SUBSTANCE 1987

CEREMONY

This is why events unnerve me,
They find it all, a different story,
Notice whom for wheels are turning,
Turn again and turn towards this time,
All she asks is the strength to hold me,
Then again the same old story,
Word will travel, oh so quickly,
Travel first and lean towards this time.

Oh, I'll break them down, no mercy shown
Heaven knows, it's got to be this time,
Avenues all lined with trees,
Picture me and then you start watching,
Watching forever, forever,
Watching love grow, forever,
Letting me know, forever.

© Deborah Curtis,1995

EVERYTHING'S GONE GREEN

Help me, somebody help me
I wonder where I am
I see my future before me
I'll hurt you when I can
It seems like I've been here before

Confusion sprung up from devotion
A halo that covers my eyes
It sprung from this first estrangement
No one have I ever despised
Is this the way that you wanted to pay
Won't you show me, please show me the way
Is this the way that you wanted to pay
Won't you show me, please show me the way

TEMPTATION

A heaven I'd get with a hope
Just like the feeling inside, it's no joke
And though it hurts me to treat you this way
Betrayed my words, I'd never heard, too hard to say
Up, down, turn around
Please don't let me hit the ground
Tonight I think I'll walk alone
I'll find my soul as I go home

Each way I turn, I know I'll always try
To break this circle that's been placed around me
From time to time, I find I've lost some need
That was urgent to myself, I do believe
Up, down, turn around
Please don't let me hit the ground
Tonight I think I'll walk alone
I'll find my soul as I go home

Oh, you've got green eyes
Oh, you've got blue eyes
Oh, you've got grey eyes
And I've never seen anyone quite like you before
No, I've never met anyone quite like you before
Thoughts from above hit the people down below
People in this world, we have no place to go
Oh, it's the last time
Oh, I've never met anyone quite like you before
Oh no, I've never met anyone quite like you before

BLUE MONDAY

How does it feel to treat me like you do?
When you've your hands upon me
And told me who you are
I thought I was mistaken
I thought I heard your words
Tell me, how do I feel
Tell me now, How do I feel

Those who came before me
Lived through their vocations
From the past until completion
They'll turn away no more
And I still find it so hard
To say what I need to say
But I'm quite sure that you'll tell me
Just how I should feel today

I see a ship in the harbor
I can and shall obey
But if it wasn't for your misfortune
I'd be a heavenly person today
And I thought I was mistaken
And I thought I heard you speak
Tell me how do I feel
Tell me now, how should I feel

Now I stand here waiting...
I thought I told you to leave me
While I walked down to the beach
Tell me how does it feel
When your heart grows cold

CONFUSION

(W W W R L)
You just can't believe me
When I show you what you mean to me
You just can't believe me
When I show you what you cannot see

You're hiding from feelings, searching for more
Sharing and hoping, untouched for so long
Our lives still change from the way that we were
And now I'll tell you something I think you should know
You just can't believe me
When I show you what you mean to me
You just can't believe me
When I show you what you cannot see

You cause me confusion, you told me you cared
He's calling these changes that last to the end
Ask me no questions, I'll tell you no lies
The past is your present, the future is mine
You just can't believe me
When I show you what you mean to me
You just can't believe me
When I show you what you cannot see

You tell me you need me, I'll make it this time
The thread won't divide us, the sensation survives
I was sure that I told you it was good from the face
You've caused me some problems, you've taken my place

Why can't you see what you mean to me?

THIEVES LIKE US

I've watched your face for a long time
It's always the same
I've studied the cracks and the wrinkles
You were always so vain
Well, now you live your life like a shadow
In the pouring rain
Oh, it's called love
Yes, it's called love
Oh, it's called love
And it belongs to us
Oh, it dies so quickly
It grows so slowly
But when it dies, it dies for good
It's called love
And it belongs to everyone but us

I've lived my life in the valleys
I've lived my life on the hills
I've lived my life on alcohol
I've lived my life on pills
But it's called love
And it belongs to us
It's called love
And it's the only thing that's worth living for
It's called love
And it belongs to us
It's called love
Yes it's called love

Oh, love is found in the east and west
But when love is at home, it's the best
Love is the cure for every evil
Love is the air that supports the eagle
It's called love
And it's so un-cool
It's called love
And somehow it's become unmentionable
It's called love
And it belongs to every one of us
It's called love
And it cuts your life like a broken knife

THE PERFECT KISS

SUBCULTURE

SHELLSHOCK

That's the way - Shellshock
Hold on! It's never enough
It's never enough until your heart stops beating
The deeper you get, the sweeter the pain
Don't give up the game until your heart stops beating

You call me on the phone, you left me all alone
All I get from you is shellshock
Another day goes by and all I do is cry
All I get from you is shellshock
I'd tell the world and save my soul
But rain falls down and I feel cold
A cold that sleeps within my heart
It tears the earth and sun apart
But that's the way that I can win
A victim of your evil sin
You've lost the hold you've had on me
By causing the changes that you never see
Hold on! It's never enough
It's never enough until your heart stops beating
The deeper you get, the sweeter the pain
Don't give up the game until your heart stops beating

When we walk through open doorways,
Counting time in one or more ways
We can't find our peace of mind
And life becomes a life of crime
And that's the day I call your name
I came to you, I called in vain
You lost the faith within your heart
The fire in your soul from the end to the start
Hold on! It's never enough
It's never enough until your heart stops beating
The deeper you get, the sweeter the pain
Don't give up the game until your heart stops beating

I've been good and I've been bad
But common sense I've never had
No matter how I try and try,
I hide the truth behind a lie
But that's the way that I can win
A victim of your evil sin
You lost the faith within your heart
The fire in your soul from the end to the start
Hold on! It's never enough
It's never enough until your heart stops beating
The deeper you get, the sweeter the pain
Don't give up the game until your heart stops beating

In a Lonely Place

Caressing the marble and stone,
Love that was special for one,
The waste in the fever I heat,
How I wish you were here with me now.

