Songs & Lyrics

I have removed all of the previous 24 months ELIJAH FEW recording sessions mixes until the project is finished. What is left here are the basic song ideas and demos, recorded into cameras, tape decks, laptops as I traveled around – more often raw, unmixed, unrehearsed, immediate and completely unproduced.

(lyrics on way)

So go on down to that big old river
and sit on down amongst a million lonely stones
all tired and old, muddy coloured
its no good driftwood company

There’s a storm rolling in
inking up the sky
downwind

So she goes down to the edge of the water
And fills up here pockets with stones
Whilst behind her crippled daughter
Weeps and moans

There’s a storm rolling in
inking up the sky
downwind

three bells toll in the clock tower warning
waters gonna rise by the hour of morning
moon goes down while the wind blows up some meaner weather
black top seeds rattle the Rakaia river

There’s a storm rolling in
inking up the sky
downwind

She slowly sinks into the fast flowing water
pulled way down by the weight and the cold
there’s no prayer and no way we ought to
let anybody know

There’s a storm rolling in
inking up the sky
downwind

Meet me where the waters freeze
beside the telegraph trees
and set your crosses free down upon the water
go call the priest say a prayer down in the canyon
her rusty chair hidden by the chapel abandoned

There’s a storm rolling in
inking up the sky
downwind

…and there beneath the blue of the water
eyes shining like the moon on the stones
eyes smiling the crippled daughter
as her mother walks home

There’s a storm rolling in vengeance in the sky, downwind
you were warned vengeance in the sky
vengeance in the sky

blood like cold needles that slide in my veins
you fell from heaven in the yellow rain
steal the flowers of the day
singing fragments of a tender song
black embers of a time now gone, burning embers
crosses and candlesticks, conquests and cathedrals now forgotten

little grey angels surround all your gallows
little grey angels surround all you girl
they all scatter just like shadows
they all shadows you cant hold on…to

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those Eyes that never left the ground,
no-one made a single lonely sound – around
the skeleton people with tight yellow skin.
sleepin` all day, on heroin,
the neighbours only found him
when the buzzards fill’d the sky.
pouring all the kerosene
in your singing eyes

ONE day
the ground will swallow you up -
ONE day
in the tear blown eyes of god
 you ain’t nothing but dust,

so sing a sad sad song, if you aint got long,
sing a sad sad song ,if you aint got long

I watched you break the furniture, the french flags in tatters
the guns from your battles warm & beating
lazy beside you, your head in the stream…lazy beside you your head in the stream…
lazy beside you your head in the stream…

a sad sad song, if you aint got long,
so sing a sad sad song, if you aint got long
a sad sad song, if you aint got long,
so sing a sad sad song, if you aint got long

frosted glass hangs about her,
& guilty men leave the graves of their fathers;
are stringing up the children
and
 for heaven’s sakes why?

the neighbours only found them
aft’ the buzzards fill’d the sky.
cause in the tear blown eyes of god you aint nothing but dust.
so take a look around, because the circus has left town
and all the heroes are gathering rust, gathering rust…

———–

I’ll call down the bad in the sky to destroy you and I know I can,
there are demons everywhere and I’ll let them in….
a curse on you, a curse on your house and everyone in it.
I`ll be screaming into the sky from the highest mountain
and down by the sea, I`ll whisper it into the ear of the tide….
it will last for ever, and sail around your life until it sinks….
you want to beware of it, it`ll chase you down and eat you from the inside out.

All the bars are drunk right dry
now Napoleon’s come here to die
with a sacred codex, that everybody else…seems to…know
pour yourself another bourbon and wait until the timeball come down
old ghosts’ll dance the rattle-bones in prison cells across the town
beneath the chapel that’s falling down
we all fall down, we all fall down.

“But that was back in ’69 when the  Queen of Bath went down the sink”
Mack Says: “Yowa goddamned liar!” and then storms outside to think,
But back in the bar with a cluster of stars he has stolen from the trinket sky
“Never turn your back on a drink!” Says Mack, but we all know that’s a lie

In walks the local providore who’s brought his cross to bear
And drags behind a broken anchor, a sextant and a broken square
Where rusty hulls of dying fleets are drowning in the Irish bar
the guitar maker plays the barb wire whilst speaking to his guitar

Silent Russian sailors are drinking poison in the seafront hotel
Flaking paint dolls head lampshades glimmer for a different clientele
Gramophonic histories from broken trombones groan their mysteries
to the people that know me well.

