1. |
Prelude
00:27
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2. |
Song for a Siren
04:47
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There is a ship
Its sails were like two hearts beating, and
Its pace was like two wrists pulsing…
To a compass that fell silent
At the sound of song
And sometimes it sailed by the wind
Sometimes it sailed by the stars
Sometimes it sailed by the captain’s map
But it always sailed her into his arms
Again
There is a ship
That foundered in storms
The anchor was missing, and
The whisky was whistling
A ditty of shame and sin
And sometimes it sailed by the wind
Sometimes it sailed by the stars
Sometimes it sailed by the captain’s map
But it always sailed her into his arms
Again
There is a ship
It’s been moored for too long
And the crew is long gone
The first mate took them with him
To seek a treasure, oh! forbidden
And sometimes it sailed by the wind
Sometimes it sailed by the stars
Sometimes it sailed by the captain’s map
But it always sailed her into his arms
But the birds sang over the sails,
Yes the birds sang over the sails
And the birds sang over the sails
And the wind cried mutiny
There is a ship
That sails in green waters
And it steers by a light of gold
And far below, the mermen are singing
To the sailors who come and go
And sometimes it sails by the wind
Sometimes it sails by the stars
Sometimes it sails by the captain’s map
But it will never sail me into your arms
Again, again, again
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3. |
Maintain the Madness
04:03
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I went to New York and paid lots of money
To stay in the silence and not play for anyone
I picked up a bar tab and drank myself stupid
I flirted with strangers just to feel attractive.
I stood on a rooftop and looked to the skyline
The cloud started rolling in as I start to say
“Goodbye” to my grandfather who’s at home dying
The rain started in and I was left crying…
Cos I’ve got to maintain the madness
Just so the stillness makes sense to me
I’ve got to keep the momentum rolling along
So that no-one can stop me
No-one can drag me
Home.
I went to San Francisco with my best friend
To sing in a bar full of gay men who wanted me
But they did not know me though they thought I sang pretty
I made love to the microphone so they would not feel
So empty inside on this wintery night
In this city of madmen and loners and stoners
And lovers forgotten in favour of rotten misfortunes with money
But I still went home alone
Cos I’ve got to maintain the madness
Just so the stillness makes sense to me
I’ve got to keep the momentum rolling along
So that no-one can stop me
No-one can drag me
Home.
But now I’m here in Boston
In love with Downtown Crossing
In this very room where some of my favourite songs have been written
I’m writing this one
To sing and remember
These days in December
Where I have surrendered
I’m not pretending
To stay still…
So next week I’ll go to Iceland
Then onto London.
And into the arms of my favourite stranger
And then onwards
Cos I cannot I will not I cannot I will not I will not I cannot
I will never stop…
Cos I’ve got to maintain the madness
Just so the stillness makes sense to me
I’ve got to keep the momentum rolling along
So that no-one can stop me
No-one can drag me
Home.
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4. |
northsoutheastwest
03:35
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Once I could go for a walk and just trust
that my feet would take me where I wanted to go
And I didn’t have to think
That they might have their own bright ideas of where I should be going
Or not going.
But these days I wake up and never can be sure
If the feet at the end of the bed
Will be muddy and cracked
Or fresh as a lily
When I meant to walk them raw
What will I do with you?
What will I do without you?
Well we can’t go on
No we can’t leave this place
And we can’t turn left
And we can’t turn right
And we can’t go on
My love and I
What will I do with you?
What will I do without you?
What is this place we’ve come to?
And what is it we’ve left behind?
Now North, South, East, West
Are all dead to our scents
And the reaper whispers sweet and low
“Well, you never could have guessed
Never could have guessed
How long it took to get here
Or how far you’ve got left to go”
What will I do with you?
What will I do without you?
What will we do?
What can we do?
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5. |
Silver Suit
05:25
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I can't afford flowers
But if I could
I'd not know where to plant them
I don't know species
I'd probably sneeze
But rest assured
If I could I'd weep a bunch once a week...
My very first car
I bought from you for a dollar
It's still on lay-buy
I would pay by any means that you could take
It drove me further
Than I had dared to dream
We spoke at length
When you said to "fly away" and fly I did
I didn't mean to miss your funeral
But like you said, I've got to sing from my heart
Your words like whispers written on my skin
And I wear your silver suit
That you gave my mother away in as I sing.
Dear headmaster,
Irreverent pupil would like to venture
Some advice if he might
Learn to spell your own name
Before you give it away
It makes things easier
When you climb down the family tree
To get to me
I didn't mean to miss your funeral
But like you said, I've got to sing from my heart
Your words like whispers written on my skin
And I wear your silver suit
That you danced my mother away in as I sing.
