GEOLOGY
SETTLEMENT
2-STAR MOTEL
WHICH PART OF NO DON’T YOU UNDERSTAND?
SAME LIGHT
A FINE VEHICLE
SMOKING AND DRIVING
CHANGE THE WEATHER
‘SNAKES IN THE GRASS
THE NEEDLESS AND THE HOMELY
COSMO COSMOPOLITAN
LISTEN TO MY HEART
APOLLO
MR MUTUAL RESPECT
ALL THAT IS AHEAD IS THE FUTURE
OBSTREPEROUS
LIGHTHOUSE ACT, 1911
LUCKY STAR
BOY’S A DANCER
SLEEPYHEART
COLOUR O’ THE HARBOUR
ARE YOU GUYS INTO WINGS?
NO STRINGS, NO MONEY, NO WORRIES
STORM BOY
PRECIOUS BURDEN
THE LONG WALK
IMPERIAL
KARMA
ANNA KARENINA
ARE YOU GUYS INTO WINGS? PART 2
RARE BLOOD GROUP
MONOCHROME
ARE YOU GUYS INTO WINGS? REPRISE
VANIMO
ARAFURA SEA
GUILTY SPRING
SONG FOR TODAY
MORELL BRIDGE, 1899
MEN’S SUIT HIRE
TRYING TOO HARD
1987 + 1994 = 2007
THE DOPPLER EFFECT
THE DAWNING EFFECT
BEACON
SHIN’S JOURNEY
EVERY EMPIRE MUST FALL
SELLOWIANA
HAVE YOU EVER LOOKED AFTER A SONG?
SWEEPSTAKES & CHEAPSKATES
SUTTON GRANGE
BYE BYE BABY
BLANK PAGES (ARE STARTING TO FILL)

Lyrics by Josh & Joel Meadows, unless otherwise indicated.

GEOLOGY

Dulled to my senses
The heart is not far away
Was there a single thing
that ever left me tingling?
My love
it was your caress.

And if at times I seem distracted
it’s just by the sun
And if I lose attention to the moon
And if in years we’re still uncertain
of where we belong
You needn’t worry
’cause darling I’ll be true.

Dulled to my senses
The heart is never far away
Was there a single thing
that ever left me tingling?
My love
it was your caress.

SETTLEMENT

You take a taxi back
I’ll take a walk by the settlement
I’ve heard this land was ours
from Cyclops’ spine to the avenue.

With all the friends we’ve got
they took us over so easily, easily
No chance to make a deal
or roll you over and settle it.

And in the fields we sing
a sad strummed guitar and no alibi.

We’re told to settle down
when someone comes from the government
Their words they don’t make sense
I’ve heard them over and over.

2-STAR MOTEL

The faces stare down
from the posters on my wall
And each one has betrayed me
with it’s openness and style.

And my best friend asked me
“If you’re so special then
why keep asking why
There is ample room there
so how come you’re not a
star shining in the sky?”

Still write letters
we keep in touch when I’m in town
But we don’t get to talk much
this is a rock & roll show, y’know

And I always knew that
one day I’d be a star shining in the sky
’cause if the right newspaper
tells me I am
I’m a star.

WHICH PART OF NO DON’T YOU UNDERSTAND?

Late at night
the coffee’s now gone cold
The smoky evening
finds its graceful end
And down the hallway
the shouting’s all but done
Cautiously
behind the bedroom door there’s something wrong.

Which part of no don’t you understand?
Is it the part in which control is wrested from your hand?
Which part of no don’t you understand?
Could it be where you’re forced to think and them to change your plans?

It’s like IJ
it’s like East Timor too
Places ruled
by the powerful and not the true
But some fine day
I pray that we might see
their sweet replacement
with the people who are meant to be.

Which part of no don’t you understand?
Is it the part in which control is wrested from your hand?
Which part of no don’t you understand?
Could it be where you’re forced to think and them to change your plans?

SAME LIGHT

It’s not in the way she swings her head
and the sun bends down to catch her fall
It’s not in the way she moves her hips
’though I have seen that before.
It’s not in the way she sometimes acts
as if she’s a swan on the silver screen
It’s not in the way she bites her lip
and she pouts and sulks when she’s angry.

It’s in her upstairs room
the ivy grows thick on the walls
Through the window you can just see light
Yes, this is where she saw the light.

It’s not in the way she kneels to pray
’though that shows me that there’s something more
It’s not in the way she laughs at me
then says she’s sorry.
It’s not in the way she walks out of home
and leaves us here just to wonder why
It’s not in the way they made her cry
they were speeding, they couldn’t see

The sunrise on the move
the toucan on the restaurant roof
The window where she saw the light
it’s the same light – it’s just half a day behind.

