Alanis Morissette - Such Pretty Forks in the Road Album Lyrics

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Smiling

This is a life of extremes
Both sides are slippery and enticing
These are my places off the rails

And this, my loose recollection of a falling
I barely remember who I failed
I was just trying to keep it together

This is my first wave of my white flag
This is the sound of me hitting bottom
This my surrender, if that's what you call it
In the anatomy of my crash

And I keep on smiling
Keep on moving
Can't stand still

Me, the notorious bottom dweller
Me, the ceiling-less brave explorer
Lured to the ends of overwhelm

This is my first wave of the white flag
This is the sound of me hitting bottom
This my surrender, if that's what I call it
In the anatomy of my crash

And I keep on smiling
Keep on moving
Can't stand still

Such pretty forks in the road
On this continuum I've been bouncing
Life flashing promise before my eyes

This is my first wave of my white flag
This is the sound of me hitting bottom
This my surrender, if I can bare it
In the anatomy of my crash

And I keep on smiling
Keep on moving
Can't stand still

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Ablaze

The first thing that you'll notice is some separation from each other
Yes it's a lie, we've been believing since time in memorial
There was an apple, there was a snake, there was division
There was a split, there was a conflict in the fabric of life

One became two and then everyone was out for themselves
Everyone was pitted against each other conflict ruled the realm
All our devotions and temperaments are pulled from different wells
They seem to easily forget we are made of the same cells

To my boy, all that energy so wild
Of your hues and your blues in equal measure
Your comings and your goings-away
My mission is to keep the light in your eyes ablaze

Second thing you'll notice is that often we think that there's not enough
It might feel dark, it might feel lonely and you wonder why you're here
You may be overcome with darkness and a sense of hopelessness
But it won't matter if you keep the core connected to the one-ness

To my girl, all your innocence and fire
When you reach out, I am here hell or high water
This nest is never going away
My mission is to keep the light in your eyes ablaze

And this cord is unbreakable
This pilot light is there in your pocket
And this bond, beyond un-shakeable
Even if we all forget
All at the same time
If we forget at the same time

To my boy, my precious gentle warrior
To your sweetness and your strength in exploring
May this bond stay with you through your days
My mission is to keep the light in your eyes ablaze

To my girl, all your innocence and fire
When you reach out, I am here hell or high water
This nest is never going away
My mission is to keep the light in your eyes ablaze

To my boy
The first thing that you'll notice is that everything is temporary
To my girl
Next you might notice is that we will always be a family
To my boy
My mission is to keep the light in your eyes ablaze

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Reasons I Drink

These are the reasons I drink
The reasons I tell everybody I'm fine even though I am not
These are the reasons I overdo it
I have been working since I can remember, since I was single digits
Now, even though I've been busted
I don't know where to draw the line 'cause that groove has gotten so deep

And nothing can give reprieve like they do
Nothing can give a break for this soldier like they do

Here we are
I feel such rapture and my comfort is so strong
One more hit
It feels so helpful in my need for respite

And here are the reasons I eat
Reasons I feel everything so deeply when I'm not medicated
And so that's it, I am buying a Lamborghini
To make up for these habits, to survive this sick industry

Nothing can give reprieve like they do
Nothing can give me a break from this torture like they do

Here we are
I feel such rapture and my comfort is so strong
One more sip
It feels so helpful in my need for some long overdue respite

And these are the reasons I don't even think I would quit
And these are the reasons I can't even see straight
And these are the ones whom I know it so deeply affects
And I am left wondering how I would I function without it

Here we are
I feel such rapture and my comfort is so strong
One more rip
I go from one lily pad to another to stay lit

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Diagnosis

Call it what you want
'Cause I don't even care anymore
Call me what you need to
To make yourself comfortable

I've not left the house in a while
I've not felt a glimpse of ease
And I have not made much headway
Since I have come back from the war

And I no longer give a damn
Bout things that used to matter
And I am covering my eyes
As I am frozen on the spot

And call it what you want
'Cause I don't even care anymore
Call me what you need to
To make yourself comfortable

So I am debilitated
I can't remember where the sentence started when I'm trying to finish it
And all of you are so frustrated
And everyone around me is trying to help as much as they can

My house is spotless, my lens is
Skewed, my limbs they recoil
And I'm folding in on myself
Since I am out of order

Call it what you want
'Cause I don't even care anymore
Call me what you want to
To make yourself comfortable

