1. |
Idiot Birds
02:43
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when the machine writes songs
we won't have to write songs anymore
we'll throw away our notebooks
and lay down our guitars
when the machine sings
it'll be a song for all time
relatable, unhateable
assembled out of you and me
for you and me
when the machine gets sad
none of us'll get sad anymore
we'll rub its little tummy
and rock it back to sleep
when the machine sings
it'll be the last song ever heard
healing us, concealing us
all will be revealed
when the machine writes that song
but what'll we do with ourselves?
woke up this morning to the birds singing
haven't they heard the news?
oh idiot birds
nobody sings any more
haven't you heard?
there's no money in music any more
all that time they're spending on it
as if their lives depended on it
idiot birds
my idiot bird
you idiot
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2. |
On a Sunday
01:52
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she came home on a sunday
didn't have much to say
leave me alone, said her shoulders
leave me alone, said her bedroom door
we were walking on eggshells
we brought her soup on a tray
i've been alone for a lifetime
why won't you please just leave me alone?
there is so much love
some are slow to find it
but there is so much love
she left home on a sunday
she waved back from the train
holding our love like a thermos
saving our love for a lonely day
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3. |
River to Dry
02:29
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gonna sit right down on the banks of the river
the river runs deep and wide
gonna sit me down by the waters of the river
gonna look to the other side
gonna pour my heart and soul in the river
gonna hang my head and cry
and when i'm done with crying in the river
gonna wait for the river to dry
sun's gonna shine on me when the river runs dry
better things are surely waiting on the other side
so here i am at the edge of the river
gonna wait for the river to dry
if i could swim i'd sing hallelujah
and i'd swim to the other side
gonna pour my heart and soul into the river
gonna lay my burden down
if i get sick of waiting for the river
gonna jump in the river and drown
everything falls apart and i don't know why
better things are surely waiting on the other side
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4. |
The Clearing
02:00
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every tree felled is sheep for the grazing
and it's wood for the fence
it's a hard land, a dry land
but we'll tame it yet
and try to forget
my dreams are a hundred black faces
close my ears to the cry
and i wake in the morn for there's work to be done
the axe and the gun
and all you see is all you know
the moon rose as i cleared off the last one
rolled her into the stream
and up on the hill saw my dear daughter's eyes
just lookin' on me
and all you see is all you know
and all you see is all you know
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5. |
Better Than Love
03:57
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out by the old church on the day i was wed
my mother made light of my fears
she smiled half a smile and she wiped back my tears
you're not the first girl to be married, she said
but if you can, find something better than love
yes if you can, find something better than love
christopher says not to dwell on the past
there's a purpose in all we can't know
he climbs up the tower and shines out a light
they lie in a dell where the wind doesn't blow
and mother said find something better than love
my mother said find something better than love
mary came by with her spaniel in may
how are you, mary? i asked her
she frowned as if lacking for something to say
surely, she said, i once knew the answer
my mother said find something better than love
yes if you can, oh
huddled inside all the shells we've outgrown
helpless against our own armour
thinner than paper and harder than stone
and what would i be if i cast off my pain?
a scuttling crab on a beach with no name
and would i then find something better than love?
christopher tells me we'll see them again
risen in glory and safe from all harm
he climbs up the tower and shines out a light
he sits up at night with his head in his arms
as if to say, find something better than love
my mother said find something better than love
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6. |
Terminus
02:38
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the trains are emptier these days, no words are spoken
there are no footprints to your door, the lines are broken
no change (you've reached the terminus)
the doors are closing, please stand clear
all change, all change, is this the final station?
we've been sowing seeds of light all through the darkness
has something come to term in us? will something come to term?
no change (we've reached the terminus)
all change, all change, we are always changing
we change, all change, is this the final station?
all change, we're small change but we are always changing
we change, we change, we all change
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7. |
The Potter's Wheel
02:36
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make me hollow inside
make me hollow inside
and turn
let the potter's wheel turn
make me empty inside
let the hollowness be
a companion for me
make me hollow inside
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8. |
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there's a hole in the sink
you need a hole for when the water flows
no, it's not what you think
it's just a hole where the water goes
john, put the paperweight down
it's a slippery thing
life's confusing at the best of times
but when your brain's in a swing
it's pretty hard to read the traffic signs
john, put the paperweight down
i'm not a fan of the big pharma suits
but sometimes you've just got to take that pill
john, you're not on your own
i know you think you're stuck inside yourself
some things you tough out alone
but with some you need a little help
john, put the paperweight down
my god john we love you so much
but sometimes you've just got to take that pill
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9. |
After the Dry
03:11
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elly sold the farm when her husband died
looked north to queensland
gave it all away till her life could fit
in the cup of a hollow hand
sick for a home where the rivers flow
dreaming of a world where the sun don't shine
small as a stone in a lover's palm
gonna hide away, slip back in time
one last time through barren field
past stump and mallee brown
cattle bone white in the morning light
lay the ghost of summer down
hollow for the herd they couldn't feed
groan of the cattle and the rivers dry
bullet for the ones they couldn't save
only time she saw her husband cry
danny, let me break your fall
(crack of the gun and the eyes go silent)
let me try and break your fall
elly folded up like a paper crane
and hard as a pebble stone
young in the mirror on a motel wall
but old as a widow's bones
dreaming of a world where the rivers flow
north through the mallee with the windows down
gum trees shimmer like a lover's smile
shed a little load in every town
who's gonna break your fall?
(crack in the night and the world is broken)
who's gonna break your fall?
(crack in the night and the heart goes silent)
let me try and break your fall
(crack in the heart and the heart lies open)
maybe i can break your fall
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10. |
Banksia
02:28
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there's a seed that waits for the fire
to bring new fire
but that isn't much comfort to me
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11. |
Play with Fire
03:00
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you play with fire
you run with your eyes closed
you light a match
you don't look where the wind blows
you burn it down
you say the joke's on you
you laugh till the tears flow
you shoot the sky
you murdered a rainbow
you don't know why
you don't know why
you don't know why
no, you don't know why
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12. |
The Ends of the Earth
03:48
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sailed away
across the sea
to the ends of the earth
walked a mile
ankle-deep
to the ends of the earth
won't be long
hold on
did i even tell you goodbye?
did we say goodbye?
there's a swarm
in the sky
we are so far apart
breathe it in
nebulae
we are so far apart
out of reach
don't touch
better not to fail than to fly
did we even try?
filled my lungs
spilled my guts
i will go peacefully
bite my tongue
smarten up
buy my own piece of earth
mow the lawn, space man
doesn't seem so lonely alone
are we still alone?
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13. |
Be Kind
02:24
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when you're lost and afraid
when your heart is on the line
be kind
when they come to your shore
when there's no reason to be kind
be kind
we're born of a vicious blood
so push back against the flood
and be kind
there's no end to the fight
there's no justice to it all
i know
be kind
so we watch them drown
we burn our bridges down
and leave the weakest behind
it's a barren land
so hold out your hand
and try to be kind
this is all that we have
this is all we'll ever know
be kind
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Mike Debenham Melbourne, Australia
I'm a writer and musician based in Melbourne, Australia.
Not actually a goat.
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