SONGS FROM THE EDGE OF THE WORLD - 2011
slippery slope
she’s a slippery slope
very muddy and cold
and though i try be nice
it don’t break the ice
she’s been spending all my money
and using all my petrol
better get a lawyer down here soon
she’s a slippery slope
and i’m sliding down
(ch) it’s not like me to be
so mean and spiteful to the girl
but we can’t go shopping
we get heard by all the world
she’s a slippery slope
with a dangerous soul
and though i try to cope
there really is no hope
she’s been tearing up my pictures
and scratching my cd’s
better get a lawyer down here soon
she’s a slippery slope
and i’m sliding down
(ch) well it’s not like me to be
so mean and spiteful to the girl
but we can’t go shopping
we get heard by all the world
and i’d buy her things
like golden rings
and sliver spoons
but it seems to me
that this relationship
is slipping off the rails
she’s been sipping all my whiskey
and smoking my cigars
better get a lawyer down here soon
cos she’s a slippery slope
and i’m sliding down
johnny wants the big time
you’ve got a lot to learn
in your secret life these days
you’ve got a lot to learn
but you don’t wanna change your ways
but if tonight is not the night
that you don’t go
then maybe you will never, ever know that
(ch) johnny wants the big time
you’ve got a lot to learn
that you twist and turn at night
you’ve got a pain that’s burning holes
and a feel for the fight
and you know the world
it’s a big and ugly place
but the light it looks so perfect on your face
(ch) johnny wants the big time
won’t you - for once - be the hero you know
show all the world just how far you can go
is it the way you are
is it the skin you’re in
is it the clothes you wear
you’ve gotta have your say
gotta find your way
gotta make your day
(ch) johnny wants the big time
heavy freight
i’m a fire sign, the only son
raised on love from age one
heard too much advice
i didnt take much direction
my father said
“always use your head”
my ma says
“you live until you’re dead”
(ch) it’s what i need
when the world
comes crashing down on me
it’s the feel of the release
of a weight so hard to please
it’s the high, when i’m low
when the ground falls from below
it’s the rain on the tracks
i’m a train with heavy freight
born into a world of sin
i used both my hands
i cried when i tried
to find a line of work
to keep me on the right course
but i’ve been on the edge
i’ve been out of my head
walked on a broken leg
i’ll live until i’m dead
(ch) it’s what i need
when the world
comes crashing down on me
it’s the feel of the release
of a weight so hard to please
it’s the high, when i’m low
when the ground falls from below
it’s the rain on the tracks
i’m a train with heavy freight
my father said
“always use your head”
my ma says
“you live until you’re dead”
frequency
there’s a sound at night
coming from a radio
the a.m. transmission it comes and goes
songs for the lonely and the brokenhearted
and across the street
someone lights a cigarette
there’s a desperate silence
as the rain makes a river
on the window pane
and the shadows come alive
and the middle of the night
was a long time ago
frequency’s switching
from static to twitching
like bleeping from weather ships
that have gone missing
and sleep it just won’t come
and sleep it just won’t come
(ch) turn to the left
and turn to the right
turn off the light
but your mind never sleeps
you turning all over the sheets
hearing the sound
of your heart beat
the street light’s a reminder
that your sanity’s reeling
the street light’s just flicker
as the hours go quicker
shapes on the ceiling
as the headlights are passing
your shaking’s a reminder
your prescription’s not lasting, no
(ch) turn to the left
and turn to the right
turn off the light
but your mind never sleeps
you turning all over the sheets
hearing the sound
of your heart beat
whistles & bells
blow out the candle
turn out the light
your mind is black
but your skin is white
your sister told you
to be kind
but those things she said
you left behind
you tried so hard
to understand
why grains of sand
fall through your hands
why people try
to knock you down
lock your doors
and turn you around
(ch) for smoke & mirrors
whistles & bells
for smoke & mirrors
whistles & bells
your head’s on wrong
and your body’s beat
your hair’s grown long
but it’s grey beneath
for tall demands
you have laboured hard
but the cigarettes
have stained your hands
(ch) for smoke & mirrors
whistles & bells
yesterday’s girl
i heard a story
that broke my heart
i tried to reach her
she went away
(ch) yesterday’s girl
news on the front page
printed bold in black
“raged into a rampage
won’t be coming back...”
