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Little Town Blues (2015)

by Mark Lucas

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1.
They were standing in the rain He was leaning on the car He said I’m talkin’ to you baby But I don’t know who you are I used to hang the moon You used to be the stars Left the car in the driveway Threw away the keys Grabbed his coat & started walking Toward the dark end of the street Used to feel like king of the hill Now he just feels incomplete Little town blues Stones in your shoes They’ll take all you can lose These little town blues They’ve got 20 years of happy snaps In albums in the hall They got 3 kids & a mortgage That’s got him by the balls She said honey we ain’t all out of love We’re just a little overdrawn He said all this useless beauty All your sacred cows All your magazine covers And designer baby showers All that stuff that we think we need It means nothing to me now
2.
She’s got this place she goes to When the going gets too rough And it keeps her & it holds her in its sway Barrelling down the fast lane With no logic in train Just the speed of her getaway She’s travellin’ tonight With just her dreams & her driving shoes ‘cos she’s lost the will to fight Those Federal Highway blues National Highway 23, Remembrance Driveway if you please From the Deadly Hume & the Sutton Interchange It’s just another road from ruin, Something she needn’t think about doing Drivin’ out there hard across the plain She’s travellin’ tonight You got kangaroos in mobs & skis, Hang gliders hangin’ on the breeze Lake George still looks dry as a bone Wind turbines sing their song alone Harvest wind & witness stone And time is just the turning of the leaves She’s travellin’ tonight All roads lead to Rome they say, Well I don’t think this one goes that way It always seems to lead her back to the end Maybe something on the wind More Lady Luck than Mickey Finn Even a losing streak must play out in the end She’s travellin’ tonight
3.
He said I landed here a time or two Somewhere on the journey ‘tween me & you Didn’t mean nothing, just had time to kill In the distance between, where you crave the thrill Sometimes I feel so live I can’t gain control Drifting to the dark side of the road It was summer then & the nights were still The heat hung like a blanket & the wind had no will In the sentinel dawn I reach for sleep But I find no solace & I just feel weak Stranded in the static on the radio Drifting to the dark side of the road Now I hate for darkness to descend Why must I feel such discontent There’s a dead dog in the alley where I pass to make the call When I tell you that I love you & I won’t hurt you no more And half of me believes it & half of me is gone Halfway up the street to where the neon crawl Roving where the shipless sailors go Drifting to the dark side of the road That’s me in the alley if you wanna know the truth Was I really no good or just a mixed up youth Maybe it’s true what they say- you become what you believe Well I believe in nothing hey I guess that’s just me There’s solace in the shifting of the load Drifting to the dark side of the road
4.
A rainy afternoon & they shared a torn umbrella into town He was a small-time trader in big futures & she was living in the now She took him for a schemer as he hooked her on a line about botanics Never dreaming he was embarking on the maiden voyage of his very own Titanic Clouds were scudding by & gulls wheeled overhead crying havoc He’s standing there amazed at somehow sometimes life just happens It’s in the way she moves & there within in the oceans of her eyes Brighter than the moon & darker than these stormy skies Brighter than the moon Darker than these stormy skies To hell with all the rules Somehow sometimes life just happens Now he’s standing on the deck re-arranging all the chairs & keeping time With a band still playing waltzes to the waves & Auld Lang Syne She left him on the promenade with a dairy ice & a rising sense of panic Left him contemplating consequence staring out across the rails of his own Titanic Brighter than the moon He wishes that he’d hung on longer to that moment when the sun burst through the trees A face may launch a thousand ships but a careless word can sink a single dream So it’s a memory of a kiss more tender than it was volcanic And he slips beneath the waves standing on the bridge of his own Titanic He slowly slips beneath the waves standing on the bridge of his own Titanic
5.
The letterbox is still empty and the telephone don’t ring But it’s the same sky above me and the same birds still sing They don’t know how I’m lonely they don’t know that you’re gon But someone please tell the DJ ‘cos he’s still playing our song Please tell the DJ that it’s a small world The songs that he’s playing are all about one girl Be it Waylon or Willie, Hank, Lefty or Merle Please tell the DJ that it’s a small world I‘ve tried painting your picture but it’s like you’re just out of sight And I wrote you a letter but the words won’t come right Used to be I could reach out and the river would run Now I’m dry as the dust in the red centre sun Please tell the DJ that it’s a small world Now Sunday morning still tastes of Saturday night And I can’t hide from memories like I can hide from the light And the bars down the street and the church bells all ring With the same sad story and it’s our song that they sing Please tell the DJ that it’s a small world
6.
Stranger 03:01
