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Deadman Road

by Venetic ®

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1.
All the carping critics are completely ineffectual And there’s a gatekeeper on every gate Nothing really counts unless it makes a buck or two Better sell it now before it’s too late Where blandness is a passport and money opens doors Ever get the feeling that you’re bound to lose? You can tilt at windmills or bow to the inevitable There’s not much choice, in fact there’s nothing to choose So this is what it’s like in the 21st century? Where status is proportional to money and power They kick you in the balls and then they want gratitude Like you should be happy that they noticed you at all What’s your panacea, what’s your platitude? Have you got a brain - do you ever think at all? Why do you swallow the crap that they’re feeding you? Follow like a zombie as they ruin your world? They’ve abolished your freedoms and if you think otherwise Well my friend, you’re living in a dream You’re going around in ever-shrinking circles Wondering why it is things have no meaning They’re slave drivers - they’ll work you hard They’ll work you right until you drop Slog your way until your retirement Then they’ll go and harvest another crop Surveillance on the streets, spying on the Net You wonder what it is they’re hoping to find All your little details; every last scrap of them If you were honest, you’d have nothing to hide
2.
Deadman Road 02:37
If you’re out driving some night with your girl Burning up gravel and shooting the curves Watching the world from behind your windscreen Feeling free as you drive your machine If you feel great and wanna stay that way Listen up to what I’ve got to say There’s a road out the back of beyond Past the burnt stump and even further on Then you turn left at the cemetery Wave at the graves if you feel the need Half a mile beyond the mental home You’ll find the turn-off for where you’re goin’ The sign’s unobtrusive - you’ll miss it if you blink Many’s the driver who never stops to think Half concealed there behind a tree You couldn’t say it was easy to read There’s no doubt though; there it stands The very last road sign you’ll ever see! Deadman, Deadman etc. Yeah I’m talking ‘bout Deadman Road! Some never come back - others’ hair turns white Some get religion and others take flight A good many end up in that mental home Or in that graveyard further back up the road There’s something spooky, something not quite right Something that lurks there in the dead of night! Deadman, Deadman etc. Yeah I’m talking ‘bout Deadman Road!
3.
Your house always looks a mess Whenever I look around it A Salmonella breeding ground And dog crap on the carpet You always were the messy one Dumped your stuff on the floor Left your clothes wherever they lay I could never open your door It’s just the way you are A twist of fate and the alignment of the stars It’s just the way you are Don’t bother changing - you won’t get too far You go from one McJob to the next But they never last When they talk about work and commitment You’ve got to bail out fast Failed aspirations litter your life You float along in a dream Your only talent is trouble and strife Making plans has no meaning It’s just the way you are A twist of fate and the alignment of the stars It’s just the way you are Don’t bother changing - you won’t get too far You used to love giving orders Even when there was no one around You’d boss around your dolls and your teddy Or even some stray hound Now you’ve got kids but they don’t listen They always put you down They stay out late and put you through hell It’s funny how the wheel turns around It’s just the way they are A twist of fate and the alignment of the stars It’s just the way they are Don’t try and change them - you won’t get too far
4.
Wonder Drug 04:10
Fame is a wonder drug People know your name Everything is wonderful Life is all a game You float around on a cloud In a state of grace They’re not like you or I They might as well be from outer space And down here at the bottom of the heap We’ve got to know our place Bow to our masters And wave our begging plates They might give you funding If you’re nice to their face If you scrub up squeaky clean And shine in the marketplace It’ll take some work though Coz you’ve got to earn your place Work out your demographic And disengage your brain They don’t want any smarty pants Or anyone who’s a god-damned pain Just some pretty faces And stuff that radio’ll play I wish you every luck pal As you play their game And scramble up their ladder In your quest for fame Me - I’ll stay down here In the land of the sane For me there’s no posterity There’s no hall of fame No slobbering, fawning critics No big fucking rock star behaviour I’ll just do my songs Then I’ll be on my way I’ll be on my way etc. To some other plane
5.
His Regrets 03:38
He thinks in the past tense so the present won’t count He makes all the rules, he’s the man of the house His home is a showcase to show off the wife She’s a permanent fixture, she won’t go outside Her skin’s too pale; she would melt in the sun He imagines she’s frigid coz in bed she’s no fun So he wanders through tussock with his dogs and his gun Looking for something to shoot in the fog Funny how he’s got his life all arranged Everything in order - nothing’s strange Every little detail has its place Nothing’s left to chance, nothing’s left to fate There’s a fur-lined bidet in every bathroom A full-length pool and a sauna too A pool room, bar and widescreen TV There’s even a library where he never reads A tennis court and a basketball hoop A tree-lined drive that provides all their fruit A fully-fitted kitchen that the wife can’t use And a satellite dish for the latest world news But something in his life just don’t feel right He feels like a blind man crossing a motorway Dodging left and right and back and forth and running for his life (x 2) When he needs kicks he goes out on the town He doesn’t so much drink as funnel it down He drinks to forget, he drinks to kill dreams To drown his regrets that his life has no meaning
