To Have and to Hold and to Break

​

City lights, suburban heights

We’ve held this fort a thousand nights

District of ours, we kept our vows

We named your streets and scaled your towers

But something calls, it stirs and claws

Somewhere within the city heart

Our restless minds could not decline

Such an alluring call to arms

 

We travel light, charts and rites

We leave our burdening creeds behind

Streets and lanes, the freeway loom

Commuters weaving endless loops

Pebbles left may guide our way but the rest is up to you

Traffic lights and neon signs could only see us half way through

 

We’re still cute but tired

Trampled neon flowers

Still this city is ours so leave the lights on

Dodging cars and lovers

Beasts and crumbling towers

And this city is ours

To have and to hold and to have and to hold and to break

 

Chronic town, hold our hands

We still have time to start that band

It’s our design, a new found scene

Of broken glass and lucid dreams

And here they come, the city kids

Draped in bitterness and tweed

But still somehow with gin and lime

We’ll find something to believe

 

We’re still cute but tired

Trampled neon flowers

Still this city is ours so leave the lights on

Dodging cars and lovers

Beasts and crumbling towers

And this city is ours

To have and to hold and to have and to hold and to break

​

​

Here in Your Backyard

 

It’s a wasteland, nothing here but idle hands

A concrete garden defiling all city plans

So we rally our fleet, roam down the street

We merge with the lost and the meek

The slow and the lame, deranged and untamed

Been waiting too long underneath

 

We’re all here raising our flags

The subway berserkers, the market researchers

The meddlers, the stockbrokers, peddlers, we’re here in your backyard

We’re all here scouting for love

Your old algebra teacher, the homeschooled believers

Your disappointed elders, we’re here in your backyard

​

So lead on, lead and I will follow through

Though freeway underpasses, smog and fumes

We’re cleaning the slate

Counting the names

We tend to the wounded and lame

We’re crashing the gates

Into the fray

At last you have someone to blame

 

We’re all here raising our flags

The subway berserkers, the market researchers

The passive aggressive possessive, we’re here in your backyard

We’re all here scouting for love

Your old algebra teacher, the dealers, the schemers

Your disappointed elders, we’re here in your backyard

 

We’re never short of opinions, we’re ready to let go

We’re ready to know what love is, so just let it flow

We’re never short of commitment, and we’re not short of stones

And so stone by stone we’re building our shrine next to your home

​

​

Rites of Passage

 

Dim the lights

Last mile through the blight

Through this great divide

So just drive through the night

To a beacon of life and light

 

Through the cold

Through remnants of old

Do we still have time

To unite, to unwind

We’re just passing by

 

A spark of hope, a story told

Puppy we’re old enough to let go

One more round to light a flame in the cold

A strangers gaze, a friends embrace

Streets to reanimate and reclaim

A walk of shame into the dawn of a new day

 

Dim the lights

A warm glow inside

This estate of ice

Let it shine, we’ll be fine

And this city is still alive

 

Find the ways

To soothe and unchain

To reshape this place

To retrace, recreate

The night is old but we’ll stay

 

A spark of hope, a story told

Puppy we’re old enough to let go

One more round to light a flame in the cold

A strangers gaze, a friends embrace

Streets to reanimate and reclaim
A walk of shame into the dawn of a new day

 

Hallowed eyes, restless minds

Have we got hope enough for this night?

Risking everything to prove we’re alive

Holy ground, one more round

To crash and rebuild, to speed up, slow down

Rites of passage to establish a hometown

​

​

Wake up Call

 

Hail on the windshield, could this be our home?

Elder gods spraying their tags way below

Building our stage by the overgrown train

Noone around so no stagefright or shame

 

So here we go, time to run this show

Eyes closed, flickering streetlights and stars

We’ll wake this slumbering city heart

So here we go, framed by summer snow

Bright notes into the void and we know

We’ll wake up something to guide us home

 

I’ll play the autoharp, you play machines

I’ll play Pandora unboxing her treats

Trinkets once lost in these ruins of old

Echoes of science, philosophers’ stones

 

So here we go, time to run this show

Eyes closed, flickering streetlights and stars

We’ll wake this slumbering city heart

So here we go, framed by summer snow

Bright notes into the void and we know

We’ll wake up something to guide us home

​

​

Marble Halls

​

Shake it down, tear it down

We’ll be here all night

Sunlight is of no use, must be something in our hearts

Maybe something in the water

So much space, left to fade

Hollow real estate, dead weight

To replenish what has crumbled in these parts

​​​

Stay here watch the satellites collide

Rich kids left now all of this is ours to claim

Trinkets and wonders

Vintage wines and bear hides

French ideas and English ties

Spoils of guilt for all those left behind

Marble halls of dusty riches, wuthering heights

Wasted and broken

Crumbles for the wildlife

French ideas and English ties

 

