1. |
Roof of the World
03:52
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Welcome to the roof of the world
The sun is fading at the Holiday Inn
Another nation is out in the cold
And fighting people have let themselves in...
Bringing steel guns and armies towards peace
China tore down and tortured, brave men pray for their release
From the first occupation in 1949
There was no Tibetan army raised to bring the Chinese down
Still the Holy men were slaughtered
Women, children to the wall
Exiled leaders, rights aborted
Why did no-one help at all?
Welcome to the roof of the world
The sun is fading at the Holiday Inn
Another nation is out in the cold
And fighting people have let themselves in...
It takes one generation to bring a country down
You can tell Tibetan children they belong to China now
No oil flows beneath the soil of this forgotten land
Just a stream of resistance that nobody understands
So there's no condemnation from the powers that be
On this Most Favoured Nation acting so unfavourably
Welcome to the roof of the world
The sun is fading at the Holiday Inn
Another nation is out in the cold
And fighting people have let themselves in...
Well the roof may be falling but we can make it strong again
While the cellars hold the bones of all the lost and tortured men
But the stairs are there for climbing we can quickly reach the top
If we all join together we can make the torture stop
And if this one peaceful protest can break the party line
Will the fight be changed forever to bring peace in our time?
Welcome to the roof of the world
The sun is fading at the Holiday Inn
Another nation is out in the cold
And fighting people have let themselves in...
Welcome to the roof of the world
The sun is fading at the Holiday Inn
Another nation is out in the cold
And fighting people have let themselves in.
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2. |
Tom
02:59
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Now somebody's been talking about the colour of his skin
He is only in year seven but he knows what he's wrapped up in
He walks to school quite slowly then he runs back home again
Cause he can't explain the bruises on his shin, uh huh
His name is Tom, he lives with his family
He's a Japanese boy, 11 years old
And he loves to watch the fast cars as they tear down the highway
And if his eyes are slanted that's twice as good as yours
Cause yours are closed
Somebody's been listening to a television show
And with half an ear they're hearing things that they already know
It's passed around the playground 'last one in's the first to go'
Leave a young boy bleeding on the floor below, ha ha
His name is Tom, he lives with his family
He's a Japanese boy, 11 years old
And he loves to watch the fast cars as they tear down the highway
And if his eyes are slanted that's twice as good as yours
Cause yours are closed
So how do you explain about the shame of the upper hand
When your dream of independence doesn't happen like you planned
He'll always be a stranger, labelled from a foreign land
Well it's hard for a child to understand, uh huh
His name is Tom, he lives with his family
He's a Japanese boy, 11 years old
And he loves to watch the fast cars as they tear down the highway
And if his eyes are slanted that's twice as good as yours
Cause yours are closed
His name is Tom, he lives with his family
He's a Japanese boy, 11 years old
And he loves to watch the fast cars as they tear down the highway
And if his eyes are slanted that's twice as good as yours
Cause yours are closed
I said if his eyes are slanted, that's twice as good as yours
Cause yours are closed.
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3. |
Twelve Mile Creek
03:24
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I have decided there's nothing here
Just a 12 mile creek and a windy street
That no-one's been down for years
Nothing ventured, is nothing gained
So I will pack my things up and I'll never be here again
The rains of summer can't be long
Swell the rivers up the banks and turn the gentle breeze to strong
Throw my hair back and look upon
The dusty open country now I must be moving on
And if I don't it's my memory to lose...it's my memory to lose
The city's empty this time of year
See the waiter walk more slowly as he fetches one more beer
Streets are shining in winter sun
I curse the train that left me here as I break into a run
Leave the city to the men
Who have phones in their hip pockets and computers in the den
Find the moon on a foreign shore
The sand between my feet where they have never been before
And if I don't it's my memory to lose...it's my memory to lose
The wheels are turning, and the wheels are strong
And still we move along
I have decided there's nothing here
Just a beach goes on forever and the waters running clear
Golden footprints in the sand
Heading west out of the waves onto the heat of solid land
One by one now, the trees will blow
Throwing seeds into the desert so that another one may grow
Back and forwards is ever on
The world in perfect motion throw your hand in and it's gone
But if I don't it's my memory to lose...it's my memory to lose
The wheels are turning, and the wheels are strong and still we move
Yeah still we move, yeah still we move along.
