PIGGY-PIG
On a lined field of green winter
Two sets of rules and you discard them both
Barking out instructions
There can only be one captain
Your mouth is a dangerous weapon
Your split mouth ought to talk to itself
Who is your competition?


SPIT N SAWDUST
Freeing this part of my life
I had stacked in a corner
With a stick of charcoal
I’m narrowing it down
Pointing in my back
A well directed knife
No teamwork about it
The only pair of socks I’d ever own
Are going in the toes


HIS AND HERS
What belongs to him she takes
What belongs to her he breaks
What’s his and what’s hers?


FACE I CAN'T FORGET
An unnerving quiet
They’re not finished with me yet
Add fuel to the fire
A face I can’t forget
There when I shut my eyes
Don’t spoil it now
We’ve made it this far
Leaves my day in such a mess


FAIL IN MY DUTIES
The sad facts of reality
Hits you hard in the guts
The truth is hard to swallow
As a warm cup of fat
I broke your expensive dish
I got confused about what was 
Important to finish 
Sinking further down
Making my own bad luck
My duties are all but gone


WE LEFT A DEAD FISH ON JOHNNY
Red fellow baking in the heat
Blistering up his puffing pink feet
Saltwater never tasted this sweet
Red Johnny
Peelin’ and itchin’
With the imprint of a fish!


MINSH IS IN THE OWL BOX
It’s just a short trip
Minsh is in the owl box
There’s not room for us both
One card has to walk
Is someone keeping score


WOULDN'T I SAY NO
It’s only a thought
I wouldn’t tell anyone
Wouldn’t even go out of my way
But if I got the chance
Wouldn’t I say no?
Where’s Rod and Mark?
Page them for you?


BRING IT 'ROUND
What can I dream up
To shove at you in hope
It’s always been accepted
Never discussed – why not?
After a promising start
Must I always quit while I’m behind
I forget everything I do
Is that worse than not knowing what to do?


WEIRDY
That one sure is weird
Various nods several smacks
What did you do with your pay
That fellow is beyond saving


CLEVER MOVE
Moving three streets
Takes some time to regroup
Leave behind
Inspiring, all conquering hero
Shorter to walk than drive
The cleverest thing we could do


SAUSAGES
The passage is dark
The air is thick with deceit
Your corner painted by selfishness
I twitch around unfinished ideas
I stoop and care what you think
Nothing’s ever finished
Nothing’s done properly
The half man sizzles


FATTY AND SKINNY
Only one thing left to do
Iron out the inconsistencies
Put a roller over and a broom through
I disguise things well
I’m indirect
I recorded what I observed
Small variations of the truth


PROOF THAT YOU'RE NOT SOBER
Held your breath – it didn’t work
Tried to smile, walked slow, shook your fingers
Gave it a shot
Gave you away
You couldn’t disappear
Your eyes flooded
Now someone else knows
What you already discovered
A table some comfort
Easier to stumble home


I'M SIX FEET
Reach for crumbs
Scraps pickings
Your number has come
It’s not worth inventing heights
We will make it soon
You have bone sticking out of your skin
Claw your way into the mess of my mind
And your pain will go away
Through magic doors


FAIR BIT OF SHUTTING UP TO DO
My silence brought my unpaid debt
We cut our last connection
Hanging over my head
It was a year when I had to learn
That everyone’s not like me
But you don’t know what you’re going to get
Until they’ve broken you
There’s some shutting up to do
I don’t want to open one more official letter
It’s paper muscle worded badly
Still got a fair bit to do
But I’m not going to threaten anyone
I just want to feel on top of things


HE'S THROUGH
He’s through and the roof is falling in
I can see his shoe
And he’s lost a fair bit of skin
He was tying a tarp on an old garage roof
They shouted, “HE’S THROUGH!”
They pointed and watched
Bloke’s thought it was funny
Can’t you see he’s down?
Get up there and help
Stop saying what you would do
Injured and ashamed
In future he’ll tread on the row of screws


GREEN OWLY ROPE
The green owly rope is tangled round her feet
It’s not made from expensive material
You should go – there might be a surprise
Some gift handed to you by an enigmatic figure
The green owly rope does not stretch
But it’s our friend to do with what we scheme


LIPS RIPPED CLEAN OFF
Everyone has their own stitches story
Can’t count all mine- some are internal
What’s the worst injury that you’ve suffered?
Broken bones in several places
Re-break the arm re-set the cast
It grows back stronger but won’t straighten
Your matchstick tower falls
In a singular scream – snap and it’s down
Delayed pain hits you


STILTS
Made up stilts not overly strong
But they’ll hold you up
And you’ll see over the top
You’ll see your mistakes in a different way
With stilts old problems are nothing
You stored up a lot of anger 
You stole someone’s nervous laughter
If I put my hand on your shoulder
Can it be buried forever?
This week we’ll break the pattern
Stilts designed around sexy milky
There’s nothing they won’t do for you


IN WALKED NEEN
Monk’s mood was playing in a challenging key
We all sat around and in walked Neen
She’ll know what to do – she hasn’t got much time
So we’ll see you later on
We’ll be there to cheer you on
I left on the outside light
Catering an interesting fry-up


