German

Vom Vorton:
entschuldigung, ich spreche nur ein kleines bisschen Deutsch
einen döner, bitte
können Sie mir bitte helfen?
wo ist die U-Bahn?
danke schön
wo kann ich den besten techno club der stadt finden?
ich möchte ein stück Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte
danke schön
welches bier würdest du empfehlen?
tschüss
(sorry, I only speak a little bit of German
one döner, please
could you please help me?
where's the U-Bahn?
thank you
where can I find the best techno club in this city?
I want a piece of Black Forest gateau
thank you
which beer do you recommend?
bye!)

A pleasant row of plattenbau
towers over east Berlin
A pleasant row of empty bottles
stacked up beside the bin
A pleasant row of people queueing
at the Schönefeld security bit
for two hours
but I miss every part of it x2

Balance Lost

Liner notes

Guests: The Serviettes singing in Welsh, Yuki singing in Japanese

The song is about 2 people living on the same street who feel like outsiders but find acceptance through each other. The English translation is in brackets beneath the non-English parts, and the Japanese also has the romaji version for ease of reading.

This song originally had verses that were twice as long, but I edited them out to keep the length down. The original version is here if you're curious.
https://www.gocarpetburn.com/mp3/pleasa ... ersion.mp3

The edited out lyrics are:
V1
Maybe his clothes, maybe his accent
Oh did he fit in?
Those neighbourly glances in his direction
Were they looking at him?

V2
Was it her clothes, was it her accent
She couldn't recall
The white picket fence that separates them
Might as well have been the Berlin wall

Endaf moved south from the valleys
Brought his guitar
Bought a house, raised a family
Made a new start

The Serviettes:
Pam nad yw’r pobl hyn, byth yn siarad ‘a mi...
Nid y’ whw eisiau gwbod, pwy ydw i
(Why don't these people ever talk to me?
Don't they want to know who I really am?)

Yuki had been living in the same room
For the last 15 years
Going to work, using her camera
Ignoring the stares

Yuki:
なぜ 皆話さないの
本当の私が誰なのかって
(Naze minna hanasanai no?
Hontou no watashi ga dare na no katte?)
(Why don't these people ever talk to me?
Don't they want to know who I really am?)


Why do we live in this city of millions
Where noone stops to say hello
Life could be so much more if you knock on my door
Swapping pleasantries on Pleasant Row
Swapping pleasantries on Pleasant Row

And then one day they discovered an app
Universal Translate
Where once there were barriers it bridged the gap
To communicate
Talk about art, talk about politics
Talk about love, talk about why...

Why do we live in this city of millions
Where noone stops to say hello
Life could be so much more if you knock on my door
Swapping pleasantries on Pleasant Row
Swapping pleasantries on Pleasant Row
Swapping pleasantries on Pleasant Row

Budget Bears ft. Mo

isolation breeds the need for conversation, sows the seed of discontent
and then your mental health suffers badly, only talking to yourself
confrontation might not be the best thing for the solitary
but raised voices and thrown fists remind us that we still exist

I wanna go out, so gimme danger
shout insults at total strangers

how long has it been now
since I had a warning shot fired across my bow?
it's strange but I feel somehow
that I really need a nice fight or a pleasant row

deprived of context, but not by choice, there's rhythm hidden in the human voice
but face to face in a real space adds melodies as well as drums, as well as bass
anger's fine, so are hate and stress - at least they fill up all the emptiness
I don't need embraces, or healing hands or even really need to understand…

你这个臭小子
干嘛
觉得你带着眼镜你素质就高高在上
我操
草泥马
操你祖宗十八代
生孩子没屁眼儿
笨蛋
傻瓜
二百五
十三点
你这个吃软饭的四眼鬼
总吹牛逼，你妈了个逼
狗屁兔崽子
老子告诉你，君子报仇十年不晚
你记住
你记住

trigger warning: mo

You dirty kid, wtf do you think you’re doing?
You think wearing glasses makes you aristocratic?
Fuck you, fuck your mother, fuck 18 generations of your ancestors
Your child will be born without an asshole
Idiot egg. Moron melon.
You 250. You 13 o’clock.
You soft rice-eating four-eyed devil.
Blowing ox pussy, your ma’s pussy.
Dog fart, rabbit bastard.
Your daddy’s (I’m) telling you, ten years is not too late for the true man to enact revenge.
You remember that.
You remember that.

