1. |
Light Travelling Man
05:28
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LIGHT
TRAVELLING
MAN
You might think I’m talking
I’ve not said a word
My passport’s been stamped
My visa secured
I’m standing here waiting
First one in line
The only place for
A light trav’ling man
In this twenty-first round
I’ve signed all my papers
I’ve had all my tests
The results were not bad
Not the best
But in a black leather coat
And prescription Ray Bans
I’m the image of
A light trav’ling man
One of the gang
You caught me laughing
The joke was on me
But your smile reconciled
Our complicity
You know that I’ll love ya
The best that I can
But remember at heart
I’m a light trav’ling man
I travel alone
CHORUS
So drink
Dance
The language of love
Is written in laughter
Scribbled in blood
Etched in tears
Blistered by sighs
Its face always changes
Never dies
However we try
With a litany of lies
A pen and some paper
Are all that I need
A bed for my head
A chair for my feet
But a new Smart phone
With its slick digi cam
Is the complement of
A light trav’ling man
In this zero-sum game
I’ll meet you in Moscow
I’ll meet you in France
I’ll book the connections
Won’t take the chance
It’s not worth the risk
Won’t you please understand
You don’t want to waste time
As a light trav’ling man
Never again
I’ll dance to your beauty
I’ll sing you a song
I’ll wait on your pleasure
But I won’t wait too long
I did that twice
Spoiled all my plans
Condemned me to be
A light trav’ling man
Last of my clan
So drink
Dance
The language of love
Is written in laughter
Scribbled in blood
You might think it’s lust
But then you’d be fooled
That’s the grand joke
The way love can be cruel
And ever so cool
SOLO
Let’s skip the country
We’ll head for the sea
The train leaves at midnight
The frontier is free
But the checkpoint is tough
The guard can’t be scanned
He’s a devotee of
A light trav’ling man
One and the same
I’ll take the vows
I’ll whisper the words
I’ll cross my fingers
And hope that you’ve heard
But if you’re pretending
It’s all just a scam
I’m content to remain
A light trav’ling man
I’ll go there again
So drink
Dance
The language of love
Is scripted in power
Scribbled in blood
Etched in tears
Riddled by sighs
Its face always changes
Never dies
However we try
You might think I’m talking
I’ve not said a word
I’ve just been dissembling
The things that you’ve heard
The dreams
The desire
That’s where we began
And I warned back then
I’m a light trav’ling man
I’ll warn you again
La da da da
I’ll warn you again
La da da da
I’m a light trav’ling man
I travel alone
© Ian Lilburne
Genoa July 2010
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2. |
Visions of Splendour
04:49
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VISIONS OF
SPLENDOUR
(THE 9 TO 5 BLUES)
I woke up this morning
And I jumped out of bed
Yeah, I woke up this morning
And literally leapt out of bed
I was so full of life
I had visions of splendour in my head
Made myself some breakfast
And jumped into the shower
I brewed a pot of coffee
And had eggs wrapped in cornflower
I headed off for work
And got there on the hour
(So damn punctual it’d make you sick)
Well right about then
Things started to head down hill
My boss was in a vile temper
And his EA looked like she might kill
By mid-morning
I wished I’d stayed in bed ill
(That EA, she was so vicious,
she could make a grown man cry.)
SOLO
I got home this evening
And I fell onto my bed
Yeah I got home this evening
And collapsed back into bed
I wonder what happened
To that vision of splendour in my head
© IAN LILBURNE 2004
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3. |
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!NS!DE OUT
+ BACK TO
FRONT
Blackbirds sing
+ black crows fly
The other week I saw two of them
Having a fight
They were vicious
Out for blood
I couldn’t help thinking
They must’ve once been in love
You rolled away
+ slipped out of bed
You thought I was sleeping
Felt like I was dead
You crept downstairs
To do that ‘thing’
I couldn’t help wondering
How did it come to this?
Inside out +
Back to front
Upside down +
Blue
Love is like a river
Flowing
Back to you
Shadows falling
‘cross my eyes
That blackbird’s calling
Can’t you hear him cry
The room’s warm
In the morning sun
The bed’s wide
But it’s so undone
I hear you calling
Out my name
But when I answer
You turn away
You say you’re talking
On the phone
Trust me
To hear you wrong?