Shake it down, hallowed ground

We have so much time

Endless nights to rebuild and to decipher who we are

With our pedigree and postures

Bring it down, safe and sound

Wear this broken crown

Bright eyes, we’ll roll dice for every district of this town

 

Stay here watch the satellites collide

Rich kids left now all of this is ours to claim

Trinkets and wonders

Vintage wines and bear hides

French ideas and English ties

Spoils of guilt for all those left behind

Marble halls of dusty riches, wuthering heights

Wasted and broken

Crumbles for the wildlife

French ideas and English ties

​

​

Intersections, Alleys and Freeways

 

Can’t figure out this broken machine

Don’t know what to do with this cobweb of alleys and streets

We’re not used to this, we’re used to the the waves

Navigation by starlight and guidance from Neptune and astrolabes

 

But we’ll find something here to codify

Measure, define, weigh and highlight

In this uncharted maze

Intersections, alleys and freeways

We’ll extract the afterglow

We’re still explorers, so let’s go

The unknown holds a way home

 

We’re not used to these piles of debris

Not to sirens of vehicles, just sirens who lure in the deep

 

But we’ll find something here to codify

Measure, define, weigh and highlight

In this uncharted maze

Intersections, alleys and freeways

We’ll extract the afterglow

We’re still explorers, so let’s go

The unknown holds a way home

​​​​

​

Floral Haze

 

They thought it through, they thought we could tend these weeds

It’s kind of cute, they left us with training wheels

But we’re confused, confounded, a restless kind

But we’ll commit, we’ll shape up, we’ll really try

 

I’ll be the tool, a sculptor of leaves and roots

I’ll be the soul, a priestess of yield and bloom

I’ll be the soil, the rain, irrigation lines

I’ll be Elise, the sunlight, the grand design

 

Primrose, columbine, lilac, sage

You’ll mend our hearts, we will find our way

Uninvited but we’d love to stay

Invasive weeds in this floral haze

Primrose, columbine, lilac, sage

You’ll mend our hearts, we will find our way

Uninvited but we’d love to stay

We'll set our roots in this floral haze

 

We’ll work it out the trial and error way

We will rewind, retry, we will go astray

I’ll be the scribe, collector of charts and tomes

I’ll be the guide, a lantern to lead us home

 

Primrose, columbine, lilac, sage

You’ll mend our hearts, we will find our way

Uninvited but we’d love to stay

Invasive weeds in this floral haze

Primrose, columbine, lilac, sage

You’ll mend our hearts, we will find our way

Uninvited but we’d love to stay

We'll set our roots in this floral haze

​

 

Concrete Cathedral

​

It’s a city of hunger where nothing goes uphill

We better reach some decent heights

No time to slow down, so here we go upwards, onwards

Just don’t look down

 

We’re finally claiming this tower

A spire of wonders

A concrete cathedral, steel and stone

We finally reached our high ground

Silver and Clover way down low

We’re finally claiming this skyline

Steelworks and nightlife

Archways and bright lights, hearts and hopes

So here’s a city of science, driftwood and violence, our new home

 

Athena, you with us? This place is unholy

We’ll consecrate this whole damn town

So this is our last stand

A summit to guide us, charge us

To raise our flag

 

We’re finally claiming this tower

A spire of wonders

A concrete cathedral, steel and stone

We finally reached our high ground

Silver and Clover way down low

We’re finally claiming this skyline

Steelworks and nightlife

Archways and bright lights, hearts and hopes

So here’s a city of science, driftwood and violence, our new home

​

​​

Neon Signs of Life

​

Running on fumes from a restless heart

Roaming the streets until sunrise

Alleys and lanes where we fall apart

Bridges and gateways to daylight

​

None of these places are safe, I know

As long as you lead I will follow

Guided by flickering broken phones

A sliver of hope from Apollo

​

Under neon signs

Scouting streets for signs of life

Mmm, you shine a light through the city night

Through the district line

The waterways and concrete mines

Mmm, you chart the trails of this newfound wild

​

Through subterranean winding halls

Lost in a mapmakers nightmare

Ancient foundations and crumbling malls

Moving from somewhere to elsewhere

 

