1. |
Never Be For Me
03:32
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It will never be for me.
Dark words and the complicity.
All the shame. All the needless pain.
Sliding under the mud and the wilful gain.
Tired of the careful life, eyes cast down
We will never tolerate this town.
Some have looked the other way
They were safe inside their cave.
All the shame. All the needless pain.
And the rush to explain it all away.
Tired of the careful life, eyes cast down
We will never tolerate this town.
It will never be for me.
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2. |
The Town
02:05
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Just be polite now. Just look down.
The fire’s burning. Ash is coming down.
When you are walking through this racist town
Leave no footprints on the ground.
I heard a song bird. A distant call.
A call of yearning. A weary fall.
A joyless murmur. In this racist town.
Don’t let your feet make a sound.
They built their fences. They were so afraid.
They have a sickness that they alone have made.
Nothing can help them to turn around.
So listen to them, as I burn them in their town.
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3. |
Obey
02:41
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This is not soap; this is kerosene.
Their sanctuary is not as it seems.
Tell me your story and I will engage.
My instinct is for sorrow, not for rage.
But if you should ever need me,
I will crawl inside your passion and obey.
Darling your faith is sinking fast.
I can see that you are down to your last.
And the feathers in the tar have come unstuck.
It is a blessing, not a warning,
you gormless fuck.
But if you should ever need me,
I will crawl inside your passion and obey.
They’ll try to settle me down.
They’ll try to hold me back.
They will counsel me proudly.
But I will still attack.
This is not soap; this is kerosene.
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4. |
Thanks A Lot
04:11
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That time we drove East, past the salt lakes
Where the farmers don’t even try.
We had no purpose to our journey
Except to run and to hide.
There was a point at which we could have stopped.
Yeah, thanks a lot.
Some say that water can be cleansing.
Just how wrong can you be?
If this heat doesn’t kill ya
It will teach you to be free.
There were so many times that we could have stopped.
Yeah, thanks a lot.
No room to breath (x 2)
It’s time to leave
I cannot believe a single word you’ve got
Thanks a lot.
Hold me down and shoot me quickly
There’s no point to delay.
We had the very best intentions
But that did not save the day
We had our chances when we could’ve stopped.
Yeah, thanks a lot.
No room to breathe.
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5. |
Easy
03:45
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My first thought was to get up and leave
My second thought was to pray for what we need
But that always takes forever
And it’s not that easy.
They followed her down to the vineyards
They put their minds into a pickling jar
And they waited for inspiration
But it’s not that easy.
The sweetest sound that you hear in poker
It is not the gathering of the pot
It is the closure at the dawn
And that don’t come easy
The next impression I did was an old man
They didn’t know that I was trying to be a nun
I always wanted to be saintly
But it’s not that easy.
All my reverence is tied up in the shed
I’ve filed all my particulars and I’ve fed the dog
Now I’m just waiting for deliverance
It will be easy
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6. |
Closer to You
02:39
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I wanted to be there forever
In the closing hold of your arms
To take away the burning and the risk of any harm.
The gentle light is forgiving
The darkness reassures.
The softness of the sea spray and the warmth will endure.
They bring me closer to you.
The night reaches down to us
Almost without thought
I want to take your pain away and throw it on the floor.
No one ever told us to listen
All the windows are smashed and discarded
And nothing will dent our armour or our wisdom
Or lead us to depart.
Bring me closer to you
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7. |
You Sang For Me
03:30
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Baby you sang for me
It was so sweet.
You sang for all of the people on every street.
But all those no-good specks
of dust and rank debris
they could never understand
the joy you gave to me.
Look at your hands baby
Those calluses are so cool.
Dust boy tried to ridicule
But he is just a fool.
You are the pinnacle
Of beauty and dissent.
But there is no crown
for your temple or for your intent.
So, keep your wisdom, baby
Or share it out.
It is yours
Yours alone to shout.
They only listen
when their silence is devout.
I always listen.
There is no need to shout.
Baby you sang for me
It was so sweet.
You sang of the angry ones
Who live within defeat.
You sang of the hungry
Who would not try to eat.
