Waiting Room

Pope & Brace's poster for the 1988 Fugazi show in Morgantown, West Virginia

Fugazi.  They've been one of the most important bands in our lives.  Not only have we listened to their tapes (and cds and records) for more than 2 decades, they also provided the first really good show we ever saw live.  Fugazi was fronted by Ian MacKaye, possibly the most iconic figure in punk music from our geographical area.  His music, lifestyle, and presence all have a place in our hearts.  We knew we had to cover at least one of their tunes in our upcoming covers album.  After trying to work up a cover of Margin Walker and Give Me the Cure we ended up lovingly recreating Waiting Room instead.  All of the aforementioned songs are featured on Fugazi's amazing album called 13 Songs.  Comprised of the band's first two EPs, its the album we would choose if we could only listen to one album for the rest of our lives.  Even after many hundreds of listens, 13 Songs remains solidly at #1 of our list of all-time best records in history.  Our enduring thanks go out to all of Fugazi's members for their talent and dedication to the scene.  Their music will remain a primary facet of our lives until we die.

Lyrics:

I am a patient boy
I wait, I wait, I wait, I wait
My time is water down a drain

Everybody's moving
Everybody's moving
Everything is moving,
Moving, moving, moving

Please don't leave me to remain
In the waiting room

I don't want the news
(I cannot use it)
I don't want the news
(I won't live by it)

Sitting outside of town
Everybody's always down
(Tell me why)

Because they can't get up
(Ahhh... Come on and get up)
(Come on and get up)

But I won't sit idly by
I'm planning a big surprise
I'm gonna fight
For what I want to be

And I won't make the same mistakes
(Because I know)
Because I know how much time that wastes
(And function)
Function is the key
Inside the waiting room

I don't want the news
(I cannot use it)
I don't want the news
(I won't live by it)

Sitting outside of town
Everybody's always down
(Tell me why)

Because they can't get up
(Ahhh... Come on and get up)
Up from the waiting room

Sitting in the waiting room
(Ahhh...)
Sitting in the waiting room
(Ahhh...)
Sitting in the waiting room
(Ahhh...)
Sitting in the waiting room
(Ahhh...)

(Tell me why)
Because they can't get up

New Slang

Released in 2001 by The Shins, New Slang is one of our top ten favorite songs of all time.  James Mercer wrote the lyrics in an effort to describe his urge to get out of his hometown, job, relationship and life.  The words are presented in a manner that encourages the listener to envelope this sense of angst of one's surroundings.  The melody is timeless.  A song for eternity, this musical gift from The Shins will follow us around forever.

New Slang by The Shins has a rather sordid history with The Efts.
Shannon of The Efts was listening to the original Shins version when he flipped
his pickup truck into an icy creek several winters ago.  As the cab of
the truck filled with slushy ice-cold water, he frantically tried to
get the truck started so he could escape through the power windows.
With a final focused attempt to start the vehicle, the windows opened
and The Shins poignantly reminded him that he could dance like the
king of the eyesores and the rest of our lives would a' fared well.

Lyrics:


Gold teeth and a curse for this town were all in my mouth.
Only, i don't know how they got out, dear.
Turn me back into the pet that i was when we met.
I was happier then with no mind-set.

And if you'd 'a took to me like
A gull takes to the wind.
Well, I'd 'a jumped from my tree
And I'd a danced like the king of the eyesores
And the rest of our lives would 'a fared well.

New slang when you notice the stripes, the dirt in your fries.
Hope it's right when you die, old and bony.
Dawn breaks like a bull through the hall,
Never should have called
But my head's to the wall and I'm lonely.

And if you'd 'a took to me like
A gull takes to the wind.
Well, I'd 'a jumped from my tree
And I'd a danced like the kind of the eyesores
And the rest of our lives would 'a fared well.

God speed all the bakers at dawn may they all cut their thumbs,
And bleed into their buns 'till they melt away.

