1. |
Angel of Birmingham
02:55
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Well an angel came from Birmingham with a bottle of whisky in his hand
And he said “my son I’ll set you free if you will have a drink with me”
So we said “Tit’s oot, for the Lads!’ and six or seven pints we had
And lost responsibility were him and me then truly free?
Oh Lord Jesus, aint it plain to see, that the Angel of Birmingham has come to set you free
Oh Lord jesus, it aint that hard to tell, that the Angel of Birmingham will take you down to hell
I said “cobber cant you see? Only love will set you free
We’ll fly on love’s big air balloon and pop it on a crescent moon
Then we’ll fall out of the sky and you and I will surely die
And then and only then you’ll see will you and me be truly free!”
He said “wait a minute son, that doesn’t sound like too much fun
I’d rather go out for a drink and throw my guts up in the sink
At all the pretty colours there, I will look and I will stare
And then I shall be truly free by knowing what’s inside of me”
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2. |
Deep Deep River
03:40
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3. |
Say a Prayer
04:08
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Verse 1
Just married and the world seemed new [SAY A PRAYER, MARYANNE]
It was August 1942 [SAY A PRAYER, MARYANNE]
He was the boatswain on the Cruiser Canberra
The young woman’s name was Maryanne
Say a prayer for a lonely sailor [SAY A PRAYER, MARYANNE]
Verse 2
On the docks there were children waving [SAY A PRAYER, MARYANNE]
To the boys of his majesty’s navy [SAY A PRAYER, MARYANNE]
Set sail for the Solomon Islands
There to fight for and airstrip at Henderson Field
Say a prayer for a lonely sailor [SAY A PRAYER, MARYANNE]
Verse 3
A rainy night and the wind blew somber [SAY A PRAYER, MARYANNE]
They were anchored north of Manimatomba [SAY A PRAYER, MARYANNE]
Round the point of Savo Island
Four Jap Destroyers with their 8 inch guns ablaze
Not a prayer for the Cruiser Canberra [SAY A PRAYER, MARYANNE]
Instrumental
Verse 4
I went down to the beach last Saturday [SAY A PRAYER, MARYANNE]
Took my nephew for a swim at Manly [SAY A PRAYER, MARYANNE]
On a bench there among the seagulls
An old woman sat staring out to sea
Say a prayer for a lonely sailor [SAY A PRAYER, MARYANNE]
Say a prayer for a lonely sailor [SAY A PRAYER, MARYANNE]
Say a prayer for a lonely sailor [SAY A PRAYER, MARYANNE]
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4. |
Bonnie Boat
03:45
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5. |
Seven Ways
04:52
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Saturday nights and Sunday mornings
These are the times when my baby needs warming
Rest of the week, she’s a woman on a mission
She has a job, but I’m a musician
And its… its no holiday, finding 7 ways to pass the time of day.
Monday night, and she’s very cross
She got in another big fight with her boss
I suggest listening and trying to stay calm
Might have been better than breaking his arm
She says…, “he got in my way”, 7 ways to pass the time of day.
Tuesday night, we go to drag Bingo
She wins another battery operated thingo
Its very big like you see in some skin-flicks
She waves it around like she’s won the Olympics
I say…. “put that away”, 7 ways to pass the time of day.
The place is a mess, she’s threatening leaving
This often happens on Wednesday evening
I’m sorry babe I know how you’re feeling
Sit down I’ll make you a cup of Darjeeling
And… she always stays, 7 ways to pass the time of day.
Thursday her colleague is coming to dinner
His name is Ross, and he’s a real winner
He votes Republican even though he’s gay
She asks me to put my self-help books away
And I say… “whatever you say”, 7 ways to pass the time of day.
Friday night, she’s feeling weary
I say can I please borrow 20 bucks deary
I’d like to go out drinking with Larry
She says that’s fine but I’m ending this marriage
But I know… love will find way, 7 ways to pass the time of day.
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6. |
Ding Dong
02:48
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7. |
Die Alone
01:54
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8. |
Falzibad
05:02
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9. |
Tension
03:35
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I went out for a disco dance, in my brand new track suit pants
There I saw a lovely girl called Dora
I put on some funky moves, to those funky disco grooves
In the hopes that thereby I might score her
I didn’t mean to revolt her, dancing there like John Travolta
She just sat there looking rather pensive
She said she couldn’t stand to watch, my descending tracksuit crotch
She just said she thought I was offensive
It caused
Tension, Tension, Tension, Tension, Tension, Tension, Tension, Tension,
Whatever i do seems to create tension
Tension, Tension, Tension, Tension, Tension, Tension, Tension, Tension,
Whatever you do just don’t mention tension
I took Dora to the coffee shop and talked and talked to her non stop
To try to make her think that I was erudite
She said ‘really, you don’t say’ and as I looked the other way she filled my coffee cup full of araldite
I took a sip which was not smart and went to crap on about Descarte when all that came out of my gob was Mmm mmm
I took Dora to the Dapto Dog Track got a bit forward with her on the way back she asked me to pull back up my trousers
I didn’t quite know what to do I bent down for her high heel shoes and stuffed her left shoe chocka full of flowers
She said ‘Freddy, I don’t care, what you do with your foot ware, just don’t stuff my clobber full of flora!’
