Two Kinds of Laughter

Two Kinds of Laughter is one of Sara’s best produced albums. And why not… it was produced by the legendary Adrian Belew. Includes the moving “Eight,” the wonderful “Let Go,” and the toe-tapping “E Cosi Desio Me Mena” and “Comets Over Costa Rica”. Also a rockin’ “Optimistic Fool!”


Track Listing

  1. TWO KINDS OF LAUGHTER music and lyrics by Sara Hickman. Thanks to Reader's Digest for their "Drama in Real Life", which inspired this song.
  2. TAKE WHATEVER I CAN GET music by Sara Hickman, lyrics by Sara Hickman and Mary Beth Goldsen. For Hank.
  3. I WEAR THE CROWN music and lyrics by Sara Hickman and Nick Trevisik. Try marching around the house with a paper crown because you deserve to be silly.
  4. COOLNESS BY MISTAKE lyrics by Sara Hickman, music by Jon Brion. For Ouisie.
  5. EIGHT music and lyrics by Sara Hickman. For Oliver.
  6. SECRET FAMILY music by Sara Hickman, lyrics by Sara Hickman and E. While volunteering at a Presbyterian hospital, I worked with a young man who'd tried to commit suicide. I was haunted and had to tell his story.
  7. LOOK AT IT THIS WAY music by Sara Hickman, lyrics by Sara Hickman and Colin Boyd. For grumpy days that want to change.
  8. OPTIMISTIC FOOL music and lyrics by Jim Jacobsen and Sara Hickman. For people who believe in the beauty of acronyms.
  9. ONE IN OUR HAPPINESS music by Sara Hickman, lyrics by Sara Hickman and Marty Lester. To Pedro, with great respect.
  10. E COSI DESIO ME MENA lyrics and melody by Sara Hickman, music by Marty Lester. (Latin for "and so desire carries me along.") Thanks to Bruce (for the Latin) and to Marty for jumping up and down about it.
  11. COMETS OVER COSTA RICA music and lyrics by Sara Hickman and Nick Trevisik. To the dolphins, swimming away.
  12. LET GO music and lyrics by Amy Tiven. Amy, you're a star.

Sara Hickman - Guitars, Vocals, Vocal Arrangements
Adrian Belew - Every Other Darn Thing, Producer
Ken Latchney - Engineer
Marty Lester - Horns and Percussion on "E Cosi Desio me Mena," Additional Engineer
Stevie Belew - backup vocals on "I Wear the Crown"
Ava Belew - backup vocals on "I Wear the Crown"
Iris Belew - backup vocals on "I Wear the Crown"
Martha Belew - backup vocals on "I Wear the Crown"
Sherry Webb - backup vocals on "I Wear the Crown"
Kirk Cornelius - backup vocals on "I Wear the Crown"
Ted Cornelius - backup vocals on "I Wear the Crown"
Pat and Karen Ramseur/Ramseur Design - Art Direction
Todd V. Wolfson - Photography
Max Pumpkin - Art Direction, Illustrations


Lyrics

Two Kinds of Laughter
Sara Hickman/Le Petit Bonheur/BMI

There's a wave
Washing over me
There's a wave
Breaking my heart free
And there's a light
That we call the sun

I feel the shells
Scratch into my skin
Yea, I feel the shells
As I swallow them in
I see the sun
Shining from up above

Well, it's funny when you're drowning
How you just don't care
You hardly even notice when you're running out of air
Floating with the sand and the seaweed in your hair

I see the shadow of a man
Waving from what must be a tree
Yeah, I see a man
He's waving down to me

Well, it's funny when you're drowning
And someone comes along
To offer advice
And sing their cheery song
But they don't throw the rope
'Cuz they don't wanna be
Pulled down in the waters of the unforgiving sea

Falling, I'm falling, falling
Out of myself
Finally
I've been wrapped up in a shell
A pretty pink hell
Waiting for the happy ever after
Forgetting that there's two kinds of laughter
When you view the sea as a mighty wishing well

I hear a sound
It sounds so far away
Yeah, I hear a sound
Of laughter... night and day

