1. |
Destination Unknown
03:41
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End of the day
And I’m stuck in traffic
Once again
The sun outside
Is beating down
Some slave driver’s
Got me working
Double overtime
And things don’t look
Like slowing down
I've been so long
Reaching for that
Big ol’ brass ring
It’s always been
Beyond my grasp
If I could go back
And do it
All again
I’d choose
A less thankless task
Dreams they come
And dreams they go
Lost sight of
A few of my own
I’m on that track
Not turning back
Destination unknown
My father worked
His body
Into the ground
Came home each day
A broken man
Slow painful death
Brought about
By middle-management
They bled him
‘Til he couldn’t stand
Dreams they come
And dreams they go
Lost sight of
A few of my own
I’m on that track
Not turning back
Destination unknown
I am just one
Of a million cars
In this town
Waiting for the lights
To change
We’re all victims
Of the same
Peculiar circumstance
All hope
Has been rearranged
Dreams they come
And dreams they go
Lost sight of
A few of my own
I’m on that track
Not turning back
Destination unknown
Destination unknown
Destination unknown
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2. |
Town Without a Face
03:50
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I was born
Against my will
In a sunstroke town
Always plenty of
Time to kill
So I might just
Show you round
In my mind
That’s where I’m going
Winding river
Overflowing
Let me take you down
Let me bring you round
Have you ever
Met someone
Who had no face
No distinguishing features
To speak of
Devoid of
Style and grace
In my mind
That’s where I’m going
Here waiting
But never showing
Town without a face
Town without a face
You can break
And you can run
But you’ll never outpace
The place where you come from
Where you come from
So trip the light
In my head
And let it spark my heart
Even something
Ordinary
Can leave a
Lasting mark
In my mind
That’s where I’m going
Gift Giver
Overflowing
It’s right here with me
I keep it with me
Let me take you down
Let me bring you round
Town without a face
Final Resting Place
Da da da da da
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3. |
The New Saturday Night
03:05
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There’s a party down the street
Our neighbours carrying on
Singing way out of key
At the top of their lungs
Oh, there but for
The grace of God go I
Stuck at home
Here with you
On the new
Saturday night
I used to stay out late
Push on way past the dawn
Guess I was searching for something
For someone who I could belong
Oh, there but for
The grace of God go I
Stuck at home
Here with you
On the new
Saturday night
When you found me
I was broken
My eyes so heavy
I couldn’t see
Took my hand gently
And drew me closer
And whispered something
So tenderly
Our baby’s here in my arms
Rocking to the sound of the rain
I’ve got a song in my heart
I find it hard to explain
Oh, there but for
The grace of God go I
Stuck at home
Here with you
On the new Saturday night
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4. |
Out in the Boonies
04:02
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I’ve lived
The restless life
I want to know
What home feels like
Plant my feet in the dirt
And let ‘em grow
Late bloom
Over the hill
Running backwards
Standing still
Past the pretty houses
In a row
I’m living out
In the boonies
And it looks as though
I’m here to stay
Don’t call
A search party
I wouldn’t want it
Any other way
Big city
Shining bright
Think I’ll stay
At home tonight
There’s nothing beyond
These walls I’ve not seen
I feel like
Selling out
Tree-lined streets
And roundabouts
I awoke to find
A suburban dream
I’m living out
In the boonies
And it looks as though
I’m here to stay
Don’t call
A search party
I wouldn’t want it
Any other way
I’m living out
In the boonies
Where the cost of living
Isn’t so high
No one’s saving
Any money
We’re only ever really
Getting by
They say
That poetry
In a place like this
Cannot be
I beg
To disagree
She knows my name
She lives with me
I’m living out
In the boonies
And it looks as though
I’m here to stay
Don’t call
A search party
I wouldn’t want it
Any other way
I wouldn’t want it
Any other way
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5. |
My First Unselfish Act
04:24
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I’m reaching out to
You my dear
But there’s no way of
Getting through
You’re trapped beneath
Your mother’s skin
Just doing
What you do
I guess I’ll have to
Bide my time
Count the hours
Until the light you find
I know that you’ll be
Looking for a sign
Of my first
Unselfish act
When I first
Heard the news
I felt the strangest
Sense of calm
Now for me
That’s really saying something
It’s not like me
To be so strong
I think I knew
Right then and there
The time was right for me
And I had love to spare
It was only later on
That I felt scared
Of my first
Unselfish act
What could I ever
Be for you
At such
A tender age
Except for another
Pair of hands
And a steady
Weekly wage
There’ll come a time
When you’ll ask for me
‘Til then I’m just
A vessel for a seed
Wondering what on earth
It could be
My first
Unselfish act
I dropped a coin into
A beggar’s cup
Then just went
About my day
There are those who wouldn’t
Think to stop
Those who’d
Give everything away
My own parents
They lived a life
Of blood and toil
And sacrifice
Now they’re looking on
Standing by
For my first
Unselfish act
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6. |
I Spoke too Soon
04:46
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I spoke too soon
Too quickly
Said too much
A little too loud
Came across too eager
Kind of headstrong
Slightly careless
Somewhat proud
I spoke without thinking
Without breathing
Without taking
A pause
I spoke without reason
Without wisdom
Without knowing
Anything at all
I spoke too soon
I spoke too soon
I spoke out of anger
Out of envy
Self-loathing
Out of spite
