START SINNING
(John Faye / Brittany Rotondo)

i was sitting at my kitchen table
when something fierce was knockin'
untied myself, loosened the cables
and then i started rockin'
the walls began to crumble
my brain began to shake
i was ready for a rumble, yeah
distortion sounded great

i struck a chord
it didn't sit too well
every day's a new beginning
i'm sippin' on heaven
but i'm goin' to hell
so i think it's time
it's time, it's time, it's time
i start sinning

i cranked it loud to taste the static
and hear that train a-comin'
put down my smoke, i'm such an addict
an addict for that something

i struck a chord
it didn't sit too well
every day's a new beginning
i'm sippin' on heaven
but i'm goin' to hell
so i think it's time
it's time, it's time, it's time
i start sinning

you struck a chord
you struck a chord in me

Start Sinning

ZZZOLOFT
(John Faye / Brittany Rotondo)

zzzoloft, count 'em 1-2-3
kissin' and a-cussin'
my catastrophe
lovin' you babe
but i'm lovin' them too
stuck on this town
but i'm stickin' with you

my good game is being talked
and that box is growing cold
i took a hike then i took a walk
and then i blew my nose

zzzoloft, count 'em 1-2-3...

feel my (ow!), it's just a-beating
beating for you, darlin'
feelin', fixin', claim defeat
you got me out here howlin'
for what? for what? for what? for what?

zzzoloft, count 'em 1-2-3...

sliding sideways down the street
feeling half alright
empathy loves company tonight, tonight
wake up, lather, rinse, repeat
wash it down with spite
it's the tragic comedy of life
my life

zzzoloft, count 'em 1-2-3...
nothin' means nothin' but i'm stickin' with you


ZZZolft

GAS MASK QUEEN
(John Faye / Brittany Rotondo)

the gas mask queen is more than alive
and there's something in the way that she moves
the truth unseen wrapped in a lie
mama warned me about girls like you

infected with beauty and smothered in noise
she's a circus, a show all her own
she's up for the taking, a lady, a tramp
only if no affection is shown

the gas mask queen
the city's going down with you
you can't get clean
and so you give up
father fate is calling and canceling plans
all for the sake
all for the sake of love

i can see why they love her
and the havoc she breeds
there's conflict and peace all the same
i can see why they fear her
and the heartache of music
as she slowly, slowly, slowly
drives them insane

industrial makeup 
the scent of a woman
this siren, this street song untouched
ignored all the warnings
but you had it coming
stuck in a moment of caring too much

don't you breathe a word..

the gas mask queen is more than alive
and there's something in the way that she moves
the truth obscene wrapped in a lie
mama warned me, mama warned me

the gas mask queen
the city's going down on you
you can't come clean
you never fess up
father fate is calling and canceling plans
all for the sake
they're all on the make for love
father fate is calling your bluff


Gas Mask Queen

DIRTY LITTLE MAGAZINE
(John Faye / Brittany Rotondo)

i shot it in my veins
i wrote it on the wall
i danced on your grave
and man i had a ball

i slept in way past noon today
the sun was going down
you see the night comes way too soon
in this god-forsaken town

so dream me up a fantasy
my secret centerfold
my dirty little magazine
my fuckin' rock n roll

i smoked up all my cigarettes
and listened to a saint
i play my cards close to my vest
the son of god i ain't

the city's waking up today
with nothing in her pocket
except that match and rich propane
oh please don't try to stop it

so dream me up a fantasy
my secret centerfold
my dirty little magazine
my fuckin' rock n roll

Dirty Little Magazine

PAPER PLANES
(John Faye / Brittany Rotondo)

so romantic
need some b-52's
so lackluster
hey! what's with you?
i lost my head and i lost my sense
my heart was full but in suspense

paper planes
they caught my view
sweet mary jane
caught up with lou oo oo oo oo 

i thought this would be easy
but you know it never is
a teacup filled with whiskey
and a notebook safety pinned
pockets empty
rockets launched
the leather's heavy
brains for lunch

paper planes
they caught my view
sweet mary jane
caught up with lou oo oo oo oo


Paper Planes

WOE
(John Faye / Brittany Rotondo)

can't no holy man save my soul
can't no prayin' hands steal this woe
i got my shoes on
i got my flask
i got my dead wrongs
and i got my past

fallin' down on my knees
but i got nothin' to say
hail mary never came for me
so i had to sit and wait, wait

