Music

Two Shoes
Released: 17/04/2005
Buy / Stream
Two Shoes was recorded in Havana Cuba, at the famous Estudio Egrem where legends such as The Buena Vista Social Club, Irakere, Ruben Gonzalez and many others have found themselves recording. This album was made the old school way, playing live in a room over the course of 28 days in Nov/Dec 2004.
Produced by Jerry Boys, Felix Riebl and The Cat Empire, it is an album we are proud of, one which survived food poisoning, blackouts, freighting hundreds of kilos of equipment across the world, and many other stories which will all be revealed in time. We are proud of it, and hope you will enjoy…
Tracklist & Lyrics
-
If frisy hair was a metaphor
for festival time
then this woman is a goddess
of that festival shrine, met her
– at a jam
in that garden of sorts
I must confess god bless
some impure thoughts
“show us the money”
was the call of the night
but no money could have bought
even a piece of her pride, there might
have been a sea of people
I don’t know, because
all I could see
was how this woman she glowed so
-Aeh it’s a pleasure to meet you
ya look like one incredible creature
wanna treat you fine
lets dance and grind
get so funk-inflicted it’s a crime
you’re divine you’re sublime
and well you blow my mind
She caterpillar so good
that all the greeks go “killa”
break and enter take ya like a glass of milk
then “spill ya”
saw her coming what a scene
what I mean is
she got that sex coffee beam
but she tastes like vanilla
well alright she ignite
when we hit the floor
like the vroom on a V8 super commodore
now if it makes a good story
well it’s just worthwhile
with her’s like dealing stories
in that sprinkla style and so
-Aeh it’s a pleasure to meet you
ya look like one incredible creature
wanna treat you fine
lets dance and grind
get so funk-inflicted it’s a crime
you’re divine you’re sublime
and well you blow my mind -
I’ve got a key
And a piece of paper in my pocket deep
In my pocket piece of paper and a key
as I wander through the street
War is there a war
or is there isn’t a war anymore?
Somebody told me that nothing is for sure
Can you hear the ocean roar
On each street is a tree
In the distance the desert sleeps
Sometimes a sigh is a song
And a breath is a melody
Oceans rise and oceans fall
So just what does tomorrow mean?
I give smile a give a song
For one moment’s eternity
Na na na na na na na na na na na
Na na na na na na na na na
Na na na na na na na na na na na
Na na na na na na na na na
Oh but it’s some mob
Some mob that brought me here I know it is my job
To seek my fortune Nanna thank you for this mob
Remember you now you are gone
If I went away
Tropical island somewhere sunny every day
But everyone I ever cared about remained
Would I tan or would I fade?
So every morning he wake
Spend his day at the daybreak
And every spoonful he take
Be of something his own make
Mountains rise and mountains fall
So just what does forever mean?
I give a smile I give a song
For one moment’s eternity
CHORUS -
I cannot say ‘oh sweetness’
like he could
and I cannot play a lullaby
like it should
I’ll give you all night movie marathon
and a triple expresso so you can stay awake
it might be late – but
it’s never too late for that lovin
my sexy babe
I used to cry but now I have to laugh
because she’s got that torment
to a fine art
smart like a foxy
and craf-ty-as-a-cat
i’m looking up
as i’m lying on my back
bite the beast
if i want a big piece of the pie
but she’s taken the feast
in the blink of an eye
I can-not-jus-ti-fy
what’s going on
– it feels so right
when it seems so wrong
like a plot hatched
in the sweet spot of that trap
– ask what she’s schemes
she say ‘oh this and that’
then she snaps like a camera
in black with a flash
puts the drum in the drama
the hand in the clap
she’s a map with no bearings
attached – no
safety-in-this-match
fire you can’t catch
then zap I was struck by that
bolt before dawn
then by breakfast honey
we was signed and sworn
I’ll give you all night movie marathon
and a triple expresso so you can stay awake
it might be late – but
it’s never too late for that lovin
my sexy babe
something always telling me
