Tom Stahl - I wanna be Ignorant Song List
About Tom Stahl Songlist Order CD Live Gigs


Listen to various tracks on CDBaby.com:
CD #3 Hang On
CD #4 - Shut Up and Smell the Coffee
CD #5 - Nothing

Listen to CD #1 (I wanna be ignorant) below:
i wanna be ignorant
@ Copyright Tom Stahl 1995 
s o m e t h i n g  i n  t h e  a i r
l i v i n g  t o o  l o n g (soundbite)
w h a t  d o  y a  t h i n k  t h a t  m e a n s? (soundbite) 
c l a i r e' s  w e d d i n g (soundbite)
i  w a n n a  b e  i g n o r a n t (soundbite)
l o u i e
i' v e  s e e n  y o u  s o m e w h e r e
j u s t  a s  i  t h o u g h t
n.o.w  l o o k  w h a t  y o u' v e  d o n e
b a r b a r a  a n n
s t i c k s  a n d  s t o n e s
i' l l  t a k e  m y  t i m e
y o u  d o n ' t  k n o w  m e
i' m  c o n t e n t
l o v e  i s  a  c r a z y  g a m e
b a n g , b a n g  s h o o t  'e m  u p
n o t h i n g
d a d 's  s o n g

SOMETHING IN THE AIR
there must be something in the air, there must be something that they're breathing, for what could make a soul not care and stop another heart believing. i see it happening all around, they're living separate lives together. they're unaware of what's going down, they just thought love would last forever. don't give up on love, don't you stop believing. don't give up on love cause it's the only thing in life worth fighting for. don't you give up on love. there must be something in the air there must be something that they're breathing for what could make a soul not care and stop another heart believing. what started off just like a dream, just like a dream began to shatter. they've taken all that they can give and given up on all that matters.
LIVING TO LONG (172K wav)
i remember my youth when you worked in a garden, now your bones are all brittle and your arteries are hardened. your bank accounts full an your mind's still intact. they'll take you from here don't worry relax. your husband's been buried for such a long time and your friends that remain are all feeble of mind. i'll come every day just to make sure your fine. don't worry about me dear i'll find the time. when death is a blessing you're living too long. there's no use assessing what's right or what's wrong, so stop complaining we've all heard that song. you've been found guilty of living too long. you've been found guilty of living too long. you've outlived three children that's part of your crime. i don't mean to be cruel but you must do the time. i told you i promised i'd see you this weekend, i told you, i promised i'd speak to you then. when death is a blessing you're living too long. there's no use assessing what's right or what's wrong, so stop complaining we've all heard that song. you've been found guilty of living too long. you've been found guilty of living too long. if you came from the east you'd be some kind of hero, but the longer you're here, you're worth closer to zero, i told you, i promised i'd see you this weekend, i told you, i promised i'd speak to you then, i know what i said and I know it's not right but your practically dead and i still have a life.
WHAT DO YA THINK THAT MEANS? (150K wav)
i know a man who walked on water i know a man who tripped on land. i've seen cattle led to slaughter. let me take you by the hand. whatdya think that means? whatdya think that means? whatdya think that means? i don't know. i know a man as fat as buddha. i know a man as thin as nails. i know a man who said he coulda, shoulda woulda never fails. whatdya think that means? whatdya think that means? whatdya think that means? i don't know. do you believe everything you read? or are you one of those that has to see it? what if i told you it was make believe? Are you distraught or do you feel relieved? i know a man who prayed to elvis. i know a man who swore to god. i know a man who went to hell with all them other silly sods. whatdya think that means? whatdya think that means? whatdya think that means? i don't know. i don't know. i don't know.
CLAIRE'S WEDDING (236K wav)
well you made it through your umteenth shower and rob has survived his blast, which brings us to your wedding hour, the time just went by so fast. well i'm sure you've been lectured on what marriage means and you don't need to hear more advice, but allow me this moment to share with you now just a few more words to the wise. when you say i do, you must. And when you think you can't you trust in each other and hold on tight. you'll turn mountains to molehills and take away cold chills and a new dawn will follow each night. when the mass it has ended we'll party in peace and we'll all raise a glass to you two. and we'll wish you god speed with your new unity and hope that your troubles are few. well your sweet honeymoon , it may set in the west and it might seem it won't rise too soon. just remember this day and the vows that you've made and your love will take care of the rest. cause when you say i do, you must. and when you think you can't you trust in each other and hold on tight. you'll turn mountains to mole hills and take away cold chills and a new dawn will follow each night.
