1. |
Oh Society
03:52
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Gotta flick the switch from
Pleasure to profit
I need pennies in my pocket
There’s bread to be won
Bills to be paid
I guess it’s back to the books today
‘Cause when there’s money to be made
All the rest must be delayed
But I got a song
That’s itching to be written
Before it’s too late
So pass me that guitar and sing
Oh society cog in the wheel
Spoke in the grease chug-a-lug-lug
I wanna break free
Oh society we swallow your spiel
Knowing it’s not real
Don’t you see we’re down on our knees
Better get this done on my desk by Monday
Guess I’ll be working ‘til Sunday
Got my head on a block tick tock
Don’t you know that time is money
And money is everything!
So where do all the dollars go?
Where’s my piece of the pie?
I guess it floats on up to the top
To the ones that took the planet for a ride
And never stopped
I hear a melody in my ear (it goes)
Oh society cog in the wheel
Spoke in the grease chug-a-lug-lug
I wanna break free
Oh society we swallow your spiel
Knowing it’s not real
Don’t you see we’re down on our knees
I’m lucky
To have a choice
I know I’m lucky
And I choose to make some noise
Oh society cog in the wheel
Spoke in the grease chug-a-lug-lug
I wanna break free
Oh society we swallow your spiel
Knowing it’s not real
Don’t you see we’re down on our knees
Oh society cog in the wheel
Spoke in the grease chug-a-lug-lug
I wanna break free
Oh society we swallow your spiel
Knowing it’s not real
Don’t you see we’re down down
Down down down down
Down on our knees
Begging for release
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2. |
Never Enough
03:47
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I’m on the bus there’s a hold-up
As we graduate from the daily grind
Praying for the traffic lights to change
The traffic in my mind
It goes green to red to yellow
And everything between
Yet here I sit in the back seat
And regard the cars as they interweave
They say all things change
I can’t keep with this pace
When did it become a race?
I press my nose to the window
While those around stare at their souls
The glow of the phone is a glimpse to the ego
Scrolling through the infinite roll of screw-ups
Like me and you
Broadcasting our past and present
As if it all were true
Flourishing in a façade of fake skin
Just don’t forget to grin
It’s never enough never enough never enough
It’s never enough never enough
It’s never enough never enough never enough
It’s never enough never enough
People on their way home
Another day over
Vehicles on the road float
Just like the years
That drift and pass by in a blur
But the more we yearn
To reach for handmade heights
They pull us back to the herd
Gotta get a good return
So the wheels turn
It’s never enough never enough never enough
It’s never enough never enough...
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3. |
Half Lives
04:10
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You wake up at sunrise
Unclench your tired eyes
Bid your bed goodbye
Shrug on a tie brush on a smile
You know it’s gonna be a while
But then you get back from
Another day of humdrum
You’re finally free to feel
You throw off your jacket
Put on a record
Rediscover life’s appeal
‘Cause it’s your half life
We all live half lives
Don’t deny the fire inside
Dying to come alive
Yeah it’s your half life
We all live half lives
So step outside breathe in the night
Those are your stars in the sky
You’re strapped on a train
Studying the faces
Staring out in space
Counting the days
‘Til they get some free rein
‘Til then it’s all the same
But when they get back from
Another day of humdrum
They’re finally free to feel
They’ll throw off their jacket
Put a record on
Rediscover life’s appeal
‘Cause it’s your half life
We all live half lives
Don’t deny the fire inside
Dying to come alive
Yeah it’s your half life
We all live half lives
So step outside breathe in the night
Those are your stars in the sky
We must feed our body
With a check from monotony
But only you can feed your soul
They might steal your hand away
To play this monopoly
But they’ll never steal your goals
You must see that your time
Is more than a commodity
Or you’ll never see the light
Don’t wanna reach senility
And look back to all you
Could’ve been should’ve been
Would’ve been in your half life
It’s your half life
We all live half lives
Don’t deny the fire inside
Dying to come alive
Yeah it’s your half life
We all live half lives
So step outside breathe in the night
Those are your stars in the sky
It’s your half life we all live half lives
Not dead nor fully alive
But a half life’s better than a no life
I’ll take my half and I’ll do what I like
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4. |
Post-it Notes
03:49
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It’s time to pack up mate
Cause you’re not going anywhere
Take those post-it notes
And throw them to the floor
All you could’ve done
Will be known to only you