Well, it's funny when you're drowning
And the film begins to roll
You see life's little moments
As the treasures that you stole
Your body's washed up on the beach
You're grasping for straws
To give you back the life that you never even saw

Falling, I'm falling, falling
Out of myself
Finally
I've been wrapped up in a shell
A pretty pink hell
Waiting for the happy ever after
Forgetting that there's two kinds of laughter

The sun just keeps on shining down
Whether I swim or whether I drown
I'm laughing either way


Take Whatever I Can Get
Sara Hickman/Le Petit Bonheur/BMI and Mary Beth Goldsen/Criterion

I should go home
I know this is wrong
But I'm glued to my chair, can't do nothin' but stare
At this guy
I'm feeling sick
And sort of confused
Here comes a ghost I can never lose
And he's sittin' down right next to me
Pretending he's you, there's nothin' I can do

'Cause he's got your eyes
He's got your face
He's got your moves
And he's workin' the entire place
Have I lost my mind?
Cannot forget
He isn't you...
But I'll take whatever I can get

He's havin' a drink
I'm havin' two
He bends his straw the way you used to do
Yeah, my heart's a mess
What have I done?
'Cause he's just some guy out having fun
And he starts to laugh
Throw back his head
Wish I was home, wish I was dead

'Cause he's got your eyes
He's got your face
He's got your moves
And he's workin' the entire place
Have I lost my mind?
Cannot forget
He isn't you...
But I'll take whatever I can get

Oh, he reaches over
And I run for cover
I've gotta remember, he's not my lover
He'll never be you

But he's got your eyes
He's got your face
He's got your moves
And wants to take me back to his place
Have I lost my mind?
Cannot forget
He isn't you...
But I'll take whatever I can get

'Cause he's got your eyes
He's got your face
He's got your moves
And he's workin' the entire place
Have I lost my mind?
Cannot forget
He isn't you...
But I'll take whatever I can
Take whatever I can
Take whatever I can get


I Wear The Crown
Sara Hickman/Le Petit Bonheur/BMI and Nick Trevisik Songs/Warner Chappell Music

I'm the girl who's happy
Making her way in this world
Optimistic, that's me
I'm getting stronger day by day
People often tell me
A strong resolve will never waver
Like a modern princess
I keep the hungry wolves at bay

I can't be conquered with words and a smile
But if you prove you're worthy
Then after a while
Maybe

I'll come around
I'll be the sun and the laughter when life gets you down
Oh, heavenly bound!
Watch as we swing from the rafters and we toast the town
But just don't forget
I wear the crown

Now, you may need a castle
And land as far as you can see
And happy ever afters
And bells upon your wedding day
But I don't need a country
Or people under my command
'Cuz I'm not really comfy
Living out my life that way, and...

I can't be conquered with words and a smile
But if you prove you're worthy
Then after a while
Maybe

I'll come around
I'll be the sun and the laughter when life gets you down
Oh, heavenly bound!
Watch as we swing from the rafters and we toast the town
But just don't forget
I wear the crown

I wear the crown...
All over town...
Maybe some day I just might let you take it down...


Coolness By Mistake
Sara Hickman/Le Petit Bonheur/BMI and Jon Brion

Her fingers mushed his hair
She loved to mess the strands around
Then watch, as they unwind
Falling into place
And now, he's sleeping in
She smiles next to him
And she has never been so awake
She's gone and overflowed
And he'll be glad to know
Her coolness is by mistake

He woke, the day was bright
He heard her humming in the kitchen
He was taking in the light
Just thinking to himself
She hollered, "I heard that!"
And now he wears a grin
As he is falling in
And he has never been so awake
She's gone and called her mom
To say she's found someone
Whose coolness is by mistake

And now he wears a grin
As he is falling in
And he has never been so awake
She's gone and called her mom
To say she's found someone
Whose coolness is by mistake
Whose coolness is by mistake


Eight
Sara Hickman/Le Petit Bonheur/BMI

A collection of things reside... inside your front door
Where you always dropped your keys
One day I watched them fall to nestle in beside
A black, magic eight-ball

I should have left well enough alone
While you were talking on the phone
But I'm the kind of girl who takes a challenge to task
And after all, it's just a ball sitting in your hall
And what harm could it do to ask?