I WANNA BE IGNORANT (205K wav)
my whole world fit in three city blocks. time stood still, there was no need for clocks. mom was always in the kitchen, dad was hard at work or fixen' somethin'. i wish that i could go back there again. up and down and around we'd go. where we'd end up no one could know. days that used to last forever turned to years that never passed again. i wish that i could go back there again. i want to go back again, when kids believed in superman, and aids was just a diet plan, oh life was so much simpler then. i wanna be ignorant. i wanna love my government. i wanna know what jesus meant when he said love your fellow man. i wanna be ignorant. i know less than i did before. gone are the days when i thought i knew the score. truth i used to take for granted turned to views so antiquated somehow. i wish that i could know the truth again. i want to go back again, when kids believed in superman, and aids was just a diet plan, oh life was so much simpler then. i wanna be ignorant. i wanna love my government. i wanna live in bliss again. i wanna know everything. i wanna be ignorant. my whole world fit in three city blocks. time stood still.
LOUIE
i just met a girl named louie. i admit at first she threw me. i've not often been a smart man, always leading from the heart man. then one day i spoke with louie. i discovered she was truly something quite extraordinary. i was so amazed. i said louie such an odd name for such a pretty girl. please don't take that wrong i wouldn't change it for the world. but tell me where did you come from and how did you get here. when i'm with you girl i have no fear. i had been waiting so long. i knew that one day you'd come along. i have been waiting so long for you lou. i just met a girl named louie, i know she's a wee bit screwy. that's the reason that i love her there is no one else above her. then one day i spoke with louie, i discovered i was truly something quite extraordinary, she made me that way. i said louie's such an odd name for such a pretty girl. please don't take that wrong i wouldn't change it for the world. but tell me where did you come from and how did you get here. when i'm with you girl i have no fear. i had been waiting so long. i know one day you'd come along. i had been waiting so long for you lou. i just me a girl named louie.
I'VE SEEN YOU SOMEWHERE
well i know eyes can play tricks of all kinds on broken hearts. but sometimes hearts find they've got a brand new start. `cause i know, i've seen you somewhere but i don't where or when. but one day, i may and we'll be that somewhere again. hearts don't ask why, eyes sometimes lie, but one day you'll find when heart meets the mind. you'll have a brand new start.
JUST AS I THOUGHT
something happened to the american dream while the citizens slept, the lawyers they schemed. my criminal attorney said everything's right, take anything, anything at any price, at any price, at any price. oh justice is just as i thought a commodity. just as the justice i sought was so odd to me. just as the justice they bought was so out of my reach, so out of my reach. my friend the attorney was shocked when i learned he had sent his own mother to jail. when faced with decisions, he sidesteps collisions. the truth takes a back seat, integrity bails, integrity bails, integrity bails. oh justice is just as i thought a commodity, just as the justice i sought was so odd to me, just as the justice they bought was so out of my reach, so out of my reach. something's wrong with the american way when hard work is punished and crime always pays. that sweet lady justice is thumbing her scales. her blindfold unraveled, her name is for sale, her name is for sale, her name is for sale. oh justice is just what i thought a commodity, just as the justice i sought was so odd to me. just as the justice they bought was so out of my reach, so out of my reach.