Your dreams of what could be
Your sole responsibility
Will haunt you ‘til your end
Oh the years pass by
And there’s no time
But they keep on burning
In our minds
To be realised one day
The mirror’s not your friend
Lately it’s your enemy
It seems with every glance
Disappointment’s scarred your skin
But now’s not the time for that
You know there’s hungry mouths to feed
You grab a lipstick paint it on
With the taste of bittersweet
But it can’t hide the trap you’re in
‘Cause those dreams are still pending
Oh the years pass by
And there’s no time
But they keep on burning in our minds
To be realised one day
Oh the years pass by
And there’s no time
But they keep on burning in our minds
To be realised one day
They’ll be realised one day
Just not today
Not today
Some other day
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5. |
The Weaver
03:07
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Everyone said she’d lost her ways
Spending all those lonely days
Lost in her stare
But she didn’t care
Folks they would talk behind her back
Wondering why alone she sat
Lost in her stare
But she didn’t care
She’s a dreamer
She’s a weaver
Lacing the strands she’d make her name
Toil beside the window pane
Lost in her stare
She didn’t care
There was no need for welcome mats
The universe fit in her lap
Lost in her stare
The whole world was there
She’s a dreamer
She’s a weaver
She said “Sometimes I do it all right
Sometimes I do it all wrong
I’m not afraid of fashioning my form
Sometimes I wanna be wise
Sometimes I wanna be raw
And let it all pour fourth
And choose the thread that weds
Fate with destiny”
So one by one the days became years
Accompanied by those rusted shears
Lost in her stare
She didn’t care
Tapestries and monologues
The colours of a fine-spun cloth
Lost in her stare
The whole world was there
She’s a dreamer
She’s a weaver
She said “Sometimes I do it all right
Sometimes I do it all wrong
I’m not afraid of fashioning my form
Sometimes I wanna be wise
Sometimes I wanna be raw
And let it all pour fourth
And choose the thread that weds
Fate with destiny”
“Fate with destiny”
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6. |
My Guitar Over HR
02:31
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I’m staring at the screen at the LinkedIn
Talking ‘bout the talent acquisition
One big superstition
Program specialists
Customer experience
They’re all wiser than their years
How could I ever be near to the top?
Well I guess I’m not
I see an orange arrow on a black shadow
So I click upon the devil’s smile
My time is up for now
They say they’re searching for
Someone to explore
How to turn the market into mint
They’re offering a six-month stint
To do the job
And they pay a lot
And I know that what I’m doing
Won’t be making money soon
But I just can’t face the music
When it’s this much out of tune
Am I wrong in assuming
That they’re not happy too?
A little light is blinking
Telling me I should be thinking
‘Bout the latest innovation
And not my next vacation
There’s a free webinar
Teaching me to be a star
But I’d rather grab my guitar
And sing myself this yarn
Doo dee dot
Well I just can’t stop
And I know that what I’m doing
Won’t be making money soon
But I just can’t face the music
When it’s this much out of tune
Am I wrong in assuming
That they’re not happy too?
Being used
Generating revenue
For like... some rich dude
I choose my guitar
My guitar over HR
I choose my guitar
My guitar over HR
Oh yeah
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7. |
Then You Get Older
04:16
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When you’re young
Ripe as a plum
Yeah it seems your troubles
Stop at one
And your home
Of white washed stone
Keeps you warm and wrapped up
‘Til you’re grown
Every time you fell behind
They were there
And the light that lit up your eyes
Could not be brighter
Then you get older
And the light has died down
It smoulders
Smothered by
Life’s cold wet hand
Every day
Starts much the same
Waking up and knowing
That you’re safe
All you know
Is flesh and bone
Your mum and dad and your sister
Four-leaf clover
Every time you fell behind
They were there
And the light that lit up your eyes
Could not be brighter
But then you get older
And the light has died down
It smoulders
Smothered by
Life’s cold wet hand
So when life gets you down
You’re on a ship bound for nowhere
Just look to the air
So go on wipe off that frown
Go on get on the gale
They’ll be your sails
When you’re old
Life takes its toll
Just remember that you are
Not alone
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8. |
Run Away With Me
03:52
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Run away with me
We will find
That there’s a place
Where troubles are left behind
If you run with me
I’ll ensure
The very cure
That so far eluded you
So run away with me
Maybe the world stops spinning
Maybe we’re the ones grinning
Run away with me
What's the use in staying
In a world that’s not listening?
