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SHADOWLANDS

by Jack Howard

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1.
TRY AGAIN 03:52
A simple plan is always best Set yourself a goal that you can manage Take your time and look around Check you horoscope and then consider Trust is for fools Kindness for the weak Love is blind, it's just a habit you can't break So you try and try again You don't know when to say when and you give it your best shot You feel like Charlie Brown As he lines up for the big kick-off As you sail into the air The crowd applauds. They love a ritual Trust is for fools Kindness for the weak Love is blind, it's just a habit you can't break So you try and try again You don't know when to say when and you give it your best shot Go, you good thing, go
2.
Another little mystery to solve That raised eyebrow, the hint of smirk What did you just say? Just mutter under you breath So I fix another coffee and stew in the kitchen A blinding headache taking hold And you sit there benign Your little arrows found their mark Butter wouldn't melt in your mouth So the dinner's made with bitterness and bile Just dead meat on the table Shut it down, block it out Store it up, fill the hole Suck it up, spit it out Spread the word, cleanse your soul I slam the door on my way out To your silent smile The cold frost fills my lungs Fills my throat which is burning, by the way I walk and I walk Through the dark A pulse pounding in my temple I'm not a violent man but... Shut it down, etc.
3.
GATHER ROUND 04:18
Well, trouble comes to my house Nothing I can do is gonna stop it Well trouble comes, I don't know how A crack in the footpath, a blink of an eye Gather round here, all my friends Gather here, all you voices in the dark The shadowland is upon us Gather round, and hold my hand Now everything I had is now beyond me And everything I took for granted, God grant me now Gather round here, all my friends Gather here, all you voices in the dark The shadowland is upon us Gather round, and hold my hand Take me back to where I was, take me back to where I thought I belonged Consigned to lore, resigned to the score I can still crack a smile and make 'em laugh Gather round here, all my friends Gather here, all you voices in the dark The shadowland is upon us Gather round, and hold my hand
4.
CITY LIGHTS 03:44
Man, look at those city lights Far above the trestle bridge And the foggy form of Eureka Are we feeling lucky tonight? The planes land silently And the ghosts of ANA boys The dirt bikes rust in the creek below Where in the hell does that train line lead anyway? Down there, first kisses And jokes I never understood Down there, small moments of glory Etched like a turning point in the epic novel of my life The novel of my life The distinctive beauty And the unforgettable sound Of an HD Holden going past Ah, sweet memory, blast me from my sleep Let it not be decided, not here not now
5.
I walk the aisles of the supermarket Just my job, I don't make a fuss about it Stock the shelves, collect my pay It's always day in the supermarket Bleary folk searching for some comfort Can of beans or a nice meat tray Sometimes, I have to catch a thief See the shifting gaze and the nervous hands Beyond, beyond, beyond the front counter Something outside, a shadow of doubt is Creeping up, creeping slow I fell in love in the supermarket Check-out chick, well, her name was Margaret She had her hair tied up I had my tongue tied down Wait in line at the supermarket Crack a joke, try to make her smile Unrequited love, is that pin or sign? One night, thought I was looking good Walked her to her car, there her tattooed boyfriend stood Beyond, beyond, beyond the front counter Something outside, a shadow of doubt is Creeping up, creeping slow Beyond, beyond, beyond help I feel like a voice is trying to tell me Something's up, something's wrong Back at work in the supermarket Another shift in the never-dark Got a nice black eye but I've got a fly-buys card Perfect peace in the supermarket No reflection, never leave a mark there Got my peace of mind, got my working wage See the world go by in aisle number two Take home a slab of coke and pack of Winfield Blue Beyond the front counter, etc.
6.
EARLY DARK 02:14
7.
Laying wake again So nothing much has changed Sweat, cool breeze and the restlessness Sifting the day's events Your sweet skin my harbour Calamity strikes again and the poison throbs It's not so bad down here at the far end of the earth It's not so bad down here When the lights are out, and the worm has turned Emotional mystery Trying to keep track Of the ups and downs and the twists and turns Well, it's not so dark down here When you're in your lover's arms It's not so bad down here, when the lights are down You can thank your lucky stars Touch wood Is it fools' or is it gold? Is it something you can hold? Thanks your luck stars Just pinch yourself Is it fake or is it real? Is it love that we still feel?
8.
If I can sing then I'll find a way out Boy, I've got trouble but I can still hold a tune Lurching around like a drunken sailor What shall you do with me? Put me in the longboat But I'm as sober as a judge And who are you to judge me? Just let me sing, for God's sake And I'll find a way out Cos I can still hold a tune, I can still lull the beast Then the room goes quiet And the pain goes away All those ladies in the shadow are swaying in time Simple as ABC, just let me sing I'll say grace tonight, bless the beasts and the children Just let me sing, etc.
9.
Take a walk around these streets These quiet suburban streets Just after nightfall Through the parted curtains To the warm inner glow You'll see things to make your skin crawl There is murder and mayhem behind every door There is tenderness and mercy behind every door There is cruelty and kindness behind every door And it's not what you expect On a cold September evening On your way home from work You think that you're alone With your silent inner demons But everyone is just the same There is murder and mayhem, etc
10.
Holed up in their place, living the life of Riley Look at them, will you Driving their freakin' Valiants round Like there's no tomorrow And the kids are too good for us They're going to a private school on the far side of town Well, they can stick their degrees where the sun don't shine Did you get the tattslotto numbers in, luv? What time does Idol start? You know he's never shared a beer with you, Al? Did you ever think about that? Teachers and librarians and musicians, bloody snobs What's the street coming to when an honest trade's not good enough for those kids? We'll see who ends up with the biggest house and the biggest car and the biggest TV Did you get the tattslotto numbers in, luv? What time does Idol start? Pass me another snag, luv That's a good girl
11.
When you wake, it's barely dawn Oh what a beautiful morning it could be Scratch yourself and spring to life Try not to stir the trouble and strife Spin the wheel and learn your fate Spin the wheel, it's not too late Could be a sign of things to come Open your eyes and be strong enough to run Step by step, he slowly turns One by one he eyes them each in turn And as lightning fills the room One by one, they all begin to swoon Look at my creation The monster looms above your head Could be a sign of things to come Open your eyes and be strong enough to run First one foot and then the other Look at him, sister Look at him, brother And as the curtain slowly falls And he rides into the sunset, a final word Be yourself, don't be afraid Don't look back, don't look down Be yourself, don't be afraid Don't look back Could be a sign of things to come Open your eyes and be strong enough to run Seasons come and seasons go What we reap, we shall sow Could be a sign of things to come Open your eyes and be strong enough to run Brush it aside, it's only dust Brush it aside, you'll just have to trust yourself
12.
SHADOWLAND 03:24

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released January 30, 2012

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Jack Howard Melbourne, Australia

Jack Howard played trumpet with Hunters and Collectors and for the last 20 years, he's been releasing his own highly- regarded music. Along the way, he's also played with The Living End, The Violent Femmes, Rodriguez and a host of others. In 2017, Jack toured the world with Midnight Oil as their trumpeter/multi-instrumentalist. He released his memoirs, Small Moments Of Glory in 2019. ... more

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