1. I Used to Be
I used to be a man with big ideas,
I heard optimism in my ears.
But I can’t see me bein’ him no more.
A couple of rough times finished me,
And I’m no longer sure that I can be,
That man who walked so tall through all his days.
Oh, why am I lonely? Why am I sad?
Oh, why am I lonely? Why am I sad?
When I used to be a man with big ideas,
I heard optimism in my ears.
But I can’t see me being him no more.
A couple of rough times finished me,
And I’m no longer sure that I can be,
That man who walked so tall throughout his days.
Oh, why am I lonely? Why am I sad?
Oh, why am I lonely? Why am I sad?
When I used to be a man with big ideas,
I heard optimism in my ears.
But I can’t see me being him no more.
A couple of rough times finished me,
And I’m no longer sure that I can be,
That man who walked so tall throughout his days.
2. Little Desert Place
The child, she walks alone,
In this little desert place, that I call home.
I need to help her get by. I need to help her get ready.
I need to help her. I need to help her get away.
‘Cos this is a small town. This is a small town, yeah.
The little child she doesn’t know where to go – She don’t know where to go, yeah
‘Cos rain, falls for you.
‘Cos rain…
And what to do when she’s gone from here,
And must she be so God-damn insincere?
Oh, what the hell am I doing here?
And where the hell do we go from here?
‘Cos rain, falls for you.
‘Cos rain…
‘Cos rain, falls for you.
‘Cos rain…
3. Seen Better Days
Yeah, I’ve seen better days,
Survived so much whilst lost in the haze.
Still, I’m what I was born to be,
I paid my dues, still it’s hard to believe.
Yeah, I’ve seen better days,
Been sat broken in alleyways.
Still carry my crosses to bare,
Like every creature that’s ever cared.
Yeah, I’ve seen better days,
Took the farthest route through the maze.
The old black dog pulls with all of his might,
But he’s my black dog whether or not he bites.
Sure, there are easier ways,
But things will stay the same until they change.
Determination will take you far,
But nothing comes from nothing and we are what we are.
Don’t go looking back, no use looking back.
Don’t go running from, where you’re coming from.
No more wasting time, in the waiting line.
No more wondering, when you’ll be someone.
4. Take Me Home
Take me home, to the place I know.
A million miles away from here.
I will hold you then, and upon one knee I’ll swear,
That I’ll always be there.
I think it’s time for us to get away,
Forget all those poignant yesterdays.
Make distant all those memories,
Escape this damning century.
‘Cos I, have no time for it.
Have no need for it.
All I want is some peace and some time.
Time enough to find some hope,
And then all the answers….
Take me home, to the hearth-fire soul,
That hidden place so far from here.
Somewhere we can breathe again, bolt all of the doors and then,
Know we’ll always be there.
You know it’s time for us to get away,
Forget all those poisoned (let down) yesterdays.
Make distant all those memories,
Escape this damning century.
‘Cos we, have no time for it.
Have no need for it.
All we want is some peace and some time.
Time enough to find some hope,
And then all the answers…
5. A Second Scene
A person’s not a person, unless they regret a few things.
Like a pair of jeans just ain’t a pair, unless it’s got a few tears.
And love ain’t love, unless you’re lost for words.
And they’re just not the one for you, unless it hurts.
A dream is never just a dream, however brief.
But a nightmare’s always just a nightmare, when you can’t sleep.
Oh, to be there when you wake up crying, ‘cos you got scared.
To have the strength to keep on trying, ‘cos I still care.
So, let’s write a second scene,
A variation on a theme.
One day look back upon this time,
As if, those days were yours and those days were mine.
Some theories just aren’t up for question, even though they stink.
And it’s the books that are important, ‘cos they make you think.
Knowledge never was, all it was made to seem,
Its more about the things you felt, and the things you’ve seen.
I’ve grown to wonder why it is that, I’m so sick and tired.
Without a cause or inspiration, is it in my mind?
Oh, to be handsome in my process, to evoke your tears.
To find the things that I’ve been missing, through all these years.
So, let’s write a second scene,
A variation on a theme.
One day look back upon this time,
Because, those days were yours and those days were mine.
6. Not the Same
It’s just not the same hearin’ your voice on the telephone,
It’s not the same girl who’s hand I’d held but a few days ago.
And though you’re not so far away, only I can know,
Just how far away you feel.
Just not the same, not seeing your face when I turn around.
It’s not the same home without your touch, and your clothes scattered around.
And though you’re not so far away, only I can know,
Just how far away you feel.
Oh, where’s my patience when I need it, who made the switch so hard to find?
Since when did loneliness confuse me, who slowed down the time?
Sat here cursing this abandon, that’s driven me out of mind.
Girl, I need you back tomorrow, cos I’m out of walls to climb.
7. Without You Now
I step up to you amongst the crowd,
And in front of you I take a bow.
It’s your face only that I see now,
The face of a princess lost in a crowd.
It’s easy to say in hindsight now,
But where would I be without you now?
Born to a position I wouldn’t reach,
With grace and an air that you just can’t teach.
