We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.
/

lyrics

Sidmouth Song
© Penelope Swales 
1998

Today loneliness gnaws at my insides
A small spiky creature claws at my guts
No placebos at my disposal will do
Not alcohol, not other drugs
And your company's no comfort
Another long walk in the sun
The Southern rocks of a Northern land
The jagged coast of my ancestral home
I'd have thought it would mean more to me
Perhaps after all, I am antipodean

I know you're concerned 'bout my state of mind
I say "No I'm fine!" but I think - yes, well you might.
A Little inconsistency goes a long way to undermine my image
You define, define, define
My strengths, my weaknesses and how I can be expected to react
The Garden of Eden is riddled with land mines
The green and pleasant land inside a heart
But this is what humans do with paradise
Or the wide, brown one that's really in my soul
Well it's as good as any other place to start

Lately I've felt a touch dislocated
The things I do, I say not quite appropriate
The things by which I have navigated are irrelevant and far away
Without your life
You come to realise your true size
I defy, defy, defy the lines
I've never known such claustrophobia
More space is required for a chafing heart
I who had been so affectionate
Now feel I want to make my home on Mars

credits

from Justifying your Longings to the Doctor, released January 7, 1998
Penelope Swales - vocals, guitar, stomp box

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Penelope Swales Boolarra, Australia

Penelope Swales has been articulating the human condition with passion and humour for 30+ years. She sings about politics, love, friendship, the unbreakable bond between us and dogs and the impact of the Internet on society. She won the 2019 Alistair Hulett Songs for Social Justice Award with “Cambridge Analytica”. “The Ides of March in Christchurch" was short-listed for the same award in 2020. ... more

contact / help

Contact Penelope Swales

Streaming and
Download help

Redeem code

Report this track or account

If you like Penelope Swales, you may also like: