Crossfire
© 2020 The Reads
Prettiest Scars
How much can you teach a man in three short days?
Enough to calm his temper and set his sheets ablaze?
And introduce him to all the elemental forces
That will gallop in his chest, like they were wild, wild horses
I think it’s time to get you out my system
I think it’s time to get you off my mind
Those hands I tried so long, so long to resist them
They always leave the prettiest
The prettiest scars behind
A heady mix of fire and ice combined
It will bubble up your bloodstream and send shivers down your spine
As she outlines her intentions on your skin
Tracing patterns with her fingers and then filling them in
I think it’s time to get you out my system
I think it’s time to get you off my mind
Those hands I tried so long, so long to resist them
They always leave the prettiest
The prettiest scars behind
Never Spoke Of
You’ve taken all there is to take
You took the chance and got the breaks
And now I see it’s all for you
You made a lie of love so true
Broken glass and twisted tracks
Sunny day and sweaty snacks
A sudden stop the screech of breaks
Tumble down through fiery lakes
You made a start to take apart
The fragments of my fractured heart
You built them up to tear them down
Immersed in you, you let them drown
So take the pieces if you must
And grind them all up into dust
And scatter them on fiery seas
For now they are no good to me
Roll me up in dirty sacks of
Rip the wraps with bitter claws of
Cut the straps with broken blade of
Tie me up in rusty barbs of
Thoughts so deep you are afraid of
Mind so blank I couldn’t think of
Banished to a distant land of
Locked away and never spoke of
Broken glass and twisted tracks
Sunny day and sweaty snacks
A sudden stop the screech of breaks
Tumble down through fiery lakes
You’ve taken all there is to take
You took the chance and got the breaks
And now I see it’s all for you
You made a lie of love so true
Top of the Rock
Too many years at the foot of the rock
Calling out to the sea
Holding out for the mountain
For the mountain to come to me
Follow the calls to a city
That promises never to sleep
Crossing over the bridges
Rising up out of the deep
Well can you hear me down here from the top of the rock?
Can you see me down here from the top of the rock?
If you look a little closer ‘stead of watching the clock
Then you might just see
Yeah can you hear me down here from the top of the rock?
Can you see me down here from the top of the rock?
If you look a little closer ‘stead of watching the clock
Then you might just see, you might see me
Too many years at the foot of the rock
Waiting for waves to subside
Another minute and I’ll be belly up
At the mercy of the tide
Followed the trails of the crossfire
To promises of liberty
Igniting lights of the empire
That reaches up out of the sea
Oblivion
How long has this thing been over?
How long have you known?
Hold on, so your conscience told yer
How long would you have me hold on?
Would you lie to the eyes of the undeceiving?
Act out the fallacy to keep believing?
Would you?
Or could you hide from the right thing and out of spite bring
Hope to the hopeless and helpless plight that’s me
And you?
How long have you been oblivious?
How long did you not know?
Held on to the insidious
Could you not let me let you go?
Would you strive to revive love that’s undecided?
Neglect it, reject it then resurrect it
Dispel all the hell that at once befell us
And caused the discord and the morbid jealousy
Could you recapture the rapture all torn and fractured
And build on the thrill that, before we killed it
Was you and me?
How long’s this been over?
How long have you known?
How long would you have me
Would you have me hold on?
How were you oblivious?
How could you not know?
Why could you not let me
Could you not let me let you go?
Birdcage
Some would say you can’t allay my fear
After all it is the only thing that keeps me here
The only law to which I shall adhere
It’s the only thing that’s stronger than my will to disappear
For my fear is the custodian of me
She keeps all of my ambitions under lock and key
And she guards my inhibitions solemnly
Deriding the desires which arise in me
For every misadventure one more line
Another indecision, another victory for time
Still waiting for the world to realign
To focus my perception and to show me a sign
Continually closing all the doors
Slamming shut the exits to a rapturous applause
Without a single flicker of remorse
She forces me to form some sort of order from my flaws
But this is the resistance I condone
Bearing witness to an existence that is not my own
Rattling the bars I have outgrown
Perched inside a cage and feeling tired and alone
The River
I traded in my misery for solitude
A manoeuvre that was either very dumb or very shrewd
Will I live to revere or regret the move?
I guess that’s a conundrum that only time will prove
But as the saying goes I chose to make my bed
And it’s here my dear that I must rest my weary head
And force myself each morning to get up, get dressed
And carry on cohabiting with loneliness
Happiness is an elusive creature
When you meet her treat her well
Memorise her every feature
Search her out in merry hell
Further down the line it’s time to stop, reflect
Reconsider my position and yet be circumspect
Is this the resolution I came to expect?
