We began simply, one guitar, one voice, live in Denis House’ spare room in his home in Somers…
one of the first songs we put down and then mixed was :
DON'T LOOK DOWN - Track 8
A live take, up close and fragile. It felt good, I’d never heard this in myself before.
We’d definitely begun something new.
Having three young daughters, I was becoming aware of the journey of discovery
that we are all on, and how close to the edge we go as we push forwards into the unknown.
I think the song is an affirmation of self, and a trusting in all that we have been given,
to fly as high as we can possibly dream, without the need to worry about what
others might think or say about us.
DON’T LOOK DOWN,
YOU’RE WALKING ON WALLS
NOTHING IS SACRED IF YOU WERE TO FALL
LOOK ABOVE WHAT DO YOU SEE
YOU’RE SEARCHING FOR SAFETY,
YOUR WILL TO BE FREE
SO DON’T LOOK DOWN
THE HIGHER YOU SOAR
YOUR HEAD OBSCURED BY STARS
NO HEADLIGHTS NEED WARN
WOOOO OOO-OOO.
SO DON’T LOOK DOWN
WE KNOW YOU MUST FALL
YOUR HEAD ALIGHT WITH STARS
NO HEADLINES TO BURN
WOOOO OOO-OOO.
ONE WORLD (but not one label) Track 9
I am preparing to embrace the benefits of what it is to be living in this amazing place, yet all around us, we are constantly called to think big, and buy into a global solution that benefits only very few. So I guess this song is about thinking about the big picture, but at the same time not losing sight of our individuality, our own pieces of the puzzle and how we are all so intimately connected & responsible. Our stories will not be lost, we are not a monoculture, and our diversity is crucial to our survival.
ONE BLINK AND IT’S GONE, REMEMBER WHAT WENT WRONG
TALL TREES BECOME SCRAP PAPER.
MILLIONS GATHERED AS ONE, TO WAKE THE POLITICIAN
BUT HIS SOUL ALREADY TRADED.
OOH WE’RE CHANGING, RIGHT NOW/(ONE BY ONE)
OOH FED UP WITH WHAT’S GOING DOWN
OOH WE’RE HOLDING ON SOME HOW
ONE WORLD, BUT NOT ONE LABEL!
RED YELLOW AND BLUE, ALL COLOURS IN FULL VIEW
WHAT WE EAT, WILL BE WHAT WE BECOME.
SO TAKE A LOOK AT ME NOW, I’M LIVING PROOF OF HOW
ONE CHOICE CAN TURN THE TABLE!!!
MY EYES WIDE OPEN, MY FEET DEEP IN THE GROUND
ONE STEP THIS DIRECTION BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE TOO LATE
MY EYES WIDE OPEN, GOTTA TURN MY HEAD AROUND
TURN RIGHT BACK AROUND
ONE BLINK & IT’S GONE, REMEMBER WHAT WENT ON
TALL TREES BECOME SCRAP PAPER
OOH……ONE WORLD, BUT NOT ONE LABEL
IT'S TIME - Track 10
This is a simple cry for wellness, an affirmation to start feeling good about myself, in the midst of all the chaos and confusion, consumption & fear that surrounds me.
(IT’S) TIME TIME TIME, TO FEEL BETTER NOW
FROM EVERY-DAY SAVIOURS, POACHERS, SINNERS
STOCK-MARKET WHALERS TO RITCHEOUS BELIEVERS
FROM CRYSTAL CLEAR OCEANS TO MUDDY BACK WATERS
CREATURES & COLOURS , MIRACLES & MOURNERS
LEST WE FORGET OUR SONS & OUR DAUGHTERS…
(IT’S) TIME TIME TIME, TO FEEL BETTER NOW
GLOBAL GREED HAS A NEED AND A HUNGER
…..OOOOH THAT’S DRAGGING US UNDER
HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH??
THE MORE WE QUESTION THE HEART OF THE MATTER
THE MORE WE COME BACK TO THE START
THE MORE WE SURRENDER TO LOVE OF EACH OTHER
THE MORE WE RISE UP…SISTERS & BROTHERS
(IT’S) TIME TIME TIME, TO FEEL BETTER NOW
TWO THOUSAND YEARS BUILT ON FEAR OF ANOTHER
NO TIME TO TALK, SO WE RUSH, RUN FOR COVER
TWO THOUSAND MORE BUILT ON LOVE…WE’LL DISCOVER…..