N.O.W LOOK YOU'VE DONE
you burned your bras and showed your breasts, well i for one was real impressed. i've always been a fan of lady dumb. you started off like some bad joke, you've come a long way have a smoke. i'm wondering if you haven't gone too far. now look what you've done, now look what you've got, you fought for the right to pick and choose, you're such a noble lot. you planted a seed, it grew like a weed, you fought for the right to work with men, all's you got was the need. now look what you've done, now look what you've got. the best laid plans of fish and worms, they go astray when sharks come in. i'm wonderin' what it is you lost to win. well equal work for equal pay, it's only right that's fair to say, but is it really worth the price you pay. now look what you've done, now look what you've got, you fought for the right to pick and choose, you're such a noble lot. you planted the seed. it grew like a weed. you fought for the right to work with men, all's you got was the need. now look what you've done. now look what you've got. a valiant war i realized, but now it's time to analyze exactly what it is you're fighting for. now look what you done. now look what you've got. you fought for the right to pick and choose. you're such a noble lot. you planted a seed. it grew like a weed. you wanted the right to work with men, all's you got was the need. who's watching the kids? now look what they did.
BARBARA ANN
i seen your picture on my grandma's wall. it brought back memories that i thought were long since gone. but i remember you barbara ann. you were the apple of your daddy's eye. your momma's favorite that would not be denied. when i think back i cry. a natural beauty with an angel's smile. you lived your life with such a regal grace & style, suffering all the while. my momma told us if we all would pray that you'd get better and you'd come back home to stay. oh how we prayed for you barbara ann. everyone pray for barbara ann, somebody say that she'll get better, everyone pray oh please lord protect her don't let her. you just got sicker with each passing day. it didn't matter how long or how hard we prayed. helpless, we watched as you slipped away. my momma told us that we still should pray the lord to bless you and take away all you pain. oh how we prayed for you barbara ann. everyone pray for barbara ann. everyone pray the lord to take her. everyone pray the lord to lord to take her, everyone pray oh please don't forsake her, just take her. I'd seen your picture on my grandma's wall. it brought back memories that i thought were long since gone, but i remember you barbara ann.
STICKS & STONES
they call him stupid but he's not that dumb. he's made mistakes but then we've all made some. you hear it long enough and you believe. soon it's just a self-fulfilling prophecy. they say he's ugly he looks fine to me. there's nothing ugly in an eye that sees. you won't find beauty in a looking glass. i tell you brother this too shall pass. well sticks & stones can break your bones, but bones are quick to heal. words tear through the heart of you leaving scars you always feel. you're such a liar why should i believe, a single word you've ever said to me. you want the truth well babe i got the book, pull out your websters and take a look. well sticks & stones can break your bones, but bones are quick to heal. words tear through the heart of you leaving scars you always feel. you're such a baby all you do is cry. it's not your fault you stupid ugly liar. you hear it long enough and you believe. soon it's just a self-fulfilling prophecy. yeah sticks & stones can break your bones, but bones are quick to heal. words tear through the heart of you leaving scars you always feel.
I'LL TAKE MY TIME
maybe i should be the leader of some far off land, speak a language only i can understand. would i be that different from the way i am. what if i became a doctor and learned to take the pulse of every man who had the means but no results. i've got hours for thoughts like this but nothing else. you can take my time it's bought and paid for. i'll keep my mind it's not for sale. i'll do my time inside you prison till comes the day when i post bail. maybe i should be the driver of some big gray truck. looking down on folks with no such luck. i could think of worse ways a man could make a buck. what if i became of lawyer and learned to speak the truth to every man who served the pudding without the proof. i had dreams like this when i had youth. you can take my time it's bought and paid for. i'll keep my mind it's not for sale. i'll do my time inside your prison till comes the day when i post bail. maybe i should be the leader of some rocking band, singing songs that only i can understand. would i be that different from the way i am. well i'll take my time now you can't have it. i've drawn the line inside this cell. i'll free my mind and all it's habits and you my friend can go to hell.
YOU DON'T KNOW ME
you say black is black, but i say black is white. you say day is day but i say not at night. you know everything, but i know wrong from right, in your mind but not your sight. you say where you've been when you know i've been here. you say we don't talk but i say you don't hear. if i spelled it out would that help make things clearer. don't you think that i won't dare. don't you owe me? don't you control me? you just don't know me anymore. there's a memory i've hung upon the wall. there's a number nearby i refused to call. sure i think of you but you don't think at all. don't run back till you can crawl. don't you owe me? don't you control me? you just don't know me anymore.
