Get all 9 Steve Smart Poetry & Music releases available on Bandcamp and save 35%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Not even a cup of tea (or Smarty sings weird songs), Palin says Pound, All The Blame - the best of Steve Smart, Voices In My Head - Disc 2, Voices In My Head - Disc 1, Unbitter, This Late Hour, Aint That A Kick In The Head - original motion picture soundtrack, and 1 more.
1. |
Get a great effing mind
00:56
|
|||
2. |
Meanwhile (yeah naah)
02:20
|
|||
|
LYRICS
Lying motherfuckers
Yeah naah
Meanwhile a car hurtling
at dangerous speed towards Nar Nar Goon
to score some Nag Champa sticks
‘cause Craig’s brother said it’s better than meth
if you crush it up and shove it up your bum
Lying motherfuckers
The kangaroo court is now in session
Two for the price of one sale
On lying motherfuckers
Lying motherfuckers
Meanwhile with a whole slab of
Bundaberg Sparkling Passionfruit cans stashed
in the back Davo’s Mum’s Nissan X-Trail
that she’s not aware yet the little dead fucker “borrowed”
in a place that really is called
Packenham Upper
(You know they could just call it Upper Packenham
Yeah naah)
Yeah naah
Left left left right
Left left left right
I’m on fire!
We’re out of matches
I’m on fire!
Light us a ciggie then ya flamin cunt
Yeah naah
Meanwhile
Dougie was not found
with a copy of Paul Keating’s autobiography
a ripped CD of ‘The Love theme from Titanic’
and a one way ticket to fucken’ anywhere cunt
(their hearts would go bash him mate,
they’d bash him, his mates)
Lying motherfuckers
Yeah nah
they’d bash him, his mates
The kangaroo court is now in session
|
||||
3. |
For Kathleen Hanna
01:42
|
|||
|
LYRICS
She struts for herself
she struts for young girls
she struts for everyone
who loves to see a woman strut
(she told me!)
she's the pretty alien
she's the alien she
she says she's an alien
but she's no alien to me
I wanna to be more like her
I want her to like me
she's married to a Beastie Boy
see I don't mean like in that way
(not to say they're both not beeeaaauuutiful...)
I wanna be friends with Kathleen Hanna
I want Kathleen to think I'm cool
I wanna play support for her band
after the gig we could drink the rider and dance
this doesn't have a chorus
this is meant to be punk rock
punk rock doesn't need a chorus
and rock doesn't need to have a cock
(she told me!)
I wanna dance with Kathleen Hanna
Kathleen dances so cool
we do not say 'spaz' anymore
she dances like a crazy wild fool
she's the pretty alien
she's the alien she
she says she's an alien
she's no alien to me
she struts for herself
she struts for young girls
she struts for everyone
who lives to see a woman strut
she told me!
she told me!
she told me!
|
||||
4. |
Ten Cent Life
02:15
|
|||
|
LYRICS
1.
Ten cent life
and I regret nothing
optimism
isn’t impossible
can’t play guitar
but I can do other things
/
this is never gonna
be
great poetry
//
some days punk days
yelling to the vortex
she taught me
all I ever need to know
never ever stop never rest
until you need to go
leave with a smile
with a scream, with a meat axe
practise your kicks
‘til one connects
this is not the rebellion of youth
now we’re older and still not wise
I’ve been drinking since long before the sunrise
trying to find a chorus that will justify this song
2.
some say every poet wants to start a band
maybe it’s the lack of demand
for what we do, that we assume
there has to be a better way of being consumed
(oh, consume me!)
but what if we can’t play an instrument
and we aren’t musical it’s not our bent
we’re not-used to writing chorus-es
believe me I’ve tried it’s a fucking mess
I have a thousand names for bands
yet here I sit typing with these two hands
/
and this is never gonna be
great poetry
3.
start a solo project jam
learn to half-arse Garage-band
burn three CDs but not a lot of de-mand
can’t aff-ord the vinyl press
hipsters give me panic sweats
who has the time to record on tape
I went out and bought a cape
figured I’d be vis-ual
tried to be orig-inal
or just less hyper self-critical
this may not be your cup of tea
or even a cup of tea
the first rule of art is does it please Me?
/
this was never meant to be
great poetry
|
||||
5. |
||||
|
LYRICS
Catalogue your anxiety
be truthful
let’s see the full extent
of your fight or flee
where did you go and
who did you see
did you shut your mouth
when you wanted to scream
did you assume
while you hid in your room
that there was no chance
that that looming feeling was not the end of the world
you don’t make much
of a grown adult
some say that it’s chemical
and it’s not your fault
some say that you just don’t try
nearly hard enough
that you don’t strive
so you can buy more stuff
that you do not fit in
with your society
that you hold yourself back
from all you could be
but we know
there are things that must be
important enough to
get through the days when you have no energy
where did you go and
who did you see
did you shut your mouth
when you wanted to scream
did you assume
while you hid in your room
that there was no chance
that that looming feeling was not the end of the world
|
||||
6. |
||||
|
LYRICS
When I was just a little boy
I asked my mother
What will I be
Will I be pretty
Will I be rich
Here's what she said to me
No.
