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.
1. |
Streets Of Auckland
04:40
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STREETS OF AUCKLAND
(Mark Laurent)
I’ve lived in this town for all of my life
And I’ve been around but I come back here every time
Because a place is much more than lines
On a map drawn together
Or the beaches, or the mirror glass
Or the uncertain weather
But if you asked me why, I couldn’t explain
The streets of Auckland.
Up on K Road there’s a bag-lady walking
In her second-hand clothes, with herself she’s always talking
And I wonder why this is, did the city do this to her?
The people walking by
You know they just look right through her
And if you asked me why I couldn’t explain
The streets of Auckland.
There’s a sleepy old man near the fountain In Albert Park
He’s been there all morning
And he probably won’t leave until well after dark
Well the flowers grow and the rain comes down
But he doesn’t seem to notice
And all the students hurry by him
You can see they think he’s kind of gross
But if you asked me why I couldn’t explain
The streets of Auckland.
I walk these streets tonight for the ten thousandth time
I’ve been this way so often now
I could almost believe this whole town is mine
And sometimes I think of leaving, but maybe that’s only talk
Because the grass is always greener, they say
On someone else’s sidewalk
And if you asked me why I couldn’t explain
The streets of Auckland.
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2. |
Woman Of A Certain Age
01:53
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WOMAN OF A CERTAIN AGE
(Brenda Liddiard)
I AM A WOMAN OF A CERTAIN AGE
THERE ARE THOSE WHO’D LIKE TO LOCK ME IN A CAGE
WRAP ME UP IN A SAFETY NET
BUT I’M NOT READY TO GIVE UP YET.
I AM A WOMAN OF A CERTAIN AGE
MY DOCTOR SAYS I HAVE A MALAISE
HE’LL GIVE ME A COURSE OF HRT
TO CURE MY INSTABILITY.
NO LONGER YOUNG BUT NOT YET OLD
WHY SHOULD I DO AS I AM TOLD?
FOR I AM A WOMAN OF A CERTAIN AGE
MERELY IN A TRANSITIONAL STAGE
MY NEW LEASE ON LIFE HAS JUST BEGUN
YOU CAN BET THE BEST IS YET TO COME.
YES, I AM A WOMAN OF A CERTAIN AGE
AND IF IT’S TRUE THAT ALL OF LIFE’S A STAGE
THERE MUST BE A BETTER PART FOR ME
THAN STAYING HOME JUST TO MAKE THE TEA.
NO I WON’T BE GETTING BLUE RINSE CURLS
OR WEARING A TWIN-SET AND PEARLS.
FOR I AM A WOMAN OF A CERTAIN AGE
AND FLAME RED HAIR IS ALL THE RAGE
SKIN TIGHT JEANS AND HIGH-HEELED BOOTS
INSTEAD OF TWO-PIECE GREY TWEED SUITS.
I AM A WOMAN OF A CERTAIN AGE
THERE ARE THOSE WHO’D LIKE TO LOCK ME IN A CAGE
WRAP ME UP IN A SAFETY NET
BUT I’M NOT READY TO GIVE UP YET.
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3. |
That's What It's Like
04:00
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THAT’S WHAT IT’S LIKE
(Mark Laurent)
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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4. |
Tracy's Song
03:24
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TRACY'S SONG
(Brenda Liddiard)
What does it mean
to be a superstar?
high on a stage
beneath electronic stars
crying your soul to crowds
who can never know
who you really are
What does it mean
what does it mean?
The telephone rings
that was so silent before
and the gossip hungry hounds
are baying at your door
you wanted success
but did you realise
what they had in store?
What does it mean to you
what does it mean?
Chorus
And here I stand
with nameless tears gathering
ready to spill over
as you start to sing
the spirit of simplicity
is overpowering
overpowering
I have often dreamed of standing
in the place you are
to sing my songs of earth and love
to the gathering stars
but could it be the sacrifice is way too hard?
Is that what it means to you
is that what it means?
And here I stand
with nameless tears gathering
ready to spill over
as you start to sing
the spirit of simplicity
is overpowering
overpowering
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5. |
Beaten Paths
03:55
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BEATEN PATHS
(Mark Laurent)
Dawn light stains the horizon
I crawl from the bed on my won
Whisper “Goodbye” and I’m stepping out now
Into the yawning world all alone.
