Pain and Pleasure by The Residents Lyrics

And so my story winds on down
Toward an ending that's been found to
Come whenever all is said and done
I've lived my life and taken chances
And if some were strange by standards
That were less important than my needs
Then I guess I could be crooked
Evil, bent and twisted, looking
Down upon the strings I tried to pull
But I see the strings extending
Up and down and neverending
As we dance around ourselves and jerk
To all the tunes that only we hear
And the voices only we fear
Each inside an island all alone
But the contact that we do make
As we give and take abuse, stays
And its value only multiplies

Yes I'm alone, but not forgotten
For each comes and sees me often
Sitting on a seat beside my bed
And we laugh and reminisce
About a life that once was bliss
Before an act of passion made us part
Of course they'll always be together
But their bond is made of leather
Not the flesh and blood it used to be
They're still full of life and healing
But it has a different feeling
And only for the few that seek their sort
Of pain and pleasure when they merge
And give into insistent urgency
That only lives for seconds at a time
For pain and pleasure are the twins
That, slightly out of focus, spin
Around us till we finally understand
That everything that gives us pleasure
Also gives us pain to measure
It by. And I also realize
That that all our lives we love illusion
Neatly caught between confusion
And the need to know we are alive

This is the end!