(ch) yesterday’s girl
well she got involved
in some dangerous life
on her own time
well, what has gone wrong
in your hollyworld?
yesterday, yesterday’s girl
(ch) yesterday’s girl
i try to forget
kitchen sink dramas
i’m not one for regret
i couldn’t be calmer
(ch) yesterday’s girl
well she got involved
in some dangerous life
on her own time
well, what has gone wrong
in your hollyworld?
yesterday, yesterday’s girl
ayla
ayla you cradle your heart
like a long lost lyric of love
fighting off the unwanted tears
that have built up over the years
tell all your deepest fears
and tell all your favourite lies
nothing’s what it appears
like a ghost in white
(ch) and you want to, you want to believe
that a summer can last all year
and you try to, you try to break free
from the chains that hold you here
ayla you’re just feeling down
like a flood running over the town
like the clouds in the winter skies
like the stratospheres in your eyes
it’s just an illusion
for the yearning that comes
to disappear like a cut kite
and not be caught in a fight
(ch) and you want to, you want to believe
that a summer can last all year
and you try to, you try to break free
from the chains that hold you here
ayla you talk in your sleep
about all the dreams that you keep
about all the bad that you’ve seen
and all of the help that you need
(ch) ayla, you don’t have to hideaway
you don’t hate your pain
you don’t have to try so hard
ayla, you don’t have to say you’re sorry
don’t let it be a worry
just open your eyes
like a child
walk me through this world
my soul has come of age
memories flash before my eyes
a spark of light brings me hope
a second-hand feeling takes control
do you understand?
(ch) so hold me now
like when i was young
speak to me like a child
the harbour lights appear
as the rain washes the pier
the coloured dots sparkle on the sea
is this hallowed ground i see
stretched out endlessly
this circus wheel won’t stop for me
(ch) so hold me now
like when i was young
speak to me like a child
so hold me now
like when i was young
speak to me like a child
we pray for love, we pray for war
we pray for less and we pray for more
symptoms of our life in black and white
i don’t believe in ghosts
gods or ufo’s
but i swear i feel your presence
with me here
(ch) so hold me now
like when i was young
speak to me like a child
so hold me now
like when i was young
speak to me like a child
isolation
(ch) isolation
is all i ever want
accusations
for things i haven’t done
it’s so hard to be a saint
in a city full of sin
when the rituals of the night
stain the days like broken knives
and the people on the street
make me feel so incomplete….isolation
it’s the weight of the world
i’m carrying with me
once is too much
but i’m wanting more
weak at the knees
and i’m struggling to breathe
my vision of the world
is as sharp as nails
even heaven pales
i’m lost in a mire of my own making
(ch) isolation
is all i ever want
accusations
for things i haven’t done
as the planet spins around
and the years pass with no sound
i’m reminded of the rain
and the ship wrecks out at sea
and the way the tides can turn
and how quickly paper burns….isolation
hinterland
i want to run
away with you
into the openness
into the wilderness
and lose ourselves
beneath the stars
and stare into the night
in search of satellites
we can find a place
an open space
a new frontier
to start our future here
you and i, the universe
we’ll stand out in the rain
and scream into the wind
(ch) i’ll take the snow and the winter
lost in a hinterland
caught in the landslide
safe in a hinterland
this city’s a disgrace in disarray
with neon everywhere
and sulpher in the air
and love dies trying
like a rose
to grow up in the shade
of the concrete and the clay
(ch) i’ll take the snow and the winter
lost in a hinterland
caught in the landslide
safe in a hinterland
red
sunday morning
our love dawning
red blood burning
i want to touch you
(ch) it’s not the same as it was now
we’re not breaking new ground
and it looks good, tastes good
feels like it should
it’s just that dangerous red
and red is all mine tonight
thursday evening
starlight blinking
drink on red wine
and think of you
(ch) it’s not the same as it was now
we’re not breaking new ground
and it looks good, tastes good
feels like it should
it’s just that dangerous red
and red is all mine tonight
the spirit of ‘76
oh the spirit of ‘76
is all that we need for a fix
to keep the mind and the body in line
for our liberty for our kicks
oh the spirit of ‘76
the symptom for a world that is sick
and escape from the concrete and bricks
from a life of lies, trials and tricks
oh the spirit of ‘76
rescued love from the sticks
saved us from politics
from dianetics and the heretics
(ch) we want our freedom
and we want it now!
