Heaven Hates Who It Hates

Our Story:

Young Glow Boy has a fight with his mother and father.
In a fit of anger and frustration, he climbs the highest
building in town and contemplates tossing himself
to the street below. At the last moment, however,
he realizes that he much prefers life to the alternative
and off he goes to the bus station with $52 and some gum
in his pocket. In the blink of an eye
a Greyhound bus whisks him away to the BIG CITY.

Once there, Glow Boy wanders the streets alone
searching for that one thing that lonely young boys
often think will somehow make them happy. By chance,
he meets a young girl and the two fall in love.

Unfortunately, there is much vileness in this world
and Glow Boy falls prey to the influences of an evil man
and his dark wares. One night, after his girlfriend
finally makes good on her threat to leave him, Glow Boy
fills his veins with hate and dies. His soul flies
up to heaven but heaven is temporarily full.
Glow Boy's soul hurtles back to earth and life is his once again.
Shaken and stirred, he heads yet again to the mean streets
in search of easy solace. Easy solace is easily found
everywhere in the BIG CITY, and Glow Boy soon finds
himself in the arms of a young woman of malleable virtues.

Lying in bed, the two are startled by the unexpected
return of the young woman's jealous lover who pulls a gun
from her purse and prompty dispatches a bullet in the brain
of our hero. Fearing the consequences of this rash action,
the two women scoop Glow Boy up into their arms
and drive him to a nearby hospital where they leave him near
death at the door of the emergency room.

The heroic doctors manage to save Glow Boy's life,
if not all of his mind. The young man's parents are notified and
they rush to the hospital to claim their son. Though never
to walk or talk or for that matter even feed himself again,
Glow Boy has finally found his way back home and almost
everyone is happy again! Isn't love grand!

Home again! Home again!
Jiggity jig!

Notes From The Re-Issue:

Released 29 August 1996, SPLENDID TRIGGER must have aged me five years to make. I believe I started recording it sometime in early spring and finished it in late August. I don't even remember now why I thought recording a 29 song rock opera was a good idea; I suppose I was bored already with putting out the stock 12-14 track album every 6-10 months and I do recall being somewhat at a loss for something to write about until I realized if I came up with a story for a song cycle then the subject matter would take care of itself. I had several cassettes by Scott Johnson (Love, Calvin)--one of my favorite hometapers from the 80s and 90s--and I got the idea of using some of his songs and arrangements as the foundation for developing a series of rewritten compositions that would fit into a story about a young man who grows disenchanted with his small town life and goes to the city for a life of adventure and ends up...well, you have to listen to the album. Anyway, I wrote Scott and asked him permission and he was kind enough to grant it to me. The funny thing is I sent him a check for $50 to cover 'royalties' because I was certain THIS album was going to be the one folks couldn't ignore. To date, as far as I know, fewer than 20 people have even HEARD it, much less bothered to purchase it! Anyway, Jim Santo of DEMOUNIVERSE (the only publication I ever bothered to send it to) wrote..."...his best ever...a collection of outstanding songs, sequenced to tell a story but strong enough to stand alone." I recall that my wife and kids left for the weekend just before work started up again and I probably spent 50-60 hours of the 72 I had before they got home finishing writing and recording. When they rolled into the drive way I had just put the last vocal part on the last song and my mind was burnt to a crisp. No other record ever took more out of me emotionally, mentally and even physically.

Lyrics:

Never Be Like You* :: I have always been a disappointment to my friends and
family Condemned to join Held captive to their privileged mysteries Sometimes I
scream I make a scene Play the martyr times x extreme You pay a price to live
that nice Wrap your soul in a coat of ice I'm never gonna live my life like you
I'd rather die than to be like you Put him to bed without his supper I'm never
gonna live my life like you I'd rather die than to be like you...

There I Go Again :: There I go again Thinking that I fit in There I go again
Breaking when I should bend There I go again There I go There I go again There I
go again Thinking I had a friend There I go again Beginning when I should end
There I go again... I'm sick of showy seeming Of a life that's half a lie Of
faces lined with scheming In the crowds that hurry by There I go again Thinking
that I fit in There I go again Breaking when I should bend There I go again...