And I’ve heard people say
that she’s so young
there’s nothing there to give
(well I’ve never felt that way)
And I’ve heard people say
with those beliefs
she never will go far
(well they can talk til they dissolve)

’cause they’ve never seen her upstairs room
the rising damp, the messed up floor
The window where she saw the light
it’s the same light – it’s just half a day behind.

A FINE VEHICLE

Lay yr head down at this place
leave the day behind
Take the world’s look from yr face
you won’t need that here.
And still yr warmth comes from above
stretching like a cool cat
cooing like a dove
For when we know there’s time for us
What else can compare?

What is all this sweet love worth
if you don’t kiss me?
What is all this sweet love worth
if thou kiss not…

We turn our hands to golden light
we watch the seasons change
We take the veil from the morning sky
it’s how we spend our days.
It’s wide awake and it’s going wild
scratching like an angel
displaying like a child
For when the ocean is at full tide
Nothing else comes near.

What is all this sweet love worth
if you don’t kiss me?
What is all this sweet love worth
if thou kiss not…

SMOKING AND DRIVING

Smoking and driving and smoking and driving and
stop to say “you going my way?”
Hold your fire, you can’t be sure
be sure that you’re going (at all).
You were bold, a speedskating star
no crash helmet, no holds barred
Dressed to the nines, doing time
underneath the city streets
Where we’re never sure of the game
driving on the footpath in the rain
Such a damn shame.

I’ve stared so oft, so many times
at the gravel on yr driveway
with the understanding I’d be
tasting it some day.
How can we be different
when the dollar sign is in our mouths?
And how can we lead the way
when we’re wearing their badge on our chests
that are filled with nothing at all
American TV is gonna have to save us
or we’ll just fall.

CHANGE THE WEATHER

Change with the weather
but things are still no better
These thoughts I have
neither good nor bad
Because I want that feeling
I get when I go stealing
and in your eyes
A summer sky
fades from view.

This orchestration
it has no destination
No place to go
nor a place called home
Just that I want that feeling
I get when I go stealing
and in your eyes
A summer sky
fades from view.

[by Robert Cooper]

’SNAKES IN THE GRASS

I’ll take this job til it’s over
I’ll take a walk when it’s over
You can take this job and shove it
it’s over.
First day, wake rather late
take that walk down the High Street
Make a pact with an angel, truly.
This day the sun is shining
everything looks okay
Then I notice all them cars
coming down, down on me
Driving down, seeming so down
You know they’re down on me.

Beg some coins from the angel
for coffee, chips and the paper
Read it in the bus stop for an hour.
Make some notes on the sports page
a good idea for a new song
But all the time, all around
I can sense
’snakes in the grass
Over there, out of reach
’snakes in the grass
All around, I can feel
’snakes in the grass
Is it me, can you see
them snakes?

THE NEEDLESS AND THE HOMELY

Ply your wares of a different nature
High rise fall and bolts and chains
won’t keep us safe
from what’s inside
Don’t lock me in
with the wilding infiltrator
A child is caught in an elevator
and waits confused
til the fire brigade arrives.

Happiness is hard to find when you sit besieged
from the inside and the out of hand.

Fly yr flag of a different colour
’cause nothing that is out there could ever
compromise
what’s here inside
Don’t lie awake
while the sirens sound
Lose yourself to the underground
we need you here
don’t throw it all away.

Happiness is hard to find when you sit besieged
from the inside and the out of hand.

COSMO COSMOPOLITAN

Acumen
we’ve said too much once again
It’s back to where we were
before the frontline, free trading and furs
There’s a lot of talking going on
the ether is soaked with noisy words
Not to upbuild or communicate
but to fill up the air with what we say.

Now, so still
if there’s a chance to presume we surely will
Surmise, if we can
’cause you know that we’re so
cosmopolitan
We cut our teeth on long horizons and short nights
the sort that start when the trains stop at midnight
We shadowbox til we’re sore
play dead until we want more
We take our cue
when will we take the floor?

LISTEN TO MY HEART

A woman walks
with her two sons
and no husband
it’s a long walk
It’s hard making plans
when you’re sore alone
she knows the pain of loss
and all that that brings
I know it’s taken me so long to see
but please don’t be mad at me

Just listen to my heart

And when I try to say
how I feel inside
my words come out
kinda clumsy
I know that names in the sand
get washed right away
even the sun gets lost
in a dust storm
I don’t say it with irony
because I’m telling you honestly

Please listen to my heart

APOLLO

It’s dark
and the planets turn
down home
how could I ever forget?

There’s always something
there’s always something
It’s dark

And I cannot forget
No I cannot forget

I’m trying very hard to detect what’s true
from the complicated signals surrounding you
I look around about at the mess down here
from way up in Apollo it must seem so clear.

There’s always something
there’s always something
And it is so dark

There’s a saying that goes
‘You’ll surely reap what you sow’
I’ve been haunted by it
no I cannot forget.

And the planets still turn
and I’ve so much to learn
There’s a lesson in this
I just can’t afford it.

