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Skin​:​Deep

from Skin: Deep by Penelope Swales

/

lyrics

Skin: Deep
© Penelope Swales 2007

I wanna know why it is
That when I see you in your nakedness
You seem so much more undressed
Than anybody else
It’s as if your clothes were your skin
And your skin was just nothin’
And you’re lying there
With every fillet of your flesh exposed

You were sittin’ in the bar
Just a hunch o’ shoulders and a mop o’ hair
And when I spoke, you looked up and into me
I didn’t know your name
But I knew just who you were
Because I recognise that sparkle instantly

There was no need for preamble
We arranged things right away
And your friends laughed to see you
Carryin’ my guitar case
Your laughin’ talk was circular
Your eyes straight to the point
And I couldn’t keep my hands off you
Whether you laughed at me or not

And you drew me to your bedroom
Where I heard your anguished cries
And I marvelled at your bareness
As I held you deep inside
And you clung to me so tightly
You were talkin’ in your sleep
You had me thinkin’
Laughing waters, they run deep

Thinkin’ – you’re like me
You’re in love with the sheer joy of it
And no-one’s got a snowflake’s chance
Of ever taming you
Thinkin’ you’re like me
It’s the thrill, the exultation
It’s more precious than you can explain
And it’s what makes life sweet.

It was a long year later
I was back in town again
And I was wonderin’
Would you hide, or would you show?
When I saw you there, I laughed to see
You were just as nervous as me
But the real reason for that
Was something I was yet to know

You weren’t supposed to be there
Someone had you on a tether, yeah
And I learned the dumb way not to make trouble
I said, ‘Well, it’s been nice to you see you”
Yeah, but just as I was leaving, Yeah
You climbed into the front seat of my car

Well, you laughed and talked and flirted
And you danced around the room
Then looked at me with sudden, sober eyes
Half challenging, half pleading
I said “It’s okay, I’m leaving”
But before I was half-way to that door
I was already compromised

And you drew me to your bedroom
Where I heard your anguished cries
And I marvelled at your bareness
As I held you deep inside
And I stroked your hair in darkness
You were talkin’ in your sleep
You had me thinkin’
Laughing waters, they run deep

Thinkin’ – you’re like me
You’re in love with the sheer joy of it
And no-one’s got a snowflake’s chance
Of ever taming you
Thinkin’ you’re like me
It’s the thrill, the exultation
It’s more precious than you can explain
And it’s what makes life sweet.

But it’s not for any lack of love
But more that there’s too much
More that convention will allow
Coz we’re all so scared of touch
Ah, but you, you could love them all
And let them all be free
And that, my darlin’
Is why you’re like me

But the thing that makes it hard for you
Is the thing that makes you most like me
It’s not your promiscuity
But your fatal honesty
Life would be so much easier
If you could lie, like all the rest do, yeah
But there’s no point in trying
With your hopeless transparency
And you could do what I do, yeah
And lay it open wide
And say – this is what the deal is
And then let them decide
But it’s a hard row to hoe
People don’t like it, and they let you know
Or wear you out with tantrums
Like a child screams and the tide

And you’ll take me to your bedroom
And you’ll skin me sweet and fast
And I haven’t been the first one, no
And I won’t be the last
But it’s only fair to warn you, darling
You talk in your sleep
And I’m not sure that information’s safe
With anyone but me

And you’ll take me to your bedroom
And you’ll clutch me to your chest
And I’ll know I shouldn’t be there
But I’ll be there nonetheless
Because there is a form of loyalty
That goes way beyond monogamy
And I only say that
Because you’re like me
Because you’re like me – oh….
You’re like me da-ho….

I think I know why it is
That when I see you in your nakedness
You seem so much more undressed than anybody else
It’s as if our clothes were our skin
And our skin was just nothin’
And we’re lyin’ there with every fillet of our flesh exposed
Lyin’ there with every fillet of our flesh exposed
Lyin’ there with every fillet … Ahhh…

credits

from Skin: Deep, released July 1, 2007
Vocals, guitar, stomp box - Penelope Swales

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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

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