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lyrics

No Way In, No Way Out
©Penelope Swales 1989

Ah—la-da da etc..

Waltz with me dance with me, walk with me
Talk to me, talk to me, talk to me, talk to me
Waltz with me dance with me, walk with me
Talk to me, talk to me, talk to me, talk to me

Take me in off the street
A stranger that I chanced to meet
Saw my face and said
Hey, you were in the band!

Take me to the heater’s glow
The student house, they come and go
And I was watchin’
Listenin’ to their talk

And gauging my reaction
Partial irritation, partial attraction
Sort of refreshing, but carrying no satisfaction
Oh..I am what I’ve always been now

I am the stranger now
There’s no way on and no way out
but when I tried to tell her that, she said
“You don’t understand!
You don’t understand my cares
What colourshall I dye my hair
And oh, my birthday’s not the same as
Jim Morrison’s”

Ohh –wey-oh
Do you think he’d like to hear you say so?
No you’re right, I shouldn’t criticise
I’m sorry that I spoke
Plain to see now

Revivial’s in full swing
You can tell byt the songs that cover bands sing
And young people saying
“Things aren’t as exciting
As they were way back when”

Now, mother, tell me is it true?
Was it all just paisley, mini-skirts and pointy shoes or
Was there more than that
wasn’ there something more than that

Oh, makes me think of what I’ve heard
Of students with the courage to try and change the world
Students that make this bunch, yeah,
Look a little bit absurd
Still gong on today, now
no longer a western phenomenon

Marching on the people’s town
Guns and tanks have mowed them down
And can you tell me
This is not your problem?
We’re all in together now
There’s no way in and no way out
And can you say – it’s all too far away
it’s all too far away?

Oh, sittin’ on the uni lawns in the sun
Some of these people have seen the damage that’s been done
Posters flappin’ in the breeze that
Proclaim the bloodshed of the young
And I see other ones
Do those words spell “Blood”?
Does that Chinese lettering spell “Blood”?

Ah—la-da da etc..
Theres danger in the cliché now
there’s no way in and no way out
how hard it is
To say things so that people will understand

Sitting in the comfy chair
seeing what they say and what they wear
And tell me, do you call yourself a radical?
Do you call yourself a student radical?

Ah, makes me think of what I’ve heard
Some students had the courage to try to change the world
And paid the price now, yeah, but
Doesn’t the cost seem a bit absurd?

And if you know so much
Do those words spell “Blood”?
Does that Chinese lettering spell “Blood”?

Ah—la-da da etc..

I was thinkin’ about them
The other side of the world now
This is my contribution
Not that it does much good, yeah
I’m under no delusions
About what effect I have on the world’s convolutions
Do those words spell “Blood”?
Does that Chinese lettering spell “Blood”?
Ah—la-da da etc..

credits

from Archive Vol. 2: Songs from the Borderline 1989​-​1992, released July 1, 2005
Vocals, Guitar - Penelope Swales
Recorded live at One-C-One folk club, Mechanics Institute, Brunswick, Melbourne by 3CR Dynamic Recorders, Engineered by Trish Anderson

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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

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