Words and music by Eytan Mirsky. All voices and instruments by Rad Venture.

My version of a great song by Eytan Mirsky. Recorded in Lockdown Xmas 2020 after 6 glasses of mulled wine. See the video at https://youtu.be/Da40G0X6x_I

The Only Present I Want This Year

LYRICS:
Ev'rytime I see you it makes me wonder why
Ev'rytime you're near me my hope begins to die
And when you're away for more than one day
My heart wonders why you can't stay

Ev'rytime I touch you I want you more and more
Ev'rytime you kiss me I want to break the law
Can't you see this is how it's meant to be?
Can't you see like I do?

Ev'rytime____  Ev'rytime you're near me
Ev'rytime____  Ev'rytime you're near me
Oh___ oh

Ev'rytime I see you it makes me wonder why
Ev'rytime you're near me my hope begins to die     
But you don't care, you're hardly ever there
No you don't care about me

Ev'rytime____  Ev'rytime you're near me (yeh yeh)
Ev'rytime____  Ev'rytime you're near me (yeh yeh)
Ev'rytime____  Ev'rytime you're near me (yeh yeh)
Ev'rytime____  Ev'rytime you're near me

Words and music by David Turner & John Salway. © 1982, 2024. All Rights Reserved.

I originally wrote this in Sydney, only a week after moving away from home for the first time. It was my attempt at writing a Merseybeat number. It was a fave during The Cybermen days, but John Salway rejected it for the original Reasons Why until he re-wrote the lyrics with me in August 1982 and we re-titled the song "Reasons For You To Stay". The original song resurfaced in Prodigal Sons four years later. I re-wrote the tune in 2024 and here we are.

Ev'rytime (You're Near)

LYRICS:
I heard some people talking
They were saying things about me
They called me 'sentimental'
And then went on to doubt me
And before too long they wrote me off completely
But I cannot understand how they can put me down so sweetly

I heard the names they called me
And the things they said I'd done
They said I lacked motivation
And could not be counted on
And before too long in the course of conversation
My jury had passed judgement          
Blaming me for the state of the love-struck nation

And you ask me not to give you all that 'love' stuff
And you tell me not to tell you how I feel
Am I so weak? Am I a fool?
Well who died and made you cool?
It's not just me
It's the state of the love-struck nation

I heard them all condemn me
As they weaved their lies about me
They called me 'over sensitive'
And said they'd be better off without me
And before too long they wrote me off completely
Yet I still can't understand how they can kiss me off so sweetly

And you ask me not to give you all that 'love' stuff
And you tell me not to tell you how I feel
Am I so weak? Am I a fool?
Well who died and made you cool?
It's not just me
It's the state of the love-struck nation

Well you're so sensible 
and you think you've got the answers
But you've never heard the songs and you've never seen the dances

Still you ask me not to give you all that 'love' stuff
And you tell me not to tell you how I feel
Am I so weak? Am I a fool?
Well who died and made you cool?
It's not just me
It's the state of the love-struck nation

Well you say you're the love-struck nation
It's the state of the love-struck nation

Words and music by David Turner. © 2024 All Rights Reserved.

I was inspired to write and record this song by Glenn Prangnell's fabulous Groovy Uncle project (https://soundcloud.com/groovyuncle) and the sublime vocals of his collaborator Suzi Chunk (https://soundcloud.com/suzichunk).

The State Of The Love-Struck Nation

LYRICS:
Sometimes I sit and cry all because of her
Life's not as sweet as it could be
But then I look around and I realise that I
Have never tried to stop and see
Add sugar to my pain, feels better in my brain
And keeps me thinking I'm okay
And is it someone's fault if sugar turns to salt?
I'll live to love another day

That's life (That's Life) and there's nothing you can do
It all ends the same for me and you
That's life (That's Life) and there's nothing you can do 
It all ends the same for me and you

I've often wondered why we live until we die
The clock won't ever start again
And when the clock winds down and gold fades into brown
I will never see you then
So add sugar to my pain, feels better in my brain
And keeps me thinking I'm okay
And is it someone's fault if sugar turns to salt?
I'll live to love another day

That's life (That's Life) and there's nothing you can do
It all ends the same for me and you
That's life (That's Life) and there's nothing you can do
It all ends the same for me and you

So when I sit and cry all because of her
And life's not as sweet as it could be
I try to realise there are other things to do
Life's not as long as it could be
Add sugar to your pain, feels better in your brain
And makes you feel like you're okay
And is it someone's fault if sugar turns to salt?
You'll live to die another day

That's life (That's Life) and there's nothing you can do
It all ends the same for me and you
That's life (That's Life) and there's nothing you can do
It all ends the same for me and you

That's life (That's Life) and there's nothing you can do
It all ends the same for me and you
That's life (That's Life) and there's nothing you can do
It all ends the same for me and you

The apple of life is bitter
You've already bitten on it
And somewhere down the line
There's a box with your name written on it
That's life!

