[TLB]

Here's my best stab after about 10 listens.
Same as VS, list any corrections and I'll edit this post to reflect.
This song is definitely harder to decipher than VS.
*********************************************************

The summer is distanced places.
Does summer exist in it's praises?
The summer lives here where this place is.

C'mon up here, we've got something to show you.
Wanna show you everything we know,
wanna show you we've been banished before you,
wanna show you we've got our own roads.

And does your family know your wishes
'cause this chorus will do you like the dishes.
The summer's killing us, it's just sing, sing, sing all day.
It's as if summer existed in it's praises.

C'mon over, I've got something to play you.
'Back At Sunshine', it's The Shadow Band.
We can have strictly cactus relations
telling the waves to stop crashing.

And does everybody know your wishes
'cause this tune will do you like the dishes.
The summer's killing us, let's just sing, sing, sing all day.
It's as if summer just exists in her praises.

A time for more to happen sooner,
a time to be a person you still know.
To float a while on your sure power
'til you say "Canada lost, go home".

The summer's killing us, yeah we sing, sing, sing all day.
And it's as if summer exists here in it's praises.

(woo!)

Summer exists in a doorway.
Summer exists at the fair.
Summer is forever changes.
Summer's taking me all the way.

[vicariousmartyr]

yeah that sounds pretty accurate to me, i couldnt get much more out of it...i think,THINK he says 'places' at the end of a few lines : 'And it's as if summer exists here in it's places', but its hard to tell because he drags out that last word

[northern wave]

Cause this chorus will do you like the dishes

[Tarokun]

I THINK that I hear some new/different things. Indeed, it is hard to make out.
I hear "places" at the end of the first line
"chorus" instead of "course" in the 9th
Maybe "praises" as the long, drawn out word. "War's praises" is in VC, right?
Possibly "rush of power" instead of "rose to power"
and "fair" to fill the last set of ????'s
But you never can tell, because the lyrics are always slightly different from verse to verse.

[Tarokun]

one more thing, I think the last word is unaware

[hotmetal401]

I think the phrase "war's praises" was in the Edgefest version of Ballroom too

I heard this song four times on the radio today, and smilled through every one.

Cheers

Pat

[thedarkcanuck]

i hear 'PLACE IS" at the end of first chorus and "BANISHED BEFORE YOU,WANNA SHOW YOU WE`VE GOT OUR OWN ROADS" at the end of second chorus

[Tarokun]

2nd line:
Does summer exist in it's praises?

[Tarokun]

Near the end
"To float a while on your sure power"

[TLB]

Thanks everyone for all the corrections.
It's pretty much completed now, except for "cactus" which hasn't been suggested, so I'll leave that until someone has something better.

[daships]

I think that after Saddle Band.
It should be We can have steak or casual relations.

[beanmedic]

I think this line should read

'Back At Sunshine', it's The Seattle Band.

it makes more sense since Seattle would have obviously been on Gord's mind at the time.

[lord brazle]

I think "cactus relations" makes sense given Gord's portfolio. Kind of like you can't get close to a cactus! And it sounds like cactus.

I think the first line may be "The summer is distanced places." I think I hear a d-sound before the word "exist."

Also instead of "Summer's killing us, let's just sing, sing, sing all day."
I hear "Summer's killing us, it's just sing, sing, sing all day."

Also the second last line "Summer is forever changing."
I hear "Summer is forever changes"

Other than those, it's dead-on. I'm gonna put it on my site with the unreleased songs...

[TLB]

LB: I thought the same thing about the term "cactus relations" which is why it made sense to me, plus it so clearly sounds like cactus to me every time I hear it.

I hear ya on the first line. It's so close that it definitely could be "distanced". But now, if I hear it as "distanced", I have a hard time hearing Gord fitting "in it's" in the line "exists in it's places".

As for the chorus, I think you're right about it being "it's" instead of "let's", I'll change that up. And at the end, I can't tell if it's "changing" or "changes" (I have no home stereo right now, so I'm listening/transcribing off my PC via WMA).

BEAN: Another case of 'I can't tell' with the Saddle/Seattle reference. I totally agree with your statement about Gord's headspace being in Seattle at that time. I actually looked up The Saddle Band on Yahoo and found a band with that name playing cover tunes in the mid-western or southern United States. When I hear The Saddle Band, for some reason I think of the 70's. I hear more "Saddle" than "Seattle" but I do hear "Seattle." It's close, like the other lyrics.

Any suggestions on what to do guys? I don't know whether to change 'em or what! They sound so close, to me anyways (I'm no pro though).

[longseason]

Really I hear "Shadow Band" -- makes sense with the sunshine reference -- doesn't it?

And for further convincing -- if you need more -- is that "Shadow Band" also refers to dark blue bands which radiate from the Sun and cross the purple light, during twilight. These are the same as crepescular rays as in Gord's reference to the same thing during "The Bastard": "as the sun groomed the plane with crepuscular rays."

I think that's an interesting reference and feel that it's appropriate in context.

What do I win?