I'm looking in on the good life i might be doomed never to find.
Without a trust or flaming fields am i too dumb to refine?
And if you'd 'a took to me like
Well I'd a danced like the queen of the eyesores

Strangers

Akai LPK 25 keyboard, Samson Meteor mic, MacBook Pro w/ Logic Pro, random headphones all used in this song

Written by lead guitarist/vocalist Dave Davies for his band The Kinks, Strangers has been a staple of the soundtrack to our lives for years.  This song first appeared in 1970 on The Kinks' album Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, part one.  The lyrics have found a place in many aspects of our lives.  It fits when we play mmorpgs, it fits at work, and it fits within our personal lives.  Some songs have a singular message, but this one seems to encompass a wide spectrum of messages.  We had fun recreating this tune in our own nerdy style, and our thanks go out to the extremely talented Mr Davies for his songwriting expertise.

Lyrics:

Where are you going I don't mind
I've killed my world and I've killed my time
So where do I go what do I see
I see many people coming after me
So where are you going to I don't mind
If I live too long I'm afraid I'll die
So I will follow you wherever you go
If your offered hand is still open to me
Strangers on this road we are on
We are not two we are one
So you've been where I've just come
From the land that brings losers on
So we will share this road we walk
And mind our mouths and beware our talk
'Till peace we find tell you what I'll do
All the things I own I will share with you
If I feel tomorrow like I feel today
We'll take what we want and give the rest away
Strangers on this road we are on
We are not two we are one
Holy man and holy priest
This love of life makes me weak at my knees
And when we get there make your play
'Cos soon I feel you're gonna carry us away
In a promised lie you made us believe
For many men there is so much grief
And my mind is proud but it aches with rage
And if I live too long I'm afraid I'll die
Strangers on this road we are on
We are not two we are one
Strangers on this road we are on
We are not two we are one

Annie's Song

Annie's Song by Jackson Y

Written by John Denver in 1973 as an ode to his wife Annie, this song is another of our favorite tunes of all time.  While most of our fellow West Virginians know Denver's 'Almost Heaven' (a song played during almost every WVU sports event), Annie's Song has had an even greater impact on the souls of The Efts.  After spending an evening at our friends Sara and Kristian's house listening to Mannheim Steamroller and playing boardgames, we were intrigued by the idea of smelting John Denver and Mannheim Steamroller together.  This song is the product of that particular idea.  We hope you enjoy this cover which is our 5th song made for our upcoming covers album.  Our eternal thanks go out to Jackson Y for another superb picture.  We love how he included so many elements of the song in this latest artwork.  Thanks so much Jack!

Lyrics:

You fill up my senses
Like a night in a forest
Like the mountains in springtime
Like a walk in the rain
Like a storm in the desert
Like a sleepy blue ocean
You fill up my senses
Come fill me again

Come let me love you
Let me give my life to you
Let me drown in your laughter
Let me die in your arms
Let me lay down beside you
Let me always be with you
Come let me love you
Come love me again

You fill up my senses
Like a night in a forest
Like the mountains in springtime
Like a walk in the rain
Like a storm in the desert
Like a sleepy blue ocean
You fill up my senses
Come fill me again

Creep

Creep by Wiles Assael

Written by Thom Yorke and performed by Radiohead, Creep is one of our all-time favorite songs.  As known supergeeks, we tend to be awkward and weird in most social situations.  Lyrics such as "I'm a creep, I'm a weirdo.  What am I doing here?  I don't belong here." were a welcome message to us as we awkwardly bumbled our way through many unfortunate social scenarios.  We made this cover with care, and are eternally grateful to Yorke and the rest of Radiohead for their stellar songwriting and performing skills.  We are also extremely thankful for the art accompanying this post.  It was drawn for us by Wiles Assael, a very talented young artist from New York.

Lyrics:

When you were here before
Couldn't look you in the eye
You're just like an angel
Your skin makes me cry
You float like a feather
In a beautiful world
I wish I was special
You're so very special

But I'm a creep
I'm a weirdo
What am I doing here?
I don't belong here

I don't care if it hurts
I want to have control
I want a perfect body
I want a perfect soul
I want you to notice when I'm not around
You're so very special
I wish I was special

But I'm a creep
I'm a weirdo
What am I doing here?
I don't belong here

She's running out the door
She's running out
She runs runs runs

Whatever makes you happy
Whatever you want
You're so very special
I wish I was special

But I'm a creep
I'm a weirdo
What am I doing here?
I don't belong here
I don't belong here

