The Lyric Chain

[Sibling Lambicus the Toluous]

Standing in the dock at Southampton,
Trying to get to Holland or France.
The man in the mac said, "You've got to go back".
You know they didn't even give us a chance.

(chorus)
Christ you know it ain't easy,
You know how hard it can be.
The way things are going
They're gonna crucify me.

Finally made the plane into Paris,
Honey mooning down by the Seine.
Peter Brown called to say,
"You can make it O.K.,
You can get married in Gibraltar, near Spain".

(chorus)

Drove from Paris to the Amsterdam Hilton,
Talking in our beds for a week.
The newspaper said, "Say what you doing in bed?"
I said, "We're only trying to get us some peace".

(chorus)

Saving up your money for a rainy day,
Giving all your clothes to charity.
Last night the wife said,
"Oh boy, when you're dead
You don't take nothing with you
But your soul - think!"

Made a lightning trip to Vienna,
eating chocolate cake in a bag.
The newspaper said, "She's gone to his head,
They look just like two gurus in drag".

Caught the early plane back to London.
Fifty acorns tied in a sack.
The men from the press said, "We wish you success,
It's good to have the both of you back".

(chorus)

- "The Ballad of John and Yoko", the Beatles

[beagle]

We came from the far North
summered in Crimea
deserted the armed forces
had to disappear
made it to the free West
on a chartered flight
so we could see what
we trained to fight

We were in London
Lets do it - lets break the law!
We were in London
Tell it like it is
We were in London
Tell it like it is

Looking for hard work
or credit card fraud
What do you expect from us?
We come from abroad
to get ourselves a new job
on a building-site
They work you so hard
but we trained to fight

We were in London
Lets do it - lets break the law!
We were in London
Tell it like it is
We were in London
Lets do it - lets break the law!
We were in London
Tell it like it is

My father fought in Afghanistan
His widows pension ain't worth a damn
My mother works and goes home to cry
I want to live before I die

We were in London
Lets do it - lets break the law!
We were in London
Tell it like it is
We were in London
Tell it like it is

Pet Shop Boys - London

[Vita Curator]

3 DOORS DOWN
"Be Like That"

He spends his nights in California, {He spent his whole life being to young,}
Watching the stars on the big screen, {To live the life that's in his dreams,}
Then he lies awake and he wonders, {At night he lies awake and he wonders,}
Why can't that be me
Cause in his life he is filled
With all these good intentions
He's left a lot of things
He'd rather not mention right now
But just before he says goodnight,
He looks up with a little smile at me,
And he says,

If I could be like that,
I would give anything
Just to live one day, in those shoes
If I could be like that,
what would I do,
What would I do

Now and dreams we run
She spends her days up in the north park,
Watching the people as they pass
And all she wants is just
A little piece of this dream,
Is that too much to ask
With a safe home, and a warm bed,
On a quiet little street
All she wants is just that something to
Hold onto, that's all she needs
Yeah!

If I could be like that,
I would give anything
Just to live one day, in those shoes
If I could be like that, what would I do,
What would I do

I'm falling into this, dreams,
We run away

[The Meromorph]

I would give anything I own
Bread


You sheltered me from harm.
Kept me warm, kept me warm
You gave my life to me
Set me free, set me free
The finest years I ever knew
Were all the years I had with you

I would give anything I own,
Give up me life, my heart, my home.
I would give everything I own,
Just to have you back again.

You taught me how to love,
What its of, what its of.
You never said too much,
But still you showed the way,
And I knew from watching you.
Nobody else could ever know
The part of me that cant let go.

I would give anything I own,
Give up me life, my heart, my home.
I would give everything I own
Just to have you back again.

Is there someone you know,
Youre loving them so,
But taking them all for granted.
You may lose them one day,
Someone takes them away,
And they dont hear the words you long to say

I would give anything I own,
Give up me life, my heart, my home.
I would give everything I own
Just to have you back again.