Words and music by David Turner. © 2024 All Rights Reserved.

Another of my Merseybeat-inspired songs. Written with deep love for Gerry Marsden, Billy J Kramer and all the Liverpudlians who provided the soundtrack to my younger years.

That's Life (Sugar Turns To Salt)

LYRICS:
If it rains one more time today
I'm gonna jump out of the window
It's bad enough I have your letter here
I'm in a correspondence limbo
And the clouds are forming shapes outside
And they all remind me of you
How very strange I feel
All my bridges are burning

Everything is so un-groovy
Like an out-take from a B-grade movie
I could travel to Jerusalem to cleanse my sins
But I can't build those bridges back again

All my bridges are burning

Whatever happened to Rupert the Bear?
He was a friend of mine a long time ago
It's hard enough to make it day-to-day
With the world outside my window
And my mind is mainly made of memories
And they all say I'm a fool
How very strange I feel
All my bridges are burning

Everything is just like voodoo
When I think of stupid things that you do
I could travel to another place to hide what I've done 
But I can't now all my bridges are gone

All my bridges are burning

Everything is so un-groovy
Like an out-take from a B-grade movie
I could travel to Jerusalem to cleanse my sins
But I can't build those bridges back again

All my bridges are burning
All my bridges are burning
All my bridges are burning
All my bridges are burning

Words and music by David Turner. © 1987, 2024 All Rights Reserved.

All My Bridges Are Burning

LYRICS:
I should have stayed awake last night
Then it would be alright, it would be alright
I should have stayed awake last night
Then it would be alright this morning

In her fingerless gloves and white leather jacket
She walked away in the night
But the thing that really eats me up
She's gone back to the man who beats me up
I get the feeling she's done this a million times before
Like some kind of drug

I should have kissed her one more time
Then it would all be fine, it would all be fine
Yeh I should have kissed her one more time
Then she would still be mine this morning

In her fingerless gloves and white leather jacket
She walked away  in the night
But the thing that really eats me up
She's gone back to the man who beats me up
I get the feeling she's done this a million times before
Like some kind of drug

She said she didn't love him
She didn't even trust him
And since she's been with me
She hasn't even missed him
But she's gone back again like some kind of drug

I should have stayed awake last night
And held you tight, held you so tight
Yeh I should have stayed awake last night
Then it would be alright this morning
I would have had some kind of warning

In her fingerless gloves and white leather jacket
She walked away  in the night
But the thing that really eats me up
She's gone back to the man who beats me up
I get the feeling she's done this a million times before
Like some kind of drug
Like some kind of drug

 Words and music by David Turner. © 1987, 2024. All Rights Reserved.

Some Kind Of Drug

LYRICS:
Wake up, go outside or stay at home 'cause I don't mind
You have all the colours on your side
It's nice to meet you but it's nicer still to eat you
These are feelings that I cannot hide

That's human hamburger madness
You can eat it here or take it all away
That's human hamburger madness
Save the juicy bits for another day

Cut and chop and eat it while it's warm and you will find
A human heart is worth its weight in gold
Why should I mince words when I could mince you instead?
Mormon do as Mormon see I'm told

That's human hamburger madness
You can eat it here or take it all away
That's human hamburger madness
Save the juicy bits for another day

That's human hamburger madness
You can eat it here or take it all away
That's human hamburger madness
Save the juicy bits for another day

Words and Music by David Turner © 1986, 2024. All Rights Reserved.

While I was in Prodigal Sons (1986) I was asked to write the title track for a Super-8 "splatter" movie being made for the Sydney Super-8 Film Festival. I was simply told the title ("Human Hamburger Madness") and that the film was essentially about cannibalism, drug-soaked human flesh and Mormons! 

I wrote the lyrics on the morning we filmed the song and had to read them from cue cards in the movie. The song became a big crowd favourite at Prodigal Sons gigs.

There's a clip of the original version from the movie here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TouoII6LxrI

This big band version was recorded 38 years later (!) in 2024.