Under neon signs

Scouting streets for signs of life

Mmm, you shine a light through the city night

Through the district line

The waterways and concrete mines

Mmm, you chart the trails of this newfound wild

Through the undertow

The overgrown and empty homes

Mmm, you shine a light through this long lost Rome

​​

​

Feral Haze

​

Silver, Clover, let’s roll

Bruised and battered still ready to go

Through the dark urban cold

To remember, reassemble

Past the towers and lanes

Cross the bridge, past the theme park remains

Into something untamed

To the gateway of the wild ones

 

Wild beady eyes, a haven of starlight

It’s a hidden pearl for your inner cur

So summon her

She holds the key to this world

Overgrown wide open cages

We’re allowed to stay, to recharge and play

Revere and pray

To Horus, Ganesha, Black Beauty, to Lassie, come guide our way

 

Once here only for show

All these species are out of their folds

Waiting for us to play

Mammal anthems, reptile soundscapes

Feral chords, beats and chimes

Will the lynx sisters stage dive this time?

Otters, lemurs and cranes

Crowd together by the old stage

 

Wild beady eyes, a haven of starlight

It’s a hidden pearl for your inner cur

So summon her

She holds the key to this world

Overgrown wide open cages

We’re allowed to stay, to recharge and play

Revere and pray

To Horus, Ganesha, Anubis, to Lassie, come guide our way

 

So here we are, Silver and Clover

You’ll be safe and sound on this holy ground

With owls and hounds

Guarding this temple compound

Through the days a cage for the enslaved

Now you’re free to roam

Graze these fields of gold

We have to go

This realm is meant for the wild ones

So let go, embrace this new home

​

​​​

​

Masses of Water

 

We raised a tent in your garden
Meager practice but still
We cut ourselves in our palms
To show dedication and iron will
Open water charts
Coordinates and safe havens
We learnt it all by heart
But what could prepare us for these waves?

It all begins right here with these masses of water
An engine of hopes and dismay
Here we stand with our maps and our numbers
But no logic applies here
We'll be safe and sound
Ulysses, Orion - Show us direction
The game of lost and found begins as we breach this
Line of protection right here  

Spoilt and bred to prevail
We walked with inherited grace
We learnt out postures and ways
Played grand pianos in gilded chains
We made our way to our riding school
By the light of your mobile phone
Saddled Silver and Clover
And blazed off into the great unknown

It all begins right here with these masses of water
An engine of hopes and dismay
Here we stand with our maps and our numbers
But no logic applies here
We'll be safe and sound
Ulysses, Orion - Show us direction
The game of lost and found begins as we breach this
Line of protection right here

 

Go Silver Go Clover

The coastline fades behind the clouds
What have we done? We´re so far out this time
I know these waves are unforgiving
But we made a vow not to turn back now

For different shores and different waters
We will venture forth with grace and style
We have no skills for water faring
And we're almost out of coffee now
But we'll hang on to the divine

So go Silver, go Clover
Our lives are chained to your shoulders
Go Silver, go Clover
None of this is for the sober

This book is meant for coffee tables
It's of no use to us here and now
But the map on page fourteen might give
An indication of how far we've strived
Keep an eye on the horizon

So go Silver, go Clover
Our lives are chained to your shoulders
Go Silver, go Clover
None of this is for the sober
 

 

Guiding Stars
 

Your feet are cold
The ice grips the stern and bow
A few weeks of drifting takes its toll
I miss our home
The sun on the patio
The shadows of kids we used to know

But hey, we will be okay
Ulysses will shield our hearts
Orion provide us with guiding stars
We’ll find our way
Throw pebbles into the waves
A trail for the gods to find
For Neptune to carry us through the night

Your gaze has changed
Naivety fades away
Lost somewhere out there along the way
We raise a toast
With the bottle of rhum you stole
The endless horizon blank and cold

But hey, we will be okay
Ulysses will shield our hearts
Orion provide us with guiding stars
Light up our way
Throw pebbles into the waves
A trail for the gods to find
For Neptune to carry us through the night
 

 

Scouting the Shores of Longyear
 

The waves along the coastline
The faint flourescent light
The wind between my fingers
The albatross is on our side
The coffee mug with ice blooms
The open water charts
The squeaking of the seagulls
The satellites and stars

And while you're still asleep
I scout the shores on stumbling feet
No coastguard ever travels through these seas
And while you're still asleep
I scale these peaks
We really left our comfort zone Elise

The shapes of water creatures
Deep beneath the waves
The crisp scent of corrosion
The rescue ship has lost its way
The say we were the pampered
The spoilt and the decayed
We both know they were right but
Our boats are made for smaller waves

