sorry, I have to meme again.

[enemy anemone]

1. the early cars already are drawing deep breaths past my door (Fiona Apple, need title)
2. [title][variation on title] he has subscriptions to those magazines ("What's He Building in There," Tom Waits)
3. see the teacher sitting on a mountain (Rich Mullins, need title)
4. it's a cheap motel and the heat pipes hiss
5. when the night has stayed too long and tears won't keep (Buddy & Julie Miller, need title)
6. well I was wrong and it was long before the dawn
7. and the great boat sank and the Okies fled ("Ruination Day, Pt. 2," Gillian Welch)
8. there's a valley of sorrow in my soul (Emmylou Harris, need title)
9. well the girls all dance with the boys from the city
10. you're a painting with symbols deep (Melody of You -- Sixpence None the Richer)
11. [title] staring into the sky and wondering why (The Choir, need title)
12. it's funny how a morning turns a love to shame
13. [title] and a right good captain too (the captain's song from HMS Pinafore)
14. tonight I feel so weak, but all in love is fair ("Bring Me Some Water", Melissa Etheridge)
15. ooh my little pretty one, pretty one ("My Sharona" -The Knack)
16. everything's so easy for Pauline ("Margaret vs. Pauline," Neko Case)
17. [title] suicide, suicide, Katie's talking suicide ("Sleep Baby Jane," OtR)
18. at the end of my days when I'm called to go
19. if this should end tomorrow (The World Can Wait -- OtR)
20. in the night, the harlot moves across the floor (The Violet Burning, need title)

Silent Wonder, 2
Josh, 4
NinjaRob, 1
and murlough guessed a bunch of artists

[Silent Wonder]

10.  Melody of You -- Sixpence None the Richer
19.  The World Can Wait -- OtR

[Josh]

2. "What's He Building in There," Tom Waits
7. "Ruination Day," Gillian Welch (or the other part of the song... I always get them mixed uo)
16. "Margaret and Pauline," Neko Case
17. "Sleep Baby Jane," OtR

[NinjaRob17]

15. "My Sharona" -The Knack

[murlough23]

4. it's a cheap motel and the heat pipes hiss

Ron Sexsmith, "Cheap Motel"? Just a wild guess; I haven't actually heard the song.

[enemy anemone]

nope. I haven't heard that song either.

[enemy anemone]

well, I'll try to come up with clues for the rest of these.

1. this artist has a fruity name
3. this song was released on a cd set as a demo and a studio recording by another artist after the songwriter passed away.
4. this artist's last name is not pronounced in the proper French way, but in the Cajun way of South Louisiana.
5. this artist has released albums solo and also with her husband, who has likewise released solo albums.
6. this is pretty obscure. I only came across it because the song title includes the name of a singer/songwriter I listen to. the band's name includes a cleft facial feature.
8. this song is a supplication in a certain guitar tuning by a silver-haired artist who has been recording since her "brunette days".
9. this song is about a farm boy who can't get clean
11. old song by a band whose name may lead people to think they perform choral music
12. this song is on an acoustic album with a haunted sort of title
13. this is from an operetta about a ship with the name of a lady's old-fashioned garment
14. this artist performed on stage without a wig after chemotherapy caused her hair to fall out
18. this song was at the end credits of the film Ned Kelly
20. this band's name probably refers to the light spectrum rather than to flowers.

edited for spelling.

[murlough23]

1. this artist has a fruity name

Fiona Apple

3. this song was released on a cd set as a demo and a studio recording by another artist after the songwriter passed away.

Rich Mullins... or maybe Jeff Buckley.

5. this artist has released albums solo and also with her husband, who has likewise released solo albums.

Julie Miller

8. this song is a supplication in a certain guitar tuning by a silver-haired artist who has been recording since her "brunette days".

Emmylou Harris?

11. old song by a band whose name may lead people to think they perform choral music

Uh... The Choir?

12. this song is on an acoustic album with a haunted sort of title

Probably something from Linford Detwiler's Grey Ghost project.

