Travel

I've been to the desert with its red red sand and seen the ghost gum white
with branches spread and branches dead and the dead ones black as night.
I've heard loud birds in dead gum trees and watched as they took flight;
Saw the morning sun through the mist and gum and marvelled at the sight.

Where the rocks are red as the hearts that bled
for the land that they once knew,
stories told of a dreamtime old
were lost and their cost is due.

But the gums were plucked,
and billabongs sucked,
and like the bounding kangaroo

they saw the whiteman’s gun in the morning sun,
and faces hard and cruel,

and the rocks ran red
and their hearts all bled
for the land that they once knew.

I've been to the desert with its red red sand and seen the ghost gum white
with branches spread and branches dead and the dead ones black as night.
I have seen old dreams in the rocks and trees when the sun is shining bright;
Saw it fading fast like a blood red past and marvelled at the sight.

ennui accept this

the winding streets are rorschach blots
and the sidewalks are all starving
and the plazas are all freezing
and the flaneurs are all dead
and the mausoleums grin a porcine grin
and my laughter is sardonic
and my footsteps are a slowing heartbeat
and my driveway is a crime scene
and my neighbours are all tourists
and the monuments are going up faster and faster and faster
and a house of cards is a house of cards is a house of cards

Passing the Bar

Nights spent touching drunken boys
who slur hungry words above the noise
and stumble
trying to catch her downcast eyes
as they roll across the floor
she dons a stifling, thick, two-mouthed disguise
with her over-bitten tongue she leaves
quivering salival promises
more often than she comes
I want to take her
away from the numb, synthetic fun
so I approach and try to return her wandering eyes
but I'm just another drunken boy
and they're too full of tears for me to hold her gaze
and I'm too full of lies

Flagpole

Dirty white shoes in the black gold
Dirty white shoes in the black gold
Sticky black sand 'round the ankles
Dirty white shoes in the black gold
Makin' new tracks in the land of old
Makin' new tracks in the land of old
Dirty white shoes in the black gold
Diggin' down deep with the flagpole

Diggin' deep with the flagpole
Diggin' diggin' deep with the flagpole
Diggin' diggin' diggin' deep with the flagpole
Dirty white shoes in the black gold

Dirty white ship full of black gold
Dirty white ship full of black gold
Sticky black sand 'round your anchor
Dirty white ship full of black gold
Sailin' back home with your belly full
Sailin' back home with your belly full
Dirty white ship full of black gold
Sinkin' down deep in the water

Sinkin' deep in the water
Sinkin' down deep in the water
Sinkin' sinkin' down deep in the water
Dirty white ship full of black gold

Dirty white shoes with the black soles
Dirty white shoes with the black soles
Sticky black sand 'round the ankles
Dirty white shoes with the black soles
Leaving deep cracks and your black holes
Leaving deep cracks and your black holes
Headin' back home with your flagpole
Dirty white shoes with the black soles