"It's All Worth It"

It's All Worth It (Thanks to You!)

Hot mamma duke
Her engine purring
Crossed the border 'bout 5AM
It's been a heavy drive
Return to Bolivia
Smuggling brown my only means to an end

But's it's all worth it at the end of the day
When I can sit down, get you in my vein yeah!

Because a love like this lasts forever
And you know cos this love feels right
I wanna hold you and have you forever
Or failing that at least for tonight

Self-employed for years
Selling narcotics
Pays the bills but does not come without risk
A broad I knew once turned round asked
"Are you lonely?"
Said I would be if it weren't for this shit!

Life is worth it at the end of the day
When I can sit down, get you into my vein!

Because a love like this lasts forever
And you know cos this love feels right
I wanna hold you and have you forever
Or failing that at least for tonight

"Song for Sports Montage"

Song For Sports Montage
Tonight you're on fire!
No-one can stop you
And that's the way it should be
On fire!
The best is our goal and
It don't come for free so:
Raise your game
Reach the top
Rise to the occasion -
And when you get there?
DON'T STOP!!!


There's a place in space where long ago
The rules were drawn up and everyone
Would get their chance to prove their skill
The name was "sport" and all you need is will!
From speed, to strength
For the best of the team
The glory ever-present
Do you share the dream?

And we didn't stop, the human race
Aspired for more, quickened the pace
Man grew fast, women strong
A communist mind-frame helped the team become one
Wickets bailed across the land
Tries and goals and touch-downs scored
Tungsten could be the weapon of choice
Or a big old stick from which to launch!
And as IQ drops we prove to be
The greatest sporting planet in history

So: raise your flag!
Chant this chant!
Be the best!
Or: learn to cheat!!!

"Another Portrait of Society"

An untitled automatic writing piece from 2012 that I went on to recite in a Glenson Heart McBrute jam. Subsequently released on the "You Can Call Me Doctor Balls" album under the title "Another Portrait of Society" in reference to my 2006 prose.

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Piece by piece
How the parts come together
Rise and take hold
What he knows she feels
Death and his maiden
The portrait looking on
Who leads the leader
Who writes the song?
Foot in hand
A clumsy dance
Struggles for resolve
Finds its way somehow -
With trepidation
A sweeping sound
And we're off
Imperfect cadence
To finish off

"Andante con moto"
Said the weathered face
What a shame I thought
Of course Schubert knew what to do
Electronic glitch:
Welcome to now
Gone the aspiration of old
Still, to experience
When all's said and done
A merry old barnacle
Who sweats out fun
"Anne Frank" he'd shout mocking
A somewhat beleaguered attempt
At humour - missing a vital
Point of contention:
She only had one leg.
Does humour belong in music?
Does humour belong in comedy?
Does humour belong in geometry?
Does subjectivity belong in life?

"Trainspotting"

Trainspotting
I think I love you
Like Bowie just couldn't
Lennon packed you in
And what good did it do to him?
You sure pissed off ol' Neil Young
And if that's not an advert for your charm,
Then I'll start watching André Rieu
Stone cold sober.

I think I love you
In ways Boyle totally missed
No dead baby's gonna keep me
From your heavenly bliss
You proved to me God does exist
And Allah, Buddha and the rest
Together they forged you to show
Humans a new reality.

I think I love you
As much as Bieber will come to
I know I love you
As much as Bieber will come to

"Call Yourself A Rock Star"

Call Yourself A Rock Star? BROWN MAGIC WOMAN
Five six seven eight
How many hits can you take?
This ain't the game of fools
We're a race of transcendental mules
One in the morning
To kick off in style
Everyday is a wonderous adventure
When you take the life choices of a rockstar

Ain't got no time for games
I'm aiming for the top
This high will split the men from the boys
On three inject the lot:
One -
Two -
Three -

Come on kids - shoot up, it's fun
Come on kids - there's enough in the needle for everyone

Come on kids - shoot up, it's fun
Come on kids - there's enough in the needle for everyone...

"Hot Space"

Hot Space
Red, green, blue, yellow
Cubes compressed to two dimensions
Chuck Berry sings -
Only on television
Where one day we'll all go to die
Yellow trousers, Saturday Night Live
I wonder if lemons will evolve
And if so, into what?
Perhaps a cure for cancer: aid for all!
A raucous guitar enters
The bongos play full speed
Will this cocaine groove ever calm?
I'm too high to care
And sex enters the mind
Once again, blame the tube
Effervescent signals
Keep us wired - sleep is for the weak?

Hot space, hot space
Please God no!
Don't make me listen to hot space.

