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1.
Take Me Out 06:57
Take Me Out Take me out tonight; take me anywhere you want, I’m too scared to be alone. The lights are brighter than I’ve ever seen before, And I feel like I’m knocking at death’s door. Because that pretty girl I used to hang my heartstrings on, She’s gone and left me, any port in a storm. The way girls do, when they want to hurt someone, When they want to hurt someone. Take me out tonight, somewhere dark and rough and loud Where the band plays country music all night long. And the local boys are wired; they’re looking for a fight, I want to hurt somewhere not on the inside. And if we’re lucky, we’ll get out with our lives, And take the backstreets, coz we’re too drunk to drive. The way boys do, when they want to live sometimes, When they want to feel alive. Take me out tonight.
2.
Streets Of This Town “Poor excuse for breakers,” she stares out past Luna Park Where cops harass the wasters that settle in after dark. Her hands thrust into pockets- that Harbour so far away, She will never get used to the four seasons in one day. And she’s fallen down, down, down, To the streets of this town. She grew up on the North Shore- surfing and ballet, A natural beauty, she had style and she had grace. She remembers a Christmas; she had that summer dress on, It was his favourite; she didn’t know it was wrong. And she’s fallen down, down, down, To the streets of this town. She’s fallen down, down, down, To the streets of this town. The night he came into her room, The night he forced himself on her, The night she left without a word, No more daddy’s girl. When she grew older, she stopped dancing for fun, A clinical coldness, she never told what he had done. Now cars cruise by slowly, the Carlisle street parade, The hopeless and the lonely, their headlights light her way And she’s fallen down, down, down, To the streets of this town. And she’s fallen down, down, down, To the streets of this town.
3.
Hang Me High 03:11
Hang Me High I’m sitting at a bar drinking whiskey and rye, watching the pretties pass on by And I gotta say a prayer before I die; if they catch me here they’ll hang me high. Like Frankie said I did it my way, now I’m all alone, but that’s the price you pay, For living it large in your younger days, but it’s much too late to change my ways. Well, If they catch me here they’ll hang me out to dry, Stand me up in front of that firing line, Strap me to a chair and watch me fry, Then send me down where the sun don’t shine. I’ve run guns, booze, and cocaine, I’ve stolen cars and I’ve held up trains, I’ve blackmailed guys with dubious dames, and watched warehouses go up in flames. I got a kid with a girl in Baltimore, and I’m pretty sure another three or four, Scattered around the mid-west corridor, a pretty girl was always hard to ignore. Well, If they catch me here they’ll hang me out to dry, Stand me up in front of that firing line, Strap me to a chair and watch me fry, Then send me down where the sun don’t shine. Some of us were born to this, It’s not a matter of pride; it’s just the way that it is, If I could make a dollar doing illegal shit and get my kicks, And get away with it, I always will. So you take the high road and I’ll take the low, at least I know where mine goes, You don’t have to tell me where the wind blows- straight to hell at the end of a rope. Well, If they catch me here they’ll hang me out to dry, Stand me up in front of that firing line, Strap me to a chair and watch me fry, Then send me down where the sun don’t shine.
4.
Blacktown 03:38
Blacktown I was raging like a tornado, storming out of control, Waiting for that twister to come along and tear down everything I know. I was howling like a hurricane, four sheets to the wind, With banished thoughts and memories blowing back in again. And there you were. I was bitter like a lemon left to perish on the vine, Fun was just a stranger I passed from time to time. I spent years in the desert, plagued by dust and flies, While vultures circled overhead, waiting for me to die. And there you were, There you were. You were the sunshine; you chased those storms away, You took my heart in your hands and you made it beat again. And there are no dark clouds on my horizon now, Just a wide-open road leading out of Blacktown. I was shady like a politician, lyin’ through my teeth, Wondering how the hell this hole I’d dug had got so deep. I was a diesel trucker, hurtling down the road, With four flat tyres and no ropes left to tie down my load, And there you were, There you were. You were the sunshine; you chased those storms away, You took my heart in your hands and you made it beat again. And there are no dark clouds on my horizon now, Just a wide-open road leading out of Blacktown. When I fall I fall hard, I fall straight down. When I fall I fall hard, I fall straight down, And there you were. I was hurting like a fighter, hanging from the ropes, My title chances fading with every body blow. I was helpless as a baby, left on a doorstep, With the cold and darkness bearing down take pity on me, yeah, And there you were, There you were. You were the sunshine; you chased those storms away, You took my heart in your hands and you made it beat again. And there are no dark clouds on my horizon now, Just a wide-open road leading out of Blacktown.
5.
