I real mishmash of lyrics floating around in my head at the moment, and since it seems I haven't posted lyrics for some time I thought I'd dump them all here and let you sort them out. Mostly it's just a case of snippets running through my mind (no doubt casting nervous looks about; my mind is probably a pretty scary place to spend any significant time).

"In another place, in another time, I'd be drivin trucks my dear" from Live.

Melbourne has surfaced a number of times recently.

Maroon 5 have made a reappearance recently.

Caught the aural equivalent of a whiff or two of Vertical Horizon earlier this evening which budded into an overgrown tangle of nostalgia. Funny how closely particular music always seems to be tied to a particular time, or set of events. What sets you off?

And the collection just wouldn't be complete without the ubiquitous Counting Crows (sleep certainly didn't come easily last night, and the chorus seems to resonate right now, I just haven't quite figured out why).

Black Velvet has been playing in my head for about a week now. On repeat. Repeatedly.

Who knows why? So I finally gave in and ... er ... no nevermind, piracy is bad! Stay in school! Don't do drugs!

Phew. Dodged a bullet.

There's a song floating around the radiosphere at the moment. It's a local crowd, I have no idea who. I have no idea what the song's called either. Eventually I'll pin down a set of sufficiently unique substrings in the lyrics to figure it out.

But that's secondary. There are days where there's very little going on to inspire hope in this country (or indeed the world). For reasons I'll try to explain shortly, this song runs counter to that trend.

The song's a pretty upbeat piece, with a fairly hummable tune (thank your luck stars you don't share a car with me in the mornings). The lyrics are a mixture of a local African language and English. And it sounds like the guys singing it are having an absolute blast. It makes me think of If I had a million dollars by the Bare Naked Ladies. You just know it's all play and no work.

It's just nice to hear someone who's so obviously doing what they love, despite anything Life may have placed in their way.

No, not me. A friend. But it only just occurred to me the significance of the title of their photo album from the trip.

Randomly threw on a collection of MP3s last night, and the CD was
still in this morning when I started to attend to the aftermath.

It's basically a slightly filtered collection of MP3s from Honours.
Which is all a hopelessly nostagic case like me needs. Today, it
appears, is a day of remember-whens.

Which has it's own problems.

I can't believe I wasted so much time waiting for something so
inconsequential, when I managed to almost dismiss something of such
consequence. One of the MP3s puts in mind of another which is always
going to be hard to listen to. But I'll continue to listen to it
because it's important. And I hope, in some way that you have realised
that its important because you were important. Are important.

It may not have been forever, but it was. And that will have to be enough.

I battle when these moods come over me. it's as if the world is too
big and too small at the same time. It's hard to deal with
claustrophobia and agorophobia all rolled into one neat little
package. Outside there's too much of the world to drink in, while
inside the world is shut away and too much is happening and being
missed.

This always puts me in mind of you.

As I lay me down - Sophie B Hawkins

It felt like springtime on this February morning
In the courtyard birds were singing your praise
I'm still recalling things you said to make me feel alright
I carried them with me today, Now

As I lay me down to sleep
This I pray
That you will hold me dear
Though I'm far away
I'll whisper your name into the sky
And I will wake up happy

I wonder why I feel so high
Though I am not above the sorrow
Heavy hearted
Till you call my name
And it sounds like church bells
Or the whistle of a train
On a summer evening
I'll run to meet you
Barefoot barely breathing

As I lay me down to sleep
This I pray
That you will hold me dear
Though I'm far away
I'll whisper your name into the sky
And I will wake up happy

It's not too near for me
Like a flower I need the rain
Though it's not clear to me
Every season has its change
And I will see you
When the sun comes out again

As I lay me down to sleep
This I pray
That you will hold me dear
Though I'm far away
I'll whisper your name into the sky
And I will wake up happy

Dunno why, this song just appeals.

Bubbly Toes - Jack Johnson

It's as simple as something that nobody knows
that her eyes are as big as her bubbly toes
on the feet of a queen of the hearts of the cards
and her feet are all covered with tar balls and scars
It's as common as something that nobody knows that her beauty will
follow wherever she goes
up the hill in the back of her house in the wood
she'd love me forever,
I know she could

I remember when, you and me, mmm how we used to be just good friends
Wouldn't give me none
But all I wanted was some

She's got a whole lot of reasons
She cant think of a single one
That can justify leaving
and he got none but he thinks he got so many problems
and he got, too much time to waste

His dreams are like commercials
But her dreams are picture perfect and Our
dreams are so related though they're often underestimated

It's as simple as something that nobody knows that
Her eyes are as big as her bubbly toes
On the feet of the queen of the hearts of the card
feet are infested with tar balls

and La da da da da da La da da da da da da La da da da da da

Well I was eating lunch at the D. L. G.
When this little girl came and she sat next to me
never seen nobody move the way she did
Well she did and she does and she'll do it again

When you move like a jellyfish
Rhythm don't mean nothing
You go with the flow
You don't stop
Move like a jellyfish
Rhythm is nothing
You go with the flow
You don't stop mmm

It's as common as something that nobody knows that
Her beauty will follow wherever she goes
Up the hill in the back of her house in the wood
She'll love me forever, I know

she La da da da da da

If you would only listen
You might just realize what you're missing
You're missing me
If you would only listen
You might just realize what you're missing
You're missing me

It's as simple as something that nobody knows that
Her eyes are as big as her bubbly toes
On the feet of the queen of the hearts of the card
feet are infested with tar balls

and La da da da da da