Get all 16 Mark Laurent releases available on Bandcamp and save 35%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Mark Laurent (a best-of), Stations Of The Cross, One True Gift (Demos Volume 2), A-Ha-Ha (Demos Volume 1), This Is Not All There Is, The Net, UnderGrowth, Spiritual Graffiti, and 8 more.
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THAT’S WHAT IT’S LIKE
Well the dog jumped up and bit me
my bird lay down and died
I ran my kitty over
as I backed out of the drive
that’s what it’s like, that’s what it’s like
when feeling down and troubled
that’s what it’s like.
My baby’s gonna leave me
she told me just today
said my best friend treats her beter
besides he gets better paid
that’s what it’s like…
Is God still up in heaven
is he anywhere around
I saw a guy who looked just like him
he was hitching out of town
that’s what it’s like…
There’s philosophies and religions
they all try to save my soul
I might just a well go down into my basement
and dig holes
that’s what it’s like…
Can anybody answer me?
can anybody tell?
lord I think so much about heaven
man it makes me feel like hell
that’s what it’s like…
Well I really don’t care too much
about the answer anyway
why should I worry about tomorrow
when I can be depressed today?
that’s what it’s like…
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2. |
Change
03:56
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CHANGE
I’ve been working for money
hoping for fame
no matter which way I pitch it, yeah
it always ends up the same
money might make a few dreams come true
but it’ll never make a scratch in the real you
and I’m looking for change…
I was living in the city
the city was getting me down
stuck between the smog and the stuffed-suit salesmen
I’m wearing a permanent frown
some people think it’s real cool to be busy
but to tell you the truth it just makes me dizzy
and I’m looking for change…
Some people think that bigger and bigger is the
logical way to go
and I used to want to be a real high flier but
now I’m not so sure
because your centre of gravity’s not so good when
you’re fifty stories tall
and I’ve never been afraid of heights but
it’s a hell of a way to fall
Every coin has two sides
and there’s a farther shore to every sea
and if you don’t like it in the shade of the rock
there’s sunnier places to be
and just like the night time follows the day
every road leads both ways
and I’m looking for change…
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3. |
Me TV
05:13
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ME TV
It’s a rainy day and I’m not going out
it’s a rainy day outside
a rainy day, I think I’ll hang about
it’s a rainy day all my life
All my friends, they’ve gone somewhere else
I’m in my room sitting by myself
these rainy days are no surprise to me
rainy days happen regularly
I’m here alone, and I feel just alright
I’ve got my remote control
I can turn on and off my life
these rainy days don’t mean much to me
rainy days look better on TV
Where everybody’s got this new sensation
everybody wants to play the game
where we’re all stars, it’s a talk-show nation
it’s better than reality, it’s Me TV
Can you see me?
It’s a rainy day all around th3 world
it’s a rainy day tonight
a rainy day, and I don’t really care
rainy day, but that’s alright
Because everybody’s got their new sensation
everybody wants to play the game
and we’re all stars, it’s a talk-show nation
\better than reality, it’s Me TV.
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4. |
Green Chair
03:21
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GREEN CHAIR
There’s a green chair in the sun
green chair in the sun
it’s a sunny afternoon
sunny afternoon
You’ve been on my mind
it happens every time
there's a sunny afternoon
sunny afternoon
There’s nothing much to do
But sit and think of you
On this lazy afternoon
Lazy afternoon
There’s a green chair in the sun
and I’m the only one
this sunny afternoon
sunny afternoon.
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5. |
Poetree
03:50
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POETREE
There’s a tui singing right outside
I think he must be on a natural high
To sing like that, and be able to fly
Well if he’s not a happy bird
Then the world really is absurd
If he’s not happy, then I don’t know why
There’s a little song in everything
Winter holds the seeds of spring
So come on ...
Some days I feel like I’ve got nothing to say
People can be funny that way
And if I had a penny I’d spend it today
But I come on like the prodigal son
It’s a wonder I get anything done, sometimes
You think about these things too hard
They’re going to blow you away
But there’s a little song in everything
Winter holds the seeds of spring
So come on, have a go, do your own thing
Inspiration is like a shout
You never know when one might break out
And sometimes you just have to open your mouth
Like that tui singing right outside
Just to listen to him makes me feel high
And if I’m not happy, then I don’t know why.
There’s a little song in everything
Winter holds the seeds of spring
So come on, have a go, do your own thing
It’s poetree.
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6. |
Games
03:27
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GAMES
There are a lot of tightrope walkers
in the sky
smiling clown faces
passing by
I’d like to see some of them
clear of eye
why do we play these games?
Streets full of children
hanging round
home sit their parents
losing ground
their whole system’s come
tumbling down
I don’t like to see it go
I don’t want to be there, no!
God is there an answer
to this life?
the riddles, the changes
parody and strife
why do we play these games
day and night?
that’s all I ask for now
I’d like to know somehow.
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7. |
The Wall
05:46
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THE WALL
In my dream I saw a wall
that wall fell upon itself
we walked out into the light
in my dream there’s no more night
You may think that I’m a fool
to believe in miracles
but I do, and so will you
when your wall begins to fall
You can dream if you want to dream
and step away from the shadows
when your wall begins to fall.
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8. |
Brand New Blues
04:02
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BRAND NEW BLUES
Well I used to drink whisky
But I won’t do that any more
Yeah I used to drink whisky
Bu I won’t do that any more
Because since I followed Jesus
I chased that old mistress right out the door.
Well I used to smoke on Sundays
A little grass would get me high
Yeah I used to smoke on Sundays
A little grass would get me high
But since I followed Jesus, I found out
He’s got the only way to fly.
There’s lots of things that try to make you happy
But they never last too long
Lots of things that try to satisfy
But they’ll never do it, no matter how strong
But if you follow Jesus
He’s going to give you a brand new song.
Yeah I used to drink whisky
But I won’t do that any more
And I used to smoke on Sunday
But every Monday morning you’d find me down on the floor
But since I follow Jesus
I don’t have to sing the blues any more.
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9. |
Fair Question
03:44
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FAIR QUESTION
Where do I travel to
when I close my eyes?
and where does my spirit go
when my body dies
all this talk of heaven
is it just a pack of lies?
that’s a fair question
They say our earth is dying
from the foolishness of man
all our greed, all our selfishness
has compromised the plan
if we change our ways tomorrow
is there time to start again?
that’s a fair question
Do you love me, do you care
or am I just a pest?
have I given you anything at all
or will failure always be my best?
I feel like an apprentice here
but who has set this test?
that’s a fair question
The night is blue and you are gold
like Midas I am drawn
please may I have this dance with you?
I’d like to walk you home
so will you spend some time with me
or must I be alone?
that’s a fair question.
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10. |
Guru
05:37
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GURU
I used to want to be a guru
I used to want to be the one
I used to want to be a saviour
do the things that must be done
but I will never be a saviour
no I’m really not that strong
so I just want to be your friend
from now on
I used to want to be a hero
really thought that I could fly
I used to want to be the wise one
answer when you asked me why
but I will never be a wise man
no I’m really not that kind
but I just want to be a friend
if you don’t mind
When I was a little younger
I used to want to change the world
I used to want to be your lover
I always hoped you’d be my girl
but I have never been a lovert
I don’t do it vbery well
I just want to be your friend
I hope you can tell
Well I will never be a guru
and I will never be the one
I will never be the saviour
there’s too much growing to be done
but I’m making you a promise
and I’ll keep it ‘til the end
just give me a little time
I’m going to be your friend.
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11. |
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NO DIRECTION BLUES
@Brenda Liddiard
I've been sitting around with my head in my hands
stuck on a feeling I couldn't understand
wondering what on earth am I doing in this place
it's even hard to put a smile on my face
suddenly I knew I had the no direction blues
I don't know where I'm going, don't know what to do
don't even know how I feel about you
don't know why I did all those things I did before
I only know the reasons don't exist anymore
you were the clue, and now I've got the no direction blues
Why'd it take me so long to see
just what your presence really meant to me?
it really didn't matter if I was going nowhere
just as long as you were there
Now at last I'll try to break away from your spell
I'm going to start some sort of life for myself
got to choose a road from all these sign-posts I see
or lead a life of mediocrity
I have to choose to lose the no direction blues.
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12. |
The Rope
03:57
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THE ROPE
Oh it feels so strange
it’s like there’s this rope around me
pretty soon something’s got to change
this darkness won’t let me be
Oh my dear friend
tell me, what do you see?
can you see this rope around me?
The days are getting colder
and the nights are getting long
I sit all alone by the fireside
I cry my tears so strong
Oh my dear friend
tell me, what do you see?
time’s getting short, there’s this rope around me
Oh my dear friend
hey my darling one
I’ll hold onto you, you hold onto me
we can shine like the sun
It’s so dark out on the water
but there’s a light by the shore
a boat is leaving on the next tide
I want to get on board
Oh my dear friend
won’t you come with me?