Father 05:39
Father I got in on the early train; been gone so long that everything has changed, And the town I grew up in has long gone. I did twelve long years for theft, assault, and other petty crimes I swear that weren’t my fault, But they stuck everything else on me they could. I bought a thrift store suit and a railway pass and now the smell of fresh earth and new cut grass will stay with me until the day I pass. And I walked the half-mile back into town and down Main Street just a looking around, The day I came home we put her in the ground, The day I came home we put her in the ground… Father, What are you going to do, Now that you have lost anyone Who ever cared for you? How can you forget, The only one who stuck by you What will you do now she’s not there for you? I left school at the age of sixteen, my father was drunk, my mother was mean, But I remember a time when she used to smile. But I guess he wiped that smile right off her dial so many time she upped and died inside and spent the rest of her days just trying to survive. And I was put to work in a lumberyard where the pay was bad and the hours were hard and every Friday night he used to try and drink my cheque, And I remember when she got that cough; it was around the time he got laid off, And the very next night I hitched a ride out of town, The very next night, I hitched a ride… Father, What are you going to do, Now that you have lost anyone Who ever cared for you? How can you forget, The only one who stuck by you What will you do now she’s not there for you? So I can home with nothing more than a chip on my shoulder and to settle a score but the fight went out of me when he opened the door. And we stood together at her graveside, he said “I loved her, son” and he started to cry and I realised, I felt nothing inside. Though I swore myself I would never be anything like he was to me it seems the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Because I squared my shoulders and I stood my ground and I caught the next train out of town and I know in my heart I’m never going back, I know in my heart, I’m not going back… Father, What are you going to do, Now that you have lost anyone Who ever cared for you? How can you forget, The only one who stuck by you What will you do now she’s not there for you? She’s not there for you She’s not there for you She’s not there for you Now no one’s there for you.
6.
The Spitting Image Your father was a two pack a day man, he was a heart attack waiting to happen. Your brother was sent off to Vietnam, six months they shipped him home in a bag, And none of this seemed to touch you, None of this seemed to matter at all. Your mama was so close to you, everyone said the spitting image of you, When your daddy died they found her one night dressed to the nines hanging from that porch light, And none of this seemed to touch you, None of this seemed to matter at all. Everyone was surprised when you decided to stay they thought you’d pack up that house and move away, But you stayed and you worked your daddy’s garage, your sleeves rolled up, fixing up cars, And none of this seemed to touch you, None of this seemed to matter at all. I met you in June, nineteen seventy four, we started to date but I wanted more, So Christmas time, nineteen seventy five, I asked you to be my bride, And none of this seemed to touch you, None of this seemed to matter at all. I heard you packed up that house and moved away, living by yourself down on Separation Bay, One night you took out that Shelby sixty-five, the cops thought you just wanted to go for a ride, But I know better, you didn’t make a mistake, When you drove that car off that cliff face, And I wonder what touched you, I wonder what mattered at all And I wonder what touched you, I wonder what mattered at all
7.
The Lucky Country When I was a lad, my daddy took my hands, He put ‘em in the dirt and said, “This makes you a man.” He fought the drought and sun, the fires and the floods, But people die for their country in more ways than one. If we had our time again, Would our hardest work, Pick up all the pieces and Make this the lucky country again? But daddy died, I grew up, he left the farm and his luck, But all my hardest work, it all turned to dust. Because the markets they fell, the big companies rise, And the little guy can’t fight the overseas price. If we had our time again, Would our hardest work, Pick up all the pieces and Make this the lucky country again? Once there was a dream, Now I don’t sleep at night, Just the smell of gasoline and black smoke in the sky. I poured the gas, I lit the match, With the bills stacked up and the Bank on my back. I took the cheque, With no regrets, Walked off the land and I tried to forget. You can never forget. Now there’s rain on the streets, and the country’s heartbeat It flickers and dies with the stench of deceit. Now I work for the Bank, and I knock ‘em back, If you can’t beat them join them, ain’t that a fact, Jack. If we had our time again, Would our hardest work, Pick up all the pieces and Make this the lucky country again? Once there was a dream, Now I don’t sleep at night, Just the smell of gasoline and black smoke in the sky. Just the smell of gasoline and black smoke in the sky, The smell of gasoline; there’s black smoke in the sky.
8.
Samantha 05:22
Samantha Samantha, Why do you call? Do you really need to hear my voice? Because I’m just getting by now you’re gone- I’m not drinking anymore, But every time we talk I remember what I started for. You opened me from the inside and you took away What was mine. Samantha, Do you know how much this hurts? We shouldn’t have to fight when I want to speak to her. Don’t make her pay for the mess that we made Of our lives. You try and explain why I can’t kiss her goodnight. You opened me from the inside and you took away What was mine. And it’s coming in on a satellite from The other side of town Her precious little voice it calls my name out loud. I pace around the empty house And tears fall down Where precious little voices called and laughed out loud. You opened me from the inside and you took away What was mine.