Human Hamburger Madness (Big Band Version)

LYRICS:
Three small words roll off your tongue
You say those words to everyone
Well I know where you are hiding
And I know what you have done
And I know I'm lucky now that you have gone

Those small words rolled off your tongue
You told the same lie to everyone
But I know what you are doing
I know what those words can do
So I'll never ever say those words to you

Don't send me letters, don't call me on the phone
You should know well enough to leave well enough alone
'Cause I don't want to talk to you
And I don't want to see you again

Don't call me, (Don't call me) don't call me
Don't call me, (Don't call me) don't call me

Three small words flow from your pen
I won't believe those words again
'Cause I know what you've been hiding
And I know what you have done
And I feel so lucky now that you have gone

Don't send me letters, don't call me on the phone
You should know well enough to leave well enough alone
'Cause I don't want to talk to you
And I don't want to see you again

Don't call me, (Don't call me) don't call me
Don't call me, (Don't call me) don't call me

Don't call me, (Don't call me) don't call me
Don't call me, (Don't call me) don't call me
Don't call me, (Don't call me) don't call me
Don't call me, (Don't call me) don't call me
Don't call me , no no no

Another song for my Merseybeat tribute LP. I began writing this at Clovelly in NSW (Australia) in 1987 and finished it in 2024 in Norfolk, England.

Words and music by David Turner. © 1987, 2024 All Rights Reserved.

Don't Call Me

LYRICS:
Take it from me, you're not alone,
It's hard to believe you're on your own,
Take a look back, what have you missed?,
All the temptations you couldn't resist

Make up your mind, it's not too late,
You've got no time to sit and wait,
Take a look back, what have you done?
Sacrificed so much just to have fun

Remember one thing, (remember this one thing)
When you're gone, you're a long time gone,
Remember this thing, (remember this one thing)
It will be too late tomorrow

Take it from me, you're not alone,
It's hard to believe you're on your own,
Take a look back, what have you seen?
So many places that you've never been

Remember one thing,  (remember this one thing)
When you're gone you're a long time gone,
Remember this thing, (remember this one thing)
It will be too late tomorrow

Remember one thing,  (remember this one thing)
When you're gone you're a long time gone,
Remember this thing, (remember this one thing)
It will be too late tomorrow

Remember one thing,  (remember this one thing)
When you're gone, you're a long time gone,
Remember this thing, (remember this one thing)
It will be too late tomorrow,
It will be too late tomorrow,
It will be too late tomorrow

Words and music by David Turner. © 1989, 2024. All Rights Reserved.

Too Late Tomorrow

LYRICS:
There's a girl standing in the corner
And she keeps staring at me
She says, "if the cards are right I could be yours tonight"
"Boy be friendly to me"

She's kinda tall and her face is a picture
And she does something to me
She says, "If the feeling's right you could be feeling me tonight"
"Boy be friendly to me"

Boy be friendly
Treat me like you care
Touch me gently
I can get the other kind anywhere
Boy, boy be friendly
Boy be friendly to me

She has the look of a woman with a thousand scars
And with those vacant staring eyes
She says, "I know I'm not much but I'll awaken to your touch"
"Boy be friendly to me"

Boy be friendly
Treat me like you care
Touch me gently
I can get the other kind anywhere
Boy, boy be friendly
Boy be friendly to me

She makes her money between her legs
And spends it all up her arm
But if you lead her in the right direction
She will show you all of her charm

Boy be friendly
Treat me like you care
Touch me gently
I can get the other kind anywhere
Boy, boy be friendly
Boy be friendly to me

Boy be friendly
Treat me like you care
Touch me gently
I can get the other kind anywhere
Boy, boy be friendly
Boy be friendly to me
Boy, boy be friendly
Boy be friendly to me

Words and music by David Turner. © 2024 All Rights Reserved.

Boy Be Friendly

Too Late Tomorrow (Reprise)

LYRICS:
It's Saturday night and the music is loud
And I'm looking for you in the usual crowd
Let's dance, it's better than going home
Fat chance, I'll spend another night alone

Another Saturday night, (Saturday)
Another Saturday night, (Saturday)
Pretty young girls everywhere but none of them for me

I've been waiting all week in the usual way
Just waiting for one more Saturday
Let's dance, it's better than going home
Fat chance, I'll spend another night alone

Another Saturday night, (Saturday)
Another Saturday night, (Saturday)
Pretty young girls everywhere but none of them for me

Saturday, Saturday (Saturday)
Saturday, Saturday (Saturday)
Another Saturday night

[BREAK]

The same old sounds, the same old sights
The same old boring Saturday nights
Let's dance, don't wanna spend tonight alone
Fat chance, I might as well have stayed at home

Another Saturday night, (Saturday)
Another Saturday night, (Saturday)
Pretty young girls everywhere but none of them for me

Saturday, Saturday, (Saturday)
Saturday, Saturday, (Saturday)
Another Saturday night

Saturday, Saturday, (Saturday)
Saturday, Saturday, (Saturday)
Another Saturday night,
The same old boring Saturday fights again

Words and music by David Turner. © 1984, 2024. All Rights Reserved.