You sang of the pain
That would not be discreet.
Yes, baby you sang for me
And yes, it was so sweet.
Yes, you sang for all of the people
On every street.
And your singing brought
upheaval in belief.
Your singing burned the temple
But it gave such joy to me.
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8. |
Poor Company
03:33
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They are gathering in the wheatbelt
They have a lamb upon the coals
Ice in the back of the ute, not nearly enough.
One has to think about this dust.
Family and bad memories
But those were different times
All the children went to live in other people’s homes
But there was no need to leave their own.
Some evil walking through that night
Stay by the fire protect yourself
Fire is your only friend.
I was poor company
I was poor company
I drove into the sunset
I couldn’t see a thing
Could’ve pulled over, but I didn’t
There was an angel in control
Or some sense of empty reverence
No roos on the road as it turned out
No smashed actors on the wrong side
Could’ve seen it as a message
But I didn’t know enough to do that
Falling into pieces
I had something pulling me down
I was poor company
I was poor company
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9. |
Mother of God
03:15
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Mother of God hold me please.
Oh brother, say you will.
Take my hand and dampen my will.
And we can never be afraid.
Mother of God hold me please.
Oh brother, don’t be still.
All the guardians are slain on the hill.
But we can never be afraid.
We are holding on forever
We shall not know the pain
No uproar shall defeat us
We shall never wear that stain
Mother of God hold me please.
Oh brother, lay you down.
All the rage inside the beast has drowned.
but I will still be afraid.
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10. |
Chances To Be
06:00
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All I had for you was another change of mood.
Unfinished stories about how life can be good.
I had so many chances to be.
Hope springs eternal, but Hope can’t find her keys.
Sorting through this mess has brought me to my knees.
I had so many chances to be.
I can be a priest if you want that from me.
I can be a bird of prey up in your tree.
I had so many chances to be.
Take down this note but don’t post it on your page.
Just file it in your heart where no one else can engage.
I had so many chances to be.
I have not broken all of those windows out of spite.
It was art, my darling – a performance for the contrite.
I had so many chances to be.
I am not a tailor, nor am I a saint.
I cannot build great monuments to embellish your estate.
I had so many chances to be.
Who will listen to my pleading if you are asleep?
All of my shallowness; my mind so incomplete.
I had so many chances to be.
Humour me one time, and then just let me be.
Hope says she’ll wait for me, if she can find her keys.
I had so many chances to be.
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11. |
Saved
02:34
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Like a tired animal
that is held in a cage.
Like a mess of scrawl that is
unkempt on the page. Yet …
I have walked every
path that you paved.
I have kept everything that you gave.
And somehow, I was saved by you.
The build of grey that holds up the sky
My adventure fades with the
wetness of an eye. But …
I have walked every
path that you paved.
I have kept everything that you gave.
And somehow, I was saved by you.
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Greg Dear Perth, Australia
Greg Dear's debut solo album in 1981 featured members of the Triffids and other Perth bands. Across the 80s and 90s he released singles and albums both solo and with his bands (Holy Rollers, Beautiful Losers, and Butterfly Collection), and produced records by other Perth bands. For the Beautiful Losers' recent albums (2014 on), visit: beautifullosers.bandcamp.com ... more
Greg Dear recommends:
Sparrow & Swan
by Rob Snarski | SnarskiCircusLindyBand
Rob's gorgeous voice is not diminishing across time, nor are his songs - brilliant again.
go to album
Milk on Milk
by Milk! Records Projects
My god - can Milk do nothing wrong. So many of my favourite Melbourne artists in one place.
go to album
Near Death Experience
by Harry Howard and The NDE
how many more reasons does one need to love Harry's work? Answer: none.
go to albumIf you like Abolition, you may also like:
Under The Surface
by Nameless Ghost
The wrenching songs on the latest from Nameless Ghost tackle loss and grief amidst toothy indie rock.
go to album
The Gainesville emo band work through grief and mental illness with honest, empathetic hooks and dynamic guitars.
go to album
The Chicago duo marries post-punk and indie-pop sounds on their charming debut release.
go to album
