And there rose inside me,
Deep in my human flesh,
Deep in my female flesh,
n answering panther call
Rraah!
I watched him play like big cats play, with water
I watched him cautious like big cats are with fire
I watched him watching me, that sideways, feline glance burning with a cool fire
The flicker of interest concealing the furnace of desire
In the middle of the night, I rang my mother
I told her all about the Panther
She said "My dear, these are the best years of your life.
You should just go ahead and fuck"
I said "Well, I would have anyway, but it's nice to have your sanction."
She said "My dear, I completely understand.
Sometimes it happens that way,
Sometimes you find a man
Who'll bring it all out in you.
Who'll pull it all out of you
Who'll pour it all into you."
Oh, all night, every night I'm in there rolling with the Panther
In the day I wear my scratches and my bruises with pride
In the evening I stalk the city streets with the Panther by my side
I ride the Panther's back,
I ride the Panther's flanks
And he rides mine
In wild lands of bitumen and traffic fume,
I found me a panthe
He said "If Chippendale's a jungle then we may as well be wild beasts"
He said "I like it when you're really demanding. Go ahead, do what you want with me"
And I felt inside me,
Deep in my female flesh,
The Panther's claw,
ooked in my belly,
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Pulling it all out of me.
Pouring it all into me
Pulling that call out of me.
Oh, all night, every night I'm Riding the Tiger with the Panther
In the day I wear my scratches and my lovebites with pride
In the evening I stalk the city streets with the Panther by my side
His liquid movement
My liquid tendencies
His panther pride.
The Panther came with me as far as the Blue Mountains,
Then he switched his tail and turned away and went back the way we came
He said "When I've finished constructing this particular cage, I'll be free
I might just come sniffing after you so keep your hunter's moon out for me."
And he caressed me there, at the station in his panther paws
Pressed against me, yeah, just a reminder oh
Of that panther claw in me
Pulling it all out of me
Pulling that call out of me
Oh, all that day, like blinding sunlight in my eyes, all I could see was the Panther
All that night I fled Sydney like a cat out of hel
Fleeing my recent past into my not too distant future
Hurtling towards it, hurtling towards that day
Hurt, hurtling towards that moment, hurt, hurt, hurtling toward that instant
I'm hurtling still.
Rraah!
Rraah-la-lul-la-lul-lul-lul-la-lah.
Who can make sense of female response?
Who can map the logic of desire?
What makes it fly, what makes it cry,
What makes it strive, what makes it die?
What makes it strive, what makes it die?
Who can translate for me, what happened to me?
Who can make sense of it?
Hey, hey, what happened to me with that Panther man?
credits
from Returning on Foot,
released January 7, 1995
Vocals, Guitar - Penelope Swales.
Violin - Paul Jonas.
Mandolin - Jim Fisher.
Bass - Mal Webb.
Drums - Ajax.
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
Turbulent indie rock from Levi Fuller & the Library that has the snarl of hardcore and the knotty meter of math rock. Bandcamp New & Notable Nov 13, 2018
Anthemic and hook-laden folk-rock from Grace Petries is full of both good humor and wryly poetic observations on life and love. Bandcamp New & Notable Oct 7, 2021
Michelle Stodart’s folk music captures hope in melancholy, addressing the transformational aspects of the most challenging times. Bandcamp New & Notable Oct 3, 2023
Folk artist Josienne Clarke revisits music from her back catalog, infusing these lonesome songs with a new luminosity and drive. Bandcamp New & Notable Apr 18, 2023