I spoke out of turn
So out of line
Standing out of frame
Well out of sight
I spoke with my voice raised
With my eyes closed
With my hands clenched
Into fists
With my back turned
With my head bowed
I spoke in short starts
And fits
I spoke too soon
I spoke too soon
I spoke through a keyhole
Through a proxy
Through my teeth
Gritted tight
I spoke through the previews
Through the movie
To the man
Sitting on my right
I spoke to the cops
I spoke to the press
I spoke to a lawyer
I spoke to my ex
I spoke out in fear
Sheer terror
I spoke to a stranger
Looking back in the mirror
…
I spoke to the birds
I spoke to my cat
I spoke to the trees
They never spoke back
I spoke with a lisp
I spoke with a stutter
I spoke well and truly
With my mind in the gutter
I spoke in my sleep
I spoke in the shower
I spoke with the devil
Or some higher power
I spoke with an angel
Like a sinner
I spoke with my mouth full
All throughout dinner
I spoke too soon
I spoke too soon
I spoke way too soon
Before I knew
That hearts could break
What words could do
Yeah, I said it
And I meant it
And I sure as hell
Lived to regret it
I spoke too soon
I spoke too soon
I spoke too soon
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7. |
Noisy Miner
03:15
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Noisy Miner
Sitting on a fence
Sing me a song of
No consequence
Preen your feathers
In the sun awhile
Drink from puddles
That reflect your smile
Black mosquito
Buzzing round my head
I asked for silence
But got you instead
Drain the lifeblood
Of all who come close
Spread fever, diseases
To your unwitting host
The noisy worm gets the dirt
You never once waited
Now I’ve got a few
Choice words just for you
Bottom feeder
On the ocean floor
Who’s the fairest fish
Of them all
Your hard luck story’s
Such a sad lament
Trawl the harbour
For a compliment
Noisy miner
Noisy miner
Bottom feeder
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8. |
Long Lost Friend
02:51
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Here I stand before you
Who I am, I just I don’t know
A former private school kid
Decked out in op-shop clothes
Who’s the boy in the photo?
All doe-eyed and baby faced
I find it hard to believe
I came to take his place
I’ve come full circle
Up the curve
Round the bend
Oh, how it feels to be
Back in the suburbs again
With you
My long-lost friend
I grew up in a quiet street
In a tired nowhere town
Though I left long ago
I’m still trying to live it down
Years later and I find myself
In a place that’s much the same
A heart can be a funny thing
The way it stakes a claim
I’ve come full circle
Up the curve
Round the bend
Oh, how it feels to be
Back in the suburbs again
With you
My long-lost friend
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9. |
Call of the Wild
05:09
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Hit a low note
Playing on
My saxophone
The conductor
Tapped his baton
On the stand
And cleared his throat
Words were spoken
And we almost
Came to blows
Got shown the door
Before the big
Civic-flower show
Started dancing
In my quiet
Suburban street
All the neighbours gathered
Just to stop
And stare at me
Eyes full of wonder
Green with jealousy
They hated me
But I’d hate me too
If I couldn’t
Dance like me
Answer to no one
Like a wayward child
The only thing I answer to
Is the call of the wild
I got a job
Working in a factory
I entertained myself
And we got on famously
I set fire
To the plant machinery
I watched the flames
Climb higher
As the ash
Caught on the breeze
Walked to the station
Barefoot in the rain
Stood dripping wet
On the platform
Waiting for my train
The stationmaster
Was in a dream
A million miles away
I broke in
Drank from his tea
And announced over the PA
Answer to no one
Like a wayward child
The only thing I answer to
Is the call of the wild
Years pass slowly
Like shadows
Long and drawn
Just a couple of
Old timers with
Their memories in store
There’s a house
Down the street from me
With manicured lawns
I think they’re
out of town this week
Let dusk become the dawn
For you can take the boy
From the wild
But not the wild
From the boy
And there’s a big world
Out there for us
That we are yet
To destroy
Let age not weary me
In this my final ploy
And let the reckless
Art of thunder
Carry me unto the void
Answer to no one
Like a wayward child
The only thing I answer to
Is the call of the wild
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10. |
Streets of Bundoora
03:23
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No I never knew
There were people
Living out past Preston
With two point four children
And two cars
In their garage
High Street turns
To Plenty Road
And just keeps going
The inner city
Melts away
Like some
Distant mirage
No I never walked
The streets of Bundoora
Before I met you
With its sleepy cul-de-sacs
And Seventies
Brick box homes
You took me
To places that
No tram could ever get to
And showed me
A kind of love
That I'd never known
I always thought
That happiness
Lived in Fitzroy
And would come on out
And show itself
When the clock struck twelve
Until that fateful day
I was but a young boy
Looking for happiness
In the wrong part of the world
So I’m packing up
And moving out
To Bundoora
For my one true love's
Living out there
Yeah maybe I’m a fool
Or just getting older
But when it comes to
A love like ours
I’d move
Anywhere
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Greg Steps Melbourne, Australia
Greg Steps is an indie-folk singer songwriter living in Naarm/ Melbourne. Teaching himself guitar as a teenager on his dad’s Yamaha acoustic, he developed a love for singing, ultimately revealing a distinctive, homespun voice. Aided by his inherently watchful eye and vivid imagination, he has forged a body of songs that are sophisticated, poetic and timeless. ... more
Greg Steps recommends:
An awesome set of songs, good late night, driving music
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