Get all 21 Mark Lucas releases available on Bandcamp and save 40%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Into the Sun (Magnetic West), Magnetic West, Onward Into the Fog, Consider Me Gone, Let It Rain, My Ring Still on Your Finger?, Dead Setters Alive at the Orange Grove Hotel 080906, She Lives in Dreams, and 13 more.
1. |
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Friday night found me on a barstool
Making time with another glass of beer
Making love to a waitress from the far Northwest
Tryin’ to make sense of this place
This is not the state I came so far to find
Though who knows what the future holds
It’s a familiar tale to tell there was someone I once knew well
And this is just another town along the road
I’ve been lookin’ at the world through a windshield
I can call too many houses home
But that old white line fever drives me on
A man can be so many people when he’s alone
I’ve seen an old traveller’s eyes getting weary
There’s no romance left to keep him going
And every place along the way he left part of him behind
Is just another town along the road
Lord there’s nothing like the feeling
You hear that freight whistle blow
From boxcars to Boeings or just a dusty track
There’s still another town along the road
When this old world treats me like a stranger
When the sands are running dry
I’ll be ready to go anywhere flowin’ with the tide
In every hello there’s a goodbye
And the man at the gate might call out my name
For you know this life is but a loan
No matter where it leads you know it still feels like home
Heaven’s just another town along the road
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2. |
Rosie
05:23
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I’M GOING DOWN TO ROSIE’S
TELL YOU WHAT I’M GONNA DO
I’M GONNA FIND ME THAT WOMAN
‘COS SHE GOT ME FEELING BLUE
SHE’S A RUNAROUND
AIN’T NO TELLIN’ WHAT A MAN MIGHT DO
ROSIE DON’T YOU TRY SO HARD TO COVER UP
WHAT YOU’RE REALLY FEELING NOW
ROSIE YOU AND I WERE NEVER STAR CROSSED LOVERS
WHAT ARE YOU REALLY FEELING NOW?
I’M GOING DOWN THIS EVENING
AND I’M BOUND TO GO ALONE
I’M GOING TO THE END OF THE SEVEN OCEANS ROAD
‘COS SHE TURNED ME DOWN
BEFORE I GO
I GOT TO KNOW
ROSIE DON’T YOU TRY SO HARD TO…
THERE ‘S A TRAIN LEAVES HERE THIS MORNING
WILL TAKE ME FAR FROM HERE
THERE’S A FACE AGAINST THE WINDOW
CARRESSED BY A SINGLE TEAR
DON’T YOU TURN AROUND
DON’T YOU FEAR
ROSIE DON’T YOU TRY SO HARD TO…
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3. |
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I AWOKE EARLY ON THAT MONDAY MORN AS MANY A MORN BEFORE
TO THE CRACKED SUNLIGHT OF URBAN LIFE & THE 747’S ROAR
I’VE NOT ALWAYS BEEN OF THE CITY & I’VE A TALE OR TWO TO TELL
OF THE WORLD BEYOND THE CONCRETE THE SIRENS AND THE BELLS
I AM NOT THE MAN I WAS & PLEASE DON’T ASK ME WHY
I’VE MET THE GHOST OF THE LOST CREEK ROAD & I’M NOT AFRAID TO DIE
OH DARLING YOU WERE ALWAYS SUCH A SWEET SUBURBAN GIRL
THOUGH YOU NEVER SANG SOAP OPERA OR WORE YOUR HAIR IN CURLS
YOU STILL WANT ALL THE TRAPPINGS OF THE POST CONSUMER WORLD
COME ON NOW ADMIT IT DEAR YOU’RE A THOROUGHLY MODERN GIRL
I AM NOT THE MAN I WAS ETC
WELL I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE BRUCE HIGHWAY WHEN I PASSED HIM ON THE ROAD
AND THE MOMENT MY HEADLIGHTS GRABBED HIM I FELT A CHILL WIND AT MY THROAT
THE SUMMER AIR WAS CRYSTALLINE AS THE SEMI-TRUCK ROLLED BY
THE BIG MACK DROVE RIGHT THROUGH HIM HE DIDN’T BLINK AN EYE
I AM NOT THE MAN I WAS…
AND THE REST OF MY GHOST STORY IS ONE I REMEMBER WELL
IT’S A TALE TO BE REMEMBERED BUT NOT A TALE TO TELL
‘COS WHEN I TURNED I RECOGNISED THE MAN BESIDE THE ROAD
