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Roulette Girl

by Mary Prankster

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1.
What is that you’re sayin,’ my Roulette Girl? What game is that you’re playin,’ my Roulette Girl? And don’tcha think you’re rushin’ it? You’re rushin’ it You’re rushin’ it, you’re rushin’ it Where is the fire, my Roulette Girl? Rollin’ and a-rockin,’ my Roulette Girl Loadin’ and a-lockin,’ my Roulette Girl And don’tcha think you’re rushin’ it? You’re rushin’ it You’re rushin’ it, you’re rushin’ it Where is the fire, my Roulette Girl? Are ya gonna go out with a bang?
2.
Darlin,’ take the duck tape from the shelf Save me from my foolish drunken self Character assassinations From my spirits and libations It’s just the bottle talking now As the intoxication flows My sweet inebriation grows When martinis pass my lips All my quips get razor tips It’s just the bottle talking now And I take another swallow Could it be my leg is hollow? Shot, with a beer to follow My charm is cashed – I must be trashed Darin,’ take this cocktail from my sight Take my keys and make me spend the night Won’t live down the things I say If I live to see another day It’s just the bottle talking now
3.
He said “Mary is the rarest gem And she’s the wildest flower I’ll make my Mary merrier With every passing hour.” So I made a certain sacrifice As soon as we were through I said, “your Mary loves you, lad.” And he said, “Mary who?” You don’t know if an apple’s rotten ‘Til you take a bite You don’t know if there’s breakfast coming ‘Til you spend the night And I’m sure I’ll kiss my share of frogs Before my time is done The world is full of bastards And I’ve dated every one Oh the lad was oh so generous Much more than you would think He didn’t have a license But he still drove me to drink And I had no insecurities So he gave me some of his But I didn’t need his sorrow, man I’m Irish as it is You don’t know if an apple’s rotten ‘Til you take a bite You don’t know if there’s breakfast coming ‘Til you spend the night And I’m sure I’ll kiss my share of frogs Before my time is done The world is full of bastards And I’ve dated every one You don’t know if the beer is bitter ‘Til you buy a glass You don’t know if your peace of mind Is just a piece of ass And I’m sure I’ll kiss my share of frogs Before my time is done The world is full of bastards And I’ve dated every one The world is full of bastards And I’ve dated every one
4.
Swan Dive 02:47
These triumphs and successes Just lead to bigger messes Once blessed and bound for glory But that’s another story All your dreams will fall apart Your fondest wishes too And the fears you thought you conquered Will be right here when they do Whispers of a history You’d left for dead and gone Like the little bird who told me That you ain’t no fuckin’ swan Self-taught and referential Drunk on your own potential That cruel and patient chuckling Is just your inner duckling Eager to expose you For the hero that you’re not And remind you in its lullabies Of failures you’d forgot Whispers of a history You’d left for dead and gone Like the little bird who told me That you ain’t no fuckin’ swan If you were really clever You’d make it live forever Pray god that when the drought hits You get to keep the outfits All your dreams will fall apart Your fondest wishes too And the fears you thought you conquered Will be right here when they do Whispers of a history You’d left for dead and gone Like the little bird who told me That you ain’t no fuckin’ swan
5.
I wanna walk around and kick the tires of your mind Trace the laces to the places and embrace them as they subtly unwind Sid my Vicious you’re delicious Stars and garters – do my dishes Pass me the bottle and I’ll coddle the floor model of your mind I wanna take a trip to your cerebral petting zoo I know there ain’t no cages just the pages of the ages that is you I can’t recant you’re too enchanting Raise my rent and rave my ranting I’ll creep behind the keeper as he sleeps beside the zebras of your mind I wanna tie one on in the nightclub of your mind Travel down underground and buy a round for any clown that I can find Truth be told you’re good as gold Hot patootie – bless my soul I’ll order up a porter and a quarter for the jukebox of your mind
6.
Mata Hari 01:59
Once upon a time there was a cotton candy slut Who would’ve been a beauty if she kept her mouth shut Polyester princess getting’ pretty plenty play Tore up from the floor up, man and this is what she’d say “I’m so sexy, I’m so sorry – bargain basement Mata Hari My proportions epidemic – just a bimbo with a gimmick.” Has a man she keeps on hand for when she needs a fix Every time he kisses her he tastes like other chicks That’s all fine, ‘cause she don’t mind it if he isn’t true Plenty more where he came from and they all want her too She’s so super, she’s so swell – cut-throat, cut-rate jezebel No one’s drone nobody’s fool – grows her own and owns her cool Boys’ll come and boys’ll go – it doesn’t bother her Last names are a mystery and first names are a blur Maybe when she’s done with sin she’ll settle down at last Says “why they call it ‘sloe gin’ when it works so damned fast?” She’s a starling she’s a swan – discount whore of Babylon Tear your heart out by the roots – Magdalene in go-go boots Holy Mary pray for us Holy Mary pray for us Mata Hari pray for us Mata Hari pray for us
7.
Baby you’re a poseur Honey I should know You ask me where the shows are But then you never go Poseur Purgatory Awaits you at the end But that’s not my story I’ll tell you why my friend Got my Marten’s on with steely toes Spike my hair and pierce my nose I’m goin’ up to Punk Rock Heaven Hippy Hell awaits you, Jack Unless you take that tie-dye off your back And jump the track to Punk Rock Heaven The smack up there is pearly white There’s always time to pick a fight The leather pants are nice and tight The Pistols play there every night Got my guitar and my drum Hey Johnny Thunders, here I come Coming up to Punk Rock Heaven The smack up there is white as snow Pack my bags, man – here I go Maybe in an hour or so I’ll catch a G.G. Allin show Hey every junkie, punk and freak If Manic Panic makes you weak Then follow me and catch that train Pleased to meet you, Kurt Cobain I need a mohawked, tattooed, flannel-clad Combat-booted lovely lad To take me up to Punk Rock Heaven
8.
Tempest 02:08
My manner is imperious, my logic is empirical And I’m bad at being a girlfriend so I’m hoping for a miracle I fear your disappointment when I don’t turn out ethereal Though either way for me I know it means some new material Now don’t go thinking that you’re special just because you are ‘Cause I’m bound to overthink it and I always go too far But if you think this kind of tempest may just be your cup of tea Then I’d like to offer you the heart of me Each attempt to clarify serves only to confuse And it feels just like a fracture but it looks more like a bruise And my heart can’t bear the weight of one more empty “I love you” And I’ve strained my eyes to blindness trying to find a point of view Now don’t go thinking that I’m crazy just because I am ‘Cause I wouldn’t act indifferent if I didn’t give a damn And if you think this kind of tempest may just be your cup of tea Then I’d like to offer you the heart of me Now don’t go thinking that I love you just because I do ‘Cause I’ve never met a certainly I couldn’t misconstrue And if you think this kind of tempest may just be your cup of tea Then I’d like to offer you the heart of me
9.
Says, “Baby, I’m all sorts of sorry’ Says, “Babe, you know I’m all kinds of sad” says, “Maybe it was fun while it lasted” I say, “Baby, I just wish that it had” Stands before me and his arms are folded Teeth clenched in a too-perfect face Turns to leave, an anonymous other Steps in line to take his foolish place Each lover’s conversation “I love you, no I love you more” A perfect imitation Of the one who came before Every lover tells a different story Every story always ends the same Every lover spins the same kind of sugar Only thing that changes is his name Every dream and childhood recollection Whispered to me in exactly the same way Don’t ask me where it hurts now I swear to god I couldn’t say That which doesn’t kill me strengthens me Repeated end to endlessly If I’ve so goddamned strong now How come I feel so lonely? He says lots of lovely fill-in-the-blank He so stresses that he’s not like other men I sit back, he stands up And the cycle circles ‘round again One follows right behind the other Line forms to the right and single-file Another breakup, another lover I haven’t felt this old in a while Each loving lie is spoken How we mean it at the time Identical hearts are broken Another goes to the back of the line “I love you, I love you, I love you” “No, I love you more” Each sentiment, each resident Just the same as the one who came before, yeah Tell me again until I feel something Tell me again until I feel something Tell me again until I feel something Tell me again until I feel something, yeah ‘Cause I feel nothing now
10.
New Tricks 02:52
I went to years of public schools, those education tractor pulls It gave me a diploma and a scar “I want to be a star!” I cried. They said, “You’re overqualified. Why don’t you learn to tune your damned guitar?” I fucked a bunch of stupid men, went back and fucked ‘em all again Was never much for romance anyhow Pressing Sunday comic art onto my silly putty heart It doesn’t break, just bends a little now I was gonna change the world through music, I was gonna fall in love I was gonna live the good life I’d been hearing so much of I was gonna be a rock star, baby - I was gonna have some fun I sure miss twenty-one Every friend a starving artist, argue over who’s the smartest Every contest ending in a draw Masquerade as petty thugs and do some psychedelic drugs Nipping at the ankles of the law We were gonna start a revolution, we were gonna make the scene We were gonna marry movie stars and storm the silver screen We were gonna write important novels, we were gonna start a band It hasn’t gone as planned Spent more years than I remember in a club where every member Never feels as if he quite belongs Searching for my pleasure in some brand-new kind of deadly sin My life is just as aimless as my songs I’m gonna make it back to college, I’m gonna quit my job I’m gonna buy the store that I’d been planning just to rob I’m gonna teach this old dog new tricks, drinking from the brimming cup As soon as I wake up

