Mark Avison

Big red sun

 

There’s a man in the crowd with a big fat gun

And he’s taking his aim at the big red sun

I don’t know where he comes from

We’ll only find out when he’s gone

 

There’s a man in the sky with a big black bird

He’s flying it high so he can’t be heard

He knows where you’re going to

And when you’re pink and when you’re blue

           

            We’re so tired of making all this noise

            But we’re on fire

            Burning through the lazy, hazy, crazy days of life

 

There’s a man in the room with a big grey box

And he’s punching the keys so he stops the clocks

There’s no way back from the end of time

So we’d better keep running along the line

 

There’s a man in your head and he knows why

Some days you laugh some days you cry

He can make your dreams turn blue

He can make them all come true

 

            Chorus

 

I see a man on the beach and he’s telling us why

The new ideas they can make you fly

But all the words and all the deeds

Will never bring us back the peace

 

There’s a man on the street with a bag of gold

He’s telling us why your heart’s been sold

For nothing more than empty trust

For nothing more than bone dry dust

 

            Chorus

 

There’s a man in the crowd with a big fat gun

And he’s taking his aim at the big red sun

I don’t know where he comes from

But I’m as sure as hell he’s got it wrong.

 

Out Loud

 

You’re not just an angel

You’re not just some stranger

To fly through my innermost dreams

You’re not just a hand to hold

Not just some ring of gold

To tie around somebody’s schemes

            Because you were there for me

            You could always be

            More than a key

            To the lover in me

 

You’re more than a silent night

More than some cheap delight

Dragging me into the dawn

You’re more than alive to me

More than some shiny sea

Leading me on through the storm

Because you were there for me

            You could always be

            More than a key

            To the lover in me

 

Look in the mirror hung on the wall

Look for some sign of a glimmer at all

Listen to faces that stand in the crowd

Listen for someone to say it out loud

 

Million Eyes

 

You stand in the stairwell and kiss her goodbye

There’s no understanding, there’s no way to cry

She’ll never turn back, no she’ll never reply.

You don’t understand how it could go so wrong

But somehow the words seemed to blindly go on

Tearing through all of the things that you’d done

 

            Stumble on to an empty square

            There’s no one listening there’s no one there

            Dancing demons that lead you on

            Lead you on yes they lead you on  

    

Across the sky a million eyes don’t realise what you lost tonight

Along the street the rain completes

There’s no way back no there’s no way home in sight

 

You know it was your fault, you know you’re to blame

But there’s no redemption though it’s all the same

Twisting you mind through the fire and the flame   

Hooked up to stories that never came true

Even the laughter dies all the way through

Trivial moments roll out of the blue

 

            Chorus

 

So now the darkness gives somewhere to hide

Silently searching for something inside

No one will ever know just how you tried

 

            Chorus

 

Blue Eyes/Song for the morning

 

Now sit yourself down on my knee

And tell me the things that you can see

I know you’re not quite ready now

We can fly away these gloomy

Blue eyes

You can stir the stillness of the night

With waves of passion burning bright

And  tell your stories to the moon

And wrap around your sleepy tunes

                                                Blue eyes

 

            There’s more to this

            Than talkingabout the way things are

            There’ll always be

            A way through the rain and the snow no matter how far

 

I’m sure the changes have got to come

But you can take them better that most anyone

I’d never want to tie you down

To a lonely room in some smoky town

                                                Blue eyes

 

Listen, Oh listen my fair maiden true will you spend some time with me

Listen, Oh listen my ship sails at noon and I’ve three more hours to kill

 

            I’m asking you, yes, I’m asking you, yes I’m asking you

            Please stay with me

 

Listen, Oh listen my fair friendly sky will you stay with me all day

Listen, Oh listen my gentle spring breeze will you blow these clouds away

 

            And I’m asking you, yes, I’m asking you, yes I’m asking you

            Please stay with me

 

Listen, Oh listen my bold river blue will you carry me too far

Listen, Oh listen my mirror of life do you see me in the stars

 

And I’m asking you, yes, I’m asking you, yes I’m asking you

            Please stay with me

 

Gods

 

Silent dream

Stays unseen

Pictures that tell the evil story

Pictures to hide the awful glory

 

Feel our hearts

Torn apart

Why can’t you hear the children screaming

Why can’t you hear the people pleading

 

          May your gods

          Stay with you while you sleep

          May your gods

          Forgive you while you weep

 

Ancient words

Lines absurd

We don’t believe in what you’re teaching

We don’t believe in what you’re preaching

 

See our hands

Blood and sand

Carry the price of all the fighting

Written in stone the words still lying

 

A view of you

 

I’m seeing you take it down

And the way you laugh it makes me frown

Too many to see the light

Too far too long too much tonight

 

It’s a view of you through the bottom of the glass

It’s a view of you.

 

The shadows behind your eyes

A darker place for you to hide

Friends tell it’s more or less

A consequence of your success

 

It’s a view of you through the bottom of the glass

It’s a view of you.

 

Holding on, holding on

            Down, down, down, down, so long

            Round, round, round, round, it’s gone

 

There’s nothing can take away

The pain of losing you today

It’s never too late to be

(The person) who you might have been

 

It’s a view of you through the bottom of the glass

It’s a view of you.

It’s a view of you.

 

Two Eight Four

 

Two eight four reasons to tell you about it

 

You know it’s still gonna rain in the valley

It’s still gonna rain in the valley

Don’t look down there

Because it’s still gonna rain in the valley

 

You know you might take a number of lovers

You might be a lover of numbers

One night stands

If you dare to look under the covers

 

Three kay high

 

You know you’ve got to have a good education

You’ve got to have the right inclination

Through the snow line

Like a cat with a bad reputation

 

And at the end there’s a sense of elation

Another climb to a sign of creation

Who knows where

You’ll find another inaccessible station

 

Three kay high

 

Two eight four reasons to tell you about it

 

When you go

 

I don’t know how to tear myself away

I never understood you anyway

            And if I cry, would you know

            How I feel about you

            When you go

 

You play across the water like the moon

I suppose our ship just ran aground too soon

            And if I smile, would you know

            How I feel about you

            When you go

 

And in the end it all come down to me

To set sail for another stormy sea

            And if I laugh, would you know

            How I feel about you

            When you go

 

I don’t know how to tear myself away

I never really loved you anyway

            And if I cry, would you know

            How I feel about you

            When you go

 

I could have been a tree

 

I could have been an astronaut and sailed into the sky

And maybe as an afterthought looked back down from on high

I could have been a catholic and listened to the pope

And said my prayers and other things and lived a life of hope

 

I could have been a tree

It could have been me

I could have been a tree

It should have been me

 

I could have been a dragonfly with shining blue and gold

And flown across the summer sun to see my wings unfold

I could have been an albatross and sailed the ocean wide

With grey and green for company and loneliness inside

 

I could have been an advocate, led men before the law.

I could have changed the way we think ‘bout the things the courts deplore.

I could have been in politics and tried to understand

Why nothing seems to change at all like ripples in the sand

 

I could have been a Buddhist Monk, vow silence all my life.

Who knows the contents of my thoughts or understands my sacrifice.

I could have been a crocodile, camouflaged and still I'd lay

Awaiting opportunities, to surprise and snatch my prey!

 

I could have been a scientist and found a cure for all

So people lived for ever and everyone grew tall

I could have been a soldier and fought in all the wars

And killed the enemies we had and murdered for the cause

 

I could have been a mountaineer and tamed the highest peak

And looked out on the world of ice and snow that we all seek

I could have been a writer, I could have written songs

I might have made the world turn round and listen all along