MR MUTUAL RESPECT

Our town
nothing’s as it seems
So doubtful
that people ever change
He’s a dreamer
She’s a talented kid
He’s a clever swine
She’s a terrible shame

The kids would meet here
milk and morello
I’d cut through backyards to be here
on Portobello
Just watch that charmer
eyes on his partner
He’s Mr Mutual Respect
if that’s what you’re after (and I know it is)

Check out that charmboy
what’s he got cooking?
Where’s Mr Mutual Respect
when no one’s looking?

ALL THAT IS AHEAD IS THE FUTURE

I’ve been down this road before
but that was then, I’m not the same
There’s value in this journey
more than a trip down memory lane.
I appreciate your listening, understanding
that there are things we cannot share
And when I’m home I’ll tell you all that I can
if there seems a need to.

And now is the time that I’ve waited for
All that is ahead is the future
I’d give all I have for a moment more
I wished the world stopped in that second
No, it rolls on
And I’ll roll with it along.

Found the place, without a doubt
thought I’d feel the same things
But all I felt was kind of tired
and wondering where the day went.

And now is the time that I’ve waited for
All that is ahead is the future
I’d give all I have for a moment more
I wished the world stopped in that second
No, it rolls on
Guess I’ll roll with it along
Until it’s time to go.

OBSTREPEROUS

Got caught out in April, May
hadn’t been sinking to sleep the usual way
But this night, out like light
drifting like a feather, moving like forever.

Woke up, terrified
at the door there’s a friend there with his arms open wide
Tin foil, chocolate cake
My head smacked the bookshelf
my eyes swam and birds sang ‘goodnight’.

Bright lights, hospital
cold stethoscope on my chest and a hardboiled head
This life, so delicate
shifting like pure sorrow, moving like tomorrow…

But wait, there’s movement at the top now
eyelids are moving now, though sickly
Our few possessions can just rot now
but don’t give up on me so quickly!

LIGHTHOUSE ACT, 1911

All saddled up for the country
boxed medication and hope
Struck out ’cross sheep-ridden farmland
we made a pact to be bold.

That’s when the vision entrapped me
killed me to know what could be
I saw a nomadic people
we were like waves and the sea.

I don’t know where I’ll find it again
I don’t know if I’ll find it again

Is it a heartland I seek?
Is it the city of peace?
This cruel reminder, it shows
I hardly know which place to call my own.

Thank you for coming to the party
there’s just one thing we should do
There is a shrine in the garden
y’know it helps us, it hardly helps you.

And once again I’m transported
from the wrestling chair to the sea
We move like water through the high country
we are most positively free.

I don’t know where I’ll find it again
I don’t know if I’ll find it again

Is it a heartland I seek
is it the city of peace
This cruel reminder, it shows
I hardly know which place to call my own.

LUCKY STAR

Sister’s walking home tonight
footsteps sharp and lips shut tight
She won’t stop to tell the time
half past nine.

Avoiding cracks on the footpath
and making plans for the afterlife
For every tree hides a prying eye
tonight.

When safety’s found in a sound blonde brick façade
and an actress’s promises are lightly made
Was it just a hoax from the local
fire brigade?

Hitching a ride on the coattails of these times
it’s easy to over-estimate
Rowboat on fire at the dark end of the bay
O, would that it were day.

Lightning strikes in the dead of night
Lucky star all tucked up tight
Closed ears, averted eyes
averted eyes.

And here I’m witnessing your fears
how can I but cry my contrite tears?
So throw me a lifeline
or pur me a stiff drink.

When the season comes ’round again
clean the hearth, trim the light
Take a torch to the whole thing
say goodnight.

BOY’S A DANCER

Ooh yeah, the boy’s a dancer
there’s so much in there.
Chocolate milk, Friday night replay
he’s Charles Atlas on a shoestring.

He wanted to come in from the outside
but there’s so much out there.
He just needs time to think it all over
the boy’s a dancer.

He’s five foot ten, with the feet of a boxer
and the eyes of an astronaut.
Eats his lunch on the bench by the aqueduct
he’s waiting for a new friend.

He wanted to come in from the outside
but there’s so much out there.
He just needs time to think it all over
the boy’s a dancer.

Something’s got to give
someone’s mind will change
The rain that’s due tomorrow
will fall today.

Counting sheep, four in the morning
there’s too much time to think.
He just can’t believe how his life is unfolding
so he’s working on the screenplay.

He wanted to come in from the outside
but there’s so much out there.
He just needs time to think it all over
the boy’s a dancer.

SLEEPYHEART

I’ve been wasting my time
running round every day
Chasing somebody’s tail
once more round will I go.
Who’d have thought I would dare
live so far from the hills?
When they whisper my name
they’re such a long way from here.