I wanna go out, so gimme danger
get in fights with total strangers

how long has it been now
since I had a warning shot fired across my bow?
it's strange but I feel somehow
I could really use a nice fight or a pleasant row
how long has it been now
since I had a warning shot fired across my bow?
it's strange but I feel somehow
that I really need a nice fight or a pleasant row
that I really need a nice fight or a pleasant row

See-Man-Ski featuring Gizo

Liner Notes

I was going to go down the route of a polite British argument but then I found this from googling and it wrote itself.

https://housingcare.org/housing-care/fa ... am-england

I loved the idea of a nursing home called pleasant row and it stuck.

welcome to Pleasant Row
age exclusive homes
with four 1 bedroom bungalows

welcome to Pleasant Row
your cats and dogs are welcome to
but you better croak before they go

welcome to Pleasant Row
and if your stay is not for long
then we'll wheel you off to Brandon Road cemetery

bienvenue à Pleasant Row
because the offer's open to the French
Don't you know

willkommen zu Pleasant Row
and the Germans can join the party
if they want to show

welcome to pleasant row
if I could pick a way to
then you know, you know

if you get in quick
we'll put on the kettle
if you get in quick
with some digestive biscuits
if you get in quick
you'll get some warm milk before bed
as in the morning you could be dead

Pleasant Row - Brown Word and the Big Whine

Spoiler

A fairly obvious approach. You get tired of the fast-pace of die Stadt and trade it for die Kultismus des Landes.

I showed here up in my moving van
Looking for relief from the Sturm and Drang
The city's full of toils and troubles
But something is off in this countryside bubble

The village they call Pleasant Row
A place for good people, that's all you need to know
Pretty glass houses trimmed out well
Every citizen is a shining example

Pleasant Row so nice and tidy
Kind of makes you wonder what the neighbors are hiding

Come nightfall they don their cloaks
The woods fill with ceremonial smoke
Sacrifice brought before the convocation
Chant the sacred invocation

The village they call Pleasant Row
A place for good people, that's all you need to know
Pretty glass houses trimmed out well
Visit after dark they'll make you part of the ritual

Guest:
Spart am Werk nicht Fleiß noch Mühe,
Feuer sprühe, Kessel glühe!
Sumpf'ger Schlange Schweif und Kopf
Brat' und koch' im Zaubertopf:
Molchesaug' und Unkenzehe,
Hundemaul und Hirn der Krähe;
Zäher Saft des Bilsenkrauts,
Eidechsbein und Flaum vom Kauz:
Mächt'ger Zauber würzt die Brühe,
Höllenbrei im Kessel glühe!
Spart am Werk nicht Fleiß noch Mühe,
Feuer sprühe, Kessel glühe!
(Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.
Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the cauldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt and toe of frog,
Wool of bat and tongue of dog,
Adder's fork and blind-worm's sting,
Lizard's leg and owlet's wing,
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.
Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.)

Now I'm running down a country lane
Middle of the night, don't know where I am
Somewhere I must've gone astray
The folks with the pitchforks wanna have their say
Pleasant Row so nice and tidy
You don't want to know what the neighbors are hiding

The village they call Pleasant Row
A place for good people, that's all you need to know
Pretty glass houses trimmed just right
Step out of line they'll put your head on a pike

Pleasant Row so nice and tidy
You don't want to know what the neighbors are hiding

Guest:
Wolfeszahn und Kamm des Drachen,
Hexenmumie, Gaum' und Rachen
Aus des Haifisch scharfem Schlund;
Schierlingswurz aus finsterm Grund
(Scale of dragon, tooth of wolf,
Witches' mummy, maw and gulf
Of the ravin'd salt-sea shark,
Root of hemlock digg'd i' the dark)

Ever Kenievel - Pleasant Row

Thank you to https://twitch.tv/AuroraEndante for guest vocals in Italian.