So I am debilitated
I can't remember where the sentence started when I'm trying to finish it
And all of you are so frustrated
And everyone around me is trying to help as much as they can

But I'm alone in this meltdown
Of nervousness diagnosis

Call it what you want
'Cause I don't even care anymore
Call me what you need to
To make yourself comfortable

So I am debilitated
I can't remember where the sentence started when I'm trying to finish it
And all of you are so frustrated
And everyone around me is trying to help as much as they can

Call it what you want
Call me what you need to
To feel comfortable

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Missing the Miracle

You call it bright
And I call it simple
And somewhere in the middle is truth

You see the hill
And I see the castle
A front that was united is doomed, ooh

You call this brick and mortar
I call this sacred skin
You see the figure skater
And I fear the ice is thin and
The light is all around us
But when we spar, it's dim
We're right here in the middle
Missing the miracle

You see the cloud
And I see the lining
And somewhere in the middle is sun

And you say it's greatness
And I say bad timing
And when we leave the ring, no one's won, ooh

I go for the jugular
You knock 'til you get in
You hold the loud and raucous
And I hear the dropping pin and
You run all front and center
I whisper paper thin
We're right here in the middle
Missing the miracle

The winter gets long
The rapids get white
And what doesn't kill us
Turns to grey

You call this brick and mortar
I call this sacred skin
You see the figure skater and
I fear the ice is thin and
The light is all around us
But when we spar it's dim
We're right here in the middle
Missing the miracle

Missing the miracle
(The light is all around us)
Missing the miracle
(The light is all around us)
Missing the miracle

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Losing the Plot

Welcome back insomnia
Ushered back into silence only when everyone else is sleeping
And 'cause the city is sleeping
No one ruthless is rushing to get to the front of the line as usual

'Cause I am losing the plot
I am grieving the end of superwoman-ing
I have laid down my cape
As though I haven't risen like a phoenix from a thousand deaths
As though I have not been reborn to notice that
My mission is not dead yet

I'm exhausted midas
Reigniting a hunger that typically fuels those of us
Still searching for something outside ourselves
'Cause this city bears violence
And everybody is rushing to sob at the podium
And thank the ones who loved and exploited well

I am losing the plot
I am grieving the end of superwoman-ing
I have laid down my cape
As though I haven't risen like a phoenix from a thousand deaths
As though I haven't been reborn to notice that my mission is not dead yet

The light at the end of the tunnel
The one I have always prayed for is a train
At a hundred miles per hour
And it promises to break my bones if I don't stand still
Rip my heart out ambition mill or bust
With my relevance in dust

And I am losing the plot
I am grieving the end of superwoman-ing
I have laid down my cape
As though I haven't risen like a phoenix from a thousand deaths
As though I haven't been reborn to notice that my mission is not dead
As though this fame and pressure has not been a vice around my head
As though my heart has not kept all my cynicism under the mattress
And I can't keep it up
Though the fire is not out yet

I am losing the plot

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Reckoning

Hey, hey, little wanderer
You walked the fields with all the fences down
You never knew the scent of the predator
You didn't know the house was on fire
And so you worked
As you should
While they preyed on all you ached for
And they pounced
As they would
While the guards were away
Oh, oh

Hey, hey, you marauders
You got away while they claim I am a liar
Why aren't the gods and heroes all around me
And everyone's turning their eyes to the ground
And so you strike
While it's hot
While the barricades are broken
You attacked
At your will
While all the locks are frayed
Oh, oh
Oh, oh
Ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh

Hey, hey, you denier
Finally everyone is gathering 'round me
Now that we all know better, you'll be haunted
I hope you enjoy these drawings in your jail
And so
Brace, brace yourself
For this reckoning day
I was once
At a loss
Now I stand at the gate
Oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh

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Sandbox Love

Catapult me out
Of this fantasy
It's never been mine
It's always been yours

Take me back in time
Start all this from scratch
Please go slowly
'Cause I'm apprehensive

(Ooh) into what really happened
(Ooh) I try not to remember
Here we go into the danger zone but this time with a friend

Awkward as f*ck
Precious as f*ck
Scary as f*ck
Us in our sandbox
Sandbox love

I'm holding my breath
Smoke came from these ears
Said he can't control it
That it was my fault

Take me back to square one
And clear this flashing back
Please tread lightly
'Cause I'm an open affront

(Ooh) into what really happened
(Ooh) I've tried to block it out and
Here we go into the danger zone but this time with a friend

