I've come to set a twisted thing straight

Solitude stands by the window
She turns her head as I walk in the room
I can see by her eyes she's been waiting
Standing in the slant of the late afternoon

And she turns to me with her hand extended
Her palm is split with a flower with a flame

Solitude stands in the doorway
And I'm struck once again by her black silhouette
By her long cool stare and her silence
I suddenly remember each time we've met

And she turns to me with her hand extended
Her palm is split with a flower with a flame

And she says "I've come to set a twisted thing straight"
And she says "I've come to lighten this dark heart"
And she takes my wrist, I feel her imprint of fear
And I say "I've never thought of finding you here"

I turn to the crowd as they're watching
They're sitting all together in the dark in the warm
I wanted to be in there among them
I see how their eyes are gathered into one

And then she turns to me with her hand extended
Her palm is split with a flower with a flame

And she says "I've come to set a twisted thing straight"
And she says"l've come to lighten this dark heart"
And she takes my wrist, I feel her imprint of fear
And I say "I've never thought of finding you here"

Solitude stands in the doorway
And I'm struck once again by her black silhouette
By her long cool stare and her silence
I suddenly remember each time we've met

And she turns to me with her hand extended
Her palm is split with a flower with a flame

Suzanne Vega

Listening to Suzanne Vega's self-titled debut album tonight.  Released in 1985, standout tracks are "Knight Moves", "Undertow", "Small Blue Thing" and "Marlene on the Wall."  Definitely enjoying it, although I think "Solitude Standing" is much stronger overall.

For some reason I thought "Left of Center" was on this album, but I guess it was only on the "Pretty and Pink" soundtrack.

Tidewater, VA Record Stores

Down in Williamsburg, VA for a few days with the family, so while they drove to the Beach I decided to spend some quality time exploring the local record shops.

I found a couple stores online so drove out to the Tidewater area. First on the agenda was Birdland in Virginia Beach.

I loved the atmosphere right away. There were a couple guys just hanging out talking about music, and the place had a very laid-back, music-lover vibe to it. It's not really a vinyl specialty shop, though - - more CDs. But they did have some vinyl - all in stacks on the floor, completely out of order. The good news is they were cheap. I did find some gems:

David Lee Roth - Eat 'em & Smile
Steve Winwood - Back in the High Life & Roll With It
Sheila E. - The Glamorous Life
Jody Watley - Some Kind of Lover (12" single)
The Young Rascals - Groovin'
The Police - Ghost in the Machine
Suzanne Vega - self-titled


After Birdland, I headed over to Norfolk and found Skinnies Records. This was a real treat. Very easy to find, awesome vibe, great owner who is very helpful and knowledgeable about music. EXCELLENT vinyl selection - definitely top notch place. Cool atmosphere, and really a must stop if you're in the area. In addition to vinyl they have tons of CDs, t-shirts, and other cool stuff. They have a great selection of vinyl - classic rock, punk, new wave, metal, cool 45's - plenty of collectibles.

I picked up a couple gems that I'm very happy about:

The Cure: The Top
Nirvana: Unplugged in New York

Great to have both of these on vinyl. Both classic albums. Had a good time shopping and chatting with the owner - Skinnies is a MUST for any music fan if you're in the Tidewater area, especially vinyl lovers like me.