Crackin’ Up
(Faulkner)

Ever since this troubled world began
Every woman and man
Trying to find asome purpose in their lives,
A way to survive.
And I’m the same,
I’m not ashamed:
Riddle’s my middle name.
I’m not a saint,
I’ve got no complaints:
There’s a lot of worse things I ain’t.

I’m crackin’ up.

People wanna put their tag on you,
Define what you do,
And you might enjoy some small renown
But it’s hard to live down.
Stuck in a mould,
Do what you’re told,
A product that’s bought and sold,
Made out of straw.
Sentenced before
The Court Of Unwritten Law.

I won’t stand for it so I am
Crackin’ up.
I’ve got no time for it so I am
Crackin’ up.

Though I hide behind a cool facade
I can’t drop my guard,
Almost made myself a nervous wreck
Keeping feelings in check.
You’ve gotta perform,
Stick to the norm,
Wishing you were never born.
You’ve gotta behave,
Facing looking brave,
And you’ll dig yourself an early grave.

A Few Home Truths
(Faulkner)

1. Easy come and easy go are easy words to say
But when I think of you and me it’s hard to feel that way
Though you’ve gone you still think you’re welcome here.
I’ve moved on. You are not my puppeteer, my dear.

If my doorbell rings you’ll learn a few unpleasant things
And you can’t pull my strings for sympathy:
A few home truths is all you’ll get from me.

2. I’ve heard tell the one your with now drives you up the wall
(You} made your choice so live with that, we’re grown-ups, after all.
And you can’t have your cake and eat it too.
Made your bed, so you know what you can do? You do, don’t you?

So don’t lean on me, I’ll disappoint you constantly
It’s best we if agree to disagree.
A few homes truths is all you’ll get from me.

Though you’ve gone you expect a welcome here
I’ve moved on, you can’t play the puppeteer, my dear.

3. Once upon a time we met when I was still naîve,
We became a fairytale I wanted to believe,
What I took for magic were some cheap tricks up your sleeve.
But the ball always ends when it strikes twelve
And the cold light of day broke every spell, oh well.

Your black magic fails and your routine is growing stale
So take your fairytales to someone new.
Make these home truths my parting gift to you.

Are You Sleeping?
(Faulkner)

I’m alone
And it’s late.
Should I call?
Are you sleeping?

You are gone
For too long.
I’m so tired
Are you sleeping?

You’re so far
But you’re close
In my thoughts.
Are you sleeping?

I know I’ve felt this way before
But I can’t take it anymore.
Anymore.

I’m still here
By the phone,
Missing you.
Are you sleeping?

Hurry back
When you can.
Until then,
I’ll be dreaming.
I’ll be dreaming.

Burnt Orange
(Faulkner)

When I was seventeen
My blood was gasoline
No matter where I turned
I got my fingers burned
I wouldn’t go back there if I could.

Then I turned twenty-one
No fear of anyone
I always let ’em know
If they were friend or foe
I wouldn’t go back there if I could.

I remember very well.
Way back then I went through hell.

Always thought
I was smart,
Never played it from the heart.

I never listened to
My better’s point of view
And though I wish I had
It ain’t turned out so bad.
I wouldn’t go back there if I could.

Don’t ever go back there again.

I Hope It Makes You Happy
(Faulkner)

I have a friend who’s gone and joined some crazy new religion
He’s so caught up that he don’t know which way is up.
You know the saying that “there’s no saint like a former sinner”
Now he’s evangelising everyone he meets
Including me.

I hope it makes you happy,
I hope it makes you feel real good
I hope it makes you happy
But even then you’d better knock on wood.
Now let it be understood.
I wanna be understood.

Another girl I know loves hanging with cosmetic surgeons,
She’s on a first-name-basis with the cutting edge.
Now she’s addicted to the thrill of multiple procedures,
Looks in a mirror but she doesn’t see herself.
There’s no-one else!

My neighbour’s getting into transcendental meditation.
He’s found the inner-peace that many of us seek.
But I’m not cut out for this life of quiet contemplation
‘Cos when I navel-gaze I only turn up lint.
Well, it makes you think…

Can I get a witness?

Ashamed Of Me
(Faulkner)

I’ll try to be simple,
I’ll try to speak plain.
I’m kinda damaged
And cannot be trained.

I’m so ashamed of me.

Not trying to be clever (‘cos)
I’ve never been smart
But I’m feeling shaky,
And I’m falling apart.