MADE OF DAS
I must be made of das
Opened once slowly drying
Edges crack they wear on corners
The heat I give keeps most demons away
It can only mean that I am das
I’ll be varnished as soon as they catch on to me
Das is coloured grey/white/brown
I didn’t step up to the next level
I’m not a frontrunner I’m an observer
Of habit and weakness


DEEK'S GOT DIVERTICULITIS
He’s the only one who knows what it is
Tries to blame Benny
For just about everything


TOM GILLOGLY
I’ll take my third of the blame
Nothing’s ever my fault
It’s just a deliberate weakness
I use to keep afloat
I’ll rush and tie your knots for you
Hammer the last nail
My contribution will assist making you smile
We were wrong to hesitate
We were wrong to deviate
It’s just two points – who will know?
Your comeback was military
My instancy rehearsed 
We’d make a good pair of obstacles
At firing practise


I DON'T MAKE THE RULES
Sweep up the dead cockroach shell
Been stepping over for a week
Weed out the tired sponge
That fell behind the sink
Work makes work go away
I wish my law was home
Must do something about the pile of clothes
It’s creeping towards the door
What would someone use so many plastic bags for?


BRILLIANT SUNSHINE
The morning treat was brilliant sunshine
But things turned and we’re soaked
We were half way home
Or half way to where we wanted to go
We didn’t notice the loaded sky
Houses bunkered down
People trying to do things right?
Securing everything of value
Storing up cans – sewing up holes
Checking they had spare lightbulbs


SOLD TO THE MAN WITH NO SPINE
Sold the story of someone’s misfortune
A period of unhappy times
Sold to the man with no spine
Sold an important secret of mine
That we were supposed to keep between us
Sold to the man with no guts
Now the birds above are disgusted with our form
The changing range of blazers we have worn
Pacing in a room with your head down
Feet wearing out the floor below
Sold to the man with no…idea 


LOGSWING
We’d play to grazed and bitten
You knew your yard
And every blade of grass
But as age kills the details
Everything is so much smaller
Not a single memory stolen
No reflection cheapened
You turned all your scars
Into funny stories
What was the game?
What rules were we playing?
The logswing kicks
My shins- not my dreams are scarred 


THE OLD GANG IS TOGETHER
When all is broken in a pile
You send out for supplies
And cop the stale mind
What is it worth when you get this pack of liars?
You are sent out for supplies
You are scum of the earth
We still have each other
We’ll go down together
We can still laugh and take turns to shout
The old gang’s together if you count


ELBOW BONE RADISH
The biggest head I ever saw
Belonged to Elbow Bone Radish
I’m not quite sure what he’d done
Or why we had to punish him
With punches and dropping elbows
Do you ever fully recover?
Did you ever turn up everyday
Just to have someone steal your drink?
Your face was buried in a book
A circle of tacklers closing in
You wore it all and finished
Earning and deserving more
But we have the stories
For the clever ones to ignore


TASTE THE DIRT
That decision was particularly bad
You’re not right very often
And you’re wrong again
The usual things turn against us
But never before with this much strength
We waved a weak and beaten flag
But the colours didn’t suit us
The usual things turn
So throw yourself down and taste the dirt


SAME OLD LACK OF TALENT
I tried but wasn’t good enough
I didn’t give up but wasn’t quick enough
You always remember what you didn’t do
And the one’s that did – do they feel sorry for you
The same old lack of talent
Your old friend disappointment is with you all the way
Results can go either way
Your way or the right way
You always remember what you should of done
Because the one’s that did always won
What are you up against?
You keep running into the same old lack of talent


LOST CAUSES
You ask me I care about lost causes
But things aren’t that simple
Sometimes if only they were
I have my favourite subject
Humour in repetition
High intolerance and rejection of certain words
Be there tomorrow and hear the same story


SHELL OWL
(instrumental)


PRESIDENT OF CLUB THIRTY
Feel tired- worn out
From all the struggle
Then I see you smile
I didn’t amount to very much
I’ve never really been anywhere
That’s why little things mean so much
Like when I see you smile
I’ve taken the best bits and shown them the highlights
And I still remember some names


MISSY IN BIG TOWN
(instrumental)


THIS WILL ALWAYS BE YOUR HOME
I’m home
Do you want me to stay?
Should I be here tomorrow?
Did you have another idea?
Can we talk about it after I lie down?
This will always be your home
There is two of me
The place where the letters are sent
And the place where I sleep
The first one you try I’ll be just leaving


NORTH SYDNEY OVAL (THE DRUNK FORGOT HIS OWN HOUSE)
Leave a light on if you need to
It only stretches out the time
You even listen more intently
Almost willing a drunk to get his house 
Mixed up with yours
Does it still live inside your head


ONION WEED
A life digging out onion weed
Sifting the bulbs from the soil
From first year nursery to bad back middle-age
Onion weed was my adversary
But I keep going- I keep on removing
It affects your thinking
It interrupts what you’re doing
As soon as you’re able to close your eyes
You acknowledge the onion weed’s dominance