Watch the powerlines slack
dip and rise as we go
While the weather’s still here
let’s do what we can do.
At the end of the day
heavy eyed but content
Lay your head on this place
and let your sleepyheart rest.

COLOUR O’ THE HARBOUR

The colour of the harbour
(dull blue and grey)
’s the colour of my life
(while you’re away)
And I don’t wanna hear
that solitude is something
that you cannot buy.

Walking down a street
I’m riding on a wet tram
I’m breathing in the
twice breathed breath that surrounds me
when only yours will do.

And is it any wonder
(fire engine grey)
that when we’re asunder
(while you’re away)
that I don’t wanna know
that solitude is something
that you cannot buy.

ARE YOU GUYS INTO WINGS?

We’d been making plans for one another
down by the river we’d pass the time
In the crowd we had eyes just for each other
could we have known what we would find?

Life’s a maze
it’s just a series of days
A winter-summer haze
Ah, there are so many ways
of singing songs of praise
Oh, what songs we’ll raise!

In a car between here and Murrumbeena
the green and purple of June-July
The night the lights went out you should’ve seen her
what I’d give to frame the smile.

Life’s a maze
it’s just a series of days
A winter-summer haze
Ah, there are so many ways
of singing songs of praise
Oh, what songs we’ll raise!

And I’d like to think I understand them
I’d like to sing those songs forever.

You can walk in with a mood of aggression
you can walk in with nought to say
But when love is yr only expression
then there’ll be no more games to play.

Think it over.

NO STRINGS, NO MONEY, NO WORRIES

“Freeze, gentlemen!
Put yr hands up slowly
No sudden movement
unless you want to meet your one and only
Can’t you see the rules are new
can’t you see the times are changing
Welcome to
The Land of the Unexpected”

It’s Jerry S
at his enigmatic best
As you find out more
you understand less
Don’t be distressed
give yr voice a rest
Just put the headphones on
and leave the rest to the ’becks!

STORM BOY

I can hear the sea
calling me on
I can hear the sea
it sounds like my home.

We could make some plans
(like we used to)
Find some blinding sands
(in the afternoon)
Are you with me
(or are you scared to get happy?)
somewhere far from home

I can hear the sea
calling me on
I can hear the sea
it sounds like my home.

When the moon comes up
(it’s a new night)
Watch the mist of stars
(in the firmament)
If we take some risks
(what’s it matter?)
somewhere far from home

I can hear the sea
calling me on
I can hear the sea
it sounds like my home.

PRECIOUS BURDEN

I hold this precious burden closely
or let it out for all to see
It is my deepest close held secret
or the thing I must set free
Inconspicuously sew it onto my sleeve
where it’s where you can see
Tell me who cannot see

Such a burden brings such joy.

And sometimes when I think about it too much
it makes no sense at all
But every fibre in my being
has to answer to its call
All my life I have seen
that which is far beyond me
With no great clarity
but clear enough just to see

Such a burden brings such joy.

THE LONG WALK

Marking time Barry Dickens style
Franklin Street, contemplate
the sad loss of the people’s common wealth…

It’s happening again, the sickening side
it’s taking a rise and making me angry
and why not, I think I’ll take arms
and rise up against the foe
But you know, it’s not me
we could be next door neighbours
So I’ll try to see both sides
and swallow this angry tide.

When I walk down the same streets
I walk down them unaware
of all those who walked before me
I wonder, were you there?
While you were being a kid in yr own world
and I was being a child in mine
We were blissfully blind to the ways of
this town and what we’d find.

When the world seems mad
when everyone seems crazy
you can come to me.
When the darkest night
enfolds you like a blanket
come around.

And if I go on about it
it’s just ’cause I am glad
that we didn’t never meet up
I’d sure miss all that we’ve had
Me and you, it’s true
we could be next door neighbours
From this end I just know
it’ll never be the same again.

IMPERIAL

It’s Imperial Lather night tonight
above the red roofed houses
a slice of lunar ice.
It’s serious, the damage our kind wrought
through the streaming windows
you can tell that bathtime’s
fraught with debt, weighing on our heads
and our arms, written on our arms
What’s there to say
when it’s hidden by our charms?

The time is right, not setting things aside
wrapped in a towel only
cold against the night.
These amulets, the precious bands we hide
they’re not worth a trinket in your eyes
But they’re on our heads
they’re heavy on our heads
and our arms, written on our arms
What’s there to say
when it’s hidden by our charms?

It’s Imperial Lather night tonight
above the red roofed houses
a slice of lunar ice.

KARMA

You know I’d like to believe in karma
it seems to suit my sense of justice
Instinct for revenge is sweetest
provides munitions and gives me shelter.
And from my vantage point I’ll point it out
Your shortfall and your fall from grace
But it’s hardly mine to take away
you know that I’ve been at this place.

You know I’ve felt it
the winter sun on the coldest day.

