LYRICS
BLACK CROW
BLACK CROW
Black Crow (2012)
Side 1
1. Stealth 3.37
2. Montréal 5.04
3. My Mind's a Mess 3.25
4. Living on the Fringes 4.12
5. Black Crow 4.04
6. Beautiful Blue 4.25
Side 2
7. She's Doin' Time 3.03
8. Cast Iron Promises 3.56
9. Pemulwuy 6.44
10. Amateur Man 3.48
11. Delicate Bird 4.58
12. The Ghost of Your Dreams 3.43
1. Stealth
Clothed in silhouettes
Of forlorn shades
She was the jewel
Of our daring escapades
Rolling in the dust of
Fear and imminent demise
I grew to love
That which I depised
Oh, I won't become you
Lifelines are too hard
To come by
To be wasted on you
There were contrasts of love
Frayed edges and tempered steel
The only ones who knew the truth
Were those who forgot to feel
Lonely in the rushes
Born again out on the trail
Gowned in night
Stealth never fails
Oh, I won't become you
Lifelines are too hard
To come by
To be wasted on you
Crawling in the dirt
Drowning in the sand
Walking on the ocean
Crying in your hands
Flickers of razor romance
In and out of white light
Of a junkies solitude
Livin' night to night
Oh, I won't become you
Lifelines are too hard
To come by
To be wasted on you
When the thrill was gone from stealin'
I knew we was in trouble then
Balacing a fine line on
The tip of a ball-point pen
Nights when you would look at me
Through those big black eyes
Your emaciated face fading
In the moonlight
Oh, my mother
Why couldn't we pretend
That we knew who my Daddy was
And that you had a friend?
I can remember how I ran
When you stopped breathing
And now I know why,
Because those that neglect to live
Don't know how to die
Oh, I won't become youu
Lifelines are too hard
To come by
To be wasted on you
3. My Mind's a Mess
Lonely always takes it's time
Lonely always takes it's time, Sweet Lord
All these changes, taking their toll on me
Stolen all the pieces I could find
Stolen all the pieces I could find, Sweet girl
But my melody has broken harmony
All of my beacons are lighted
And the world;s been laid to rest
I couldn't speak so I shouted
And again I digress
My mind's a mess
Honey, please, don't count on me
Honey, please, don't count on me, Have mercy
I got my sandals, but I don't know where my carpenters at
All of your dreams and lullabies
All of your dreams and lullabies, Sweet girl
Weave their magic, but a miracle
Is hard to defiine
All of my beacons are lighted
And the world;s been laid to rest
I couldn't speak so I shouted
And again I digress
My mind's a mess
I need to get out of my brain
I need to get out of my brain
Damn straight
Detach my hippocampus
And catch the morning train....
5. Black Crow
When I was a young man
Farming for ideas
Workin' the land that
Brought us food and brought us tears
My father once said to me
Don't run the sheep too fast
The stress will kill 'em from the inside
And the lamb will be too tough
Black crow sittin' on my grave
Black crow sittin' on my grave
The world don't know how to behave
When I was a teacher
Teaching rushed ideas
Young people came to me
With the desolation tears
"My folks can't love each other
So they don't know how to love me
So that's why I been swearin' at you
And pluggin' in my ears"
Black crow sittin' on my grave
Black crow sittin' on my grave
The world don't know how to behave
When I was a gleaner
My grandmother said to me
"Life for young people
Is harder that it's ever been"
I said " you lived through a depression
Wars and disarray
Surely we got it easier?"
She said "I meant what you heard my say"
Black crow sittin' on my grave
Black crow sittin' on my grave
The world don't know how to behave
When I was a rambler
I saw a funeral Pyre
A Loatian monk for 80 years
Lived and died in the same Wat
A man told the tale
And welcomed us to feast
And people smiled as they turned to me
And a soul was released
Black crow sittin' on my grave
Black crow sittin' on my grave
The world don't know how to behave
2. Montréal
Montréal, you got it all
But you don't got me
Montréal, you got it all
But you don't got me
You got your street poets
N'yer dirty jokes
N'yer got your chemistry
But Montréal, you got it all
But you don't got me
The cold wind is blowing the leaves around
As August rushes and the sirens sound
September has come to take the summer away
But my dreams are intact for another day
Romance is lost in these hostel beds
The knives are blunt, the bartenders a bastard
And I tipped him 2 dollars today!
My shows are broken and my spirit is fading
And the girl of my dreams is drifting away
Montréal, you got it all
But you don't got me
Montréal, you got it all
But you don't got me
I've been to Vancouver
I've been to Jasper and Calgary
I've been to Vancouver, I've been...