6.
Al was the drummer, he always hit the beat He could play it with one hand He only liked ska and reggae Nothing else fit his plan Dan was blond, all fit and tan On lead guitar he was the man Tall and handsome, long and lean He played like a crazy machine Tom was on bass, but his mind was elsewhere I used to wonder where it was at But all it took was half a listen For him to get it all down pat Then there was me, leading the circus Wondering which way to go Surrogate mother and lion tamer Trying to mastermind the show Back in the days when we were free We used to tell tales of what we wanted to be Twenty years on, things aren’t quite so grand There’s a few bits missing from the master plan Tom found Krishna and gave up drums Now he wears gowns and chants Dan froze me out and sold his guitar Now he’s an advertising man Al just walked out and never came back Never to be seen again That just left me and one guitar: Not much of a master plan Once it all turned to custard Things weren’t quite so grand It’s a bit hard to get out and hustle When you don’t even have a band
7.
Mirror City 02:08
As they fight the blaze Smoke pours from windows through a shimmery haze An old man staggers dazed Others pick up bricks and clear the way Behind cracked façades People hide in shelter from chaotic streets You throw a victory sign And scream in triumph as you flee the scene And the churches are empty The parliament’s obscene A piece of pretence flirting Like a prostitute that preens Cold harsh gazes Meet you from the shelter of the corridor Scattered caskets Topple as a forklift clears the floor Servicemen Shuffle as they walk along the riverside The streets are deserted It feels like there’s nowhere left to hide The railway station is empty There are no more trains The welcome party is over The relationship’s estranged The king’s frozen in his castle He doesn’t know what to do With a rat and toad to advise him His tip top times are through
8.
Now I’m forty I’m gonna go country Gotta change if I want to survive Now I’m forty I’m gonna go country Coz you can’t be a rocker when you’re over thirty-five Now I’m forty I’m gonna go country I know it’s gonna be so good for my soul Now I’m forty I’m gonna go country I’m getting too old for rock and roll You can’t cling to the old ways When old age is setting in There’s no way you can boogie When your arse is in a sling My friends used to like punk music Had green hair and a snotty attitude Smash the State and screw the system Now they’ve found a new rectitude They’ve got string ties and cowboy boots Amish threads and long black suits They drive around in pick-ups or utes They drink whiskey and know how to shoot You know you can’t cling to the old ways When old age is setting in There’s no way you can boogie When your arse is in a sling So I’m buying a Stetson I’m gonna wear it with pride And I’ll sing Hank Williams’ praises Till the day I die
9.
It’s been a while since you were here Yet there’s signs of you all around me Although you’re gone I feel you near Pictures on the wall to remind me I know you told me not to feel down And I recall you used to scold me About morbid fears built on shaky ground And always looking over my shoulder Yes I recall our yesterdays The memories just won’t fade away It was the best part of my life Now that’s for sure But don’t you worry, life goes on You always told me to be strong And don’t go letting trouble knock upon my door You worried about me all of the time Always succumbing to little pressures Money worries and everything else It all used to drive you crazy You wondered how I’d make my way I always seemed so absent-minded No common sense or so you said Not that you ever looked to find it I miss you more now every day Your memory just won’t go away I feel a gap now in my life down deep inside But don’t you worry, life goes on You always told me to be strong And I’ll keep right on battling on Till my time comes
10.
When she brings me dead things It’s her way of showing she loves me She gazes out so proudly As if to say “Look what I’ve got!” And sometimes the things she brings Are still alive They wriggle and they writhe They don’t want to die They’re dropped at my feet And in the blink of an eye They’re off like a flash Trying to hide (x 4) When she brings me dead things She’s showing that she loves me They’re sacrificed on the altar The altar of her love And when I’m dead and gone I’ll be up there way on high She’ll be waiting there for me To bring me dead things in the afterlife
11.
He’s got sharp clothes, he’s got good looks He’s got the world at his fingertips He knows the answer, he knows the score He knows all the ins and outs for sure He’s a fount of knowledge, he’s all class Heed his advice if you want to learn fast He’s a teacher; a real savant Ain’t it time you listened, you little pissant? Horse Man! Horse Man! etc.
12.
Your Words 02:29
Your words are aimed at my heart They shoot it right through Why do I let you tear me apart And suffer your abuse? You shout and you fuss about The tiniest of things An open toothpaste cap Isn’t a sin One day you’ll wake up You’ll see it’s an act! A storm in a teacup! A trivial fact! Shout all you want Fluster around Find some pretext Then go to town Your life’s a circus A penny arcade You’re like an automaton Waiting to be played And one misstep is all the coin you need To go off with a vengeance Like some crazy machine! My hope’s fading I can’t go on There’s no way it can last I feel forlorn But once we’ve parted It won’t be for long! We’ll get back together And the fight can go on! On and on, on and on, on and on…..

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Venetic takes us up a road where unexpected things happen...

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released December 1, 2007

(c) Wayne Stuart McCallum

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Venetic ® New Zealand

Since 2002, Venetic has independently released 10 albums with more on the way. Healed by the flames of purgatory, he is now back from the undead.

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