I’m not trying to be humble
And I’m not being coy.
My ego just crumbled,
It’s almost destroyed.

So try to be gentle,
I need some support.
I shouldn’t be asking
But I’ve come up short.

I want to get better.
I hope and I pray
I’ll get it together
One of these days.

I’m so ashamed of me.

What’s In It For Me?
(Faulkner)

What’s in it for me?
You don’t get nothing free.
You stand and shake your tin,
It gets under my skin.
I might see what I can do
In another year or two.

Let me see: what’s in it for me?
‘Cos you don’t – don’t get nothing free.
Can you stop? You keep after me
But I’m not – not a charity.

Now you’re back again
Just like a long-lost friend
With your sorry tale of woe
But no-one wants to know.
Just give us a rest!
You’re making me depressed.

Gotta run, I’m a busy man
And I’ve done everything I can
But you keep stickin’ out your hand.
Pardon me, you’re in Disneyland.

And I know you’ll think it’s strange,
Yes, I know you’ll think it’s strange
But I don’t have any change.
So no change.

I’ll tell you this for free:
Don’t waste your breath on me.
I’ve heard it all before.
Philanthropy’s a bore!

Charity!
What’s in it for me?

Over Nothing
(Faulkner)

Some friendships end out of hate
And hasty words spoken in anger.
A rush of blood to the head
The swords are drawn in heated battle.
But when the feuding has passed
It leaves no-one unscathed,
Only wounded.

Some friendships end from neglect,
A thoughtless mind’s preoccupation.
They cannot hope to survive
Amid busy lives of self-obsession.
And so must wither and die.
That’s how some friendships end
But not this one.
No, not this one.

Knowing you the way I do
I truly believed that somehow we’d pull through
Hadn’t we both seen it all?
We faced the world, together we stood tall
Together we stood tall,
You and I stood tall.

Some friendships end in regret:
A trust betrayed, too freely given.
That is the worst way they end.
But then some friendships end
Over nothing.
Over nothing.

Though it’s true not all friendships last
I always thought that ours was different.
You brought the best out in me.
How did our friendship end?
How did it ever end
Over nothing?
Over nothing?

You’ve Got Another Thing Coming
(Shepherd)

You can freak out if you want to, and I don’t mind
Even sneak out if you want to, and I don’t mind
But it quickly passes through me, so I don’t mind
And it don’t mean nothin’ to me.

If you think I care,
You’ve got another thing coming.

You can cop out if you want to, and I don’t mind
Dirty stop-out if you want to, and I don’t mind
It’s your last chance to abuse it, so I don’t mind
There ain’t no chance I’ll excuse it

If you think I care,
You’ve got another thing coming.

That’s the way I operate
I’m the man you love to hate.

You can ride yourself a coach fare, and I don’t mind
One way to precisely nowhere, and I don’t mind
You won’t find yerself no saviour, so I don’t mind
You’d be doing me a favour

If you think I care,
You’ve got another thing coming.

Only In America
(Faulkner)

A preacher’s thumping his bible
And praying on the suicidal.
He’ll lead us all to salvation
For a small remuneration.
So touch your screen
And become clean
And you’ll own everything you’ve ever dreamed.

Can you feel the pulse of America?
There is nowhere else like America.
See it for yourself in America.
You could only be in America.

Only in America.

A young man crosses the border
He’s searching for the New World Order
He ended up in a sweatshop
Prosperity would be his next stop.
But 12-hour days on
Minimum wage
Have made him nothing but a new world slave.

Can you feel the pulse of America?
There is nowhere else like America.
See it for yourself in America.
You could only be in America.

Only in America.

Somebody Take Me Home
(Shepherd/Faulkner)

You can’t smoke in barrooms – what’s the difference?
‘Cause this place is as dingy as before.
I hope a friendly face comes to my rescue,
And good fortune walks in smiling through the door.

Ain’t somebody gonna take me home tonight?
Get me out of here.
Somebody better take me home tonight.

This old barstool’s always glad to see me,
The whiskey bottle winks and says hello
But we all know know before this night is over
My old friends can’t wait to see me go.

Ain’t somebody gonna take me home tonight?
Get me out of here.
Somebody better take me home tonight.

Somebody better take me home.

Misery loves company, so they tell you
And needs a sympathetic ear from time to time
But what I need I won’t find in this bar room:
I’m looking for my true partner in crime.

Ain’t somebody gonna take me home tonight?
Get me out of here.
Somebody better take me home tonight.

Somebody better take me home.