The Darkest Place :: I've got that funny feeling again like my heart's spinning
in my chest I hear the voices call my name think that running might be best it's
the darkest place you ever saw the big gray house where I live I don't call it
living there at all just a space to empty out my days if I had the time to find
a place to sit me down full face to face well it might be then I’d see my soul
go tumbling toward some shining goal if I had the time to learn from you how
much for comfort my word would do and I told you then my sudden will could you
know the way I feel? wish that I could say I’ll miss this town wish I had
someone to tell goodbye I’m sorry if I let you down I just have to go I don't
know why if I had the time to find a place to sit me down full face-to-face well
it might be then I’d see my soul go tumbling toward some shining goal

A Perfect Day :: Heaven hates who it hates who knows the reason why and this
looks like a perfect day to spread my wings and fly climb the stairs to the top
of the world could I touch the sky? if I did it now would anyone care? that
another lonely kid chose to die heaven hates who it hates who knows the reason
why? fill my lungs with the morning air feel my heart pounding in my chest the
only thing that matters is that I still care think somehow today I might have
been blessed heaven hates that it hates who knows the reason why and this looks
like a perfect day the day I chose not to die heaven hates who it hates whom
knows the reason why?

Fucked Up World :: Sitting in the station am 4:30 no destination feeling cheap
and dirty don't wanna live in this fucked up world anymore don't wanna live in
this fucked up world anymore my mind is buzzing like a moth round a candle
trying my best to get a handle on my life if I had a gun I might use it today
line everybody up and blow 'em away wasted old man giving me the eye girl on the
pay phone starts to cry don't wanna live in this fucked up world anymore don't
wanna live in this fucked up world anymore my mind is buzzing like a moth round
a candle trying my best to get a handle on my life if I had a gun I might use it
today line everybody up and just blow 'em away $52 and some gum in my pocket I’d
buy a ticket to mars if they had a rocket don't wanna live in this fucked up
world anymore don't wanna live in this fucked up world anymore my mind is
buzzing like a moth round a candle trying my best to get a handle on my life if
I had a gun I might use it today line everybody up and just blow 'em away

A Day Like This :: On a day like this ‑ sun's fire on the windows of the
skyscraper mountains ‑ it feels so good to be alive the streets packed with
people rushing here and there where are they going? well I don't even care oh no
today I’m starting over rising from the ashes the weight of the world goes
sliding off my shoulders today I’ll look around maybe make a friend or two maybe
find a lover and aint that sky so clear and blue is that the sound of laughter
somewhere from behind my back? and is this the morning after when clear and blue
turns to black?

And His Mother Cried* :: He could have been a president or a wealthy wall street
broker but instead he bought a one‑way ticket and became a have you seen this
face and his sister cried and his brother cried and his mother cried and his
father cried he was a perfect angel never caused a moment's worry he could've
been a research scientist he could've made his family proud and his sister
cried...love is the illusion of forever he could have been a famous novelist he
could have been anything his parents so desired but instead he bought a one‑way
ticket and became a have you seen this face and his sister cried...

Band-Aids and Tea* :: I saw her in the drug store in the med supply section
breaking thermometers and drinking the mercury she turned and looked at me I
dropped my sack of band aids and tea later on the bed smoking hand rolled
cigarettes watching the tonight show and laughing at jay leno's chin I knew I’d
never see her again I knew I’d never see her again

The Alien Girl :: She feels dumb because she's an alien girl she has green lips
and blue hair and red eyes and a peacock feather hat she thinks she's ugly but
she's not she's just an alien girl with green lips and blue hair and red eyes
and a peacock feather hat she says she's going to make a movie one day it'll be
in green and blue and red because those are the only colors she can see it'll be
a comedy about a girl from another planet it'll be a comedy but no one will
laugh her favorite day of the year is Halloween she says that's the only time
she feels as though she belongs one day a man stopped me on the street and told
me the alien girl is the devil's spy I told him that may be true but she's not
so different from any of us really she's not so different she's the alien girl

Something :: I think my life must be charmed since I fell into your hungry arms
just be tender love just be true I’ll hold you close the whole night through lay
your head upon my chest listen to my heart race you're different from all the
rest you take me to a better place isn't that something? Isn't that something?
isn't that love girl?