row on, row on
no one's watching

row on, row on
there's no meaning

search for meaning you're
constantly reading a
mountain of dogma
to no avail

all we know for sure
is that we're miniature
next to the cosmos
we ride on a pale
blue dot

row on, row on
no one's watching

row on, row on
there's no meaning

(French:
ramez, ramez
nul ne regarde

ramez, ramez
vide de raison)

how would it feel
if you knew there was no great design
no plan to fulfill
would that make you feel fine?

we're all stuck on one
rock zipping round the sun
your only neighbors
so please be kind

have a pleasant row
don't always have to know
where you are headed
or what you'll find
downstream

row on, row on
no one's watching

row on, row on
there's no meaning

(Italian:
rema, rema
nessun Dio
rema, rema,
senza senso)

Pleasant Row, Hot Pink Halo ft Micah Sommersmith

Spoiler

A little number about several issues close to home. The chorus, in particular, is about the inanity of the street naming system by the developers of the estate where I live. Spanish lyrics and accordion by Micah. Three colours name checked this week: beige, cream and "greige".

This is a pleasant row of houses
In a pleasant place to be
You'll exchange a pleasant nod
With most everyone you see
You can have a pleasant row
With that one unpleasant neighbour
Who feels sandwiched in by immigrants
Adding to the flavour

It's a pleasant row of houses
In a pleasant place to stay
You can change your facade
But keep it beige or cream or greige
You can have a pleasant row
With that one unpleasant fucker
Who feels painted in by immigrants
Bringing in some colour

It's a pleasant estate
You'll be pleasantly surprised to find
A Pleasant Lane
A Pleasant Road
A Pleasant Street
A Pleasant Grove
A Pleasant View
A Pleasant Close
A Pleasant Avenue

Es una calle bonita, llena de casitas
Con personas lindas con caras blanquitas
A primera vista de alguien de afuera
Dándole sonrisa, le cierren la puerta

It's a pleasant estate
You'll be pleasantly surprised to find
A Pleasant Lane
A Pleasant Road
A Pleasant Street
A Pleasant Grove
A Pleasant View
A Pleasant Close
A Pleasant Avenue

Nick Soma feat. Cookie Blue - Pleasant Row

Spoiler

Cookie Blue and I share an interest in linguistics and the Sanskrit language. The Sanskrit part in this song is taken from the Rigveda (the rhythm is horribly butchered though), one of the oldest documents in any Indo-European language and the oldest liturgical text of what was then the Vedic religion, from which Hinduism and, indirectly, Buddhism derive. It is part of a hymn to Soma, that mystical psychoactive beverage which inspired my artist name (no, not because of the Smashing Pumpkins song, but that's a good song.)
Soma is perhaps best known as the fictitious drug of Brave New World, but it used to be a real thing in ancient India. The name means "that which has been pressed out"... but the thing is, we don't know precisely what it is from which this juice is squeezed, hence the cloud of mystery surrounding it. These hymns refer to stalks of some plant, however, and it certainly contained milk and honey. The most likely theory is that the stalks were ephedra which is indeed psychoactive but doesn't account for the wild effects described, so there might have been something else in there as well.

The title "Pleasant Row" suggested a row of trees or flowers to me first, then I had this picture of the inner garden in mind and because that's some esoteric hippie bullshit, I decided to go along with it and add a Sanskrit part to fit the vibe. The narrator of this ode to escapism is longing for some metaphorical soma in a world that feels like an Aldous Huxley novel.

