Get all 6 Neil Porter releases available on Bandcamp and save 50%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of THE DISAPPEARING MAN, Looking Like The Real Thing, Into The Blue, Life On The Trapeze, Signs Of Life, and jiguma dreaming.
1. |
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AMSTERDAM
©2010 Neil Porter
I don’t think I told you about Amsterdam
I’m not talking about girls in the night
You can lose yourself in Amsterdam
It’s a city with beautiful light
We can meet at that bruin in Jordaan
We can drink one to interesting times
You know I’ll get back to Amsterdam
I’ll be crossing some Amsterdam lines
Living in Amsterdam
Losing in Amsterdam
Winning in Amsterdam
I’ll be crossing some Amsterdam lines
Get out of my depth in Haarlem
Sweep me out in a parallel stream
The invisible man in Amsterdam
I’ll be living a parallel dream
We could meet like spies in Centraal
Feel alive, getting ready to roll
Find some signs of life in Amsterdam
We’ll be singing some Amsterdam soul
Living in Amsterdam
Losing in Amsterdam
Winning in Amsterdam
I’ll be crossing some Amsterdam lines
Living in Amsterdam
Crossing some Amsterdam lines
Losing in Amsterdam
Crossing some Amsterdam lines
Winning in Amsterdam
Crossing some Amsterdam lines
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2. |
Somewhere Deep
04:18
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Somewhere Deep
© 2007 Neil Porter
Don’t feel like staying home tonight
Just feel I want to drift away
And if I’m wrong or if I’m right
That’s for me to learn, not you to say
You’re telling me I have to change
You’re giving me no choices when you do
You wonder why I’m acting strange
You wonder if I’m getting over you
You feel they make it tough on you
They make you want to run away
But please be careful if you do
And please be careful what you say
They’re telling you “you have to change”
They’re giving you no choices when they do
They wonder why you’re acting strange
You wonder why they’re getting mad at you
You can’t ever put things right
You’re the ones that made things like they are
I’m leaving on a midnight flight
I’m going to travel wide and travel far
I’m going to do my best to get some midnight sleep
I’m going to send my demons far away
I’m going swimming somewhere deep
I’m going to do things my own way
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3. |
Walk Away
05:07
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Walk Away
© Neil Porter 11/2007
I can’t do this any more
I can’t sell my restless soul this way
Just need to mend my breaking heart
I need to walk away
I need to walk away
Walk away
Just need to mend my breaking heart
I need to walk away
I’ve been down this road so many times
It seems to have a hold on me
Just a little longer out of water
And then I’ll walk away
And then I’ll walk away
Walk away
Just a little longer out of water
And then I’ll walk away
Look at me I’m back on the road again
Same old sleepy country towns
Same old empty sky
Looking in my rear-view mirror again
Trying to catch the warning signs
That have passed me by
In my broken bower once again
I listen to my beating heart
Nothing ventured, nothing gained
I have to walk away
I have to walk away
Walk away
Nothing ventured, nothing gained
I have to walk away
If I had my time again
I might not sell my soul
I’ve got this terminal reprise
And then I’ll walk away
And then I’ll walk away
Walk away
I’ve got this terminal reprise
And then I’ll walk away
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4. |
Close Your Eyes
04:25
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Close Your Eyes
© 2008
Words Neil Porter (inspired by Lisa Purdy) /Music Neil Porter
I admit it
I’ve got something in my head
That’s messing with my brain
I’m not sure about tomorrow
Might be up
Or might be down again
Close your eyes
I don’t want you seeing me this way
And if I cry
I don’t mean to be like this
I don’t mean to be like this
I might try to read tomorrow
And hope the flying words
Stay near the page
Will the strings on my guitar
Make sweet music
Or steel bars on my cage?
Just close your eyes
I don’t want you seeing me this way
And if I cry
I don’t mean to be like this
I don’t mean to be like this
If I keep taking little pills
The doctor says
My blues will go away
Now I’m seeing less
Of my black dog
That used to visit every day
Just close your eyes
I don’t want you seeing me this way
And if I cry
I don’t mean to be like this
I don’t mean to be like this
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5. |
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Don’t Want to Talk About It
©2009 Neil Porter
Why can’t you say what you mean?
