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The Panther

from Returning on Foot by Penelope Swales

/

lyrics

The Panther
© Penelope Swales 1995
I couldn't say to save my face
That he dragged me into his lair
More that I 
sat at the door and hugged my knees and said
"Can I come in there?"
He 
smiled, turned away, arched his back and then he said "Mmm....."
He smiled 
as though embarassed, thought awhile and then said " Yeah, hop in"
It was 
then that I realised I'd climbed straight into the den of a panther
Like 
Leda and the Swan but more carnivorous
I put my arms around his deep chest, 
I put my face in his fur
I breathed deep his animal scent, arched my back 
beneath his paws

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.

license

all rights reserved

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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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