This town is puckered with mountains
A many-breasted mother earth she lies
Sometimes in the morning I will climb one
Get the traffic haze out of my eyes.
I walk the slope up past the tree-line
The stars fade and streetlight are winking out, too
I’m playing a game with the sunrise
Can he reach the summit before I do.
Beaten paths are for beaten men
I think I heard somewhere or heard someone say
Most of the roads in this town are well worn
Most of the men are the same way.
When I finally get to the top of the mountain
My heart beats hard and my knees are weak
So I just stand and stare into sunlight
He’s staring back, there’s no need to speak
Just for a moment I have transcended
All the world’s troubles and most of mine
Here I am, the king of the castle
The wind is my bread, the sun is my wine.
So I spare a laugh for the toy town below us
And I s pare a laugh for the sky so huge
I spare a laugh for the Tui who’s singing
Every morning the earth is made new.
Beaten paths are for beaten men
I think I read somewhere or heard someone say
Most of the roads in this town are well worn
Most of the men are the same way.
But I’m a child of the earth and I will go down
Back to my home, to breakfast and friends
May a dew-drop of sunrise go with me
To touch beaten paths, and bless beaten men.
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6. |
Your Name
04:15
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YOUR NAME
Brenda Liddiard)
There is a part of me never feels any older
And there is a part of me always adrift on the sea
There's always a part of me looking back over my shoulder
Hoping to banish the shadow that's following me.
I'm watching the fishing boats follow the tide to the harbour
I'm catching the last of the sun at the end of the day
I feel if the pull of the water should get any stronger
I'll have to sever this anchor and drift away.
I wish I could fly
with the wings of a dove
And I hope I can rise
far above
this earthly plane
this sea of pain
I call your name.
I know there will always be things to make me falter
I know there will always be things that I wish I could change
But here I am laying these ghosts to rest at your altar
And yet when I leave here a part of me will remain.
I wish I could fly
with the wings of a dove
And I hope I can rise
far above
this earthly plane
this sea of pain
I call your name.
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7. |
Crazy
03:41
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CRAZY
(Mark Laurent)
If I act crazy just ignore me
I’ll probably work it out in an hour or two
If I act crazy please forgive me
I never mean to take it out on you
when I act crazy
Sometimes I crawl into myself
like an ostrich I pretend I’m somewhere else
but you, you see through my disguise
through my silence
and through the clouding of my eyes
well I should have known that I
I cold never hide from you
because your love sees right through me
love sees right through me
when I act crazy
Once, once I was a child
and I talked child talk
I learned to pout, I learned to whine
by now you’d think I’d grow out of these gsmes
but it’s amazing how some things sty the same
still I never thought that I
I would learn the lie
that men aren’t supposed to cry
men aren’t supposed to cry
but I act crazy…
… just ignore me
I’ll probably work it out in an hour or two
If I act crazy please forgive me
I never mean to take it out on you
when I act crazy
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8. |
In The Background
03:28
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IN THE BACKGROUND
(Brenda Liddiard)
There are things that we carry in the back of our minds
all the time
and we don’t even know that they are there
most of the time.
Memories that surface on the glimpse of a memory
the hint of a perfume
a scene from an old movie.
Stirring fragments of a past put aside
slide shots of faces it’s easier for us to hide
but oh, how your heart aches from missing those smiles and those eyes
oh, how your heart aches from missing those smiles and those eyes.
And most of the time we don’t even know this is happening
so strong are the heart’s defences against feeling
so pressing the urgency of the day’s demands
so pressing the urgency of the day’s demands.
Love lies waiting in the background
love lies waiting in the background
love lies waiting in the background
for you to hear it’s forgotten song.
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9. |
Funny That Way
03:14
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FUNNY THAT WAY
(Mark Laurent)
Sometimes I’m big, sometimes I’m small
And sometimes I feel nothing at all
Some days I’m short, some days I’m tall
I’m funny that way.
Some days I’m happy, some days I’m sad
Today I’m not feeling too bad
Maybe I’m just a peculiar lad
Well I’m funny that way.
Maybe things’ll change when I get older
But until then can I rest upon your shoulder?
Some days I’m young, some days I’m old
Sometimes I’m timid, but sometimes so bold
This is not so unusual, I’m told that
We’re all funny that way.
Some days are gray, some days are blue
I know that you have days like that, too
I guess I’m not all that different to you
And we’re all funny that way.
So maybe things’ll change when we get older
But even if they don’t, you can still rest upon my shoulder.
