|
|
back to James's home page |
|
|
|
|
back to James's home page |
|
|
|
otherwise), and may not be reproduced or used in any way without written permission. |
last updated October 1st 2007
Down
Each an explorer!
Patch (How many times)
Omens on the run
Celia II
Bear town
Cold July rain
St. Leonards
Time after time after
time
Taking time
4J (If I only could)
Outram no. 1 (instrumental)
Outram (reproach) (instrumental)
Lyrics by James Dignan, 1996 unless stated otherwise
I got the message from across the sea,
one of the people that was looking for me went down
A season waiting to be told you're the
one, lying like a lizard basking in the sun that's going down
Less than a vision, more than a sign
Parts and accessories arranged in a line
pointing down over you, pointing down
Princes and peacocks form your honour guard,
you said it wasn't easy, but it sure wasn't hard to go down
That girl in Cairo, the thief in Baghdad,
they were the memories that you never had, you went down
More than a signal, less than a sign
All of the rules are redefined when you
go down
You want to know if you're the one that
they're talking about
You want to know if it's true that your
secret's out
Well you know what they say - money lubricates
tongues...
You heard the call late in the night, packing
in haste for a 2 a.m. flight that went down
You took a ride to the future, escaped
from tonight , the ghost of your first lover fading in the light shining
down
Less than an accident, more a design
All of your stresses are underlined when
you go down
More than ridiculous less than sublime
All of your stories are hung on the line
when you go down
Travellers rest silent in Gehenna
The man who sold the Moon, and the rocking
horse winner
Poets and humans, creators of the flood
They're a dangerous quarry, moving with
the circulation of the blood
Each an explorer, each an explorer
Always coming home, like the warlord of
the air,
Spinning downward to the Earth, but does
a bee care?
One million tomorrows are time enough
for love
But too long a sacrifice with another
world above
Each an explorer, each an explorer
The magic goes away, there's no-one left
to paint the sky
In the house of double-minds, nobody spoke
or waved goodbye
On the last afternoon, waiting for the
call
Methuselah's children are pilgrims all
Each an explorer, each an explorer
Each an explorer, each an explorer
How many times must I be hurt to understand
How far below you must I stay to be your
man
When you say that it's OK, but then you
walk away from me
Do you really know just what it is you
do to me
Do you understand the things you do and
can you see
How can I try to explain, it's driving
me insane
Up here on this mountain it's so cold
Looking down on the people in the valley
down below
Do you know the meaning of the word that
they call pain
Can't you understand that you are hurting
me again
And it burns me up inside with all the
things you hide from view
Out here in the darkness it's so cold
Looking back on the good times that we
shared not long ago
How many times must I be hurt to understand
How far below you must I stay to be your
man
Well, you say that it's OK, but then you
walk away from me
Why do you walk away from me
They had calibrated all the dials and they
had set the levers to ensure that it would be successful in the end
They had checked the barometric pressure
up upon the rooftops to establish without doubt the assistance that the
sky would lend
He had studied all the dots and arranged
the dust in piles weighing one against the other and praying for the proof
to show
She had contemplated tides and stood out
by the water pondering crustacea and watching for the ebb and flow
Signs in the heavens, phases of the sun, steam from a kettle, omens on the run
They had plastered all the walls and had
checked the morning papers as they needed to be sure that the word was
getting through
They had read between the lines and found
the message wanting as they never could be certain if the articles were
true
He had tallied the accounts and connected
the machinery and he waited as the time came to turn the switch to go
She had managed to get the Japanese girl
horizontal but the things that they intended the poor girl didn't know
Signs in the heavens, phases of the sun,
steam from a kettle, omens on the run
Fish in the river, love from a gun, smoke
on the water, omens on the run
All the eskimos turned their eyes up to
the heavens sheep and cattle moved in circles and dogs began to bark
Seven messengers departed bearing the
saddest tidings another dozen watched the sunset and waited for the falling
dark
You came round, uninvited, unintendedly
kicking through
The walls of my heart, right from the
start - I wasn't ready
I came calling, knocked on your door,
stamped on your floor, wanted to be sure
That you had heard me, wanted to see if
you would open for me
Close by your tides, close by your seas, close by your side is where I would want to be
You came spinning out of the dark, travelling
an arc
Moon in space - shining face - blackest
lace - special place I couldn't go
I didn't know I couldn't take you
Now in my nights, I skim over clouds,
push through the shrouds, diving into the deep
Wells of your eyes, I realise that you
have found me
When we touch the tingling and the mingling
of our souls begins
And when we kiss the breaking and awaking
of our hearts begins, if you listen, you'll hear it too
So if you wake deep in the night in a sweat
and a fright, 'cause I have become the strong
Voice of your dreams, you'll know what
it means and who to blame now
Look outside, beyond the rain, beyond
the pain, beyond what people call real things
That's me that you can see, are you ready?
Close by your tides, close by your seas,
close by your side is where I would want to be
When we touch the tingling and the mingling
of our souls begins
And when we kiss the breaking and awaking
of our hearts begins, if you listen, you'll hear it too
Celia, you'll hear it too
One day it's Summer the next day it's gone
before you know it's there
You dress for the beach and the rain comes
again, a change is in the air
They used to hunt bears near the town
I was born, that's how it got it name
The bears are all gone and the name's
all that's left, no nothing stays the same
Nothing ever stays the same, constant
change makes time flow away
Nothing ever stays the same
One day it's Summer the next day it's
gone...