Why don’t you mean what you say?
Can’t you just say how things seem?
Such stupid games that you play
I don’t want to talk about it
I don’t want to say goodbye
I don’t want to talk about it
It’s just gonna make me cry
Don’t know where I stand anymore
Couldn’t you say from the start?
Couldn’t believe what I saw
You put this pain in my heart
I don’t want to talk about it
I don’t want to say goodbye
I don’t want to talk about it
It’s just gonna make me cry
You say you’ve got no regrets
I say I’ve got quite a few
This is as good as it gets
I’ve learnt too much about you
I don’t want to talk about it
I don’t want to say goodbye
I don’t want to talk about it
It’s just gonna make me cry
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6. |
Feel The Beat
04:04
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Feel The Beat
© 2009 Neil Porter
You want to do it, you try so hard
Want things to come naturally
Turn up the radio
Put on a CD
You can get there just feel the beat
Close your eyes
Feel the beat
Move your body ‘til the groove locks in yeah
Clap your hands
Move your feet
When this song ends you can do it all again
You can’t write it on a sheet of paper
Don’t have to read it from a cold white page
Just listen closely let the music take you
Take a chance, leave your cage
It’s time to let your heart take over
The muse is calling, you can tag along
Close your eyes don’t run for cover
Lose yourself in every song
Don’t start out with inhibitions
Leave your left brain at the door
Loosen up
Move with the music
Slide and sway and let the good times roll
Grab the moment
Take a chance
Kick off your shoes, get up and dance
Don’t stop moving
Wait and see
Close your eyes and feel the beat
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7. |
The Thin Man Dreams
03:50
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The Thin Man Dreams
© 2005 Neil Porter
Heading down the Oatley stairs
The thin man waits, enjoys a cup of tea
Hanging out in rattan chairs
Musicians smoking, talking aimlessly
Mid summer sun has left the small
Verandah as the band begins to play
The thin man takes his Gibson
And it shimmers in the middle of the day
A gentle man
He stayed serene
A subtle hand
The thin man in a dream
The thin man closes happy eyes
He smiles and lets the rhythm have its way
He weaves a tingling tapestry
Floats unsuspected notes above the fray
Session over, vibe is up
The thin man’s smile's engraved upon his face
As he prepares another cup a happy thin man
Glides about the place
A gentle man
He stayed serene
A subtle hand
The thin man in a dream
Heading up the Oatley stairs
The thin man waves, enjoys a cup of tea
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8. |
Photographs
04:53
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Photographs
©2009 Neil Porter
I still see you sitting there
On that rocky beach near Agadir
Baking in the morning sun
Got your message loud
Got your best smile on
I was your suburban boy
You always were the girl of my dreams
I turn the page you’re looking fine
Dressed up like you’re off to school
“April Sun In Cuba”’s in the air
Kids must have thought you were so damn cool
I was your suburban boy
You always were the girl of my dreams
I saw it in a photograph of you
I guess somehow that kind of makes it true
Looking through my photographs
I still can’t believe it turned out me and you
Found the page I was looking for
Summer dress against the sun
Summer nights and summer sighs
I knew you’d be my only one
I was your suburban boy
You always were the girl of my dreams
Throw some pictures on the wall
There’s you and me and whatsisname
This could have been a different story
We could have played a different game
But I was your suburban boy
You always were the girl of my dreams
I saw it in a photograph of you
I guess somehow that kind of makes it true
Looking through my photographs
I still can’t believe it turned out me and you
I still see you on that beach
I see you’re still looking fine
You seemed so far out of reach
I’m so glad that you are mine
But I was your suburban boy
You always were the girl of my dreams
I saw it in a photograph of you
I guess somehow that kind of makes it true
Looking through my photographs
I still can’t believe it turned out me and you
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9. |
Lost In Translation
04:39
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Lost In Translation
© 2009 Neil Porter
I’m thinking in tongues
That I don’t understand
I’m speaking in some of them too
Do I offer my cheek?