AND I KNEW I’D KNOWN HIM ALL MY LIFE AND I KNEW HE WAS ALONE
I AM NOT THE MAN I WAS…
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4. |
Walk in Beauty
04:45
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I COME UP FROM THE COUNTRY AND I MOVED TO YOUR TOWN
AND I’M LOOKING FOR THE GOOD LIFE THE ONE I HEARD ABOUT
BUT THERE’S NO COMFORT IN THESE COLD STREETS AND THE HEART HAS GONE TO GROUND
I’VE A LITTLE BOY CRYIN’ HUNGRY, TIRED OF MOVING ROUND
IT’S A DRY WIND THAT BLEW US HERE DROVE US FROM THE LAND
NOW WE SLEEP DOWN BY THE RIVER IN A BEAT UP CAMPER VAN
AND DREAM OF DAYS ON FERTILE PLAINS, SHOULD’VE KNOWN IT COULDN’T LAST
WILL GENERATIONS YET TO COME FORGIVE GENERATIONS PAST
YOU KNOW WE USED TO CALL THIS PLACE THE BIG SMOKE AND IT WAS GOOD FOR A FEW LAUGHS
A WEEKEND IN THE CITY, CATCH A SHOW IT WAS A BLAST
NOW WE’RE SCRATCHIN’ FOR A DOLLAR IN A WORLD OF POKER MACHINES
WHERE THERE’S NO SENSE OF BELONGING LIFE’S A GAMBLE LAY DOWN YOUR DREAMS
NOW I’M JUST PRAYING FOR A PAYING JOB TRYING TO MAKE ENDS MEET
WE MIGHT HEAD NORTH COME WINTER THOUGH MY WIFE SHE HATES THE HEAT
I ONCE WORKED A QUEENSLAND ROAD-GANG I’D COUNT ME LUCKY TO REPEAT
I’LL ADMIT THAT THINGS AIN’T LOOKING GOOD BUT I WON’T ADMIT DEFEAT
I BELIEVE IN GOD ALMIGHTY AND I KNOW THAT NOTHING LASTS
BUT I STILL FEEL THE EARTH MOVE IN ME HEAR MY MOTHERS VOICE AT HAND
I BELIEVE ALL MEN ARE BROTHERS AND THE FUTURE’S OURS TO GRASP
IF WE BUT WALK IN BEAUTY ON THIS GREAT SOUTHERN LAND
IF WE BUT WALK IN BEAUTY ON THIS GREAT SOUTHERN LAND
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5. |
Between the Ditches
03:27
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Cherry drove a Kwiksnacks truck by day
Serving hot meat pies to hungry eyes, for the minimum wage
She laughed at all their dirty jokes and dodged their roving hands
Then climbed back into her Ford, her own no-man’s land
There are no street signs
‘Tween rags and riches
And it’s a long road home
Between the ditches
Cherry worked the Kings Cross bars at night
Still catering to the little boys moods in the dim red light
She made the best of what she had, though you wouldn’t call it art
Said she kept a little back for self respect- you might call that street smart
There are no street signs etc..
Cherry put her money into arms
The arms of the man she loved but he loved more than her charms
She bought him all the need she had and he paid her back with pain
When he beat her with his hunger or lost her in his veins
There are no street signs etc..
Cherry finally wound up home in Lockhart
She always said she was a country girl at heart
But you won’t see her at the B&S because she could not beat the odds
Now she’s finally found some common ground at rest in the family plot.
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6. |
Monster's Ball
03:42
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My name is not important now
I lie in the field of dreams
My story it’s been told before
But through the telling I am freed
It was cruel fate that brought us here
Though we worked to make this land our own
We couldn’t break the chains that crown and poverty
Laid on poor men far from home
It’s a short life and a merry one boys
But in truth no life at all
If you’re trying to earn a shilling scratching for a living
Playing fiddle at the Monster’s Ball
Well I took to the road in a traveling band
We were proud but desperate men
And we knew that we would do what we must do
To see our children fed
Yeah you do what you must just to get you through
And your bond you will not break
I’d rather dance with the devil on the gallows pole
Than eat the crumbs from a rich man’s cake
It’s a short life etc.
