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1. |
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In a peerless act of double doublethink
The angels share the demons’ drink
With restricted access we’ll increase our rights
And liberty shines like a beacon in the night
Opinions form in a gathering storm
The chattering classes keep the global warm
We polarise from the farce to the absurd
And the moderates believe the regurgitated word
Are you thinking what I’m thinking?
They’re thinking about not thinking
The rats are leaving, the ship’s sinking
Warriors waltz in a retrospective style
With weasel words and a winning smile
Carbon copies for them that still believe
But hang on a minute! I’ve got an ace up my sleeve
If we stand a t the bottom of this greasy greasy pole
I’ll be the first to admit to the goodwill that you stole
We boys are in thrall to her pretty pretty smile
But no one will commit to a final country mile
Remember your age but forget your name
No single person will shoulder the blame
If we whitewash the walls with the spirit of the age
No one’ll even notice the gilding or the cage
Now the skies are clear where freedom rings
And the wives and the mothers of the princes and the kings
Have a rolling swagger, a charismatic smile
Behind the automatic gates of their nouveau country pile
Someone said to me she’s got questions left to ask
Like, “Who is the villain in the torn gorilla mask?”
“Who is having kittens?” and “Who is having fun?
And “Who is facing who down the barrel of a gun?”
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2. |
Gazing at the Stars
03:13
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Someone’s telling tales tonight
They’re gonna shoot me down in flames
Someone’s reaching for the stars
But I’m not naming names
Disbelief leaves me open-mouthed
A fool before the fire
Sleight of hand in a troubled land
The stakes rise even higher
Trust me I’m still gazing at the stars
Trust me I’m still gazing at the stars
Trust me I’m still gazing at the stars
And I think of you with love
Twisted words are all the rage
But careless talk costs lives
Vernaculars contested
Ttill the witching hour arrives
An embarrassment of riches I
n an armoury of words
Makes the big guns and their magazines
Seem ever more absurd
Cargo ships and catholic tastes
Offer prayers before the storm
As empty hearts and ermine robes
Are fêted as the norm
Love, respect, integrity
Had meaning way back when
Northern stars and Winter skies
Remind me once again
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3. |
Sing of Freedom
05:04
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When the time comes for calling out the names
And Janus-face here no one takes the blame
The words, all mangled, pouring out they came
But we try to sing of freedom all the same
I didn’t speak your language as I looked you in the eye
I tried to learn your secrets and I never told you lies
I learned to love your syntax as it rolled across my tongue
In the precious hours of darkness our time had just begun
In times of turmoil no one knows your name
You forget to question why and who’s to blame
My tongue of ice is melted by your flame
As I try to sing of freedom all the same
Within the Tower of Babel my synapses start to fire
Falling foul of the falsest friends, entrenched behind the wire
Bitten tongues and beaten tracks, tears and fears collide
A fragile cage round my beating heart, unready to decide
It’s time once more for calling out your name
Where need outweighs my pride I’ll take the blame
I start to forge some meaning from this game
And we’ll try to sing of freedom all the same
Come calling to my kingdom and I’ll promise you the earth
You promised me rough diamonds but I’m unsure of their worth
Words well-honed are a treasure trove to share before the dawn
I breathe your meaning, crave your understanding in the calm before the storm
The sands of time are shifting once again
And your whirlwind words have split my heart in twain
Excuses for these fetter just sound lame
So let’s learn to sing of freedom all the same
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4. |
Wartime Sweetheart
04:06
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For many months we’ve observed uneasy ceasefires
Hidden snipers always shoot on sight
Diplomatic moves get buried in the rubble
But I’ll seek solace in your arms tonight
Behind the lines parachuted down in secret
On a hush-hush mission, furtive, undercover
Unilateral peace declared on warring factions
By you my wartime sweetheart, my wartime lover
Chorus
Kiss me, my wartime sweetheart
Love me two times, and then we part
Fill my lungs, my soul and all my senses
But most of all bring peace to my troubled heart
Enigma codes say we’re fighting here for freedom
Ration books, wailing sirens, fight and flight
Battle-scarred and shell-shocked in the shelter
It’s time to build up trust, no time to fight
Now’s the time to cross forbidden borders
It’s time to speak plain words tonight
No codes, no passwords, no more disguises
Sweetheart, lie in my arms tonight!