Let Me In
(Shepherd/Faulkner)

I’m just tryin’ to make connection
We’re heading in the same direction
But if you want perfection, I ain’t the one.
Am I passing your inspection?
Another one for your collection.
If you have no objection, we could have fun.

Let me in,
Come on and let me in.
Let me in!

You’re the kind who craves attention
And I’m not one to break convention
Did I already mention we could have fun?
I’m a master of invention
With a cure for hypertension
Before I claim the pension, let’s get it done!

Let me in.
Come on and let me in.
Let me in!

Can I make a lewd suggestion?
I’m in need of decongestion
If there are no more questions, let’s get it done.
I’m not here to make confession
But I rely on your discretion,
Now, I’m no Charlton Heston but I’ve got a gun.
Yeah, I’m no Charlton Heston but I’ve got a gun.

Let me in.
Come on and let me in.
Let me in!

Evening Shade
(Faulkner)

I am haunted
By a thought I can’t explain
It’s all different
But the world still looks the same.
I see them walking around on a sunny day
I feel alone in the crowd wearing winter grey.

There’s been changes
Nothing’s as it used to be.
No-one listens
And they don’t appear to see.
The life I have isn’t one I would ever choose.
The look on everyone’s face seems to say “J’accuse”.

The dying sun is sinking low.
I’m clinging to the afterglow.
And evening shade comes creeping slow
But I’ve got nowhere else to go.

There’s a stillness
A sense of unreality
I’m in mourning
For the man I used to be.

The place I’m in is not my own
But this is all I’ve ever known.
I face the evening shade alone.

I am haunted
By a thought I can’t explain
It’s all different
But the world still looks the same.
Looks the same.
Looks the same,
It looks the same.
The same.

Why So Sad?
(Faulkner)

Does anyone know how it feels
To sacrifice your high ideals?
You’ve been a fool and that’s the truth,
Thinking your heart was bulletproof.

Why so sad, little girl?
What you had, little girl
Turned out bad, little girl
Little girl.

You don’t need self-help books to know
The proper time for letting go
I couldn’t say the grass is green
But can’t be worse than where you’ve been.

Why so sad, little girl?
What you had, little girl
Turned out bad, little girl
Little girl.
Though you tried, little girl,
Something died, little girl,
Wounded pride, little girl,
Little girl.

Nobody ever wants to lose
But we don’t get to pick and choose.
Should they have warned you in advance
That you don’t get a second chance?

Even so, little girl,
Let it go, little girl,
‘Cos you’re no little girl,
Little girl..
Take it slow, little girl
And lay low, little girl,
But you’re no little girl,
Little girl.

1968
(Shepherd/Faulkner)

1968
Listen for sounds that resonate
Everything new is out-of-date
Coming down fast and I can’t wait
You’re gonna be late
You’re gonna be late.

1968
Nowhere on earth to escape.
Rock ‘n’ roll planet going ape
Everyone’s bent all out of shape
You’re gonna be late?
Now, is it too late?
1968
Now is it too late?
Now, is it too late?

1969
Is looming in the mists of time
1970
Is gonna be the death of me.

1968
Getting high from the smoke grenades,
Anarchists storm the barricades.
Paris in flames – all hope fades.
But is it too late?
Ain’t never too late.

1966
We’re turning on and turning tricks
1965
We was on The Strip
Getting swingers hip
To the ride of their lives.

1968
Motor City Five, Apollo 8
Rock ‘n’ roll planet goin’ ape
It’s coming down fast and I can’t wait
It’s never too late.
It’s never too late.
1968

The Stars Look Down
(Faulkner)

I made a paper plane
And threw it into space.
It seemed to float forever.
No telling where it went,
Snatched by a sudden breeze
It sails the wide, blue yonder.
I know my aeroplane
Fell back to earth again
But I pretend
It never.

One moonless, summer night,
We’ll lie back counting stars,
Like diamonds on black velvet.
We’ll see the satellites
Fly past The Southern Cross
And laugh as they observe us.
Somewhere a river flows
And whispers in the dark
A story near-eternal.
It speaks of mountain rain,
Valleys and open plains
And hungers for
The ocean.

I don’t wanna die.

Tonight, the setting sun
Blood-stained this ragged day
And left our hopes in tatters
But then the twilight came
And covered up our shame
Without a trace of pity.
Always the stars look down,
The heavens never care,
They only watch, unblinking.

I don’t wanna die.

I made a paper plane
And threw it into space.