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4. |
Thousands of Years
03:12
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It took thousands and thousands of years
To make a nation
Just one for replacing the dreaming, and it's gone
Well you can't dress a dreamer in a suit and a tie
And you can't take away that look in his eye
All the hurt and the anger and the want to know why
It took thousands and thousands of years
To make a nation
Just one for replacing the dreaming, and it's gone
It's a question of people, it's a question of pride
It's a question of waiting not when to decide
And of too many men living on the inside
It took thousands and thousands of years
To make a nation
Just one for replacing the dreaming, and it's gone
It's the heart of this nation, it's six feet of air
It's a whole generation feel more than despair
For their fathers and mothers whose memory they share
But you can't dress a dreamer in a suit and a tie
And you can't take away that look in his eye
All the hurt and the anger and the want to know why
It took thousands and thousands of years
To make a nation
Just one for replacing the dreaming and it's gone
The dreaming and it's gone
The dreaming
And it's
gone.
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5. |
True Heroes
03:42
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He left her with a broken nose and a fractured view of life
This woman who was doomed to be a drunken bastard's wife
And even as a dead man he caused a lot of strife
By leaving all his money to the children
So maybe you're just whinging to keep warm
Cause there's a bitter wind that's blowing
And you're hiding from the storm
But after the thunder comes the rain
True heroes always rise again
She had to borrow money to buy the children out
And she struggled with he freehold through seven years of drought
But she always said a prayer
Before she blew the candles out
I wonder did the Heavens hear her calling?
So maybe you're just whinging to keep warm
Cause there's a bitter wind that's blowing
And you're hiding from the storm
But after the thunder comes the rain
True heroes always rise again
Life was never easy but the wolf stayed from her door
She filled the yard with flowers to make it shine once more
'And how with all this beauty can anyone be poor?'
She said, from her window every morning
So maybe you're just whinging to keep warm
Cause there's a bitter wind that's blowing
And you're hiding from the storm
But after the thunder comes the rain
True heroes always rise again
Now when I see her passing, her hair is turning grey
It's the colour of a memory that can never fade away
She's living for tomorrow to make up for today
And I've never once heard her complaining
So maybe you're just whinging to keep warm
Cause there's a bitter wind that's blowing
And you're hiding from the storm
But after the thunder comes the rain
True heroes always rise again
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6. |
Fruit of our Labour
04:35
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These old apricot trees have been part of the land
Since my Grandfather planted them here with the sweat of his hand
And there'll be no more blossoms, no petals like snow
It's hard but I've just had to let them all go
These old apricot trees were not paying their way
Giving too little profit for so much hard work every day
And after three generations I've pulled them all out
replaced them with a grapevine to turn things about
Who buried the stone as the fruit of our labour
Was torn from the ground this year?
Who could've known that the markets would favour
The fruit of the vine so dear?
And Christmas time will not be the same around here
These old apricot trees made a pretty good fire
That I watched from the edge of the block as the flames burned higher
But they meant more to me than a heap of old wood
If you laugh at my tears then I'm misunderstood
These old apricot trees were a real way of life
For my brother Danny and me for my kids and my wife
And money's not everything, Heavens above
But I can't afford to just do it for love
Who buried the stone as the fruit of our labour
Was torn from the ground this year?
Who could've known that the markets would favour
The fruit of the vine so dear?
And Christmas time will not be the same around here
Who buried the stone as the fruit of our labour
Was torn from the ground this year?
Who could've known that the markets would favour
The fruit of the vine so dear?
And Christmas time will not be the same
Yeah Christmas time will not be the same
Oh Christmas time will not be the same around here.