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5. |
The Trial
05:21
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Someone must have been telling lies about Josef K
Someone must have been telling lies about Joe
Arrested last night on a tip-off, a rumour
Now the judge calls for silence in court
To see if someone here’s been telling lies about Joe, about Josef K
Good morning, Your Honour! From the prosecution stand
We’re here to point fingers of blame
See this man in the dock, this snivelling wreck
Undeserving of our sympathies’ claim
He’s clearly a scoundrel, a maverick, immoral
Always seeking an outcome extreme
It’s time the fighters of freedom were reined in by culture
Back from the edge of the impossible dream
As the prosecution’ words echo right round the court
It’s the defence, and Joe’s mounting his own
My surname is K, my friends call me Joe
And it’s clear for all gathered here to see
The facts as they stand are I denounce the bland
And strive for the right to be free
Now it may seem immoral to transgress the normal
Break out of the safe gilded cage
Not with lies and deception, but honest reflection
Redefine the spirit of the age
We’ve heard prosecution and defence, now the jury retires
To deliberate and seal our man’s fate
Fellow jurors gathered here, we’ve heard fact, opinion and claim
Our task is to tease out the truth which burns with a delicate flame
Is convention our yardstick? Hypocrisy? Lies?
Who’s thinking? Who’s meaning? Who’s say?
Has someone here been telling lies, lies about Josef K?
Now silence in court! It’s time for the verdict…
Guilty as charged!
Mr K, you’ve been found out, a threat to society
A master criminal at large
Your crimes? Always seeking with a stack of half truths
Self-deception and self-delusion are rife
I have only one sentence for crimes such as yours
The sentence, as always, is life
Subjective, imperfect, historic or fictive?
Why let the facts get in the way?
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6. |
A New Language
04:45
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How in the hell we gonna build a new world in our hearts
How in the hell we gonna find a new language for love
We don’t even dare to invent new ways to share our dreams
New meaning, new language, new life
Fields of freedom stretching out before us
If we only dare to dare
Surface structures denote deeper meaning
With elegance to spare
Our new language denotes a turmoil stripped down bare
We may burn the symbols to appease the censor
Pretend that we were never there
Talk in tongues at tangents, trusting hope and wisdom
Still afraid of the searchlight’s glare
Our new language becomes a trustgame for us to share
Come share the path of new meanings for us to try
Take my hand, take heart and hope now, demand outstrips supply
Go where you please, but never live a lie
We’ll taste new flavours, shapes and meanings before our language…
Becomes just pie up in the sky
Uncharted waters and the fear of freedom
I hold my hand above the flame
The poet’s wordplay breaks the rules of syntax
I hoped you’d feel the same
Before our language becomes a scapegoat ripe for blame
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7. |
This is England now
02:19
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This is England now, this is the north
This is high Summer and this is my life
Those are your beautiful eyes
I have nothing but love for you
Love for you now
This is England now, this is the north
And that is my future and this is called destiny
This is that feeling that I get
I have nothing but love for you
Love for you now
And we will learn to speak, not as drunk on new wine
Every man and woman, in his or her own tongue
Every one of us under heaven shall understand
That which was spoken in Jerusalem
This is England now, this is the north
And that is your beautiful mind and your perfect smile
You send shivers down my spine
I have nothing but love for you
Love for you now
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8. |
Rage
03:54
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Rage
Another symptom of the age
Becomes impossible to gauge
Turn again to see the pages feed the
Fire
She snags her jeans upon the wire
Becomes our object of desire
Take the truth and eat it
Before we batter down your door
Chorus
We build a gilded cage to praise the lifestyle page
With only one type of lag inside
I heard and unknown word describe the vital third
For all I know, the keeper outside lied
Spark
A concept older than the ark
To put the faithful in the dark
Turn again to see the pages feed the
Flames
Someone’s playing silly games
Press eject and freeze the frames
Take the truth and eat it
Before we batter down your door
Fame
But by any other name
You’re regretting that you came
Turn again to see the pages feed your
Rage
Another symptom of the age
Becoming easier to gauge
Take our truth and eat it
Before we batter down your door
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9. |
