The Party - Live

The fire breathing rebels
 Arrive at the party early
 Their khakis are hung in the closet near the fur
 Asking handouts from the ladies
 While they criticize the lord
 Boasting of the murder
 Of the very hands that pour
 And the victims learn to giggle
 For at least they are not bored
 And my shoulders had to shrug
 As I crawled beneath the rug and re-tune my piano
 The hostess, is enormous
 She fills the room with perfume
 She meets the guests and smothers them with greeting
 And she asks how are you
 And she offers them a drink
 The countess of the social grace
 Who never seems to blink
 And she promises to talk to you
 If you promise not to think
 And my shoulders had to shrug
 As I crawled beneath the rug and re-tune my piano
 The beauty of the hour
 Is blazing in the present
 She surrounds herself with those who would surrender
 Floating in her flattery
 She's a trophy prize caressed
 Protected by a pretty face
 Sometimes cursed, sometimes blessed
 And she's staring down their desire
 While they're staring down her dress
 And my shoulders had to shrug
 As I crawled beneath the rug and re-tune my piano
 The ego shine like light bulbs
 So bright you cannot see them
 Blind each other, blinder than a sandbox
 Oh, the fury of an argument
 Holding back their yawn
 Challenge shakes the chandelier
 The selfish swords are drawn
 To the loser go the hangups
 To the victor go the hangers on
 And my shoulders had to shrug
 As I crawled beneath the rug and re-tuned my piano
 They travel to the table
 The host is served for supper
 And they pass each other down for salt and pepper
 And the conversation sparkles as their wits are dipped in wine
 Dinosaurs on a diet
 On each other they will dine
 Then they pick their teeth and they squelch a belch saying
 "Darling, you tasted divine"
 And my shoulders had to shrug
 As I crawled beneath the rug and re-tuned my piano
 The wallflower is waiting
 She hides behind composure
 She'd love to dance
 And prays that no one asks her
 Then she steals a glance at lovers
 While her fingers tease her hair
 She marvels at the confidence
 Of those who hide their fears
 Then her eyes are closed as she rides away with a foreign legionnaire
 And my shoulders had to shrug
 As I crawled beneath the rug and re-tuned my piano
 Romeo is reeling
 Counting notches on his thighbone
 Searching for one hundred and eleven
 And he's charming as a child
 As he leads you to his web
 Seducing queens and gypsy girls
 In the boudoir of his head
 Then he wraps himself with a tablecloth and pretends he is a bed
 And my shoulders had to shrug
 As I crawled beneath the rug and re-tuned my piano
 Oh, the party must be over
 Even the losers are leaving
 But just one doubt is nagging at my caustic mind
 So I snuck up close behind me
 And I gave myself a kiss
 And I led myself to the mirror
 To expose what I had missed
 There I saw a laughing maniac who was writing songs like this
 And my shoulders had to shrug
 As I crawled beneath the rug and re-tuned my piano