Van Dyke Parks
Put The Camera Down
[Verse 1]
Put the camera down
You don't need to justify every single turn
You don't need apologize after every word
Give them grief or give them praise
Give them nothing take the praise
It'll come together by and by
[Verse 2]
Put the camera down
You don't have to be unarmed but put away that knife
There's no sound in our alarm, just a silent life
And you tell me how I fail
And I'll tell you once again
It'll come together by and by
[Bridge]
Always chasing the same lead
The same old cobbled streets
Always barely head above the water
Always balancing the short end of the final straw
Always just an inch above the gutter
So is this it?
At your fingertips
Is a world in a cage
Tell me something
Say something you couldn't tell me (Tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me)
But you tend to recommend true
And without breaking a sweat
No plates
The disguises, the disguises, the disguises
[Verse 3]
Put the camera down
You don't need to second guess every fickle itch
You don't need to disavow every bygone stitched
Give them grief or give them grace
Give them nothing take the praise
It'll come together by and by