a little place that we can call our own
a little space at the edge of the world
and the point that i wanna make
it’s just a point that i’m trying to make
we keep on running
there’s just somethings that i have to say
there’s just somethings that i wanna say
keep on running
oh the spirit of ‘76
it’s in the blood
flowing into the soul
like a fire out of control
in a world that’s worrying
a world that panics too much
(ch) we want our freedom
and we want it now!
a little plce that we can call our own
a little space at the edge of the world
and the point that i’m trying to make
t’s just a point that i wanna make
we keep on running
it’s just somethings that i have to say
it’s just somethings that i’m trying to say
keep on running for the spirit of ‘76
all songs by the one night stands - words by lu
THE ONE NIGHT STANDS - 2008
1992
before it came up
a long time ago
we were young and we would never know
before it came up
or even began
before it went down
before it became
something that shouldn’t have been left in the rain
before it went down and lifted away
the world was ours
and we had something to say
(ch) i was waiting
you were waiting
we were waiting
1992
before it came up
a long time ago
we were lost and we had nowhere to go
before it went down
our history began
talking in tongues
talking in heads
speaking messages nobody had said
everything changes
as everything ends
and fact and fiction
make a fatal blend
(ch) i was waiting
you were waiting
we were waiting
1992
candidate
be careful what you ask for
you get what you give
if you want a wish
you better think of it quick
hold in your breath
don’t stand by the fire
your feeling goes
as your reflex gets higher
but what’s safe these days, huh?
when your back turns
love burns a hole
(ch) living on the right side of the tracks
no trouble in the alley back
so glad that we have finally found a candidate
the sand and the sea
and the salt of the earth
the traffic in the sky
like a baby at birth
true as the lights
and the neon signs
time will surrender
like a whimsical rhyme
but what’s safe these days, huh?
when your back turns
love burns a hole
(ch) living on the right side of the tracks
no trouble in the alley back
so glad that we have finally found a candidate
seconds
it took seconds to find the emptiness left behind
he couldn’t think straight
it seconds to make a flame to fire up
his magic manifesto
he was living his life at a midway pace
it was neither here or there it was lost in space
(but he kept driving)
he was shopping for a life that was over priced
running outta credit, he was running out the door
he couldn’t hide it
(ch) standing on the sidewalk, standing on the street
listening to anything with a stax soul beat
the city’s got him moving and pushing to a groove
in just seconds
it took seconds behind a disused railway line
to start a lifetime together
some say it’s a gift and some say it’s a curse
he was balancing the good against the worst, forever
oh the sights of the wild left his eyes wired wide
the ladies under neon signs consigned his mind
to new distractions
the attractions all kept flickering back
the doors of perception had been pulled
in all directions, no connection!
(ch) stepping outta line police already have a file
he’s longing for the days when he was still a small child
sun shone brighter and the moon so high
glowed with all the attention of a faithful bride
but this was not the case cos that got dragged through court
lighting up a rage, that they – like fever – both caught
everything’s suspended, nothing comprehended
just seconds….
