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Hey, Big Splendour

by Cathoel & the New Government

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1.
Metal in the Water when we found these lands of you here we were blinded by our gods, the greatest of whom is gold and we started to find more beads, more spoons here wanting for our Queen a valuation of some kind and our primitive fears gleaming through here bleeding soil to stone with our seeds stymied & blind if all that is left of us are these beads & these apologies stumbling on the stars we’ve let come between us and our early visions we haven’t much left of the certainties we started out with I try to remind myself now and then and exploring the land hard hooves & shoes here pulping elder trees crushing mountainsides to lime and our primitive fears gleaming through here bleeding soil to stone with our seeds stymied & blind learning back our hive mind: that which starves you out cannot feed me steering down the chemical aisle poisons to flush, poisons to gargle are we deaf to the sound of courage each of us on our own for so long all we can hear is the city now we can’t cooperate and we say you can’t compete keep unearthing the heaven here wondering all the time I fear what would come between us: politics ~ that is, I believe being right is worth more than your mindfulness o, no matter what the world gets throw it away when you’re done throw it away down the barrel of your gun if all that is left of us are these beads & these apologies stumbling on the stones we’ve ground down to sand in our machine’s embraces I fear what would come between us: politics ~ that is, I believe being right is worth more than your mindfulness o, no matter what the world gets throw it away when you’re done throw it away throw it away down the barrel of your gun
2.
Blue Like Yours I came for what you came for my eyes blue like the sky my heart blue like yours show me your sleep I’ll show you mine garbled words in the night as you work through your fires sweet as rain on our old roof you’re only finer now as your dreams find you you are my sweetness down to the sour taste of you you are my saltpan I’ll lick the bitter waste of you cos I came for what you came for my eyes blue like the sky my heart blue like yours
3.
Shed of Leaves the shops are closed, at least in my imagination nowhere to go, no jobs to do I feel released from all consumer indecision feeling pink & sleepy, dreaming through these are the hard husks of my lonely fatalism only a fool would see it so I had no means, I had no way of buying trouble so I stayed out of trouble, I stayed home home – that’s where I’ll be entirely on my own, I’m free to I’m going to weave a nest around you where I find you if not tonight, some other time until I feel your shadow folding my horizon there’s nothing lovelier than be alone home – that’s where I’ll be entirely on my own, I’m free to I’m going to build a shed of leaves and shelter in it & bring you home, my bowerbird and be content until time starts to prise it from me the one thing lovelier than be alone home – that’s where I’ll be entirely on our own, and free to and when you eat me like a bird who eats the shell & all your every word a kind of call we’re going to pool together all of our resources and spool it all together, here at home we’re going to build a shed of leaves & shelter in it only two fools would see it so I’m going to feel your shadow holding my horizon o, home
4.
Vow to Surrender there is a new system & it’s & it’s called McDonomics you can only be there if you if you vow to surrender everything about you that could that could get in the way of profits and you can only be an artist if you learn to market o – o – o – o – o – money pays my bills o – o – o – o – o – so I vow to surrender vow to surrender there was a world election & the & the United States won everybody voted & we we all vowed to surrender everything about us that made us made us different from others and we also lost everything that we really had in common o – o – o – o – o – money pays my bills o – o – o – o – o – so I vow to surrender vow to surrender say you don’t remember voting for the United States you vote with your pocket every every time you spend money I have made a promise to the to the landscape around me not to the let the promises of of advertising confound me o – o – o – o – o – money pays my bills o – o – o – o – o – but I vow to remember o – o – o – o – o – money pays my bills o – o – o – o – o – but I vow to remember vow to remember vow not to surrender – I vow to remember
5.