(IT’S) TIME TIME TIME, TO FEEL BETTER NOW
THE SOONER WE FORGIVE, THE SINS OF OUR FATHERS
THE SOONER WE REALISE, THAT LOVE’S ALL THAT MATTERS
IT’S TIME TIME TIME…………….TO FEEL BETTER NOW
DREDGING THE BAY - Track 6
A closer look in our own front yard, at the relentless charge of globalisation, and the havoc that it wreaks. My muso/surfing brother Drew Bowden, was taken by the song and wanted to help get it out there as the dredging began in Port Philip Bay, to carve a channel to bring bigger and bigger ships into the Port of Melbourne, with their cargos of cheap & disposable consumables!!
THEY’RE DREDGING THE BAY
NO LONGER LISTENING TO A WORD WE SAY
FROM MILES AWAY, EVERYTHING SEEMS EASY ON THE MINER’S WAY
BUT IF WE KEEP A LIGHT ON
WE KEEP THE LIGHT ON
THEY’RE DREDGING THE BAY
WHAT LIES BENEATH, MUST SOON RETURN SOMEDAY
SO THEY SAY
WHAT IS THERE LEFT TO LEARN?
WHAT WILL THERE BE LEFT TO SEE?
JUST A PILE OF RUBBLE
THE SPOILS FROM THE REVELRY
THEY’RE DREDGING THE BAY
HOW MUCH LONGER CAN WE LIVE THIS WAY
WE THROW IT AWAY
WHAT IS THERE LEFT TO SAY?
WHAT IS THERE LEFT TO DO?
MAYBE PRAY FOR RAIN
TO ELEVATE US TO ANOTHER VIEW
IT’S ‘GONNA BRING US TO OUR KNEES
SAYING PLEASE BABY, PLEASE, PLEASE
I’VE GOT A BELLY FULL OF PLASTIC PARTS
ALONG WITH SERGEANT PEPPER’S BROKEN HEARTS
YOU CAN TAKE IT ALL BACK MAN,
THERE’S NOTHING MORE WE NEED AROUND HERE!
(WHAT IF WE) RIPPED DOWN ALL YOUR TREES
NO NO APPOLOGIES
DRAG THE EARTH, THEN BURN IT
TURN THE SKY TO THICK BLACK MUD
WE’RE LIVING A LIFE WE CAN’T AFFORD!
WHAT IS THERE LEFT TO SAY?
WHAT IS THERE LEFT TO DO?
MAYBE PRAY FOR RAIN
TO ELEVATE US TO ANOTHER VIEW
WHAT IS THERE LEFT TO LEARN?
WHAT WILL THERE BE LEFT TO SEE?
JUST PILE OF RUBBLE
THE SPOILS FROM THE REVELRY
THEY’RE DREDGING THE BAY
WHAT LIES BENEATH, MUST SOON RETURN SOME DAY
………..THAT’S WHAT THEY SAY!
LET THERE BE LOVE - Track 2
I guess this song is the simplest of mantras. Summing up in me, one of the primary tenets of my life.
LET THERE BE LOVE LOVE LOVE RISING FROM THE TABLE
LET THERE BE LOVE LOVE LOVE RUNNING THROUGH THE STREETS
LET THERE BE LOVE LOVE LOVE AS MUCH AS WE ARE ABLE
LET THERE BE LOVE…….
U DON’T KNOW HOW FAR THIS GOES
SO RIDE IT TO THE END
HERE ONE MINUTE, GONE TOMORROW
BUT FOR LOVE
LOVE WILL CHANGE THE COLOURS THAT YOU SEE
TURN AROUND THE DARKEST PART OF ME
BURY IT WHEN TROUBLE COMES AROUND
SHOOT BACK RIGHT UP THRUGH YOUR HARDEST GROUND
TO BE LOVE
SEE LOVE
IT’S FREE LOVE………………..LOVE LOVE LOVE.
HERE & NOW - Track 3
Within a month of recording the basis of this song of human frailty, and life’s lessons learned by picking yourself up after you fall, I hit the singer’s brick wall! Vocal chord trauma, lead to months of enforced silence, eventually resulting in surgery to restore my singing and speaking voice. I was to learn that I have a say in how the story is told, but not to push or force it!
I COULD WALK FOR HOURS
AND I COULD STEAL MY FATE
BUT MANY MILES ARE WASTED ,
WHAT SHOULD I SAY, FOR JUST THIS DAY??