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7. |
Easy Water
03:40
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See the willow branches hang down to the river
Cover up the fisherman
Still the heron's chances are quick to deliver
Dinner in his beak again
On the banks of the Murray away from the worry zone
I've been sitting here by myself but I don't feel alone
So long, so long easy water
I'm swimming with the tide
But I've gotta make up my mind
I'm just praying for some easy answers
But the battle is open wide
And I've gotta make up my mind
Steamer in the distance, paddle wheel turning
Sends a wave out as she goes
In her wake the fish dance, little ones learning
How to beat the undertow
There's a big river rising, waiting to take me home
And it's hardly surprising I don't want to leave at all
So long, so long easy water
I'm swimming with the tide
But I've gotta make up my mind
I'm just praying for some easy answers
But the battle is open wide
And I've gotta make up my mind
There's a big river rising, waiting to take me home
And it's hardly surprising I don't want to leave at all
So long, so long easy water
I'm swimming with the tide
But I've gotta make up my mind
I'm just praying for some easy answers
But the battle is open wide
And I've gotta make up my mind
I've gotta make up my mind
I've gotta make up me mind.
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8. |
A Hundred Pounds More
03:36
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Lee remembered the times they were easy
Before he said goodbye to the factory gate
Now he's standing in line trying to squeeze
A little money or comfort from this old welfare state
He's filled in the form delivered and signed
And he's offered up a prayer to the Lord
Because the date of his first cheque is the 29th
And there's 14 more days to go
He says the money's no good to me in two weeks time
I gotta feed my children now
He says I don't wanna have a sensible discussion with you
I'm gonna have a bloody big row
Now the man at the desk he was smiling
But his arms are folded and he's shaking his head
He says 'there's really no point in dialling
You see I don't make the rules here it's the government instead'
Lee tried not to think of his wife and child
Hungry tired unsure
Then he picked up the phone in his right hand
And he smashed it down on the floor
He said the money's no good to me in two weeks time
I gotta feed my children now
He says I don't wanna have a sensible discussion with you
I'm gonna have a bloody big row
When the policeman arrived Lee was quiet
Sitting in the corner with his head in his hand
He said I never meant to start a riot
Help me please cause I don't understand
But the courtroom was busy when the very next day
The magistrate laid down the law
He said 'have you got anything to say now
Before we fine you a hundred pounds more'?
He said the money's no good to me in two weeks time
I gotta feed my children now
He says I don't wanna have a sensible discussion with you
I'm gonna have a bloody big row
He said the money's no good to me in two weeks time
I gotta feed my children now
He says I don't wanna have a sensible discussion with you
I'm gonna have a bloody big
I'm gonna have a bloody big
I'm gonna have a bloody big row.
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9. |
Mind Over Matter
03:06
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Mr and Mrs Jones have such a lovely garden
All around their garden where they're living in the suburbs
Middle income earners way up off the breadline
Hardly even know what unemployment is
Early in the morning, driving to the office
Sitting there in comfort they don't comment on the placards
Of the angry workers standing at the roadside
Trying to stem the closure of the factories
And it's her never mind over his doesn't matter
That keeps the poor man poor and makes the fat man fatter
Mr and Mrs Jones they have three lovely children
Talented are clever they're a credit to their parents
Who think it's worth the effort and know it's worth the money
To buy them all the privilege of the school they're in
Summer term it's sailing winter term its skiing
Their laughter drowns the sound of other voices round the corner
From the local primary trying to raise some funds
To buy the children empty books for writing in
And it's her never mind over his doesn't matter
That keeps the poor man poor and makes the fat man fatter
Mr and Mrs Jones go shopping on a Friday
Supermarket buying lots of goodies for the weekend
We'll try some gourmet cheese and a spot of rose
It's time you know for us to spend a night alone
Plastic at the checkout, pockets always empty
Empty as the solitary figure in the doorway
Who stretches out a hand and points to a petition
To show the world he's hungry and without a home
And it's her never mind over his doesn't matter
That keeps the poor man poor and makes the fat man fatter
And it's her never mind over his doesn't matter
That keeps the poor man poor and makes the fat man fatter.