[Vita Curator]

Artist: Bread *
Album: Anthology
Title: Lost Without Your Love 

Lost and all alone
I always thought that i could make it on my own
Since you left i hardly make it through the day
My tears get in the way
And i need you back to stay

I wander through the night
And search the world to find
The words to make it right
All i want is just the way it used to be
With you here close to me
I've got to make you see

That i'm lost without your love
Life without you isn't worth the trouble of
I'm as helpless as a ship without a wheel
A touch without a feel
I can't believe it's real...

And someday soon i'll wake
And find my heart won't have to break

Yes i'm lost without your love
Life without you isn't worth the trouble of
All i want is just the way it used to be
I need you here with me
Oh darlin' can't you see...
If we had love before
We can have it back once more


*  I love Bread, Mero, I would Give Anything I Own, Lost Without Your Love and If are three of my favorite songs by them.

[Bluenose]

I find it very difficult to listen to this song with a dry eye, not that the song is so emotional itself, although it is, but because it makes me think about what it stands for.  I know of no better commentary on the futility of war than this song.

Sadly, no longer do any veterans of the Gallipoli campaign survive - the last known survivor of the ANZAC forces at Gallipoli, Alec Campbell(indeed he was the last known survivor at all of the Gallipoli campaign), died in 2002 aged 103.  He was 16 when he signed up.



The Band played Waltzing Matilda

Eric Bogle

• 
  Now when I was a young man I carried me pack
  And I lived the free life of the rover.
  From the Murray's green basin to the dusty outback,
  Well, I waltzed my Matilda all over.
  Then in 1915, my country said, "Son,
  It's time you stop ramblin', there's work to be done."
  So they gave me a tin hat, and they gave me a gun,
  And they marched me away to the war.
  
  And the band played "Waltzing Matilda,"
  As the ship pulled away from the quay,
  And amidst all the cheers, the flag waving, and tears,
  We sailed off for Gallipoli.
  
  And how well I remember that terrible day,
  How our blood stained the sand and the water;
  And of how in that hell that they call Suvla Bay
  We were butchered like lambs at the slaughter.
  Johnny Turk, he was waitin', he primed himself well;
  He showered us with bullets, and he rained us with shell --
  And in five minutes flat, he'd blown us all to hell,
  Nearly blew us right back to Australia.
  
  But the band played "Waltzing Matilda,"
  When we stopped to bury our slain,
  Well, we buried ours, and the Turks buried theirs,
  Then we started all over again.
  
  And those that were left, well, we tried to survive
  In that mad world of blood, death and fire.
  And for ten weary weeks I kept myself alive
  Though around me the corpses piled higher.
  Then a big Turkish shell knocked me arse over head,
  And when I woke up in me hospital bed
  And saw what it had done, well, I wished I was dead --
  Never knew there was worse things than dying.
  
  For I'll go no more "Waltzing Matilda,"
  All around the green bush far and free --
  To hump tents and pegs, a man needs both legs,
  No more "Waltzing Matilda" for me.
  
  So they gathered the crippled, the wounded, the maimed,
  And they shipped us back home to Australia.
  The armless, the legless, the blind, the insane,
  Those proud wounded heroes of Suvla.
  And as our ship sailed into Circular Quay,
  I looked at the place where me legs used to be,
  And thanked Christ there was nobody waiting for me,
  To grieve, to mourn and to pity.
  
  But the band played "Waltzing Matilda,"
  As they carried us down the gangway,
  But nobody cheered, they just stood and stared,
  Then they turned all their faces away.
  
  And so now every April, I sit on my porch
  And I watch the parade pass before me.
  And I see my old comrades, how proudly they march,
  Reviving old dreams of past glory,
  And the old men march slowly, all bones stiff and sore,
  They're tired old heroes from a forgotten war
  And the young people ask "What are they marching for?"
  And I ask meself the same question.
  
  But the band plays "Waltzing Matilda,"
  And the old men still answer the call,
  But as year follows year, more old men disappear
  Someday, no one will march there at all.
  
  Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda.
  Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?
  
  And their ghosts may be heard as they march by the billabong,
  Who'll come a-Waltzing Matilda with me?
  

