HOME (2018) Album Cover

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Tracklist & Lyrics

1. Tahitian Blue – 4:15
2. Wade In The Water – 3:59
3. Just Call – 3:27
4. Running Away – 5:12
5. Home – 3:05
6. Miss Your Love – 3:56
7. Faith – 6:39
8. Coffee, Methadone & Cigarettes – 6:16
9. Tell Me Why – 5:24
10. Brown Eyed Girl – 4:38
11. You Don’t Have To Be Angry Anymore – 4:50
12. We Want More – 4:23

 

John Butler: Vocals, 11 & 6 String Amplified/Acoustic Guitars, Electric Guitars, 5 & 6 string Banjo, Weissenborn Lap Steel, Synthesisers, Percussion, Programmed Beats, Rhodes

Byron Luiters: Electric Bass Guitar, Synthesisers, Piano, Percussion

Grant Gerathy: Drums, Percussion and Additional Electric Guitar on Miss Your Love

Jan Skubiszewski: Piano, Programmed Beats, Synthesisers.

Michael Boase & Barnabas Courtauld: Extra Percussion on Tahitian Blue and Wade in the Water

Mama Kin: Additional Vocals on Tahitian Blue, Home, Miss Your Love & We Want More

Jahli Bo Carda and the Caruana Massive: Extra vocals on We Want More.

Melvin Duffy: Pedal Steel on Coffee, Methadone & Cigarettes.

Produced By: John Butler & Jan Skubiszewski

Recorded & Engineered by: Jan Skubiszewski at Red Moon Studios, Victoria and at The Compound, Western Australia.

Additional Production and Arrangement: Byron Luiters & Grant Gerathy

Mixed by: Anthony Kilhoffer
Except for Lead vocals on Wade in the Water mixed by James ‘Bonzai’ Caruso

Mastered by: Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound

All songs written by: John Butler except for;
Home: John Butler, Katy Steele, Thom Crawford, Martin Brown
Brown Eyed Bird: John Butler, Joel Quartermaine and Byron Luiters
You Don’t Have To Be Angry Anymore: John Butler and Byron Luiters
We Want More: John Butler, Kav Temperley & Stephen Mowat
Wade In The Water: Contains elements of “Midnight Rider” (G. Allman/R. Payne), Unichappell Music, Inc. (BMI) and Elijah Blue Music, Inc (BMI). All rights reserved.

1. Tahitian Blue

Come sail your ship upon this shore
With battered mast and broken oar
Let me aboard to play my part
By letting me into your heart
I’ve got, I’ve got only good to give
I only got one life to live
And there ain’t no place that is rather be
Than with you on these seven seas
You love me and I Love you
Deeper than Tahitian Blue

Let my arms be the bay
May my heart anchor you through all those waves
May my eyes be the lighthouse to your boat
May my love keep you afloat
Love keep you floating

Legs are shaking on dry land
If you should fall take my hand
And I’ll pick you right back up again
Tell me now where you been

When ruthless storming winds
Are blowing you
And you don’t know which way you’re going

Come on come on
We can all get some
‘Cause after the cold night
Comes the sun
We got the right yeah everyone
To enjoy this life
And have some fun
You got the key to your own cage?
You got the key so you must be brave?
It’s only your life you can save
You’re deeper than Tahitian

2. Wade In The Water

Wade In The Water
I will wade in the water
And I will see my reflection
And I will know it’s time
So I’ll go
And I hope you will find me
For I need some redemption
I can’t walk alone anymore

I’m looking for something
But I get in my way
I can’t seem to find it on my own
It’s on the tip of my tongue
It keeps slipping away
I don’t wanna live here all alone
Anymore

I will go to the mountain
And I will look for my lover
And I will find my soul
No longer live in the valley on my own
No longer live in the valley on my own
No longer live in the valley on my own

3. Just Call

Hey there girl won’t you look at me
You’re the prettiest thing
That I ever did see
Maybe one day
When I’m lucky
You’ll be my queen
And you’ll marry me

I set sail yeah I left my home
I was quite happy just to be alone
Thought that love was just a waste of time
‘Till someone there changed my mind
And I said to her

Just call and yeah you know I’ll be there
Don’t know but this could be forever

So there I was and there you were
All black and white but you colour
Dry season in the town of Broome
I found my staircase to the moon

Of all the people I could find
I found you
Our families crossed the oceans
So we could share this space in time
You just stole my heart
And cracked me open

