The flocks are waiting with their beaks to the sky
They’ve been hanging round and now it’s time to fly
Honk once if that’s what you came here to do
And if you don’t know why the seasons exist
It’s to upset the cart and give life a twist 
Let out the old - bring in the new

And the nights protest
At the autumn’s request
To give up their warmth and their light
It’s abundantly clear
To the folk around here 
That they won’t go down without a fight
 
The rains that fell many miles upstream 
They followed on down in search of their dream
Now they’re ready to go and explore
But nobody knows what they’re looking for
It’s a salty old world where the waves rage wild and free

With indelicate humour
The wind starts the rumour 
There’s a storm now brewing out to sea
Well the crows start to caw
Then they race toward the shore 
Where they take up their positions in the tree

Can we rescue the wisdom of the past
Or will it be lost and swept out on the tide

They’re closing down the beach cafe
Shutters up - tables stacked away 
Waiting for another summer’s sun
When the tourists come with their hopes held high
Another perfect day not a cloud in the sky
Be quick or it’ll be over before it’s begun


Song From The Marshes - Autumn

We know that we’re not in a good place right now
We’ve both said things that I hope we didn’t mean
And I may have done things - that I’m not proud of - but it is what it is
 
I can’t undo that
I can’t unring that bell
And I don’t know what you’re thinking now - it’s so hard to tell

You know that I can take things too literally  
But you don’t seem to be taking this seriously
We agree to disagree - we don’t argue - saying it is what it is

We can’t undo that
We can’t unsay the things we said
And if what we had’s not dying - then it’s already dead

It’d been raining the road was still wet
A man across the street stopped to light his cigarette
Your car came round the corner I could hear the thumping bass
As the light from your phone lit up your face
And you were laughing
Laughing at me 

You can’t undo that
You can’t unsend the text you sent
And I don’t believe that what you wrote wasn’t what you meant

We know that it’s been over for a while
We let things slide until they all just slid away
We were so close once - we shared so much - but that’s all it was

You can’t undo that 
You can’t unsay the words/things you said
And I can’t erase this picture that you put in my head

He pulled the car over killed the lights and turned to you
You put your head on his shoulder then slid down out of view
He looked up and saw me - knowing I was there
Then grinned and sneered with that cold sickly stare

You can’t undo that
I can’t unsee the things I saw
And I know that you had planned it all just to even the score


You Can't Undo That

I can’t call this home
It’s just where I’ve been living
I won’t be here much longer anyway
I’ve packed all my things
Posted the key through the front door
Don’t turn around
You can’t go back

A new world’s waiting for you
It’s just a step away
It’s best to travel lightly
It’s best to leave today
The good years passed too quickly
The bad ones dragged you down
And little drops of kindness
Were sometimes hard to find

Feeling guilt
Though it’s not your fault
A nagging voice is saying
You could have done more
   
Down toward the river
Down towards the shore
Always heading southward
Till you can go no more
The first step is the hardest
As you feel the pattern break
You look for drops of kindness
To hold against your heart
  
Nothing will be easy
You’ll often feel alone
Doubt will be beside you
When you’re far away from home
The storm clouds gather round now
And you prepare for rain
A thousand drops of kindness
To wash away your pain

Drops Of Kindness

When the night comes in
All the colours of the day 
Fade down to grey - on to black
A candle lights the room
But there’s no warmth in here 
Just a cold, cold grey
The silence hangs at the end of a motionless day

Can we rescue this?
Or did we drift too far apart
Too strong the tide – the undertow
We both reached out then both let go
Don’t hold on too tight - don’t get burnt
The lesson here is the one that we’ve never learnt

So if you see this heart
Just walk away now - away now
It’s just a broken heart
So step away

Do we need to talk?
Are there things we have to say
Or was it said - long ago 
A different time and a different no?
We can't come back from this - there’s no return
The lesson here is the one we can never learn
 
So if you see this heart
Just walk away now - away now
It’s just a broken heart 
So walk away
With a soldier’s kiss goodbye


A Soldier's Kiss Goodbye

They said it would be over
Before it had begun
And now that it’s all over
No one’s sure who won

They said it would be over 
Before the winter’s snow
And now that it’s all over
We can put the guns on show

We went there to remember
Stood huddled in the wet
Others gave their lives for us
Lest we should forget

So we take our photos and look out at the view
Though there’s nothing much to see
Stray dogs are sleeping no teeth and no bark
It’s a sad day here in Victory Park

The men went to be heroes
Not to make their mothers cry
But when someone speaks his name now
She looks up to the sky

He went to be a hero
He didn’t go to die
When she hears his name now 
All she asks is why

No fares today - the rides are all empty 
As they trundle their way round the track 
With a flash from the wheels as they clank and they spark
It’s a sad day here in Victory Park

We ate our lunches slowly
Then smoked a cigarette
Others gave their lives for us
Lest we should forget

And the autumn leaves have fallen
Lying like lost boys on the ground
The eternal flame burns brighter as dusk turns to dark 
It’s a sad day in Victory Park

Victory Park

I’m living in a land where
All the colours are grey
Then life decided to flick a switch
And something happened to my world today

Sell my soul to the devil
If that’s the price I must pay
But I’d do it all again
‘Cause something happened to my world today

I felt tight in my chest
I found it hard to breathe
Put my hand on my heart
It’s beating fast
Should I call out for help
Would anyone hear?