Once I was sure of the world that I knew
and everyone I'd meet
The east was the East and the west was
the West: the twain would never meet
But now I am told that my straight lines
are curved no matter what I do
Sooner or later they circle around, they
all come back to you
Nothing ever stays the same, constant
change makes time flow away
Nothing ever stays the same
One day you'll find that your straight
lines are curved...
(Instrumental half a verse and chorus)
There was a time when I knew where I stood
- far away from you
Be careful, my friend, of the things that
you dream 'cause some just might come true
One day it's Summer the next day it's
gone, your blue sky turns to rain
You dress for the beach and the snow swirls
around, no nothing stays the same
Nothing ever stays the same, constant
change makes time flow away
Nothing ever stays the same
One day it's Summer the next day it's
gone...
Turning onto Rugby Street from the works
depot,
My mind is full of faces and the places
we would go
But the radio is silent, yes your song
is at an end
And there can be no turning back for the
road never bends
All the roads we travelled, and all the
mountains climbed,
All the words were written but their verses
never rhymed,
Yet though I know the reasons, I cannot
explain
Why all that's left me now is the cold
July rain
And another day is over and another just
begun
And the streetlit streets are waiting
for the splendour of the sun,
But its cloudy on their memory, the mist
has come again
And there is no shelter her from the cold
July rain
The names upon the monument say who've
been here before,
But how bitter was the victory for the
fallen in the war,
Another concrete megalith, dark against
the night,
Darker than my dreams as I wait for the
light.
And as you teach your children of the
wonders to befall,
You might hear the clinking glasses from
the room beyond the hall,
The water on my windows isn't sorrow,
isn't pain,
There are no feelings left, just the cold
July rain.
And another day is over and another just
begun
And the streetlit streets are waiting
for the splendour of the sun,
But its cloudy on their memory, the mist
has come again
And there is no shelter here, from the
cold July rain
Turning onto Rugby Street from the works
depot,
My mind is full of faces and the places
we would go
But the radio is silent, no long drawn
out sad refrain
There are no feelings left, just the cold
July rain.
Out here at the borders of time, out here
where the waters flow by me
Out here at the edge of my mind I feel
there's nothing going wrong
The old road reaches out to the sea, sleeping
rails lie close by its side in silence
Trees cling to the side of the hill, they
know there's nothing going wrong
Cool breeze blows across from Company Bay, heat haze blues the hills out Otakou way
Sometimes it feels so good just to be alive, sitting in the sun down St. Leonards Drive
Out here at the borders of time, out here
where the waters flow by me
Out here at the edge of my mind I feel
there's nothing going wrong
The old road reaches out to the sea, sleeping
rails lie close by its side in silence
Trees cling to the side of the hill, they
know there's nothing going wrong
Out on a limb, waiting for the angels to
drag me in
Eyes to the sky, trying to keep my mind
from original sin
But you and I know that your depraved
innocence will keep me in tow
You and I know that I'll go wherever you
go
Heart on my sleeve, racing through the
hours between darkness and light
Ears to the wall, taking all the chances
that come in the night
And you and I see that your desolate elegance
will not let me be
You and I see that I can never be free
In my mind I can see the world turning,
in my hands I feel you burning
Line after line after line
In your eyes I can see the dawn breaking,
in your heart I'm there for the taking
Time after time after time
Catching a glance, knowing now that I am
leaving nothing to chance
Keeping in check, I follow as you lead
me in this primitive dance
And you and I say very little as we travel
down each others' highway
You and I stay a little longer every day
In my mind I can see the world turning,
in my hands I feel you burning
Line after line after line
In your eyes I can see the dawn breaking,
in your heart I'm there for the taking
Time after time after time
It was a cold night, driving you home,
after talking and laughing for hours
It was an old night, I knew pretty soon
you'd be sleeping as soft as spring showers
So I took time to express an opinion of
ideas that were starting to flow
For I wanted, and you were quite willing
but how much, I just didn't know
Taking time to look into your eyes, taking time to stop and question why
I reached out with my hands and my words
and I offered the warmth of my side
You consented, to the heat of my room
and a secret within which to hide
So I turned round and headed back home
to the house by the side of the sea
You were ready to awaken yourself you
were ready to open to me
Taking time to look into your eyes, taking time to stop and question why
Was it love, lust, or infatuation? Was
it only a trick of the night?
Is there ever a complete explanation for
when moments and feelings are right?
Softly standing at the foot of my bed
like an image from so long ago
You were trembling from some thought in
your head that that 'yes' should be 'maybe' or 'no'
I relented - I could tell that your heart
and your mind wanted two different things
Maybe one day we will end what we started
maybe not, who knows what time will bring
It was an old night, and I cursed my conscience
though I knew what I did then was right
You could still look me straight in the
eye after I drove you back through the night
Taking time to look into your eyes, taking
time to stop and question why
Taking time to look into your eyes, taking
time to stop and question why
Awake in the night with no friend but the
rain, I close my eyes and see your face again
I cannot pretend that it's a comfort to
me, it brings sadness not warmth, this lost memory
The warmth that we once shared, I never
realised how much I cared
I'd wish you back again if I only could
You were the victim of an interesting time,
my treatment of you was my most desparate crime
But things have never been nearly as clear,
as lying in the darkness and feeling you near
You said you loved me then, I know those
feelings may never come back again
It's plain to me as this feeling grows
that you never know how much you have until it goes
It was my thoughtlessness that got me into
this state, and I realise that my sorry's coming way too late
Years have passed on their predetermined
track, and there will never be a way way that we could go back
But still I feel this way, and if I could
I'd throw my arms around you today
I'd show you that I care if I only could,
oh Jacqueline, if I only could