‘save prayers before dawn’
cos what happens when I’m with you
makes me shake my head then smile and yawn
I’m worn out but I’m beaming
and it seems that we are dreamy
as we head out through that strange old morning door
This game is no game
but it’s played all the same
and I love it even
if it makes me deranged
it’s like tears in the rain
burning spears in my brain
cause me pain sometimes
make me drained
but I cannot complain
– mad the ugly good and bad
had some happy with my sad
and some tricks in my bag
when it’s up run a muck
like a bull that just bucked
when it’s down it’s a drag
and you fight with no partner to tag
– at times I would dive in the sea
to escape from the rising
and crashing malea
drink tea with a fat fish
and find a golden key
then rise to the surface
and open my baby
and maybe she’d say ‘we are crazy’
the two of us together like melbourne weather
be like balls in a maze see
we rolling along in obcurity
but when we meet in the middle
say mmm it’s a treat
I’ll give you all night movie marathon
and a triple expresso so you can stay awake
– it might be late but
it’s never too late for that lovin
my sexy babe
something always telling me
‘save your prayers before dawn’
cos what happens when I’m with you
makes me shake my head then smile and yawn
I’m worn out but I’m beaming
and it seems that we are dreamy
as we head out through that strange old morning doorI used to laugh
but now I have to cry
because today my baby tell me
that it’s time to say goodbye
ask her ‘why what did I do?
You and me we were so sly’
then she sigh ‘that’s true
we were slinky through and through
but it’s sad and it’s set
I get high then I get depressed
and I guess when we’re together
it’s that happy kind of stress’
touching left right down
kiss my finger I reply
‘I can’t deny you were the best
and by the best I mean the mess you made
I must confess I never
met-a-more sexy maid
that smell like me
so bless your wayward ways
and loving craze and crazy days
and things you’de say
and looks you made
you’re not the queen of hearts
you’re the queen of spades
and you’de take my breath away
any day that way
so anyway is this the end?
Is this the fifth act of the play?
I kissed her then I turned
and was about to walk away
when I sense a little tingle
that begin down from below
then I hear her with a whisper
‘you’re the most gullible man I know’ -
The weekend is the weekend
And it’s sunny in the park
I’ll stay here with my beer and fish and chips till it gets dark
I’ve got a lot of homework
But homework he can wait
I never start my homework till its already too late
My parents say think about your future and my teachers say the same
But it’s hard
When there’s a basketball game in the park
It’s 1998
And everybody’s saying:
“Harry, you’re going to be a lawyer some day…”
It’s Monday bloody Monday
And there’s two things I forgot
I forgot to do my homework
And I’ve only got one sock
I’m halfway through a test
But I just can’t concentrate
I’m sitting next to Fontaine
I want to ask her on a date
I really want to start a conversation
But each time she walks past
I start choking on my pencil
And fall flat on my ass
I need to concentrate
I have to get this grade
Or I might fail to be a lawyer someday
BRIDGE
But just right now
Can’ think of anything better to do
Than just sit down at the piano and a write this tune
And maybe later
Maybe later in the afternoon
I’ll sit back and relax
And think of all the things I’m going to do…
CHORUS
Someday…
I’ll buy an old car
Someday…
I’ll get that car to start
Someday…
I’ll learn how to drive too
And then Someday…
Imagine all the things I could do.
(That was 1998 now
Bring it forward to the present day now
Cause some things have changed
but some things never change)
The weekend is the weekend
And it’s sunny in the park
I’ll stay here with my beer and fish ‘n’ chips till it gets dark
I just saw Peter Parsons
Who used to be in my class
I always gave him wedgies cause I thought he worked too hard
He said, “Harry, life is great –
I feel so happy these days –
I’m a litigation lawyer –
So I got it made
I’m going out with Fontaine
Rememer her from tenth grade?