You know I’d like to believe in karma
but I’ve no heart to keep my own record
I’ve known forgiveness that left me astounded
I’ve seen such wonders I’m hardly deserving.
And like the giving tree or the secret place
I’m going back to rejuvenate
It’s a pattern I seem to make my own
there’s no escape but there’s nothing to hide from.

You know I’ve felt it
the winter sun on the coldest day
You know I’ve seen it
a touch of grace in the deepest way.

ANNA KARENINA

A fisherman’s wife, a surfer’s girlfriend
I will not be contained in your shadow
And though I swore I’d never leave you
I was two steps behind you in the kitchen
(God only knows what I’ve been thinking
and could hardly approve)

We were set up with a flat and furniture
by yr farming family from the north
And while I sorted through my books and memorabilia
you ignored your passion for the surf

(Now it’s) so long for half an hour
Is it so long for half the weekend again?
And though I thought I heard us
promise that we’d stick together
I’ve got that sinking feeling
sinking again

I’m in this for life
But I will not be contained in your shadow
and when I swore we’d stick together
It was on the understanding we’re together
(God only knows what I’ve been thinking
and must understand completely)

I’ve heard I’m quite a catch
that I’m an unlit match
But I feel like I’m caught
in a briar patch
No one to come in and get me
not til Monday morning

You’re in a wetsuit or a lumberjack’ and muscle shirt
as we make toward the ocean
I’m in a grim mood to just sit on the car with Anna K
rather than causing a commotion

So long for half an hour
Is it so long for half the weekend again?
And though I thought I heard us
promise that we’d stick together
I’ve got that sinking feeling
sinking again

I’m in this for life

ARE YOU GUYS INTO WINGS? PART 2

I can feel the bass drum
coming through the floorboards
Must be a practice amp
must be the boys next door
It must be February.
And when the question’s asked
“Are you guys into Wings?”

the offering is fast replaced
with a stony silent searching
This can be disappointing.

The sun has gone, like it used to
like it never has before.

This can’t be western red
it’s acting like it’s paper thin
The wallpaper melts and merges
with what the cat dragged in
Is someone burning somewhere?
Were those kids even born
the day that punk broke
and cracked and fell apart
and their idols swept it up and sold it
Money changes everything.

The sun has gone, like it used to
like it never has before
When it’s gone, we’ll get used to
what it is to be human.

RARE BLOOD GROUP

It goes round about and caving in
it does not feel like home
It goes round about and seeping in
it fills my life then goes.

A Child’s Garden of Verse
in a decade not so tense
Is it possible to find what was lost
can we ever allay the cost?
(it’s magic)
Can we find it, can we buy it
can our souls ever deny it?

It goes round about and caving in
it does not feel like home
It goes round about and seeping in
it fills my life then goes.

A small portion of grace
in a much less obvious place
Admitting then that she was five
when Frampton came alive
(it’s magic)
And in the context of the whole world
what could be more perfect than this girl?

But that spirit is gone, it’s not here now
I can’t feel it in the air that I breathe
It is gone from this town
I can’t sense it in the ’papers that I read.

It goes round about and caving in
it does not feel like home
It goes round about and seeping in
it fills my life

MONOCHROME

I want you to feel guilty
every time you eat a french fry
And I want you to feel angry
when you work out the reason why
(You say) “Nothing that I do
could make a difference to you”
But you know it’s not true

Maybe we should say sorry
when we see the damage that’s done
It isn’t hard to make choices
just use yr brain, it’s in yr skull
Decisions made today
come back and haunt us some way
You know they do

But I don’t want you to feel nervous
every time the telephone rings
And don’t you ever feel ugly
when the mirror shakes its head
’cause you’re a precious child
don’t you be told what’s style
(when you know it’s not you)

And you are going to feel lonely
if you think you’re the only one
But don’t be too sure about it
there’s one here who knows you’re not alone
(You say) something in the stars
has brought you safe thus far
(I don’t think so!)

And when the light’s out these thoughts in your head
grow so dark when you’re learning alone

So I want you to feel guilty
every time you eat a french fry
And I want you to get angry
when you work out the reason why
(You say) “Nothing that I do
could make a difference to you”
But you know it’s not true

ARE YOU GUYS INTO WINGS? REPRISE

Think it over

VANIMO

I feel the warmth of the sun above us
mix with the cool of the lake below
I’m just 85 k’s from my brothers and sisters
in Vanimo
Though there’s a black line that runs between us
y’know they’ll never break the bond between us
There are more secrets buried
than the mountains and valleys will ever share.

I’ve got a cousin
found himself in a big town east of the border
Mt Hagen
y’know I hear they play guitar
and they sing by the street light
They sing the same songs
that we do.

I feel the warmth of the sun above us
mix with the cool of the lake below
I’m just 50 miles west of my brothers and sisters
in Vanimo
Though there’s a black line that runs between us
y’know they’ll never break the bond between us
There are more secrets buried
than the mountains and valleys will ever share.