Drink More Water Tuesdays I lie in bed with my ex: have you got a t-shirt I can wear? she comes to the door again and we just let it ring sounds of funk irresistibly fill the air tiny phone heats my pocket, a little tiny leash phone knows exactly where I am lying you gave me this jewellery so you can be in touch any time without coming anywhere near me you’re not sick, you’re thirsty says the doctor Thursday afternoon and I hear it as “thirty” because thirty is on my mind metals in the water make me sick and keep me sad but I have no science for these views trees knock on the window like a suspicious spouse trembling in the bathroom in a t-shirt too big for me she comes to the door again and I hear you get up am I sick or blind or thirty, my little white stick, peeing in a cup ah
6.
Crown of Sun 06:06
Crown of Sun I like to gaze on you you & your crown of sun I’ll take on the both of you in my bed want you to let me make you lay yourself down ~ why won’t you? well I let you wrest me to the ground cos I thought you might have something good to show me that’s the last time I sit down in your presence you ~ you ~ you ~ you seem to need a little towering over: don’t you? I like to gaze on you you & your crown of sun I’ll take on the both of you in my bed want you to let me make you lay yourself down ~ why won’t you? well I know you had it harder than I had it oh I know you had it harder than I had it but if anger could recede like a tide from your brow where I’d rather rest my cheek… ahh then…. I’d like to gaze on you you & your crown of sun I’ll take on the both of you want you to let me make you lay yourself down why don’t you lay back
7.
Always the Titanic it’s not disaster but it could be if we don’t learn to use our eyes not like the last one I think it would be a long & terribly dangerous time oo ~ for the skin, eyes, ears & heart for the skin, eyes, ears & heart it’s not the plastics it’s not the metals not the stolen blood nor the mixed oil it’s more skin-sized it’s more fleshly what I love, what my toil prays for oo ~ for the skin, eyes, ears & heart for the skin, eyes, ears & heart these are the last days it’s no secret before the change of some kind will come I look forward I remember & I’m still wrapped in my little oo ~ skin, eyes, ears & heart skin eyes ears & heart it’s not disaster but it could be...
8.
Riverstone 03:58
oh my darling, my love for you runs through me like the river runs around a stone I have a passageway through my house for you and if there’s any way to get your feet on my land I’ll bring you here, I’ll bring you here and I know your heart is closed and full there are many like you, sunk like a stone the grace that passes me catches up with you and it’s built like the back or the inside of lace having no name; not needing to and although you are so beautiful I’m in love with the things that you help me make plain if I want you in my life must I hold you like a spanner making a fist like I’m fighting if I want you in my bed must I hold you like a mirror held to the lips of a dying man I have a passageway through my house for you and if there’s any way to get your feet on my land I’ll bring you here, I’ll bring you here and I know your heart is closed and full there are many like you, sunk like…. a stone
9.
Glad to Join the Army if Mary had the money she’d be glad to join the army & to plant her feet, devote her soul & regulate her wakings cos the shoutings of the sergeant drown the doubts that she has brought along & traffic regulations that will keep us all in safety as we hurtle to collision with the ultimate decision: that’s the wrath of an impersonal and unnoticing Nature who says: ‘look what you have done to me, and see what you have made of me you’ve locked the necks of mountains and you’ve melted all the glaciers’ *had to go to war *don’t be sad *with a stable heart, we’ll meet again *well it’s not my choice *the government sent me to war *but I’ll be back *if I was a bird *if I was an eagle *then I would come flying towards you & nothing’s growing easier than ever we were promised in the books we wrote some years ago, and claimed they were the name of god if God were here beside us he’d be shaking his head, shaking his fist: ‘you were only selfish when I offered you stupidity’ now all the other animals are fleeing from their only home into the burning oceans & the canyons of your city you say you didn’t mean it this way, you were only trying to make some kind of difference I want to make a difference. I want to ~ I want to ~ I want to ~ I want to ~ if Mary had the money she’d be glad to join the army where coincidence devotes its soul to keep the human spirit wholly separate from accident & separate from body ~ and the heart & head conduct themselves as though what’s thought is never felt she handles the machinery & greases down her weaponry commando through the greenery she’s feeling every second ~ and life has now a purpose in this stolen sense of virtue – and she puts her best breast forward and she stiffens in the hatred courage like an exoskeleton to keep the human spirit in we don’t respond to love sometimes, we think of it as softening I want to ~ I want to ~ *Tibetan language poem by Tenzin Choegyal & translated by Tenzin
10.