Red, green, blue, yellow:
It's that woman from that film,
You know the one - with the mousse
Well how she went downhill
Not at all like me.
The drums always clash
And there's noise in the air
But when voices fill the landscape
We find some relief
Harmonies swell the frequencies
And finally some relief.

To be someone
Reject something
Then take it back
And start again

Red, green, blue, yellow
Hot space, hot space
Please God no! no! no!
Don't make me listen to that again...

"Late Last Night"

Late Last Night (On The Promenade)
Late last night
We drank wine
Moonlight lit, your eyes were fixed to mine
And mine to yours
Dancing round and round
To the hypnotic haunting sound of the trombone

Late last night (on the promenade)
We held hands (it was getting hard)
Cautiously I ask will you be mine? Tonight?
You say yes! (on the promenade)
Then undress (I was quite impressed)

You go down
And I realise I love you
I love you
More than any other man I've ever known
For there is no greater pleasure
Than to be with you alone

"Heroin Daze"

Heroin Daze
How did it come to this
Where did it all go wrong
What happened to that face
What happened to those songs?

My insides coming out
My outside caving in

How did it come to this?
Where did we lose our way
Craving for the skanky brown
As the horse courses through the vein

My brain is melting slow
That slow melt feels so good
Opiate visions light the path
Between Moses and the Burning Bush

A final mustard tooth
Aching in the gum
I'm trying to scale the wall
I'm searching for a hit

These days, these days
These days, these days
In a glorious
Heroin daze

"Shhh, Here Comes Sally"

Last song to be written for Kissing Sally In The Smoking Room is essentially the albums title track. Summer 2012, in the studio finishing off the album, I came up with "Shhh..." which was swiftly recorded before Steve's departure to Canada for his appearance at the Calgary Folk Festival. In a similar vein to the drastic contrasts between single and album-versions of "Alienation", "Three Years On" and "When You're Me...", a dub remix of this track appears on the Orion EP.

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Shhh, Here Comes Sally
Kissing Sally in the smoking room
A whiff of perfume: my luck has turned
I move forward as she leans back
Noble intentions; an innocent lad.
Feelings fluster in that clouded room
Lust contained in youths refrain
Idle hands that dare not venture too
Far from home; near to you.

Remembering Sally in that smoke filled room
Lips were sore, yet needing more
Smiling she took off, said it was fun
Feeling naucious, second hand smoke.
Thoughts have changed in the course of time
When it became apparent I wasn't Sally's first
Or last embrace in that smoking room
What a fool - I truly am
What a lovely girl - she definitely isn't
What a love to have lost.

We all kissed Sally in the smoking room
We all kissed Sally in the smoking, room
We all kissed Sally in the smoking, room
And what can you say you've done?
And what can you say you've done?
We all kissed Sally, in the smoking room

"Pot Song"

A set of lyrics I wrote for inclusion on as-of-yet unreleased Glenson Heart McBrute reggae side-project "Spliff Riddims". A jam on June 21st spawned an album's worth of material - several new tracks plus some Garibaldi classics reworked.  Steve, Rob and I wrote words for the remaining originals; hopefully the album will get released soon - it could possibly be our finest work to date!

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POT SONG

Our home is our health

It takes more than walls to feel safe

But what of out wealth?

In times of debt, how to replace

The systems that we've built upon

Knowing now the foundation's gone

On land we built that had no strength

The sinking sands help us to see...

Our time is our wealth

But knowing it's finite does not help

Our sense of self

Was thought up by another

How we fought for our right

Knowing not of other's lives

The lies we heard and took to heart

Redemption can't be bought

Our mind is our guide

Together we achieve all

Our hope is the light

Dear science, help us evolve

"A Wicked Love Song"

Recorded on the spot with Steve Wicked (he would later in the year record his debut album in a similar fashion) during the finalising of the Valentine's Day Single, I scrawled down some lyrics inspired by Steve's life.

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A Wicked Love Song
I see you in the morning
Can't believe no-one knows your name
I made love to your sister
Last summer on an aeroplane

But your love is the only one for me
And if i'm honest, why shouldn't it be
But your love is the only one for me
But nothing compares, to love of three

Call your sister in the morning
Tell her I'm sorry I didn't call back
It's been a year since our encounter
And it's time I got her back in the sack
In fact, fuck it, bring over the family
But don't go telling your dad
It's not that he's not a lovely lovely man
But I don't really want him like that

But your love is the only one for me
And if we're honest, why shouldn't it be
Only your love is the only one for me
Yours, your sisters plus the extended family (if needs be)
But your love is the one for me
And if we're honest, why shouldn't it be
Only your love is the one for me
Yours, your sisters plus the extended family

"When You're Me & I'm Free"

A co-composition with Steve Wicked - he writing music, me lyrics - "When You're Me & I'm Free" became the final single released prior to its inclusion on Kissing Sally In The Smoking Room. One of the last tracks written and recorded in a productive few weeks spanning late-December '11, early-January '12 - the results of which included finishing touches to a third "Unplugged" EP, four singles and a brand new album alongside two music videos for good measure.