But if you run with me
I’ll put an end
To your suffering
So your broken soul can mend
If you run with me
We’re sure to find
Our happiness
You know that ignorance is bliss
So run away with me
Maybe the world stops spinning
Maybe we’re the ones grinning
Run away with me
There’s no use in staying
In a world that’s not listening
To you
And the words you say
That ring so true
If only they knew
They’d pay heed to you
They’d follow suit
In all of the wonderful things you do
For the common good
But if we run
Nothing will change
I’m afraid you must stay
Though it may cause you pain
‘Cause if we run
Make our grand escape
We may never get to gaze
Upon a world that’s finally winning
Due to you
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9. |
Horizons
05:05
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The horizon’s all too clear
It seems so near
I sense some dark clouds closing in
It looks pretty grim
From where I’m standing
I see the future in your eyes
There’s no surprise reflecting there
No soft shimmer
Where’s that glimmer gone?
When you used to say that we one day
Would take the world by storm
I was so damn sure
Sure that we’d be called
By His true purpose so divine
There’s no surprise
I’ve seen your hall of fame
It’s all the same
I know what you became
You thought your life would be different
From the rest you’d be blessed
And you’d put your own stamp upon it
Do it all
Yeah you swore that you’d be more
The horizon’s pretty clear
Suddenly so near, they said
‘‘Behold those lights from the north’’
But I see other forms between the folds
Of those lids that hold your eyes
There’s no surprise reflecting there
No soft shimmer
Where’s that glimmer gone?
You thought your life would be different
From the crowd you’d be proud
Yeah you’d put your own stamp upon it
Do it all
Yeah you swore you’d never just be more
More of the same
Part of the game
We thought we could change
This ever perpetuating now
The same old forty hours
Till it all turns sour
Until the mirror’s your worst fear
And the days turn into years
No point shedding tears
You saw those dark clouds in the sky
There’s no surprise
I’ve seen your hall of fame
It’s all the same
You know what you became
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10. |
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I may not have a record label
Knocking on my door
Or hoards of fans that travel from afar
And I sure don’t have a voice like a
Beyonce or an Amy
But I will write this song with all my heart
For every chord and lyric
Were chosen for a reason
Every rhyme was crossed out at least twice
Yeah authenticity is what I aim for
With my pencil
With every stroke I try to be more precise
Yeah at least
With me what you see is what you get
At least with me what you see is what you get
I’m not doing this to please the screens
Or following synthetic dreams
It’s just me
What you see is what you get
I may not have a face to launch
A thousand ships across the sea
Or sun-kissed skin that glistens in the sun
And when I’m forty I won’t look like
I just came out of the oven
Like the faces we’re so used to seeing now
But at least
With me what you see is what you get
At least with me what you see is what you get
I’m not making out like I’m some queen
Pretending I’m somehow supreme
It’s just me
What you see is what you get
Years of private concerts in the park
Whispering my fears to you in the dark
You’d kiss my face tell me I had a spark
You’d say all I need’s a little bit of luck
If luck’s enough
And if or when that luck should come my way
I’ll still whisper to you and say
That at least
With me what you see is what you get
At least with me what you see is what you get
I’m not doing this to please the screens
Or following synthetic dreams
It’s just me
With me what you see is what you get
At least with me what you see is what you get
I’m not making out like I’m some queen
Pretending I’m somehow supreme
Cause all I am is all I could ever be
Yeah me is what you get
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Mel Brennan Spain
Mel is an Australian singer-songwriter currently living in Barcelona. Her musical style combines the early influences of pop- rock, jazz and bossa nova with her more recent experiences living abroad in Latin America and Spain - think Joni Mitchell meets Ani Di Franco in Rio de Janeiro. Her debut album, Half Lives, is a must-hear for anyone engaged in the modern struggle for work-life balance. ... more
Mel Brennan recommends:
All You Have Is All You Need (LP)
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Ainslie's lyric writing is first-rate, and this collection of songs sparks some critical reflection on modern day life. Favourite songs: Society & Suzie
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BLAU (Being Lost As Usual)
by Jorge da Rocha
Blau is one of the coolest albums I've heard in the last year, with its unique combination of acoustic and electronic sounds, always starring Jorge's double bass. Favourite songs: False Alarm & Words
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Callahan’s latest both comforts and unnerves.
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featured on Bandcamp Radio Aug 28, 2018
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The Nightmare Gosifur pt 3
by Adrian Sood
In Adrian Snood’s songs, soulful vocals and slow-moving alt-pop swirl together to create something distinctly moving.
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Tokyo Bay/Crying Inside
by Nick Lowe
The first new release from Nick Lowe in 5 years includes two originals and two rollicking covers.
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