I'd trade it all for Montréal
But you don't got me
Wherever you go the drunks are the same
No patience, no brains, fucking stupid - delirously mundane
If I had some money, I might just join them
But instead in the morning I'll slam the door to hurt their brain
And the static of frustration passed by
And I can see the lasting effects in your eyes
And your tears of desolation turn me to the bar
But I'm not tipping this wanker, I'll smuggle my own!
Montréal, you got it all
But you don't got me
Montréal, you got it all
But you don't got me
You got your street poets
N'yer dirty jokes
N'yer got your chemistry
I'd trade it all for Montréal
But you don't got me
I've got quicksilver daydreams in my mind
Townes has taught me something about time
If this is a failure, maybe we'll turn it around
Damn it all, we're headed for Melbourne town
Melbourne town, we're coming back down
Toronto was just a fling
Melbourne town, we're coming back town
Where convicts forget to sing
You gotcha traffic woes, your second-hand clothes
And dickheads just the same
Melbourne town, we're coming back down
We love your filthy streets
4. Living on the Fringes
A clean, well lit street is little companion
For one living amongst it's ruin
The city-scape is a triumph, a modern wonder
A catastrophe of disparity
For those living on the fringes
Of the Canadian dream
Backbackers, bums, addicts and family rejects
Line the concourse daily
As everyone seeks to be noticed
In the their own uber-friendly way
I like it here but I cannot love it
As so much is, swept away
Everyone works hard for their appartments,
Condo's, health and doorways
It's difficult to distinguish the fashion from the non-fiction
As society breeds
A generation that can't fend for itself
With drugs and vanity
I like it here but I cannot love it
As so much has gone astray
I'm passing through, I just a gleaner
It's not even my place to say
There's a lifetime of reasons why I've come here
But I can't remember what they are today
As everyone seeks to be noticed
With their cardboard signs and expensive clothes
I look at my five hundred dollar watch
And I realise it's, time to go
6. Beautiful Blue
I love you
So much it's unkind
Like the world's gonna end
Stars colide in my mind
And I don't wish
I don't wish to lie
But my darlin'
I'm sure gonna try
It's just me
Me and you
What we got ourselves into?
Beautiful blue
I won't cry for you
You won't cry for me
We've carved it in the walls
My darlin' little Queen
And if the thief of morning
Comes to steal out dreams
We'll sew the curtains as one
With strong thick seams
It's just me
Me and you
What we got ourselves into?
Beautiful blue
Love me two
Two life-times tonight
And give me three
Of your nine lives
I've gotta get myself a gun
To shoot the sun out of the sky
Forever in my arms
Forever in the night
It's just me
Me and you
What we got ourselves into?
Beautiful blue
7. She's Doin' Time
Oh, my girl
She's so fine
She's so fine
She don't bother me
She's doin' time
When she first came into my life
Man, she treat me so wrong
Wouldn't let me ramble, wouldn't leave me alone
Always wanting me to stay at home
When we went ramblin' around this land
She just got in my ear
So when we went to rob a bank
I suddenly had an idea
Oh, my girl
She's so fine
She's so fine
She don't bother me
She's doin' time
I said to the teller, if you could just do
One thing for me
Don't give me any money and I'll spare your life
If you say it was her and don't mention me!
Oh, my girl
She's so fine
She's so fine
She don't bother me
She's doin' time
9. Pemulwuy
Mythical in records
Like a ghost
A Bidjigal warrior of the Darug
West of the Sydney coast
A blemish in his left eye
A left foot deformity
It was said by his people
This made him a clever man who could see
Pemulwuy lived peacefully
With the English for over a year
Until there was a murder
Of a Darug, by a bullet- not a spear
Pemulwuy tracked down a game-keeper
McIntyre, of the colony
And as with Darug law, he speared him
As common law should be
He was branded a murderer
By men who could not understand
He headed for the hills
An outlaw in his own land
He knew his country intimately
And a fire began to flame
This injustice may never be destroyed
But 'Man Of The Earth' was his name
Oh, passing over
He led his people in raids
Against any who came to claim
A mercenary outlaw
Setting fire to the English name
He fought them with bushfire
As the settlers held their breaths
No, they didn't see it comin'
As many burnt to their deaths
To the British he became
The ultimate enemy
He was shot many a time
But he still managed to flee
A cold sense came over
That as long as he survived
The colony was in danger
So he had to die
Word passed around
All along the Hawkesbury
From Campbelltown to Parramatta
That even convicts would be set free
If they brought in some game
Of a black with one good eye
It seemed that they'd become
Guided by the blind
Oh, passing over
And still the conflict resumed
Pemulwuy branded a beast
A murderous primate
Defending his family
The Darug began to believe
He couldn't be killed by foreign lead
Until June 1802
Pemulwuy was shot dead
Warrior of the Darug
Protester for 12 years
Captured twice, escaped once
As both sides faced great fears
Would we still call him an outlaw
As the settlers once did?
