Two Kinds of Laughter

January 1, 1998

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!”

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.

TAKE WHATEVER I CAN GET music by Sara Hickman, lyrics by Sara Hickman and Mary Beth Goldsen. For Hank.

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.

COOLNESS BY MISTAKE lyrics by Sara Hickman, music by Jon Brion. For Ouisie.

EIGHT music and lyrics by Sara Hickman. For Oliver.

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.

LOOK AT IT THIS WAY music by Sara Hickman, lyrics by Sara Hickman and Colin Boyd. For grumpy days that want to change.

OPTIMISTIC FOOL music and lyrics by Jim Jacobsen and Sara Hickman. For people who believe in the beauty of acronyms.

ONE IN OUR HAPPINESS music by Sara Hickman, lyrics by Sara Hickman and Marty Lester. To Pedro, with great respect.

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.

COMETS OVER COSTA RICA music and lyrics by Sara Hickman and Nick Trevisik. To the dolphins, swimming away.

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
  • 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