I drive a Porsche so I can’t complain…”
BRIDGE
Shit! And look at me can’t think of anything better to do
That just sit down at the piano and write this tune
And maybe later
Maybe later in the afternoon
I’ll sit back and relax and think of all the things I’m going to do…
CHORUS -
One day one woman asked him
‘what do you to survive?’
he said ‘oh my dear listen here’
and this is what he cried
On my feet I wear two shoes for dancing
‘dancing to be free’
my feet they’re paying tribute to
the Bobby Marley legacy
My knees they’ve got some cuts and bruises
from skating all my days
when i’m skating with my friends
my troubles drift away
I say my legs they’re wearing baggy pants
I like to move around
cos getting down and jumping up
these are some good things that I found
Aeehhhiiiaaaaa
boom shak the empire be rising
Aeehhhiiiaaaaa
boom shak we making some lovin
Aeehhhiiiaaaaa
boom shak the greedy men running
Aeehhhiiiaaaaa
boom shak got two shoes for dancin
My waist it’s got a slinky belt
with a clip that’s quick to open
because loving is the sweetest thing
and from my waist it happen
And my stomachs got some tasty food
that’s making me feel good
cos sharing some meals is something
i wish the world could do
And my chest it wears a singlet
ah my chest it beating proud
my chest suggest I am a man
that no institution can knock down
And around my neck is superstition
hanging from a chain
because i’ve got my gods but in the end
I make my own way
CHORUS
My mouth it’s got a great big smile
that shows some great big teeth
to friends it brings a happiness
and to enemies it means defeat
And my eyes they’ve got some vision
that can see through many lies
ah my eyes they look for better things
the better things to see in life
And my ears are wearing head phones
that do play my favourite songs
not music i’m told to like
but the songs that make me dance along
Cos on my feet are shoes for dancing
‘dancing to be free’
my feet they’re paying tribute to
the bobby marley legacy -
Do you ever look around
turn your ear to the ground
show your face to the sky
on a night when the skies echoe sounds
from inside of your mind
on the stage that you shone
where the sun did become you
and move with your thoughts
through the sighs and the scenes
of the worlds you have seen
and the sights that have been
your reflection in shadows and dreams?
– your reflection in shadows and dreams
Did you ever see a man
who did walk down the street
white robe with no shoes on his feet
and on top of his head place a box with two slits
and the sign from his neck said
‘I do not exist’
or a woman who could not remember her name
did stutter and stutter
again and again
and saw you and called you her son
her eyes said
‘my being is gone
but still I’m not dead’?
Miserere
Have you ever seen a sound
have you listened to an image
have you ever touched a thought
have you ever tasted nothing
have you ever told a lie
that was true more than truth
because truth it had lied
all its life when it spoke to you?
And what did it say
it is that it is this
this goes here here is there
it is not yes it is
it was dulling your senses
your eyes they were bound
have you ever my friends
been looking around?
And the other replies
with a wave of a hand
I am already here
in this promised land
but not by a god and not by a king
and not by a spirit
deep from within
I am here
because a miracle’s a whim
it’s a flash of glory
it’s an empty tin
and maybe might lets you in
not to save you
but to keep on looking-
Miserere…
Have you ever
been so happy that you’re sad?
that the lights turn to stars
and the stars become eyes
and hello’s are goodbye’s
and the laughs are the sigh’s
and the show disappears with the note
‘until next time’
Long live living
if living can be this
Long live living
if living can be this
Long live living
if living can be this
Long live living
if living can be this
Do you ever look around
turn your ear to the ground
show your face to the sky
on a night when the skies echoe sounds
from inside of your mind
on the stage that you shone
where the sun did become you
and move with your thoughts
through the sighs and the scenes
of the worlds you have seen
and the sights that have been
your reflection in shadows and dreams
Do you ever look around
and find what is yet to be found? -
Sol y Sombra aeh Mama
Ollie’s cha cha
Singing eah eah eah
Sol y Sombra aeh Papa
Kanela
Oh eah eah -
CHORUS
It wasn’t hard…
To get the party started
(harry’s verse)
Chillin at the club
Pimpin with my money
(Well actually, my parties are more like)
Chillin in the sun
With tea and milk and honey
Tea and lamingtons
That’s my idea of fun