Living in these troubled post-modern times
It can be hard to find some peace of mind
Sometimes the weight of the world just pulls me down
The flood has come but I won't let myself drown

To the garden of my mind I go
Along a pathway where pine trees grow
Lilies blooming in a pleasant row
I sit on the moss and watch the water flow

If only this world could be a more peaceful place
I wouldn't have to retreat into inner space

But in my mind, far away I fly
To a place where all my worries die
Pleasant clouds in a pleasant sky
There is no one there but you and I

यत्र॒ कामा॑ निका॒माश्च॒ यत्र॑ ब्र॒ध्नस्य॑ वि॒ष्टप॑म् ।
स्व॒धा च॒ यत्र॒ तृप्ति॑श्च॒ तत्र॒ माम॒मृतं॑ कृ॒धीन्द्रा॑येन्दो॒ परि॑ स्रव ॥
Yatra kāmā nikāmāś
ca yatra bradhnasya viṣṭapam |
Svadhā ca yatra tṛptiś ca tatra mām amṛtaṁ
kṛdhīndrāyendo pari srava ||

To the garden of my mind I go
Over the hills of green where cypress grow
Far away from this present low
I sit on the moss and watch the water flow

-----------------------

Sanskrit part from the Rigveda, 9-113, 10
English translation:

Make me immortal in that realm of eager wish and strong desire,
The region of the radiant Moon, where food and full delight are found. Flow, Indu, flow for Indra's sake.

Pleasant Row
Berkeley Social Scene featuring Micah Sommersmith

Glennny: guitar, vocals
Ken: guitar
Martin: bass, vocals
Geech: drums, vocals
Micah: vocals

Because dying and going to a good bar shouldn't be mutually exclusive

---

Martin
I just had so many run-ins with the law
In and out of prison, oh man those things I saw
And now they say it’s over - I hope to find my way
I’m looking for that special light today

Geech
If you don’t know what you’re doing
But you know it’s time to go
Come and visit us in the after
Down at Pleasant Row

Glennny
I was never satisfied with anything I did
Accomplishments and goals - they might as well stay hid
And now the clock’s run out - it’s all finished and done
I’m leaving on a trip up towards the sun

Geech
If you don’t know what you’re doing
But you know it’s time to go
After you pass through the pearly gates, well
Come down to Pleasant Row

And you’ll find that when you’re here
All your pain has disappeared

And It doesn’t matter if you went to church every week
You’re gonna leave this world down to the meek

Pleasant Row
Pleasant Row

Micah
My daddy was tough and I respected him a lot
He came over from Mexico full of American thoughts
At the end when he got sick, well I held his hand so close
I said, “Papi sabes que te quiero siempre. Al cielo con Dios.” // "Daddy, you know I'll always love you. Go to heaven with God."

Geech
If you don’t know what you’re doing
But you know it’s time to go
Once you get your wings, my friend, well
Come down to Pleasant Row

You’ve got to let your past fall away
Now that you’ve had your life
Come join us here for some good times
At Pleasant Row tonight

Cavedwellers
Truth- Vocals, Flute
glennny- guitars, bass, intro vocals
Hans- Drums
guest vocals in Polish : Martin of Zipline/BSS


Pleasant Row
Intro 1
Waiting in the line like it’s a pleasant row
What can we do?
This is not the motherland’s intention
Tell me if there’s something that I don’t know
Seeing it through
I’ve been waiting in this line forever
Just what you came for is under the counter
Take it for your children

Verse 1
All for one and one for all
For the love of the motherland
And believing in the cause

Nie muszisz czekac
Na glosowanie
(I don't have to wait to vote)

If there is none, we’ll suffer together
You gotta sit down to understand
Oh how we are so clever

Pre-Chorus
Przemysłowa woda kolońska (Industrial cologne)
Popularna tea (Popular tea)

Chorus in Polish
Wiejska gleba (The rural soil)
Rząd to bierze (The government takes it)
Czekamy w piekle na zawsze (We wait in hell forever)
Najlepiej utknąć z miłym kolegą (It’s best when stuck with a kind friend)
Spędzanie czasu w przyjemnym rząd (Spending time in a pleasant row)

Intro 2
Consuming propaganda like we do not know
None of it’s true
The Marx is off the mark of the intention

Verse 2
A glorious economy, Planned and controlled
for good of the common man
There for all the world to see

Co? Mój głos nigdy
nie ma wartości!
(What? My vote/voice never has worth

Growing pains are natural as acne
patriotic patience and
Then Justice for everybody

Pre-Chorus
Chorus

Bridge
We sold out, but forgot to tell you

Zostań w linii i zamknij usta
(Stay and line and shut your mouth)

