Sunday, December 19, 2010

Walker in Darkness

WALKER IN DARKNESS (Judith Wright)

The country where he lives is the country of no sight
And no man's field is the black earth turned by his blade
Men stand like trees asleep, a shade in a shade
Their fruit ripens and falls in the hot sun of the night;
For him to find and eat

The sea he swims in is the sea where other men drown
The shore he walks is the white sand of their bones
The forest is full of monsters and mad ferns
And no man comes there but those who die, who mourn
Or who desire to be born

Walker in darkness, the sun has gone out in my mind
You carry your heart like a star, like a lamp in your hand
But where shall I look for my light
And how shall I find my heart in your dark land?

Spanna

SPANNA (1993)

You came far too early
And you found it hard to leave
You made your Momma pray
She got down upon her knees
You weighed less than a thing of milk
You were the mighty flea
But you'll always be Spanna to me

Your head resides above the clouds
And wanders recklessly
You scream so loud that no-one hears
You're lost upon the sea
Your Mother wanted Annie
Your Father wanted Lea
But you'll always be Spanna to me

You hide behind the walls
And get someone to tell you lies
You fall into the cracks
And never say your own goodbyes
You were present at the scene
With a hundred alibis
But you'll always be Spanna to me

I always said it made no difference
What you did there in your room
You might be writing books or hatching plots
Down there in the gloom
You might hide from your real name
Behind a nom de plume
But you'll always be Spanna to me


Hot Lips (1993)

You know you looked kind of sexy in that dress you wore
And your high heel shoes put you at six-foot four
But the boy at the bar had you coming back for more
Until you passed out on my bedroom floor

Your momma said the devil was a friend of mine
And if you did without me you'd be doing fine
But you can't help checking out the scene of the crime
As long as you get back to the church on time

And now I guess you gotta live with the mess you made
You ain't gonna get no help from the Marquis de Sade
You're a Puss 'n' Boots and forty degrees in the shade
I like your hot lips baby, and the way you're arrayed

You couldn't get what you wanted with your might is right
And your future isn't turning out too bright
Now you've cut off your nose to hurt yourself out of spite
You're burning both ends baby; I can't believe my sight

All Run Out (E maj)

Sometimes the days go by faster than I can keep count
Sometimes they're dragging me down
Twisting me 'round and 'round
Sometimes it's not so easy to live on
Sometimes it seems I'm waiting far too long

Until the time when I see you again
No strings attached, no time limit, no train to catch
No room for tears
The end of the sadness in your eyes
That cuts me like a knife
No more cares
For when I get there we'll be one
No more love on the run
I'm all run out

I know it seems like I don't care if I'm there at all
But I'm between a rock and a hard place
My back's against the wall
Sometimes it's not so easy to live on
Sometimes it seems I'm waiting far too long

Jesus (1988)

You've got to work hard to pick up the pieces of your broken existence
You won't let anyone help you
You've got a one-way valve
You carry all the world upon your shoulders
And you won't let anybody lend a hand

All around you there are walls to build
So you can gather them into your house
Give them shelter and they eat your food
But you don't let anyone help you out

You've got this attitude that no-one can do the job as well as you do
So you have to do it all yourself
You've got this feeling that you can't burden other people
And when you're hurting you don't tell anybody else

All around you there are people
Who want to help so they feel that they're worthwhile
You've got to let somebody get to you
You've got to start to live a life

All around you are the one's you love
And you love them with all your heart
Can't you let them give some back to you
Everyone can play their part

Yoke (Matt 11:28)

Come to me all of you who are weary and burdened
And I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me
For I am gentle and humble in heart

And you will find rest for your weary souls

For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

You and I in Ireland (For Kel)

I wanted your dying so complete
I know you hated me saying so
you'd say "don't want to be so destroyed, don't want to feel so helpless"
I wanted your despair inside me to feel

we walked to the island you and I, like lovers
we talked as the sun went down the sky behind me
we drove down the N1
drove 'til the sun had fallen
I wanted to drive 'til I could cry
but I don't anymore

don't you say it's OK
don't you know you're so pale
by the ocean shore
over the ancient walls
only you and I in Ireland
I needed this to be
you and I in Ireland

I watched as your face became the pain before me
I watched as your tears became the rain that I need
I felt my lips so dry and i knew you were drowning
"it's twenty to eight" I said, "we should go"

we laughed at the names we couldn't say
and laughed at the stupid games we played
somehow you felt you'd lost; you came here with such excitement
you know you'll be coming home some day
but you don't want to be going home this way