I was content just to walk you to your street,
The countless miles I’ve walked alone could not defeat me.
It’s easy to say in hindsight now,
But where would I be without you now?
8. If You Spoke
I’ve never felt this way before
Imagination running riot, running me into the floor.
But then I’ve never felt this way before.
This fear and confusion, can’t stomach any more.
But I’d be alright if you spoke.
Yeah, I’d be alright once I’d heard.
Heard all the things I know that you have to say.
All I wish is you’d speak to me one day.
And I wondered, have I ever been this scared,
Cos’ it’s not like heights or spiders, or there being people everywhere.
And it’s not my insecurities, or a loss of hope.
It’s something that I can’t describe, and I can’t seem to let go.
But I’d be alright if you spoke.
Yeah, I’d be alright once I’d heard.
Heard all the things I know that you have to say.
All I wish is you’d speak to me one day….
9. Tar & Coal
(Written by Elfie Martin)
Tar and coal along the sleepers,
Shingle hard under my shoes.
That’s the road I had to travel,
Not the one that I would choose.
Can’t you see the sky is crying,
‘Cos the day it lost is gone?
Railway lines aren’t made to lie in,
So, I had to move along.
Mhm, mhm. Mhm, mhm.
Once there had been other pathways,
Over stone and riverbed.
Man has torn away the highways,
So, he could build his own instead.
Pylons tall out in the meadow,
In the grass the stand too high.
Telegraph across the country,
But where’s my message in the sky?
Mhm, mhm. Mhm, mhm.
If your home is where your love is,
There’s no need to say a word.
She’s a poem you remembered,
She’s a song you never heard.
But the moment that you hear it,
Strikes a chord within your heart and your mind.
When you find your place you know it,
If you know it’s there to find.
Mhm, mhm. Mhm, mhm.
10. Forced to Say Goodbye
I’m forced to say goodbye and close the door,
I think we’ll meet again, but I can’t be sure.
Next time I see that face and open arms,
I’ll know that everything is safe and calm within.
I tried to make things work and stay there with you,
But it was far too hard and I failed in the end.
How would you feel if I told you I loved you?
Would it make you regret my absence there my friend?
And now I don’t know how to be.
Now I don’t know where to go.
Now I don’t know who you are.
Now I don’t know. Anymore.
Loneliness fills the souls of all too many,
Down-and-outs and suicides are ten-a-penny.
It grew inside of me and locked me inside,
It took my dignity, my hope, and all of my pride.
I dream of seconds more of being with you,
But I’m all too aware that my dreams don’t come true.
Thousands of miles between the feelings we had,
Loving you so much is why things have got so bad.
And now I don’t know how to be.
Now I don’t know where to go.
Now I don’t know who you are.
Now I don’t know. Anymore.
And now I don’t know what to say.
Now I don’t know what to feel.
Now I can’t see where I am.
Now I can’t see you, anymore.
11. Why I Left Town
Guess I’ve got a fear of dying,
Feel like I’ve been here before.
And I just can’t face driving,
Can’t face one mile more.
Every now and then I see things,
That make me want to stop and turn around.
But every now and then I see things,
That remind me, of why I left town.
I’m good friends with my fear of failing,
It’s answered many doors.
Hasn’t always been plain sailing,
Choice isn’t always yours.
Every now and then I feel things,
That make me want to top and turn around.
But every now and then I feel things,
That remind me, of why I left town.
Guess I’ve got a fear of facing,
Things outside of my control.
It’s the fool’s errand I’ve been chasing,
Circling the drain ’til I lose control.
And every now and then you say things,
That make me want to drop down to the ground
But every now and then you say things,
That remind me, why I’m no longer around.
I’ve made peace but I’m done with trying,
Feels like I’ve said that before.
Now I can’t face striving,
Striving one day more.
‘Cos every now and then we need wings,
Not the same mistakes as before.
And time and time again I find things,
That confound me, and my foot’s back to the floor.
12. Many Miles
It’ll be many miles before I hang-up these keys and give up on this road.
It’ll be many miles before the cylinders and valves give up the ghost.
Been moving so damn fast that I’m free-wheeling up the hills, clutch to the floor.
Been listening to those pipes for so damn long that I can’t hear them anymore.
It’ll be many miles before I hang up these keys and give up on this road.
It’ll be many miles before these curves of steel and wheels start to corrode.
Been putting in so many miles I’ve seen the clock go round so many times before.
And I’m afraid I’ve grown accustomed to these things go by so fast that I won’t recognise them going slow.
It’ll be many miles before these brakes begin to seize and I can’t roam.
It’ll be many miles before the gasoline dries up and I find home.
Been winding windows down from town to town but nowhere really spoke to me for sure.
Followed cat’s eyes in the dark for so damn long that I don’t see them anymore.
It’ll be many miles before I park up these wheels and give up on this road.
It’ll be many miles before the pistons and the chains lose all their soul.
Been hammer down so many years I can’t imagine firing on any less than four.
And I’m afraid I’ve come so far there’ll come a time this journey ends and there will suddenly be nowhere else to go.