(ch) oh as tragic as the headlines appeared to make
something in that boy kept him locked at bay
sooner than to die than be living a lie
something kept him running, it always kept him hiding
walking with his back to the sunset sky
truly understanding all the reasons why
living every answer with a question mark
forever lying in a cemetary park
holy moses!
it could all cave in, in just seconds…
the 60 zone
heard you were looking for the bright sign
or was it what came first in sight
i heard you found it on the wild side
where else do you find a life?
and in this great big piece of real estate
you’ve got to leave your caravan
these days they make or they can break you
you’re thinking of moving to amsterdam
(ch) moving out of the 60 zone
heard you were looking for the real thing
but this aint 1969
radio frequencies are changing
and what you like can be denied
oh you are such an existentialist
catching colours all around
you’re only as good as your last sentence
and motion pictures turned you down
(ch) moving outta the 60 zone
candy
are you picking up now and seeing?
something that’s betweeen you and me
something making up the packs of ice
in the frozen arctic of your life
are you picking up now?
there’s a side to candy
that you didn’t know
it’s so obvious
(ch) i can understand what you’re going through
because i have been there too
and i can help you through
if you want to, if you want to
are you picking up now?
the heart of japan
i can remember a world
a magical, mystical girl
she went by the name of japan
and that’s where my heartaches began
she played on my life like a stage
a tragedy of modern age
not even the devil could gauge
the size of the war she would wage
(ch) moving away from the heart of japan
from toy town to city
from boy to man
shaking those shackles away
was harder than finding a way
through a desert of sand and of stone
like a river just running alone
(ch) moving away from the heart of japan
from toy town to city
from boy to man
distance and time moves so slow
but this is how you’ll wake up
sometimes it’s so hard to be tall
it’s easier to crawl on the floor
surrendering love can be sad
like leaving the best thing i’ve had
(ch) moving away from the heart of japan
from toy town to city
from boy to man
distance and time moves so slow
but this is how you’ll wake up
do what you do
do what you do it’s the life you choose
find someone new off the avenues
show what a good time valentine you are
do what you do till the feeling fades
shake up a storm in your everglades
your parlez vu’s got a lot to do with you
(ch) are you happy with all the you’ve said
like a record that plays in your head
it’s kashmir but dirty and torn
like dying before being born
do what you do disregard respect
you hustle it hard at the discotheque
and all the boys
are breathing down your neck
(ch) are you happy with all the you’ve said
like a record that plays in your head
it’s kashmir but dirty and torn
like dying before being born
do what you do, you do it oh so well
it’s only your soul that you have to sell
pop the cork and taste johannesburg
(ch) are you happy with all the you’ve said
like a record that plays in your head
it’s kashmir but dirty and torn
like dying before being born
hymns
forgive me for my sins
it’s been years since i’ve sung hymns
it’s been years since i’ve confessed
can i still be blessed
i’ll blame it on my school
a private propaganda tool
headmastered by a fool
and brutal catholic rule
we learnt about the snake
and the parting of the waves
about the devil’s ways
and how jesus saves
but there’s no monk inside of me
no celibacy for me
just a yearning to be free
from these swaggarts on tv
forgive me for my sins
it’s been years since i’ve sung hymns
years since the church bell rings
and collection tins
from the father to the son
and the mother of the one
has holiness gone wrong
with a bible and a gun?
is there fire & brimstone
if i break the rules at home
will i truly go to hell
like the scriptures tell
for every seven wrongs i do
i’ll try and double it with good
the commandments that i break
i will pay through life’s mistakes
(ch) hymns
i never wanted to sing hymns
i never wanted to do things
that bring me to my knees
talk talk
well did i tell you before
when i was up
anxiety was bringing me down
i'm tired of listening to you
talking in rhymes
twisting round to make me think
you're straight down the line
(ch) all you do to me is talk talk
if every sign that i see is complete
then i'm a fool in your game
and all you want to do
is tell me your lies
won't show the other side
that you're just wasting my time
(ch) all you do to me is talk talk
when every choice that i make is yours
keep telling me what's right and what's wrong
don't you ever stop to think about me
i'm not too blind to see
that you've been cheating on me
i see you're laughing at me when i'm up
i see you crying for me when i'm down
i see you’re laughing at me when i'm up
i see you crying for me
(ch) all you do to me is talk talk
birth-rite
wade in the water
wade in the water
child at night
wakes in fright
moon shines bright
birth rite
river’s edge
overhead
steal this life
birth rite
breakout! breakout!
