I’ve got a hatful of horrible “and a pocket full of shells”
I knew that when I started this, it wouldn’t turn out well
Sirens all around me and a camera in the sky
We interrupt your program, there’s a man about to die
This looks like your lucky day
You can’t seem to look away
It’s loose like a freight train
Reality on display
Traveling at high speed
Simulcast live feed
Car chase televised
It’s a national pastime
I’m not sure how I got here. Will I get out alive?
My chances growing ever dim with every mile I drive
Half the viewing audience is hoping I’ll be caught
The other half are watching for the chance that I’ll get shot
In ten-second time delay
I crash through the barricade
The price of admission paid
Repeat the same theme
Traveling at high speed
Simulcast live feed
Car chase televised
It’s a national pastime
We pretend we don’t want to know but still we’ve got to watch
Our human curiosity – a fundamental flaw
Reassured and confident you’ll never be like me
But circumstance and sanity are transient ideas
I trust in what I can see
My values are “family”
But I’ll murder you happily
if you get in my way
Released in 2001, “The Convincer” is a gentle gem in the Nick Lowe catalog; an anniversary edition provides opportunity for rediscovery. Bandcamp New & Notable Sep 20, 2021