And while you're still asleep
I scout the shores on stumbling feet
No coastguard ever travels through these seas
And while you're still asleep
I scout the shores on stumbling feet
And while you're still asleep
I scale these peaks
And while you're still asleep
I scout the shores on stumbling feet
We really left our comfort zone Elise
 

 

Isle of the Tritons
 

We walked the streets
Where our fathers drew their lines and built their towers
Reached conclusions with arithmetics and acid solutions
We'll never aim for such great heights
Can't claim our place beside them
We're not leaving any heritage, oh no we're just leaving
For a place with gates of ice

Leaving frozen waves behind
The ravishing gales of the north subside
Showing the shimmering lights
On the shores of the tritons
Leo, guide our raft inside
We carry the colours of blue and white
Greeting the tribes of the wild
What was lost is now truly found

We'll never leave
Any heritage of bricks and stones
No spires or marble lions
Cause our eyes are turned to different horizons
But gravity pulls
We're not kids anymore
We'll be thirteen years in no time
Had to leave our coasts of safety for another shoreline
And the gods are finally on our side

Leaving frozen waves behind
The ravishing gales of the north subside
Showing the shimmering lights
On the shores of the tritons
Leo, guide our raft inside
We carry the colours of blue and white
Greeting the tribes of the wild

Leaving frozen waves behind
The ravishing gales of the north subside
Showing the shimmering lights
On the shores of the tritons
Leo, guide our raft inside
We carry the colours of blue and white
Greeting the tribes of the wild
What was lost is now truly found
 

 

Northern to Southern Hemisphere
 

Waving the triton tribes goodbye
Leaving the north for new uncharted isles
Counting the days and watching whales pass by
I saved you from falling overboard
You saved me from loosing myself to the void
We're reading the books we know too well by know

So we wait
And we wait
And we wait
And we wait
For weeks to pass by

You are the captain, you are my light
The rose of the winds keeping waypoints aligned
Then it's right there in front of us
The land of fire
 

 

Tierra del Fuego
 

Pitch black waters, we're drifting through the reeds
Fires burning along the coast
Shadows moving, glad we're out of reach
Drifting into the southern seas

Wanderlust was always our disease
Rites of passage to set us free
Darker mornings, fall is moving in
Is this how it feels when you're growing old?

Gods of sky, land and water
Wherever you are and whoever you are
Lead us through safe and sound
We'll believe in you whoever you are

Gods of sky, land and water
Wherever you are and whoever you are
Lead us through safe and sound
We'll believe in you whoever you are
 

 

Divided Sea

You guide our raft to the harbour of embers
You say spot on but I know I was careless
A few hot steps then we're safe on the hillside
Yeah, we'll place our flag after cookies and milk-time

It's all there, it's within our reach
Somehow we got the front row seats
And Silver and Clover stand right by
As a golden moon passes slowly by
This is where the shadows stall
I think we just left it all behind

We took our turns and divided these waters
You got the south, I got the north cause you're older
No sailor has ever travelled these distant parts of the sea
Discovered this place of wonder
It's just for you and me

It's all there, it's within our reach
Somehow we got the front row seats
And Silver and Clover stand right by
As a golden moon passes slowly by
This is where the shadows stall
I think we just left it all behind
 

 

Coast to Coast

Whales roam abundant here
They chant along with your voice loud and clear
Pale sun and floating lights
We traced the ley lines to this sandstone isle
An undiscovered coast
Guarded by rocks and undertows
No ship has anchored here
No nation claimed this last frontier

(So we will travel)

Coast to coast
The rivers are our veins
As the uncharted lands unfold
We cover mile for mile
The stars are right
Somehow we'll turn this into our home
From coast to coast
Clover's on a roll
We gather species of plants and wildlife as we go
Draw maps and raise our stones
Somehow we'll turn this into our home

The dark clouds drift aside
Revealing sycamores and towering heights
We clutch each others hands
The raft collapses on the rocks and sand
Oh well it's all the same
This is where everything makes sense
This is our Avalon
We'll raise our flag in the setting sun

(So, we’re battered oh I know
But we will travel)

Coast to coast
The rivers are our veins
As the uncharted lands unfold
We cover mile for mile
The stars are right
Somehow we'll turn this into our home
From coast to coast
Clover's on a roll
We gather species of plants and wildlife as we go
Draw maps and raise our stones
Somehow we'll turn this into our home

From coast to coast
From coast to coast
We cover mile for mile, the stars are right
Somehow we'll turn this into our home

Home, our home
Home, our home
...