A DOG NEEDS A LEAD
A rusty swing squeaks in the wind
A stupid irrational neglected family gift
Elements that make you want to leave
But you’re unbeaten so far…
You step into the room it’s like a freezer
Sacrifice being warm to pay for pet infections
Sheer arrogance again
Everything must be questioned
And a dog needs a lead


THEY DIDN’T EXPECT HIM
She uses it as food
He uses it as blood
They might tip it upside down
They didn’t expect him to hang around
Hover and sift he did
Checked the shelves in the fridge
And poked in the cupboard
Needed a crate to see in
Terrified that you’ll run out
When the shops closed and the oven lights out
And the mysterious visitor
Still intrusively drifts around
No-ones game to ask
What he wants – how long he’s staying
As he pokes in the cupboards
Like a big owl or a snake


MAKING DO
Two simple rooms
Sparse furnishings
Running water
Our things
Making do
We survive all right
Don’t need flash things
Making do
Outside there is anger virus
In here creativity is crushing status


PARLIAMENT OF OWLS
I was thinking recently
Lost in my own thoughts
Lost in what to do
And how to word things
A parliament of owls
Staring down at the rake
I’m not here to hurt you
Just to tidy up the place
I really only know one owl
But I’ve seen glimpses of others
Not caring what we do
Not interested in what we say
And definitely not interested in what I think


SET OF STEAK KNIVES (1st slice)
Paint me into a corner
Pack of slightly hungry wolf
Shining silver saviour
Set of steak knives
Teetering on a ledge
On a sharp serrated edge
Discovering caesarian instruments that slice
All washed out feeling frail
Water colours half strength ale
Saw through knuckle hack through ox
Butcher snag and murder chop


SPOT ON A WALL
Checking out a shape
In a missing patch of paint
Head shaped with beard or crooked neck
Quite central to the room
Now it’s over there
Above a low-backed chair
The shape could never be
Assimilated again
I keep looking away
Hoping the shape will do 
Anything it’s not supposed to
Anyone can have their spot on the wall
You’ve got to see through that wall


MANGO RASH
You are sporting mango rash
Chew down on your bottom lip
It’s pleasure on top of pain
When mango rash sprouts again
Suffering from mango rash
Trying not to touch it now
Salty water’s good for it
And I heard there is a cream


TUPPY GRIMM
As a child I named you Tuppy Grimm
I cartooned you while you slept
You kept every drawing I ever did
Even the stupid one’s in pen
Plotted our walk to Victoria
But settled on Allambie bush
Collecting wildflowers wattle
And avoiding bungholes
I take after Tuppy Grimm
Close your eyes and I sound like him
Disgusted by the news
It’s time to move
On a secret mission
You haven’t seen me
I sprinted for a cold drink
When you were gone in the fetlocks
You sang who’s that knocking at my door
You were so welcoming and unselfish
Now I’m just like Tuppy Grimm
And that’s all I need 


SHOCKING WORDS
You can’t get through a day
Without hearing them
Even if you lock yourself away
The world’s weighed down by shocking words
It’s a weak and dangerous habit
To be handed a set of responses
Just say nothing at all
And rephrase those shocking words
We all know the ones I mean
Standard fare in most media
Useless quotes from uneducated dopes 
Who swallow shocking words


LOOK INTO THE HOLE
We gather round and look into the hole
What do you see – what have you found
With a curious eye you’ve just got to hope
There’s not a finger on the other side
Or you head butt your shadow
Mates wander over to see what’s going on
But they’re confused by dialectic materialism
You realize there’s a catch-
To have the only say you’ve got to be alone
They’ve left you again


AN IDEA!
Don’t follow them
Start your own theatre
With plenty of chair’s 
And atmosphere
An idea will set you up
It’s what you make it
And a bit of luck
An idea that’s all your own
But if it fizzes it could be your home
People want to watch things backfire
I knew a dog that was obsessed
With turning tyres
An idea is an idea in itself
Itself in an idea


STEAK NIGHT
A darkening day
Start the walk up the road
Pass certain addresses
It’s steak night again!
You can use my card
I need the points
Stay for one more
To wash the bread down
Or drown the bread


FALSE CEILING
A travel case concealing life
Initials obscured by rust
Maybe a ladder will fold down
A dry ledge for a workers uniform
A pet can hole up in mystery
Come crawling out when it’s hungry
Warm friendly eyes greet you
And the dust is as old as the air
When there’s no way out of trouble
A false ceiling hidey hole


BONUS SET OF STEAK KNIVES
Paint me into a corner
Pack of slightly hungry wolf
Shining silver saviour
Set of steak knives
Teetering on a ledge
On a sharp serrated edge
Discovering caesarian instruments that slice
All washed out feeling frail
Water colours half strength ale
Saw through knuckle hack through ox
Butcher snag and murder chop


KNEES IN THE BACK
(instrumental)


SKY TOLD LIES
The old horse photo we used to own
Where does it go?
It seems there’s no reason
To keep the old
The sky told me all kinds of lies
And it rubs off onto everything else
Let it go
You can carry a box around your whole life
But if you never look into it
It’s a weight you can do without