Sometimes I’m big., sometimes I’m small
And sometimes I feel nothing at all
This magic, it happens to us all
Because we’re all funny that way.
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10. |
Not A Husband
03:04
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NOT A HUSBAND
(Brenda Liddiard)
WHAT I NEED IS NOT A HUSBAND BUT A WIFE
SOMEONE TO TAKE THE DRUDGERY OUT OF LIFE
THEY SAY A WOMAN’S WORK IS NEVER DONE
BUT SUPPOSING YOU’RE THE MOTHER AND THE FATHER IN ONE
NO, I DON’T NEED A HUSBAND, I NEED A WIFE.
WHEN I GET HOME AT THE END OF A LONG, HARD DAY
PICKING UP MY TIRED AND HUNGRY KIDS ALONG THE WAY
I DON’T HAVE THE ENERGY TO BE A MUM
CAN’T FIND THE LEVITY TO HAVE SOME FUN
YOU KNOW I SOMETIMES WONDER
HOW ON EARTH I EVER ENDED UP THIS WAY.
NOW IT DOESN’T MATTER IF THE WIFE IS A MAN
JUST AS LONG AS HE HAS THE DOMESTICATED HAND
HIS JOY IN LIFE IS COOKING ME A MEAL
HE CAN UNDERSTAND THE WAY I FEEL.
WELL NOW YOU MAY THINK THAT THIS IS THE MOST
SEXIST RAVE YOU’VE EVER HEARD
AND YOU MAY NOT WANT TO EVEN LISTEN TO ANOTHER WORD
BUT YOU’D BETTER BELIEVE THAT IF YOU WERE ME
THE FEMININE TOUCH IS WHAT YOU’D WANT TO SEE
GIVE ME A LOVER WHO’LL SCRUB MY TUB
AND I’LL BRING HOME THE PAY CHECK AT THE END OF THE MONTH
I WANT A HOME WITHOUT ANY STRIFE
NO I DON’T NEED A HUSBAND, I NEED A WIFE.
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11. |
River Of Life
03:15
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RIVER OF LIFE
(Mark Laurent)
River of life flow through me
I’m just as weary as a traveller can be
I need your water to wash over me
river of life please flow through me
River of life flow through me
I’m just as weak as a baby can be
I need your power to strengthen me
river of life please flow through me
I was lost in the desert
I was dying of thirst
but I would never have found you
if you hadn’t found me first
River of life flow though me
I’m just as dead as a sinner can be
I need your spirit to revive me
river of life please flow through me
Well we’re all on a journey
it’s a hot, dusty road
but without you to sustain us
we’d never get back home
River of life flow through me
I’m just as lonely as a pilgrim can be
I need your song to comfort me
river of life please flow through me
I need your water to wash over me
river of life please flow through me.
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12. |
Same Place
03:12
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SAME PLACE
(Brenda Liddiard)
It was against the odds that you would make it through
it was against the odds that I could talk to you
against the odds that you would listen to me
but against the odds is what a friend should be.
Now I’m sad to hear you down the telephone line
it’s as if all you’ve been through was a waste of time
how can you turn your back on the truth you found
how can you turn back into that same old clown.
CHORUS
Same place, same time
same face with a few more lines
Same eyes, same smile
same line in cheating style.
Now I don’t know exactly what you hope to gain
except the same old endings and the same old pain
for a while there I thought you’d turned the page
‘til I saw that cloud move across your face.
CHORUS
Same place, same time
same face with a few more lines
Same eyes, same smile
same line in cheating style.
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13. |
I Just Wanna B God
03:42
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I JUST WANNA B GOD
(Mark Laurent)
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. |
Lifeline
03:25
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LIFELINE
(Brenda Liddiard)
Time moves so slowly
Think I’ll go down to the store
Like a thousand times before
Not that I need much
Except maybe some company
That’s what I’m hoping for.
CHORUS
And it doesn’t really matter what you say
The weather isn’t very good today
I think it’s going to rain.
You say you’re busy
There’s never enough time
Would you like some of mine?
It’s hard to remember
But I guess I used to be like you
Now you are my lifeline.
CHORUS
I got your letter
The postman brought it yesterday
From so very far away
And as I read it
You seemed to be so close to me
I wish you could always stay.
And it doesn’t really matter what you say
The weather isn’t very good today
I think it’s going to rain.
