Introduction
Way back a few months ago, I wrote "[Nightmares and Nocturnes], an autobiography of Vincent Valentine," in it, are two complete original songs I wrote specifically for the fanfiction. The other day when I was writing songs for myself, I thought, well, what the heck, I'd take those two songs and make them real. They are mine; anyway, I can do what I want with them.
They aren't, you know,
Bad.
Well, then, the idea sparked. "Let's make MORE!"
Here the album that Vincent Valentine WOULD has produced if he didn't have the handicap of not existing in the real world. No, I take that back, he exists, but only in the land of ideas.
I don't know about you, but that's real enough for me. As a writer, I have a lot of friends from there.
ABOUT THE ALBUM
"Nightmares Under the Stairs" was originally produced by Phoenix Down Records in 1984, but went out of print in 1986. Only 500 copies were ever produced. The album consists of eight original songs by Vincent Valentine that have been classified as 'folk rock.' His first hit single is of the same name as his one and only album.
Here are the titles on this record:
1. "Silly Little Song"
2. "Mr. McGregor"
3. "The Most Beautiful Thing To Me"
4. "Life Tree"
5. "Don't Tell Me"
6. "Raggedy Ann"
7. "Sugar Window 66"
8. "Nightmares Under The Stairs"
The album was not just a cornerstone for folk music, but also was well known for it's original album cover graphics; the graphics on the cover consisted of a black and white profile picture of Vincent, and a long, spiraling staircase behind him. Upon Vincent's skin is artistically indented the album cover name. Vincent later commented on the album cover shoot, "The paint on my face really, really itched. But it was for the album cover, so, that's all that was important to me. Gregory Ian is a photographer genius."
But of course it wasn't just pictures that made his music well known to people. His trademark was his haunting, original sound, and his sad lamenting tunes. Often in his music there would be pauses of heavy, labored breathing that gave his music a chilling, nightmarish, horrific, but beautiful- style. His ability to tell a story in his lyrics made the album unforgettable.
Vincent Valentine also commented about the album:
"Nightmares Under the Stairs is probably the only thing I accomplished that is worth while in my life. Everything else has been a failure. It's a dark album- everything about it is dark. Something's may seem funny in it- but it's not. Not really. Maybe it's irony, I don't know. I'm glad that there weren't many printings of it. I have a copy, but I never ever listen to it. Is it a collectors item yet?"
So, without further ado, here are the lyrics to the one and only Vincent Valentine album.
~PD
Nightmares Under the Stairs.
Phoenix Down Records
Copyright 2002
"Silly Little Song."
(With a classical guitar)
[Originally published with '[Nightmares and Nocturnes] an autobiography of Vincent Valentine.'
I never had a nightmare so beautiful before.
She came into my dreams through the open window and door.
I told myself, I told myself that I wasn't worthy for her any more,
Silly, silly little fucker.
Silly, silly little lover.
I love her, but I love the silence, too.
I'll promise that these fears will stop, and instead I'll dream of you.
Open up these closed up doors and let the people in.
Maybe freedom is when you're a slave.
It's freedom from freedom, when you live in a cave...
I've never had a dream so ugly before...
She came in through the window, she came in through the sea,
I told myself she didn't need me.
Silly, silly little blood drop.
Silly, silly little angry cop.
I love the nightmares, but I love the silence, too.
I can't promise that I won't stop, and instead I'll kill you.
Open up these closed up minds and let the people come round.
Maybe violence under these shadowed city plates,
Is liberty when you don't know how to leave the city
Tell me where,
The freedom fares,
And I'll tell you to sleep,
And enter my nightmare.
"Mr. McGregor"
(Played with acoustic guitar only)
He didn't know,
What the feel of snow,
Was like under his fingertips.
Oh, Mr. McGregor, man,
Didn't you ever see?
What life was like before you met
Your wife to be?
It's ten thirty, Mr. McGregor,
And your wife is yelling,
"Honey, close the door,
Your letting the home out."
Oh, oh, out.
It's eleven thirty, Mr. McGregor,
And your in your car, so nice,
Trying to become free
Didn't you want to feel that ice,
With or without me?
How far will you go,
To find the world of ice and snow?
How far will you go, Mr. McGregor,
To the Ends of the Earth?
There you have it,
There you have finally made it,
Underneath the snow and ice we find thee,
Far away from me.
Oh, poor, poor Mr. McGregor,
Trying to run from his wife.
Or was it really the life
That frightened you so bad.
It's the sort of life,
That freezes you ill
To bad the snow and ice,
Will kill you still.
"The most Beautiful Thing to Me."