Listen here

[Sibling Lambicus the Toluous]

Another (but similar) perspective from the other side of the world - the "Last July Drive" referred to in the song was at Beaumont-Hamel during the Battle of the Somme.

From Wikipedia:

On the bloodiest day in the history of the British Army (57,470 casualties, 19,240 dead) at the opening of the largest battle (over one million casualties) of the war, Newfoundland had also suffered its gravest military loss. To this day, Beaumont-Hamel remains the most significant single military action fought by Newfoundlanders, and it marked a turning point in the history and culture of the island. Some historians have suggested that tiny Newfoundland never fully recovered from the loss of so many of its male population; similar hardships were faced by the regiment at Gallipoli as well.

Two recruiting sergeants came to the CLB,
For the sons of the merchants to join the Blue Puttees
So all the hands enlisted, five hundred young men...
Enlist you Newfoundlanders and come follow me

They crossed the broad Atlantic in the brave Florizel,
And on the sands of Suvla, they entered into hell
And on those bloody beaches, the first of them fell...
Enlist you Newfoundlanders and come follow me

So it's over the mountains and over the sea
Come brave Newfoundlanders and join the Blue Puttees
You'll fight the Hun in Flanders and at Gallipoli
Enlist you Newfoundlanders and come follow me

The call came from London for the last July drive
"To the trenches with the regiment, prepare yourselves to die"
The roll call next morning, just a handful survived
Enlist you Newfoundlanders and come follow me

So it's over the mountains and over the sea
Come brave Newfoundlanders and join the Blue Puttees
You'll fight the Hun in Flanders and at Gallipoli
Enlist you Newfoundlanders and come follow me

The stone men on Water Street still cry for the day
When the pride of the city went marching away
A thousand men slaughtered to hear the King say
"Enlist you Newfoundlanders and come follow me"

So it's over the mountains and over the sea
Come brave Newfoundlanders and join the Blue Puttees
You'll fight the Hun in Flanders and at Gallipoli
Enlist you Newfoundlanders and come follow me

So it's over the mountains and over the sea
Come brave Newfoundlanders and join the Blue Puttees
You'll fight the Hun in Flanders and at Gallipoli
Enlist you Newfoundlanders and come follow me
Enlist you Newfoundlanders and come follow me

- "Recruiting Sargeant", Great Big Sea

Sadly, no longer do any veterans of the Gallipoli campaign survive - the last known survivor of the ANZAC forces at Gallipoli, Alec Campbell(indeed he was the last known survivor at all of the Gallipoli campaign), died in 2002 aged 103.  He was 16 when he signed up.

There are three WWI veterans still alive in Canada; Parliament just voted (I think it's gone through now, right?) to give the last one a state funeral, something normally reserved for heads of government and the like.

[Vita Curator]

Artist: Andrea Bocelli
Album: Amore
Title: Can't Help Falling in Love

Wise men say
Only fools rush in
But I can't help
Falling in love with you.

Shall I stay
Would it be a sin
If I can't help
Falling in love with you

Like a river flows
Surely to the sea
Darling, so it goes
Some things are meant to be

So take my hand
Take my whole life, too
For I can't help
Falling in love with you

Some things are meant to be

Take my hand
Take my whole life, too
For I can't help
Falling in love with you

For I can't help
Falling in love with you


* I think that this was also sung by Elvis

[Sibling Chatty]

Trout Fishing in America--Grimwood/Idlet


HOW MANY TIMES A FOOL?

Seems like only yesterday when you belonged to me
And now I hear you say you want to set me free.
Well, how long have you known and kept it locked away?
How many times was I a fool,
How many times a day?
And you swore that you loved me in front of all your friends,
And now you want none of me, and this is how it ends,
And every time we kissed I never turned away,
How many times was I a fool,
How many times a day?
And it hurts when I hear your name--
I know we'll never ever be the same,
And though I try to keep it to myself,
I just can't stand the thought of you with someone else.
At first I felt defeated, you took me by surprise,
My happiness retreated from that darkness in your eyes,
I couldn't see you leaving, I needed you to stay,
How many times was I a fool,
How many times a day?
And it hurts when I hear your name--
I know we'll never ever be the same,
And though I try to keep it to myself,
I just can't stand the thought of you with someone else.
Now it comes down to survival, and push has come to shove,
I balance hurt with anger, but it's anger born of love,
And every time we kissed I never turned away,
How many times was I a fool,
How many times a day?
Yeah, all the things I missed get clearer every day,
How many times was I a fool,
How many times a day?
How many times a fool?
How many times a fool?