No End In Sight

I'm truly becoming
More and more repulsive
To myself
I'm running
On the same old ground again
And again
I'm a shadow
Of the person that I once was

And I can see no end in sight

I'm losing this battle
The second act has made me
So weary
I have left
No punches for this fight
I'm drowning, not waving
To steal an old cliche

And I can see no end in sight
You were a buyer of life and love affair
I was a window shopper extraordinaire
I'd emptied my pockets
And found I had nothing to give to the newcomer

Idealist in love, in life you were practical
In love I was practical, in life I had no idea
You made me nervous
And I made you scared to be you

You were so normal and loved me so dearly
I wasn't normal and wanted to love you
So you held on strongly
And I held on desperately
You were a garden in bloom on a summers day
I was a shell my soul long washed away
You held on strongly
And I was too weak to let go when I should have

You were an ocean so calm on a summers day
I was a leaky boat, not fit for sailing
You gave me anchor
And I threw the line back to you

You were so normal and loved me so dearly
I wasn't normal and wanted to love you
So you held on strongly
And I held on so desperately

Locked in a room that my head built around me
You asked for the key to the door of this barricade
I held on strongly
And told you I threw it away long ago...

You were a giver of self and a thousand smiles
I was a thief in the night at the Royal Court
You bled so freely
And I drank the blood like a helpless Dracula

You were a woman so stately and beautiful
I was a child who cried in the winter time
You were a steamtrain
That carried me safely back home.

You were so normal and loved me so dearly
I wasn't normal and wanted to love you
So you held on strongly
And I held on so desperately

SAY GOODBYE NOW

We said our last goodbyes
You said you'd probably cry
The room began to spin
And I heard my heart breaking
And then you turned to go
And walked away forever
Back to another land
I knew I'd probably never see you again

We'd spent our final days
Holding on to what we had
So desperately we held
As if we could stop the ending
And then you had to go
And walk away forever
Back to another love
I know I'll probably never see you again

Say goodbye now
And walk away
Say goodbye now

Say goodbye now
Just walk away
Say goodbye Trace, until we meet again

So reckless those days, I had to laugh
You felt like all I had
And I said "just turn around and walk
and don't look back"
And then you turned to go
To walk away forever
Back to another life
I know, I know I'll never see you again.

Until we meet again.

Guilty

In early morning misty light
Dawn's golden hour
Again the sun begins to shine

We sit in silent emptiness
My tears I hide
And on my breath I taste the wine

Stand in the face of the sun
You've lost your place, my Guilty One
You fell from Grace
No one can save my Guilty One
My Guilty One


I love you more than anything
A love I thought
That in my heart I'd never find

But love it seems is momentary
And quickly dies
And now it's all a waste of time

You've lost your place in the sun
It's in your face, my Guilty One
Your choice is made
No one can save you, Guilty One
My Guilty One

ANYTHING BUT NEW

My life is just a book
Like any other page for page
Repeated over word for word like another read before
Read from cover through and through
My life is anything but new

And in looking for a cause
I stumble 'round these empty rooms
I find that nothing that I do has not been done before
Done completely through and through
My life is anything but new

I started out with such a thirst
And came a upon a pool of knowledge so deep and wide 
That now I'm drowning with this thirst that I can't slake
Confusing knowledge with what is true
Yes my life is anything but knew

Help me! I'm drowing
I don't know what I am
Help me I'm falling 
I don't know what I am supposed to be

Now that I've met you today
I wish it could have been any other way
It scares me all this sudden movement
All this aching in my heart
Because I know I'd do anything for you
But my love is anything but new

I am

I smoke and am unhealthy
I lust an am impure
I hate and am unholy
I quest and am unsure
I steal an am unfaithful
I swear and am uncouth
I stare and am unsubtle
I lie and am untruth
I wince and I am gutless
I ache and I am torn
I live but I am weary
I die and am unborn

SONG FOR THE RETURNING

I'm only speaking today to the forgiven
In a vague undefinable way you're the living
A message from the dead:
Make the most of your chance
Don't throw it away
Now you've got your new dance

Only speaking today from the yearning
You know you threw it away - somehow you're returning
You were cast down - left to drown
Instead you're living again
Arise again the walking dead

Into her open arms, wide for you
Into her open arms
This is a song for the returned
I'm dead in case you hadn't heard

I'm only speaking today because I miss her
I don't expect you to pray while you kiss her
Or think of me when you're alone in her eyes
But don't be surprised 
If she's more careful when she lets you...