Get all 3 Ralph's Life releases available on Bandcamp and save 25%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Ralph's Life 1, Ralph's Life 2, and Life In The Gutter.
1. |
The Kid
01:11
|
|||
The Kid
Stick another pie in the fat kid
'Cos it's easier for you,
And sod exercise
Just feed it fries
As it's squashed into a seat for two.
Bang another game in its X Box
So you don't have to cope
With the boring themes
Of its hopes and dreams
As they're puffed away in your smoke.
Slap all the blame for your lifestyle
On the kid as it tries to sleep
To escape the pain
Slicing through its brain
Of the bullying that makes it weep.
Take another hit from your crack pipe
And let the kid sort out the mess
In the stinking hole
Of the dump that's home
Where it becomes more depressed.
Throw another punch when the money's spent
To remind the kid it's a drain
To buy it stuff
When there's hardly enough
Cash for your cocaine.
Knock another nail in its coffin
Pretend you don't know why
A kid so sweet would admit defeat
And lonely and lost...
...Choose to die.
© Copyright Lynn Woods 2.8.2012
|
||||
2. |
Best Friend
00:14
|
|||
Don't need his lies,
His roving eyes,
His alcohol fuelled,
Flattery.
Got my chocs,
Music that rocks,
And a friend who comes with
Batteries ~~
© Copyright Lynn Woods 2.8.2012
|
||||
3. |
Panic Attack
00:39
|
|||
I'm frightened to drift
To slip
To slide
Will you stop me?
I'm beginning to tremble
To shake
To shiver
Will you hold me?
I'm starting to gasp
To choke
To die
Will you save me?
I'm going to flip
To fall
To drop
Will you catch me?
I'm needing to flee
To run
To hide
Will you find me?
I'm wanting to stop
To start
To live
Will you help me?
Help set me free.......
© Copyright Lynn Woods 2.8.2012
|
||||
4. |
Removal
01:19
|
|||
I have no idea what time the truck arrived
It was just there,
Outside the house,
Uncovered,
Dirty,
Emotionless.
One by one her treasures were piled into it
Without thought,
Or care.
Quickly,
Impatiently,
Recklessly.
Laden, the removal men chatted as they passed the other
Fags dangling from lips,
Sharing a joke,
Laughing,
Disrespectful,
Mocking.
And all the while her life's story continued to lie naked
Before the elements,
On public display,
Exposed,
Vulnerable,
Mournful.
Each item thrown with disregard into the truck still bore the shadows
Of so many hopes and dreams
Long past,
Irretrievable now,
Fading,
Forgotten.
Forever silenced by Death, no more would these remnants of life
Stand to tell her tale
Of love,
Passion,
Pleasure,
Pain.
Nor could I.
Whoever she had been in life I do not know
I was just a passer by,
An observer,
A stranger,
Of no consequence...
...And still I cried
For the loss of her.
© Copyright Lynn Woods 2.8.2012
|
||||
5. |
Senses
00:45
|
|||
To be bullied, to be beaten is a crime
But not to be touched,
Never to know contact,
Is as much a crime.
To be stared at, to be sneered at is a sin
But not to be seen,
Never to be noticed,
Is as much a sin.
To be shouted at, to be ridiculed is a hurt
But not to be heard,
Never to be listened to
Is as much a hurt.
To be spat at, to be devoured is unbearable
But not to be kissed,
Never to taste another
Is as unbearable.
To be smothered, to be suffocated is painful
But not to inhale life,
Never to breathe
Is possibly the only relief from the pain of everything...
|
||||
6. |
Footsteps
01:14
|
|||
Cold tarmac hides the footsteps of my youth,
Still the warmth of cobbled memories linger on
To tell their tale of lolly sticks and laughter,
Grazed knee caps from a summer's day of play.
The air so sharp and clear catches my breath,
In contrast to the foggy days back then,
When factory chimney pots each puffed with pride,
Their smoky giggles filling somber skies.
And whilst friction from fast food blazes a trail,
It can not replace the graceful gait of fare
Prepared, as then, by a flurry of floury hands,
Each offering wholesome pies to smiling mouths.
Children now, no longer play outside,
Remaining pallid prisoners of some screen,
They will never know the freedom or the fun
Of playing catch or chasing balls along the streets.
The streets where empty pavements now reside
In a world where no one chats and no one trusts
Yet in the shadows of my childhood still I dance
To the cheery tune of echo's from the past....
|
||||
7. |
Home Truths
00:58
|
|||
You will not want to hear this
But still it must be said,
Home truths are never easy,
I understand your dread.
Regardless you should listen
To every word I say.
My friend I want to help you
To save you from the pain
Of being who you really are
Of doing what you do
Of totally repulsing
All those who know of you.
You see you're just not likeable
Or loveable or nice
You're ugly and quite worthless
Oh do take my advice!