Like a Tablecloth clearly you had a job to do you set out so eagerly I will lie in the shade of our shadow under our tree at the day’s end & after the train ride you'll step out of your shoes let me dig into you with my spoon & bring out your juice o baby you’re my job to do let me bring you back blacken my feet at the fire and I’ll cover your tracks now that we’ve sharpened up your spade you’ll find your day’s treasure leaving loving at either end like it’s only leisure let me loosen whatever faults have inveigled into your brain lay you flat like a tablecloth with a history told in its stains o baby you’re my job to do let me bring you back blacken my feet at the fire & I'll cover your tracks o baby you’re my job to do let me bring you back blacken my feet at the fire & I'll cover you shut your phone, cover your computer and close your office down I will be here, I’ll light the fire & remove your crown of frowns working back, working for a future you know it’s not too late slam the door with such vehemence that the glass will vibrate o baby you’re my job to do let me bring you back blacken my feet at the fire and I’ll cover your tracks o baby you’re my job to do let me bring you back blacken my feet at the fire and I’ll cover you… clearly you had a job to do you set out so eagerly I will lie in the shade of our shadow under our tree at the day’s end & after the train ride you'll step out of your shoes let me dig into you with my spoon & bring out your juice
11.
Horizontal 03:24
Horizontal slide past me slowly, no, don’t wake me I want to stay the king of this landscape and in my dreams, that’s when I’m entirely ruler of all that I have invented …(repeat) and all too soon I’ll wake into an ordinary day ...(repeat) where is my castle, where my instinct? everything vital fades away from me I’ve led my dreams a merry chase, yes I have looked cowardice in the face …(repeat) when night is gone I’ll stay sleeping because it’s easier than the day …(repeat) o man, grasp me as you know best I’m just sitting here, singing underneath my dress hoping you might take yourself a hold of any one of these threads… of these threads just let me sleep… (let me sleep…) just let me sleep… (just let me sleep…) just let me sleep... just let me sleep…
12.
No Giants Sleeping there are no giants sleeping there is no interest from outer space only fools here and we’re working our hardest raised on notions that don’t stand up to the weather doing our best to work things out better there is no god awaiting if I could believe it I’d believe it, believe me only mortals here and we’re doing our damnedest raised on a diet of confusion & tripe doing our best to make a good life what if there are no heroes coming there is no safety in our artifice only Nature who is getting tired of us I hate to say it like I know, cos I don’t I don’t know I don’t know I don’t know I hate to say it like I know, cos I don’t I don’t know I don’t know I don’t know
13.
Body for Safekeeping I gave my body to you for safekeeping there’s no point believing me or disbelieving me and as you’d only this drawer that you sleep in then that’s where I stowed away that’s where I stayed you calm, you calm me and in my body I store things that mean something my self and my soul my eyeholes & arsehole everything I have is yours for the keeping I know that’s old-fashioned I know that it’s dull you calm, you calm me I don’t know why you don’t cry when you see me did you ever see me o did you believe in me? now, looking down on us both from the ceiling I know love conceals you I know love reveals me you, you, you calm, you calm me
14.
Fields of Play time brings its own compensations in the essence of each sweet day in the nick of time I have found out ole, ole, ah-weh and nature has no hurry and the fields are full of play and like they say, it’s always a perfect sky ole, ole ah-weh there is a dying woman lying in my bed and I can’t turn her away and she tells me when she wants to speak ~ if I’m there otherwise I just think she’s saying, Stay with me time brings its own compensations in the essence of each sweet day in the nick of time I have found out ole, ole, ah-weh ole, ole, ah-weh

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Song cycle by internationally awarded Australian poet Cathoel Jorss recorded with a loose collective of 30 musicians from subway platforms, jazz clubs, and street corners.

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released July 29, 2011

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Some rights reserved. Please refer to individual track pages for license info.

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Cathoel & the New Government Melbourne, Australia

a collective of musicians who love jazz, folk, funk, punk, country, poetry, & silence. we met on subways & on the street, in cafes & bars, at gigs, in Melbourne, Brisbane & New York.

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