The Cutting Room Floor
2002
As the salt on your skin
Heals the wounds
Rub it in, rub it in
'Til I see tumbleweeds
Blowing through my head like Toledo, Ohio
Are we blessed
Are we cursed
Are we messed-up or worse
Either or neither nor
We're tumbleweeds
What are we mumbling
What are we mumbling for
What are we tumbling
What are we tumbling toward
Oh take me
I can do it for you babe
Oh take me
One way or another
Are we dead or alive
Driving I-75
Hard to say either way
Tumbleweeds
Blowing through my head like Toledo, Ohio
Pretty eyes pretty lips
Pretty thighs pretty hips
Pretty hip
We will feed tumbleweeds
What are we waiting
What are we waiting for
Oh take me
I can do it for you babe
Oh take me
One way or another
When you have no destination in your head
Any road will take you there
I don't care where
It's not about arriving
Does it even matter one way or another
Rust is just a slow form of fire
In my tail lights
Oh take me
I can do it for you babe
Oh take me
One way or another
One way or another
One way or another
As the salt on your skin
Heals the wounds
Rub it in, rub it in
'Til I see tumbleweeds
Blowing through my head like Toledo, Ohio
i’m so tired in the mornings
i try to go back
i try to remember
the light appearing
without warning
tying up my hands
like i’m good for nothing
if nothing else i can dream
i can dream
i’ll never tell never tell
all i’ve seen
right in front of me
like the ghost of every thing that i could be
for the night sky is an ocean
black distant sea
washing up to my window
all the stray dog night owl junkies
orphans vagabonds
angels who lost their halos
if nothing else i can dream
i can dream
i’ll never tell never tell
all i’ve seen
right in front of me,
like the ghost of every thing that i could be
in the cool and callous grip of reality
words in my head
like misfits after midnight
begging for a light
words left unsaid
they may never see the light of day
and that may be okay
if nothing else i can dream
roll me over the little blue river
church child
roll me over the little blue river
now church child
silence and dumb tongues
it's a different kind of ghetto
carry the weight
(it's heavy)
of a disreputed fellow
roll me over the little blue river
church child
roll me over the little blue river
now church child
every step that you've been taking
is straying a little further south
as for me I am so tired of living (babe)
so hand-to-mouth
roll me over the little blue river
church child
roll me over the little blue river
now church child
hey you wanna steady that cue card
make it a billboard today
everybody's saying they want their money back
ah well baby just roll me away
out of the mouth of them babies
how they can talk
best be saving your pennies
put 'em back for a very long walk
roll me over the little blue river
now church child
roll me
sitting in the rain alone
looking at a place that’s gone
boarded up my memories
but something’s drawn me here again and i
i cannot leave the past alone
hoped that i would never find
all the shit i left behind
now i find the child in me is going to remind me that i
i can’t forget my past for long
so take a look outside yourself
and tell me what you see
i can’t believe
that you won’t see the change in me
give me strength to find the road that’s lost in me
give me time to heal and build myself a dream
give me eyes to see the world surrounding me
give me strength to be only me
i don’t want to hear the things
you say you know all you’ve redeemed
‘cause i can’t change what’s come before
build myself some better dreams
and cast off the fear that holds me here
so take a look outside yourself
and tell me what you see
i can’t believe
that you won’t see the change in me
give me strength to find the road that’s lost in me
give me time to heal and build myself a dream
give me eyes to see the world surrounding me
give me strength to be only me
i radio heaven
i get mixed signals
i move the antenna
i switch the channels
i lie in this bed
my satellite dish
is there room in the universe
for one last wish
(i say)
do you read me
over
you wanna come
over
i guess i never told you
‘bout this life i’m livin’
it’s heaven versus hell
in a split decision
this secret religion is
the best that i’ve found
i radio heaven
when no one’s around
(i say)
do you need me
over
you wanna come
over
this song is grinning
go on and undress it
it’s just the beginning
go on and possess it
you’re no longer a child now
don’t let them molest it
the wound is deep
i’m just trying to confess it
the truth is i bleed you
when these frequencies cut me
i’m a slut with a mission
a singular vision
i radio heaven
i get mixed signals
i move the antenna
i switch the channels
i radio heaven
i get mixed signals
i move the antenna
i switch the channels
i lie in this bed
my satellite dish
is there room in the universe
for one last wish
i can’t see my hands in front of my
face on a night like this
i just look back on my life
and think of all i’ve missed
i grew up south of here in towns
they tore apart for coal
as if to excavate the darkest
secrets of my soul
so it seems
life is just a troubled sea
that we sail for free
don’t let me drown
if the rest of the world’s goin’ down
you’ve got to breathe your breath in me
everybody’s story is more
interesting than mine
it took me twenty-some-odd-years
to see i’d been born blind
so i just feel my way to you
i try to keep you close
i’m never very good at getting
what I need the most
so it seems
life is just a troubled sea
that we sail for free
don’t let me drown
if the rest of the world’s goin’ down
you’ve got to breathe your breath in me
the darkest part of every night
is just before the dawn
the sun begins to rise
when we admit that we were wrong
so here i stumble home to you
to find the words to use
it seems the voices in my head
i seldom get to choose
so it seems
life is just a troubled sea
that we sail for free
don’t let me drown
and your face
I do know well
every breath breathes
farewell
it’s so still
no soul could tell
but one day
like this
the angels fell
and it’s never quite what it seems
and it bleeds
this setting sun
and my arms ache
from holding on
let it go
this dying light
makes it hard to tell
wrong from right
and it’s never quite what it seems
all the shadows of our doubts
and the light that burns too bright
soon burns out
and your face
you do know well
that the race is lost
hold still
‘cause the first
shall be the last
those that burn with thirst
will lift their glass
and it’s never quite what it seems
In the Spring of 2001, we released a record called Films For Radio. The songs on that recording swept us away on our most extensive tours of the USA and Europe, ever. We saw a lot of amazing people and places along the way. We wanted to say thanks.
There is a wonderful scene toward the end of a film called Cinema Paridiso in which the protagonist sits and watches a reel of love scenes that were cut from the movies shown in his Italian village on Saturdays when he was a boy. We took a little time to splice together some lost scenes of our own.
Some of the songs collected here have already appeared on overtherhine.com as monthly musical postcards, MP-3’s. Stop by sometime if you haven’t already. We like to think of the original demos included here as a sort of musical director’s commentary. And there are a few mementos of the tours: Karin eventually began performing Give Me Strength at the piano and chose Neil Young’s Helpless to close our December concerts last year. We were honored to be joined by Buddy and Julie, and Erin and Kim for this performance.
So sit back, turn up the volume, close your eyes and enjoy. This collection is not available in stores. It was made for our closest and best supporters which, if you’ve read this far, probably includes you.
- Over the Rhine
As the band brought Films For Radio in for a landing, Linford and Karin felt that something was missing at the 11th hour and did some more writing. Karin’s song When I Go arrived on the scene during this time and became the final track of Films For Radio.
Songs such as Green-Clouded Swallowtail and I Let It Go also arrived and found their way onto many a setlist.
9-11 happened and Karin began singing Neil Young’s Helpless – part requiem, part psalm, part cry for help. Her version found its way onto the BBC and received fairly significant airplay abroad.
The Cutting Room Floor became a sort of Films For Radio Special Features disc and contained deleted scenes, the musical equivalent of director’s commentary and assorted out-takes from this important Over the Rhine chapter.
Hope you enjoy it.