Get all 16 Mark Laurent releases available on Bandcamp and save 35%.
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1. |
Anyway
04:25
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ANYWAY
(M Laurent)
The people in this town they look at you obliquely
open up their mouths and say “hasn’t it been nice lately?”
they’re smiling with their lips, but eyes quickly slide away
look a little harder, love them anyway
The people in this town they all dress in black
they’re running much too fast, running like there’s no way back
“I’ve got no time to talk now, just can’t waste the day”
take a little longer, love them anyway
The people in this town they’re all going home
to turn on the TV, and they’re turning off the answer-phone
setting their alarm clocks, waiting for the day
lay your burden down, love them anyway
I’m standing at the bus stop, I’m waiting in the queue
I know I’m going somewhere, but I don’t know where to
The people In this town are sleeping well tonight
some are dreaming dreams of walking out into the light
some will dream in shadows, some will fade away
open up our eyes and love them anyway.
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2. |
Free
03:34
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FREE
(B Liddiard)
At 14 I knew what I wanted
Or rather, what I didn’t want
No marriage, no children
No house in the suburbs following some dead-end career
No fear
At 14 I sat on the beach at night
To see the rolling waves in the starlight
I watched & I listened
I was sure I heard what they said to me
Be free
Be free – don’t worry about anybody else
That’s what we were told, just think about yourself
Be free – break away from the ties that bind
And you won’t be the one who’s left behind
And now I reap a strange reward
I should have known that I would
The world is your oyster
But you won’t find it if you stay here
No fear
Be free – don’t worry about anybody else
That’s what you’re told, just think about yourself
Be free – break away from the ties that bind
And you won’t be the one who’s left behind.
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3. |
The Penny
04:07
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THE PENNY
(M Laurent)
Sometimes it just takes some time
For the penny to drop.
Rivers flow down to the sea
But the sea is never full
Must be some kind of miracle
- that’s how it seems
Sun rises in the east
Goes down in the west
Tomorrow it comes back again.
Sometimes it just takes some time
For the penny to drop.
There’s no peace in getting high
No lasting joy in fortune or fame
- Though we’d all like a try, anyway
But if you chase for happiness
Just like your shadow
It keeps running away.
Sometimes it just takes some time
For the penny to drop.
Life is one big mystery
Too wonderful for me
So I should be humble
And I don’t try to understand
Just reaching out my hand
Please keep me out of trouble.
Sometimes it just takes some time
For the penny to drop.
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4. |
White Crosses
03:34
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WHITE CROSSES
(B Liddiard)
Everywhere in Italy by the side of the road
there are little shrines to the saints of old
and people passing leave their offerings
a posy of flower
an act of remembering.
In the fields of Flanders where the poppies grow
and a whole generation lies beneath the soil
their simple crosses are an offering
reminding us of our humanity.
We don't want to forget
we don't want to be forgotten
so leave your memories
at the foot of the white crosses.
And everywhere in New Zealand
by the side of the road
there are little shrines
to the fallen souls
and loved ones passing leave their offerings
a posy of flowers
an act of remembering.
We don't want to forget
we don't want to be forgotten
so leave your memories
at the foot of the white crosses
at the foot of the white crosses.
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5. |
Here We Are Again
04:21
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HERE WE ARE AGAIN
(M Laurent)
On the coast
Stands a lone pohutakawa tree
Stones tumble in surging sea
Cloud towers impossibly high
Wind blows through my open mind.
We were never meant to be alone
We're all travelers on our way home
And here we are again.
In this place
There are houses that no-one owns
Sharing spaces with souls unknown
You can shed a tear or you can smiile
We can be a family for a while.
We were never meant to be alone
We're all travelers on our way home
And here we are again.
In good time
We will pack our things and move away
We will find another place to stay
We will sing our songs and share our dreams
We'll have stories of where we've been.
We were never meant to be alone
We're all travelers on our way home
And here we are again.
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6. |
The Old House
03:00
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THE OLD HOUSE
(B Liddiard)
I went back to the old house the other day
I knew it was a mistake
but I went anyway
what did I expect from that old set of walls?
they just looked back at me and said
nothing at all.
It's not the same
no, it's a different place
no-one would ever know
that we had lived in this space.
There's just tarmac now where your roses grew
and a broken window in the upstairs room
it's easy to see that the people inside
they don't care for that house
they've got no sense of pride.
It's not the same
no, it's a different place
no-one would ever know
that we had lived in this space.
So it's true – there's no going back
what's done is done and we can never change that
it's safer to stay with your sweet memory
than to hope for the past to set you free.
It's not the same
no, it's a different place
no-one would ever know
that we had lived in this space.
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7. |
Opoutere
04:12
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OPOUTERE
(M Laurent)
The clouds over Opoutere beach
like blankets for my soul
just why they mean so much to me
I’ll never really know
for man is like the ocean
so much hidden below
so I’ll just watch the waves for a while
and then I’ll go
Sunlight on the harbour
like the afterglow of love
warms the sand and warms the sea
brings lightness to my heart
but w are all so fragile
so easily we change
like the sun when clouds move up the coast
we slip away
The birds who roost at Opoutere
spirits of the sky
they nest and feed and celebrate
they’re born here, and they die
and like them I am waiting
to spread our wings and fly
through God’s great cathedral
of sand and sea and sky.