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When You're Me & I'm Free

Standing at the crossroads of nowhere

My feet so glad to touch the ground

Been crossing this desert alone and

Someone like you couldn’t touch me now

Even though my back is breaking

My head is numb to the pain

Hitch-hiking my last stand sober

The World moves on and away

Make it easy on yourself

Treading water one steps up

Higher ground waits above

Nothing really matters

My head was up in the clouds

Been trying so hard for so long and

No-one like you will ever touch me now

Even through these harder moments

We keep routine and try

Hitch-hiking our last stand sober

The World moves up and away

Make it easy on yourself

Treading water one steps up

Higher ground is waiting above

Nothing really matters

When you are free

"Amongst the Sleeping"

Lyrics I wrote for Steve's track "Amongst the Sleeping" from Kissing Sally In The Smoking Room. He added lines for a chorus which, to avoid legal issues, I have omitted here.

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Amongst the Sleeping

By day,

The land moves around us – we’re driving

Some say,

You only know where you’re going – when you get there

I’m sure,

The engine will hold out – I’m arrogant like that

We know,

Nothing last’s forever – that at least is mutual

By night,

The land moves much quicker – we’re racing

Some wait,

And fall off the rails – consuming

You take,

As if I’ll keep on giving – I won’t, I’m sorry to say

We know,

Nothing happens suddenly – as all this aching proves

I wait,

To avoid the crossfire – if only it worked like that

  

Surround sound makes waves interpreted by something beyond us

Can science ever contemplate the feelings that we all take for granted?

In surround sound, I’ve found, dreams, are not for the living

So come regress and find it’s best to live, amongst the sleeping

"No Motherland Without You"

Alternate lyrics for a track recorded in the Kissing Sally sessions but unreleased in its original form. It instead received two arrangements on the Valentines Day Single: Rob Heart providing the "Let's Save Our Love (Until Marriage)" lyrics, my variation using a lines from a recent touching tribute to Kim Jung-Il I had been working on at the time.

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No Motherland Without You (Part 2)

Like lost lover’s trapped in time

We graced this Earth apart

Your name belittled by the mouth of the fool

But you’ll always reign my heart

Twas the coda of your life

Became the prelude to mine

The final night of ophiuchus

You set your sights to the sky

The deity you don’t doubt is real

His name is Kim Jung-Il

Like lost lover’s trapped in time

We graced this Earth apart

Your name belittled by the mouth of the fool

But you’ll always reign my heart

They called you father

To me you were just Kim

The Dear Leader formally

Proud the spirit within

I sense your presence in the lap of the Gods

Can’t disprove your heavenly-real

Forever: Kim Jung-Il

Like lost lover’s trapped in time

We graced this Earth apart

Your name belittled by the mouth of the fool

You’ll always reign my heart

Like lost lover’s trapped in time

We graced this Earth apart

Your name belittled by the mouth of the fool

But you’ll always reign my heart

What the fuck it’s the twenty-first century

And you’re no longer here to feel

But this hymn will be heard through the lands

Remember Kim Jung-Il!

Like lost lover’s trapped in time

We graced this Earth apart

The Motherland may cease to exist

But Kim’s erotic beauty will forever – reign my

Like lost lover’s trapped in time

We graced this Earth apart

Your name belittled by the mouth of the fool

You’ll always reign my heart

Like lost lover’s trapped in time

We graced this Earth apart

Your name belittled by the mouth of the fool

But you’ll always reign my…

"Modernity & Maternity"

Words from an as-yet unreleased song from the Kissing Sally sessions. A stripped back arrangement of the track was released on the Valentine's Day Single twice - "No Motherland Without You" and "Let's Save Our Love (Until Marriage)". A working title for these lyrics was something to do with being in love with the Mona Lisa.

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Modernity & Maternity

If seeing is believing

My eyes remain on you

If seeing is believing

I’m trying to look elsewhere

Living in your shadow

Forever you sit, unaware

Why hope for better

When all I see is you?

Your face round every corner

This all seems too unreal

Still you sit, eyes planted, glaring at me

Your face engraved on my long-term memory

If seeing is believing

My eyes remain on you

Yet forever you’re destined to occupy

A myst’ry in the eyes of a chosen few

In love with the handiwork

Of another’s sweeping touch

The fact you’re inanimate

Fail’s to quash my lust

Still you sit, eyes planted, glaring at me

Wait – I think I see!

