NIGHTHAWKS LAMENT - Marisa Yeaman Did you get your feet wet in the baroque and twisted night ‘tween the smell of stale cigarettes and the burned out spotlights Rooms bursting at the seams- full of sweat and broken hearts Endless indescretions - young blood burning bright The barmaid's counting tips while the drunks recite the truth The lonely troubadour lies tangled in the proof In the early hours of morning with the ringing in your ears The cold wind blows the gutters and the nighthawks disappear The trams outside beat their own rhythm- And the corporates ply their trade Melbourne winter bites down hard -As an era slips away/ As the music fades away Stretch the time that’s dormant between the twilight and the dawn As the black curtain comes up and another band gets born Disciples to the scene are loyal to the cause Lost now to the echoes of long silent applause They give you twenty for the petrol and a belly full of booze If you don’t like the deal - well there’s a hundred more that do Devils in the darkness - thieves basking in the shade and no one gets a break in this town unless someones getting paid The trams outside beat their own rhythm- And the corporates ply their trade Melbourne winter bites down hard -As an era slips away/ As the music fades away Boards upon the windows - another bar closed down In it’s place, a slick cafe - or a taberet is found. And a big screen TV takes the place of the stage it’s easier for business - we save money on PA. There’ll always be circus, hell there’ll always be a clown But will anyone be listening when the warning siren sounds Now they’re stealing all the music and streets don’t rock at night The great minds and mouths are silent coz you can’t give a blindman sight The trams outside beat their own rhythm- And the corporates ply their trade Melbourne winter bites down hard -As an era slips away/ As the music fades away Somewhere in a back room on the outskirts of the town Some kids they get together, searching for their sound But baby it’s a long way to where they wanna be Unless you sell your soul to idol or reality TV Now they can’t find an audience, they can’t even find a bar Coz everyone’s in their loungeroom now - playing air guitar Dreaming it comes easy, that life on MTV They’ve got the whole world at their fingertips and nothing to believe. The trams outside beat their own rhythm- And the corporates ply their trade Melbourne winter bites down hard -As an era slips away/ As the music fades away Tough way to earn a living - hoping spark will turn to turn flame breathing passion from the soul bringing truth to slay their shame like flowers in the desert or diamonds in the dark In the age of reproduction - you can forget about art The trams outside beat their own rhythm- And the corporates ply their trade Melbourne winter bites down hard -As an era slips away/ As the music fades away ©2010 Marisa Yeaman