I’ve haunted these streets for many long years
And it’s clear that little has changed
The bulls and the bears still take the lion’s share
While the poor man works the vein
Now history can measure a man
But it can’t undo what’s done
And in the final count I’ll take my chance
When the judgement day has come
It’s a short life etc.
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7. |
Canal Road
03:52
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IT’S MIDNIGHT DOWN ON CANAL ROAD
AND THE MOONLIGHT STREAKS ACROSS THE BAY
IT’S JUST YOU AND ME AND THE FISHES BABY
AND THE WAVES’ SLAP AND THE SMELL OF THE SPRAY
WE’RE TALKIN’ ‘BOUT THE WEATHER WHILE WE’RE STANDIN’ IN THE RAIN
AND I GOT THIS SUDDEN URGE TO HOLD YOUR HAND AGAIN
WE’RE GAZING OUT ACROSS THE WATER
LISTENING TO THE BREEZE
YOU SAY THERE’S NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT
WELL HERE WE ARE AND I AGREE
AND WITH MY MIND BELOW YOUR WAISTLINE THOUGH I SWEAR I STILL LOVE YOU FOR YOUR BRAIN
I GOT THIS SUDDEN URGE TO HOLD YOUR HAND AGAIN
THERE ARE QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED
SUCH THINGS GO HAND IN GLOVE
WITH THE SEARCH FOR A PERFECT WORLD
STRAIGHT TEETH AND PERFECT LOVE
BUT ONE ANSWER THAT IS GLARINGLY AND OH SO SIMPLY PLAIN
IS THIS SUDDEN URGE TO HOLD YOUR HAND AGAIN
NOW I DON’T HOLD ALL THE CARDS I’VE DRAWN AND I AIN’T AFRAID OF TEARS
BUT I KNOW THAT I HAVE FOUND REAL LOVE ACROSS THESE PRECIOUS YEARS
AND THROUGH ALL THE QUESTIONS I HAVE ASKED ONE ANSWER STILL REMAINS
IT’S THE ABIDING URGE TO HOLD YOUR HAND AGAIN
SAY IF TIME IS LIKE THAT RIVER BABY
AND LOVE IS LIKE THE SEA
THEN ALL THIS RAIN SHOULD WASH US CLEAN AWAY
AND SET OUR SPIRITS FREE
AND WHETHER STANDING ON A DESERT SHORE OR PADDLING IN THE SEINE
I’LL NEVER LOSE THIS URGE TO HOLD YOUR HAND AGAIN
I’LL NEVER LOSE THIS URGE TO HOLD YOUR HAND AGAIN
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8. |
Dryland Sea
03:38
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My heart grows with the desert rose
And my blood it runs with the briar
My soul it drifts on a vagrant wind
As it whistles down the wire
Whistles down the wire
I’m sailing sand on a desert ocean
I’m a walking man
On a Dryland Sea
I was born in the crack of a storm
Where the dust devils dance on the breeze
Where the earth is red and the sky forever
And wild things still ran free
Wild things still ran free
I’m sailing sand etc
Now I live in the city and I love in the city and I count myself lucky
But my heart is adrift on an open plain and I dream of a dryland sea
I dream of a dryland sea
Now I’ll sing you a song of the big sky country
The rolllin’ spinifex weeds
And the raging waters of my life’s red river
As it runs to the dryland sea
Runs to the dryland sea
I’m sailing sand etc
My heart grows with the desert rose
And my blood it runs with the briar
My soul it drifts on a vagrant wind
As it whistles down the wire
Whistles down the wire
Whistles down the wire
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9. |
Sisters of Mercy
04:13
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THEY SAY THE SISTERS OF MERCY ARE BUILDING A BRIDGE TO YOUR HEART
WITH LOVE AND COMPASSION THEY’RE LEADING THE FIELD IN THEIR ART
IT DOESN’T MATTER WHATEVER YOUR CREED OR YOUR CRAFT
THE SISTERS OF MERCY ARE BUILDING A BRIDGE TO YOUR HEART
SPENT MY LIFE UNDERGROUND NOW I WORSHIP THE LIGHT OF DAY
NOW MY COAL BLACK LUNGS FIGHT FOR EACH BREATH THAT I TAKE
I HAD ME WIFE BUT SHE LEFT WITH WHAT LITTLE I’D SAVED
AND I’VE DRUNK ME A RIVER TO WASH ME FROM LIFE IN THIS GRAVE
THEY SAY THE SISTERS OF MERCY…
YOU CAN LAY GOOD MONEY ON THAT THING
YOU KNOW THEY CAST THAT BELL AND NOW THEY’RE GONNA MAKE IT RING
THERE’S A WORLD OF CONFUSION WAITING OUT THERE TO BE BLAMED
FOR THE HARD TIMES, THE GRIEVING, STARVATION, THE FEAR AND THE PAIN
FOR THE GREED WHEN WE STRIVE TO ACHIEVE WHAT WE CANNOT ATTAIN
BUT IT’S THE SOUL AT THE HEART OF THE MAN THAT KEEPS OUT THE RAIN
THEY SAY THE SISTERS OF MERCY…
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10. |
Shopping Town
04:32
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The lights are down for good in the Hollywood Café
And the Olympic Milk Bar sign is faded and grey
But she still sweeps the pavement down
Part of the rhythm of this town
And the people have moved on round
To shopping town
The old men used to gather here to spread the news
Like they used to gather and brag back in their youth
They’ve seen the old world change
Still the more some things remain the same
But is there life there in the concrete heart
Of shopping town
In spite of it all
Even mountains will fall
You can’t hold anything
But as long as we’re here
The message is clear
Love changes everything
Now the convenience store’s open ‘till 9 most days of the week
Amy Than was born in Vietnam but her olives are Greek
