1. St Kilda Skyline
You fought for me, you went to court for me
Exposed your broken heart for all the world to see
Near drank yourself to death, saved by a loving hand
And the boxes of photographs, sunsets over sand
CHORUS: I miss your adoration, our walks along the Esplanade
Gulls crying sharp and loud, you're bare-chested, tanned and proud
Your Tony Curtis hair, your loving tenor poetry
And your need to stay by the water
History's a mystery when all the stories die
And there's nobody left to bring the past to life
And though there were times I held you in contempt
I know you died wondering just where your family went
CH as above
Sometimes I listen privately to the tapes we sent to you
There's one of the three of us that tears me right in two
It was made right before we went to live with our new dad
A simple song of happiness, the safest home I ever had
CH with last two lines
1969, St Kilda skyline, and the bay curves round to the right
And we're there forever in black and white
2. Star Parade
Lay your head on my long brown thigh and get some rest
I got one hand on the wheel and the other on your chest
There’s a stillness in my mind as the road unrolls
Driving makes me happy darlin', driving makes me whole
CH: DON’T SPEAK OF THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE, DON’T TALK AT ALL
LISTEN TO MY V-8 MOTOR, FEEL THE RED DUST FALL
LONG HAUL TO NYMAGEE, ON THE KIDMAN WAY
THERE’S A BALL AT THE OTHER END, A MOONLIT MELEE, A STAR PARADE, A STAR PARADE
Lay your head on my long brown thigh and close your sleepy eyes
I’m here to protect ya darlin’ as we sail up to the sky
There’s the blue of burning oil, not too bad just yet
We’ll make the stop at Hillston darlin’, before the sun has set
3. Lived Your Life Twice
Never waste a word when a glance will do, never shoot a bird when it didn't harm you
Never tell a lie when the truth is hard, and never give offence in your neighbour's yard, oh no...
Never say no when you're up on stage, never let your hands express your rage
Never be unkind to a dog or a child, and never try to own what was free and wild, oh no...
Never light 3 cigarettes off one match, never blame the bowler when you drop a catch
Never take a ride in a drunkard's car, and never hitch your wagon to a dyin' star, oh no...
You may wonder why I say this to you, you'd be right to tell me just what I can do
With my platitudes and my sage advice, just remember babe I've lived your life twice, oh yeah...
4. Lights That Dazzle
Lights that dazzle and dim shine in the night, make it all right
My heart bangs like a drum, sizzling breath, eyes right and left
Where have you been all this time? Sit next to me and calm down
Don't you know stealing's a crime? Can't deal with it now, there's a hardness about you tonight
Started the car with a wire, the cleverest thing, giving us wings
On to the next little town, names have been changed, no-one's to blame
Lights that dazzle and dim fall on your hair and your hands
All I can hear is the hymn I sing to my man as you find us a room at the inn
Stepping out of a cloud, ride on the sun, we're on the run
Tales of the woods and the sea, I'm looking at you, you look back at me
The line of your throat when you sing, the promise you made to give everything
Your manner behind a gun, all reasons to smile, happy lady who knows she's the one
5. Blue Eyes Cause Me Pain
I learned early on that everyone I love will leave
I learned early on that everyone I love will leave
They lie and they seek to deceive, they die and they leave me to grieve
I learned early on that everyone I love will leave
I learned early on to smile when I'm in doubt
I learned early on to smile when I'm in doubt
I find when it's all goin' south, sometimes they fall in love with my mouth
I learned early on to smile when i'm in doubt
I learned early on that blue eyes cause me pain
I learned early on that blue eyes cause me pain
Spellbound by a piece of the rain, I'm down and I struggled in vain
I learned early on that blue eyes cause me pain
I learned early on that loving is all I need
I learned early on that loving is all I need
Warm love is like sunshine to me, enough and I'll bloom like a tree
I learned early on that loving is all I need
6. Heaven Is My Holden With The Windows Down
How sweet to be a puppy in the summertime
Digging and wrecking and feeling fine
Silly as a wheel and full of beans
Trying out the world just to see what it means
Oh, how happy in the summertime x 2
How cool to be a cloud in the summertime
A big fat holiday all of the time
I might drift once across a clear blue sky
And disappear again in the wink of an eye
Oh, how happy in the summertime x 2
The feeling of the sea as it carries me, a big yellow moon at the end of the street
The sound of a party, an afternoon sleep, the hot nights hum to my ukulele, oh oh
I love to be a woman in the summertime
Sandy and salty and feeling divine
Laughing like a clown and driving around
Heaven is my Holden with the windows down
Oh, how happy in the summertime x 4
7. After The Ride
After the ride, when it all settles down
Will there be any difference in the streets of the town?
Will we be led by a better man?
Will it matter who falls and who’s left to stand?