IS there half a chance for love to learn
god have a heart to give
everywhere I look I see people burn
love have a life to live

after the tide when all the light burnt out
land fill up the sky with sea
fire rains down to drown the path to love
what is within is all without
in truth, certainty and doubt

IS there half a chance for love to learn
god have a heart to give
everywhere I look I see people burn
love have a life to live

then I asked the lord in love
where had he been
when the times in life were hard
you said you’d walk beside me
through one and many guide me

he said suffer unto me
for forever so to sleep
hurt hammers nails through hearts and into hands
this is your land, the promised land
living in the eye of a nedle

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It was one friday morning three years ago
when he appeared the way a cigarette smokes
a name of warning, a lonely sermon about the war
with the truth
He said “theres only them and us, the good lord above
And now; just me and you”

Sho.. he was standing at the side of the road when I come around the curve standin there face and no face, hangdog determined and calm too like he done desperated himself up for the last time.

[break - fall, break - fall, break - fall]
[for the last time, to take the last chance, for the last last time]

With Blood yellowed eyes and dirty nailed hands
We sealed with signs our terrible plans
Lord strike me down
You dance with the devil else you don’t dance at all
In Jackson town

[break - fall, break - fall, break - fall]
[for the last time, to take the last chance, for the last last time]

Fate and circumstance had brought us together
But memory believes before knowing remembers
I coulda bit my tongue in two when he shot her down
Love and hate is all we got, all we really need
And all we believe.

Take two stolen pistols down that dirty old road
Past a pillar of salt and a yella column of smoke
Hi Ho Silver lightning and away we go, Hi Ho, Hi Ho

A bloodless coward and a prodigal son
A one armed messenger with the rebels gun
Get outta here Judas, you’ll kill us all
(he shot me down)

So sing a song of six cents
And a pocket full of rye
Hoist me like a mainsail…HI HO HI HO HI HO
Swinging through the sky
Onward christian soldiers
Marching as to war
“I never meant to kill her”
Where the grapes of wrath are stored
Where the grapes of wrath are stored
(lord forgive me , please forgive me now)
Stamping out the glory
(lead us not into temptation)
Stamping out the glory
(And forgive us our sins)

Sho.. he was standing at the side of the road when I come around the curve standin there face and no face, hangdog determined and calm too like he done desperated himself up for the last time.

Hallelujah’s not enough
What does it feel like?
With so much trouble in the world
An` no matter how hard we try
What does it feel like…really breathing?
To fill up the sky….with broken stones
you know you cant lay down and die now and you know you’re not alone so
Don’t be a liar now because written on the water in a world gone wrong….

We’re golden, yeah, and i`m holding; on (what are you singing?)
Storms will come, yes in this world gone wrong
So bring them on – yeah.
There`s no dishonour in wanting to be free,
so sing along:

golden hearts, in a world gone wrong, burning hearts (what are you singing?)
broken hearts, empty hearts can sing
on.

yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
We laid our wheels down to the road – we`ll fight forever lay our souls down to the road
We’ll get the hell out of forever in this bucket of old ghosts – we`ll fight together burning flags and gold
triumphant shining in your tear blown eyes
Glory and despair
all your banners, all your lies…

golden light shining through in your smile
in your smile, golden lights,
in your smile

What does it feel like…really breathing?
To fill up the sky….with stolen gold
you know cant lay down and die now and you know you’re not alone so
Don’t be lying to yourself now because written on the water in a world gone wrong….

golden hearts, in a world gone wrong, burning hearts (what are you singing?)
broken hearts, empty hearts can sing
on.
golden heart.
burning heart.
shine on through.
broken heart.
burning heart.

golden hearts all gone wrong. golden hearts all alone. golden hearts.broken hearts.
what are you singing ? shine on through
(scattered on the road lonely bleeding)

(mumbled:Is it the wine on the lips of women you havent met
Or the salt petre match of the cigarette
The blood stained red of the tv set
The white and the blues
that you cant forget…)

Back down from heaven Elijah brought the widows sun
Raven fed by demons fighting
Pursued by Ahabs demon jezebel
On Saianai the winds did chime farewell
Set forth a plague of birds that flew into the sun
And with earthquake fire murdered demons thereupon

