Stephen McGuire

Making lists of lists, sorting memories. What a brilliant mess you left here. Unexpected twists and mysteries - the clues are unclear. Random photos mixed with postcards & old newspapers kept for something? Things you sort of fixed that then you used for nothing. There's a drawer that's full of prayers. Don't know whats and whens and wheres. Meanwhile underneath the stairs... well, where do we start with that? Medals we'd pinned to our vests. Badges sewn upon our chests. invitations to be guests - how often were they looked at? There's your pocket watch where you left it. So, we've got time but too much pressure. I think we need a scale to measure junk or treasure. Shaking off the dust and fluff, there's a lifetime load of stuff. Did we listen well enough? Your legends we might still tell. All the games we used to play. Things we broke along the way. Do we throw it all away? Or should we keep that as well? Sell it? Give away? Or return it? Maybe light a fire and burn it? Or fix it up and turn it into something special? This music strikes a chord between us. Rebels rebelled and played it loudly. Feral devils - angels when paraded proudly. From the half-used pots of paint to blessed relic of a saint, to be used with great constraint - or when the need comes along. Echoes long and deep and wide. Full of emptiness inside. Given time does this subside? Or does it keep on as strong? I remember this - you know other. So much gone, lost and forgotten. Trophies of events and scrapes we got caught up in. Close the doors. Turn out the big light. Turn the key. We thought we'd never have a time when we would step away for ever.

How was limbo? Not so cold? You dodged your sentence, now paroled. Say hello to a new face. So familiar - we've made space. Question is though, "Can this leopard change it's stripes?" New situation changes everything. You know we've seen you at your worst now go and show us at your best. You thought that you'd been cursed but now it looks like we're all blessed. Does the heart upon your sleeve match the one deep inside your chest? It's feelings and it's rhythm can change everything. It's up to you now. What will you do? All up to you. Can you follow through? See you know this new protection doesn't change what's in your past. This new direction changes everything. You know we've seen you at your worst now go and show us at your best. You got another chance and, yes, so far we've been impressed. But only you can know how you will deal with your next test. These little choices will change everything. It's up to you now. What will you do? All up to you. Can you follow through? You're quietly slipping back while your new sidekick steals the show. New combination changes everything.

I was frazzled, stressed, far from my best just a month or two ago. Got too intense, stopped making sense, spinning too fast as time dragged slow. Got messy, frayed, a bit dismayed, a long way from my prime. Could I implode from an overload? Maybe we'd find out this time. They'd all express, "That's life I guess." So I'd shrug and carry on. They sympathised and realised I had a lot of life going on. "My, oh my. What highs and lows in such short space of days." Incredible? Inevitable? In many different ways. It sure was some kind of something. Was quite some twist in the plot - not written for some other someone. It came right for me, ready or not. Though no-one thought there'd be nothing there's no-one that predicated that track. But nothing came right out of nowhere. It's roots ran deep when tracking them back. So many years mix tears and cheers but how many so extreme? How many lost, mixed up and crossed when they pop up in a dream. "My, oh my. Time passes fast. Just blink and it's all gone." But I've chilled, recessed and decompressed - still got a lot of life going on!

Say what you're thinking or what you're doing or say what you're feeling. Say what's been happening or coming soon. What's on the way? A page a day. Beautiful cover, blank inside with space to discover. Space to remember or to decide or just take a ride. So tell me a tale. Tell me something. Hoist up your sail. Head for the never known. Take an adventure. Cut a new trail. Put pen on paper, make things real, an ideas sky scraper. Or thoughts turn to vapour and days conceal - no big reveal. So turn up the sound, Make life vivid. Turn up the heat. Feel for the rhythm - now shake it up daily on repeat. Seconds or hours, let time unfold. Look out from your tower. Turn up the colour. Make it bold. It's worth more than gold.

Car pulls up in the rain rattled night. Taxi driver at the door. Better early that late I suppose. It matters less to want much more. Through the dark as the lights flash on past leaving too much too far gone. Blunt acts cut, thud and echo through time. Do kind ones fade before dawn? From reflection through projection to direction there's choices to make. Raise objection? Risk infection? Or just waves in our wake? Silence stings, swells and echoes through time. I lie awake before dawn. From reflection through . . . Good things heal, grow and echo through time if given space before dawn.

