Failure - Magnified (1994)

A major step up from Comfort, that's for sure, and my favorite album of all time. The bass absolutely quakes, the guitars are drowned in flanger and shriek, and the songs are darker and just plain better. At their heaviest, they approach metal.

"Let it Drip"

Breathe your death down
'Cause you will not see
Let it drip down
Let it soak your feet

Breathe your death down
'Cause you will not see
Let it drip down
Let it soak your feet

Yesterday, I watched her breakdown
Split in two, she's quite appealing
Subtle ways I could have hurt her
Rack my brain when I am sleeping

Breathe your death down
'Cause you will not see
Let it drip down
Let it soak your feet

Breathe your death down
'Cause you will not see
Let it drip down
Let it soak your feet

Breathe your death down
'Cause you will not see
Let it drip down
Let it soak your feet

Breathe your death down
'Cause you will not see
Let it drip down
Let it soak your feet

"Moth"

Sometimes, pear-shaped women melt down
Onto concrete
Splashing sun and sidewalk insects
Down by these feet

Sometimes, puddles terrify me
As they gaze up
Scrap of paper floating, crumpled
I can't pick up
Goodbye

No one's ever gonna find out
From this shut mouth
Just be sure to keep these eyes closed
They can read those

Sometimes, people use their sound holes
Pointed at me
Rusty winds groaning down alleys
Blow right past me

Sometimes, pipes creaking inside here
Know me too well
Flesh and steel I had carved up
For a farewell
Too late

No one's ever gonna find out
From this shut mouth
Just be sure to keep these eyes closed
They can read those

I'll never
Wish for it
But now, it grows inside
Just like a moth

No one's ever gonna find out
From this shut mouth
Just be sure to keep these eyes closed
They can read those

No one's ever gonna find out
From this shut mouth

"Frogs"

Sent away to have my head checked
No more playing in the sand
Frogs are leaping off my brain stem
They don't seem to understand

Roadside blurs against a big bus
Face is slouched against the glass
I am headed for a cleansing
In a room without a bath

Didn't it seem kind of silly?
The way the doctors carried on, so uptight

It's not bad being so distant
I can live inside the gap
Frogs are hopping off my brain stem
So excited to be sane

Didn't it seem kind of silly?
The way the doctors carried on, so
Now that I've become a monster to them
I'll have to keep their fear turned on all night long

I've gone away to have my head checked
I guess I need to have it looked at
I've gone away to have my head checked
I guess I need to have it looked at

I've gone away to have my head checked
I guess I need to have it looked at
I've gone away to have my head checked
I guess I need to have it looked at

I've gone away to have my head checked (so long)
I guess I need to have it looked at (so long)
I've gone away to have my head checked (so long)
I guess I need to have it looked at (so long)

"Bernie"

Blowing fire through the hillside
Pelting wings stuck to quicklime
Smashing nobody's headlights
Nothing tells us we're alive

Bernie's got the way to feel good times
She lives on the way to the park
All we've gotta do is just drop by
We don't have to wait until dark

Screaming tires through the sunshine
Told the cripple he looks blind
Caught the rats in the manhole
Beat them all the way back home

Bernie's got the way to feel good times
She lives on the way to the park
All we've gotta do is just drop by
We don't have to wait until dark

Bernie's got the way to feel good times
She lives on the way to the park
All we've gotta do is just drop by
We don't have to wait until dark

Bernie's got the way to feel good times
She lives on the way to the park
All we've gotta do is just drop by
We don't have to wait until dark

'Til dark
We don't have to wait
We don't have to wait

"Magnified"

I'll show you a trick with ants when
The sun's high in the sky, we can
Burn them up to crispy, black shells
See them crunched by old, slow, slick snails

Light the fuse inside the dead bird
Feather flurries rain on our heads
Empty nest with three small, brown eggs
We'll think of something before the night falls

Don't hurt a fly, they all sang
Don't rape a girl in bright May
Don't kill anyone ever
Lay still and stand this fever

The sun's just
A big glass
We're all ants
I love you

Don't hurt a fly, they all sang
Don't rape a girl in bright May
Don't kill anyone ever
Lay still and stand this fever

The sun's just
A big glass
We're all ants
I love you

"Wonderful Life"

It's not about the boy found slain
It ain't about his lips, blood drained
You should've seen his dreams dissolve
Into the dumpster behind the mall