about

Deadpan Diva leads scrappy punk army through Rock, Gospel, Ragtime and Country

credits

released January 1, 1999

Produced by Rennie Grant and Mary Prankster
Engineer and Assistant Producer Steve Wright
Mixed by Steve Wright, Rennie Grant and Mary Prankster
Additional Vocal Production by Wenona R. Daniel
Recorded at Wright Way Studios, Baltimore, Maryland
Mastered by Bill Wolf at Wolf Productions Inc., Falls Church, Virginia

Mary Prankster - Vocals, Guitar
Jon E. Cakes - Bass Guitar
Phil Tang - Drums

Additional Instrumentation:
Rennie Grant: lead guitar, additional rhythm guitars, Takes His Place arrangement
Jimmi Sexton: guitar solo on Roulette Girl
Jon E. Cakes: acoustic guitar on New Tricks
Allyson Daniel: gospel arrangement and vocals
Marcella Daniel: gospel vocals
Wenona R. Daniel: gospel vocals
Ursula Encarnacion: string arrangement and cello
Raili Haimila: viola
Jenny Takamatsu: violin
Larry "The Horn" Williams: french horn
Elisa Koehler: horn arrangement and trumpet
Matt Belzer: clarinet
Marigan H. O'Malley: spoken word on Mata Hari

Rennie Grant appears courtesy of Colouring Lesson
Jimmi Sexton appears courtesy of Stereolife
Larry Williams and Elisa Koehler appear courtesy of The Lyric Brass Quintet
Matt Belzer appears courtesy of Big Soap

Cover Photo by John Kingston
Band Photo by John Johnston
Roulette Chip Photo by Wenona R. Daniel
Sleeve concept by Black Jesus, MC Xtra Cheez & The Flesh Plince
Sleeve design and layout by Phil Tang

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Mary Prankster

Lyrically merciless, genre-promiscuous Charm City cult hero with a fanbase of thinking men's men and fierce, god-like women. Sign up for the mailing list at maryprankster.com for info on new tunes and more...

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