For Esme
Live 4/30/96 LP/CD
Seems the competition is sweet like a slap in the face.
And which one are you?
Forget your _____.
Dare to be naked and real.
Just bring the drama
So don't break down.
This is a three-legged race.
It was your meanness that told us you might have faith.
Your spine keeps getting in the way.
You're a fool to think they care what you think.
In this pond, some rise, some sink.
You budding star, you.
Too dark for shopping malls.
No hooks, no leads at all.
You think they care for how you feel?
Never trust an artist who tells you he has a choice.
You can't run faster than your voice.
Sing your life despite the spite it may bring.
It's your life to write, so sing.
shameless and crawling.
Over glass and underground.
Esm� needs her story now.
Notes: This song was usually introduced as "Esm� Needs Her Story," but got released as For Esme,
which is how Blake introduced the song on the Live 4/30/96 LP.
In the version on the live LP, Blake screws up the second verse and yells "yeah" a bunch
of times; the lyrics here are gleaned from earlier live versions.
The song was inspired by J.D. Salinger's short story "For Esme - With Love and Squalor," which can be found in Nine Stories.