1. |
Tom and Phillip's Song
03:21
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Philip and Tommy, they started a band in Toms bedroom when they were 15
They played as loud and as fast as they possibly could until Toms neighbours called the police.
So they asked their friend Mike if they could rehearse in his parents garage.
He said I’ll talk to my mom and my dad, but only if you let me play in the band.
But Mike couldn’t sing, he couldn’t play anything, but they still let him in because they knew that none of this
Matters as much as we think it matters
As much as we thought it mattered when we were young, when we thought everything mattered much more than it does
So Philip and Tommy and Mike started writing a couple of songs about hating the man, hating the cool kids and the cops
About how their mothers and fathers and teachers just can’t ever know what it’s like to be fifteen, misunderstood, insecure and alone
About how the world has forgotten us all
About how the things we think will make us happy don’t
Matter, as much as we think they mattered
as much as we thought they mattered when we were young when we thought everything mattered much more than it does.
Phillip and Tommy and Mike always thought that they’d tour round the world playing their music to thousands of fans who would scream for one more as they walked of the stage
But they never left their hometown and broke up after 3 or 4 years of playing house parties, scout halls and high school talent shows
But they made us sing and throw up our fists
And just for a second they made us feel infinite, like we belong
Like our salvation could be found in a song
They helped us figure out the rights from the wrongs
And just for a second, they made us feel like this matters
They made us feel like this matters
It matters to us that it matters to you
When you stand in the crowd with a smile on your face
and your fist in the air
It matters as much as we think it matters
As much as we thought it mattered when we were young, when we thought everything matters much more than it does
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2. |
The Future Will be Great
04:05
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Like always, I’ll fall asleep on the floor
There’s no space for me anymore
But I know that glory moves slow and the future is going to be great
Remember, we had plans, they just didn’t unfold
We were going to take over the world
And I know there’s not much to show, but the hand we’ve been dealt will be great
Man up, the time is drawing near for you to stand up
And if you don’t you’re only going to land up regretting everything you never did
I don’t understand what you’re saying to me
You might as well be speaking in Greek
All I hear is the sound of the years washing away down the drain
So let’s wing it. Let’s not waste our time making plans
When we know that we’ll always land on our feet and the future is going to be grand
Man up, the time is drawing near for you to stand up
And if you don’t you’re only going to land up regretting everything you never did
But be careful, the things that you believe in all resemble a system that could not be classed as normal
And the future as we know it will be great
We shake our heads when we realise
While we’re awake, we live a lie
We must admit when we’ve done wrong
We’ve been the problem all along
Let’s crawl out of our hiding place and face the things we’re scared to face
The thing about the future is in order to move on you need to focus on the future not the weight you drag along
And while the world may beat you down just keep your head up and stay strong
I know the future will be great
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3. |
Just Like Light
02:34
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Let’s write a script and make a horrible movie about our lives
So all our friends can see how smart and witty and insightful we are
I’ll play you, you play me for objectivity and comic relief
I’ll draw the poster, you can hum the movie score
So just like light we’ll leak through cracks and we’ll illuminate the room
We’ll fall like crumbs between couch cushions while you watch the morning news
We’ll steal seconds where we can until they add up to a year
A year we could’ve spent at home
Let’s write a cheesy folk son about opportunity and falling in love
We’ll use no more than three chords and build the chorus with some sweet harmonies
I’ll play my cheapest guitar to give the feeling that we’re so down to earth
I’ll write the lyrics, you can hum the melody
So write me a book full of all of your trials and tribulations
I’ll read it out loud to my friends
Don’t hold anything back and make sure it’s emotional
Use a lot of similes, avoid using metaphors
While you write the manuscript, I’ll be here singing this song
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4. |
Try to be Better
03:04
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I love the view from your apartment of that abandoned parking lot
Broken glass glows green on black tarmac from bottles smashed by teenage drunks
A shopping trolley traces circles around a wheel that will not turn
Those cardboard beds, newspaper pillows
Limp from last nights unscheduled rain that came too late
We’ve got to try to be better to each other or we’ll never survive
You’re not alone, or at least you’re not as lonely as you feel sometimes
It doesn’t seem like it matters anymore to anybody at all
We’ve got to try to be better
So let’s assign a set of symbols to sentiments we can’t quite place
We’ll leave them scribbled in the margins of library books long overdue
With far fetched faith that they’ll be found by somebody struggling to describe
That unexpected lack of purpose we always feel when we achieve the goals we set
So run like hell I’m right behind you from all the secret things we’ve done
Take shelter in the shrinking shadows as they retreat towards the walls
Of that old abandoned building.