You led a protest
Right to the ending
Ending up where you started by the water
I hope you're swimming
I hope you're swimming
I hope you're spinning
In orbit of the stars I like to chase...
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6. |
Song In This Book
03:24
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Thank you, yes I guess that's the word I've been searching for for you
It took ten months and a lot of cigarettes for me to arrive at this one, yessir.
Thank you for taking the other point of view in a story that we set in concrete
Thank you for taking advantage of my insecurities, you really are a pal.
Oh I'm not one to linger in the past
But my dreams won't let sleeping dogs lie
So I guess you deserve a little song in this book
Before we say goodbye
I don't know how you justify your predatory nature to all other folk
It seems to me that it's much easier to be the masked rider than the wheels or the spokes
I can't forgive and I can't forget I just relive and occasionally regret
I sincerely doubt that I'm gonna call, so maybe it's time you should call somebody who cares
Oh I'm not one to linger in the past
But my dreams won't let sleeping dogs lie
So I guess you deserve a little song in this book
Before we say goodbye
Thanks for being horny
When I was much the same
I'm sorry I wasn't a little more responsive
The moment that you came
(through my door)
Oh I'm not one to linger in the past
But my dreams won't let sleeping dogs lie
So I guess you deserve a little song in this book
Before we say goodbye
Wait... fuck you! Yes I guess that's the phrase I've been searching for all of this time
It took a lot of time for me to forgive my carnivorous curiosities
It takes two to tango and two to fuck, I hope in tango you might have more luck
But I'll propose a toast to you anyway, cos ten months later, I'm OK!
Well apparently I am one to linger in the past
And my dreams won't let sleeping dogs lie
So I guess you deserve a little song in this book
The next time that you and I say goodbye
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7. |
Sour Milk Song
03:52
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When I woke up this morning
I said “no more sad love songs”
Then I made myself a cup of tea
But the fucking milk was sour and lumpy
So I threw it against the wall
And traced its dribbling trajectory
Jaye says “now you can just sing sour stories”
Like you said this is what you wanted, what you wanted
And you said “this is life, this is life, this is life,
and what good is a heart that can’t be bruised?”
But I’m not a paper cup to be thrown away once I’ve been used
And I know, I know, I know
That it’s all in my mind
But that doesn’t explain the mess I made
Scrubbing that wall with lemon rind
And you know, you know, you know
That there’s no use crying now
Something your mother once said
That you’ve only just figured out…
As you say this is what you wanted, what you wanted
And you say “this is life, this is life, this is life,
and what good is a heart that can’t be bruised?”
But I’m not a paper cup to be thrown away after you’re through
And you won’t believe me
When I say “you’ve been outdone",
and that a new way to love is just a new way to hurt someone
And I won’t believe me
When I say “I’ve had my fun”
‘Cos even the days I don’t lose
End in nights I never feel that I’ve won
When I say this is what I wanted, what I wanted
And I’ll say “this is life, this is life, this is life,
and what good is a heart that can’t be bruised?”
But you’re not a paper cup to be thrown away once you’ve been used
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8. |
Phoenix
04:57
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I need to find a little solitude, my love
in which to catch alight my breath
I need to build a little fire in my heart
which will spit and spark ‘til my death
So I can unfurl the pretty flames
that have my arms
Which I will raise up to the sky
with a twisted smile
And I will sing ‘Glory Be’
and inside, whisper ‘help me please’
and shout out ‘Love, love, love’
For eternity
Oh what have I become
and where is my mother
Oh bring me my sticks and spices
that I may build this birthing pyre
He says I have the soul of the sun
but I’m yet to ignite it
(I’m yet to invite it)
And she says I’m not around anymore
but she still tastes the smoke on my tongue
But I will unfurl the pretty flames
that have my legs
And waltz away my flesh and feathers
and I will cry tears of glee
and I will beg you to save me
But I’ll be flying, flying, flying
It’s mythical policy
Just give me a thousand years, my love
I’ll meet you by the ashes
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9. |
As In Berlin
05:01
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As in Berlin
The wall, my friend
It rose above
Then fell again
No dreams of sleep
The world is flat
Its core is warm
Its nights are black
And the water runs colder in the winter
As in Berlin
The walls are down…
As in Berlin,
The wall’s my friend
Reflects the start
Recalls the end
I keep the piece (peace)
Inside my heart
To stall the end
Recall the start
And the water runs colder in the winter
As in Berlin
The wall came down down down down down.