can't no holy man save my soul
can't no prayin' hands steal this woe
oh no
woe oh-oh-oh-oh
woe oh-oh-oh-oh-oh

rosary beads, they seemed alright
they seemed ok i guess
i count my blessings almost every night
but i ain't got nothing left

and you can catch me by the altar
drinkin' all of the wine
and prayin' to the almighty father
and cursin' at the sky, sky

can't no holy man save my soul
can't no prayin' hands steal this woe
oh no
woe oh-oh-oh-oh
woe oh-oh-oh-oh-oh

can't no holy man
can't no holy man
ain't no holy man gonna
save me

EL GATO
(John Faye / Brittany Rotondo)

his boots hit the floor
like paint on cement
and this is his story
el gato's lament
his face was a legend
his history a myth
known for his danger
and feared for his risk

he waltzed in the bank
he'd lost half his mind
and didn't much care he was 
robbing them blind

gimme the gold
you can keep the cash
just something i can hold
when nothing ever lasts
it doesn't mean that much to you
but in the proper hands
it could mean everything
el gato, el gato understands

get your hands up
and don't move an inch
calmly, slowly turn and face the wall
i don't want your paper
and i don't want your lives
in fact i know i don't want that at all

you see i got a bad case of poor man's luck
and the well in my town has run dry
the man stole it all to make a quick buck
and i can't stand to hear the niños cry

gimme the gold
you can keep the cash
just something i can hold
when nothing ever lasts
it never meant that much to you
so get down on the floor
and count to infinity
el gato, el gato's out the door

count to infinity
el gato's final score

El Gato

SURVIVE
(John Faye / Brittany Rotondo)

these words they equal nothing
unless they're heavily sedated
so pass me sister morphine
'cause this time i just might hate it

stuck with infatuation
that kills to cast a spell
as sweet as liquid courage
as dark as true love's hell

1 cc of nicotine
the worst of all bad habits
you're beautiful in every way
but you're killing me, god damnit

i want to equal something
so desperately more than nothing
these words might spell disaster
but can you feel my heart beat faster

stuck with infatuation
that kills to cast a spell
as sweet as liquid courage
as dark as true love's hell

1 cc of nicotine
the worst of all bad habits
you're beautiful in every way
but you're killing me god damnit

and so i'll take one final breath today
and hope to stay alive
stuck inside this heartless coma
i don't think i will survive

you're beautiful in every way
but you're killing me, god damnit
you're killing me


Survive

TOMMY'S NOT A WIDOW
(John Faye / Brittany Rotondo)

tommy's not a widow
he never really was
i felt so fuckin' bad for him
i tried to pray to god
i told the lord to help him out
and buy the dude a beer
he said he would, he said he'd try
but something seemed so weird
tommy's not a widow
he never really was

tommy wouldn't bullshit god
i'm tellin' you he's a stand-up guy
so how could he do something
so fuckin' crazy
honestly i don't know why

tommy's not a widow
he never really was
i felt so fuckin' bad for him
i tried to pray to god
tommy's not a widow
he never really was

ok, ok, i'll lend a hand
i'll buy him the finest brew
but just make sure that the chick is gone
before our arrangement's finally through
so i went to talk to tommy behind the drums
anxious for what i'd find
"you silly thing, i was never married
and i never had a wife that died"

tommy's not a widow
he never really was
i felt so fuckin' bad for him
i tried to pray to god
tommy's not a widow
he never really was

Tommy's Not a Widow

MISSISSIPPI FRED
(John Faye / Brittany Rotondo)

mississippi fred
a boy turned to reverend
ghouls and goblins in his head
brain high up into heaven
slip stream rollin' on a bus on a train
rolex golden, or stolen, either way
it's mississippi fred, mississippi fred

it's happenin' baby!

he fancies all the girls
with the dresses that are pretty
oh what a world, what a world
livin' in the nitty gritty
one beneath the swamp
behind all the voodoo
that boogzy woogzy stomp
and them dirty delta blues

yeah, it's happenin' baby!

Mississippi Fred

An audio collage, constructed from John & Brittany's interview on WCHE's "Soundstage" from 10/11/12.

Sinning101

Kid Leo from Little Steven's Underground Garage back-announces "Start Sinning!"

KID LEO INTRO

Hi, we're John & Brittany and we rob banks. Not really, but we write songs about it. El Gato understands.

johnbrittany

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