Dark Side In :: Hey kid ‑ I got some little something you might wanna try show
you what it means to live show you what it's like to die let the dark side in
hey kid ‑ I’ve got some little something pull you right out of your brain turn
your eyes inside out I’ll say it again let the dark side in run your finger
across its smooth electric skin now isn't that something let the show begin let
the dark side in

I Fell Inside* :: Now I lay me down to die got too high well that's all right
some lives are better left un-lived nothing left to give well that's all right
point the needle to the south degree if I choose not to be well that's all right
if my spirit flies away if I die today well that's all right if you find me face
down on the floor well I just couldn't take it anymore the wound grew wide until
I fell inside the wound grew wide until I fell inside the wound grew wide until
I fell inside

Full :: Heaven is full heaven is full I’m sorry please don't come here don't want
no queers no Mexicans no Africans heaven is full heaven is full I'm sorry no
orient no deviant no rock'n'roll we can't control heaven is full heaven is full
I’m sorry

Live for Love* :: Her days of rapture are coming to an end her flesh dissolves to
reveal the world within somehow somewhere she knows she's lost the touch but now
it doesn't seem to matter very much oh she lives for love today she handed me a
fresh picked rose she said it's just like her it only lives to grow she said
that flower's beautiful when it's in full bloom but dead it's even lovelier I
know she's leaving soon oh she lives for love if you're up there Jesus I’m
waiting still this life you gave us I s such a bitter pill but I love the thing
you didn't say I guess I always will and if you're up there Jesus I’m down here
waiting still oh I live for love

Heaven Can Wait* :: It's nice up here but I just can't stay there's some things I
got to do today oh heaven heaven can wait the clouds are soft and the angels are
kind but I’ve got to run I hope you don't mind oh heaven heeaven can wait I’ve
made mistakes I freely grant that's true I’ll make some more but if it's okay
with you oh heaven heaven can wait

Kinda Pretty* :: You're kinda pretty kinda pretty kinda pretty won't you tell me
your name? and I been lonely oh so lonely oh so lonely and that's a dirty shame

Girlfriend* :: Your girl friend has gone to town and no one else is around I
won't judge what's wrong or right just make love to you all night (Over and
Over) just make love to you all night (over and over)

What I Get* :: So this is what I get when I put my trust in you this is what
happens when I turn my back and no I don't own you we both know that's true but
at least I thought we had some sort of lover's pact and did you think you'd
shove me out the door? did you think I’d simply run? What kind of fool do you
take me for? the kind who's not afraid to use this gun

Lucky Boy* :: Mr. Glow has gone away he might come back another day but right now
it's not looking good the doctors did all that they could took the pieces of his
brain and sewed them all back up again his parents are due here by ten can't
wait to see their boy again lucky boy oh lucky boy he's such a lucky boy he'll
have the best care money can buy he'll never have to lift a finger till the day
he dies he'll have the best care money can buy goodbye lucky boy

We've Got Our Boy Back* :: We've got our boy back we've got our boy back we've
got our boy back again if there's one thing I just can't quite explain it's why
we cause each other so much pain betrayal cracks even the hardest heart but we
forgave you right from the start we've got our boy back the truth is sharp and
cold we bore it so long as our private disgrace they say there's a place for
each and everything and everything has got its place you can run from your
parents you can run from your school you can run from yourself but you'll never
get away no you'll never get away no you'll never get away no you'll never get
away we've got our boy back so this is how it ends the same way it began who
could hope to comprehend god's twisted plan and now we lay you down to sleep
will you ever wake? I pray the lord your soul to keep if the bough should break
we've got our boy back

I Believed You* :: The first time I saw you standing beneath a neon sign I knew
you were a tragedy just waiting to happen and the red light in your eyes made
you look so dangerous then you smiled and said hello and I forgot my life the
streets were still soaked from a three day rain you said you'd been away so good
to see the city again and I believed you...you said that vampires roamed the
night we sat in an all‑night movie house holding hands till dawn and why did you
leave me? you said I completed you sharp and angular I’m like a piece of broken
mirror

If the Light Has Gone Out :: When the sun of your life Has gone down and the
clouds in the west turn to gold oh how sad all the years if the light has gone
out in your soul oh just think how in debt you must feel with the light growing
dim in your soul oh how lonely it would be oh how sad if the light has gone out
in your soul when you come to the end of the way and life's story for you has
been told oh how sad all the years will they end if the light has gone out in
your soul when the chilly winds of death steal around you and the clouds hang
around black as coal what a dread in your life you will feel if the light has
gone out in your soul I will live a righteous life while I am here body and soul
by good controlled when I come to the end of the way with the light burning
bright in my soul

All songs (Shelley/Johnson) except Lucky Star by Madonna; Hopeless by Corn Rocket; If The Light Has Gone Out In Your Soul (traditional - arrangement by Jim Shelley); Same Old In/Out by Scott Johnson; and (*) by Jim Shelley.

Produced, performed and mixed by Jim Shelley.

Art Direction by DiskoMagic Designs.

Recorded Summer 1996.

Digitally re-mastered by Jim Shelley December 17, 1999.

Dedicated to Jim Santo.