SOME OF US ARE BOLDER,
BUT MOST OF US ARE BABES
ALL OF US ARE LED, TO THE GATE,
MAKE NO MISTAKE
HERE AND NOW
SOME THINGS WILL FAIL
HEAR ME OUT,
THERE’S NO RIGHT WORLD
THAT’S READY TOO LATE
SO COVER ME WITH QUESTIONS,
AND THROW AWAY THE BOOK
IF ALL WE LOVED HAD LEFT US
WOULD WE KNOW, WHICH WAY TO GO
Angels on my right side
The devil’s in my head
So open up your radar,
and let it spray…miles away oh
HERE AND NOW SOME THINGS CAN WAIT
HEAR ME OUT, THERE’S NO RIGHT WORLD
THAT’S READY TOO LATE
Friday October 17. 2008 - a silent reflection
For the first time in as far as I can remember right now,
I have been given time to stop!
To be here, in this moment. (something I have been singing about for years)
to slowly begin to let go of rushing towards all that I think I need to achieve.
My inner voice has been beckoning in this direction for years, I know.
It’s hard to STOP….not to switch off…but actually to switch on and listen,
to silence the chatter, the desire for more, the hunger for acceptance.
With my voice removed, yet again, I feel like a child that is yet to grasp a very simple lesson....
How much do I remember?
How much do I forget?
I have always looked forward, onward, to the next chapter,
new friendships, faces, changing addresses, never in one place for very long,
& very rarely looking back or keeping touch..
Now I feel that I am blessed to be here, in this place, my place.
There is calm seclusion, a friendly earth to be talked to,
wildlife coming in from the edges, to whisper, to screech, to question, to be, rarely oblivious to me.
Songs hang in the breeze, momentarily..
and move on.
ON WITH THE SHOW - Track 1
at this point I am not able to speak or sing, I have lyrics and a classical picked chord progression, I am waiting for a new voice…..after my operation at the beginning of January 2009 (6 months down the track), the first real vocal take with my new voice was this song…..it captured a deep introspective moment, that was coming from a brand new place…..and would be a perfect song for the opening of the album….the beginning of something new!
SO, ON WITH THE SHOW, WE’RE READY TO GO
LEAVING THIS PARADISE
HERE IN THE ARMS OF A FRIEND, WE STARE AT THE BENDS,
WONDERING HOW LONG WE’VE GOT !
AND WE’RE STRETCHED, STRETCHED AT THE SEAMS
BUT WE SURE KNOW HOW LUCKY WE’VE BEEN
HERE, HERE WE BELONG
LIVING THIS PARADISE
MANY LIVES HAVE BEEN SHAKEN,
PROMISES BREAKING, A LONG TIME
AND ALTHOUGH SHE’S BEEN CALLING,
SENDING OUT HER WARNING, ON MY LINE
WELL WE’RE STRETCHED, STRETCHED AT THE SEAMS
AND WE DON’T KNOW HOW LUCKY WE’VE BEEN
TO HOLD BACK THE WATERFALL, FOR SO LONG
HAD ENOUGH, OF SHARING THE BLAME,
FOR FALLING APART.
SO, WE’VE COME TO AN END, WE’RE FAREWELLING FRIENDS
CHARGED WITH THE TIME WE’VE GOT!
HERE, WE’LL NEVER GROW OLD,
WE’LL NEVER BE SOLD,
LIVING THIS PARADISE
THOUGH WE’RE STRETCHED, STRETCHED AT THE SEAMS
AND WE SURE KNOW HOW LUCKY WE’VE BEEN
IN HERE, IN EACH OTHER’S SONGS
WE HOLD BACK THE WATERFALL, UNTIL IT’S ON
MORE THAN THIS, ITS MORE THAN A THOUGHT,
A SHOT IN THE DARK…..
COME WHAT MAY, WE KNOW WHERE WE STAND
KEEP DOING IT OUR WAY……….
COMING HOME - Track 5
A friend showed me a tuning on my 12 string guitar, that had sat patiently waiting in it’s case for a moment such as this. It sprung to life with the new resonance and out flooded a fresh, darker, bluer tone, capturing the feeling of having been away for a long time and returning home to paradise, my roots. I was joined in the studio by father & son DC & Samuel Cardwell as well as long time drumming friend Chris Haylock. All collaborators on this track I have got to know through jamming together at my muso nights. This is definitely a musical energetic high point on the album, a grounded celebration of family, time and place.
I’M ON MY WAY, THROUGH WITH WAITING
DONE MY TIME, NO DEBATING
PASSED THE POINT, WHERE I GOT IT WRONG
FOUND A PATH, I MUST GO ON!