13. this is from an operetta about a ship with the name of a lady's old-fashioned garment

That's gotta be The Decemberists.

14. this artist performed on stage without a wig after chemotherapy caused her hair to fall out

Sinead O'Connor?

20. this band's name probably refers to the light spectrum rather than to flowers.

The Violet Burning

[enemy anemone]

good guesses on Fiona Apple, Rich Mullins, Julie Miller*, Emmylou Harris, The Choir, and The Violet Burning. there's a good chance that some phorumers could guess the songs based on that knowledge so I'll just leave it at that.

*actually, I was relying on my memory for the clues and thought that the song was one on Julie's solo albums, but it was on a Buddy & Julie album. it's hard to keep track. anyway, you got the clue, so yeah.

#12 is not Linford but the album title does include "ghosts". I know a few phorumers are familiar with this female artist, and at least one has this album and had uploaded this very song to the pub many moons ago, so I'll wait.

I don't get the Decemberists association. have they done operettas?  the song is actually from the operetta HMS Pinafore. it's the captain's song, which (in some circles) gets quoted the way Monty Python lines get quoted. "what never? no never! what never? well....hardly ever!"

#14 is not Sinead. I believe she chooses to shave her head. the artist is Melissa Etheridge and the song is Bring Me Some Water. I wouldn't have heard it if it weren't for a dvd of random music videos someone sent me but it seems to be one of her well-known songs. wasn't sure if anybody here would know it or not.

[Brenden]

I don't get the Decemberists association. have they done operettas?  the song is actually from the operetta HMS Pinafore. it's the captain's song, which (in some circles) gets quoted the way Monty Python lines get quoted. "what never? no never! what never? well....hardly ever!"

A lot of their songs have a maritime theme, and they have been known to do epic, story-like songs.

[enemy anemone]

answers:

1. the early cars already are drawing deep breaths past my door ("Not About Love", Fiona Apple)
2. [title][variation on title] he has subscriptions to those magazines ("What's He Building in There," Tom Waits)
3. see the teacher sitting on a mountain ("Heaven In His Eyes", Rich Mullins)
4. it's a cheap hotel and the heat pipes hiss ("Falling Out of Love", Mary Gauthier)
5. when the night has stayed too long and tears won't keep ("Holding Up the Sky", Buddy & Julie Miller)
6. well I was wrong and it was long before the dawn ("Just Like a Gillian Welch Song", Split Lip Rayfield)
7. and the great boat sank and the Okies fled ("Ruination Day, Pt. 2," Gillian Welch)
8. there's a valley of sorrow in my soul ("Prayer In Open D", Emmylou Harris)
9. well the girls all dance with the boys from the city ("Red Clay Halo", Gillian Welch)
10. you're a painting with symbols deep ("Melody of You", Sixpence None the Richer)
11. [title], staring into the sky and wondering why ("Wide-Eyed Wonder", The Choir)
12. it's funny how a morning turns a love to shame ("Every Little Bit", Patty Griffin)
13. I am the Captain of the Pinafore and a right good captain too (the captain's song from HMS Pinafore)
14. tonight I feel so weak, but all in love is fair ("Bring Me Some Water", Melissa Etheridge)
15. ooh my little pretty one, pretty one ("My Sharona", The Knack)
16. everything's so easy for Pauline ("Margaret vs. Pauline," Neko Case)
17. [title] suicide, suicide, Katie's talking suicide ("Sleep Baby Jane," OtR)
18. at the end of my days when I'm called to go ("Shelter For My Soul", Bernard Fanning)
19. if this should end tomorrow ("The World Can Wait", OtR)
20. in the night, the harlot moves across the floor ("Song of the Harlot", The Violet Burning)

I see I had some minor mistakes the first time I typed the lyrics, like "motel" for "hotel" on the Mary Gauthier song, and I left off the "girl" which is not part of the title of The Choir's song, but yeah, if anybody knew the songs they should have been able to get 'em anyway.