She’s doing the very best she can
Making a new life in another land
But everything’s so planned
In shopping town
In spite of it all etc
Amy’s lived here for 20 years and this is her home
But policies of profit and greed just make her feel more alone
And while the wheels of industry turn
We get the politicians we deserve
And live our lives at full discount
In shopping town
In spite of it all etc
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11. |
Whitewall Tyres
03:36
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Danny’s got a new girlfriend
She sings in the Hills church choir
She comes on sweet and innocent
But she loves his whitewall tyres
She loves his whitewall tyres
Danny Brown was a Joey’s boy
But those days are good and gone
He lives for his footy and his old red Ford
And he loves his Bundy rum
He loves his Bundy rum
It’s a dark and humid Saturday night
Out on the Great Western Road
Danny’s got the hammer down
He’s shouldering the load
He’s shouldering the load
Now Danny’s got a mongrel streak
He’s no stranger to the law
And when he fishtails past that unmarked car
He’s got his foot flat to the floor
He’s got his foot flat to the floor
Oh there’s now escape from the hand of fate
And it’s catch as catch can
And Danny lost the race of life
Running from the man
Running from the man boys
Running from the man
It’s a dark and humid Saturday night etc
Young Danny never amounted to much
Just like they said he never would
But I’m inclined to think that given a chance
Danny could’ve been good
Danny could’ve been good
Now he’s lying in the cold cold ground
And he drives on the other side
His girl still sings in the Hills church choir
But she dreams of whitewall tyres
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12. |
Until She's Mine
03:04
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I live in a room above a store downtown
And I’m in love with a girl I’ve seen around
I watch her every night between the hours of 6 & 9
And I won’t be myself until she’s mine
She lives inside a dream and it’s her world
Somewhere in between a woman and a girl
Like butterfly’s new wings she spreads her smile
And I won’t be myself until she’s mine
But she don’t even know I breathe
As she makes her magic on the screen, I sigh
Ah, I won’t be myself until she’s mine
Solo/ Rpt bridge
She’s a real time woman but she’ll never grow old
She wears her heart on her sleeve but never her soul
She don’t have time for small talk but I don’t care about time
And I won’t be myself until she’s mine
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13. |
Soldier's Row
03:54
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Young Jack left home one fine bright morning
With a spring in his step and the world in his eye
It’s a black dirt, yellow sun, red sky country
Jackie won’t you come on home
He was another country kid, a boy who’d barely grown
The last words his mother had for him were Jackie won’t you come on home
Young Jack never meant to leave the pastures
But there was no room now on his Daddy’s land
So he traded fence-lines for a foreign border
Dust & steers for sand & oil
He never knew why he was really going it just seemed the way to go
The last words his mother had for him were Jackie won’t you come on home
Young Jack sailed away across the ocean
Do your bit son & do your country proud
And armchair generals dream of history
While the boys stand up and the boys fall down
They told him God was on his side as he marched down Soldier’s Road
The last words his mother had for him were Jackie won’t you come on home
Sometimes the thing worth fighting for is the right to stand your ground
Young men die in old men’s wars so the money goes around
Young Jack came home a dead war hero
In a flag draped box on a transport plane
Yeah they made their speeches over his body
And his mother wept upon his grave
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14. |
Federal Highway Blues
03:35
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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 is still as dry as a bone
Wind turbines sing their song alone
Harvest wind & witness stone
And time is still 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 home again
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
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15. |
Small Town Blues
03:29
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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…
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16. |
All the Bonnie Birds
03:46
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I’ve never been to New York never seen those Northern Lights
I’m down here under the Southern Cross and I feel alright
But I saw the way you looked that day with your baby blues so bright