How was I to expect that she’d be anal in that respect that’s what you get for chasing girls called Dora, you get Tension.
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10. |
Shhh
01:25
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11. |
Mr Circle
03:41
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Sun go down, sun go down,
Mr Circle Sing Sing taim long sun i go down
Olgeta, Wanpela, mi na yu
Papa Deo kolim wantaim bigpela kundu
War wokim bugarap,War wokim bugarap
Lukim olsem dispela war i wokim bugarap
Olgeta crai crai, Olgeta crai crai
Olgeta crai crai taim long war i wokim bugarap
Pen wokim bel hot, Pen wokim bel hot,
Lukim olsem dispela pen i wokim bel hot
Bel hot wokim Paitim, Kros wokim Paitim
Lukim olsem dispela Bel hot wokim Paitim
Paitim wokim pen nau, Paitim wokim pen
Lukim olsem dispela samting i go round nau
Nius bilong pis, Nius bilong pis
Olgeta tok tok long dis' Nius bilong pis
Pis bilong yumi, Pis bilong yumi
Pis bilong long yumi bikos bel isi bilong yumi
Sun go down, sun go down,
Mr Circle Sing Sing taim long sun i go down
Olgeta, Wanpela, mi na yu
Papa Deo kolim wantaim bigpela kundu.
Translation: Mr Circle (Song for For Bougainville)
Sun go down, sun go down
Mr Circle sings as the sun goes down
all and one, me and you,
God calls us with his big bass drum
War buggers things up, see how war buggers things up
Everybody cries when war buggers things up
Pain causes anger, pain causes anger (bel hot=hot guts)
See the way that pain causes anger
Anger leads to fighting, anger leads to fighting
See the way that anger leads to fighting
Fighting leads to pain, fighting causes pain
Look how it all goes around
News of the peace, News of the peace
Everybody is talking of the news of the peace
Peace is ours, peace is yours and mine
Peace is ours, because we have peace inside (bel isi=easy guts)
Sun go down, sun go down
Mr Circle sings as the sun goes down
all and one, me and you,
God calls us with his big bass drum
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12. |
A Woman Like You
05:55
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Sing me a song boys don't make it long
For I must be travelling far
You may keep my guitar
Change the strings while I'm gone
Turn my back on the prophets
Blew a kiss at the Wandering Jew
Got on my horse and set off on a course
To find me a women like you
The cool morning air kissed the flesh of my mare
As we rode through a valley of trees
A wren on the fence sang all that go hence
Seem to always return on their knees
By the roadside a stranger played a tune on an old tin gazoo
And though there where no words his song like the birds
Said beware of a women like you
LIE LIE LIE LIE LIELIE
LIE LIE LIELIELIELIELIELIE ! [TWICE]
There was a priest who I happened to meet
On the eve, of the second day
He'd done the duty of youth and sought beauty and truth
And a lover that way
He woke up one morning to find that she'd up and slipped through
And feeling God's wrath he'd taken the cloth
And forgiven a women like you
LIE LIE LIE LIE LIELIE
LIE LIE LIELIELIELIELIELIE ! [TWICE]
My search I relented in a bar room frequented
By the baffled, the bent, and the broke
The slow wheel of time had passed most of them by
Those that hadn't been caught in the spokes
And we drank from the bottle a toast to the victorious few
Who had stayed on a plane between pleasure and pain
For the love of a women like you
LIE LIE LIE LIE LIELIE
LIE LIE LIELIELIELIELIELIE ! [TWICE]
My comrade ion arms with blood on the palms of his hands
Stumbled in through the door
All he could say were the last lines from a play
Concerning the death of the Moor
He'd been pierced through the breastbone
And he bled from a freshly made wound
As he fell on his sword his very last word
Was the name of a women like you
LIE LIE LIE LIE LIELIE
LIE LIE LIELIELIELIELIELIE ! [TWICE]
Than an old man came into the room
He broke into a tune on a teak violin
A melody doleful and mercy less soulful
That tore us apart from within
All his front teeth where missing
And through the gap a lyric came through
And the words that he sung
Said his heart had been wrung
In the hands of a women like you
LIE LIE LIE LIE LIELIE
LIE LIE LIELIELIELIELIELIE ! [TWICE]
Tick tock goes the clock
In my room by the dock
Through my window I stare out to see
And once and awhile a young woman will smile
From the street to an old man like me
Meet the boys on some evenings
And we pour back a whisky or two
Though we drink to forget I shall never regret
Having once loved a women like you
LIE LIE LIE LIE LIELIE
LIE LIE LIELIELIELIELIELIE ! [FOUR TIMES]
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Fred Smith Canberra, Australia
“Fred Smith is simply the best folk/country musician working in this country in 2020. Beyond writing some of the finest songs about Australians at war, he has created a repertoire that is wry, literate, witty, powerfully emotional and insightful.”(Bruce Elder, Sydney Morning Herald). ... more
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