(Yep, Elvis, and a number of others. Elvis sang it in a movie.)

[Vita Curator]

Artist: Melissa Etheridge 
Album: Greatest Hits: The Road Less Traveled 
Title: I Run For Life

It's been years since they told her about it
The darkness her body possessed
And the scars are still there in the mirror
Everyday that she gets herself dressed
Though the pain is miles and miles behind her
And the fear is now a docile beast
If you ask her why she is still running
She'll tell you it makes her complete

[Chorus:]
I run for hope
I run to feel
I run for the truth
For all that is real
I run for your mother your sister your wife
I run for you and me my friend I run for life

It's a blur since they told me about it
How the darkness had taken its toll
And they cut into my skin and they cut into my body
But they will never get a piece of my soul
And now I'm still learning the lesson
To waken when I hear the call
And if you ask me why I am still running
I'll tell you I run for us all

[Chorus]

And someday if they tell you about it
If the darkness knocks on your door
Remember her remember me
We will be running as we have before
Running for answers
Running for more

[goat starer]

Kirsty McColl (RIP) - England 2 - Columbia 0
justice for kirsty

Oh you shouldn't have kissed me and got me so excited
And when you asked me out I really was delighted
So we went to a pub in Belsize Park
And we cheered on England as the sky grew dark
Oh you shouldn't have kissed me cause you started a fire
But then I found out that you're a serial liar

You lied about your status
You lied about your life
You never mentioned your three children
And the fact you have a wife
Now it's England 2 Colombia 0
And I know just how those Colombians feel

If you hadn't passed out while I was talking to your friend
It could have really ended badly cause you very nearly had me
If he hadn't taken pity on my heart full of desire
I might never have found out you're a serial liar

You lied about your status
You lied about your life
You forgot you have three children
You forgot you have a wife
Now it's England 2 Colombia 0
And I know just how those Colombians feel

It is not in my nature to ever pick the winning team
Sometimes I think I'm happy then I remember it's a dream
Now it isn't in my nature to ever pick a winner
I always pick a bastard who would have me for his dinner*

I can never possess the object of my desire
Cause he's bound to turn out to be a serial liar
OK I didn't mention my kids, I thought I'd wait a bit
But I am free and single and he's a lying git

Cause he lied about his status
He lied about his life
He forgot he had three children
He forgot he had a wife
And it's England 2 Colombia 0
I know just how those Colombians feel

So I got into a taxi and sobbed all the way home
Called my friend up in Sao Paulo and cried down the phone
I played some tragic music and I lay down to die
But later I woke and I hadn't stopped crying


You should never have kissed me, you tasted of deceit
Your perfume was Adultery but I'm not a piece of meat
So I'll be the one that you couldn't acquire
I found out in time you're a serial liar

You lied about your status
You lied about your life
And I pity your three children
And I pity your poor wife
Now you can go to Hell
I'm going to Brazil
Still it's England 2 Colombia 0

[Sibling Lambicus the Toluous]

I know the only feeling you have is rage
And I know that I'd feel the same as you, but
I think you'd better take a good look around you 'cause
You're so pissed you can't even find your drink

Sometimes it's wise
To know which way the gun is pointing
Before you yell, "I see the whites of their eyes."
Sometimes you'll find your senses all disjointed by
The lines and wires of salesmen, cheats and liars

Well, she left without one word of tenderness
And noone saw you cry but me
Your friends heard you say, "Good riddance, I'm better without her." but
'Fess up, you thought about diving into the Don