(With classical guitar. Piano optional.)
[As published with '[Nightmares and Nocturnes], an autobiography of Vincent Valentine.]
The most beautiful thing to me,
Can be described metaphorically,
I wonder at first if she has ever seen,
A great and wandering rooted tree,
Whose treetops waved, and whose fruit was not lean,
With a saffron sun overhead,
And yellow light on the fallen leaf bed.
The most beautiful thing to me,
It can only be,
Described metaphorically.
I wonder if my love has ever seen,
A great and prosperous city.
It's lights would be like winking stars,
Musical people and car.
Oh, how lovely the smells are.
The most beautiful thing to me,
It can only be described truthfully.
I wonder at first if she has ever seen,
Her beautiful face in a looking glass.
That is the most beautiful thing to me.
"Life Tree"
(Piano and classical guitar)
She wondered where my mind was going
She wondered where my mind had been
She wondered if I really was that empty
Empty, empty as a open window
'Teach me to plant a tree,
One whose branch can hold me
Teach me how to fly
I want to bathe in the sky.'
She told me, she told me once before
I told her that I couldn't show her anything anymore
She wondered where my heart was going
She wondered where my head was going.
Life, tree, life tree,
Plant your roots in the clouds.
Life tree, life tree,
Let me eat your fruit
And
Let my mind scream loud.
Empty as an open window.
Empty as an open window.
Empty as an open window.
"Don't Tell Me"
(With piano and classical guitar accompaniment)
This crazy, crazy world keeps on spinning, spinning, spinning,
The runners keep winning,
And I am only left here to keep living, living, living
You tell me to be true,
You tell me not to,
Paint my soul so blue
But let me tell you...
Don't tell me not to feel sad.
Don't tell me not to get mad.
Don't tell me what to choose,
I already know I'm going to loose.
Did you hear that, rat, tat, tat,
I think that was god at the door.
He told me not to drink myself onto the floor
All I can ever be, sweetie,
Is be me.
Let me tell you,
It wasn't me whom painted my soul blue.
Don't tell me not to die
Don't tell me not to cry
Don't tell me how to ... paint my soul so blue.
I was really colored red
That's really what I said!
That is just me,
I can not apologize
For the way I have to be!
Don't tell how to feel
Don't tell me what Is real!
Don't tell me how to love,
Because I already know.
"Raggedy Ann"
(To be sung in a horse, soft whisper and light classical guitar accompaniment)
Lovely doll.
I saw you staring at me.
Let me hear you speak.
Your mouth sown.
I will love you.
For, I, too, am a toy,
Lovely doll.
For infinity you have been posing,
With a cloth grin,
And black button eyes,
Red rosy cheeks.
Sweet, sweet... sweet...
Fucking doll.
I will love you.
The shadows hold you,
The little girl forgot you under
The bed she now makes love on.
Sweet doll,
Let me make love to you.
Dust.
I am a doll,
Little girl,
I am your doll.
"Sugar Window 66"
(Classical guitar, drums optional. To be sung at a very fast tempo.)
Bubble gum fingertips
Clock, wild, sway hips
I've never seen anything so dumb
Let me find you under the burning sun
Crisis horde
Jingle jam door
Sugar window opens wide... wide... wide.
We are all looking for places to hide
We are all
We are all searching for a place to be
We are all
We are all you and me.
Tick top tipster
Looking for a place to kiss her
Paranoia Pandora
Palindrome mom
Let me find you acting crazy
We are all looking to be someone
We are all
We are all searching our pockets for an empty heart
We are all
We are all you and I.
"Nightmares Under The Stairs"
(Light, quiet classical guitar. Soft singing in broken heavy breathing- light whispering.)
[Vincent Valentine's first hit single released in 1983. Phoenix Down records, all rights reserved.]
*Heavy, labored breathing*
Look around you.
I said, I said look around you
The dark
Is not so far
From where you are
Say hello,
hello!
Hello!
Hello to the darkness.
To what stares
Beneath the stairs
That spiral
Down
To the basement ground,
That's where I am.
That's where I am.
*Heavy labored breathing, light guitar playing*
See this song,
This day is gone,
And so am I.
Is what you are,
Beneath the star,
Say what you mean,
And mean what you say.
Someday, everyone will pay.
Underneath the stairs,
It came today
A rainy day
The day that I died.
The day that my soul flied.
Fly away,
Come fly away
Into the sun and day
Fly away,
Fly,
Away.
Fly.
*Broken breathing*
Fly away,
Die away,
Come fly away down
Come fly away down
Beneath the stairs
Down.
That's where I am
That's where I am
That's where I am
Down.