A martyr, a hero or a father
Who just done what he had to did...
11. Delicate Bird
From tree to tree
'Mongst Autumn leaves
The mountain breathed
Her soliliquy; a love was born
We were 12 years old
You were brash and bold; my elder
When you touched my hand
My hourglass ran harder
Then the day of the hunt
With a pellet gun
Shooting cans had replaced
The sandpits of our dreams
You were playfully smirking
Aluminium was lurking, on the fencepost
As we rained down with lead
My heart pound in my head; I loved you the most
Darting amongst the
Boughs and beams
Two Willy-Wag-Tails
Nesting in the trees
We watched them wonder
And curious love; we grew older
You touched my hand, we fit
Like a glove; your head on my shoulder
Now you stare at me
Like a stranger this day
Your voice shakes like a bird
As you fear to say
The boy you once loved
Has faded to dust, is lost and gone
The innocence we had,
The life I could have led; an unwritten poem
With no malice or thought
I raised the gun high
You watched me with
Confusion in your eyes
I fired three shots
You told me to stop; I reloaded
But man-hood had given me this
Barrel and stock, so I owned it
A little black and white bird
Fell with haste to the ground
And immediately I'd lost
What I had found
You let go of my hand
Your face fell to the ground
And you began to cry
It was then that my delicate
Little bird fell from the sky
It was then that my delicate
Little bird fell from the sky
It was then that my delicate
Little bird fell
From the, sky
We were 12 years old,
You were brash and bold
When you touched my hand
Our love grew old
8. Cast Iron Promises
Take these cast iron promises
Teach them how to burn
This solitary haze
Never ceases to amaze
Me of the things I've unlearned
Words that don't exist
Perigrinate through my time
Parlez vous, Francaise do you?
No, but I will speak my mind
My anger violates my charms
And I though I'd come so far, my love
Evil intended ideas
Present themselves as fear
I must go find
The music entwined
With the choir of my soul, I can't hear
Chairs that stand so tall
My legs can't reach the floor
This Irish bar
That is lit by stars
Of poets slipped through the cracks in the floor
My demons reveal themselves as strangers
I thought I'd left the danger behind, my love
I don't need any guilt
Nor, do I need mime
I just need you
And myself to glue
These dreams together in time
10. Amateur Man
We've picked up the broken things
Swept them out the door
We've searching through the fragments
Of broken glass on the floor
Well we've tried I guess
But we never seem to clean up this mess
I've been walking through this forest
Looking at the forest floor
Searching for all the shiny things
You don't want any more
I don't want a bolt of lightning
But a clue would be nice I guess
Ooh, we've been sleeping
In different beds
I know I'm a fool
But Jameson clears my head
I went looking for an epiphany
A broken dream of some kind
I found a Salvation Army
With some martyrs in a line
One looked at me for a quarter
Saving for a bottle and a piece of mind
One held up a sign with some faded black ink
It said 'our ears are filled with water'
And that we're about to sink
He tried to tell be something
But I didn't wanna hear what he had to say
Ooh, we've been sleeping
In separate beds
I know I'm a fool
But loneliness makes my bed
I been walking through this forest
Looking at the forest floor
I can tell that you love me
But do you need me anymore?
I know you like a challenge
And I can be the very best!
I find it most amusing
When the steam comes out your ears
But sometimes you surprise me
With spontaneous tears
I can't claim to be a genius
But can you cope with an amateur man?
Ooh, well we're back
In the same bed
I know I'm a fool
But I'm the best man you could ever get
I know I'm a fool but
You and me were meant
I know I'm a fool, but I love ya
...More than eggs
12. The Ghost of Your Dreams
Flirting with your mind
I hold the goblet of your soul
Our dreams intertwined
My porcelain doll
Sanctity and grace
Your gaze of perfect truth
I wind my way amongst
The droplets of your youth
Slowly, surely
I dart to
The shadows of your mind
Lovely, roses
Guiding beauty,
So fine
Blue silver
Shining in your hair
I won't be here in the morning
Lonely in the throes
Of our strange love
I won't be here in the morning
Music hangs on the wall
And rises through the cracks in the floor
And lingers as smoke
In my mind
My spirit stands at your door
As though I should call
My name into
Your dreams
I only, wasted
Your golden
Beauty, on time
As Jesus cries his tears
As honey
In the moonlight
Blue silver
Shining in your hair
I won't be here in the morning