Awkward as f*ck
Sexy as f*ck
Sacred as f*ck
Us in our sandbox, sandbox love

'Cause I have not been ready for this challenge
My soul is shy when you ask for more contact
I close my eyes and picture myself somewhere else

Thanks for showing up
Thanks for proving them all wrong
'Cause you are my love
And you are not them

Healing as f*ck
Playful as f*ck
Present as f*ck
Us in our sandbox
Sandbox love

Awkward as f*ck
Sweet as f*ck
Here as f*ck
Us in our sandbox
Sandbox love

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Her

I am on the floor
I am in my kitchen
This place is so familiar on my knees
I can hear the footsteps
I can see their back walking out
I don't know who to reach for when I need

And so I'll pray to Her today
I ask for mercy and I beg for pauses
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
She's coming in warm all like Kali
And coursing through my veins like liquid Mary
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh

She's not buying my shell
She sees right through my armor
She lingers in my shadows knowingly

She treats them like they're angels
And maybe they are angels really
She beckons me to braver inquiry

And so I pray to Her today
I ask for mercy and I beg for patience
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
She's coming in hot all like Shakti
And coursing through my veins like liquid Mary
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh

And even though she knows me well
It doesn't mean it's easy to pull me out of my self-imposed hell

She knows all of my secrets
When I'm out of my body
I'm starting to see outlines of her face

She follows me when I run away
And even when I cut her off
She still says that she loves me, come what may

And so I pray to Her today
I ask for mercy and I beg for pauses
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
She's coming in hot like all Kali
And coursing through my veins like liquid Mary
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh, oh, oh

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Nemesis

So I opened the front door
You walked in all handsome
And ready for something you saw in my eyes
Right here, we sat and we tripped out
Saw celestial mosaics and I fell and I crawled over and held your hand

Nobody worried about the roof being blown off
So I went farther than I'd ever gone before

Change, you are my nemesis
Transition, I hold my breath
You saw my face, I'm excited
I'm excited yet, I'm filled with despair anticipation and dread
This metamorphosis closed the door and opened a window

And so I climbed the stairs and bled
And here was a star seed
Right here he came to us in the bed in our bedroom
And you trusted me enough to follow me anywhere
Or the other way around
The other way around as well
And I blocked my nose and dove in the deep end
And swam like my life depended on it and it did

Change, you are my nemesis
Transition, I hold my breath
you saw my face, I'm excited
I'm excited yet I'm filled with despair anticipation and dread
This metamorphosis closed the door and opened a window

Oh, oh
Oh, oh
Oh

Right here
In this very backyard
We promised forever
And we put our helmets on and threw the confetti
And then there's the phone call
Telling me to breathe in through my nose and out my mouth
And out came our girl faster than we thought
And now I am beyond recognition
I guess that's a good thing
And still, I want to go deeper

Change, you are my nemesis
Transition, I hold my breath
You saw my face, I'm excited
I'm excited yet I'm filled with despair, anticipation and dread
This metamorphosis closed the door and opened a window

Oh, oh, oh
Ah, oh

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Pedestal

I'm sure you've enjoyed the ride, who wouldn't?
I'm sure every perk has perked you up, how could it not?
And every opportunity through me helped you climb, didn't it?
Dropping my name blew doors open that were closed before

And one day you'll see that you've never really seen me
One day you'll find out that everything you dreamed of wasn't who stood before you
One day I won't be craved the way you crave me now
As this pedestal crumbles down and crashes me to the ground

I'm sure you enjoyed my name, who wouldn't take advantage?
I'm sure you enjoyed this game and the proxy pride that you landed
And everything vicarious seemed to build you up
You grabbed my crown and got everything you wanted

And one day you'll see that you've never really loved me
One day you'll find out that everything you dreamed of wasn't who stood before you
One day I won't be craved the way you crave me now
As this pedestal crumbles down and crashes me to the ground

You're left with a human being
You're left with a fallible soul
Oh, when the glitter falls
I'm here and sometimes average, sometimes more
When the glare of the lights grow dim
And you're left with a delicate real
When the bright lights clear, there's just me sitting here

One day you'll see that you've never really seen me
And one day you'll find out that everything you dreamed of wasn't who stood before you
One day I won't be craved the way you crave me now
As this pedestal crumbles down
As this pedestal crashes down
Crashes me to the ground

I hope you enjoyed the ride, who wouldn't?
Who wouldn't?