WHY I’M BLUE
I got a call last night from no-one
Telling me how I was wrong
Well, I drink too much and I smile at lonely people
And by the way, my hair is too long
From my holiday without sunshine
To my new, chipped coffee cup
I search all day when I’m feeling down
But nothing gets me up
In the morning I’ll start anew, without warning
And by the evening it’s all gone and I don’t know
Why I’m Blue – every day now
I feel blue – in every way now
It’s not you – in any way now
I’m just blue – everyday
I take a walk on down the High Street
And the rain sits on my head
That means more weight on my shoulders
I should have stayed at home instead
A late night deal from a brand new deck
A change of luck and they’ll be the fools
I thought Ace was high but now they say it’s low
Because someone’s changed the rules
Words & Music By:
Damian Joyce
BITTER & TWISTED
I come home at night
Put my feet up and settle down
My jeans feel tight between my legs
To my left I sense a frown
That Tuesday knock come ’round too soon
The rent-man is at the door
I say “I’ll give you what I’ve got man.”
But you always ask for more
Because you think you’ll make a million
You cheat people every day
People, I said people, you say “People?”
You hate people anyway
You know you are – You’re bitter and twisted
You know you are – You get more bitter every day
You know you are – You’re bitter and twisted
You know you are – You’re screwed up in every way
You say the proof is in the pudding
But you just heard it on the news
Falsifying phrases, another subject to abuse
I said “Take them as you find them.”
But that didn’t mean a thing to you
Because you think you’ve got it covered
But I can see right through
Words & Music By:
Damian Joyce
GOING HOME
After ten long years in paradise
From the Harbour Bridge to Rome
He picks up the old suitcase – destination home
With an old head on his shoulders
And nothing more to say
He takes one last look behind him
Swears he won’t be back someday
Journey through the night
From the darkness into light, going home
He’s gonna sail across the oceans
Free all his emotions, going home
Memories come and go
Some still warm to the touch
Dreams can be reality, sentiment don’t mean much
The sweet sound of home when he calls
So far away but then so near, and he says
“Mirror, mirror on the wall. Why the hell am I still here?”
Chorus
After ten long years in paradise
From the Harbour Bridge to Rome
He picks up the old suitcase – destination home
Chorus
When I’m driving down the road
No way, nowhere to go, take me home
Put the baggage in the boot
And we’ll take the easy route, going home
Words & Music By:
Damian Joyce
HIGHER GROUND
Please sir can you tell me, I don’t know my way around
There’s this place I’m looking for, somewhere on the edge of town
I’ve been walking ’round in circles and soon the light will disappear
And I’m feeling cold and weary, won’t you tell me that I’m near?
“Go left around the corner and straight on through the lights
Take the Number 47 to get you there before the night
Stop the driver by the river and then face the other way
You’ll see the old man in his flat cap and you’ll turn to him and say.”
“Take me up (Take me up), don’t take me down
Take me up to the higher ground.”
Standing routed to that spot now, I know I’ve got to be sure
I need a travelling companion so I don’t feel so insecure
‘Cause I’ve been living it up, living it up
And I don’t wanna live it up no more
The old man is looking through me
Because he has seen this all before
Words & Music By:
Damian Joyce
TRAVELLING MAN
I still remember that moment when they told you he was gone
They say you stayed at home and waited for him
But by now he and his freedom were one
He’d landed early that winter
Seeking shelter from the wind and the rain
You thought you had gotten close to him
But even now you still don’t know his name
From city to city – (moving on)
From coast to coast
He boards the train at the station
And the whistle blows – he’s a travelling man
Long night’s by the fire (talking), late morning’s in bed
At first you’d wonder why he was lying next to you
But that moment had gone straight to your head
You had no need to fight off your conscience
You’d had no trouble crossing the line
Another crime of passion but with a difference that was hard to define
From city to city – (moving on)
From coast to coast
He takes the only ship in the harbour
And he sails away – he’s a travelling man
Words & Music By:
Damian Joyce
SAM’S BIG DAY
Not a dry-eye in the church hall, as we left in single-file
It’s seems a long way from Southampton
When you’re walking down the aisle
My sis, she told me about that time
When you’re walking down the aisle
She said “You’re childhood passes through your mind.”
