In the corner of an afternoon
Settle down and listen
In a back bar room
To a three piece band
With worn and sassy shoes
And a lady named Lolita singing blues
 
The times are strange
But the cause is true
Sure, there’s always better things to do
But the music’s sweet
And you’ve nothing left to lose
And you love the way Lolita sings the blues
 
And as the afternoon
Slips away
A bleary drunkenness
Seduces you
You stay
You ride her syncopation
You pick the clues
She’s lived it all
She knows her muse
 
A tripping tongue
A sullen titillation
The ragged grin of a tart insinuation…
A limpid light appears between the lines
Where thought
And art
And luck
Intertwine
 
Through the hollow of an afternoon
Lolita sings a doleful tune
In a honeyed voice
Of dark and scumbled hue
From the dearth of love
Lolita sings the blues
 

© IAN LILBURNE
MUSIC:  1977
LYRIC:  1997|2010

(THE LAST DAY OF AUGUST)

A princess died
In a very modern way
In a tunnel by the Seine
In a Mercedes Benz
She was trying to get away
As we tried to pin her down
She was trying to get away
Against the odds

And I saw her face
Maybe a million times
I couldn’t miss her if I tried
Even if I wanted to
Sure, in a way it was a farce
A paparazzi feast
But she wasn’t that bad
Against the odds

And the last day of August
May never quite be the same

MIDDLE EIGHT

What was the mood in that car?
Was she laughing at the thrill
Of giving us all the slip?
Or was she seething
With rage to get away?
Just to be left alone?

And I saw her heart
As she turned the other way
It was raw and it was hurt
And I knew she
Wouldn’t say anything
Yeah I liked her style
The way she tried
To keep things close
At least she seemed to try
Against the odds

And the last day of August
May never quite be the same
No the last day of August
May never quite be the same

Don’t you think?

 

© IAN LILBURNE 1997|2010

A femme fatale
A femme fatale
A femme fatale
No ordinary girl
Someone so wild
Someone so strong
To keep you trembling
All night long

Enclosed
Complete
Secure
Keep you on your toes
Whenever she is near
To open to her in a swoon
A rush of love
A self-inflicted wound

Drop your guard
You risk it all
You become the beggar
To her beck and her call
And she’s so cool
So capricious
So contained
With her perfect looks
And her perfect aim

This game is futile
Any treaty fragile
But this femme fatale
Is no ordinary girl
You wouldn’t have it
Any other way
Win or lose
It’s all the same

A femme fatale
A femme fatale
A femme fatale
No ordinary girl

© IAN LILBURNE
MUSIC: 1981
LYRIC: 1985|1997|2017

I love your face in this half light
At the back of the room when it’s
Late at night
The way the spark pirouettes through your eyes
When you catch me watching
And you start to smile

Down we go
Down we go
Oh down we go
To the water
The water and light

I love the way you run your hands through your hair
Lift and hold it while you gently tilt your head
It’s a kind of preening but you just don’t know
As I watch you
I feel so warm

CHORUS (Double length)

The water of love

SOLO

And I don’t know
If my love will set you free
And I don’t know
If you’re the woman for me
I somehow doubt
That I’m the man for you
But I’d love it if this love that we have were true

CHORUS (Triple length)

The water of life

 

© IAN LILBURNE
MUSIC: 2005
LYRIC: 2005|2009

“Stay”
She said
Not looking me in the eye
“I’ve got a packet of cigarettes
And a bottle of red wine
We can listen to music
And perhaps you’d light a fire
It’s still early
And I’d like you to
Stay
For a while
Just a little while”

“Won’t you stay
With me
We can sit by the fire
And you can tell me
All about your work
I’d like to hear it
And I mean that don’t you know
It’s still early
And I’d like you to stay

“Diego Wapornay
I’d like your company

“Won’t you stay,”
She said
In a way that made me smile
“And when it gets quiet
Then perhaps we’ll go to bed
And you can hold me
While we sleep
It’s still early
And I’d like you to
Stay”

© IAN LILBURNE
Music: 1981
LYRIC: 1985