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5. |
Nothing to Protect
02:19
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Let’s agree, let’s agree to disagree
I know we’re trying but I don’t get you and you don’t get me
That’s ok, sometimes that’s just how it goes
The world would be a very boring place if we all got along
Sometimes I get the feeling you’re not listening
And other times I must admit that I don’t too
Most times I think it’s miscommunication and I promise to make much more of an effort if you promise to do too
Let’s decide to put our differences aside
Life’t too short for us to argue and be angry all the time
Drop your guard, you’ve got nothing to protect
The world could be a very happy place if you just let that happen
It’s hard to swallow your words when you’re choking on your pride
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6. |
Throw Away
03:27
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I could sit all day and watch the people go about all the things they're about to do wrong
You could say you've scene this scene a thousand times before, it’s the one where the hero
saves the day
If i try a little harder maybe i can find a few things i don't find all that bad
And if you look a little closer maybe you can see a few scenes that don't seem all that sad
No I'm not sick of driving for hundreds of hours
No I'm not sick of you always asking the time
No I'm not sick of this shirt, i'll wear it again
I'm not sick of this yet
So throw away throw away
all the things you're not using
the free shirt, the free booze, the freedom to choose
Throw away throw away
all the things you don't need like your big car, your big screen and your bigoted views
Throw away throw away
all the things that'll kill you
the good meat, the good wine, say goodbye to it all
Throw away throw away
all the things that define you
You'll be sick of them soon
You wrote a note in secret code that only you andI can decipher that i found last night
It said to pack a bag and leave it by the door and wait for the signal that we used to use
And don't forget to take a map and make a mark around all the places that you'd rather be
Make sure to travel light and leave the load behind before it becomes all the reasons you're still here
No i'm not sick of that song that you always play
I'm not sick of that same meal we ate yesterday
No i'm not sick of having this conversation again
I'm not sick of this yet.
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7. |
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Sitting on a pavement outside a house that really looks like it could be home.
No one’s home
They’ve all gone away on holiday and left us behind
Promise me you’ll sit here and sing the words to our favourite teenage songs that I forgot
I’ll just play guitar and harmonise until we blow our voices out and every word becomes a faded squeaky shout
Can you hear us at the back
Can you hear us at the back
We’re screaming as loud as we can
So it looks like I’ll be spending the night.
Even though I don’t have my sleeping bag, my backpack, my toothbrush, toothpaste, socks and boxer shorts, it still beats sleeping in the car
And if you stay I’ll pour you a drink and we can raise a glass to that time we watched our favourite band and then formed a band so we could be like them and blow our voices out
Can you hear us at the back
Can you hear us at the back
We’re screaming as loud as we can
I know you’ll leave before we play, but you still came
And I don’t mind, time is finite, I’ll find that out someday
We’ll mix mixed metaphors with chords we have to play
And try convince the kids we still have things to say
Can you hear us at the back
Can you hear us at the back
We’re screaming as loud as we can
So please don’t leave without us
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8. |
What's Done is Done
03:34
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We’ve been in a book
We’ve been in a movie script
Our story’s been told a thousand times but I’ve refused to see the end
You prefer completion
I’ve always been one for surprise
Now you’re close to dropping spoilers with the hurt behind your eyes
Help me find a way
It seems I’ve lost my bearings and I cannot see
Stop begging me to stay
We both know how we’re feeling so just let it be
It’s safe to say what’s done gets done again
We’ve been in a magazine
We’ve been in a song
It’s fairly hard to live life happy when you’re always telling me I’m wrong
You hold onto grudges
I find it easy to forgive
We’re nowhere close to making changes to this unhappy life we live
Help me find a way
It seems I’ve lost my bearings and I cannot see
Stop begging me to stay
We both know how we’re feeling so just let it be
It’s safe to say what’s done gets done again
If we work together, I’m pretty sure we’ll see the end
Any enemy of my enemy, I’d be proud to call my friend