I'M CONTENT
well i'm not too tired. or too uninspired. i'm not demented, you might resent it. i'm content. and i'm not too rich, but you'll never hear me bitch. ain't got no Lincoln, i've just been thinkin', i'm content. well it's time i'm not in love, but babe i'm not above it. and it's true that i'm not glad, but i'll be damned if i feel sad. well i may get blue, when i think of you. i might get lonely, but still i'm only just content. now i may get bored and sometimes be ignored. i still don't drink much, i don't need that crutch i'm content. well you may get sick see i have no bone to pick. why not admit, you just don't get it. i'm content.
LOVE IS A CRAZY GAME
physically i see that it is over, logically i knew it's all been said. but i remember when i was your lover and i just can't keep those memories from my head. long ago we tied our hearts together. a love so strong we thought it'd never end. but here i am alone you're with another and this broken heart is on the mend again. well love is a crazy game it seems the rules keep rearranging and in the end it's all the same it seems you never win. yeah love is a crazy game, i can't keep up with all it's changes. in the end it's all the same it seems you never win. now and then i get an urge to call you. just to say hello and say i'm doing fine. but pride stops me from dialing your number and i guess that call will never make the line. well love is a crazy game it seems the rules keep rearranging. and in the end it's all the same it seems you never win. yeah love is a crazy game i can't keep up with all it's changes. in the end it's all the same, it seems you never win.
BANG BANG SHOOT `EM UP
here's you gun. where's your daddy. don't you think it's kinda sad he never stuck around to see the kind of man that you've become. you got one hand on a rattle and you other hand's upon a gun. go to school, bring your ammo. if there's not enough to go around they'll send you home until you've got enough for every gun. you're a big man in the saddle but without a horse you're still no one. well bang, bang, shootem' up somebody's dies, everybody look around and ask yourselves why. momma did the best she could to raise her young son but without a father figure he's just another son of a gun. little boy, where's you teachers? is it really up to them to try and reach you once you pass through their gate? that don't equate. if you don't get it at home then by the time they getcha it's too late. well bang, bang, shoot em up, somebody dies, everybody look around and ask yourselves why. mamma did the best she could to raise her young son, but without a father, i figure he's just another son of a gun, son of a gun. here's your gun. where's your daddy? don't it make you kinda mad he never stuck around to see the kinda man that you've become. you look real big in the saddle, but without a horse you're still a no one.
NOTHING
nothing's like waking up with no place to go. nothing's like going to sleep with no one to owe. but something always gets in the way. no one or nothing with something to say. so i'll sit and i'll wait, wait for the day. for nothing to come my way. all i want is nothing, nothin's all i need. all i want is nothing. but nothin's not for free. nothin's like stayin' in seeing what's on t.v. nothin's like going out nowhere to be seen. but time keeps slipping away. no time no nothin when something's at play. so i'll sit and i'll wait, wait for the day for nothing to come my way. all i want is nothing. but nothin's not for free. nothin's like singin songs, no one else can sing. nothin's like flying a kite without a string. but something always gets in the way. no one or nothing with somethin' to say. so i'll sit and i'll wait, wait for the day, for nothing to come my way. all i want is nothing, nothin's not a lot, and i won't stop at nothing, till nothing's what i got.
DAD'S SONG
never be nobody's fool, and always follow the golden rule. the things they just don't teach in school are things i learned from you. at dinnertime don't you be late, and always eat what's on your plate. there's always some less fortunate who'd love to fill your shoes. oh why must i be in by eight? the other kids they stay out late. oh my how you'd pontificate, today it makes me laugh. back then i couldn't comprehend and often we seemed less than friends but time it seems to make amends, today i walk your path. men do what men must do and boys don't understand. till the one day when that little boy has grown into a man. and every time i pass a mirror i can't believe i see, half the man i used to fear is looking back at me. i know now what you did, i know now why you did it. i'm sure you had some dreams, though you'd never admit it. well stoics' a word that comes to mind. heroics' not too far behind. your sacrifice the selfless kind just makes me shake my head. men do what men do and boys don't understand. till the one day when that little boy has grown into a man. and every time i pass a mirror i pray to god i see half the man i used to fear looking at back at me.