I’m cutting this rope around me.
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13. |
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I JUST WANNA B GOD
I don’t want to be the president
of some fortune 500 company
And I don’t want to be the mayor of some
overpopulated, polluted big city
I don’t want to have tea with the queen
or form a trio with Bono and Rod
I don’t want too much of anything - I just wanna be god.
I don’t need a big white mansion
and I don’t need a swimming pool
I don’t need to be a pillar of fashion
or somebody’s dancing fool
I don’t need a genuine Picasso hanging on the wall
just to prove how much taste I’ve got
I don’t need anything special - I just wanna be god.
I don’t like too many possessions
I don’t like a stressful life
I don’t like religious obsessi0ons
and I only want one wife
I don’t like to be a pawn in the hands
of manipulative men who rip you off
I don’t like to make a fuss - but I just wanna be god.
I can play pretty good guitar and I can sing a song for you
I can take a book of words and
make them say anything that I want to
I could grab a little piece of earth and
make of it a slice of heaven if you want
I think that this life is pretty fine - but I’d still like to be god
So if I can ever find the time - I’d just like to b god
And I hope that you don’t mind - I’d jut like to b god.
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14. |
Trimmed & Burning #2
05:37
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TRIMMED AND BURNING
I’m trimmed and burning
ready for the night
No man lights a candle
just to hide it away
but when you light a candle
you turn the darkness into day
a city built on a mountain
just can’t hide from the storm
but when you stand on a mountain
you’re the first to see the dawn
There’s just no point in turning back
once you put your hand to the plough
now we’re on this long, winding road
we’re going to make it somehow
I’m trimmed and burning
ready for the night.
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15. |
Seagull In The Storm #1
03:59
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SEAGULL IN THE STORM
I’ve never really been strong
Never really held on to my direction
Like a needle seeking north
I can be thrown off by any vibration
So I call out to you
Like a seagull in the storm
A baby who cries for his mother’s arms
Sun is warm upon my back
Green earth instructs and enfolds me
There is nothing that I lack
Except the truth of the stories you told me
When I called out to you
Like a heckler in the crowd
A sinner at the edge of your circle of friends.
I’ve never really been alone
Only in the depths of my imagination
And when there’s nowhere to go
I stand still and hope for salvation
Then I call out to you
Like a shepherd in the dark
Just outside the shelter where love is born.
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16. |
Trust (studio version)
03:26
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TRUST
Why wake up early
And go to bed so late
When worry won’t add one minute to your time
(I’m learning to put away things too hard for me)
Consider the sparrows
See how the lilies grow
God himself takes care of all their needs
So how much more must he care for us
When he gave so much to make us free.
Blessed are those who trust in the Lord.
I spent most of my life
Chasing fantasies
The grass was always greener over there
I’ve hands-full of nothing for my care
And you seem so anxious
About so many things
But just one thing is needful in the end
Hold onto that good part, my friend
On this you can depend.
Blessed are those who trust in the Lord.
The world is in anguish
Like a woman giving birth
Our foolishness and sin have brought this on
Now the time is at hand, it won’t be long
As we stand in the valley of decision every day
Fear can make you feel so paralysed
But there’s a bright road up ahead
If we’ll open up our eyes.
And blessed are those who trust in the Lord.
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17. |
Be My Vision Blues
02:41
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BE MY VISION BLUES
re-write of the traditional hymn
Be my vision oh Lord of my heart
nothing else matters except that you are
you are my best thought by day or by night
waking or sleeping your presence is my light
Be my wisdom and be my true word
I'm always with you and you with me Lord
you're my dear father and I your true son
you're always with me and I with you - we're one
Be my breastplate and a sword for the fight
be my inheritance and my delight
be my strong shelter and be my high tower
guard me and keep me, oh power of my power
Riches I crave not, or man's earthly praise
you're my inheritance now and always
you and you only be first in my heart
high king of heaven, my treasure is what you are
High king of glory, when the victory's won
may I reach heaven, oh bright heaven's sun
heart of my own heart, whatever befall
still be my vision, oh ruler of all
still be my vision.
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Mark Laurent Auckland, New Zealand
I've been a professional guitarist/singer/songwriter for 40 years, & I've recorded & worked on many albums. I'm also an author with 4 collections of poetry & an illustrated children's storybook published, & I've written articles & reviews for various magazines. I live in Auckland, New Zealand. As well as cafes, concerts & churches I also do a bit of busking to keep in touch with the 'real world'. ... more
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