You have no sense of occasion You walk the streets with your heart emblazoned On the sleeve of your coat over scars of the razor In the tracks of the tears on your tattoo of mother You live at night but you dress for the day sir Moving in circles that would once have amazed you Using the fruit of the vine like so much liquid eraser You drink to forget but you know you will find her In the still of the night are you a stranger? In the glare of the lights there lies the danger When you’re looking for answers and they label you traitor Is this where you live or are you a stranger? You were processed through schools where they practiced good diction Where they beat you with their truth, stranger than fiction Then you tested your faith on the strength of conviction You did your time in the house of correction It is said that in time each soul finds fulfillment But one might think that our lives are run in weekly installments And while your destiny cries for something more than this moment You know that just to live is to fly In the still of the night are you a stranger? You believe in love, just what else is there And you need to believe to keep it all together When you think about how the world really turns How the deals are done & the evidence burned Still she’s waiting for you as you’re closing the windows Barring the doors against old ghosts and their shadows And it’s sometimes the scent and sometimes the hollow But always the song brings her home In the still of the night are you a stranger?
7.
Home 03:41
I can hear the sound of thunder I can smell the coming rain I can sense the changing seasons When will I see my home again I was born into this prison I was born with no last name No place to run no-one to follow When will I see my home again I know why the morning star does shine It shines to lead me through the night And I know where that new moon lies It lies beneath the sands of time All these years I’ve been alone here My crime has not been named Nor my sentence been read to me When will I see my home again When I was young I had ambition But years of stone stole it away I’m just a stranger in a strange land When will I see my home again I know why the morning star does shine… It’s more than walls that make this prison Time, razor-wire and pain It takes a nation of indifference When will I see my home again
8.
Small Town 03:29
Seems this small town’s getting smaller every day Folks just keep on passing on their way And though life goes on you’d really have to say This small town’s getting smaller every day There’s some who feel the urge to spread their wings Move on up the road to seek their dreams Call it sea change call it tree change it’s all the same And this small town’s getting smaller every day This small town’s getting smaller every day… It used to be our neighbours were our friends With us through life’s straights & through life’s bends But the neighbourhood’s just real estate these days And this small town’s getting smaller every day This small town’s getting smaller every day… Now it’s just the old folks who recall Life before fast food and shopping malls And a time when folks’d smile and say good day On streets where you could watch the children play This small town’s getting smaller every day…
9.
Rider 02:30
Someday you’re gonna climb that hill and see what’s on the other side Someday you may just stand on top reach out & touch the sky Then somedays you’re gonna come unstuck & on that slippery slope you’ll slide You’ll always know the rider from the ride You know you could be anything you want the world is your oyster my dear You could be the train driver or you could be the engineer But that all adds up to nothing if you don’t take the time You’ll always know the rider from the ride No matter how you set your cap It’s a rugged road we’re on But it’s the journey not the destination That you must fix your heart upon Seems like there’s a world of trouble all around sometimes it’s like the walls are tumblin’ down The wheels are falling off the wagon & wolves are on the outskirts of town But you gotta have faith in beauty & stand for what you believe is right You’ll always know the rider from the ride May the sun be always at your back may the path before you rise The rivers that you cross be swift but the shallows recognised May you make love that lasts & gives you strength to grow up to be wise May you always know the rider from the ride
10.
Borderline 04:40
I’m not from here I’m just passing through But there’s not a whole lot of difference between me & you A few thousand miles similar hopes & fears All the good times & a river or two of tears Where did you say you’re from Somewhere uptown or under the gun Well we’re all on the borderline now All on the borderline now We’re all the same under the skin Yeah it’s a cliché I know but it’s where we begin Surely you had a mama & you had a dad But you know these days it’s not even as simple as that Where did you say you’re from Stolen generation or prodigal son We’re all on the borderline now…. Now the world comes in through our little walls With CNN live coverage we’re in boots’n’all Is it the nature of the beast do we really need to see The shallow graves of truth on prime time TV Where did you say you’re from Ethno-political life on the run Hey we’re all on the borderline now… Now here at the edge of darkness do we stand to greet the dawn Or walk back into the night too afraid to carry on While little men play colossus trying to straddle time And curse the very earth claiming God is on their side Where did you say you’re from It’s a great big world but in the end we’re all one And we’re all on the borderline now
11.
He’s got a long list of reasons She’s got no time to waste They say they life is just a season Never hurry ever haste She got the sun at her shoulder He got the moon at his door Sooner or later the world spins around They’ll find their own metaphor Cat on the roof, lazy in the sun Dog in the yard barking mad There’s no love lost between them it’s true But they still got each other for all that Cat’s got nine lives to live up to Dog’s got an old bone to gnaw Sooner or later the world spins around They’ll find their own metaphor We’ve all got our place in the grand scheme of things Still we search for answers to it all Some remain grounded some spread their wings Some are content just to crawl Between the givers the takers the movers the shakers And those with no choices at all Sooner or later the world spins around We all find our own metaphor