Await your goods in purgatory

Jak hiper wyższe ceny idą
(As hyper higher the prices go)

Chorus

Crown Shy ft. Chinese lyrics/vocals by Mo

It was a summer evening on Pleasant Row
So long ago, when I met you
You were standing at the kiosk trying to rent a bike
You couldn't read the sign, so I helped you
And I tried to understand
The crumpled letter in your hand

I asked where you were going and you tried to explain
But then it started to rain, so we took shelter
And I couldn't speak your language, but I liked your smile,
So I stayed for a while, it just felt right
I asked where you were from
As we waited out the storm

I don't speak your language
小姐请你别碰我 (Miss, please don’t touch me)
But I can see it in your eyes
我们不认识 (I don’t know who you are)
And the way that your fingers
我只想租脚踏车 (I just want to rent a bicycle)
Softly brush past mine
请还我手机 (Please return my cellphone)
Outside of words or time
上班快迟到 (I’m really late for work)
On Pleasant Row

I drew you a map on the back of a book
And we shared a look
As I leaned towards you
And I didn't know your name or why you were here
Shy as a wild deer
Leaving the forest
And as the sun pushed back the rain
You took your bike
And rode away

I don't speak your language
老板不可能理解 (My boss won’t understand)
But I could see it in your eyes
我真的要走 (I really need to go)
And the way that your fingers
麻烦你让开 (Please let me go)
Softly brushed past mine
放过我吧 (Release me)
A moment shared in time
我需要这份工作 (I really need this job)
A connection beyond words
别让我给开出 (Don’t get me fired)
In your silence, I felt heard
我上班快迟到 (I’m really late for work)
On Pleasant Row

Pleasant Row
by Max Bombast feat. Altair

My girl lives a continent away
I'll stay the distance for the words she'll say to me
A foreign lady from a foreign land
Her tongue can do things that I don't understand

When we fight she doesn't raise her voice
But there are some topics she'll always avoid
She always tells me what I want to hear
Those sweet exotic nothings whispered in my ear

[Her] Sechs Acht Elf Ein Funfzig Drei Zehn Ein Zwanzig Null
[Him] sigh... so romantic!

Our communication might be breaking down
But everytime we fight it is a pleasant row
Because I don't know what she's saying
But I sure like the sound
And she knows how to make it
How to make it count

We first met on a HAM radio site
She sent me her call sign in the dead of night
We talk for hours, well, it's mostly her
Oh babe you know I love you but I need a word

[Her] Sieben Zwei Zwolf Vierzig Acht Sechs Null Drei Achtzig Ein Neun
[Him] I know, you're always saying that... oh great, interrupt me!

Our communication might be breaking down
But everytime we fight it is a pleasant row
Because I don't know what she's saying
But I sure like the sound
And she knows how to make it
How to make it count

Baby what's your number?
Baby what's your sign
Maybe it's no wonder you talk past me all the time
Babe I know you love me
You don't have to count the ways
Baby aren't you tired?
You've been broadcasting for days

Our communication might be breaking down
But everytime we fight it is a pleasant row
Because I don't know what she's saying
But I sure like the sound
And she knows how to make it
How to make it count

[Her] Sechs acht elf... ein? Funf... zig?
Ahh, finally, he's gone!

That was easier than carrying on a conversation, though.

Pleasant Row
by WreckdoM

The street I live on is swept everyday
Every lawn on my block is trim and straight
Lots of tree shade, fresh coats of paint
A neighborhood watch keeps us safe

Hey! Hey! Join us today!
Our way is A-OK!
Hey! Hey! Here is your place
Just obey the H-O-A

'Sto quartiere non e' proprio gradevole.
Ha un segreto sconvolgente.

Hello Policeman! He is our friend
Always here to lend a helping hand
To serve and protect the obedient
A welcome exchange for compliance

Hey! Hey! Join us today!
There is no better way!
Hey! Hey! Get in your place
You wanna make waves?!