Never Never Land
05:14
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Down here on Airstrip One at the Ministry of Fun
They’re having practicals in ignorance and fear
Double-edged with double glazing, doublethink is just amazing
And we’re convinced that it can’t happen here
In Never Never Land life is never never bland
Repayments are deferred ‘til next year
With designer clothes and branding we relinquish understanding
And refuseniks hardly merit a sneer
Chorus
Now correct me if I’ve misunderstood
But when I came here somebody told me that she thought that I would
And I should have kept my mouth shut but I’m not sure that I could
Cryptic confabulation and naked reification
Makes for markets of unfettered fun
Common sense has been suspended, common decency’s been upended
Or so they say in your soar-away Sun
Manufactured consent makes it look like we’re content
We’re aspiring to trophies and bling
Allegations and alligators and dissenting disseminators
Say we’d rather have a cabbage than a king
Chorus
Now correct me if I’ve misunderstood
But when I came here somebody told me that she thought that I would
And I should have kept my mouth shut but I’m not sure that I could
Have you heard they’re having witch trials like something off the X-Files
Apportion chips with mushy praise and with blame
Now your flavour needs enhancing, tasty diners are busy dancing
You’re seeking something that’ll spice up your game
Willing workers in a sweatshop and that’s not real blood, that’s just ketchup
We’re proud to sport the slave-owner’s brand
Sportswear that seems unsporting and high-grade Charlie for them that’s snorting
A normal day here in Never Never Land
Chorus
Now correct me if I’ve misunderstood
But when I came here somebody told me that she thought that I would
And I should have kept my mouth shut but I’m not sure that I could
Alternative Chorus
Now correct me if I’ve missed something good
But when I came here somebody told me that she thought that I would
And I should have kept my mouth shut but I’m not sure that I could
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10. |
Bella Ciao
04:11
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Una mattina mi son svegliato
O bella, ciao! bella, ciao! bella, ciao, ciao, ciao!
One early morning as I awakened
I saw those bastards at my front door
O partigiano, portami via
O bella, ciao! bella, ciao! bella, ciao, ciao, ciao!
Oh freedom fighter, please take me with you
For I will fight and I’m prepared to die
E se io muoio da partigiano
O bella, ciao! bella, ciao! bella, ciao, ciao, ciao!
If I should die there, fighting for freedom
Then you must bury me where I fall
E seppellire lassù in montagna
O bella, ciao! bella, ciao! bella, ciao, ciao, ciao!
Oh, bury me there high in the mountains
Beneath the shadow of a beautiful flower
E le genti che passeranno
O bella, ciao! bella, ciao! bella, ciao, ciao, ciao!
And all the people who will pass by me
They will remark “What a beautiful flower!”
È il fiore del partigiano
O bella, ciao! bella, ciao! bella, ciao, ciao, ciao!
It is the flower, the flower of freedom
And I will fight and die so it can bloom
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11. |
Fuck-me Shoes
05:20
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Well, I calculate that it’s time to get my clothes on
My make-up, my nylons, my lipstick and my little black dress
I calculate that it’s time to be more gorgeous
I’m going to strut and pout, mince and flaunt with all that I’ve been blessed
You may calculate that I’m feeling just a little bit nervous
About my make-up, my nylons, my lipstick and my new stiletto heels
But I calculate that it’s time to provoke a reaction
I’m going to strut and pout and spit and snarl with a new-found resolve of steel
Chorus
Well you can bet your life that I know just what I’m doing
And you can bet your life that I’m doing it for myself
There’s method in my madness, goodness comes from badness
In my fuck-me shoes and a fuck you smile, my fuck-me shoes and a fuck you smile
Well you may calculate that I’m no ordinary soldier
In my battledress, my warpaint and these shoes
But I calculate that I’m serving on the frontline
Where I’ll strut and pout and shoot from the hip in a war we must not lose
Well, I calculate that you might be ready to join me
In your make-up, your nylons, your lipstick and a dress you can borrow off of me
I calculate that together we will shine like diamonds
We’re going to strut and pout, mince and flaunt and spit and snarl in the name of liberty
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James Bar Bowen Huddersfield, UK
Acoustic folk punk singer-songwriter with attitude. Award-winning songs to make you laugh, cry and rage.
Original, unusual,
controversial, political, heart-felt, tear-jerking, angry, inspired, humorous, iconoclastic, sentimental, anti-fascist, engaging, intelligent
... more
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