But it’s safe to say what’s done gets done again
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9. |
Lesson Learned
03:07
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Here’s another lesson learned
Life’s not quite as awesome as the movies make it out to be
At any point you might get hurt so try and be as well prepared, as much as you could ever be
We’ve seen the sun go down on many situations when we needed much more light to see
One day the sun will break the clouds and we won’t be as frustrated as when we couldn’t help with anything
We were unstable, emotionally drained, cut out to complain
We were unable to see things we’re meant to see, inhale air we’re meant to breathe
Here’s a piece of bad advice
Assume that life is awesome and then deal with the consequence
You might not fall asleep at night but at least you’ll be prepared for any shit you might experience
We’ve seen the clouds dissolve when we really need their shade to protect us from the sun
One day we’ll watch those clouds reform and we’ll figure out a difference in the good and bad things we have done
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10. |
We've All Been There
03:38
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Have you ever stopped to think about everything that you believe in on a day when it’s been raining outside
And the raindrops on your window make you feel so alone and your sheets have never felt so cold at night
This existential crisis that you’re having for the first time is just the sprouting of a deeply seeded seed
So when ordering a pizza, make it large and get two drinks so they assume you’ve got another mouth to feed ‘cos you are not alone
Have you ever ventured out in the middle of the week to look for meaning in the bottom of a beer
And your friends don’t seem to worry as you’re searching and you’re searching, just waiting for that meaning to appear
Then suddenly it hits you, you’ve adopted a strategy that has ruined so many peoples lives
So when ordering your next drink, make sure that it’s a water
It’ll probably help the hangover subside
You are not alone
We’ve all been there or there about
Life’s not fair, we’ve figured out
So when the hope we’ve spared is cashing out
Take some time to focus on the plan
You can take it from this man as a lesson
You can take it from this band as a lesson
You can take it from The Shabs as a lesson
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11. |
Not Too Late
03:24
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We’ve all been waiting for so long for life to start that we forgot that life won’t wait, even if we’re not ready
So we make plans we know won’t happen but we happen to forget that people purposefully plan pointlessly
We can’t fail if we don’t try so we tell lies to try disguise we’re terrified we’ll aim too high next time
And we build homes to house our hearts and hope like hell they’ll hold our hopes at bay just long enough
It is not too late to save us from the people we’ve become
You can stop yourself from drowning if you only take a breath
Don’t forget to live for something before you die
Time is ruthless so make sure you use it to live your life
When I was four I learned that pilots, firemen and astronauts are only people and those things are just their jobs
When I was six I learned that lying only works if you believe that lie yourself before you lie to someone else
When I was 8 I learned that adults also cry although their hurt is usually caused by things they’ve never tried
So while we’re young let’s take a chance to practice our self-confidence and make decisions we’ll never be afraid of
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12. |
Red Lights, Long Roads
03:51
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Red eyes, dry mouth
Stench of whiskey on your breath
Closed minds, shut out
Half smoked, broken cigarettes
Take a chance and ask a question
Things might be the worst they’ll ever be
Your thoughts will always need protection
Take a chance we’re heading to the core of our humanity
Always alone
Too much time to sit and think
Red lights, long roads
Too far between every drink
Time stops, time goes
What the fuck have you achieved
Green lights, wet roads
Moving at a dangerous speed
So hey, hey God
Where’ve you been since yesterday
We lost our friend
So what the fuck’s the point in praying
Red eyes, dry mouth
I’ll meet you at the liquor store
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The Shabs Cape Town, South Africa
The Shabs is a Folk Punk duo out of Cape Town South Africa.
They deliver a tight, captivating set that blends sincere,
melodic sing-a-long folk with the raw energy and DIY ethos of punk rock.
The band never ceases to get a crowd to throw their fists in the air and sing along to their anthemic tunes which have
been described as honest and raw and easy
to relate to.
... more
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