But that’s all history now, so come on
From the rolling lips and rusty ships to the heart of London town
Somewhere, someone to pick you up
When your highs still get you down
And after working hard through the winter months
You took some money from the kitty
And you headed south for a final flingIn the place we call ‘Stress City’
Skipping through the prairies, rolling in the hay
Once you’ve seen the look that says it all
There’s nothing left to say
Well, there’ll be signposts across the channel showing us the way
Making tracks on Sam’s big day
Bob looked dazed as the flag was raised
But he kept both feet on the ground
He said “I hope you can see, it’s a new scene to me
I’ve got to study what I’ve found.”
I’ve done my time and I need to work
But don’t get so down big fella
Because there’s times you win and there’s times you lose
And there’s times you’ve got to tell her
Chorus … Rendezvous on Sam’s big day
Chorus … All made up on Sam’s big day
Words & Music By:
Damian Joyce
NO FIXED ABODE
As the clouds come down on the mountain side
My head starts to spin and my dreams to collide
As I wonder where I’ll be and what I’ll be doing this time next year
This town has crumbled before my eyes
It’s taken me so long just to realise
That I’ve got to grab my baby and leave here before it’s too late
Season after season I’ve been towing the line
Trying to build a future but I’m wasting my time
Feels like the tide going out, then forgetting to come back in
I’d go ten thousand miles, ten thousand miles, baby, baby, baby
Ten thousand miles, ten thousand miles, save me, save me, save me
As the boat leaves the harbour sending signals to me
It says I’m heading to the place where you want to be
And then the waves part before it, like Moses and the blue, red sea
I try to laugh with and enjoy all the people I meet
But I’m tired of sitting and listen to them shuffling their feet
And I feel like I’m driving the wrong way down a one-way street
Chorus
Well, I’ve made up my mind, no, we ain’t taking it
You can’t enter the door when the key don’t fit
So come on inside and find the real me
We’ll put this all behind us and maybe then you’ll see
Let’s pack up all our troubles and we’ll bury them deep
And we’ll take with us the memories that we want to keep
And in the cover of the night
We’re going to leave them guessing while they sleep
We’re going to run through the lands with a fine-toothed comb
Until we find the place that shouts
‘Hey! This is your home!’
And then we’ll send them all a postcard with our names on
And ‘No Fixed Abode’
Words & Music By:
Damian Joyce
I’M WITH YOU
You brought me in from the bachelor cold
Where I was wondering, would I always be alone
You saw me through a different light
One nobody else had ever seen before
I took you home and we sang to the sea
And I whispered to you “Won’t you stay with me?”
You made me feel so good deep down inside
There were things happening to me that I could not hide
So we made some plans together
Then we tried to see them through
In distant lands we saw the past and the future
But now I’m in the present with you
And I feel you in the dark night
And I know when I wake up
I’m gonna see you in the daylight
And I know this ain’t make-up
When I look in your eyes
There ain’t no disguise
So whatever I do… I’m with you
I know sometimes that my actions seem strange
As I live and learn from every mood that you change
You know you can give me a look that makes it all okay
And I’ll be with you until my dying day
Words & Music By:
Damian Joyce
COMING TO GET YOU
Once I was a young boy
I led my life without a problem
I’d run across a field and kick a ball in the air
Little brother behind me, chewing on an apple
And Mamma at the window making sure we were fine
Yeah we were fine little Mamma
Then a little later, more things to consider
Women and discos and late nights in bed
I’d take them and I’d leave them
At first it didn’t matter
Until the day I woke up and I realised she’d gone
Then I saw her laughing
And I thought, I’m not going to let you
Then I started making plans in my head
And I said “I’m coming to get you.”