Telefomin
it’s not all that far from my friends in the Dagi
They’ve heard stories
could it ever be the same as there:
one skin, wantok
I have to tell them
I don’t know.

I feel the warmth of the sun above us
mix with the cool of the lake below
I’m just 85 k’s from my brothers and sisters
in Vanimo
Though there’s a black line that runs between us
y’know they’ll never break the bond between us
There are more secrets buried
than the mountains and valleys will ever share.

ARAFURA SEA

Crossing the Arafura Sea
only an outboard between me
And the dry land I once called home
all that’s ahead: the damp unknown.
Loving the sun against my skin
looking for dark clouds on trade winds
Holding a dream within my chest
enter the mangroves next day.

Hands clasped, intentions masked
Toes in the sand, surat jalan in hand

My friends are changed and yet the same
something has gone but hope remains
Stories exchanged but questions hang
I hit the road tomorrow.

Will we know, some day
who ordered the death of Theys Eluay?

How could I have known
your thoughts without being here?
How could I have shared
your bold hopes and dark fears?
How could I have heard
the Mamberamo weeping?
These mountains hold (tight)
the secrets they’re keeping.

Hands clasped, intentions masked
Who okayed the death of Theys Eluay?

GUILTY SPRING

Another winter
passed in its own way
Losing the detail
unrepeatable
Driving the fast way
with you on the avenue
We smile as the sun sets
not hearing the birdsong
Losing ’most everything
here comes a guilty spring.

It’s on the front page
and on the radio
Sending the troops in
unbelievable
Same as the last time:
“Yes, it’s regrettable
but we’re just taking
our lead from America”
Yes, just like everything
looks like a guilty spring.

It comes and it goes like
the seasons
They are here for our pleasure
and our education.

Taim yumi sindaun
klostu long solwara
Aigir na tok pilai:
mi bin hamamas
Mi save taim i kam
mas go bek long ples
Nau mi gat bel hevi
nau mi tok sori tru
Em olsem olgeta
Disela, em “guilty spring”.

And in the long run
it’s debatable
New seasons roll on
irreversible
Did I always love you
just as I ought to
through the dark cold nights
making yr soul sing?
I guess it’s like everything
Welcome to Guilty Spring.

SONG FOR TODAY

Feeling out of place
with the girls and boys at the summer festival
This girl is off her face
asks me a question
“Do you know what faith is?”
and her eyes look up at me like Mr Percival
then down to find her feet
and she is gone…

That man has got an itch
he’s been hitting the skins like a crazy astronaut
too much oxygen in the bloodstream
Sure I enjoyed the show
I was nodding my head there
to Queens of the Stoneage
for all the time I knew I would be going
home to you…

I’ve heard this before now
still it seems so trite
But the best things in life
aren’t the one ones that you can buy.

How many years ago
you would rest yr head on me in the cemetery
Edgar Alan Poe?
Witch in the Colours!
And now they’ve got a new war
are they terrorised or just terrified?
Fear is the force
that fans the flame…

MORELL BRIDGE, 1899

Ride on the pedestrian bridge
while the Monash grinds
over the water
Sleep tight with a peace in yr heart
it’s a lie that you will wake from
sleep and dream of open freeways

Ride ’neath the celestial lights
and next to the filth trap
scraping the water
My Lord, all the things we contrive
yet from the contraption
a cormorant stretches her wings
to face the morning sun and lets it in
the light I’m feeling

Ride on the pedestrian bridge
in the summertime
in the shimmering light
Ride on the pedestrian bridge
when it’s freezing and the clock says
two degrees, seven thirty

All hail the industrial might
that straightens the rivers
that brings us together
Sleep with the electrical light
that permeates matter
that blocks out the starry night
it takes the shine from the morning star
but still can’t dim the light I’m feeling

Ride on the pedestrian bridge
and rise up the creatures
from the depths of the water
Ride on the pedestrian bridge
and don’t be afraid of
the mercury vapour
that dulls the glistening of the seven sisters
but still can’t kill the light I’m feeling

To be home, to be laid in your arms
this is where I belong
But the road is so wide I can’t see
the light I’m feeling

Will we never believe the light I’m feeling?

Ride on the pedestrian bridge
with a stillness
with a peace in my heart
Ride on the pedestrian bridge
still a yearning
snowy egret in flight

MEN’S SUIT HIRE

I see you on the train
and I know you’re trying to catch me
five thirty in the rain
and I know you’re trying to catch me
You turn the other way
still I know you’re trying to catch me
Is this a game you play
when I know you’re trying to catch me?

That bounce in your walk
says you’re crazy about me
I’ll wager this shirt
you won’t be leaving without me!