It’s the hit that I crave
That sudden release
Dopamine for my soul
I’m addicted to this
But a stiff upper lip
Is my one and my only defence

I wasn’t prepared for this
The rug just got pulled away
Life’s lessons can be hard to take 
‘Cause something happened to my world today

l keep replaying the scenes
They’re spinning round and around
Like they’re stuck in a loop
All balance is lost
Hold onto the wall
And slowly slide down

There must be a fix
Or some pills I could take
It came on so fast
Why can’t it just stop 
Select and erase
Or a total reset 

And if I start to fall
Can I lean into you
Will you have my back
Be there for me
I won’t say a thing
Just to know that you’re there
Is enough for me
Enough

Take a deep breath
Count slowly to ten
Wait for the bell
You’re down but not out
It’s a glitch not a fail
You can always come back 

This isn’t like me
It’s not who I am
I’ve taken some blows
But I’ve always come through
Bounced back on my feet
And got up one more time

[Simon Sinek original version]
“All human beings need is eight minutes of time from another friend to feel not alone in a moment of stress and a moment of need. And so she and I came up with a code word that the next time one of us really needs the other person, instead of just sending a random text thinking the other will be able to decipher that we’re struggling, our code would be, ‘Do you have eight minutes?’”

[Version used]
In moments of stress and need, all it takes is eight minutes from a friend to feel not alone.

But often we don’t let people know we’re struggling, we send messages, however, they’re not always understood as calls for help.

So, instead of sending a text thinking the other will understand that we’re going through a bad time, how about using a code word to let them know - something like this: ‘Do you have eight minutes?’

Something Happened Today

We cried a lot along the way
Was cold that night - you couldn't stay
And though we found some words to say
The emptiness, was all that’s left, of the day:
The emptiness was all we left that day
I don’t feel you anymore
I can’t see you anymore

A new road starts where this one ends
Let’s try to leave as if we’re both still friends
I’m sorry if my callousness offends
But this only works - if one of us - pretends
And I don’t feel you anymore
I can’t see you anymore

There’s never an easy way
When you know that you’ll hurt
Someone you’ve loved 
And in truth love still
Maybe that’s why
It’s for the best 
Rip off the plaster 
Let the healing begin
 
We wrote the rules to the games we play
There was so much we tried to hide away
We knew that there would come a day
When one of us, would find the words to say:
That I don’t feel you anymore
I can’t see you anymore


We Cried A Lot That Day

All this time  
Time that’s been waiting 
Pictures that you drew in your mind
And suddenly - all around the colour’s fading
Threads slowly start to unwind

It hurts, it hurts
That’s all, that’s all
No words, no words
It just hurts, hurts, hurts 

Where am I?
What happened to normal? 
Where’s the world I used to know?
Look around - nothing here is as it should be 
You’re holding on but have to let go

It hurts, it hurts
That’s all, that’s all
No words, no words
It just hurts, hurts, hurts 

It’s the tune from a song but nobody’s singing
It’s the words on the page that you can’t write
It’s the sound that you hear but it’s only a ringing
It’s the ache that has nowhere to go
Nowhere to go

It hurts, it hurts
That’s all, that’s all
No words, no words
It just hurts, hurts…

It Hurts (That's All)

She come home it’s early morning
She’s been out most of the night
She says don’t worry darling
Everything’s all right

If there’s a simple explanation
Then it’s one I’d like to hear
But I don’t know - I don’t know 
I don’t think she’s sincere

All the times we had together
All the times we cried 
If all that means nothing now
Something must have died

If there’s a simple explanation
Then give it to me straight
But I don’t know - I don’t know
I think that it’s too late

Cause it’s a long way down when you’re on your own
You were the only girl that I’ve ever known
Hold on darling let me explain
We’re going down down down down   
Down again

Who looked after you when the wolves were close at heel
Who's the only one who knows exactly how you feel

I need you and I want you
But it’s not enough for you
I don’t know - I don’t know
What else can I do?

Cause it’s a long way down when you’re on your own
You were the only girl that I’ve ever known
Hold on darling let me share the blame
We’re going down down down down
Down again

It’s not about who to blame it’s how to give and take
Is there something from your past or a pattern you can’t break
Orna and Nico will help us find what’s true  
And I’ll always love you
I’ll always love you
 
I gave you alI had to give
I couldn’t have given more
I’d give it to you all again 
But you showed me the door

If there’s some kind of explanation
If there’s something I should hear
Say it now - say it now
Cause I’ve got to make this clear

It’s a long way down now we’re on our own
You are the only girl that I’ve ever known
Hold on darling you can’t complain
We’re going down down down down
Down again

Going Down (Couples Therapy)

If I lost north tonight
And I could not find my way
Look out see the harbour light
Guide me home tonight
Across the bay

In a chapel a candle burns
As sister Jacqueline kneels to pray
To the one and they only
For the lost and the lonely
Across the bay

And if all the actions of your heart
Could stand before you now
Would you hold them as your own
Or set them on the tide

Old men stand in bars
Say the things that old men say
They rest their pints on old ships’ charts
Speak of broken hearts
Across the bay

And if all the words that you have used
Were whispered to you now
Would you claim them as your own
Or set them on the tide

On a cold and damp November tide
Three boats got underway
To take the captain on his last trip home
Where he’ll rest alone
Out in the bay


Across The Bay

Several Good Ideas

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