I’d walk down the street then
With a heart full of emotion
I’d try to shrug it of then with a joke and a beer
Little brother’s taking to me trying to get a free one
Of course he don’t notice that she’s playing with my mind
Hour after hour and I’m still contemplating
My brother still joking, I didn’t know that he smoked
I try to advise him like a doctor with a patient
But only ’til I realise it ain’t him that needs help
Chorus
Now I’m just a little older, the right time for reflection
I look back and remember with a grin upon my face
But now little brother’s grown up And he’s followed in my footsteps
But I ain’t got no answers, just memories and a smile
Words & Music By:
Damian Joyce
FOLLOW ME
Well, about 3 o’clock this morning I woke up in a sweat
I’d dreamt about the future and the targets we’d be set
Well, I’d been downtown to see the journeyman
By the name of Mr, Direction
He offered me a road that was full of fun
But not too much protection
Well, I brought you home some pictures
And you said you’d look them through
I’ve got to use what I’ve been given
So that’s what I’m gonna do
And you can too, you can too, you can too
Ooo Lady will you follow me
Up and down and around the world, searching for a home
Well, I met my lady while on the way
I don’t want to be alone
Oh come with me and I’ll come with you
Is all that I could say
‘Cause I’ve got the taste & I’m on the trail
And I really, really feel it, I really, really feel it
And I need your comfort, every night & every day
I’m gonna take my lifetime with me
Yeah then you’ll have to stay
And take me all the way, all the way, all the way
Chorus
Well, about 4 o’clock this morning
I thought I’d seen the worst
I’d been downstairs to wash away my sweat
And had a drink to quench my thirst
Then I go back to bed to sleep one more time
I don’t want my dreams to get out of line
I need my lady if I’m gonna make it
She’s next to me and we’re lying naked
My heartbeat doubles as I touch, I begin to dream of the promised land
Scene after scene going through my head
It’s useful information that I’m being fed
For an awful moment I’m on the phone
Ringing you and you’re all alone
Oh no lady this can’t be fair
I can see it coming: it’s another nightmare
Chorus
You got to follow, follow, follow..
Follow, follow, follow.. follow me
Wherever I go, wherever I be, you gotta follow me
Words & Music By:
Damian Joyce
MAKE MY DAY
It was a cool but sunny Monday morning
The due was hanging on the grass
I thought we’d something to get up for
But I’d forgotten to ask
You opened your eyes and I realised
That I’d got something to say
And I already knew when I whispered to you
Won’t you make my day
We drove up the hill passed the farm house
That Uncle couldn’t finish in time
Climbed over the fence and into the field
Looking ’round for a sign
It was then I realised as I looked in your eyes
It really didn’t matter which way
As I walked on ahead I turned to you and said
Won’t you make my day
With your head on my shoulder
And day turning into the night
A doubt creeps in & I feel colder
I wonder if we’ll get it right? Get it right, so right
But then I think back to the morning
The grass and the hanging due
Sitting up in bed, turning my head
And taking my first look at you
And now I realise that you’ve opened my eyes
And everything’s going my way
Of all the men, I’ve been lucky again, you made my day
Words & Music By:
Damian Joyce
COSTA DEL ROCK
With a smile on your face you locked up our front door
We’d given all we’d got, we couldn’t take anymore
With the motor filled to the roof
We’d heard it but we needed proof
So we took off around the block to the Costa del Rock
With the radio playing and your little hand held in mine
North became south and the sun began to shine
Taking it easy so we didn’t arrive too soon
But our hearts started pounding as the sun turned to the moon
So we moved into gear as the night came alive
The temperature rising as we cruised into overdrive
I took one long look at you and there was nothing that we could do
But party and forget the clock at the Costa del Rock
You can take your inhibitions and drop them in a glass of wine
Or lose them in the dazzle of a flashing neon sign
Let your hair down baby, take no prisoners throughout the night
And then end it by the water in the dawn’s early light
Chorus
Baby you can lose your mind and leave your troubles behind
With the bass banging in your head, you’ll be rockin’ & a-rollin’
Words & Music By:
Damian Joyce
DEEP IN MY MIND
On a dark and dusty backstreet, in a place we called our own
I sat with my head buried in my hands
A heart filled with emotion and a bottle filled with beer
A picture of your smiling face before me
I felt an arm around my shoulder, as warm as the summer night
I knew you wouldn’t leave me on my own
And at that moment, without words, we decided not to mourn
But to celebrate as you would, we went back to the bar
Drinking, kissing, reminiscing
No-one can defend the wheels of fortune rolling to your end
You packed up all my troubles and I left them all behind
Now you’re deep in my mind
On the last day of November, in the warmth of my old home
I called you just to share with you my heart
I’d found myself a new love, a girl to fill my dreams
And I knew you’d give your blessing, as I’d given you mine
How could that have been the last time
Chorus
So you can rest in peace now, while I’m still here to tell
Wherever you are, you’re still my belle
Words & Music By:
Damian Joyce
Damian Joyce 