I feel this world rocking from side to side
There’s bad and there’s worse, true choice we’re denied
And the heathens who worship their holes in the ground
Hold this country to ransom, wearing good people down
While the worker grows weaker and the wild things move on
And the trees stand dyin’ and the water is gone
And instead of reflection and humility, we practise aggression as seen on TV
And the merry-go-round is controlled by a man
With steel in his eyes, and blood on his hands
Like a bad boy who uses the rays of the sun to fry little insects on the pavement for fun
The leaders we’ve cherished, whose sins we’ve denied, have to give someone else a turn on the slide
Have we learned anything? Must we learn it again?
Will we wake up tomorrow as friends after the ride? Will we wake up tomorrow as friends after the ride?
8. High On Lower Haight
I wish I was high on Lower Haight in the San Francisco sun
Standing on the corner with my guitar and smiling at everyone!
Even the coppers are friendly here, packing daisies instead of guns
I wish I was high on Lower Haight in the SF sun
I wish I was back at the Station Inn in Nashville, Tennessee
Sitting at a table of strangers who shuffled up to make room for me
My mouth hanging open in wonder at Noel McKay and Brennen Leigh
I wish I was back at the Station Inn in Nashville TN
I wish I was dancing to Dan Hicks again at Bimbo's 365
Or chicken-shit bingo with James and Rosie teaching Georgie how to jive
Sitting 'neath the trees at Guero's, Miss Lou Lou by my side
I wish I was dancing to Dan Hicks again at Bimbo's 365
I wish I was at El Mercado, swapping songs with sweet Christine
Mexican food in Texas keeps your motor running clean
The Buffalo Exchange and Antone's, Lord it all feels like a dream
I wish I was at El Mercado with Big Bad Bill and sweet Christine
I wish I was high on Lower Haight with a belly full of barbecue
Memphis Minnie's is a heavenly place with an earthbound point of view
I wanna ride the no. 30 to Fillmore, get off and catch the 22
I wish I was high on Lower Haight with a belly full of barbecue
I wish I was high on Lower Haight with the bums and the hippies and you!
9. Happy Ending, Sad Song
Happy ending, sad song, broken hearts can sing along
'Til the last verse makes everything sweet
Try your best to make me cry, but you'll never, and this is why
'Cos I hold out, 'til the story's complete
All the weeping I've done, while the jukebox kept me dancin'
Truly seems I was wasting my dime
Happy ending, sad song, raise your glass and sing along
Life's a gamble, but this rhyme hits the jackpot every time
10. Wives Know
Wives know when there's trouble brewin', wives know what their husbands are doin'
It was just a little walk in the park, now it's three hours after dark
Wives know, wives know
Wives know when something ain't fittin' right, wives know why you cry out in the night
While you're testing out your connection, sending heat in another direction
Wives know, wives know
Look into her eyes and try to tell a lie, can you do it? No, no, no, no
She'll see through it even though she doesn't say so
She sees a part of you die, that's the part you just let go
Wives know what the signs are all about, wives know when the fires have all gone out
Why you don't care how you dress, why your touch has no finesse
Wives know, wives know
And wives feel every ripple in the ocean, wives deal in the currents of emotion
You can run, but you can't hide, 'cos your sorry arse is caught in the tide
Wives know, wives know
11. Where'd The Cows Go?
I cried for my sister, 'cos she doesn’t understand
What befell our lovely little bit of land
I cried for my mother 'cos she had to sell
The only hope she had her kids’d grow strong and well
CH: WHERE’D THE COWS GO? THE HORSES AND THE COWS GO? WHERE’D THE COWS GO?
There were only 3, they were black and white
The clanging bells helped me go to sleep at night
And a pair of ponies to pull a plough
I hate to think where our friends are living now
RPT CH X 2
Now the hard white light shows the ruined ground
Where just a week ago tall trees stood guard around
And the dust and mud won’t feed no-one
But a greedy man who’ll never know just what he’s done
RPT CH X 2
12. Healing Dog
Gone are the days I used to dress all successful
Hard were the times I spent away from home
Reaching out to a warm little being
Got my healing dog, and I’m found
My healing dog, and I’m grounded
My healing dog reminds me what matters
She looks up to me when I look down
I got my healing dog and I’m found
Like a girl has a pony at the corner of her vision
A baby needs his mother all the time
A woman wants the muscle in the arms of her lover
My healing dog helps me shine
My healing dog slows my mind
My healing dog dreams right beside me
We understand each other when the sun goes down
Got my healing dog and I’m found
Old old injuries, physical and soulful, imaginary enemies and damn faint praise
In the loving regard of my powerful companion, my spirit sings through the days
My healing dog
13. Small Courtesy
Don’t go for a smoke in the middle of my song if you want to stay on my good side
Don’t stare at your phone and talk ever louder while I’m sharing the secrets I hide
I know it’s your night and you can do what you like
But sometimes the world seems unkind
And the small courtesy that you show to me helps me feel I’m not wasting my time
If we all tried harder to smooth down the feathers of the people who make up our lives
Then we’d all fly straighter and get where we’re goin’ not afraid of the swoops and the dives
We need to move closer and warm to each other
And see past the spots and the stripes
Then I’ll be free to love you and you’ll be free to love me and we can all have a fabulous time!
Please, don’t go for a smoke..etc.