Another Saturday Night

LYRICS:
I couldn't ever stand to cry because of you
So tell me everything, yeh everything you do
Just treat me right and I will give you anything
But never share your suffering

You only need to see me when you want to baby
It's for you to decide
Just never tell me lies or hurt me baby
'cause I don't want to cry

Don't blame me just because I've done it all before
Don't hurt me, I just couldn't take it anymore
Be good to me and I will always be around
But never bring me down

You only need to see me when you want to baby
It's for you to decide
Just never tantalise or hug me baby
'cause I don't want to cry

There are some things you should know about
There are some things I should tell you

You only need to see me when you want to baby
It's for you to decide
Just never tell me lies or hurt me baby
'cause I don't want to cry

There are some things you should know about
There are some things I should tell you

'cause I don't ever want to cry
I don't ever want to cry
I don't ever want to cry over you
I don't ever want to cry
I don't ever want to cry
Don't you ever make me cry over you

Words and music by David Turner. © 1986, 2024. All Rights Reserved.

I Dont Want To Cry (Shoop Shoop Version)

Lyrics:
Saw you on TV yesterday
and though I tried to turn away
I sat and stared and wondered how you were
I thought that maybe I should call
Would you remember me at all?
And if I phoned you now, would you still care?

Olivia, So many things I'd like to say to you
Olivia, So many things I'd love to do with you, with you
Makes me wish I'd never said goodbye

I keep your photo in a frame
and friends who see it ask your name
I tell them you were someone that I knew
They say how beautiful you are
and then I wonder where you are
And I long to spend another night with you

Olivia, So many things I'd like to say to you
Olivia, So many things I'd love to do with you, with you
Makes me wish I'd never said goodbye

I wish I'd realised back then
Just how beautiful you are
I had no way of knowing how I'd miss you
And long to kiss you

Olivia, So many things I'd like to say to you
Olivia, So many things I'd love to do with you, with you
Makes me wish I'd never said goodbye

Olivia, So many things I'd like to say to you
Olivia, So many things I'd like to do with you
Makes me wish I'd never said goodbye

Words and music by David Turner. © 1988, 2024. All Rights Reserved.

Olivia

I wrote this for Prodigal Sons back in 1986. We used to play it at 100MPH. I slowed it down and gave it a sprinkle of my Jellyfish obsession for this 2024 recording.

LYRICS:
I don't wanna hear your lies
I don't wanna take them home tonight
I only wanna ask you why
You do the things you do
Does it mean that much to you?
Is there nothing I can do?

You're making fools of all your friends
You're telling lies to every one of them
Tell me will it ever end
This game you like to play?
Has it always been this way?
Is there nothing I can say?

Tell me the aim of the game
Tell me the aim of the game
That you're playing

I don't wanna see you cry
So won't you tell me the reason why
You never let a day go by
Without spinning some new line
The truth to undermine
Is it really by design?

Tell me the aim of the game
Tell me the aim of the game
That you're playing

[BREAK]

I don't wanna . . .
No I don't wanna . . .
I only wanna . . .
To hear the things you do
Does it mean that much to you?
Is there nothing I can do?

Tell me the aim of the game
Tell me the aim of the game
That you're playing
Tell me the aim of the game
Tell me the aim of the game
The one you're playing now

Copyright © 1986, 2024 Rad Venture. All Rights Reserved. Words & Music by Rad Venture.

The Aim Of The Game

LYRICS:
You left school at Seventeen and wanted to be somebody
Two years later you'd gone nowhere, working in a factory
You recovered then got married and slowly shut the closing door
And though you said you loved her madly you felt worse off than before

Nine months later you're a father to a bouncing baby girl
The edge grows closer every day as you grow weary of the world
Words like "Daddy" don't mean anything, all night long it drives you mad
All alone at number 19, things got worse, yeh things got bad

You thought you were big
You thought you were good
You thought you were everything
Now you're six feet under pushing up daisies

Bored to death from going nowhere, family drives you up the wall
Feel the rope grow slowly tighter, now's the time to end it all
Your epitaph will soon grow moldy, now's the time to end it all
No one left to read it anyway, now's the time to end it all

You thought you were big
You thought you were good
You thought you were everything
Now you're six feet under pushing up daisies

You thought you were big
You thought you were good
You thought you were everything
Now you're six feet under pushing up daisies
Down where the sun don't shine


Pushing up daisies
Pushing up daisies
Pushing up daisies
Pushing up daisies

Words and music by David Turner. © 1986, 2024. All Rights Reserved.