'Sto quartiere non e' proprio gradevole.
Ha un segreto sconvolgente.
Hanno paura del mondo esterno.
Non vogliono vedere i senzatetto.
Se il colore della tua pelle non e' bianco, pensano che sia un ladro, un'intruso, uno stupratore.
Chiameranno la sbira su chiunque.
Non se ne frega dei loro vicini.
Mi fan' schifo.

It's pretty clear it's us or them
Cohabitation cannot be sustained
Why is there even a noise ordinance?!
Time to gentrify your existence

Hey! Hey! Today is the day!
Gonna cure urban decay!
Hey! Hey! Give us more space!
It's the American way!

Featuring Cybronica on the Germanphone

Verse 1
i don’t want another coffee
don’t want any dessert
don’t want to see a movie
don’t want to sit and flirt

don’t want to be inside
gazing in each others’ eyes
i don’t want to see a show
i just want you in my boat

Chorus
Aber es ist zu heiss! (But it is too hot!)
Nein! We row!
Die Sonne zu hell! (The sun too bright!)
HEAVE-HO!
Die Ufer zu weit! (The shore too far!)
Nein! We row!
Dein Boot ist zu schnell! (Your boat is too fast!)
JOIN ME ON MY PLEASANT ROW!!!!!!

Verse 2

I don’t want to bring you flowers
don’t want to talk for hours
don’t want to be your prince
deciphering your hints

I don’t want to meet your mom
or pretend to read your palm
i don’t want to sit and coast
i want you to row my boat

Bridge
Ich liebe die Sonne, weil ich um Schönheit liebe;
Ich liebe den Frühling, weil ich um Jungend liebe;
Ich liebe die Meerfrau, weil ich um Schätze liebe;
Ich liebe dich nicht, weil du nur dein Boot liebst.

(I love the sun, because I love for beauty,
I love the spring, because I love for youth,
I love the mermaid, because I love for wealth,
I do not love you, because you only love your boat.)

PLEASANT ROW
(A residential street in Schuylkill Haven, PA)

Mandibles - Shadow

Czech lyrics and vocals by guest Jan Z


V1
Why do people leave?
Why make your parents grieve?
Running to something or running away?
All I know is me
In a brand new century
Don’t got much of a reason to stay
They told me where to go
A house on Pleasant Row

Ch
Leave behind the old job
Gonna find a coal job
In the coal country of PA
Leave behind the Old World
The old wineskins upturned
There’s new Lager at the end of a new day
Drinking Lager at the end of the day

V2
A boarding house is home
We share the telephone
But letters are all I can afford
My lungs are qturning black
But I get those stacks of cash
After twenty years you can guess the score
Now the rowhouse is the same
But the deed is in my name

Ch repeats

BRIDGE

(My dad wrote:)

Milí sine stejská se mi po tobe
Horníková práce je tak nebespená
Slišel jsem že blízko máte pivovar
Skus tam rodiné povolání
Rodní dar

Dear son I miss you
Mining is such dangerous work
I've heard there is a brewery near you
Why don't you try our family work
Our national gift

V3
The mines are shutting down
So you won’t find me underground
My father’s words are coming back to me
He said, “Bottling the beer
Is a mighty fine career,”
So I signed up at the Yuengling factory
And I’m happy with my home
Here on Pleasant Row

Last Ch
Leave behind the old plan
Listen to the old man
In the coal country of PA
I’m not mad or lonely
I’m my own man only
Drinking Lager at the end of a long day
Drinking Lager at the end of the day

Moss Palace
Pleasant Row featuring Duolingo

Pleasant rows
cozy homes
Rain falls on my window

Paris nights
Golden lights
Flashing in my eyes

Habites-tu en France maintenant? (Do you live in France now?)
Paris est une ville importante. (Paris is an important city.)
J’aime marcher dans la rue. (I like to walk in the street.)

Ba da da ba ba bada
Ba da da ba ba bada

Following
Indiscrete
Strangers on the street

Businessman
shaking hands
A dangerous plan

Ba da da ba ba bada
Ba da da ba ba bada

Look away
You're too late
Look away
You're too late

Je dois aller au bureau. (I need to go to the office.)
Cette un lieu dangereux. (This is a dangerous place.)
Cette une ville dangereuse. (This is a dangerous city.)

new disguise
Little lies
Chances passing by

Cobblestones
Broken bones
Don’t get caught alone

Look away
You're too late
Look away
You're too late

Le première rue à gauche (the first street on the left.)
Une rue dangereuse. (A dangerous street.)
Ce n’est pas dangereux. (It’s not dangerous.)

