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Composed by Mark Laurent

lyrics

THE SAME

I saw a beggar woman in Latoka
Sitting on the pavement by the gutter
Upon her lap she held her crying daughter
Held her hand out to the pa’langi stranger
I was walking by the tourist duty-free shops
Confronted by an urchin with a carving
“Hey mister, will you tell me what your name is
and I’ll write it here, it only costs a dollar?”

You, you have so much
Won’t you spare a little solace for my pain?
You, you come to watch
But you walk away while my life remains
The same.

In the corner park ohn K road sleeps a drunkard
He’s lying on a park bench in the pale sun
With an old army raincoat for his cover
There’s an empty whisky bottle in the gutter
I was strolling in my lunch-hour down in Queen Street
When this guy grabbed my elbow and he asked me
“Hey man, I’m on methadone treatment,
can you spare a little cash, it’s for my bus fare?”

you, you have so much
can you spare a little solace for my pain?
You, you stand and watch
Then you walk away while my life remains
The same.

I get upset when life confronts me like this
And it’s easy to mistake my smile for concern
If you don’t know what it is
And you don’t know what it is.

At mass as a child I heard the lessons
About Jesus, and how he loved the orphans
How he stretched out his arms to hug the leper
And spoke to the hypocrites in anger
And I’d really like to think that I was like that
And hope that the folks at church will notice
But when I finally get the chance to
I draw back in fear and revulsion.

Me, I have so much
Why can’t I spare a little solace for their pain?
Me, I stand and watch
But then I turn away again and again and again
(And they say) You, you have so much
Could you spare a little solace for our pain?
You, you stand and watch
But if you walk away then we’ll both remain
The same.

credits

from Heart Attack, released February 11, 1995

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Mark Laurent image

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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