Written in 1986 during a Prodigal Sons rehearsal. This song is not about suicide. It’s about the attitude of a 20-something young man (that’s how old I was when I wrote the lyrics in 1986) feeling hemmed in by marriage and parenthood. Forty years later, I have to say that marriage and family are great.

But if you are having suicidal thoughts, please reach out to one of the organisations below. If you need someone to talk to, they listen. They won’t judge or tell you what to do.

UK: https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/
USA: https://988lifeline.org/
Australia: https://www.lifeline.org.au/
All other countries: http://www.suicide.org/international-suicide-hotlines.html

Pushing Up Daisies

LYRICS:
Once you wore your hair cut shorter
And you tickled the ivories
And there wasn’t much to notice
So you didn’t notice me
I was drinking, fighting, proving my worth
What was I trying to prove? What on earth?

But don’t get me wrong
I have few regrets
The man who can’t get what he wants
Learns to want what he gets

From the sister of my best friend
To the object of my desire
From a girl who made me tongue-tied
To a girl who set me on fire
There were times when I tried hard to impress you
And times I must admit I wanted to undress you

But don’t get me wrong
A man soon forgets
The man who can’t get what he wants
Learns to want what he gets

And though your haircut contradicted
The grace and charm that I saw there
You still gave away your very best years
To a man who did not care
And some nights as you slept
I know your mother wept
And there were many times that I wept too
I wept for you

Don’t get me wrong
I have few regrets
The man who can’t get what he wants
Learns to want what he gets

So now my heart is on my sleeve
And my foot is in my mouth
And you’ve made me feel so funny that it’s scary
I did not expect to feel
The way you’ve made me feel
But when you smile at me my legs just crumble

But don’t get me wrong
I have few regrets
The man who can’t get what he wants
Learns to want what he gets

Words and Music by David Turner. © 1987, 2024. All Rights Reserved.

Originally written in 1987 (hence the title). I kept the lyrics and re-arranged the music and arrangement for this 2024 release. For BKJ.

Love Song '87

LYRICS:
Look, it’s written on my face
I’m saving her a place
And I’ll save it for a long time
Laugh about me if you will
I’ll save it for her still
There is no doubt in my mind

I need her, I need her
I know you don’t believe her
But I know her, I’ll show her
That I am saving her a place

Time heals time and time again
But will it feel the same
If I save it for a long time?
Things go better when she’s there
And I’ve got the time to spare
So I’ll save that place a long, long time

I need her, I need her
I know you don’t believe her
But I know her, I’ll show her
That I am saving her a place

I need her, and I don’t think I can stand it
She’s leaving me branded
And plagued, plagued by her memory

I need her, I need her
I know you don’t believe her
But I know her, I’ll show her
That I am saving her a place

I need her, I need her
I know you don’t
I know her, I’ll show her
That I am saving her a place

Words and Music by David Turner. © 1984, 2024. All Rights Reserved.

A song written initially in Balmain (Sydney) in 1984 and re-written and rearranged for this 2024 recording.

Saving Her a Place

LYRICS:
I love a girl she's really kinda messed up
But boy you wanna see her when she's dressed up
I think about her face a thousand times a day

She is the kind of girl you can depend on
The only kinda girl you'll ever need a friend from
She only has to smile to blow my mind away

From Camperdown to Cammeray
I thought about her all the way
She's a sunflower

She makes my life so sunny and breezy
Easy peasy lemon squeezy
I think about her face a thousand times a day

If she finds the world is growing colder
I will always offer her my shoulder
She only has to smile to blow my mind away

From Camperdown to Cammeray
I thought about her all the way
She's a sunflower

From Camperdown to Cammeray
I thought about her all the way
She's a sunflower

From Camperdown to Cammeray
I thought about her all the way
She's a sunflower

Words and Music by David Turner. © 2024. All Rights Reserved.

Note: Camperdown and Cammeray are suburbs of Sydney, Australia, which is where I wrote this song. It's a 20-minute drive between the two suburbs over the Harbour Bridge. Maybe an hour in traffic.