I want to learn how to think again. Want to learn how to figure this all out. Want to grow and not shrink again - Learn to rise and now shrink again - Know when to push on and when pull out. I want to learn how to walk again - To be able to pass each mile with style. Want to learn how to talk again - How to beat writers block again - How to wake up each day and make you smile. Do you think I might have left it too late? Only yesterday, today was called tomorrow. As the calendar turns date and date, I've been feeling some aches and pains - I think it's probably growing pains. I want to learn how to play again - To be able to win and still be friends. Not get in my own way again - Make you happy to stay again - Want to have more ". . . and next up"s than ends. I want to learn to be me again. I know I used to be good at all this stuff. To be more "wait and see" again - And find myself space to breathe again - And to know when to know enough's enough. And you're right that I've been leaving it late. This time yesterday, today was called tomorrow. And the calendar turns date after date - I've been feeling some aches and strains - I think it's probably growing pains. Is there anything else that could explain? I don't think that I have left it too late - Even though yesterday, today was called tomorrow . . . I want to learn to forgive again - So I can take a "why" for an eye. To be more "Well, what if . . . " again - I want to learn how to live again. I want to learn how to give all this a try. I want to learn how to live again.

I walk along the street trying not to step on any cracks. If I dodge around the puddles I should stay lucky, so relax! Skulking round next corner mibbe something I can't see. I don't know what it is, so I ignore it's plans for me. Chuck stones in the water. Why don't these ripples push away? And don't come back to haunt me this or any other day. Just make it easy. Make it easier for me. Will twists and turns just birl around if I close my eyes and count to three?

Groundhog premonition loops on non-stop repeat. I've paid for solo strumming and can't find the receipt. Opt-in prohibition - I've limited my range. Now I see what's coming, I think I better change. Trust my intuition, it says I'll get it right. Even with big questions, and no answers in sight. New clear ambition, but not convinced for what. I'm ope3n to suggestions, so tell me what you got. Here I am, ready now. Trying to work it out somehow. Trying to turn my world around. Trying to find some solid ground to build a bridge; build a space; make myself a happy place. Set direction for somewhere. Book my ticket - pay my fair. But trust my intuition. It's more than just a hunch. It won't be all plain sailing, so get ready for the crunch. Planned demolition, to build up something new. Testing out and failing till I find a way through. Trust my intuition, though plans are incomplete. It's time to break the rhythm, it's time to pause the beat. Break with traditions, but change it all for what? I'm open to suggestions, so tell me what you got.

You said, "If you step up closer to the edge you'll get a better view. And I'll make sure you don't fall down..." I wish that that was true. Little things can say a lot. They add up one by one. Some big words don't amount to much when damage has been done. I've got no answer - time to phone a friend. I got no answer - feeling like a trend. I have my whisky glass half full again, but some things never last. I'm happy to be led astray - I've shown that in the past. Left alone, the brambles take control. Roses choked and paths revoked. Memories swallowed whole. Where did our summer go? Some days flash fast, others drag so slow. Some lost in limbo. We wanted you near when the floods came. Where did you hide from the rain? Over time the brambles took control. Roses choked and paths revoked, friendships swallowed whole. Where did our summer go? Some days flash fast, others drag so slow. Some lost in limbo. We needed you here when the floods came. Where did you hide from the rain? So my whisky glass is full again, but some things never last. I'm ready to be led astray - can't blame that on my past. If I step up closer to the edge I'll get a better view. And you'll make sure I don't fall down? ... I wish that that was true

Wait, ah, don't go yet. No. Not so soon. Stay a bit longer. I'm here, like the moon. Something I thought of. Something quite deep. Something I found out in lost sleep. We, I never told you, still, I think you knew. All that you guessed at, yeah, mostly true. All that you wanted. All that youdread. All that you wondered but not said. And it's true, many times when we spoke, it got too much, laughed it off with a joke. I never listened though you made it clear. I kept my distance. You kept me near.

If you lead the way, I'll follow. Might get waylaid sometimes. Might be us side-by-side. Might drag behind. Might lose my stride. But wait for me. I'll get there. I'll find my way somehow. It helps to know you're there, if out of sight. Helps keep me right. See, I was always searching. Was there something there to find? Like you? I was always waiting. Thought i might be left behind. Make do. Not true.