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10. |
Run For Cover
02:01
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I don't know and the world won't tell me when to run for cover
But I'm thinking of getting out before the year is over
Forty days spent planning and another ten spent dreaming
And when the year is over I've forgotten what I'm scheming
So the days have drifted and I've suffered with the seasons
I don't want to go but I can't stay and I'm not leaving
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11. |
As Time Rolls By
03:39
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He was generously open
A clever man quite softly spoken
Always kept her letter as a token
Never seen too good to hide
As time rolled by
He met her by a mountain
She didn't know a lot about him
But the way he spoke of better things
It touched her somewhere deep inside
And time rolled by
And as time rolls by
He tells his children one by one
Hey now take the chances as they come
Don't ever let love pass you by
As time rolls by
Sharing every language
They tried to free the world of anguish
And they spoke of how their love was gonna
Cross over the great divide
As time rolls by
Destination Dover
They parted when the war was over
And he never knew the fire that drove her
Only felt the tears he cried
As time rolled by
And as time rolls by, the days become the years
And a man gets frightened by his tears
Now memory can be shaken
Something stirred within to waken
All his feelings of a love mistaken
Nothing hurt except his pride
As time rolled by
So one day he wrote a letter
Knowing he could not forget her
Leaving no time to regret it
She was standing right before his eyes
And time rolled by
And as time rolls by
They tell their children one by one
Hey now take the chances as they come
Don't ever let love pass you by
As time rolls by
As time rolls by.
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12. |
Gina
05:15
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My bed is cold in the morning
The litter keeps blowing inside
An old lady trips and she kicks me awake with a sigh
With a sigh
And the birds start to sing without warning
Their voices are mellow and high
Like they know the fight isn't over until it gets light
It gets light
And I stand in every doorway, I stand alone
Waiting for the man with money to carry me home
Once there were streets of promise, now they are gone
I wear a purple bodice and Gina is my name
And the landlord is throwing the drinkers out
Into the afternoon sun
Their eyes are open their trousers quite often undone, undone
And down the alley the workers
Walk past with their suits of disguise
With a hole in their heart
And a faraway look in their eyes, in their eyes
And I stand in every doorway, I stand alone
Waiting for the man with money to carry me home
Once there were streets of promise, now they are gone
I wear a purple bodice and Gina is my name
Now it's midnight and the bars are all crowded
The drink has made everyone free
Nervously glancing away from the vision of me, of me
And even the greediest nation
Has more to be proud of than greed
Maybe tomorrow will bring me just what I need, what I need
And I stand in every doorway, I stand alone
Waiting for the man with money to carry me home
Once there were streets of promise, now they are gone
I wear a purple bodice and Gina is my name
Gina is my name
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13. |
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You say you've met someone won't take you for granted
You're on his doorstep, you're feeling romantic
If you stay one more day, in this city
If you stay one more day
How will you ever?
I bet you never go home
The lights are shining the air is inviting
The bar is open and the music exciting
If you stay one more day, in this city
If you stay one more day
How will you ever?
I bet you never go home
You see the ocean from the flat where you're living
The view's so perfect it is hard to believe in
If you stay one more day, in this city
If you stay one more day
How will you ever?
I bet you never go home
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14. |
A Point on the Map
04:40
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There when the story began
Always a loner not part of the plan
He was sleeping gently underneath the tree
Saw the whole world as innocence can
The dreamer looked up through the eyes of a man
And said 'all this looks like paradise to me'
Stick a point on the map and I'll settle here
Gather good friends around over the years
Wear an old straw hat
I'll be happy with that
Two hearts are better than one
The man loved a woman she gave him a son
And their garden blossomed well over the years
The boy knew his life would be blessed
He looked to the east then set out to the west
Said 'I'll come back when my yearning's disappeared'
Stick a point on the map and I'll settle here
Gather good friends around over the years
Wear an old straw hat
I'll be happy with that
Stick a point on the map and I'll settle here
Gather good friends around over the years
Find an old tin shack
I'll be happy with that
Cities sprang up where he slept
The people remembered and the promise was kept
Like a burning stone that never fades away
Father to nations of men
The man shut his eyes to start dreaming again
And the earth could hear him whisper where he lay
Stick a point on the map and I'll settle here
Gather good friends around over the years
Wear an old straw hat
I'll be happy with that
Stick a point on the map and I'll settle here
Gather good friends around over the years
Find an old tin shack
I'll be happy with that
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Karen Law QLD, Australia
Karen Law is a contemporary folk singer-songwriter from Australia whose songs contain honest comfort and life-affirming insight.
Karen sings of journeys, both outer and inner, of healing, recovery and the eternal spirit.
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