Baba O'Riley

Wasteland by Wiles Assael

Written by Pete Townshend for a never-realized follow-up to The Who's rock opera Tommy, Baba O'Riley is what we consider to be one of the greatest rock-n-roll songs of all time.  The title of the song is derived from a combination of Meher Baba and Terry Riley.  We knew prior to undertaking this project that it would be challenging.  After many hours we discovered just how much of a challenge Baba O'Riley posed.  We now have even more respect for The Who, a band to which we've spent many hours listening.  This version features 9 vocal tracks, 10 synthesizer tracks, and 1 drum track meant to be an homage to the cool percussion found throughout the movie Me, Myself and Irene.  Our thanks go out to the original authors of this marvelous song, and to Wiles Assael for drawing an incredible piece of art for this post.

Lyrics:

Out here in the fields

I fight for my meals.

I get my back into my living.

I don't need to fight

To prove I'm right.

I don't need to be forgiven.

Don't cry.

Don't raise your eye.

It's only teenage wasteland.

Sally take my hand.

Travel south crossland.

Put out the fire

Don't look past my shoulder.

The exodus is here.

The happy ones are near.

Let's get together

Before we get much older.

Teenage wasteland

It's only teenage wasteland

Teenage wasteland

Oh, oh

Teenage wasteland

They're all wasted!

True Colors

True Colors by Jackson Y.

Some songs are fun to hear, some are uplifting or are able to underscore a particular mood.  Some songs can even define a life.  This song is all of the above.  True Colors was written for Cyndi Lauper by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly in the mid-1980s.  Steinberg wrote the song about his mother.  The two approached Anne Murray with the song and she turned it down.  BIG mistake.  Cyndi Lauper added her own flavor to the tune which soon became one of our favorite songs of all time.  Throughout our lives this song has been supportive and calming, a visionary piece of music that we've heard thousands of times.  This post reflects a very Eft-ish cover of a song that has meant a lot to us.  Thanks go out to the original authors of True Colors and to the very talented Jackson for supplying another amazing piece of artwork for us.  

Lyrics:

You with the sad eyes

Don't be discouraged

Oh I realize

Its hard to take courage

In a world full of people

You can lose sight of it all

And the darkness inside you

Can make you feel so small

But I see your true colors

Shining through

I see your true colors

And that's why I love you

So don't be afraid to let them show

Your true colors

True colors are beautiful,

Like a rainbow

Show me a smile then,

Don't be unhappy, can't remember

When I last saw you laughing

If this world makes you crazy

And you've taken all you can bear

You call me up

Because you know I'll be there

And I'll see your true colors

Shining through

I see your true colors

And that's why I love you

So don't be afraid to let them show

Your true colors

True colors are beautiful,

Like a rainbow

If this world makes you crazy

And you've taken all you can bear

You call me up

Because you know I'll be there

And I'll see your true colors

Shining through

I see your true colors

And that's why I love you

So don't be afraid to let them show

Your true colors

True colors

True colors

Shining through

I see your true colors

And that's why I love you

So don't be afraid to let them show

Your true colors

True colors are beautiful,

Like a rainbow

Wednesday Song

Recently we were sent a song called The Wednesday Song by a new band in NY called Creep of Crows.  The band features Dylan on keyboards, Wiles on percussion, and Ash provides the vocals.  After giving the song a listen, we felt compelled to create a cover.  We love the soulful melody and the gentle beat of The Wednesday Song, but it was the words of encouragement from Ash at the tune's beginning that motivated us to immediately respond.  Keep up the GREAT work, Creep of Crows!  Thanks for the inspiration!  Both versions of the song appear above.

Lyrics:

Too deep to go back now
there's only one way out
and that's two days away

Wednesday

There's five steps in this dance
until we break this trance
it's just two days away

Ring of Fire

Camping in Dolly Sods 1994

Listen to the song ---> The Efts - Ring of Fire

YouTube version ---> Ring of Fire - The Efts

I've never tried karaoke. Lolo and I have discussed our options and I decided I'd probably go with the Social Distortion version of Johnny Cash's Ring of Fire for my first karaoke attempt. Subsequent discussions with Dylan and Deanie brought to my attention that maybe doing a cover song would be fun. So here's my attempt at covering the only song to which I can comfortably remember the lyrics (which is the primary reason for this being my main karaoke choice).

Please leave a comment for The Efts about this song.