No getting on. Not getting off. Not getting anywhere. No pull, no shove. Too calculated off the cuff. A little yeah. A little no. A little what d'you think, cos I don't know. Half need control, half let it flow. Half sit back down, half "Here we go!" So what d'you want me not to say? What d'you want me to dig out to pack away? "What are you on about?"

Hi. Not seen you in a long while. There's been so much gone on. It really cramped our style. Hi. It's good being back together. There's so much we've been through. So much to share it you. I don't know where to start and I'm not sure where your head's been at. We've been too long apart and that changes things - if we let it. Hi. Are we becoming strangers with nothing much to say? It feels a bit that way. Hi. We're both alike and different. We've changed but stayed the same. Moved on in our own game. No, there's not enough time left to waste it on some pantomime. And I'm sure that we'd found more than common ground. Didn't know the story. Didn't know how it all rolled. Didn't know till it was told. Maybe it's nostalgia. Trying to recreate the past. Tell me if I'm going to fast? But that's just me. Hi!

Shoosh. You Keep me awake. There's no one else listening. Stop raising the stakes. Shoosh. You make no sense. You feed my frustration and get round my defence. No. No evading, no escaping. I can't shake you off. Can't make a break or getaway. Shoosh. You know me too well. Stop pushing my buttons. Stop ringing my bell. Shoosh. You make things worse. You're weaving confusion. Your words are a curse. There: Misdirections; false connections; join the dots up wrong. I'm telling stories to myself. I let you go on far too long. You repeat yourself and you know you're wrong. Shoosh. My words of reason go unsaid. As you put the squeeze on, the pressure fills my head. Shoosh. I don't want to know. I don't want to think this. I want to let go. Shoosh. Please let me sleep. Please let me forget it. Let's bury it deep. Shoosh.

Autopilot by Stephen McGuire

I tried my best, or at least I meant to. Other things got in the way. Did something change. I hadn't noticed. Now I'm not sure that we're ok. I fell asleep. I'm only human. Is that excuse, or explanation? It's probably not for me to say. But I I tried my best - or at least I meant to. Other things got in the way.

Remember those long nights in Barcelona? It felt like we were melting in the heat. You drank sangria - I had Corona as the football fans all partied in the street. Freezing in a rain soaked Scottish summer - again and again and yet again. Driving through the mountains in the lightning with thunder louder than the Jesus and Mary Chain. On an on down through the glen and back again. Let's go again. Where were we when we stood on the clifftops? Silver sunbeams cut through dark steel grey. Waves of weather washing fast toward us. I remember that it was a magic day. One day we walked all around an island, watched the dolphins playing by the shore. Cooled our feet in perfect sparkling water. Sat on white sands listening to the sea roar. Then we put our boots back on and walked some more. Let's go explore. Too much schnapps the night before we travelled. Lucky that we just missed the wrong train. Lost direction as my brains were scrambled and I struggled to work out how I'd explain. Sitting on a balcony at sunset, watching colours lighting up the sky. Houses cross the valley turned their lights on and we told each other stories to say why. Then the lights went slow out. Good night. Goodbye.

I don't know why it started to happen. I don't know why it's ended this way. True King of the Jumble stood uncrowned. Kicking through the rubble all around. Watched the folly crumble to the ground. Nothing left to say. No more moves to play. I don't know why it had to unravel. I don't know why it started to fail. Tried to trace my footprints in the dust. Tried to find a way I could adjust. Tried to stop the rot and fix the rust. Still trying hard to work out who I trust. rue King of the Jumble stood uncrowned. Kicking through the rubble all around. Watched the folly crumble to the ground. Nothing left to say. No more moves to play.

Like old jigsaw pieces in a box rattle but could make a picture, the convictions in my heart go to battle and some bits get lost. I can't blame nobody else. It's programmed in my cells, and so the pressure swells. Bits and bobs gather dust sat in the cupboard - might come in handy. Like so many of my bold ideas - scuppered, left on the shelf. I visit them at night. The darkness makes them bright, when all my thoughts and feelings mingle and my buzzwords start to jingle as I dream up my plans. But am I heading for salvation? Or my next does of salvation? Who knows? Can I have some time to borrow? Give it back again tomorrow? Or some day later still? I've got a decision and the deadline is close. So stick? Or Twist? Or give up the ghost?