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8. |
Long Way Down
05:04
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LONG WAY DOWN
(M Laurent)
Out here in the desert
it’s a dry and thirsty land
I don’t know where I am
my feet are sticking in the mud
I’m sinking in quicksand
I really think I’ve had enough
and I don’t even understand
this long way down…
Down here in the darkness
I can’t seem to find my way
I’m wishing for the light of day
and if I had a spark of faith
I might even try to pray
maybe it’s just too late
I don’t want to be afraid
of this long way down…
Maybe in the morning
if I can just bide my time
maybe in the morning
ther will be a hopeful sign
something will be different
something will be new
I will find a saviour
because I don’t know what else to do
It’s a long way down
sometimes there’s just no way back
it’s a long way down
I’m slipping on a one way track
it’s a long way down
and I wish I could turn around.
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9. |
Falling
03:33
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FALLING
(B Liddiard)
Falling, falling
no turning back
nothing behind, nothing ahead
but passionless tarmac.
Long ago she believed that she would fall in love
but that was just a dream, nothing but a dream
that he has broken.
Falling, falling
no turning back
nothing behind, nothing ahead
but passionless tarmac.
To live all the time in a nightmare
is too much for the heart to bear
better to escape, fly through the air
and disappear.
Falling, falling
no turning back
nothing behind, nothing ahead
but passionless tarmac.
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10. |
Stuff Just Happens
04:35
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STUFF JUST HAPPENS
(M Laurent)
The tree falls east, the tree falls west
wherever the tree falls, there it comes to rest
clouds circle the earth like the sun
shedding rain and heat on everyone
and stuff just happens
it’s happening all the time
Some people spend their lives watching the weather
“if it’s fine tomorrow I’ll get my stuff together”
you’ve got to live today like it’s the only one
though the snow may fall, you will overcome
when stuff just happens
it’s happening all the time
Nothing in this life is certain
and that’s the only thing that’s sure
the future is a parting curtain
and it takes faith to walk on through
when stuff just happens
it’s happening all the time
Sow your seed every day
in your fields and all along the way
among the weeds, among the stones
because you can never tell just how it will grow
and stuff just happens
it’s happening all the time.
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11. |
We Have Come
02:25
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WE HAVE COME
(B Liddiard)
We have come to save you
We have come to set you free
We have come to make a way
for democracy
We have come to rescue your children
from tyranny
We have come to show you
how life can really be.
We have come to bring a safer world
for everyone
We have come to find your weapons
of mass destruction
We have come to rid the world of terror's insanity
We have come to drive the forces of evil
into the sea
We have come to save you
We have come to set you free
We have come to make a way
for democracy.
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12. |
Wherever It Leads Me
04:38
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WHEREVER IT LEADS ME
(M Laurent)
Rivers flow down to the sea
But the sea never overflows
The wind’s going round and round
Destination no-one knows
I’m like a leaf on the stream
I have charted no certain course
So I put my trust in the road
And the ones who have gone before.
I go down wherever it leads me…
So many signs by the road
So many paths you could take
Sometimes I’ve stood there confused
Afraid to make a mistake
But there’s a compass deep within
I can feel if I stand real still
True north is the path of peace
And I’m learning to heed it’s will.
I go down wherever it leads me…
It’s easy to stay at home
But man is a restless soul
And there will be dangers and joys
If you stay, or if you go
We are all pilgrims here
In the woods where paths divide
And you’ll have the life that you choose
Whichever way you decide.
And I go down wherever it leads me
Lead me on.
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13. |
Contact
03:41
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CONTACT
(B Liddiard)
Turn down the volume of life
I can't hear what's going on inside
I'm losing my mind.
Switch off the noise of the world
There's nowhere left for me to turn
To make myself heard.
Take me away from here
To where distractions disappear
And the air is clear.
Teach me to listen again
Through a silence deeper than pain
For the sound of your name.
I'm losing all the chances to make contact
With something that is just beyond my reach
I'm deafened by the never ending soundtrack.
Turn down the volume of life.
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14. |
The Voice
03:15
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THE VOICE Christmas 2003
(B Liddiard)
There's a story about a star so bright
it lit the way through the darkest night
for those who thought all hope had died
and had nothing but emptiness inside
and the star that shone led them to a place
and a tiny child in a humble space
as they tried to fathom what this meant
they knew that nothing would ever be the same again.
Light a candle in the darkest room
to dispel every trace of gloom
for those who feel all hope has died
and have nothing but emptiness inside
and the light that shines is a spark of truth
like the rising sun when the day is new
and though we may not feel we're strong enough
that light in us is the voice of love.
And the light that shines is a spark of truth
like the rising sun when the day is new
and though we may not feel we're strong enough
that light in us is the voice of love.
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15. |
It's Only Love
04:53
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IT’S ONLY LOVE
(M Laurent)
Once I was young, once I was small
Now I am none of these things at all
The world which seems so solid today
Tomorrow could all fade away
Leaving me nowhere else to fall.
And it’s only love in the end, that’s all
It’s only love in the end, that’s all
There’s just one thing in the end
That makes any difference, my friend
It’s only love in the end, that’s all.
We walk by faith, we live in hope
But sometimes there’s nothing there to hold
Behind the dream of the world
There’s a shadow moving, I’ve heard
There is an answer if you call.
And it’s only love in the end, that’s all
It’s only love in the end, that’s all
There’s just one thing in the end
That makes any difference, my friend
It’s only love in the end, that’s all.
When the kingdom finally comes
And every other cord is undone
There’s only love in the end, that’s all.
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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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