Hangman looks round as he waits,
Cord stretches tight then it breaks ,
Someday we will die in your dreams,
How I wish you were here with me now.

© Deborah Curtis,1995

PROCESSION

There is no end to this
I have seen your face
But I don't recognize all these things
You must have kept behind
It's a problem, you know
That's been there all your life
Tries to make you see the world without you
That's just some black and white
At night it gets cold and
You'd dearly like to turn away
An escape that fails
And makes the wounds that time won't heal
Hello, hello, hello, hello

There is no end to this
I can't turn away
Another picture would deceive
History'd say
There is no room to move
Or try to look away
Remember, life is strange
And life keeps getting stranger every day
A mass of harmless attitudes
All tied up all subside
No matter what they say
You knew your heart beats you late at night
Your heart beats you late at night (3)

Cries and Whispers

MESH

Below the surface this day I need it light
Inside dimension lies another sacrifice
Once out of reach, we never speak, we never compromise
As they turned to gold the edges froze and seemed to turn to ice

All flight departures assembled not returned
Left in these passions I looked but never learned
There's hope, you've heard there's life in another world
Sometimes you'll find that truth is never kind
In the ghost lies a portrait of space that time is never here
In the mind of a fallen man, an easy day in another land
Ship sails out to sea, away from me, I just stand and stare
Assassin clears his hands, I know that, and, I wasn't even there

One day it came to mind we even leave the rest behind
Some day, I know, you get where you should go
There's hope, you've heard there's life in another world
Sometimes we'll find that truth is never kind
One day it came to mind we even leave the rest behind
Some day, I know, we even get where we used to go
There's hope, you've heard there's life in another world

HURT

(One, two, three, four)
I am for you can enjoy I can give you
(Give me, give me, give me)
It's a time we love to hate, I can give you

I am for you will enjoy I can give you
(Give me, give me, give me)
This is the time you'd love to hate, I will take you

I'm quite determined and there will be
No more mistakes, no more talking
I'll bet you hate this

Oh, I am for you will enjoy, I can take you
(Give me, give me, give me)
This is the law and you...

I'm quite determined and there will be
No more mistakes like the last one

THE BEACH

IT IS AN INSTRUMENTAL

LONESOME TONIGHT

I walk along the street
I look into your eyes
I'm pleasant when we meet
I'm there when you go home
How many times before
Could you tell I didn't care?
When you turned your back on me
I knew we'd get nowhere
Do you believe in youth
The history of all truth
A heart that's left at home
Becomes a heart of stone

Do you believe in truth?
The lies we told of youth
A cause we call our own
Beside an empty throne
How many times before
Could you tell I didn't care?
When you reached out in your sleep
And you knew I wasn't there
My eyes are made of stone
Just like your sordid home
How many times before
Did you leave my soul alone?

MURDER

Crows, crows, crows, I hate them
Crawl across!
I wouldn't do that, Dave
I'm afraid, Dave
My mind is going
There is no question about it

1963

It was January, 1963
When Johnny came home with a gift for me
He said I bought it for you because I love you
And I bought it for you because it's your birthday, too
He was so very nice, he was so very kind
To think of me at this point in time
I used to think of him, he used think of me
He told me to close my eyes
My gift would be a great surprise
I saw tears were in his eyes
He never meant to hurt me
Oh, God, Johnny, don't point that gun at me
There's so many ways our lives have changed
But please, I beg, don't do this to me
Johnny, don't point that gun at me
Can I save my life at any price?
For God's sake won't you listen to me?

And though he was ashamed that he had took a life
Johnny came home with another wife
And he often remembered how it used to be
Before that special occasion, 1963
There was too many ways that you could kill someone
Like in a love affair, when the love is gone
He told me to close my eyes
My gift would be a great surprise
I saw hatred in his eyes
He never meant to hurt me
Oh, God, Johnny, don't point that gun at me
There's so many ways our lives have changed
But please, I beg, don't do this to me
Johnny, you keep on using me
Can I change my life for any price?
Oh, Johnny, won't you listen to me?

He told me to close my eyes
My gift would be a great surprise
I saw hatred in his eyes
But he never meant to hurt me
Oh, God, Johnny, don't point that gun at me
There's so many ways our lives have changed
But please, I beg, don't do this to me
Johnny, you keep on using me
Can I change my life for any price?
Oh, Johnny, won't you listen to me?

I just want you to be mine,
I don't want this world to shine
I don't want this bridge to burn
Oh, Johnny, do you miss me?
I just want to feel free
I will always feel free...