If seeing is believing

My eyes remain on you

If seeing is believing…

"Like Slippery Elm"

A rare experiment of mine into rhythmic-writing, or "rap" as it's also known. A demo was recorded during the Kissing Sally sessions but remains unreleased.

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Like Slippery Elm
Steve is the man - the man with the plan
Like slippery elm I'll take you to the helm
'sdeep - not cheap - reap -
don't sow - you sow!
I'll hold you down - funky-funky town
Cats of Claw Hill
You can call me Al
Goodwin - Chegwin
Keith-egg-beer-keg-got-grot-rot-notalot-just-enough

Reminding you of cranberry cheese
Robert Heart'll bring you to your knees
Or vice versa - he's old you see
Or is he? Here's Rory McB,
To reveal all he'll crawl head first
through a sewer pipe - yeah it
smells he'll deal, for-one
for sure - for-five - for-real
The Scot-Scrot-Squad
Scroteam! Scroteam! Go team!

January ditties

A selection of untitled ditties written during the Kissing Sally sessions. Some may yet be used, one has been released in shape of "Maggie's Ditty".

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I crave order, you dig chaos
You hate writers, I hate players
Live by night - ruined by day
You worship the Sun - it's overrated

Some sing Hope - some see Monet
Some just hear And imagine life's glory
They fear change - we fear fear
Something about the Moon - that's underrated!

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What the fuck - it's the twenty-first century
Got nowhere to go
Let's stop fighting cos' now's the time to
Make the World a home

What the fuck - it's the twenty-first century
And everyone's on the dole
Let's burn down banks and refuse to work
A cleansing of the soul

What the fuck - it's the twenty-first century
And Thatcher's still not dead?
Let's open our eyes and agree to spend
The rest of our lives in bed

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Cows and wizards and much the like
It's hard to think we once were young
Shreve, Shreve, Shrevy-Shreve-Shreve
Let the Battle-Cry be sung!

Angels and hotels, hearts and stars
What does it mean to be young?
Hope and Monet, news of the world
Look how far we've come

Angels, hotels, hearts and stars
The ill-fitting start out young
Hope and Monet, news of the world
Our journey's just begun

"From Hope to the Eschaton"

My fourth song in a back-and-forth writing session with Steve, overseen by Robert, which resulted in Kissing Sally In The Smoking Room. Also credited as "From Hope to the Eschata", the title is a reference to an excerpt of EWTN dialogue sampled in Hope And Monet epic "In Excess!".

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From Hope To The Eschaton
Where words fail
The meaning remains
We're taking comfort
On the open plain

The road looks long
Going strong
Take it one step at a time
When all's said and done.

When words fail
The feeling remains
I'm taking comfort
From this open plain

We save ourself
You save ourself
I save ourself

The road seems long
Still going strong
And where does it lead
When all is said and...
When all is said and...

"My Woollen Lullaby"

The songs that became Kissing Sally In The Smoking Room were predominantly written in a day. Situated in "The Hit-Factory" at Bowels of the Basement studios, myself and Steve Wicked passed a guitar back and forth, there and then writing and recording basic tracks for around 8 songs. My lyrics came at a somewhat slower pace over the proceeding few weeks. Incidentally, I had wanted to use the title "My Woollen Lullaby" several months previously planning my solo album "Catharsis" which to this day remains shelved for reasons apparently obvious to the listener (think Glenson Heart McBrute's JAZZ.)

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My Woollen Lullaby

There was a time when words just came

We closed our eyes shut out all pain

And sang a song that beckoned in

A new tomorrow

The days were long despite the rain

Their brightness shone on all the same

And bore a song that kept alive

Thoughts of yesterday

And from these tunes we reminisce

Fresh tales emerge now from that mist

Of clouded hours, lost in time

Such as this one

So what of laughs and endless fun?

The certainty of more to come

Take a breath, calm the mind

My woollen lullaby.

Recall a time when words had failed

Knew the score yet were unable

To change the cards we’d dealt ourselves

It needs perspective

Stuck in a rut, a mind possessed

Introspection obsessed

Close our eyes to all around

As if we’re special.

Don’t forget you’re not alone

All deep down searching for “home”

So drop your guard, freely roam

Take a breath, calm the mind

With woollen lullabies

There’ll be time to take a breath

There’ll be time to start afresh

There’ll be time to sing aloud

A new tomorrow

There’ll be a time when you are heard

There’ll be a time - far more absurd

There’ll be a time you realise

Your prayers were answered

So what of laughs and endless fun?

The certainty of more to come

Take a breath, calm the mind

(Take a breath and calm the mind)