She's a Sunflower

LYRICS:
Yesterday I saw you in the street
With friends so indiscrete
And obviously you needed me
I came across, what had I to lose?
We talked about the latest news
And you took a shine to me

The boys didn't like what they heard
Well I've been around a lot
But I never learned the art of social graces
And I didn't think about the consequences
Ooh-ooh

It's a fact when you meet a stranger
Generally there is no danger
And we went from strength to strength
We went along, both of us so young and excited
Then I looked around not so delighted
We never left the age of pain

Now I've got a wife plus one
Well I thought I loved you
Back then I saw my life stretched out ahead
But now I see it all burnt out instead
Ooh-ooh

I don't like the way time flies
But then who does?
I don't like the way time flies

Yesterday I saw you in the street
Your friends still indiscrete
They told me that you still needed me
I came across, nothing left to lose
We talked about the local news
And you still remembered me

Now I've got a wife plus one
Well I thought I loved you
Back then I saw my life stretched out ahead
But now I see it all burnt out instead
Ooh-ooh

I don't like the way time flies
But then who does?
I don't like the way time flies

I don't like the way time flies
But then who does?
I don't like the way time flies
But then who does?

I don't like the way time
I don't like the way time
I don't like the way time flies

I don't like the way time flies
But then who does?
I don't like the way time flies
But then who does?

I don't like the way time
I don't like the way time
Time flies like an arrow
I don't like the way time
Time flies like an arrow
I don't like the way time
Time flies like an arrow
I don't like the way time
Fruit flies like a banana

Words and Music by David Turner. © 1983, 2024. All Rights Reserved.

This is a song I originally wrote for The Movies and ended up playing live with Prodigal Sons a few times (albeit in a different arrangement). It was originally inspired by The Jam – not that you would know that now.

(I Don't Like) The Way Time Flies

LYRICS:
Could you come over tonight?
There's no one here but me
Please tell me it's alright
Think how good it could be

Just last night I was dreaming
I think it's time and you should know
I realise what I'm saying     
I think it's time that we let go

We could go all the way tonight
I just need you to know
You can trust me, it's alright
I'll show you where to go

And now that summer's coming
I think it's time I let you know
Why stop it happening?    
I think it's time that we let go

Take my heart and turn it inside out
There's something in the air, the time is right
Oh yeah

Could you come over tonight?
There's no one here but me
Please tell me it's alright
Think how good it could be

Just last night I was dreaming
I think it's time and you should know
I realise what I'm saying
I think it's time that we let go

So let go - let it drop
I think it's time
And when I start I just can't stop
I think it's time that we let go

Words and Music by David Turner. © 1984, 2024. All Rights Reserved.

I Think It's Time

Fog On The Mersey

LYRICS:
He packed his clothes in a plastic bag
And walked in the rain to the train
She’d be sorry she hurt him
He’d never come back here again
When she woke up to find he was gone
She’d be crushed to the bone, and she’d know she was wrong

But things don’t always go as planned
Within a week she had another man
And he’s starting now to understand
How it hurts to grow from a boy to a man

All the things he had learned in school
Never prepared him for this
They just taught him to spell well
Though he always found ignorance bliss
But they said if he worked very hard
He’d have a home of his own and a wife and a credit card

Things don’t always go as planned
Within a week she had another man
And he’s starting now to understand
How it hurts to grow from a boy to a man

And he cannot cry
It would not look good
They breed them tough
In his neighbourhood
It’s just the little things that make him think of her now
Like everything he sees
and everything he touches

(Break)

Things don’t always go as planned
Within a week she had another man
And he’s starting now to understand
How it hurts to grow from a boy to a man

Yeah he’s starting now to understand
How it hurts to grow from a boy to a man
How it hurts to grow from a boy to a man
How it hurts to grow from a boy to a man

Words and music by David Turner. © 1987, 2024. All Rights Reserved.

This was an attempt to improve my lyrics following my meetings with Billy Bragg in 1987. Written mainly on a platform at Hurstville Station in Sydney (Australia).

From a Boy to A Man

LYRICS:
I wish I hadn't heard you say the things you said
I wish I hadn't let them get inside my head
'Cause now we're sitting here so close together
Only this time we're just friends

We talked it to death crying on the telephone
All those lonely nights when he would drink at home
And all those things you used to say behind my back
You're now saying to my face

And there's nowhere I can hide
No secret place
I can't run, although I've tried
No secret place
No secret place

I always thought that you would be above it all
To take a man so high just to watch him fall
But if you drag me down, I'll take you with me
You don't get out easily

I wish I hadn't heard you say the things you said
I wish I hadn't let them get inside my head
And all those things you used to say behind my back
You're now saying to my face

And there's nowhere I can hide
No secret place
I can't run, though I have tried
No secret place
I've got no secret place

I hope I never ever see your face again . . .

Words and music by David Turner. © 1985, 2024. All Rights Reserved.

I wrote this song for Prodigal Sons in 1985. We played it much faster and with a completely different arrangement back then. Only the lyrics remain in this 2024 recorded version (which channels a little bit of Freddie Mercury and Queen).