Storm clouds are coming. Rainbows fade. Skies turn battle grey. Promise me something? You won't turn away? Hear my heart drumming. Hesitate - should I ring the bell? Something or nothing? Only time will tell. There are days when I know the answer. There are days when I don't. Sometimes I share my doubts - share my worries. Sometimes I shut them out. They keep knocking. Storm clouds are coming. Buckle up - time to knuckle down. Promise me something? You will stick around? Maybe I have a fear of stumbling. Maybe I love the rush. Will it all blow on through? Leave us watching? Will the worst case come true? Break us down? Storm clouds are coming. They'll hit hard before the end of day. Promise me something? You won't walk away?

So you've pulled me up for double-speak. Well it's a charge I can't deny. My words ambiguous and lines oblique, but that's quite different from a lie. Yeah it's true, it was all clear when I woke. Now the view is veiled in smoke. It's up to you to figure what you think. Let it stew, Make a link. This cryptic riddle is a two-edged blade. I wave it for my self-defence. Enigmatic worlds can still persuade - even when they don't make much sense. Tell me who is listening anyway? Other than you, who hears what I say? Well here's a clue, just take a look around. Take in the view, take in the sound. See you've pulled me up for double-speak. Well it's a charge I can't defend. So I'll slip my tongue into another cheek and stick it out until the end.

Late night, trapped in the headlights. So bright, glare hurts my eyes. Headlines: I missed all my deadlines. Road shines under wet skies. Long way behind me, a long way ahead. But far as I can see is a long long line of red. Brake lights followed by break lights. Red lights that all say "No". Actions trigger reactions then retractions but still no go. Turn up the radio, I'm nodding along to old school disco. Figure now we got it wrong. From Funky Town the That's The Way I Like It (a-ha, a-ha). Hot Stuff; Good Times, Born To Be Alive. Picking Up My Boots. Can You Feel It? Super Freak. Staying Alive. Now let me drive! Thoughts go to the old school disco. The light show timed to the beat. Long nights caught in the strobe lights. Hindsight's so bitter-sweet. Long way behind me, a long way ahead. As far as I can see road in front's now clear of red. Turn up the radio. I proudly sing along to old school disco. Figure now we got it wrong.

Deep in the darkness I can feel it scratching underneath the floor. Shameless, persistent, the unwelcome keeps on bumping at the door. Dropped my guard. It crawled in through the night. Now getting bolder stepping out into the light. I didn't try hard to keep it in its shell. Truth is I know I'm captivated by its spell. Back in the shadow of the corner sat impatient for its chance. Taps on the window - flits away before you catch it with a glance. Laying it bare, it's more than just a phase. This has been going on for months not weeks or days. Feel its stare. I tell myself it's small, but casts a nightmare of a monster on the wall. Less than a whisper but enough to chip away at my reserves. Same as that ticking clock that you don't hear but's jagged on my nerves. Deep in the darkness I can feel it scratching underneath the floor. Shameless, persistent, the unwelcome keeps on bumping at the door. Sleep well everyone!

One way that they all go but I don't like to follow in the flock. One way includes a fight but that's ok if I'm right. I'll just talk. One way ticks a few taboos. One way takes in many views. I need a magic compass. One way looks faster but a high risk of disaster. Should I go? One way looks safer but a high price tag to pay for and it's slow. One way into the unknown. One way closed that chance has blown. I need some clear navigation to my unknown destination where I stop. A sense of direction. I'm not looking for perfection or the top. I'll get somewhere somehow. Make a choice now. Place my bet and then don't swap. Bridges are all burning so I got to keep on running till I drop.

Out through the streets past houses new to our town in place of the old church they pulled down. In through the bluebell woods - there's none there today - where ghosts live and watch you on your way. The rumble of a train far away, that sound of people going somewhere. Up onto the bridge and then pause.... Then off past where people sit and watch swimmers swim. In sun or in rain they still wade in. Head down where the river bubbles churned by the bur an flows past the point of no return. Horses stand and stare far away, think of the road that lies ahead. Underneath the arch to the place I once was led, where last night local kids were drinking sat round a fire swapping tales and debating their desires. Scattered ash; empty bottles; stones and stumps were their chairs. Shadows fade and melt in smoky air. Rumble of the train far away echoes up the crooked stairs. Stop above the arch and then pause...