Through those eyes I could see the world but now you’re drifting out
of sight
All the bonnie birds have flown
The lights are going down
There’s no place like home
And I need you now
You were always the fastest at everything and babe you wanted it all
Tryin’ to live for tomorrow before tomorrow called
But it’s closing faster than you know I can hear the clarion call
They’re callin’ in the debts & closing down the malls
All the bonnie birds have flown
You see I like it right here I think there’s something in the wind
You might have the world at your feet but without this you’ve got nothing
I see you in that faded summer dress I hear you in the walls
Think I got the measure of your wanderlust but I can’t follow you at all
All the bonnie birds have flown
We come from the same side of the same street we just went our separate ways
But when all you got out there dries up what thoughts are gonna fill your days
Who’ll be there inside your heart to find the truth in you
Who’ll be there to hold you close when the song you sing is through
All the bonnie birds have flown
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17. |
Libere Su Corazon
03:13
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He said I’m getting a little slower son maybe I’m somewhat past my prime
But I’ve forgotten things you don’t yet know & I’ve stood the charge of time
You can sit back, take a number & wait before the gate
Or you can step right up to that sentry bell & give it a damn good shake
Let the bones roll let the cards fall
Ain’t no use in fighting them all
Pick the ground you stand upon
Libere su Corazon
There’s two types of man you’ll come upon on this steady rollin’ ball
There’s the man who gives the best he’s got & there’s the man who wants it all
Tread lightly in your dreams my friend they say the future is foretold
Well I’m going down to the toll-road tonight & let the devil take my soul
Let the bones roll let the cards fall
Yeah we know what evil lurks in the hearts of men
We can watch it unfold nightly on 7, 9 & 10
From the bent cops, shock jocks, priests & corporate whores
Where you can’t tell left from right & the middle ain’t there at all
Let the bones roll let the cards fall
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18. |
Prisoner of the Heart
03:53
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You haven’t called home lately
Mama wants to know how you are
It’s been some time since the old man died
And the grass is getting long
Too many holes in the fence-line
Too little water in the dam
But you know we just keep on keepin’ on
Doing the best we can
We’re prisoners of the heart she said
Cast our dreams upon the wind
They hold us and they give us wings to fly
Prisoners of the heart my friend
‘round here we don’t break we bend
We pay our dues & we need no alibi
Your brother moved back last summer
Doesn’t have too much to say
Too many tours of duty
Too many ways he can’t explain
And your Uncle Frank’s still living alone
Spends his days at the TAB
His nights down at the Railway Hotel
Where he says folks let him be
We’re prisoners of the heart she said
I’ve got your picture on the beer fridge door
You’re smiling that toothless smile
Eyes of hope & innocence
Now they eat up the years & the miles
And time just seems to drop away
I can feel you here in my arms
Does the man really fly so far from the child
Is a woman still a slave to her charms
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19. |
Rider
02:30
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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
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20. |
The Onion Song
02:56
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Well, you think you got me all worked out
But only some of that is true
There’s more to the picture
Than what’s looking back at you
Yeah I went down to the crossroads
But the devil didn’t show
So I took the path of least resistance
And I rolled with the flow
Elvis doesn’t hang from my rear vision mirror
I still love the king I just need to see a little clearer
I don’t want to weigh the onion
I just want to taste the layers
I got these songs I write
And they help to see me through
They seem to come from somewhere out there
Whenever the spirit moves
I just pass them on
Like seeds upon the wind
Don’t know if I give ém life
If they’ll walk or crawl or stand Elvis etc
Certain things are given
Old drunks and dirty jokes
And we know the New World Order
Came with fries and a coke
You can chase your demons
Do your best to make amends
But everything you love
Kills you in the end Elvis etc
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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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