But I do enjoy the odd occasional bottle of rum
As we learnt in the songs that I have previously sung
When its done with fruit juice at a barbecue in the sun
If the afternoon is begun with kangaroo and capsicum
I do eat meat but I don’t like killing
So don’t crash my party while I’m sitting back chilling
My oh my why oh why are people so violient
I ain’t trying to be a lion I extend my alliance
To anyone who likes to just sit back and chitchat
Maybe have a jam, spit scats and eat biscuits
Before you know its midnight
and you’re running through the moonlight
And you realise…
CHORUS -
I’ve done too much of some things
And not enough of others
Just like all life lovers
I’ve changed and changed
and changed and changed
From one thing to another
I’ve had complicated dealings
With complicated feelings
And I’ve cut and bruised and torn
I made blinds on the windows of my mind
with the time that my back once wore
I’m a single person in this universe
And I am here to say to you:
On the day that I die I’ll just give a smile
And fly into the blue
CHORUS
(Cause we’re all just)
Protons, Neutrons, Electrons
That rest on a Sunday
Work on a Monday and someday soon
We’ll be singing the old tunes
Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, Zip-a-dee-doo
I’ll be sitting on the porch with you
Then I’ll die and I’ll fly off into the blue
Some night I see the world with its winds and its whirls
And I feel undefeated
But every day I see the girl with the strawberry curl
And I’m too shy to meet her
Some nights I go to bed
There’s a ghost in the air above my head
And I tremble
Sometimes I eat KFC
Other times I give up meat
And I just eat lentils
I’m a singe person in the universe
And I am here to sing a song
About the day that I was born
Till the day that I’ll be gone
And the song won’t last for long
(Cause we’re all just…)
CHORUS
And enemy is a remedy to a malady in your melody
If you’re strong not brittle
And a friend is a friend
Is a friend to the end and it’s oh so simple
A man is a man and a woman is a woman
But the times we are living in demand
That a man can change from a man to a woman
And a woman can demand to be a man
We’re just flesh with socks and locks and frocks
And I am here to say to you
On the day that I die I’ll just give a smile and fly into the blue
(Cause we’re all just…)
CHORUS -
I’ve got the clouds on a string
That I pull with my little finger elegantly
What is this oh what’s this music on the breeze
It sounds like all my holidays when my father used to say:
‘Let’s go down to the beach’
And we’d go down to the beach
My little sisters and me
Sometimes a man can feel like he is just a puppet
And the wind blows him here and blows him there
But when I kiss you my dear
I feel like a buccaneer
And water makes its music everywhere
CHORUS
Saltwater
Oh how I miss your misty kisses
Saltwater
Oh what expressionless bliss
Is this?
I’ve got the sky in my eyes
As I lie on my back in the deep blue sea
What is this oh what could this strange feeling be?
It feels like:
It feels like:
It feels like:
I don’t know what it feels like
But it feels right
Sometimes a man is like an icecream in a desert
And he wonders what is it we seek?
Like water runs through your fingers
Memories rise up from the deep. -
One night when I was sleeping
a gypsy lady sneak into my head
and she said
‘I’ve got a bottle of schnapps
lets get to know each other drinking
a belly full of laughs
and some thoughts that beyond thinking
let’s play a game of those cards my friend
because tonight I’m going to show you
how the night it never never never ends’
Morning is
one thousand dreams away
and our expedition
telling us to stay
so stay we will we’ve got that gypsy lady
perched upon our bow
and the empire ship be heading
where the wild ones they are now
oh how the gods look down
and frown at those who never stood said
‘my name is no-one’
then went a little mad
And from time to time
she sneaks back inside me and she say
‘lucky sing the secrets that I taught you always’
replied ‘as long as I am living
I never forget
that the sun is never shining and it never set’
so let’s make some fire and smoke and then
we’ll go exploring in the night
that never never never end
Morning is
one thousand dreams away
and our expedition
telling us to stay
so stay we will we’ve got that gypsy lady
perched upon our bow
and the empire ship be heading
where the wild ones they are now
oh how the gods look down
and frown at those who never stood said
‘my name is no-one’
then went a little mad
I’ve got a tingle in my back
and something sparking in my toes
I get the shivers through my body
when that trumpet blows