Moonlight upon your skin
I know you’re trying to catch me
Or a clue to where you’ve been
I know you’re trying to catch me
Ten thousand k’s away
still I know you’re trying to catch me
In all the things you don’t say
I know you’re trying to catch me

The nape of your neck
says you’re crazy about me
I’ll wager that dress
you won’t be going home without me!

(Only if it’s all in your dreams)

TRYING TOO HARD

Hey friend, don’t be a fool with it
it’s in your hands, don’t be a complete git

Trying too hard
trying too impress
Slow down
You’re making such a mess

You want to prove you’re bigger than this place
Show that girl more than failure on this face

Trying too hard
trying too impress
Slow down
You’re making such a mess

Big city, you’re going to run to it
big dreams, are you going to ruin it?

Trying too hard
trying too impress
Slow down
You’re making such a mess

1987 + 1994 + 2007

We closed our eyes and talked about
all the things we thought about
Opened our hearts, we did what we could
we said we’d never go back again

Warm sunlit days we dreamed about
while by moonlight we screamed it out
The door was open, we took what we could
we swore we’d never go back there

And we sang in our way
though we never knew the words we should say
And we danced through the night
what a pale excuse for holding you tight

Went to the church, we made our vows
we stood before the people
Locked hands and eyes, we meant every word
knew there was no going back home

And we sang in our way
though we never knew the words we should say
And we danced through the night
what a poor excuse for holding you tight

Cast yr mind back to ’94
did we lose sight of went before?
Future’s before us – what else can we live
if you could would you go back again?

And we sang in our way
though we never knew the words we should say
And we danced through the night
what a sad excuse for holding you tight

And we sang in our way
though we never knew the words we should say
And we danced through the night
what a poor excuse for holding you tight

THE DOPPLER EFFECT

Fearless satellite city kids on Christmas dirt bikes
Riding through the thistle-studded high brown grass
Beside the railway siding

Back-burned paddocks measured out in rhythmic undulation
Of trackside wires in gentle arcs
With poles and punctuation

It’s just like that maths equation involving clocks and trains
We just can’t seem to work out when our paths will ever cross again
Is it me? Or has this thing stopped?
Sometimes it’s so hard to tell

Do you remember when I said I’d never met someone unkind?
Been kicked apart for always following my heart and… nevermind
We’ll never learn, we’re not the first
to be satisfied with not making things worse.

Frightened cattle eyes looking out from whatever cows think of
They’ll get no pity from the city that they’re on the brink of
Rolling fields meet rolling stock and red brick boxes lined up
Livestock still, their owners share a fence but never roll the blinds up

It’s just like that maths equation involving clocks and trains
We two can’t seem to work out when our paths will ever cross again
Is it me? Or has this thing stopped?
Sometimes it’s so hard to tell

Do you remember when I said I’d never met someone unkind?
Been kicked apart for always following my heart and… nevermind
We’ll never learn, we’re not the first
to be satisfied with not making things worse.

Fearless satellite

[words by Tali White]

THE DAWNING EFFECT

I’m ashamed to say ’twas only last year that I first joined the union
My hands were permeated with garlic, bacon and onion
At the station I waited for you
One by one the wrong buses came through
And the rain trickled down
On that cold aluminium

Moment by moment the rain washes down ’til it’s carried, at length, to the sea
Morning by morning when I’m in this place the dawn chorus is waiting for me

My head was preoccupied with deep sea trawls and uranium
Until you took me aside to your kitchen, linoleum
And made me realise the ass that I’d been
You brooked no argument, declared what you’d seen
And your words touched me deep
Crystal clear like a clarion

Moment by moment the rain washes down ’til it’s carried, at length, to the sea
Morning by morning when I’m in this place the dawn chorus is waiting for me

I’m ashamed to say ’twas only last year that I first joined the union

BEACON

Of all the sweetest lights that shine
yours is the beacon of my life, dear
If all the crazy suns collide
they’ll never eclipse your light, dear
I want to bask beneath your brightness
I want to burn and not recover
Neither hat nor parasol will e’er protect me from my lover

Art imitates life imitates light
That dances on disrupted waters
If all is just a trick of the light
then why does it feel so firm ’neath my hand?

Feet that leave marks in my sand
I’m willing my way there to stand
And whilst on those shores ’neath the ice
I think I know what I’ll find

Of all the sweetest lights that shine
yours is the beacon of my life, dear
If all the crazy suns collide
they’ll never eclipse your light, dear
I want to bask beneath your brightness
I want to burn and not recover
Neither hat nor parasol will e’er protect me from my lover

SHIN’S JOURNEY

Our friend Shin is a painter
But he pays the rent lifting tanbark
He’s a smoker and a good dancer
Shin met this girl at the arts school
She’s a Scottish girl on an exchange
Two minds met o’er a crowded prac room
Now Shin’s going her way

Man thinks up all kinds of adventures
Vast buildings that mock the blue sky
Ocean liners bigger than mountains
Oil tankers that groan over coral seas
White crosses beside the blacktop
Jet aircraft to tame the horizon
Now Shin’s going her way

And I can see them out on the moors tonight
The moon’s out and the heather’s blazing
You might say that I’m a romantic
But then again, so’s Shin
And he’s going her way.

