The Honesty Room

Words and music by Dar Williams

Once upon a time there was a nuclear family,
And we lived in a family time,
And we'd unite in a family way.
And off the ancient mountain,
They were splitting every nucleus.
They said 'don't be alarmed,
Just don't try this at home.'
And they were the mystery that made the world run
And we had the power, 'cause they were the sun
And we called them our heroes, and the future had come.
They said,'look at the light we're giving you,
And the darkness we're saving you from.'

Soon they were bringing it into our showroom,
And they'd unveil it with it's title,
Bring your family, bring your family,
It's the Great Unknown.
You can look, but you can't fathom,
It's the Great Unknown.

I'm no ordinary princess, I was born in the cold war,
And my team is the Rockets.
Go team, it's a dangerous time.
And I dream of the moon and building lunar clone colonies.
And I build my peace with strength, that's the best weapon you've
got.
Oh, I am the brainchild, I am the mortar,
With a plastic trophy and an eating disorder,
And vision as big as a great big wall,
And they tell me that I'll move forward for the good of us all,
And the good of nuclear families all.

And they think I think I am important.
I know I never was, no I wasn't.
No I never, and how could I be?
It's the Great Unknown.
Now we've built it, now it's ticking,
It's the Great Unknown.

And I am your children, I am millions.
And I wanted to sell out, I wanted to try,
But you know the sky got too low, and the ocean got too high.
And I tried to take God into my own hands.
Am I too late? Is it over?
Have I sacrificed my family to the Great Unknown?
There's a war between my conscience and the Great Unknown.

So I walked out into the Gamma fields
Out in Mercury, Nevada.
Where I stood in circle and that circle started to pray.
And the wind at the nuclear test sights floats the data at the radiation.
From the underground testing,
Cross the line, you'll get arrested.
And we came from all over in a silent appeal
As the drill comes down like a presidential seal.
And we stand for the living, and we stand for the dead,
And we looked out to see your enemies,
And we see that you're looking all at us instead.

And you think I am being disruptive?
But no I'm running home, I'm running,
'Cause I'm trying to put the atom back together.
It's the Great Unknown.
I'm just trying to put the atom back together.
It's the Great Unknown.

Words and music by Dar Williams

Ron and Nancy got the house but Sid and Nancy rule
I died 8 years ago I'm still a legend at my high school
I stole a Chevy and I wrapped it round a tree
But that's OK cause no one's gonna make the next century
I'm up in heaven now they say I'm here to stay
Where the clouds are really puffy and the angels sing every day
Alleluia Alleluia Alleluia, Wo-oh . . .

The cafeteria's got everything it's gonna drive me mad
Cause it looks just like a big Hawaiian party that my mother had
It's like the worst Elvis film I've ever seen
Technicolor luau all on technicolor green
There's camping trips and donkey rides and singing round the fire
And they signed me up for surfing
But they can't get me in the choir
Alleluia Alleluia Alleluia, Wo-oh . . .

But there she was this morning getting fitted for her wings
Leather boots magenta hair and saying nasty things
I'd say she was an angel but it's stupid and it's obvious
I said you'll hate it here cause we're the only ones like us
It's crypto-fascist mania it's silicon deliria
Yeah, she said, you're right, but I like the cafeteria
. . . . . . . . . . . .

Hey God we're the bad kids we're so nasty mean and vile
God looks like a guidance counselor God's got that smile
God says, how could this be, that's really odd
I guess I'll have to check my records, silly me, you know, I'm only
God . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The waves are perfect and the sun will always shine
But there's got to be more to death than surfing all the time
I know the signs of self-destruction so I try to stop each new kid
Don't be like me, forever young, forever stupid
Yeah, I found love here but I'll bet you'll find it there
Where they don't always make the same joke
Gee you make a heavenly pair
Alleluia Alleluia Alleluia Alleluia
Alleluia Alleluia Alleluia Alleluia
Alleluia Alleluia Alleluia
Alleluia

Words and music by dar williams

Have i got everything? am i ready to go?
Is it going to be wild, is it gonna be the best time?
Or am i just a-saying so-o-o-o? am i ready to go?
What do i hear when i say i hear the call of the road?

I think it started with driving, more speed, more deals, more
Sky, more wheels
More things to leave behind, now it's all in a day for the
Modern mind
And i am traveling again
Calling this a ghost town, and where is the heartland?
And i'm afraid, oh, was there any good reason, that i had to go
When all i know is i can never come back.

Traveling i made a friend, he had a trouble in his head
And all he could say's that he knew that the bottle
Drank the woman from his bed, from his bed
He said "i'm not gonna lose that way again."
But sober is just like driving, more joy, more dread, someone
Turns her head
And smiles and disappears
He's gotta take it like it is, and it goes too fast
And he is just like me, caught in-between, no sage advisor
Does weary mean wiser?
And someday will i sing the mountains that carried me away away
From home and hometown boys like you?

Yeah, but what about us? was it really that bad?
Oh it's hard to believe i want a highway roadstop
More than all the times we had, on little dirt roads
What am i reaching for that's better than a hand to hold?
It really was about driving, not fame, not wealth,
Not driving away from myself
It's just myself drove away from me
And now i gotta get it back and it goes so fast, so i am traveling
Again
Sitting at the all-nite, picking up a pen
And i'm afraid, oh, was there any good reason
That i had to go, when all i know is i am all alone again
And you are the ghost town, and i am the heartland
And i can say, oh, that's a very good reason
That i had to go, but now all i know is i can never come back
And i will never go back.

Words and music by Dar Williams

Tonight was just great, she taught us the sign for peace
Now she's made us some popcorn, we've turned out the lights
And we're watching movies
I don't understand and she tries to explain
How a spaceship is riding through somebody's brain
And there's blood and guts and . . .

She's the best one that we've ever had
She sits on her hair and she's tall as my dad
And she tie-dyed my shirt and she pierced her own ear
And it's peace, man, cool, yeah, the babysitter's here.

And we all went to see her go dance at the high school
We made her a big card
And she told us that she'd be the unicorn wearing the pink
leotard, and
There she was leaping up just like she said
With a sparkling horn coming out of her head
And she's oh, oh, oh, oh
(I can't wait to give her the card, I can't wait to give her the card)
She's the best one . . .

OK, so the play was called 'The Unicorn' and she was the
unicorn so that means that the star was my babysitter.

You're the best one that we've ever had
You sit on your hair and you're tall as my dad
And I'll make you a picture for college next year
So hush now, peace, man
The babysitter's here
The best babysitter's here