and while asleep I am awake
and while awake I am dreaming
before I start to think
I am scheming
to start a party tonight my friends
because tonight I’m going to show you
how the night it never never never ends
1001
Parking Inspector
– just made my list of one thousand
one thousand and one
but ah Parking Inspector…
Went to my friends
when I found a fine beat
cos I like to play a rhythm
where the rhythm plays me
play it all day
on a balcony above the street
where old Franky and me we
shuffle with our feet
And old man Goergie
takes some sugar with his tea
when he’s stirred by a melody
of hands moving easy
you see it reminds him
dreams by the sea
where the breeze blows
underneath that island tree
And we played til the playing
Gave us the munchies
then we played in the kitchen
made the easy gods happy
cos we left them a little chilli-special
and some chocolate we eat because it’s sweet
when I leave I am smiling
at the things I haven’t done
oh I haven’t broke a sweat
and I haven’t had to run
for the list of one-thousand
-and-one that does plague me
on some days
when the sun rays don’t come
Parking Inspector
just made my list of one thousand
one thousand and one
but ah Parking Inspector
[won’t let you wreck my fun]
When I get to my car
I am faced with a sight
that is strange and it’s sad
and it’s mad it’s not right
there’s one thousand and one
spaces free but I see
that he find me guilty
of the time over fee
Now I know why my mother
why my mother warned me
said ‘you might be lucky
but know nothing comes for free’
she is right – entirely
cos the ticket paid the song
that I sing to this beat
Parking inspector
just made my list of one thousand
one thousand and one
but ah parking inspector
won’t let you wreck my fun
cos when I pay for my ticket
I won’t curse and despise
no i’ll run into the girl
with the slinky blue eyes
then my list of one thousand and one
will remain
I had plans to get it done
but now my plans they have changed
Parking Inspector
just made my list of one thousand
one thousand and one
but ah Parking Inspector
‘just listen to the bass and the funky drums’
Parking Inspector
just made my list of one thousand
grow a little more
but ah parking inspector
you won’t believe what I saw
on the back of my ticket
with invisible type
was a map to the place
with one thousand delights
and a key that was one to that
spot by the sea where the breeze
blows underneath that island tree -
Parking Inspector
– just made my list of one thousand
one thousand and one
but ah Parking Inspector…
Went to my friends
when I found a fine beat
cos I like to play a rhythm
where the rhythm plays me
play it all day
on a balcony above the street
where old Franky and me we
shuffle with our feet
And old man Goergie
takes some sugar with his tea
when he’s stirred by a melody
of hands moving easy
you see it reminds him
dreams by the sea
where the breeze blows
underneath that island tree
And we played til the playing
Gave us the munchies
then we played in the kitchen
made the easy gods happy
cos we left them a little chilli-special
and some chocolate we eat because it’s sweet
when I leave I am smiling
at the things I haven’t done
oh I haven’t broke a sweat
and I haven’t had to run
for the list of one-thousand
-and-one that does plague me
on some days
when the sun rays don’t come
Parking Inspector
just made my list of one thousand
one thousand and one
but ah Parking Inspector
[won’t let you wreck my fun]
When I get to my car
I am faced with a sight
that is strange and it’s sad
and it’s mad it’s not right
there’s one thousand and one
spaces free but I see
that he find me guilty
of the time over fee
Now I know why my mother
why my mother warned me
said ‘you might be lucky
but know nothing comes for free’
she is right – entirely
cos the ticket paid the song
that I sing to this beat
Parking inspector
just made my list of one thousand
one thousand and one
but ah parking inspector
won’t let you wreck my fun
cos when I pay for my ticket
I won’t curse and despise
no i’ll run into the girl
with the slinky blue eyes
then my list of one thousand and one
will remain
I had plans to get it done
but now my plans they have changed
Parking Inspector
just made my list of one thousand
one thousand and one
but ah Parking Inspector
‘just listen to the bass and the funky drums’
Parking Inspector
just made my list of one thousand
grow a little more
but ah parking inspector
you won’t believe what I saw
on the back of my ticket
with invisible type
was a map to the place
with one thousand delights
and a key that was one to that
spot by the sea where the breeze
blows underneath that island tree