Do I offer my hand?
I’m lost in translation
If I get in your way
I’m just chasing some dreams
I’ve caught up with some of them
In perpetual motion
Life’s perpetual change
I get lost in translation
We might just be looking for clues
Out and about and avoiding the blues
Might just be searching,
Looking for some signs of life
I’ve done this before
And I’ll do it again
I’ll never get tired of this
Like my father before me
I come back to this land
To get lost in translation
You want clarification
It’s not in my game
I like dealing in tangents and dreams
Without plans or proposals
Like to follow the wind
I get lost in translation
We might just be waiting for clues
Out and about and avoiding the blues
Might just be searching,
Looking for some signs of life
You might come here to wonder
At mountains and streams
For the cafés and nightlife and bars
But when I step off the plane
I'm just longing to be
Lost in translation
I’m lost in translation
Lost in translation
Lost in translation
Lost in translation
Lost in translation
etc
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10. |
Too Many Ghosts
06:04
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Too Many Ghosts
© 2006 Neil Porter
There are times I sift through memories
There are some I fear, so I put them to one side
I put them down and leave them there
I shut the drawer and leave them there
The world is full of mysteries
There are some to fear, but no need to run and hide
Some deep unspoken mysteries
Just close the door and leave them there
We are the music-makers,
And we are the dreamers of dreams,
Wandering by lone sea-breakers,
And sitting by desolate streams;
World-losers and world-forsakers,
On whom the pale moon gleams:
We are the movers and shakers
Of the world forever, it seems.
My photo box is tempting me
The moments there are etched into my mind
I take good care of thoughts from there
Feels safe here in my easy chair
I’ve seen too many yesterdays
Too many ghosts that live inside my head
I think about my younger days
The good times and those younger days
We are the music-makers,
And we are the dreamers of dreams,
Wandering by lone sea-breakers,
And sitting by desolate streams;
World-losers and world-forsakers,
On whom the pale moon gleams:
We are the movers and shakers
Of the world forever, it seems.
We are the music-makers,
And we are the dreamers of dreams,
Wandering by lone sea-breakers,
And sitting by desolate streams;
World-losers and world-forsakers,
On whom the pale moon gleams:
We are the movers and shakers
Of the world forever, it seems.
I saw Black Jack just yesterday
He was standing there in a corner of my room
“It’s time to come away” he said
I follow and he leads me there
It’s time to go away from here
I follow and he leads me there
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11. |
Take Me To Heart
04:59
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Take Me To Heart
© 2009 Neil Porter
Take me to heart
Just don't take me for granted
Tear me apart
But don't leave me that way
Where do we start
Now that it's over
Take me to heart
When we first met
You got just what you wanted
Time and again
You got your own way
Where do we start
Now that it's over
Take me to heart
Stop me if I've said
Something that doesn't need saying
Stop me if I've said
Something wrong
Tell me if this
Is just some kind of game you're playing
And I'll be gone
SOLOS
Stop me if I've said
Something that doesn't need saying
Stop me if I've said
Something wrong
Tell me if this
Is just some kind of game you're playing
And I'll be gone
Got this thing in my head
That you'll set me free
was it something I said
I just can't let it be
Where do we start
Now that it's over
Take me to heart
Hope you have some regrets
When you walk out that door
But I'll get back my heart
Pick myself off the floor
Where do we start
Now that it's over
Take me to heart
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12. |
Signs Of Life
04:00
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Looking For Signs Of Life
©2009 Neil Porter
There’s this place I know
They got fields of impossible green
Across the valley
The mountains touch the sky, they touch the sky
It’s more than skin and bone
That keeps you moving
Keeps you moving
Looking for signs of life
Upturn every stone
You don’t know what you might find
Round every corner
Shadows slip away, they slip away
It’s more than skin and bone
That keeps you moving
Keeps you moving
Looking for signs of life
Wrap yourself in the smiles of strangers
Lose yourself in a land of other ways
Take a chance with the stones of ages
Keep on looking, looking for signs of life