9.
Drinking Days (Oh Drinking Days!) Friday night comes around and I change my shirt and I head out, Kiss my wife on the cheek; tell her “I’ll be home before you sleep” But when the whisky begins to flow I’m having too much fun to go home I tell myself “she’ll understand…” And I stagger in around three o’clock Drunk as a skunk and she’s waiting up I know then I should just shut up. But there were shouts and there were curses, Accusations and angry words, And I promised her I won’t drink again, I won’t drink again. (Well not until next week anyway) Friday night comes around and I change my shirt and I hit the town Meet the boys at The Builder’s Arms for a quick one-I don’t see the harm. But when the whisky begins to flow after the third call I turn off my phone, And hope to hell she’ll understand… And I stagger in around four o’clock Swilled to the gills and she’s waiting up I know then I should just suck it up. But there were shouts and there were curses, Accusations and ultimatums, And I promised her I won’t drink again, I won’t drink again. (Oh my drinking days) Friday night comes around and I change my shirt and I sneak out, Down to the bar at the end of the street away from the eyes of the fun police. I tell myself “just one or two” but when the whisky flows what can I do Because I know now, she’ll never understand. And I stagger in around six o’clock Full as a boot and ready to rock But the house is dark, and all is quiet. And then there’s a tap on my shoulder and to my surprise She guts me with a kitchen knife and as I slide in to that eternal sleep She says “That’s the end of your drinking days, that’s the end of your wicked ways, Your low down wicked drinking days…” (Oh my drinking days)
10.
Life In A Northern Town. We got married straight out of school, I didn’t have much choice, I knew the rules, That’s right, son, you gotta do what’s right. So I got us a car and headed it north, chasing the sun and looking for work, That’s right, I did what’s right. So I settled us down in this mining town, now I spend all my days under the ground, That’s right, I did what’s right. And I come home at night so damn tired, and I don’t want to talk because all we do is fight, That’s right, all we do is fight. Such a lonely sound, Breaking ground in this dirty old town. But I will stick it out, We’re going down, down. So she’s sitting all alone, thinking all day and I want to be the one to tell her it’s ok, But I can’t, no I can’t. I watch a lot of people just throwing it down and I want to be a light in this lonely town But I can’t, no I can’t. Such a lonely sound, Breaking ground in this dirty old town. But I will stick it out, We’re going down, down. That’s life in a northern town. I’m watching all the people pass my window, where do they come from, where do they go I don’t know, I don’t know. I spend all my time trying to get by, what do I do to keep life alive? I don’t know, I don’t know. Such a lonely sound, Breaking ground in this dirty old town. But I will stick it out, We’re going down, down. That’s life in a northern town.
11.
Into The Big Blue. In the chill morning air I rise at first light, stoke up the fire and thaw out my bones. Then I strike camp and saddle my horse, round up the herd and head them north. Where nothing meets the eye, Where the horizon divides, And the hilltops collide with powder blue skies. And I’m counting the miles, Between her and I, And the distance it scares me and yet it dares me to drive, Straight and true, Into the Big Blue. There’s fire on the hills, smoke bleeds into the night, and the cattle take fright as ash rains from the sky. It’s a dangerous track- there’s a long road ahead, but I have ridden it before and I will ride again. Where nothing meets the eye, Where the horizon divides, And the hilltops collide with powder blue skies. And I’m counting the miles, Between her and I, And the distance it scares me and yet it dares me to drive, Straight and true, Into the Big Blue. She cheated just once, but once was enough, And the trust that we built, it crumbled to dust. My daddy told me, “son, trust what’s inside”, I left the big city and I learned how to ride. And sometimes I find when I face to the West I swear right there, beneath the sand and the sweat, I can feel her breath, smell her scent, And I know I will never go back again. I won’t go back again. Where nothing meets the eye, Where the horizon divides, And the hilltops collide with powder blue skies. And I’m counting the miles, Between her and I, And the distance it scares me and yet it dares me to drive, Straight and true, Into the Big Blue.

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released November 1, 2014

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Dave Wright & The Midnight Electric Melbourne, Australia

Singer/songwriter/bandleader Dave Wright is after one thing: A perfect 4-minute pop song.
When he puts pen to paper and pick to guitar strings, however, the Melburnian-by-way-of-Colac knocks out epics and ravers and boozers about girls, cars, Australia, mariticide, Diggers, truckers, sadness, sickness, drunks, heartbroken mothers, angry fathers, desperate sons … and death. Lots of death. ... more

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