Way back a few months ago, I wrote "[Nightmares and Nocturnes], an autobiography of Vincent Valentine," in it, are two complete original songs I wrote specifically for the fanfiction. The other day when I was writing songs for myself, I thought, well, what the heck, I'd take those two songs and make them real. They are mine; anyway, I can do what I want with them.
They aren't, you know,
Bad.
Well, then, the idea sparked. "Let's make MORE!"
Here the album that Vincent Valentine WOULD has produced if he didn't have the handicap of not existing in the real world. No, I take that back, he exists, but only in the land of ideas.
I don't know about you, but that's real enough for me. As a writer, I have a lot of friends from there.
ABOUT THE ALBUM
"Nightmares Under the Stairs" was originally produced by Phoenix Down Records in 1984, but went out of print in 1986. Only 500 copies were ever produced. The album consists of eight original songs by Vincent Valentine that have been classified as 'folk rock.' His first hit single is of the same name as his one and only album.
Here are the titles on this record:
1. "Silly Little Song"
2. "Mr. McGregor"
3. "The Most Beautiful Thing To Me"
4. "Life Tree"
5. "Don't Tell Me"
6. "Raggedy Ann"
7. "Sugar Window 66"
8. "Nightmares Under The Stairs"
The album was not just a cornerstone for folk music, but also was well known for it's original album cover graphics; the graphics on the cover consisted of a black and white profile picture of Vincent, and a long, spiraling staircase behind him. Upon Vincent's skin is artistically indented the album cover name. Vincent later commented on the album cover shoot, "The paint on my face really, really itched. But it was for the album cover, so, that's all that was important to me. Gregory Ian is a photographer genius."
But of course it wasn't just pictures that made his music well known to people. His trademark was his haunting, original sound, and his sad lamenting tunes. Often in his music there would be pauses of heavy, labored breathing that gave his music a chilling, nightmarish, horrific, but beautiful- style. His ability to tell a story in his lyrics made the album unforgettable.
Vincent Valentine also commented about the album:
"Nightmares Under the Stairs is probably the only thing I accomplished that is worth while in my life. Everything else has been a failure. It's a dark album- everything about it is dark. Something's may seem funny in it- but it's not. Not really. Maybe it's irony, I don't know. I'm glad that there weren't many printings of it. I have a copy, but I never ever listen to it. Is it a collectors item yet?"
So, without further ado, here are the lyrics to the one and only Vincent Valentine album.
~PD
Nightmares Under the Stairs.
Phoenix Down Records
Copyright 2002
"Silly Little Song."
(With a classical guitar)
[Originally published with '[Nightmares and Nocturnes] an autobiography of Vincent Valentine.'
I never had a nightmare so beautiful before.
She came into my dreams through the open window and door.
I told myself, I told myself that I wasn't worthy for her any more,
Silly, silly little fucker.
Silly, silly little lover.
I love her, but I love the silence, too.
I'll promise that these fears will stop, and instead I'll dream of you.
Open up these closed up doors and let the people in.
Maybe freedom is when you're a slave.
It's freedom from freedom, when you live in a cave...
I've never had a dream so ugly before...
She came in through the window, she came in through the sea,
I told myself she didn't need me.
Silly, silly little blood drop.
Silly, silly little angry cop.
I love the nightmares, but I love the silence, too.
I can't promise that I won't stop, and instead I'll kill you.
Open up these closed up minds and let the people come round.
Maybe violence under these shadowed city plates,
Is liberty when you don't know how to leave the city
Tell me where,
The freedom fares,
And I'll tell you to sleep,
And enter my nightmare.
"Mr. McGregor"
(Played with acoustic guitar only)
He didn't know,
What the feel of snow,
Was like under his fingertips.
Oh, Mr. McGregor, man,
Didn't you ever see?
What life was like before you met
Your wife to be?
It's ten thirty, Mr. McGregor,
And your wife is yelling,
"Honey, close the door,
Your letting the home out."
Oh, oh, out.
It's eleven thirty, Mr. McGregor,
And your in your car, so nice,
Trying to become free
Didn't you want to feel that ice,
With or without me?
How far will you go,
To find the world of ice and snow?
How far will you go, Mr. McGregor,
To the Ends of the Earth?
There you have it,
There you have finally made it,
Underneath the snow and ice we find thee,
Far away from me.
Oh, poor, poor Mr. McGregor,
Trying to run from his wife.
Or was it really the life
That frightened you so bad.
It's the sort of life,
That freezes you ill
To bad the snow and ice,
Will kill you still.
"The most Beautiful Thing to Me."