From the kitchen you questioned
What I had questioned
When you heard me gasp...

There was a moment in time when you and I were dancing
And underneath the stars we'd sing each other to slepp
And now I talk to God all day as he tries to take this pain away
That you have embedded so deeply

And as the months have passed, the silence is deafening
But I still believe the phone will ring
And lately I feel your memory slipping
And I think, "what's the use?"
I guess the magic eight-ball told the truth...

And where did the love go I know still exists?
Well, you can turn me upside-down
And turn my world all around
But I'll never forget what you may never miss...

Someday you'll hold a sidewalk sale
And tell a stranger this strange tale
As they inspect the eight-ball on your table
And through the truth can't be denied
I guess that old eight-ball lied
And we did the best that we were able

And as the years have passed, the silence is lessening
But I still believe the phone will ring
And lately I feel your memory slipping
And I think, "what's the use?"
I guess the magic eight-ball told the truth...

Yes, I guess the magic eight-ball told the truth...


Secret Family
Sara Hickman/Le Petit Bonheur/BMI and E/Sexy Grandpa Music/Almo Music/ASCAP

Threw himself to meet the train
Now he's lost his arms and legs
He'll never walk again
Or hold the hand of a pretty girl
He grew to hate the pain
Of living in this world
And every night he prays
He won't live to see her face

Mahler no. 53
I was turning 21
Pounding fists down on the keys
Never been with anyone

Now I'm crossing the line
One more time
In my memory
Crossing the line
Of yours and mine
In our secret family

Side by side
Everything I know
Watching love grow
Like a tragedy

No remedy can turn back time
What was his is now mine
He's my father's only son
He was the chosen one

Now I'm crossing the line
One more time
In my memory
Crossing the line
Of yours and mine
In our secret family


Look At It This Way
Sara Hickman/Le Petit Bonheur/BMI and Colin Boyd/White Headed Fly Music/BMI

Look at it this way, this way

Too many people have a problem
Thinking of life as a ball and... ball and chain
Taking for granted simple pleasures
Tied down the tracks, they're just waiting on the train

So look at it this way, this way
The flag isn't flying at half mast
Look at it this way, this way
You could have run out of gas
Look at it this way, this way
You'll always have the last laugh
Maybe that's just what it takes
To look at it this way

Once I blamed the world for my problems
'Cause everyone else got what I was due
All I saw was my own anger
Until one day I changed my ways, and changed these heavy shoes

Now, look at it this way, this way
I could have lost my favorite shirt
Look at it this way, this way
I could have been face down in the dirt
This way, this way
And everytime that I get hurt
Maybe that's just what it takes
To look at it this way

You keep prolonging your own aching
From a past you can't let... you can't let go
It's your own future you're forsaking
You've got to
Give it up
Pull yourself up
Pave your own way, you know

So look at it this way, this way
The future is written in your hand
Look at it this way, this way
We're all pieces of a larger plan
Look at it this way, this way
And someday you'll understand
That that's just what it takes
To look at it this way


Optimistic Fool
Sara Hickman/Le Petit Bonheur/BMI and Callipygian Music/Warner Chappell Music/ASCAP

We came out of the fire, we came out of the dirt
We walked into a F.U.C.K.ed-up future
And some of us got hurt

We've turned the corner of desire
Forgotten our own worth
We've run the distance to recover...

You say it's just a matter of time
But I'll stay an optimistic fool
What's yours ain't mine

Someone somewhere's breaking glass
Someone's about to jump
In a coupla seconds I'll be gone...
Yes, I believe we can exist
On air and water and a kiss
But until then you can't lay a hand on this

You say it's just a matter of time
I'll stay an optimistic fool
Don't deny me the right to see
The world through my own eyes
I'm just an optimistic fool

Pass the plate
Shut the gate
Don't let the strangers in
It's us and them
Someday we'll win
Push the button
Again
Raise the dead
Free your head
Smoke some pot and go back to bed
We've burned the toast
The holy ghost
and most of our dreams

You say it's just a matter of time
I'll stay an optimistic fool
Don't deny me the right to see
The world through my own eyes
I'm just an optimistic fool