Sometimes it's wise
To know which way the car is going
Before you put your pedal down to the floor
Sometimes you'll find your senses all disjointed by
The lines and wires of salesmen, cheats and liars

Well, hello friend
I caught you laughin' again, but
Don't worry, your secret's safe with me
It's so strange that everybody's so caught up in
Worrying that they ain't what we want 'em to be

- "Salesmen, Cheats and Liars", The Lowest of the Low

[Vita Curator]

Artist: All American Rejects 
Album: Move Along 
Title: Dirty Little Secret   

Let me know that I've done wrong
When I've known this all along
I go around a time or two
Just to waste my time with you

Tell me all that you've thrown away
Find out games you don't wanna play
You are the only one that needs to know

I'll keep you my dirty little secret
(Dirty little secret)
Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret
(Just another regret, hope that you can keep it)
My dirty little secret

Who has to know
When we live such fragile lives
It's the best way we survive
I go around a time or two
Just to waste my time with you

Tell me all that you've thrown away
Find out games you don't wanna play
You are the only one that needs to know

I'll keep you my dirty little secret
(Dirty little secret)
Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret
(Just another regret, hope that you can keep it)
My dirty little secret

Who has to know
The way she feels inside (inside)
Those thoughts I can't deny (deny)
These sleeping dogs won't lie (won't lie)
And now I try to lie
It's eating me apart
Trace this life out

I'll keep you my dirty little secret
(Dirty little secret)
Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret
(Just another regret)

I'll keep you my dirty little secret
(Dirty little secret)
Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret
(Just another regret, hope that you can keep it)
My dirty little secret
Dirty little secret
Dirty little secret

Who has to know
Who has to know

[Kiyoodle the Gambrinous]

Miss Otis regrets, she's unable to lunch today, madam,
Miss Otis regrets, she's unable to lunch today.
She is sorry to be delayed,
but last evening down in Lover's Lane she strayed, madam,
Miss Otis regrets, she's unable to lunch today.
When she woke up and found that her dream of love was gone, madam,
She ran to the man who had led her so far astray,
And from under her velvet gown,
She drew a gun and shot her lover down, madam,
Miss Otis regrets, she's unable to lunch today.
When the mob came and got her and dragged her from the jail, madam,
They strung her upon the old willow across the way,
And the moment before she died,
She lifted up her lovely head and cried, madam......
Miss Otis regrets, she's unable to lunch today

Bryan Ferry - Miss Otis Regrets

[goat starer]

Under the Gun - Sisters of Mercy

You don't have to say you're sorry
To look on further down the line
Into the sun
Too close at heaven
Love is fine
But you can't hold it like a...

Two worlds apart, two together
Ends with that goodnight kiss away
One takes the hard, one the other
Kiss a way

Are you livin' for love?
Are you livin' for love?
When the road gets too tough
Is your love strong enough?

Are you livin'?
Are you livin' for love?

And do you feel your head is full of thunder
Questions never end
Empty nights alone? no wonder
It all comes back again

Are you livin' for love?
Are you livin' for love?
I've been under the gun
I lost and I've ...

Are you livin' for love?
Are you livin' for love?
I've been under the gun
I lost and I've ...

(One two three four)

Forget the many steps to Heaven
It never happened and it ain't so hard
Happiness is a loaded weapon
And a shortcut is better by far
Explosive bolts, ten thousand volts
At a million miles an hour
Abrasive wheels and molten metal
It's a semiautomatic - get in the car
Corrosive heart and frozen heat
Where the world's apart, where we could meet
Where the street fold round and the motors start
And the idiot wields the power
Where the chosen hold the highest card
On a field of honour where the ground is hard
So the highest hand is joking wild
And a house soon fold and no one stand
And I put my finger on and dialed
The tower, the moon, the gun and
Nine-nine-nine, singer down
Cloudburst and all around
The first are last, the blessed get wired
The best is yet to come
I put my finger on and fired
Heatseeking out of the sun
You can set the controls for the heart or the knees
And the meek will inherit what they damn well please
Get ahead go figure, go ahead, pull the trigger
everything under the gun