Dear St. Jude, We might have a problem. I'm not being rude but maybe you misunderstood. To be fair, I got what I asked for. I got my share but now it's all up in the air. An ancient dance. Saw an open goal. I took my chance, I sold my soul. Now I need help to find a small loophole. Any hope? I'll hold for an answer. I'm on the rack. Can you please take it all back. Dear St. Jude, I know I'm a chancer but I conclude it's less the bad, more the good. The risks seemed small. No-one expects to suffer all the known side-effects. Feel that heat. The plots are all thickening. Positions are stiffening. My regret is complete. Dear St. Jude - are you even listening? Are you still there? It's a rough sad affair.

Hard-wired into technology but I can't log-on to your neurology. Failed to make my apology. Add it to the list and build my anthology. Phone call. Zoom call. Didn't succeed. I've tried to knock your door. WhatsApp. Snapchat. Twitter feed. My texts are all ignored. Sent by 1st class delivery but looks like snail-mail's suffering from lethargy. Tried smoke-signals and jungle-drums. You'll be surprised whenever that pigeon comes. Morse-code. Telegram. Semaphore. Is nothing sinking in? Synonyms and metaphor. I don't think I can win. Speed of light hi-tech admission turns out was too slow. DAB. FM transmission. You chose another show. Satellite space expedition didn't get off the ground. Slap the floor. Declare submission. You didn't turn around. Hard-wired into technology but I can't log-on to you neurology. Tried to make my apology but guess I don't think that I can win!

Rolled up your welcome mat then packed up your case to disagree. Pulled down the shutters gently. Locked down and stowed away the key. You have played second fiddle with great skill and played pig in the middle till you're ill. Draw closed the curtains early. Turn out the big light. Head for bed. Shut down your phone and sink as the covers wash over your head. "This too will pass" is one of many doubts. Always there or if not they're thereabouts. "It's ok not to be ok." Is that true or just buzzwords people say? Somehow they seem to make it worse. Time alone is both blessing and a curse. That's obvious. It's ok not to be ok but you dig deeper down day after day. Can't hush that small voice in your head. Can't hide from all the cruel things that it said. "It's ok not to be ok." Is that true or just buzzwords people say? Somehow they seem to make it worse. Time alone is both blessing and a curse. That's obvious.

I missed the point in what you said. It didn't make much sense. Short on facts but big on quotes. Each conspiracy that floats to the surface - truth abandons ship for the lifeboats. Heavy sighs and heavy words. I give half - you want two thirds. Like a cat with cruel intent that stalks the little birds. I missed the point in what you said - and then you said some more. You said "Let's put the past to be." But you're still keeping score. Soft words spoke to stoke the fire. Like daisy chains laced with barbed wire. As if the devil's playing music for the angels' choir. Gentle kisses feel like stings from butterflies with razor wings. Peace is shattered as the first shot of the battle rings. I Missed the point in what you said. But I love you just the same. :-D

Heaven knows I've got myself to blame, but I'd still like forgiveness all the same. "No, hell mend you," she said. "You think this is just some stupid game?" I thought it would be better to confess. Rather that than live in silent stress. "No, hell mend you," she said. "You put my patience to the test. Do you think that you look smart? Are you trying to break my heart?" A lucky guy given the angel's share, but stole the Devil's cut - then lost the pair. "So hell mend you," she said. "You'll take what's coming." Fair's fair. "It's far from your first offence. Have you no common sense? God give me strength." (I'll give a writing credit on the lyrics for my Mum and my Granny who quoted many of these lines to me on a regular basis during my younger daze).

Take it or leave it - but don't try to keep it. Cheat it, deceive it but don't think you'll beat it. Dream it, believe it. You'll never repeat it. Use it or lose it but you can't refuse it. Waiting for the sun to warm the sky. Sitting here just trying to figure why. Floating in the atmosphere. Shadows form and disappear. Life seems far away from here but something tells me you are near. I got so much air I can breathe right now. I got so much love I can feel (give) somehow. I got so much time I can waste but now I want to make a change I just don't know how. Can you tell me how? I will take a vow. Waiting for the moon to calm the sky. Waiting for this cloud to pass me by.