Was I too quick to jump ship before the ship got wrecked?
Or was I rightly justified to cut and run?
Make great my escape into the setting sun
Basking in the only battle I have ever won
Make sure that trading in is the best thing I’ve ever done
In this midst of our little wars
Remember that no one’s without their flaws
Some out in the open, some behind closed doors
I’ll show you mine, if you show me yours
Happiness is an elusive creature
When you meet her treat her well
Memorise her every feature
Search her out in…
The Abyss
Some days there’s only shadows stood between me and the abyss
Never thought that my endeavours would ever come to this
Distractingly attracted to the edge
Still waiting for my moment to plummet or fledge
Coursing with endorphins and consumed by fear
As it rumbles in my belly and thunders in my ear
Despite the contradictions and the countless doubts
I’m resisting the attrition to fall in and fall out
Although there’s only shadows stood between me and the abyss
I’ve yet to find myself beyond the precipice
Still hiding from the lions, keeping secrets from myself
Searching for my virtues in somebody else
The greatest expectation to commit somehow
But all the dreams I had are someone else’s now
And fortitude has led to me to this place I’m in
I’m resisting the attrition to fall out and fall in
Never thought that all my deeds would come to this
Staring deep and deeper into the abyss
And it’s all that I can do to just resist
Falling out
To fall out
And fall in
Drawing Pictures
Beauty be a stormy sea
Wishing, washing over me
When I feel like there’s nothing left to be
Well then my friend, I draw a picture
Beauty lies in strangers’ eyes
They see more than you realise
When I feel like I need a new disguise
Well then my friend, I draw a picture
So watching for the point at where the world still spins
As it merges in the mist with where the rest of it begins
I sit and count my blessings
And forget about my sins
And then my friend, I draw a picture
Oh Brother
Oh brother
I’d know that hand from any other
Lay me down on borrowed time
As the kids fall into line
To another
Another world averse to go my brother
See you on the other side
Cross my heart and hope to survive
Lost at Sea
© 2014 The Reads
Drowned
Can’t start crying, if you do you’ll never stop,
Every river, every ocean starts with just a single drop,
When the water hits the measure, when the measure hits the ground,
We’ll be sinking, we’ll be swimming, we’ll both of us be drowned.
Lost at Sea
‘It’s great to be lost at sea’, she said, he smiled and said ‘it is’
She wallowed in the thoughts that though her own, were also his
‘What are you thinking?’ she asked him, ‘as you’re looking out to sea’
‘Not a single thing’ he answered, she said ‘same as me’
So they stood in silence as the tide crept to the bay
She turned to him and said ‘it’s time I made my way’
She offered out her hand to shake and he too offered it
‘It’s great to be lost at sea’, she said, ‘it is’ he said, ‘it is’ she said, ‘it is…’
Scarlet
Sing a little Scarlet, like the way you used to do,
When the room was filled with empty, I would hum a little too,
And the house would sound of merry, not the way it’s sitting now,
Sing to me Scarlet, if you’d just remember how.
Dance a little Scarlet, like we did all summer long,
I would strum the ukulele and you’d sing another song,
And the evening would be heady, with the light of mi amore,
Dance with me Scarlet, as you danced with me before.
Play a little Scarlet, oh you used to play so well,
You’d cover me in music with the stories you would tell,
And we’d dance barefoot for hours, as though every step were new,
Play for me Scarlet, like the way you used to do.
Like the way you used to do, if you’d just remember…..
Haunted
Of all the folk that have me watching, I’ll be watching you the most
Leading, leading by the heart, still haunted by the ghost
Warnings that are heeded with a touch of disregard
Strengthening believing that not all the folk are tarred
Complications prove again temptation opens doors
Forging expectations, but are mine the same as yours?
Feeling, feeling spoiled like a painting in the rain
How can I be easy so in watching you again?
Love or be Loved
Love or be loved, kill or be killed
Hurt or be hurt, thrill or be thrilled
Take or be taken, break or be broken
Love or be loved, kill or be killed
Win or be won, sell or be sold
Be or become, tell or be told
Speak without lying, do or die trying
Love or be loved, kill or be killed
Love and be killed…
Counting Your Greys
Lay with me my dear, as the end draws near
In a year or two, I promise you, will fall the last tear
Fear nothing else but time, for time she marches on
Endless as a never setting sun.