One In Our Happiness
Sara Hickman/Le Petit Bonheur/BMI and Marty Lester/BMI

Leaves on the grass
Gentle and wet
Your fingers rest on my face
I fall from myself
You smile to yourself
The clouds drift across like a mountain of green

Too many nights
Turn into day
Oh, yes
If they could all only end this way
I'm calling your name
You're calling my name
We are one in our happiness

Learning you mean
Whatever you say
I trust we will always make love this way
I lifted the sun
And you
Helped me
Put it away
When you sleep
I kiss your eyes
My happy sighs
Rest in the palm
Rest in the palm of your hand

I reach for your heart with mine
I'm with you all the time
I reach for your heart with mine
I'm with you all the time

Too many nights
Turn into day
Oh, yes
If they could all only end this way
I'm calling your name
You're calling my name
We are one in our happiness

Because thinking, looking at you
And dreaming, you think of me too
Believing our attractions
At you laugh, laughing, with all that you do
While I fall into eyes
Blue

I reach for your heart with mine
I'm with you all the time
I reach for your heart with mine
I'm with you all the time


E Cosi Desio Me Mena
Sara Hickman/Le Petit Bonheur/BMI and Marty Lester/BMI

Humanity + desire = ?

And so desire carries me along
Story to story: chapter one
I had no knowledge
I had no past
No hardware, no portrait
No man on my lap.
Nope!

And this river is merry and strong
Raindrop to ocean, swimming along
I had no bucket
I had no compass
No windsail, no starry skies
No flippers for feet

E cosi desio me mena!
E cosi desio me mena!

Then darkness, all velveted song
No temptation to place souls upon
I had no anger
I had no fear
No cold sweat, no fever
Just sweet sweet silence

E cosi desio me mena!
E cosi desio me mena!


Comets Over Costa Rica
Sara Hickman/Le Petit Bonheur/BMI and Nick Trevisik Songs/Warner Chappell Music

Comets over Costa Rica breaking up the sky
Wishing I could ride the wind, taste the stars
Touch of Mars
No telephones are ringing, no telephones at all
Just the endless nightbird singing,
"Look at me, flying free"

The air is full of flowers
Scent everywhere
I'm bathed in love's moonlight
Your fingers in my hair

Haunting me, like a smile before Poseidon
Being swallowed up inside him — cast away
Shooting stars on the horizon
As the comet's slowly rising
On this night of jewels

Satellites in Panavision, an evening matinee
Sinking into reverie, a mission bell breaks the spell
Singing under God's sweet ceiling, swaying to the palms
I'm a tourist in a host of answers
Soon to be revealed to me

Slide under night's blanket
Reach out your hand to me
Each moment, so perfect
Here is where we were meant to be

Haunting me, like a smile before Poseidon
Being swallowed up inside him — cast away
Shooting stars on the horizon
As the comet's slowly rising
On this night of jewels

The air is full of flowers
Scent everywhere
I'm bathed in love's moonlight
Your fingers in my hair

Haunting me, like a smile before Poseidon
Being swallowed up inside him — cast away
Shooting stars on the horizon
As the comet's slowly rising
On this night of jewels


Let Go
Amy Tiven/BMI

Let go... just let them get ahead of you
And nothing will happen
Let them leave you behind...
Let go... just let your mind wander...
Over houses and roadsides
Over planes in the sky

You are so tired, you cannot sit down
You just pace on the floor
With your cigarette smoke angels above you

Stop... all the hoping and waiting the while
Let the hunger and hating sit down
And be nothing but air in a big, empty room
It's good... good enough to just sit there in peace
And the world can go right on without you
And forget what they want you to be...

Someone... took a picture of you as a child
Dressed in blue polyester
Holding an umbrella to the sun...
Look now... you just need to let go again
Let your insides just float away
You can even forget what you've done

You are so tired, you cannot sit down
You just pace on the floor
With your cigarette smoke angels above you

Let go... and I will take care of you
And I will surround you
With nothing at all
Let go... you don't have to be anyone
And I will surround you
With nothing at all
Nothing at all

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