Que sera, sera
a poet you'll be, you'll be
The future's not yours to flee
Que sera, sera
Fucking poet you'll be
(My mother being a pragmatist at the very least)
When I was just a child
In school, I asked my
Teacher what should I try
Should I study logistics
Should I build bombs
This was her wan reply (that's wan, w a n, for the pedants)
Que sera, sera
Fucking poet you'll be, you'll be
At least some of the drinks will be free
Que sera, sera
Fucking poet you'll be
When I grew up and fell in love
I asked my lover
What lies ahead
Will we have tax returns
Will anyone pay
Guess what my lover said
(Can you guess? I bet you can!)
Que sera, sera
Everyone will expect you to work for free
They all know what artists be
Que sera, sera
Fucking deadbeat you'll be
(and that was the end of that)
Now I have no children of my own
Young poets ask me
What will we be
Will we be respected?
Will we be able to pay rent?
I tell them try comedy
Que sera, sera
Fucking poet you'll be, you'll be
The future is ours to see
Que sera, sera
Fucking poet you'll be
Que Sera, Sera
|
||||
7. |
||||
|
LYRICS
I don't hate men
I resent many of the things men repre...sent
I don't hate men
I've been one, to some extent
my whole life and I like me... fairly well
I don't hate men
but let us not be blind to history
what it teaches us is be best wary
I don't hate men
I don't enjoy it when they question my sexuality
or my right to exist if I persist in being as I am
I don't hate men
not all men
some men I could do well without
I could name names
but what good does it do to pick out individuals
when it's our whole culture that needs renewal
I don't hate men, then again
if we don't call out individuals for their behaviour
how is that change ever going to take root to flower?
I don't hate men
just wish we could all embrace our various sides
without fear of failing at manly pride
that destroyer of worlds, that denier of life
I don't hate men
I hate it when we defend indefensible behaviour
by simply citing our gender and nothing more
I hate it when we shrug and claim
this is just the way we're born
we take no responsibility, feel no shame
also our "P.O.V." has ruined porn
I hate it when we say we will not change
that we don't need to are not the problem
others seek to rob us of our rightful menstuff
as though those rights were ever earned
I hate that some will only take away
from all these words 'well is he gay?'
as though that makes the entire point
and in a way perhaps it does
not in the way you think
but certainly in the way you think
I don't hate men
but then again
I do equate
straight
men
with
hate
|
||||
8. |
||||
|
LYRICS
You pissed on my socks
While I was sleeping
I wish you did not do that
You left a big mess
So whatcha gonna do?
Go in my roo-oom
And piss on my floor
You little asshole
I wish you would not
Go into my room
And piss on my floor
I asked you to not
I asked you to not
But you’re a fucking cat
You don’t understand
You tiny feline
When I want you to not rage-piss
All over my things
So why do you do it Blaze
Why do you piss on my socks?
I need you to know
I’m not happy with you now
I’m not happy with you now
I’m not happy…
But you still get your pats
|
||||
9. |
Fight or Flight
02:52
|
|||
|
LYRICS
(sung)
Don't go outside...
don't go outside...
don't go outside there's dread out there
(spoken)
if all my life has been
a reaction to fear
an eye into the void
a falsifying of cheer...
if all my life has been
a wishing for hope
expectance of cataclysm
burning both ends of a very long rope...
if all my life has been
one lurch after another in
fear of fear of fear of fear
then let me tell you sister/brother...
(sung)
I've done so many stupid things
that could have got me killed
I wasn't meaning to at all
but panic must be stilled
(spoken)
some nights long nights
I abandon fear
a glass for companion
kept often refilled and very near
some nights long nights
I've been off my mind
just where I intended
blissfully blind
some nights long nights
have a morning so wretched
when guilt, recrimination overwhelms
the hours an endless stretch
(sung)
don't go outside
don't go outside there's dread out there
I've done so many stupid things
that could have got me killed
I wasn't meaning to at all
but panic must be stilled
(spoken)
I structure this like a song, my dear
to keep it in your head
it is a cautionary tale for nights
I have fallen and I've bled
but here I stand as often before
and here I am alive
you may ask me what it's all been for
and the object was to survive
(sung)
so, do go outside when there's dread
out there, it's isn't all in your head
but neither is it near so bad
as we have sometimes read
I've done so many stupid things
that could have got me killed
I wasn't meaning to at all
but panic must be stilled
|
||||
10. |
Music to eat KFC with
01:59
|
|||
|
LYRICS
Your music is very boring
why is the bass so loud
the old man’s no longer snoring
I think he’s about to shout
how much did you pay for that
fucking subwoofer
it had to be more than a month of our rent
if you play any more easy listening shit
there’s gonna be a murder I’ll fully admit
in court
(they won’t convict me
I only wanted to a little more sleep)
but you you really love the top 40
from about 11 years ago
you know there’s over 100 years of recorded music
and most of it’s less dull than everything on
your playlist on Spotify
are you high?
is that why you play so many songs that sound so much alike
that I can no longer identify when one starts and the other follows?