I tell you, you will miss me, miss me when I’m gone
Share my praise and my sentimental ways
Smile everyday while you’re counting, counting your greys
Honour your promises, every single one
Offer your love to those who’ve known none
Remember me fondly my beautiful son
I told you, I told you, you would miss me, you’d miss me when I’m gone
Schnitzler
Some things are better left unsaid, when you are seeing, seeing red
Some things are better put to bed, when you are seeing red, when you are seeing red
When you are losing your head, some things are better left unsaid, some things are better left
If natures waking call, hits like a big tree falling, hits like a big tree falling, hits like a big tree
What you’ve got to ask yourself, what you’ve got to ask yourself, what you’ve got to ask yourself
Is it gonna hit you?
Some things are better left undone when fury’s blackness has begun
Some things are better left to run, when blackness has begun, when blackness has begun
When all your red mists are spun, some things are better left undone, some things are better left
If natures waking call, hits like a big tree falling, hits like a big tree falling, hits like a big tree
What you’ve got to ask yourself, what you’ve got to ask your self, what you’ve got to ask yourself
Is it gonna hit you?
Some things are better left unknown, without true colours being shown
Some things are better left alone, without true colours shown, without true colours shown
When anger’s seeds have been sown, some things are better left unknown, some things are better left
If natures waking call, hits like a big tree falling, hits like a big tree falling, hits like a big tree
What you’ve got to ask yourself, what you’ve got to ask your self, what you’ve got to ask yourself
Is it gonna hit you?
Shifting Sands
Make no plans, because it’s out of your hands
All eyes on the horizon, as the desert spans
You can weather the storms and you can tether the strands
But you cannot build a fortress over shifting sands
There’s roses in the briar, there’s fires in the sky
But when the stars conspire and the tethers untie
Then pray for your existence and the courage it lends
To start again
Make no bones about the earthly unknowns
All eyes on the horizon, as the river roams
You can ferry the boulders and make merry the drones
But you cannot build a fortress over shifting stones
There’s roses in the briar, there’s fires in the sky
But when the stars conspire and the tethers untie
Then pray for your existence and the courage it lends
To start again
Spitting Feathers
I am the shoes in black and white that wear the cobbled carpet thin
Walked the steps that’s been to Bedlam, been to bed and back again
Time ill spent in cordoned quarters, occupation of my sins
Crawling walls of vehement boredom, time ill spent I’m cashing in
Call for all, restoring order, heady pleasure course my veins
Rain applause, the medicine that resonates my one sustain
Spirits high north of the border, drunk, disordered, far from dry
A few more laughs will loosen bruises, a few more jars and there go I
Nectar sweet, my velveteen dreams
Through the smoke you’ll see me stepping, seeing double, seeing stars
Skyclad ‘cept for wearing thin and skin that’s baring many scars
Nectar sweet, my velveteen dreams
Nectar sweet, my velveteen schemes
Stories from the Border
© 2011 The Reads
Good Omens
And so I’ll wait to see what happens over time
And so I’ll wait for all the words to realign
And so I’ll wait for what’s to be done to be done
And so I’ll wait and hope that truth will overcome
And so I’ll wait to see what changes over time
And so I’ll wait for all the world to realign
And so I’ll wait for what’s to be done will be done
And so I’ll wait and hope that love will overcome
And think that love will overcome
And know that love will overcome
So I’ll wait to see what happens
We can wait for all the word
So I’ll wait to see what happens
Cos we know that love will overcome
We can wait to see what changes
We can wait for all the world
So we’ll wait to see what happens
And we can wait for all the world
Twelve lines of Life
The means to the end depends, my transient friend
On the burdens that we carry and the time that we may lend
To the battles of distinction through the ever changing trends
And the challenge as it rises and the chance as it descends
Surviving to the end depends, my transient friend
On conventions that you follow and on rules that you might bend
On rivals you may ambush and on loves you will defend
On family you occupy and them that you call friends
Your making in the end depends, my transient friend
On whether you enamour or whether you offend
On the actions you encourage and the message that they send
And on forces underlying that you cannot comprehend
Broken Backs
Well I’ve broken backs, left blood in my tracks, I’ve ripped at every seam
Like the children chasing after sheroes, I will chase the dream
And these insects on the windscreen, only in it for the ride
And when I start, start stepping high, well they’d better step aside.
Well you’ve broken bids, left blood in your midst, you’ve tipped validity
And you’ve raised some brow, no catching you now, a trailing reverie
And these insects on the windscreen, they’re just in it for the ride
When I start, start stepping high, well you’d better step aside
Gotta show now, gotta go now, See the grandioso shine
Hedonistic in demeanour, hedonistic by design
Gotta show yeah, gotta go yeah, see the crazy diamond shine
As he cuts another record, then he cuts another line
The Soil Life
Realise this – shying from the age old truth
Only stokes the burning embers of your youth
‘97, easy Summers come and go
If you listened then you’d know what I know
Bet you didn’t think you’d heed my wisdom shared
Bite the bullet, Autumn whispers, be prepared
27 easy summer come and gone
Did you ever wish you’d done what I’d done?
