Status
Stranger Than Fiction song
Elliott Smith song
Alternate Version/Title
Punch and Judy
Written By
Garrick Duckler (lyrics)
Elliott Smith (music)
Jason Hornick (music) - 1986 version
Recording Sessions
September 14, 1986 (Rainbow Recording, Portland, OR - Stranger Than Fiction - Waiting for the Second Hand) - uncirculating
March - July 1996 (The Shop, Humboldt County, CA - Primary Either/Or Sessions)
Availability of Official Release
Alternate Versions from Either/Or
Lyrics (thanks to snowballinhell)
a wallpaper pulls his punch, talks to judy in a crowded corner
he don’t read page to page or say the words in order
judy’s illustrating and she’s a stranger to the straight face
always seems so far away, staring out into space
‘i’m sorry, tried to stay away’ says punch, “later took hell, though.”
he’ll dress like an opposite but really he’s more than echo
judy leans over, like a strike of a clock says, ‘i don’t buy that, boy’
there’s two inside of you and they’re both gonna be destroyed.”
in the alley, mixing blood cheek to cheek
you’re up against the words you never could dare to speak
it’s your conflict shored up tight
your heavy steps that follow her steps so light
so judy holds punch, cufflinks inside her clenched fist
she had a dream of bandages on punch’s wrist
so she sees punch with a thorn in his hand and says, ‘stop right there
what the fuck are you doing don’t you know i care?’
but she hears the bark of a cop and drops to the dirty street
'i wonder,’ punch says, 'do you know what at all what’s protecting me?’
judy used to hold me like a pencil writing out some change
her cheap philosopher was spare change for brains
in the alley, mixing blood cheek to cheek
you’re up against the words you never could dare to speak
it’s your conflict shored up tight
your heavy steps that follow her steps so light..
Note
This song was originally written and recorded by Stranger than Fiction. 10 years later, during the Either/Or sessions, Elliott revived it and demoed it on his own. 16 years after that, this Either/Or demo was released on “Alternate versions from Either/Or”.
Audio