No Secret Place

LYRICS:
I wandered home in desperation
While the three-minute standstill* swept the nation
And I know that I always will remember
That first Tuesday in November**
I won a fortune down at Flemington***
But lost all that I’d ever wanted

The Love Gestapo came around that day
I woke up dazed, and she had gone away
And I know that I never will recover
And I know I’ll never take another
Now it grows warmer every day
But I feel colder than I’ve ever been

It seems like all kinds of people love all kinds of people
It’s strange, it’s odd, it’s true
And when all kinds of trouble came down on this man
Ev’rybody left me but you

There’s nothing left now but frustration
There is no chance of a reconciliation
Now the sky will crack and crumble to the sea
And I know that this sorrow will destroy me
And I sleep my afternoons away
And wake up bathed in perspiration

It seems like all kinds of people love all kinds of people
It’s strange, it’s odd, it’s true
And when all kinds of trouble came down on this man
Ev’rybody left me but you

When she smiled and gave her love to me
It went down like a whiskey in a Willesee ****

It seems like all kinds of people love all kinds of people
It’s strange, it’s odd, it’s true
And when all kinds of trouble came down on this man
Ev’rybody left me but you

And all kinds of people love all kinds of people
It’s strange, it’s odd, it’s true
And when all kinds of trouble came down on this man
Ev’rybody left me but you
Ev’rybody left me but you
Ev’rybody, Ev’rybody, Ev’rybody, Ev’rybody
Ev’rybody left me but you

Words and music by David Turner. © 1991, 2024. All Rights Reserved.

A couple of notes of explanation about the Australian references in this song:

* “The “three-minute standstill” refers to the Melbourne Cup, an annual horse race that literally brings the whole of Australia to a standstill. The race is held over 3200m and the winner runs it in approximately three minutes (The current race record is 3:16.3, set by “Kingston Rule” in 1993).

** The Cup is always run on the first Tuesday in November.

*** The racetrack is located in the Melbourne suburb of Flemington.

**** Mike Willesee was a famous and respected television journalist and presenter in Australia. In 1989, he filled in as the host of a high-rating TV show called A Current Affair, evidently having stopped off at the local pub for a six-hour bender in preparation. Red-faced and barely coherent, he mumbled and giggled through an excruciating yet highly compelling performance which was broadcast live to air. The incident became infamous in Australia. Willesee died in Sydney in 2019, aged 76.

Ev'rybody Left Me (But You)

LYRICS:
Well when you kissed me I didn't want to go
And then you told me things I didn't need to know
So won't you tell me before I walk out the door
Won't you tell me, don't you love me no more?

Please, Please, Please
Please, Please, Please
Please!!

Well I see now where we always went wrong
Yeh I see now why I could never be strong
So won't you tell me before I leave you again
Won't you tell me, will it always be the same?

Please, Please, Please
Please, Please, Please
Please!!

You're giving me the same excuses
You're giving me the same old story
I just can't stand to stay with you
And the things that you do 

(Guitar solo)

Please, Please, Please
Please, Please, Please
Please!!

You're giving me the same excuses
You're giving me the same old story
I just can't stand to stay with you
And the things that you do 

Please, Please, Please
Please, Please, Please
Please!!

Please, Please, Please
Please, Please, Please
Please!!

Words and music by David Turner. © 2024 All Rights Reserved.

Please!!

LYRICS:
La la la la la
La la la la la

I'd see her every day on my way to work
And I'd hear her say "this guy's a jerk"
But that doesn't mean my chances end
And all I want to know is what's new in your mind?

I'd see her on the morning train
And she'd jam my head in the doors again
I tried to smile and say "hello"
But all that she could say was "what's wrong in your mind?"

Never meant to upset you
But you laughed at me anyway
Never thought that I'd get you
But I did and they put me away

La la la la la
La la la la la

I guess you could say something snapped
It's funny how it always happens like that
I know you think I went too far
And you lost your head when I lost my mind

Never meant to upset you
But you laughed at me anyway
Never thought that I'd get you
But I did and they put me away

La la la la la
La la la la la

The one mistake I made with you
Was flushing your pieces down the loo
They fixed the drain and they'll fix me
I guess I'll have to give them another piece of my mind

La la la la la
La la la la la
La la la la la
La la la la la

Words and music by David Turner & John Salway. © 1987, 2024. All Rights Reserved.

A song that John and I wrote in the kitchen of my apartment at Clovelly (Sydney) one long, strange night in 1987.

What's New In Your Mind?