Disappear, just vanish
Take your boring tones
And bury them with the hopeless sob
Of your ever moaning bones.
If anyone should notice
Most will be relieved
That you're no longer visible
So can't you just concede?
Go lock yourself away somewhere
Throw away the key.
Oh...who am I to say these things?
I'm you of course,
You're me.......
© Copyright Lynn Woods 2.8.2012
|
||||
8. |
Dark Skies
05:24
|
|||
Dark Skies
Dark skies hung as heavy
As a fat dog's sweaty belly
When Arthur took her hand outside the abattoir.
And to the tune of doom filled moos
Arthur bit his lip and shuffled his shoes
Before asking Mary if she would be his girl
A gas light flickered into life
At the gas lamp lighting mans first strike
Adding dancing shadows to Mary's blushing cheeks
And as Arthur waited for a yea or nay
With a half chewed lip and a nervous sway
A stray dog paused to pee upon his leg
Pretending that she hadn't seen
Arthur's pants leg start to steam
Mary swallowed a titter and replaced it with a grin
Then giving Arthur's hand a squeeze
Whilst feeling quite weak at the knees
With an eager nod she agreed to be with him
And so their courtship began with joy
The young housemaid and the slaughterhouse boy
Snatching stolen moments 'tween cleaning and killing cows
And sure enough it wasn't long
Before true love blossomed and with passions strong
They were up the aisle exchanging heartfelt vows
In a two up two down in a tiny street,
The newly weds nuptials being complete,
A few months on saw Mary with news to share
And over a jellied eel and a plate of tripe
Arthur's eyes shed tears of delight
To hear of the child that Mary would soon bear
The years passed quickly, as they do
But their love for the other just grew and grew
Bringing two more babies to join the happy clan
And whilst Arthur's pay from his slaughtering days
Just about managed to keep hunger at bay
Mary fed well from the love she held for her man
But times were changing and very soon
More dark skies, bringing doom and gloom
Would empty their bowels on the happy family scene
And as nappies were washed and grazed knees fixed
A cruel world played nasty tricks
When war broke out, incinerating hopes and dreams
One by one young soldiers left
To fight for freedom as their families wept
Never knowing as they waved them off who would come home
And so it was she stood that day
A heartbroken Mary whose tears would say
" Be safe, my Arthur, don't leave us on our own"
Still, Mary had more luck than some
Although not often Arthur's letters did come
And she'd trace a fretful finger over each word
Which, written from some mud drenched trench,
Despite the cheer Arthur's prose did attempt,
Couldn't hide the horrors of a blood soaked, mindless world
But Mary had a plan in mind
To keep her busy until such time
As Arthur's slaughtering boots would once more rest
On the threadbare rug at the side of the bed
Where she prayed each day 'till her knees nearly bled,
And she smiled the more she thought about her quest
Off to the hospital she would go
To tend to the wounded and let them know
That a caring, loving hand would help them cope
With their broken bones and their missing limbs
And their shattered minds, paying for the sins
Of those who sent them into hell without any hope
So it was, Mary walked that day
Homeward bound with a weary sway
But happy, to have served in helping those
Whose loved ones waited with baited breath
For the familiar tread upon a well worn step
As bent and buckled their heroes limped back home
It was just in passing the abattoir
That Mary's cheer began to sour
And pondering as to why she raised her eyes
To see above the darkening folds of the crumpling clouds
As they swallowed the gold of the morning's sun
To make way for sinister skies
Trying to ignore these foreboding flavours
Mary knocked on the door of her neighbour
And with a smile that belied her worry she carried on in
To cuddle her kids and to thank her friend
Upon whose kindness Mary's work did depend
But the face that greeted Mary's wore a veil of grim
The kids were chewing on their bread and jam
As Mary was passed the telegram
And a shaking hand sensed the weight of the words within
And thunder groaned and muffled the cries of a grief stricken Mary
Who, through tear soaked eyes
Read "Deeply regret..." before collapsing as her world caved in
Dark skies, thankfully, didn't last
And the sacrifices made in the Great War's pernicious past
Allowed for a peaceful new start in a troubled world
Where despite the relief and the jubilation
The human cost didn't warrant celebration
As grieving families struggled to come to terms
And as for Mary and her much loved brood
Well, times were hard but they struggled through
And on many occasion they'd wander to the abattoir
To stand on the corner where she'd reminisce
About simpler times and true loves first kiss
When the slaughterhouse boy asked the housemaid to be his girl
Now bright skies saunter overhead
As we pay our respects to the bold, brave dead
Who gave the ultimate so we could live our lives
Lives we should cherish every day
Remembering the freedom that came our way
Through the Arthur's and the others who for our sake gave up theirs.
© Copyright Lynn Gerrard 2.8.2012
|
Streaming and Download help
If you like Life In The Gutter, you may also like:
Bandcamp Daily your guide to the world of Bandcamp