Infinitely Losing My Edge
Yeah, I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge.
The kids are coming up from behind.
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge to the kids from Mauritania and from Paris.
But I was there.
I was there in 1975.
I was there at the first Ubu show in Cleveland.
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge to the kids whose footsteps I hear when they get on the decks.
I'm losing my edge to the internet seekers who can tell me every member of every good group from 1967 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Toronto and Tokyo.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lille kids in little jackets and borrowed nostalgia for the unremembered nineties.
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge.
I can hear the footsteps every night on the decks.
But I was there.
I was there in 1967 at the first Rodriguez practice in a loft in Detroit.
I was working on the oboe sounds with much patience.
I was there when Captain Beefheart started up his first band.
I told him, "Don't do it that way. You'll never make a dime."
I was there.
I was the first guy playing Heavy D & The Boyz to the grunge kids.
I played it at the Troubador.
Everybody thought I was crazy.
We all know.
I was there.
I was there.
I've never been wrong.
But I'm losing my edge to better-looking people with better ideas and more talent.
And they're actually really, really nice.
I'm losing my edge.
I heard you have a compilation of every good song ever done by anybody.
Every great song by Roxette. All the underground hits.
All Shoche tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Moss Icon record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rap hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a spring reverb and a harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Trumans Water record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought a mellotron.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a marimba.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Ice-T,
Dorothy Ashby,
The Slits,
Animal Collective,
Man Parrish,
Section 25,
Oblivians,
the Fania All-Stars,
The United States of America,
Cheater Slicks,
Slave,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
The Litter,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Whodini,
The Modern Lovers,
Tommy Roe,
Minnie Riperton,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Gregory Isaacs,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Traffic Nightmare,
It's A Beautiful Day,
The Star Department,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Bizarre Inc.,
The Happenings,
Index,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
The Fuzztones,
Rufus Thomas,
Country Teasers,
Silicon Teens,
John Lydon,
Kenny Larkin,
48th St. Collective,
The Move,
The Last Poets,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
The New Christs,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Lower 48,
Aaron Thompson,
Blossom Toes,
The Victims,
Basic Channel,
The Selecter,
DJ Style,
Joensuu 1685,
Pagans,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
Jacob Miller,
Lonnie Liston Smith,
Siouxsie and the Banshees,
Jeff Lynne,
Kurtis Blow,
Lou Christie,
Nas,
Niagra,
Yaz,
Adolescents,
The Velvet Underground,
Bang On A Can,
Oneida,
Letta Mbulu, Letta Mbulu, Letta Mbulu, Letta Mbulu.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.