Inside out +
Back to front
Upside down +
Blue
Love is like a river
Flowing
Back to you
BRIDGE
Blues solo
Inside out +
Back to front
Upside down +
Blue
Love is like a river
Flowing
Back to you
©2010
MUSIC + VERSE: IAN LILBURNE
CHORUS: JOHN HARRIS + CHRIS NORMAN
TURNAROUND: CHRIS NORMAN
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4. |
Kamikaze Romance
03:39
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KAMIKAZE
ROMANCE
A kamikaze romance
For a haemophiliac heart
You can’t stay together
But you can’t keep apart
Don’t talk about common sense
You know this one is stranger
It isn’t an accident
When you’ve got a choice
You didn’t want it to happen
Now you can’t let it end
And you know that it’s foolish
You listen to your cynical friends
They poke fun at your innocence
And say you’re flirting with danger
And even your reticence
Won’t see you through
But it’s no great drama
You just don’t know what to do
You’re driven by fever
Cause love has got a hold of you
It’s got a hold of you
SOLO
Don’t talk about common sense
You know this one is stranger
It isn’t coincidence
And it isn’t fate
But it’s no great drama
You just don’t know what to do
You’re driven by fever
Cause passion has a hold on you
It’s got a hold of a
Kamikaze romance
For a haemophiliac heart
You didn’t want it to happen
And now you can’t make it stop
Don’t talk about innocence
You know you’re flirting with danger
It isn’t an accident
When you’ve got a choice
But it’s no great drama
You just don’t know what to do
You’re driven by fever
Cause love has got a hold of you
It’s got a hold of you
© Lilburne|Oxenburgh
Music : 1989/2012 LILBURNE
Lyric: 1989/2000 LILBURNE|OXENBURGH
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5. |
Labyrinth
03:46
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LABYRINTH
I really don’t know what to say
Been on this case for a couple of days
And when I get close
It slips away
Like the waves on the sand
My sense of duty is wearing thin
I don’t where I should begin
Or where to turn to look again
Two
Three
Four
Where’s the key I’m searching for?
Zwei
Drei
Vier
What’s that word I long to hear?
I really don’t know what to say
Been on this trace for a couple of days
And when I get close it slips away
Like your hair through my fingers
My patience is wearing thin
I don’t know where to move my men
Or when to turn the clock again
I want to plant my seed in fertile soil
I want fair return for my toil
This delay makes my blood boil
I really don’t know what to do
Everywhere I look I miss the clue
This labyrinth riddles you
© IAN LILBURNE 1986
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6. |
Driving Me Crazy
03:16
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DRIVING
ME CRAZY
You’re driving me crazy
You’re driving me mad
You’re driving me utterly wild
It’s kinda scary
It’s kinda sad
That I should feel this inspired
I just can’t get enough of you
And it get’s better every time
You’re driving me crazy
You’re driving me mad
You’re driving me out of my head
It’s gotta be lazy
It’s gotta be bad
How many more weekends can we spend in bed?
I just can’t get enough of you
And you keep on coming back for more
You’re driving me crazy
You’re making me soar
(Like a bird)
SOLO
You’re driving me crazy
You’re driving me mad
You’re driving me somewhere I don’t need to go
I mean, do you respect me?
Am I your man?
Or am I just you latest toy?