EVERY EMPIRE MUST FALL

Is it the love of all the plastic things
that holds me here
On Hades’ shore?
Ah, to the monolithic juggernaut
I blow this kiss
Every Empire Must Fall

Sheet steel, and freight
And tankers in the sea
Pressed vinyl, paint
All the shit we get for free
Extruded crude
Locked treasures of the sun
Exhume, consume
So sweet and bitter

Berry and Klein,
Schumacher, Ralston-Saul
I’ve read the books
I’ve read the writing on the wall
can’t wait until
The pieces start to fall
But relish still
The sweet and bitter

Still we strive
To live what we believe
and all that requires
And we hope
That the ending will be sweet
all the crumbling walls
With the head
of the idol at our feet
’mid the tangle of vines
And a tune
That lingers in our minds

SELLOWIANA

Sellowiana
walking in the sun
walking in the sun
I just want to see you
Sitting on the lees
Waiting to release
That subtle magic
I just can’t describe

Hazy concertina
Cloud in afternoon
Sun that streaks the room
Step outside and marvel in it
Swing your Tramontina
up and down the street
It’s you I’d like to meet
Make a wish and I’ll believe it

Sone lamatina
Shouts across the street
It’s you I’d like to meet
Make a wish and I’ll believe it
I just want to see you
walking in the sun
with that subtle magic
I just can’t describe

HAVE YOU EVER LOOKED AFTER A SONG?

I wrap my arms around myself and close my eyes
The singer counts the song in and I think I’ll cry
The music even better than the name implies
Have you ever looked after a song?
Did you ever take every word on?

I sing it really softly when I’m in some strife
Or when I feel forsaken in my waking life
I keep it in my pocket like an army knife
Whisper the words in the night
A melody holding me tight

I’m waiting for the chorus and the drums to come
Alone inside the audience until it’s done
Listening to the lyrics like the only one
Who ever looked after a song
Who ever took every word on

[words by Tali White]

SWEEPSTAKES & CHEAPSKATES

Meet me in the garden
by the rusted gate
Speak to me in earnest tones
convince me that it’s not too late

Things change, people change
I can’t deny it’s so
But can you look me in the face and tell me
this is the way we love and know?

It’s been a year, it’s been two years
some things get better and some don’t
You say that I’ve been wasting your money
I could say you’ve been cheap with our love but I don’t

Sweepstakes, cheapskates

SUTTON GRANGE

If new circumstances mean we’ll be in unmapped territory
Take me gently by the hand, give me eyes to understand
But if I lose my balance and see the law, but not the friend
Don’t make me wait now, talk to me straight now
When my mouth leads my heart, tell me true from the start
Wake me up and kick me out! Wake me up and kick me out!

When I’m old, losing hair, give me love, show you care
Watch the wattlebird as one, build a nest, raise its young
But if I turn the other way, cause you sorrow, sadness, pain
Don’t let me off lightly, bruise me and fight me
Leave me out at Sutton Grange, penniless, in driving rain
Make me walk the long way home! Make me walk the long way!

But if I turn the other way, cause you sorrow, sadness, pain
Don’t let me off lightly, bruise me and fight me
Leave me out at Sutton Grange, penniless, in driving rain
Make me walk the long way home! Wake me up and kick me out!

BYE BYE BABY

Bye bye sun, bye bye rain
Bye bye endless sea
All your hopes, let them go
Bye bye baby, bye bye

Take the trail by the river
Follow it down ’til you reach land’s end
In the middens, ’mongst the rocks
If you look
You can find
By the pounding sea
The heavy weight
Of centuries
Bye bye baby, bye bye

Bye bye sun, bye bye rain
Bye bye endless sea
All your hopes, let them go
Bye bye baby, bye bye

There’s a place where the train line bends
Engines slow when they take it
Down below this, underground
If you look
You can find
It’s your chance to see
Secret knowledge buried yet
Bye bye baby, bye bye

BLANK PAGES (ARE STARTING TO FILL)

Been down before
(but never quite so low)
Been hurt before
(that’s when the feeling grows) I’m
Wondering when
or if I’ll ever see the
land where we lived
place I’ve been dreaming of, then:

You turned around and listened to me
lay on the grass for ages and ages
Seers and sages, relax!
’cos my blank pages are starting to fill.

And it’s a sign
of better things to come
Perpetual need
doesn’t suit everyone
You’ve got yr own plans
but you’ve made space for mine
I had a felt tip
my book was empty, ’til:

You turned around and listened to me
lay on the grass for ages and ages
Seers and sages, relax!
’cos my blank pages are starting to fill.