Dem bones dem bones
Gottem on the inside Why not on the outside
Dem bones dem bones
Why not on the outside Gottem on the inside

For forty nights in silent hollow heart he hid
From the death threats fled of Princess Hate
And her King Jealousy, who kneels & curses……..
Crowned in barbs his violent verses whilst he prays…….
And in defiance of this prophecy I burn

Dem bones dem bones
Gottem on the inside Why not on the outside
Dem bones dem bones
Why not on the outside Gottem on the inside
So tell me what you know
Well you reap just what you sow
Your words they burn like bones, falling off the world

Across the waters trailing chariots of fire
A whirlwind blew from out the sun
Ascending true into his god look down upon
Her broken body burning in the parking lot
Feast upon by hellhound wailing like a thousand dogs

Dem bones bem bones
Gottem on the inside Why not on the outside
Dem bones dem bones
Why not on the outside Gottem on the inside
And tell them what you`ve learned, the prophecy returns…..
Returns…..

(theres a musick in the ole bones yet, yayuh, a musicking the ole bones yet…)

The conversation thus ignored flies on up towards the yellow ceiling
Cant decipher being bored, cant decode this desperate feeling
Whilst the truth fights the trash on the garage floor
Between the rotten old chairs and the broke down doors
And the rusty old cars, that rot out on the lawn
And I just don’t care
Really I don’t anymore

You say we`re all equal but some more equal than others
Who does the judging and as your god discovers
Your history is all lies and all your truths are whores
Call all your prophets, call your disciples call them to your cause
Your suffering fathers and all your surrogate mothers
To wash all your dishes and sort out the cupboards
The kids start to fight and the rain beats the shutters
Theres a howling in the wind for Jacqueline, but she only mutters,
Strange cries in the kitchen the antenna just stutters
Smoke ourselves to death outside whilst the rain fills the gutters…

And of course you`re just so, over it all, and you say I don’t give nothing
back at all
Oh mercy me, bad luck designed
Oh mercy me, bad luck design, my destiny

Three sisters in the distance their resistance fills my eyes
They fight the amber rain, whilst silently we drive
I’m waiting at the station for the future to arrive
In this desperate situation the conversation… slowly dries
There`s Jesus at the crossroads hanging out to dry
Abandoned by his god baptized in thorns and lies
And even that kids got something to say
When the arguments don’t go your way
Its okay I`ll leave all my faults here at the door
You can stamp them all out as they creep across the floor

Guess it`s just a change you’re going through, guess its got something
to do with the moon
Oh mercy me bad luck designed
Oh mercy me bad luck design

I think the house is talking to me, asking me to leave
Your fucking friends who hang around are just old buildings falling down
Falling down.

Flick the switch turn off the machine
Cauterise my soul and set me free
Please god help me I can’t breathe

I only want to see the sun
Collide with space and
Slowly burn away

Cant we heal?
Can we repair?
It Hurts so bad, hurts so bad.

Dont try to cut the wires
Dont try to cut the wires
Dont cry
Life support it isnt life
Life support it’s just a lie.

Let not your heart
be so sad baby
Jesus gonna meet me in the air

Meet me in the air, in the air
you know my time is soon
meet me in the air
we’ll meet behind the moon

Ive been trying to reach you
in the mountains and the sky
in the distant echo of my memory
its no shame for you to cry

meet me in the air you know my time aint long
meet me in the air baby
soon I will be gone

up in the clouds upon a white horse shining
steadfast, faithful and true
eyes aflame and with a head of many crowns
and with a name that no-one knew

meet me in the air
you know my time is gone
meet me in the air baby

you know my time is gone

Say hello
If you’re passing her by
If youre not stopping then kiss her gooddbye

Say goodbye sundown sunflower
through everybody seems to shine
and though you cant believe it, she can help you see it, only love
will heal in time
through the one and many become divine, you’re ready she can heal your worried mind.

A long time ago, in the back of my mind
In the back of beyond, I smiled all the time
And why is it so I miss her sweet smile
She shone like the sun and made me divine

Say goodbye sundown sunflower
through everybody seems to shine
through the one become divine only love will heal in time

…some dreams are destined to become the ephemeral, transient, fleeting, angels of the imagination, or fragile, brittle, creatures of clay… Not all seraphs effloresce into beautiful flying colour; some may fly but fall earthbound from heaven – the filthy offspring of rotting flesh cast to the wind…