No way. I'm not doing that again. No next time I'll not get suckered in. Or so I tell myself. Well, till next time begins and something draws me in. I feel more thick than thin. I know where my limitations lie cos I exceed them each time that I try to be invincible. It's dyed into my wool. A force that drags and pulls. This gravity does not just work on fools. The world spins round faster than I think. It turns my head as quick as I can blink, a circling feeling as I sink... I know I'm on the brink... I've tried to put the world to right but I forget it's full of kryptonite. So don't expect too much of me. Sit down and watch TV.

So, we're filled with fear and doubt. I turned off the lights on the way out. We don't know how this will all pan out. Emptiness had filled our space. Something's come to take its place, given us chase. Don't chuck the good stuff with the trash. Protect the fragile in the crash. Don't get caught up in the backlash. Need to reach deep in the well. Hunker down inside our shell. Maybe the grit will grow a pearl. We have to give it one big whirl. Don't unfurl. Play high, hard and fair with truth, faith and prayer. Hope trust and care about the way from here to there.

Help me break the tension and unwind. These past days have set my teeth to grind. Pinch and punch and feel the crunch. Might lose my grip. Might lose my tiny mind. So dance and sing and shout and laugh out loud. Turn the colour up and burst that cloud. It's not a game where we can cheat but let the beat inspire your feet somehow. There won't be no second chance so do the right thing then let's dance right now! (I got a fever and the only prescription is MORE COWBELL!!!)

"Well Hello" has been used to soundtrack Stuart Westwood Photography's showcase of 10 Years at Glasgow Barrowlands (The Barras) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnJAOsGkRCI Have a look at those brilliant photos. If you're in the wrong place or you got the wrong face, well hello. If you're running too fast but they still all whiz past, well hello. If you can't find the switch or you can't reach the itch, well hello. Are you about to make your next big worst mistake? Well hello. Is there a slippery slope that you're sliding over? Is there some drama lurking around the bend? Did you use the old map saying "This way to the trap!" Well hello. Did you bounce off the floor to get knocked down once more? Well hello. If your big lucky breaks are outweighed by mistakes, well hello. Is your once pretty face covered up in disgrace? Well hello. Have they hung you out to dry by your fingers? Is there catastrophe waiting down below? Does the game you choose leave you hurt and bruised? Hello. If you're dazed, confused by the latest news, hello. Don't suffer from more than your disease. Don't lose yourself in trying to please. If your winds of change have dwindled less than a breeze, hello. Well hello!

Take a minute to sit down and think what have I done with my time. Years fly by in the blink of an eye. To lose touch would be a crime. Cold hands, numb fingertips and my toes turn pink to blue. No-one sends cards these days. We all let our time slip through. Wind is a whisper. The sun sits low and the frost makes life stand still. Each small breath makes a soft white cloud and my bones are still with chill. Cold hands, numb fingertips and my toes turn pink to blue. We don't send cards these days. We don't speak that much, it's true. It's just the way it is. Cold hands, numb fingertips and my toes turn pink to blue. I just want you to know that today I thought of you. So take a minute to sit down and think what am I doing with my time? Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

I tried to break it to you gently. Maybe I should say it straight? Silence might be gold but is it worth the wait? You think he's the Jack of Diamonds. Well I think you're the Queen of Hearts. Deal me in your game. Tell me when it starts? See I got him sussed and he's a Joker but the twist means I'm a busted flush. I won't chuck in my hand. I'm not in any rush. Mixed my deck up with the Tarot. I drew The Lovers and The Fool. What's fate trying to say? Destiny's so cruel. See I got him sussed and he's a Joker but the twist means I'm a busted flush. I won't chuck in my hand. I'm not in any rush but I'm a busted flush. He'll play the will card. I'm the real diehard. See I got him sussed and he's a Joker but the twist means I'm a busted flush. I can't seem to grasp this red hot poker. Fair to say I'm not in any rush. I'm just a busted flush.