And you will be hearing this all your life
You won’t be able to sleep at night
A.M.B
Precious are the conversations
Talking through the years too few
Treasured are the pictures taken
When we are but passing through
Colourful the memories
Of a presence we will miss so much
Eternal is the light they leave
In every single life they touch
Inside every testimony
Lies the strength of words unspoken
Offering no boundary
Verifying truths unbroken
Elder of a million faces
Younger still though than it’s lines
Over every affirmation
Under every breath of mine
Nothing Bound
Nothing says you shall be bound
To places few or near around
As far as you may wish to seek
Will fondly then of memories speak
Of places where the sky is found
Allowing those with nothing bound
Step I. Find the sun,
Step 2. Love the blue,
Step 3. Under tree,
Step 4. Open the door,
Step 5. Come alive
Step 6. Match and mix,
Step 7. Found my…
When the boat sets sail from bay
It will return with much to say
Of wonders such are rarely seen
A’ farred from the old routine
Of people met and friendships found
For those who are with nothing bound
But now I know that I have found
I am the one with nothing bound
Galaxy Egg
Long time, forty mile, I can see it now
Long time, forty mile, I can see it now
In your tower high we used to wait for the sun
Wet road, street light, white lines
Won’t you be my friend, so I can feel again
Far into the night I felt you falling away
And I remember you, sleeping in on a Sunday afternoon
Chunky Truffle
Advocacy’s destiny harbours a song
That rises and pushes and carries along
Teachings of preachers to join and belong
Fighting for rights when the rights are so wrong
Numbness the dumbing that’s soothing the sting
Deceptive perception changes every thing
Ruling the roost on a prayer, on a wing
Tainting the state from the outside in
Teachings of preachers, joining and belonging
Fighting for rights when rights are wrong
Deceptive perception changes nothing
It just kicks and it pulls and it throws us along
Avalon
At long, long last, how green is the grass
That feathers the steps down the roads I pass
And sees through the soul just like looking through glass
Oh Avalon
Tempers accosted by a friend long lost
Who’s mirrored the steps down the paths I’ve crossed
And melted my heart of this perpetual frost
Oh Avalon
Cast adrift while the cosmos slipped
As we wander the worlds of the fields unkept
Bringing out the best of the last ones left
Oh Avalon
Turn this leaf and see what’s up our sleeves
As we travel this journey of burning beliefs
And we all fall down as the last one leaves
Oh Avalon
A vagrant home from homeliness, Caliburn’s decree
A wild escape from loneliness, a soul set suddenly free
A vagrant home from homeliness, Caliburn’s decree
A wild escape from loneliness, a soul set suddenly free
Orange Days
From the briefest of meetings, fleeting, almost missed
Your blessed us with your warmth and much more you taught us this
Live without fear, live life full and live it fast
Live every waking moment as if it might just be your last
With very scrape and tumble, with every scratch and sore
Know that there are others who have suffered so much more
Grasp every opportunity tight in your fist
And don’t you let it go ‘til you can tick it of your list
So I promise you will every tune I play on my old guitar
I will always try to be the man that you are
And I’ll share with them your melodies, share with them your songs
And they’ll keep it in their hearts, right where it belongs
The Rock
Strength and all it’s masters, sails the ebb and flow
Avoiding the disasters of the land below
Faith and all its teachers, promises the sky
And tries in vain to reach us, before the end is nigh
The rock, she is my shoulder
The rock, she holds the sea
With every stone and boulder
She watches me
The rock, she is my stable
She hides and homes the free
With every cave and cradle
Weathered like me
Supersaver Return (hidden poem)
Announcement to passengers on platform 5, awaiting the 6.23 to arrive,
This service, I’m sorry, will be half an hour late
And due to staff shortage, now departs platform 8
Please collect all belongings, have your tickets at hand
The buffet car’s closed, be expected to stand
The 6.10 connection to Crewe, platform 4
Is cancelled, defunct, retrograde — it’s no more
In fact, maintenance contracts and leaves on the line
Means practically nothing this morning is on time.
The overpriced café avails coffee and scones
But the toilets are vandalised, as are the phones
On behalf of the staff here at Bidston Street Station
I wish you good luck reaching your destination
And extend our apologies for any delay
See you 5.34, have a nice day!