about

English born, Sydney based singer-songwriter, Mark Lucas has played many roles in the past 30 odd years. Arriving in Australia in 1981 with a trunk full of belongings and an old Martin guitar, he has been variously a banana farm hand, insurance broker, Native American arts trader, worked in movies and bars, and even found time to establish one of Sydney’s favourite small venues, Petersham Bowling Club (the pbc); but always at heart he’s followed the muse wherever it leads, from late ‘70’s South London roots rock, to quirky ‘80’s pop/rock, and returning full circle to the narrative heart of the troubadour.

New album “Little Town Blues” (Laughing Outlaw Records LOR174CD), co-produced with Brendan Gallagher (Karma County, Jimmy Little), sees Mark step out from in front of long-time backing band the Dead Setters to work a distinctly personal seam, drawing from both the confessional and the observational.

Whilst an Americana, country/roots feel prevails, Mark’s songwriting comes from a strong spirit of place, from a soul born wandering the heartworn highways, and in this, his sixtieth year, he’s clearly right at home.


“…an exemplary example of Australian songwriting, full of beautifully restrained playing and honest lyrics.” – Chris Familton, The Music

“All in all, another fine addition to the Lucas catalogue.” - Kim Cheshire, Country Update Magazine

“…after all these years writing and recording songs, he’s still got plenty to draw on, and you just can’t fake soul like this.” – Whisperinandhollerin (Ireland)

credits

released June 1, 2015

words & music all rights reserved Mark Lucas

Recorded at Bondi Pavilion & Edith Street April to December 2014
Additional recording by Glenn Skarratt
Produced by Brendan Gallagher & Mark Lucas
Mixed by Brendan Gallagher at GPHQ
Mastered by Rick O'Neil at Turtlerock

Mark Lucas - vocal, guitar
Neville Anderson - drums Jy-Perry Banks - tuba
Zane Banks - 5 string banjo Dale Barlow - flute
Doug Boyd - piano & accordion James Church - dobro
Brielle Davis - backing vocals Brendan Gallagher - bass, guitars, keyboards, percussion
Mark Oats - fiddle, backing vocals

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Mark Lucas Sydney, Australia

Australian roots music – it’s a sense of place. In singer-songwriter Mark Lucas' word picture world you’ll encounter ghosts of the past & yearning spirits of the present, making themselves known in a variety of familiar locales, together with a motley cast of misfits & dreamers who could fit in just about anywhere there’s people & stories to tell. ... more

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