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15. |
Nearest Thing
04:47
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NEAREST THING
(Mark Laurent)
I’ve been looking at the garden
On the first morning of spring
And I’ve been thinking about the winter-time
And the blessings that hard times can bring
They say every cloud is silver
If you jus look hard enough
Well I’ve been looking through these cloudy eyes
And I’m wondering, is silver quite enough?
What we sow is what we’re reaping
What you give you will receive
And the hard times I have tasted
Well they’ve given quite a few things to me
All the seeds that we have scattered
They’ll return eventually
And I must’ve done something right
For God to’ve given you to me.
I believe in heaven
I’m going to get there in the end
But the nearest thing to heaven
Is the love of a friend.
One life is just a season
In the tapestry of time
Yet every thread is needed
So I’m thankful you found a place for mine
And if the angels sing in glory
I’ll be glad to sing along
And I hope that you will be there, too
That’s the reason why I sing this song.
Because I believe in heaven
I’m going to get there in the end
But the nearest thing to heaven
Is the love of a friend.
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16. |
Million Miles
03:40
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MILLION MILES
(Brenda Liddiard)
I sometimes wonder who you might have been
and I sometimes think of what you might have seen
and I know that it’s a bit late for regret
but I’m sure you know I never will forget.
And I know that I can’t make it up to you
but I was so afraid, what was I to do?
do you know how much it tore me up inside?
and there was nowhere that I could run and hide.
I’m sorry that we never got to meet
and for the journey you weren’t able to complete
and I pray that you will find another way
and you’ll be able to forgive me some day.
Some things never go away
they never let go of you
no matter how you want them to.
Some things never go away
you can run a million miles
they’re still inside of you.
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17. |
Millennium Hippies
03:05
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MILLENNIUM HIPPIES
(Mark Laurent)
On the fringe of cyberspace
A mellow revolution is taking place
Far out from reality
Where your dreams can be
Whatever you want them to be.
The cosmic comedy
Just shifted left into absurdity
But that doesn’t bother me
‘Cause one day pretty soon
we’re all gonna be set free.
I’ve got some real good friends
They’re al searching for the rainbow’s end
I hope that they find it quick
Before there’s a global shortage
Of candles and jos sticks.
Millennium hippies
Millennium hippies
Millennium hippies are going to change the world.
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18. |
Give Away
03:29
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GIVE AWAY
(Brenda Liddiard)
There are fences across the landscape
fences across our minds
keeping out intruders
keeping us in line.
And there are armies of regulations
watching our every move
but it’s just our imagination
that tells us we’ve something to prove.
CHORUS
‘Cos I know, as you know
we reap just what we sow
and love is the best seed that you can grow.
The more that we give away
the more that comes back to stay
so give all your love away today.
All our questions will stay unanswered
while we hide behind castle walls
and if we never step off the platform
why, there’s not danger that we might fall
But so many are out there waiting
for the touch of a friendly hand
to soothe a heart that’s aching
and to talk to someone who’ll understand.
CHORUS
‘Cos I know, as you know
we reap just what we sow
and love is the best seed that you can grow.
The more that we give away
the more that comes back to stay
so give all your love away today.
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19. |
Nothing Else
03:48
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NOTHING ELSE
Adapted words of St John Of The Cross
(Mark Laurent)
From now on I am always at your door
I’ve given away my heart and my fortune
I have no flock to shepherd any more
And there’s no other work in my future.
My only occupation is love
Nothing else.
If people ask for me tell them I’m off on an adventure
I’m lost on purpose, to be found by love.
My only occupation is love
Nothing else.
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20. |
Rushlake Green
04:47
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RUSHLAKE GREEN
(Mark Laurent)
There is a row between the fields
The secrets of the world conceals
And I walked there one balmy day
More beauty than a man can say
I plucked one summer head of wheat
To taste its life so sharp and sweet
Nothing in fantasy competes
With one grain of dust from heaven’s streets.
I spent some time on Rushlake Green
Such peaceful places seldom seen
Smell the rose and taste the wine
And know the love of friends so fine
I could search one thousand days
And walk a million winding ways
But never find myself at all
Yet here I am, after all.
Some days the rain is all we know
Sometimes the sun refuses to show
It’s then I close my eyes to dream
And walk again on Rushlake green
I’m thankful for the chance to live
For all the blessings God can give
This world’s not big enough to hide
The joy that’s waiting deep inside.
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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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