Ludwig is a spy
Talking very quietly and secretly
To another spy
Ludwig listens carefully
To the sounds of the words of instruction
From the other side
Ludwig gets the message
He reads it
Eats it
Digests it
He doesn’t wonder why
Ludwig
Ludwig

Ludwig has a Luger
A very dangerous pen
And an umbrella
Ludwig’s a well-dressed spy
Ludwig is a lover
Bedroom conversations and seductions
Are how he plies his trade
But Ludwig is suspicious
He talks to us
Then talks to them
Reports to us
Then talks to them again
Ludwig
Ludwig
Ludwig

Ludwig in disguise
Dressed in country style
Like an Englishman
But Ludwig is a German
Ludwig lays a wager
Bold intent in the third at Ascot
He moves in for the kill
Ludwig gets the signal
The nod from the Countess
In the members stand
He knows it’s time to move
Ludwig
Ludwig
Ludwig

Ludwig flicks the trigger
To hyperdermasize the umbrella
Drawing back the poison
Ludwig sees his target
Edges through the multitude of bourgeoisie
And jabs the count in the thigh
Ludwig
Ludwig
Ludwig

Ludwig on the exit route
Heading for a rendezvous in Paris
He knows it’s time to fly
Ludwig
Ludwig
Ludwig
Ludwig
Ludwig

Ludwig is a spy
Talking very quietly and secretly
To another spy
Ludwig is a spy
Talking very quietly and secretly
To another spy

©1989 Harris | lilburne

One day in my youth
I was hanging out ― as you do
The scalies in my living room
Were riffing the air with tunes
We were smoking
It was cooking         [hot]
Johnny burst in      [late]
He’d been rowing   [a lot]
He fell onto the floor
Clenched his fists in the air
And screamed at the top of his lungs
WE WON!!!
(Two, three, four)

Johnny won the eights!

Well, we’re an ornery crew
All excitement we eschew
Rather than appear the fool
We’ll opt each time to play it cool
So nary a word was spoken
As Johnny crouched there, expectin’
And with barely a break in our beat
Slowly he climbed to his feet
But an interloper at this session
Thought he’d teach young Johnny a lesson
So when the music began to swing
Scallywag Scotty started to sing

Johnny won the eights!

A year later
To the very day
The scalies were back
Having another play
When Johnny sloped in
And grinning a grin
He said, ‘well my friends,
We did it again’

Johnny won the eights
Johnny won the eights
Johnny won the eights
(Johnny formed The Broken Hearts)
© IAN LILBURNE 1986|2012

You’re driving me crazy
You’re driving me mad
You’re driving me utterly wild
It’s kinda scary
It’s kinda sad
That I should feel this inspired
I just can’t get enough of you
And it get’s better every time

You’re driving me crazy
You’re driving me mad
You’re driving me out of my head
It’s gotta be lazy
It’s gotta be bad
How many more weekends can we spend in bed?
I just can’t get enough of you
And you keep on coming back for more
You’re driving me crazy
You’re making me soar
(Like a bird)

SOLO

You’re driving me crazy
You’re driving me mad
You’re driving me somewhere I don’t need to go
I mean, do you respect me?
Am I your man?
Or am I just you latest toy?
I just can’t get enough of you
But you just treat me like a child
You’re driving me crazy
You’re driving me
You’re driving me crazy
You’re driving me
You’re driving me crazy
You’re driving me wild

© IAN LILBURNE 1999|2005

Blackbirds sing
And black crows fly
The other week I saw two of them
Having a fight
They were vicious
Out for blood
I couldn’t help thinking
They must’ve once been in love

You rolled away
And slipped out of bed
You thought I was sleeping
Felt like I was dead
You crept downstairs
To do that ‘thing’
I couldn’t help wondering
How did it come to this?

Inside out and back to front
Upside down and blue
Love is like a river
Flowing back to you

Shadows falling
‘cross my eyes
That blackbird’s calling
Can’t you hear him cry
The room’s warm
In the morning sun
The bed’s wide
But it’s so undone

I hear you calling
Out my name
But when I answer
You turn away
You say you’re talking
On the phone
Trust me
To hear you wrong?

Inside out and back to front
Upside down and blue
Love is like a river
Flowing back to you

BRIDGE

Inside out and back to front
Upside down and blue
Love is like a river
Flowing back to you
©2010
MUSIC + VERSE: IAN LILBURNE
CHORUS: JOHN HARRIS + CHRIS NORMAN

You might think I’m talking
I’ve not said a word
My passport’s been stamped
My visa secured
I’m standing here waiting
First one in line
The only place for
A light trav’ling man
In this twenty-first round
 
I’ve signed all my papers
I’ve had all my tests
The results were not bad
Not the best
But in a black leather coat
And prescription Ray Bans
I’m the image of
A light trav’ling man
One of the gang
 
You caught me laughing
The joke was on me
But your smile reconciled
Our complicity
You know that I’ll love ya
The best that I can
But remember at heart
I’m a light trav’ling man
I travel alone
 
CHORUS
 
So drink
Dance
The language of love
Is written in laughter
Scribbled in blood
Etched in tears
Blistered by sighs
Its face always changes
Never dies
However we try
With a litany of lies
 
A pen and some paper
Are all that I need
A bed for my head
A chair for my feet
But a new Smart phone
With its slick digi cam
Is the complement of
A light trav’ling man
In this zero-sum game
 
I’ll meet you in Moscow
I’ll meet you in France
I’ll book the connections
I won’t take the chance
It’s not worth the risk
Won’t you please understand
You don’t want to waste time
As a light trav’ling man
Never again
 
I’ll dance to your beauty
I’ll sing you a song
I’ll wait on your pleasure
But I won’t wait too long
I did that twice
Spoiled all my plans
Condemned me to be
A light trav’ling man
Last of my clan
 
So drink
Dance
The language of love
Is written in laughter
Scribbled in blood
You might think it’s lust
But then you’d be fooled
That’s the grand joke
The way love can be cruel
And ever so cool
 
SOLO
 
Let’s skip the country
We’ll head for the sea
The train leaves at midnight
The frontier is free
But the checkpoint is tough
The guard can’t be scanned
He’s a devotee of
A light trav’ling man
One and the same
 
I’ll take the vows
I’ll whisper the words
I’ll cross my fingers
And hope that you’ve heard
But if you’re pretending
It’s all just a scam
I’m content to remain
A light trav’ling man
I’ll go there again
 
So drink
Dance
The language of love
Is scripted in power
Scribbled in blood
Etched in tears
Riddled by sighs
Its face always changes
Never dies
However we try
 
You might think I’m talking
I’ve not said a word
I’ve just been dissembling
The things that you’ve heard
The dreams
The desire
That’s where we began
And I warned back then
I’m a light trav’ling man
I’ll warn you again
La da da da
I’ll warn you again
La da da da
I’m a light trav’ling man
I travel alone
 

© IAN LILBURNE, Genoa July 2010