I’M ON MY WAY, AND NOW I KNOW
I’M IN YOUR HAND AND YOU WON’T LET GO
NO USE STARING AT A CRYSTAL BALL
TRUTH LIES WAITING ‘SIDE US ALL
I’VE BEEN AWAY, NOW I’M COMING HOME
I’M IN TOO DEEP, WHERE I BELONG
NO USE STARING AT A CRYSTAL BALL
TRUTH LIES WAITING ‘SIDE US ALL
PASSED THE POINT, WHERE I GOT IT WRONG
FOUND A PATH, I MUST GO ON NOW!
NO USE TRYING TO SAY IT ALL
A PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS,
AND A WRECKING BALL……
OH, COMING HOME
OH, COMING HOME
SAY GOODBYE - Track 11
Two brothers jump on board a mercy flight from Melbourne, to be by their father's side in a Hospital in London. Their dad was taking mum and their youngest son on an overseas holiday, and unfortunately he suffered a major heart attack. On landing at the half way point, the cross roads of Hong Kong, the brothers hear that their father has died!
This song "Say Goodbye" looks at this brief, life changing moment in two young men's lives, as they try to come to grips with what has just happened, who they are as individuals and brothers, where they must tread from here, and where they now fit into the greater scheme of things..... What can they salvage?.... What must they discard?....
HOLD BACK THE SUN, PAY FOR EVERTYTHING UNDONE
LET THE FOUR WINDS BLOW
THE NEWS OF THE DAY’S TAKEN PART OF ME AWAY
I’M MOVING SLOW
HEY HEY, WE’RE BROTHERS
IN OUR OWN WAY, WE’RE LIKE NO OTHERS
IT’S SO GREY, THE COLOURS
WE KNOW THAT WE’LL NEVER BE IN TIME LIKE THIS AGAIN
HERE IT IS, YOU AND I, ON OUR WAY, GOING NOWHERE QUICKLY,
SUCKED INTO THE SLIP STREAM
NOTHING MORE WE CAN DO, SEE THIS THRU, SORT IT OUT LIKE MEN,
LIVING IN A DAYDREAM
IT’S OUT OF OUR HANDS, AND INTO OUR HEARTS
REMEMBERING WHAT YOU SAID, AND HOW YOU MADE US LAUGH
OH
THIS WON’T BE THE LAST TIME WE PASS THIS WAY
BEHIND THE DARKEST NIGHT, IS A PROMISE OF DAY
AND THERE’S A FIRE IN THE GARDEN A FLOWER TO THE SONS
HERE WE ARE, HOW EVER DID WE GET THIS FAR?
HEY HEY, WE’RE BROTHERS
IN OUR OWN WAY, WE’RE LIKE NO OTHERS
THEY’RE SO GREAT, YOUR COLOURS
THAT I’M NOT GONNA STOP
AND WE WON’T FALL APART
BUT NOW IT’S TIME TO SAY GOODBYE!
MY FRIEND - Track 4
The last song to arrive was actually a reflection on a moment that I experienced about 15 years previously, and at the same time I felt like I was coming up to a similar point in my life now! We reinvent ourselves many times along the way, and sometimes it is the briefest of encounters that makes us stop right where we are, sweeps us up and help us to change tracks, heading off into a completely new direction & adventure.
OOOH WHAT A GLORIOUS FRIGHT!
BARE FEET ON A LOW-TIDE BEACH WE WERE RUNNING,
INTO A COOL MOONLIGHT
LATER ON WE FOLLOW A ROAD THAT LEADS US,
WAY BEYOND DESIRE
CUT LOOSE FROM ALL THE THINGS THAT TIE US DOWN,
FEAR IS WHAT WE LEAVE BEHIND,
HERE WE GO AGAIN MY FRIEND
FIRST LIGHT, HEATS THE ICE,
PEER RIGHT THRU TO ANOTHER LIFE....
WHAT THINGS WILL COME?
AT THE CRACK OF THE STARTER'S GUN,
ALL RACES LOST............AND WON!
NO MAN IS MADE OF STONE,
EVERY ONE A HIGHER POWER,
DESTINY UNKNOWN,
IN THIS CHANGING HOUR...
WHERE WHAT WE NEED, WE'LL FIND,
HERE WE GO AGAIN MY FRIEND,
OOOH HERE WE GO AGAIN, MY FRIEND
OH HERE WE GO AGAIN