(With classical guitar. Piano optional.)
[As published with '[Nightmares and Nocturnes], an autobiography of Vincent Valentine.]
The most beautiful thing to me,
Can be described metaphorically,
I wonder at first if she has ever seen,
A great and wandering rooted tree,
Whose treetops waved, and whose fruit was not lean,
With a saffron sun overhead,
And yellow light on the fallen leaf bed.
The most beautiful thing to me,
It can only be,
Described metaphorically.
I wonder if my love has ever seen,
A great and prosperous city.
It's lights would be like winking stars,
Musical people and car.
Oh, how lovely the smells are.
The most beautiful thing to me,
It can only be described truthfully.
I wonder at first if she has ever seen,
Her beautiful face in a looking glass.
That is the most beautiful thing to me.
"Life Tree"
(Piano and classical guitar)
She wondered where my mind was going
She wondered where my mind had been
She wondered if I really was that empty
Empty, empty as a open window
'Teach me to plant a tree,
One whose branch can hold me
Teach me how to fly
I want to bathe in the sky.'
She told me, she told me once before
I told her that I couldn't show her anything anymore
She wondered where my heart was going
She wondered where my head was going.
Life, tree, life tree,
Plant your roots in the clouds.
Life tree, life tree,
Let me eat your fruit
And
Let my mind scream loud.
Empty as an open window.
Empty as an open window.
Empty as an open window.
"Don't Tell Me"
(With piano and classical guitar accompaniment)
This crazy, crazy world keeps on spinning, spinning, spinning,
The runners keep winning,
And I am only left here to keep living, living, living
You tell me to be true,
You tell me not to,
Paint my soul so blue
But let me tell you...
Don't tell me not to feel sad.
Don't tell me not to get mad.
Don't tell me what to choose,
I already know I'm going to loose.
Did you hear that, rat, tat, tat,
I think that was god at the door.
He told me not to drink myself onto the floor
All I can ever be, sweetie,
Is be me.
Let me tell you,
It wasn't me whom painted my soul blue.
Don't tell me not to die
Don't tell me not to cry
Don't tell me how to ... paint my soul so blue.
I was really colored red
That's really what I said!
That is just me,
I can not apologize
For the way I have to be!
Don't tell how to feel
Don't tell me what Is real!
Don't tell me how to love,
Because I already know.
"Raggedy Ann"
(To be sung in a horse, soft whisper and light classical guitar accompaniment)
Lovely doll.
I saw you staring at me.
Let me hear you speak.
Your mouth sown.
I will love you.
For, I, too, am a toy,
Lovely doll.
For infinity you have been posing,
With a cloth grin,
And black button eyes,
Red rosy cheeks.
Sweet, sweet... sweet...
Fucking doll.
I will love you.
The shadows hold you,
The little girl forgot you under
The bed she now makes love on.
Sweet doll,
Let me make love to you.
Dust.
I am a doll,
Little girl,
I am your doll.
"Sugar Window 66"
(Classical guitar, drums optional. To be sung at a very fast tempo.)
Bubble gum fingertips
Clock, wild, sway hips
I've never seen anything so dumb
Let me find you under the burning sun
Crisis horde
Jingle jam door
Sugar window opens wide... wide... wide.
We are all looking for places to hide
We are all
We are all searching for a place to be
We are all
We are all you and me.
Tick top tipster
Looking for a place to kiss her
Paranoia Pandora
Palindrome mom
Let me find you acting crazy
We are all looking to be someone
We are all
We are all searching our pockets for an empty heart
We are all
We are all you and I.
"Nightmares Under The Stairs"
(Light, quiet classical guitar. Soft singing in broken heavy breathing- light whispering.)
[Vincent Valentine's first hit single released in 1983. Phoenix Down records, all rights reserved.]
*Heavy, labored breathing*
Look around you.
I said, I said look around you
The dark
Is not so far
From where you are
Say hello,
hello!
Hello!
Hello to the darkness.
To what stares
Beneath the stairs
That spiral
Down
To the basement ground,
That's where I am.
That's where I am.
*Heavy labored breathing, light guitar playing*
See this song,
This day is gone,
And so am I.
Is what you are,
Beneath the star,
Say what you mean,
And mean what you say.
Someday, everyone will pay.
Underneath the stairs,
It came today
A rainy day
The day that I died.
The day that my soul flied.
Fly away,
Come fly away
Into the sun and day
Fly away,
Fly,
Away.
Fly.
*Broken breathing*
Fly away,
Die away,
Come fly away down
Come fly away down
Beneath the stairs
Down.
That's where I am
That's where I am
That's where I am
Down.