there’s something new
breakout! breakout!
there’s something true
breakout! breakout!
there’s something better coming
breakout! breakout!
there’s something new
breakout! breakout!
there’s something good
breakout! breakout!
there’s something better coming
wade in the water
wade in the water
all songs by the one night stands - words by lu
1992
before it came up
a long time ago
we were young and we would never know
before it came up
or even began
before it went down
before it became
something that shouldn’t have been left in the rain
before it went down and lifted away
the world was ours
and we had something to say
(ch) i was waiting
you were waiting
we were waiting
1992
before it came up
a long time ago
we were lost and we had nowhere to go
before it went down
our history began
talking in tongues
talking in heads
speaking messages nobody had said
everything changes
as everything ends
and fact and fiction
make a fatal blend
(ch) i was waiting
you were waiting
we were waiting
1992
candidate
be careful what you ask for
you get what you give
if you want a wish
you better think of it quick
hold in your breath
don’t stand by the fire
your feeling goes
as your reflex gets higher
but what’s safe these days, huh?
when your back turns
love burns a hole
(ch) living on the right side of the tracks
no trouble in the alley back
so glad that we have finally found a candidate
the sand and the sea
and the salt of the earth
the traffic in the sky
like a baby at birth
true as the lights
and the neon signs
time will surrender
like a whimsical rhyme
but what’s safe these days, huh?
when your back turns
love burns a hole
(ch) living on the right side of the tracks
no trouble in the alley back
so glad that we have finally found a candidate
seconds
it took seconds to find the emptiness left behind
he couldn’t think straight
it seconds to make a flame to fire up
his magic manifesto
he was living his life at a midway pace
it was neither here or there it was lost in space
(but he kept driving)
he was shopping for a life that was over priced
running outta credit, he was running out the door
he couldn’t hide it
(ch) standing on the sidewalk, standing on the street
listening to anything with a stax soul beat
the city’s got him moving and pushing to a groove
in just seconds
it took seconds behind a disused railway line
to start a lifetime together
some say it’s a gift and some say it’s a curse
he was balancing the good against the worst, forever
oh the sights of the wild left his eyes wired wide
the ladies under neon signs consigned his mind
to new distractions
the attractions all kept flickering back
the doors of perception had been pulled
in all directions, no connection!
(ch) stepping outta line police already have a file
he’s longing for the days when he was still a small child
sun shone brighter and the moon so high
glowed with all the attention of a faithful bride
but this was not the case cos that got dragged through court
lighting up a rage, that they – like fever – both caught
everything’s suspended, nothing comprehended
just seconds….
(ch) oh as tragic as the headlines appeared to make
something in that boy kept him locked at bay
sooner than to die than be living a lie
something kept him running, it always kept him hiding
walking with his back to the sunset sky
truly understanding all the reasons why
living every answer with a question mark
forever lying in a cemetary park
holy moses!
it could all cave in, in just seconds…
the 60 zone
heard you were looking for the bright sign
or was it what came first in sight
i heard you found it on the wild side
where else do you find a life?
and in this great big piece of real estate
you’ve got to leave your caravan
these days they make or they can break you
you’re thinking of moving to amsterdam
(ch) moving out of the 60 zone
heard you were looking for the real thing
but this aint 1969
radio frequencies are changing
and what you like can be denied
oh you are such an existentialist
catching colours all around
you’re only as good as your last sentence
and motion pictures turned you down
(ch) moving outta the 60 zone
candy
are you picking up now and seeing?