So you want to break stride from the rhythm that constrains you? and you want to break free from the prison walls you made? To bolt out of your shelter for one day in the sun. Be a helter-skelter belter going on the run. See you better grip tight cos you need to go much faster. Get ready, get set for a wild white-knuckle ride. On a razor's edge and one cut from disaster - or a sharp close shave with a big kick deep inside. They never seen it coming. They never thought you would leave your gentle strumming. They never thought you could. So you want to break stride from the rhythm that constrains you? and you want to break from the prison walls you made? Yeah, you want to escape from the image that restrains you? Get ready, get set for the four minute renegade. Hello!

Your fingerprints are everywhere but hidden by the dust. Your footprints lost some time ago, your bonds decayed by rust. I feel your shadow in the dark, can't find it in the day. Your space is filled with emptiness. When did you fade away? I shut my eyes to see your face, you're barely even there. I hear your voice when I'm asleep. Your breath is in the air. Precious little souvenirs these stories that we tell. Set them up and knock them down. We know the punchlines well. A shiver pulsed deep through my veins when I saw you yesterday. A strangers face was in your place when you turned around my way. I stumble tracing back our steps through humble simple times. Thoughts tumble through my head at night then crumble in the light. Oh to hear your voice - we have no choice. Splinters. Ever wondered what a song that was influenced by Seal, New Order, Everything But the Girl and Bon Jovi would sound like? Wonder no more and have a listen! Recorded with Ableton Live and BBE StompBoard

The peacemaker, in open aggression, lit the fuse. Now freedom-fighters run the oppression and the news. An illogical biased statistician hid somewhere makes an eloquently dumb politician cut our share. My guard dog's lost its bark and its bite. The soldier told me give up the fight. The optimist says "Something's not right" - so scared. It turns out it was a nurse who was the first with the fever but didn't care. Now the scientist's a blind-faithful believer deep in prayer. The optician won't look me in the eye but the priest told me a dirty black lie. The therapist has started to cry. Don't stare. Meanwhile I'm trying to figure when it changed. How come it ever got to be this strange? It's close to midnight. It looks like we are bound to fail. I don't think that we'll all live to tell the tale. Someone's telling me the charities are lining their pockets - is that true? Humanitarians trading with rockets - is that new? Our leaders are all easily led. The journalists all missed what they said as the opposition slept in their beds. So what's new? Meanwhile I'm trying to check I got this straight. How come we didn't notice till too late? It's close to midnight. Our day is running out too fast. We're built to be brilliant but not built to last. It's looking like our chance has passed. The bankers have declared they are broke. My doctor's stepped outside for a smoke. A nun told me an X-rated joke - I'm amused - or bemused? Meanwhile... The disillusioned town mouse tried to burn down our city - didn't belong. The devil told me our world's so pretty. He was wrong. He's so wrong. So wrong. But he's so strong. He's so wrong.

The evidence is less than clear. Fake news gets whispered in my ear.

Is this what we've waited for? Is this it for real? If this is destiny,fulfil me. So much potentially. It all could be. Got no reference memory. Inverse deja-vu But still have confidence, completely. All of the evidence convincing me. Hello, hello Think you should know I act too fast and think too slow. I'm upside down but from my head to toe, It all came clear to me so quickly No ancient prophecy for what could be. This is what we've waited for. This is it for real.

Keep to the left; Look to the right; Mind the gap; Wait for the light. Shares can go down as well as go up; When the fun stops, stop. Stay on the path; Keep off the grass; Let other people pass. No ball games allowed; Gates close at dark; No drinking in the park. Now wash your hands; Please wipe your feet; Keep shoes off the seat. Have a nice day; Wait in the queue; Cashier number two. Swimming pool rules; Don't pee in the pool; No ducking; No diving. Don't use on the face; Keep out of the eyes; Seek medical advice. Be at the gate by twenty past eight; Wait for update on delay. Don't lean on the shelf; Check yourself; Limit six a day. Risk of snow today; Stand this way; Long delay. May contain nuts; No cigarette butts; Use in a well aired space. Keep well chilled; Liquid spilled; Eat within five days. Danger of death; Low bridge ahead; Men working overhead. Handle with care; Don't try to repair; Hold rail on the stair. Tick 'I agree'; Write in black ink; Don't shave in this sink. Always store this way up; When the fun stops, stop.