Sleep now.
Can I sleep now?
Let me sleep now.
As in Berlin,
The wall’s remains
Are scattered round
The world again
Never
Never rebuilt
Never forgotten
We never will…
Sleep now.
Can we sleep now?
We can sleep now, can’t we?
Sleep now
Let us sleep now
We can sleep now…
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10. |
Holes
04:06
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There's a hole inside of me
the shape of you
it's so deep inside me
that nobody can see it
when I try to fill it
with other people
none of them will fit
but I will try to keep trying
Maybe I think this one
This one can touch like you touch
Or laugh like you laugh
kiss like you kiss
smile like you smile
but no-one smiles like you smile...
No, nobody smiles like you…
It's not just inside me the hole the shape of you
everywhere I look now
Is somewhere that you are not
Holes are always hungry
And they eat the things we want to keep
eat your life so slowly
eat profane and holy
eat it till you're wholly hole
Maybe I think this one
This one can touch like you touch
Or laugh like you laugh
kiss like you kiss
smile like you smile
but no-one smiles like you smile...
No, nobody smiles like you…
I should learn my lesson
holes are the illusion...
presence and absence and
emptiness and nothing
When I am gone my darling dig me a hole
let flowers grow above me
and wild berries
then laugh and forget me
and before I'm cold
let someone who loves you fill your...
...hole
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11. |
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When the end of the world came
It passed like an awkward remark.
No light for believers
No scientists left in the dark
And no-one proved right
And no-one was wrong
We weren’t left alone
And we didn’t belong
When the end of the world came
It passed like an awkward remark
When the end of the world came
We thought they were just crying wolf again
No time for forgiveness
No time for the meaningless blame again
And the sound, it was soft
And the weather was warm
The sky had forgotten
To put up a storm
When the end of the world came
We thought they were just crying wolf.
We knew we were the fortunate ones
We’d always been right and we knew all along
That if there is a hell, it’s a heavenly song
Sung by those we’d always labelled as wrong.
When the end of the world came
Everyone swore that they’d seen it coming
No matter their creed or conviction
They knew they had seen it coming
They’d seen the pattern
In scriptures or Saturn
In beakers or latin
Dan Brown’s antimatter
The end of the world came
And everyone swore that they’d known.
When the end of the world came
We all were sorta relieved!
We looked at our pictures
And saw what we’d finally achieved.
No need for regret
And forget all the need
All of our assets
Were frozen or freed
When the end of the world came
We all looked kinda relieved.
We knew we were the fortunate ones
We’d always been right and we knew all along
That if there is a hell, it’s a heavenly song
Sung by those who’d always labelled us as wrong
When the end of the world came
I sat and I sipped my earl grey.
No-one was gendered or violent
Or straight or gay
No-one afflicted
By war or religion
We all turned to dust
And the dust was beginning
To bundle together
To start the whole story again…
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12. |
Under The Rainbow
04:14
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My brain is made of straw
And my heart was forged from tin
My courage, although fierce, it is endangered.
My sunflowers still grow
Though my monkeys have no wings
My path is paved in gold and filled with strangers.
This city made of green
Was a mirage filled with diversions
You notice when the smoke has cleared away
That the wizard was a hoax
And this old witch is scared of water
And home is always just three clicks away…
Away…
My home was blown away
By a modern-age tornado
My aunt and uncle now live far away.
The lady riding by
She does not seem to make much progress.
She’s always exercising, night and day.
Oh – and everything is black and white
Except these choices I am making
About the coloured boxes I could fit in.
And the room it gently spins
Like a politicians promise
To fix the weather with a weathered wallet that she’s gone and thrown away…
Away…
I’m somewhere under the rainbow
Way down low.
I’m under the waves
I am under the weather
I’m under the pump
And I am under the pressure.
I’m under the spell
Of a life lived in leisure
I’m under-performing
And I am so under-pleasured…
The yellow road kept winding
My companions were finding
Their memberships were ripe for cancelling.
That path it kept on going
Tom: I left my friends there knowing
Their questions are not fit for answering…
No.
My questions are not fit for answering…
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13. |
...13
00:42
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The Jane Austen Argument Melbourne, Australia
The Jane Austen Argument are a Melbourne-based indie cabaret duo who combine raw ballads and sharp tongues with chaotic
abandon and overtones of anti-folk and punk love.
Recent collaborations have included Amanda Fucking Palmer and Neil Gaiman.
... more
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