like sheep tend to do and that’s the music you choose
it’s not right, a song this inane
doesn’t deserve this level of volume
and I might be old but it’s not the volume
it’s the boringness that bothers me -
has anyone ever called the police to complain
about a lack of decent tunes?
there are eight year olds in this street
who have better taste in music that you
|
||||
11. |
To Hold Onto
03:48
|
|||
|
LYRICS
I, slip into your eyes
whispering promises
made, long ago
you haven’t forgotten
How did we grow so cold
could it be such a long time, oh
let it go, nothing held onto
Still you’re here in my heart
I’ve never let you leave
here in my heart I’ll never believe
you aren’t the life I dreamed of
and you will, and I will be here
How did we grow so cold
could it be such a long time, oh
let it go, nothing held onto
Lying in your arms
candle we held at both ends tight
I’m still holding
still holding onto you
Still you’re here in my heart
I’ve never let you leave
here in my heart I’ll never believe
you aren’t the life that I dreamed of
and you will, and I will
and you will be
Sometimes in orbit I can see the
place where we swore we’d
never ever
never ever ever ever leave
Here in my heart
I’ve never let you leave
here in my heart I’ll never believe
you aren’t the life I dreamed of
and you will be, I will be here
Where did this go so
how did we go so
where in your heart did I get so lost
so wrong somehow and I bleed but
I’m still here, please be here with . . .
Here in my heart
I’ve never let you leave
here in my heart I’ll never believe
you aren’t the life that I dreamed of
and you will, and I will be here
You’re gone
I won’t
I won’t believe
I won’t believe
you’re gone
So close to me
I won’t believe it
so close to me
I won’t believe you when you say
you are long gone
|
||||
12. |
||||
|
LYRICS
There’s no point yelling over this!
You will not hear a word of it!
I’m paraphrasing power tools!
We are the same all screaming fools!
We find our fun just where we can
I am a thiiiieeeeving type of man
Will steal your noises for my own
Your dog may have it’s bone
but I have a copy of
its bark on my harddrive
now get me to the garbage truck
I can make noise too!
I can make noise too!
I can make noise too!
I can make noise too!
I am screaming very quietly
I don’t actually make a lot of noise
I think I was born polite
Garbage trucks and dole office screaming
people kicking things
people kicking things
Dog bark
dog bark
swear at children
moderate rock at unnecessary volume
Sometimes I like to record
birds making strange noises
(cue strange bird noises)
I can make noise too!
I can make noise too!
(I can kick things!)
I can make noise too!
(I can use power tools!)
But I’m trying not to
I bet you’re wondering
how much longer this is gonna go for
Truthfully I'm not quite sure
You can always turn it off
when we don’t like things turn them off
Or just complain on the internet
When we don't like it, complain on the internet
What did we do before the internet?
I can make noise on the internet
I can make noise too
I'm trying not to
But it's too much fun, not to put it on the album
Do you think this was a mistake?
I am only having fun
Yes, this is my idea of fun - feel free to disagree
It's definitely almost over now - I am... pretty sure
Very near the end
Any second now...
Yes I did, think about
making this track a lot shorter
I'm not a nice man
as it turns out
|
||||
13. |
A whole new mindset
02:24
|
|||
|
LYRICS
Drop in the ocean
Drop in the ocean
Drop in the ocean
And almost gone
Falling in patterns
Falling in patterns
Falling in patterns
Break or bend
Bend or break
Spending a lifetime outwaiting disaster
Spending a lifetime on pointless dread
What's in my head?
This could be more fun
Gonna be more fun
Couldn't it be so much more fun
Dancing for joy just speed up the tempo
Speed up the tempo and twirl
Me round again
A whole new mindset
A whole new mindset
A whole new mindset
Couldn't it be so much more...
A whole new mindset
A whole new mindset
Dancing for joy just speed up the tempo
No more waiting for disaster
No more waiting for
We are breaking patterns now
We are breaking
we are breaking
we are breaking
but not like before
|
||||
Steve Smart Poetry & Music Melbourne, Australia
Steve Smart is practically indestructible. Hard headed and stubborn, he may not be the most famous poet in the world but no one can say it's from lack of trying. All of his poetry and music albums are right here at Bandcamp.
If you like Steve Smart Poetry & Music, you may also like:
The Barcelona duo inject coldwave with industrial grit and ghostly elegance, with Andrea P. Latorre’s vocals an undeniable highlight.
go to album
From Italy comes this wild and abstract indie pop records where undeniable vocal melodies sit amidst ragged instrumentation.
go to album
Very Very Rare
by Luis Pradella
Lo-fi, off-kilter, goofy, and ultimately very charming—this album from Luis Pradella is garage pop in its purest essence.
go to album
Forever Giving Handshakes
by Delivery
The Australian garage-punk band leans into their live style on their debut full-length album.
go to album
Riff-heavy, blown-out garage-punk from the UK's Dez Dare with lyrics aimed at the political forces of division and isolation.
go to album
No-frills punk n' roll, catchy and furious in the service of finding something true to believe in, from Seattle's The Unfit.
go to album
Mod Con’s latest album is ragged and rip-roaring, with sharp, cutting riffs and vocals to match.
go to album