Ba da da ba ba bada
Ba da da ba ba bada

Pleasant rows
cozy homes
Rain falls on my window

Paris nights
Golden lights
Flashing in my eyes

Look away
You're too late
Look away
You're too late

Pleasant Row (Shadow)
by Virgo Power

nobody stands out on pleasant row
nobody will shout on pleasant row
nobody goes out on pleasant row
nobody stands out on pleasant row

never cared enough about anything
to burn down your life and risk everything
never knew enough about someone
to love them so much despite everything

nobody stands out on pleasant row
nobody will shout on pleasant row
nobody goes out on pleasant row
nobody stands out on pleasant row

there’s more than this
there’s more than this
there’s more than this
there’s more than this

guest interlude:
Deszcze niespokojne
potargały sad,
a my na tej wojnie
ładnych parę lat.
Do domu wrócimy,
w piecu napalimy,
nakarmimy psa.
Przed nocą zdążymy,
tylko zwyciężymy,
a to ważna gra!

never cared enough about anything
to burn down your life and risk everything
never knew enough about someone
to love them so much despite everything

nobody stands out on pleasant row
nobody will shout on pleasant row
nobody goes out on pleasant row
nobody stands out on pleasant row

there’s more than this

Liner Notes:
My guest was my housekeeper Renata. I told her to pick a "sad song having to do with home" (because I misremembered the challenge title as "Pleasant Home") so she chose this song from a movie of the same name "Czterej pancerni i pies" (4 men and a dog). Turns out it's a war movie! Totally relevant (not)! Haha! It's not even in the same key as my song but it's like adjacent.

Translation of Polish lyrics:
"Restless rains
a ruffled orchard,
and we are in this war
a nice couple of years.
We will come back home
we will fire up the furnace,
we will feed the dog.
Before the night we will make it
we will only win
and this is an important game!"

Governing Dynamics - guest vocals Joe 'Covennat' Lamb


I slipped a gear, bloodied my nose
Shots spread out in a pleasant row
I drew in my mind, then skewed the lines
Between lovers and foes


Settle down, I’ve got to settle up
It’s been hours since I called my own bluff
You’re awful tired, liar, I know you like it rough
But fine, I’ll play nice


This hunger aches, kept down below
Arrange this ash in a pleasant row
Limbs start to seize, you whisper soft
The breeze in the weeds where I find myself lost


You should have taken me seriously

I chipped my tooth on your decision
Sidestepped straight into a collision


Attempts were made, mistakes then all
How many rights can I wrong
With just one phone call
You’ve got a lot of heart, you’ve got a lot of gall

J'en perds la tête, te voir enchair.
Te voir ici, J'en perds la tête.
J'en perds la tête, te voir ici.
J'en perds la tête, te voir enchair.
Te voir ici, J'en perds la tête.
J'en perds la tête, te voir enchair.

C'est pas l'heure, C'est pas l'heure, Ne mourier ou de partir.(x3)
C'est pas l'heure, C'est pas l'heure,
C'est pas l'heure, Ne mourier ou de partir,
C'est pas l'heure.

Je te tue - parce que j'taime. (x7)

- parce que j'taime.

Limbs start to seize, you whisper soft
The breeze in the weeds where I find myself lost
Lump in my throat keeps growing bigger
You pull the rug, I pull the trigger
This hunger aches, kept down below
Arrange this ash in a pleasant row

(English translation of the French sections:
I lose my head, to see you in the flesh.
To see you here, I lose my mind.
I lose my head, to see you here.
I lose my head, to see you in the flesh.
To see you here, I lose my head.
I lose my head, to see you in the flesh.


It's not the time, it's not the time, for you to die, or you to leave. (x3)
It's not the time, it's not the time.
It's not the time, for you to die, or you to leave.
It's not the time.)