INSTRUMENTAL
Man on a mission
Become a full time seeker, a real life keeper of dreams
Chasing visions,
Chasing shades of light, shades of light
It’s more than skin and bone
That keeps you moving
Keeps you moving
Looking for signs of life
Wrap yourself in the smiles of strangers
Lose yourself in a land of other ways
Take a chance with the stones of ages
Keep on looking, looking for signs of life
I hear you saying
“You’ve got too much, too much, too much time on your hands”
Tread too softly
And time just slips away, it slips away
It’s more than skin and bone
That keeps you moving
Keeps you moving
Looking for signs of life
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13. |
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Haven’t had a night like this in so many years
Head keeps buzzing, doesn’t stop
Door keeps banging with the wind
Air con dripping, so damn hot
I got your face in my head
Got my head on your pillow
And I’m waiting for the rain to fall
Losing my sleep, losing my battle
Seems like years you’ve been gone
Losing my mind, can’t get back in the saddle
Think I’m finding myself then I’m gone
I got your face in my head
Got my head on your pillow
And I’m waiting for the rain to fall
Fields of green and days of rain
Maybe I’ll see you sometimes
Kids in the yard
You’d make me happy
Days of hope and days of rain
Days of knowing who I am
Days of peace
When the rain starts to fall
I’m changing my mind like I’m changing the channel
Head in my hands, hands are filling with tears
I’ve been hitting rock bottom, deep as the ocean
I’ve been giving in to all of my fears
I got your face in my head
Got my head on your pillow
And I’m waiting for the rain to fall
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14. |
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Under My Skin
© Neil Porter 2009
You’ve been sitting in your room somewhere
You’ve been up all night
But you’re getting nowhere
You’ve been trying to get under my skin
Well I just won’t give up
Well you can’t come in
You’ve been trying to get under my skin
You’ve been trying to get under my skin
You’ve been trying to get under my skin
Well I just won’t give up
Well you can’t come in
Do you have another life somewhere?
Are you all alone?
Do you hate it there?
You’ve been trying to get under my skin
Well I just won’t give up
Well you can’t come in
Maybe you dabble in deception
Could be you travel in disguise
It seems you’re after some attention
Maybe there’s just no reason why
You’ve been slipping on the slide these days
You can’t let go
You can’t keep away
You’ve been trying to get under my skin
Well I just won’t give up
Well you can’t come in
You’ve been waiting ‘til I drop my guard
You’re awake all night
And you take it hard
You’ve been trying to get under my skin
Well I just won’t give up
Well you can’t come in
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15. |
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Down That Street
© 2009 Neil Porter
When I first saw you walking down the street
You were tall and dark and cool and dressed just right
You had a lovely girl on either arm
You didn’t get them just with charm
When I first saw you walking down the street
You were tall and dark and dressed to kill
You were coming side by side
When I first saw you walking down that street
You were tall and dark with looks to kill
The path wasn’t that wide
When I first saw you walking down that street
As you got closer I could see you smile
Diamond studs and shoes that said “I got some style”
Heaps of gold that that showed your class
Clothes were sharp, shades as black as night
You kept on coming walking down the street
Cars to my left, ten metres to the water on my right
And something told me there was more
To your story than I saw
Seemed a good time for me to be discreet
With lowered eyes I stepped out on the road
I guess I knew that you were sharp and dressed to kill
I heard you say “merci monsieur”
You smiled a friendly smile at me
As I was standing out there in the road
Ad lib outro:
When I first saw you walking down that street
I saw you truckin’ down that street
When I first saw you walking down that street
Truckin’ down that street
Those ladies looked real good but I
Couldn’t look ‘em in the eye
When I first saw you walking down that street
I thought if I looked too close
I could really really die
When I first saw you walking down that street
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Neil Porter Pambula Beach, Australia
Singer songwriter from Pambula Beach in Australia.
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