LYRICS:
Every night, I close my eyes
I turn out the light, and surprise surprise
I never go to sleep

I toss and I turn, I can't unwind
I get up again and you're on my mind
I never go to sleep

And here I go thinking I ought to be asleep by now
Here I go thinking maybe I've forgotten how
I've read a thousand magazines
I've even counted sheep
Maybe I'll never go to sleep

I try again, I don't know why
The harder it gets the more I try
But I never go to sleep
I take a walk, eyes open wide
There's nothing to see outside tonight
Everything's asleep
Everything but me

To sleep perchance to dream
To dream of you again
It seems I'll never know what dreams may come

And here I go thinking I ought to be asleep by now
Here I go thinking maybe I've forgotten how
I've read a thousand magazines
I've even counted sheep
Maybe I'll never go to sleep
Maybe I'll never go to sleep
Maybe I'll never go to sleep
Maybe I'll never go to sleep
I'll never go to sleep again . . .

Words and music by David Turner. © 2024. All rights reserved

I originally wrote this in 1986 in a beachside suburb of Sydney, Australia. The song was inspired originally by The Pretenders, believe it or not.

Go To Sleep

LYRICS:
It seems to me there is no reality
Just words we say and silly games we play
And in the end, It's only just imagining
The things we do and who we do them to

When love's a lie in realms of broken promises
Between the tiers of lies and fantasy
We search for more when all we need is in our minds
In the end, we find our own reality

We build our castles in the sky so high
When all the darkness fades, we'll see the light again

We can find a way to make it through the darkest night
And find a place of peace and harmony
Open up your heart to possibility
In the end, we find our own reality

We build our castles in the sky so high
When all the darkness fades, we'll see the light again

We live in a world of fantasies
Broken promises, impossible dreams
Let's try to find the truth in-between

(Guitar solo)

We build our castles in the sky so high
When all the darkness fades, we'll see the light again
(Again)

Words and music by David Turner. © 2024. All rights reserved

Released as a single on December 19, 2024.

Castles In The Sky

LYRICS:
You're always running, never going anywhere
Sometimes thinking but that's becoming so rare
Your best friends think you're becoming a bore
Always wondering what life has in store (yeh yeh)

Don't you think it could be time to change?
Take a look at yourself and try to rearrange
There's still time to think of your future
And you'll keep your friends 'cause of your good nature

What are you living for?
Can't you understand?            
It could be you that they're waiting for
If you let it happen it's true

You seem depressed as you hide at your home
Dwelling on thoughts of growing old (so old, so old)
Look at your life so far and then jump clear
Age is nothing to hide, it's nothing to fear

What are you living for?
Can't you understand?
It could be you that they're waiting for
If you let it happen it's true

(Guitar solo)

What are you living for?
Can't you understand?
It could be you that they're waiting for
If you let it happen it's true

What are you living for?
Can't you understand?
It could be you that they're waiting for
If you let it happen it's true

What are you living for?
Can't you understand?         
It could be you that they're waiting for
If you let it happen it's true

Words and music by David Turner. © 1982, 2024 All Rights Reserved.

A song I originally wrote in 1982 with a new arrangement and all-new treatment.

It Could Be You

LYRICS:
Sorrowful Jones was a friend of mine
I'd run into from time to time
We would laugh and joke and share a bottle of wine
We were partners in crime

Sorrowful Jones was a friend indeed
He helped me in my hour of need
But we drifted apart when we disagreed
We both wanted to lead

Sorrowful's name was Johnny
He was a dreamer just like me
Looking back, life with him was funny
I hope he got to be where he always wanted to be

Sorrowful Jones was a friend of mine
I'd run into from time to time
We would laugh and joke and share a bottle of wine
We were partners in crime

Sorrowful Jones was a friend indeed
He helped me in my hour of need
But we drifted apart when we disagreed
We both wanted to lead

Sorrowful's name was Johnny
He was a dreamer just like me
Looking back, life with him was funny
I hope he got to be where he always wanted to be

Ride high, ride high
Sorrowful Jones
Ride high, ride high
Sorrowful Jones
Ride high, ride high
Sorrowful Jones
Ride high, ride high
Sorrowful Jones

Words and music by David Turner. © 2024. All Rights Reserved.

This song was written about a friend of mine who I played with in a band. He was a dreamer just like me . . .

Sorrowful Jones

The Haunting

Rad Venture is the alias of British songwriter, singer and multi-instrumentalist Dave Turner, a veteran of many power pop bands in the UK and Australia.

With a penchant for vintage ’60s and ’70s-inspired sounds, he has a number of recording projects in the pipeline, including an album of original Merseybeat-style songs.

Dave lives in the east of England, and still performs live sporadically.

Rad Venture

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