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Swallow

from Homemade Wine by Penelope Swales

/

lyrics

Swallow
© Penelope Swales 1997

Warm air, strong sun, warm wind
Is pouring in the door of this house
That some other people call home
I am alone, there’s no-one home

I can see on the opposite hill
The ripplin’ rill, the sweet sunshine
And the North wind are playing
Makin’ rollin’ waves
In the waist-high golden grass

As Spring comes to this land
People take the warm, glad soil in their hands
But I have no patch to dig and my home is
Wherever I now stand

And y’know, I just wanna go home
But I have no such destination,
Just a vague location in mind
I’m tired and I can feel it’s time
I’ve still so far to go til I can make it mine

As people make their Summer plans
And I’m listening to them, I feel so forlorn
Coz I’m still living in the Winter wind
To begin my Spring, I must first find a home

When I see the nests people have made for themselves
My sore heart swells I get all maudlin
Homesick for a place that no longer exists
Where someone else dwells, I must move on

This driftin’ around is all very well
But it’s startin’ to tell on me
I must make something for myself

And when will my actions
Get in step with my desires
I worked so hard so I could leave
And now I’m yearnin’ for those home fires
I have these conflicting needs
For freedom and for somewhere quiet
I guess I’m still adjusting to this
Post-nuptial life

Warm air, strong sun, warm wind
Is pouring in the door of this house
That some other people call home
I’m all alone, there’s no-one home
For one sweet hour or more
I can take the floor and pretend it’s mine
Oh, but when they come back, I must contract
And restrict the space I occupy

And y’know, I just wanna go home
But I have no such destination,
Just a vague location in mind
I’m tired and I can feel it’s time
I’ve still so far to go til I can make it mine

And y’know darlin’ I’m longin’ to see your face
Not just for a festival or a weekend
But to be having you all ‘round the place
I long to be sitting strong and stable
At my very own kitchen table
And watchin’ you walking in
Singin’ hello darlin’, how ya been?

But for now, I’ll just rest in the sun like a storm-tossed swallow
I’m still so far away, and my migration path sways
But I’ll get there, one of these tomorrows
I’ll rest in a stranger’s house like a storm-tossed swallow
While inside me the need and the urgency grow.

credits

from Homemade Wine, released January 7, 1997
Penelope Swales - vocals, guitar
Paul Jonas - violin
Mal Webb - bass
George Papantonio - drums
Dave Steel - slide guitar

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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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