I'm going down
To the wonderful life
I'm going down
Inside a satellite

I'm going down
On the bullet train
I'm going down
On the perfect dream

It's not about the freeway drone
That score her tired journeys home
Softly licking her to sleep
Her eyes are closed to the brake light streaks

I'm going down
To the wonderful life
I'm going down
Inside a satellite

I'm going down
On the bullet train
I'm going down
On the perfect dream

Sleep in the softest bed
Eat everything you need
Never ask anyone
For anything at all

Why can't I stroke this world to sleep?
Please help me stroke this world to sleep

It's not about his prescription brain
Deprived of pills that keep it sane
He told himself he could go it alone
See him plead with the unplugged phone

Sleep in the softest bed
Eat everything you need
Never ask anyone
For anything at all

That restless old monkey
Prisoned inside of me
Stiff bones that close him in
He waits trapped deep within

I'm going down
To the wonderful life
I'm going down
Inside a satellite

I'm going down
On the SST
I'm going down
On the perfect dream

I'm going down
To the wonderful life
I'm going down
Like a ripped up kite

I'm going down
With broken ribs
I'm going down
To a dirty crib

"Undone"

Someone said they'd like to set you up
They're gonna
Feed on you
Just sleep now

Should've known they'd try and make you cry
They're gonna
Have fun now
Don't fight it

Let me come undone in your house
I need to kill some time tonight
Let me come undone in your mouth
I need to know that you're the same

Could've guessed you were the only one
They wanted
To laugh at
Believe them

No surprise you let it get to you
It was
Always there
Can't hide it

Let me come undone in your house
I need to kill some time tonight
Let me come undone in your mouth
I need to know that you're the same

Your face is easy to hate
Looking helpless and sincere
Curled up in self-sickness
Lick your wounds and dream of home

Someone said they'd like to set you up
They're gonna
Feed on you
Just sleep now

Should've known they'd try and make you cry
They're gonna
Have fun now
Don't fight it

Let me come undone in your house
Let me come undone and kill some time
Let me come undone in your mouth
Let me come undone and feel the same

"Wet Gravity"

She was giddy with remorse
As she skipped river stones
Off slick rapid rushing heads
Babies belched from below

Clenching shame in her stomach
It felt the same as the last time
Cramming fear in her white fists
Hoping this is the last time

She put rocks in her pockets
Knowing wet gravity
Shrunk away from the water's edge
Fell down hard by a tree

She stuffed shame in her pockets
It felt the same as the last time
She crammed fear in her white fists
And hope this is the last time

Brain squeals
Same as the last time
Brain squeals
She hope this is the last time

"Empty Friend"

I came here to be shallow
And to watch you spill out all your dreams
Suck them up like a cool drink
I was never too willing to leave

Some empty friend
Who talked me into sleep
Sweet dreams

And threw my wings
Into the blazing sun

Coughed a castle of crystal
Across the bright yellow kitchen floor
Watched the roaches grow kingly
Served them death by the ivory sink shore

Some empty friend
Who talked me into sleep
Sweet dreams

And threw my wings
Into the blazing sun

Caught up in my thoughts
A beehive swarming
I can't swat you out
Your stories are too sweet

Should've never believed you
Why'd I ever believe you?

Some empty friend
Who talked me into sleep
Sweet dreams

And threw my wings
Into the blazing sun

Some empty friend
Who talked me into sleep
Some empty friend
Who talked me into sleep

And threw my wings
Into the blazing sun
And threw my wings
Into the blazing sun

Some empty friend
Who talked me into sleep

"Small Crimes"

Small crimes
Smiles stretched on old trees
Strike your match so lightly
Watch the crooked smoke rise
Empty prayers to Heaven
Just a mask of blue sky
Look away to

Small crimes
Kick the dog for eating
Leave your old self hungry
Watch in coldest pleasure
Tell the world, "What

Ever
Turns you on is fine with me as long as
Matches don't get wet"

Warm winds
Calling me a coward make me smile
They can't convince me now

Burned prayers
Turn me onto nowhere sick and empty
I don't feel so bad

Ever
Turns around again, says to me softly
"Start the fire now"

Small crimes
Sever used-up old considerations
Freedom's not so great

All fears
Burn up

They said
(Hold on) to the stairway railing
(Meaning) everything is meaning
(Something) makes it hard to keep track
(Hold on) found my tangled forest
(Growing) got my driest summer
(Small crimes) held my match box tightly