I just can’t get enough of you
But you just treat me like a child
You’re driving me crazy
You’re driving me
You’re driving me crazy
You’re driving me
You’re driving me crazy
You’re driving me wild
© IAN LILBURNE
MUSIC: 1999
LYRIC: 1999 — 2005
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7. |
Lonely Old Man
03:00
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LONELY
OLD MAN
In my heart I’m still wild and kicking
In my head I’m still seventeen
But in the glass the time bomb’s ticking
I’m heading straight to smithereens
Yeah I’m a lonely old man
No-one wants me, no-one needs me
Lonely old man
Couldn’t make a woman cry
Lonely old man
No-one loves me, no one heeds me
Lonely old man
Pretty soon I’m gonna die
All my friends are busily married
Grandchildren bouncing on their knees
Well that was never on my agenda
No girl could ever stay with me
CHORUS
MIDDLE EIGHT
The joy of family Christmas mornings
Is something I have rarely known
I’m the crusty old uncle
Who winds up driving home alone
CHORUS
One thing ‘bout not having children
My money’s all my own
Still you can’t take it with you
Guess I’ll leave it to the dog home
Yeah I’m a lonely old man
No-one wants me, no-one needs me
Lonely old man
You can hear the children cry
He’s a lonely old man
No-one loves him, no one heeds him
Lonely old man
Pretty soon I'm gonna die
Pretty soon I'm gonna die
Pretty soon I'm gonna die
© IAN LILBURNE 2006
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8. |
Johnny Won The Eights
04:08
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JOHNNY WON
THE EIGHTS
One day in my youth
I was hanging out ― as you do
The scalies in my living room
Were riffing the air with tunes
We were smoking
It was cooking [hot]
Johnny burst in [late]
He’d been rowing [a lot]
He fell onto the floor
Clenched his fists in the air
And screamed at the top of his lungs
WE WON!!!
(Two, three, four)
Johnny won the eights!
Well, we’re an ornery crew
All excitement we eschew
Rather than appear the fool
We’ll opt each time to play it cool
So nary a word was spoken
As Johnny crouched there, expectin’
And with barely a break in our beat
Slowly he climbed to his feet
But an interloper at this session
Thought he’d teach young Johnny a lesson
So when the music began to swing
Scallywag Scotty started to sing
Johnny won the eights!
INSTRUMENTAL BREAK
A year later
To the very day
The scalies were back
Having another play
When Johnny sloped in
And grinning a grin
He said, ‘well my friends,
We did it again’
Johnny won the eights
Johnny won the eights
Johnny won the eights
(Johnny formed The Broken Hearts)
© IAN LILBURNE
MUSIC: 1986
LYRIC: 1987/2012
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9. |
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WOULDN’T KNOW
WHAT DAY IT WAS
Went out to lunch
Just the other day
Ran into an old friend
She was really blown away
Her eyes were glazed vacant
And I couldn’t follow a word that she’d say
She used to be so smart
Now she’s fallen all apart
And you wouldn’t know what day it was
Went to a session
On a sunny afternoon
There were all these people dancing
To those off-beat Rasta tunes
There was one wan aging hippy
With his dreadlocks + his worn-out shoes
He was trying to keep the beat
But he kept slipping off his feet
And you wouldn’t know what day it was
Went to a party
Just the other night
There were all these people dancing
They were looking very bright
The were hugging and kissing indiscriminately
There was a guy in the corner
Peddling ice + ecstasy
They were very cute
And apparently astute
But you wouldn’t know what day it was
Went to a church
Just the other day
To hear a few last words
About a friend who passed away
They said that he was clever
What a pity that he died so young
His life was hard to crack
With a monkey on his back
And you wouldn’t know what day it was
Don’t you know it’s true
No matter what you do
You wouldn’t know what day it was
© 1988
MUSIC: JOHN HARRIS
LYRIC: LILBURNE|HARRIS
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10. |
This Into Something
04:18
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THIS INTO
SOMETHING
I’ been running all day
I’ been running away
I’ been running to work
Running to play
Things are happening to me in a haphazard way
And I’m glad it’s the weekend
So what do you say?
Let’s get away
We could drive to the coast
We could stare at the sea
We could walk along the sand that sits by the river
We could even go bird watching — if we wanted to
So, how can we turn this into something?
So, how can we turn this into something
Worth waiting for?
So what do you say?
Let’s getaway
We could drive to the coast
We could swim in the sea
We could run along the sand
On the strand by the river
We could even go hang gliding — if we wanted to
Just me and you
In a sky so cascadingly clear
Over the hills and
Over the valleys and
All of the trees
The pines and the karris
With our bright plastic patterned wings
We could fly
Just you and I
I’ been running all day
I’ been running away
I’ been running to work
Running to play
Things are happening to me in a haphazard way
And I’m glad it’s the weekend
And I’m here in a circle of friends
So how can we turn this into something?
So how can we turn this into something
Worthwhile?
Or at least worth a smile
On a Sunday afternoon?
© IAN LILBURNE 1996|98
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