something that’s betweeen you and me
something making up the packs of ice
in the frozen arctic of your life
are you picking up now?
there’s a side to candy
that you didn’t know
it’s so obvious
(ch) i can understand what you’re going through
because i have been there too
and i can help you through
if you want to, if you want to
are you picking up now?
the heart of japan
i can remember a world
a magical, mystical girl
she went by the name of japan
and that’s where my heartaches began
she played on my life like a stage
a tragedy of modern age
not even the devil could gauge
the size of the war she would wage
(ch) moving away from the heart of japan
from toy town to city
from boy to man
shaking those shackles away
was harder than finding a way
through a desert of sand and of stone
like a river just running alone
(ch) moving away from the heart of japan
from toy town to city
from boy to man
distance and time moves so slow
but this is how you’ll wake up
sometimes it’s so hard to be tall
it’s easier to crawl on the floor
surrendering love can be sad
like leaving the best thing i’ve had
(ch) moving away from the heart of japan
from toy town to city
from boy to man
distance and time moves so slow
but this is how you’ll wake up
do what you do
do what you do it’s the life you choose
find someone new off the avenues
show what a good time valentine you are
do what you do till the feeling fades
shake up a storm in your everglades
your parlez vu’s got a lot to do with you
(ch) are you happy with all the you’ve said
like a record that plays in your head
it’s kashmir but dirty and torn
like dying before being born
do what you do disregard respect
you hustle it hard at the discotheque
and all the boys
are breathing down your neck
(ch) are you happy with all the you’ve said
like a record that plays in your head
it’s kashmir but dirty and torn
like dying before being born
do what you do, you do it oh so well
it’s only your soul that you have to sell
pop the cork and taste johannesburg
(ch) are you happy with all the you’ve said
like a record that plays in your head
it’s kashmir but dirty and torn
like dying before being born
hymns
forgive me for my sins
it’s been years since i’ve sung hymns
it’s been years since i’ve confessed
can i still be blessed
i’ll blame it on my school
a private propaganda tool
headmastered by a fool
and brutal catholic rule
we learnt about the snake
and the parting of the waves
about the devil’s ways
and how jesus saves
but there’s no monk inside of me
no celibacy for me
just a yearning to be free
from these swaggarts on tv
forgive me for my sins
it’s been years since i’ve sung hymns
years since the church bell rings
and collection tins
from the father to the son
and the mother of the one
has holiness gone wrong
with a bible and a gun?
is there fire & brimstone
if i break the rules at home
will i truly go to hell
like the scriptures tell
for every seven wrongs i do
i’ll try and double it with good
the commandments that i break
i will pay through life’s mistakes
(ch) hymns
i never wanted to sing hymns
i never wanted to do things
that bring me to my knees
talk talk
well did i tell you before
when i was up
anxiety was bringing me down
i'm tired of listening to you
talking in rhymes
twisting round to make me think
you're straight down the line
(ch) all you do to me is talk talk
if every sign that i see is complete
then i'm a fool in your game
and all you want to do
is tell me your lies
won't show the other side
that you're just wasting my time
(ch) all you do to me is talk talk
when every choice that i make is yours
keep telling me what's right and what's wrong
don't you ever stop to think about me
i'm not too blind to see
that you've been cheating on me
i see you're laughing at me when i'm up
i see you crying for me when i'm down
i see you’re laughing at me when i'm up
i see you crying for me
(ch) all you do to me is talk talk
birth-rite
wade in the water
wade in the water
child at night
wakes in fright
moon shines bright
birth rite
river’s edge
overhead
steal this life
birth rite
breakout! breakout!
there’s something new
breakout! breakout!
there’s something true
breakout! breakout!
there’s something better coming
breakout! breakout!
there’s something new
breakout! breakout!
there’s something good
breakout! breakout!
there’s something better coming
wade in the water
wade in the water
all songs by the one night stands - words by lu