Just call and yeah you know I’ll be there
Don’t know but this could be forever

4. Running Away

Tonight I feel unclean
Like a broken machine
I’m choking up on the fear and the doubt
Words can’t convey
What I’m trying to say
I’m bottle necking
Trying to get it all out
And I dig through stones and blood and bones
I dig so deep now I can’t even see
Feel just like an archaeologist
Trying to find out what happened to me
But no longer

Running and running and running and running away
I’m not
Running and running and running and running away
No more

Somewhere long ago
Down a dead end road
Something pulled the rug
From under my feet
Caught me by surprise
Kicked mud in my eyes
That’s when my engine started to seize
And I held it down
Pushed it under ground
I said, “I never wanna feel that again”
Held them all away
So I can feel safe
And I guess that’s how I’ve been dealing
But no longer
Running Away

Tell me where the map has gone
Because I, I don’t wanna be alone
Any longer
I don’t want to feel this way about you.
I just want to help you grow and be stronger
But I don’t want to compromise anymore
And you don’t want to live with lies anymore so
Tell me where the map has gone
Because I, I don’t wanna be alone
Any longer

5. Home

When the curtains are drawn
Everybody has gone
I sit here all alone
All the bottles are dry
Coming down from the high
All I want is home
In the land of palm trees
Hotel room on my knees
There’s no warmth here on sunset
The connection is faint
And you keep dropping out
I got your voice raining in my head
Saying,” Baby come home”.
Home
Regret the choices I’ve made
But I’m too selfish to change
Filling this bottomless hole
And it’s corroding my soul
Deeper and deeper
I dig into madness
This hole in the bucket
It only brings sadness
And running from demons while chasing the angels
And every web I weave
Gets tangled
I wanna go home

I can’t find the direction
Home
And I’m losing connection

The only way I see you
Is the picture in my wallet
Got your number on my phone
But I’m too scared to call it
When you’re on the beach I’m freezing
On the other side of the world
Living everywhere else
But the place that I call
Home
I can’t find the direction
Home
And I’m losing connection

6. Miss Your Love

Tell me how long you’ve gone
Without my love
Tell me where it all went wrong
Tell me when it happened
‘Cause you and I were sailing along
Or so it seemed
Don’t know what I was thinking
But my ship was sinking

Harbour in the storm
My heart was safe with you
Scars fade away in your
Salty seas of blue
You came as far as you could
To the line
And I took it all for granted
I took it all for granted

I’m really gonna miss your Love

Tell me girl how you been
Without me around
After I left your heart
At the lost and found
‘Cause all I got is deep regret
And circumstance
I know I’m never gonna get
I’m never gonna get a second chance

Harbour In the storm
My heart was safe with you
Scars fade away in your
Salty seas of blue
You came as far as you could
To the line
And I took it all for granted
I took it all for granted

I’m really gonna miss your Love

Tell me how long you went
Without my love
Tell me how far you bent
Just to reach me

7. Faith

Well I’m digging around
In the sand
Lost in the wilderness
Just looking for a hand
I’ve got seed
That I must sow.
Great mystery up in the sky
Lookin’ down upon me
With your millions of eyes
Come on
There are things
I need to know
‘Cause I’ve danced with religion
I tried to make friends
But those seven days
I could not make amends with and
Watched the kingdoms crumble
As they grow

Well I’m just looking for some faith
To get me through tomorrow
With just a little grace
In this ole crazy world we live
Sometimes it’s like a life raft
And other times leaks like a sieve
Don’t ask me why

I brought the picks
And I got the spades
I got some dynamite
I even brought grenades, come on
Let’s dig ourselves
Into a great big hole
Dig deep enough
Maybe we’ll reach Beijing
When we arrive I’ll hit the streets
And I’ll ask for the King
Taking care of business
On the south side
Or so I’ve been told.
And when I see him
I’ll say, “Hey you!”
“What happened to your
Blue suede shoes? And uh,
Can you tell me where I hid
All my gold?”

Well I’m just looking for some faith
To get me through tomorrow
With just a little grace
In this ole crazy world we live
Sometimes it’s like a life raft
And other times leaks like a sieve
And when it all comes crumbling down
Help me drop an anchor
To keep my roots there on the ground

‘Cause ..
Peace of mind
Is all I need to unwind
All these
Tangled knots inside
I’m on my knees I’m crying and a
Tell me I’m not alone
Alone

Well I’ve gone within
And I’ve gone without
I know my greatest sins
Are all of my doubts
And all the fear
That corrodes my soul
And I do know
I’m a long time dead
And my papa said
You make your bed
And leave all behind unbroken
As you roam

And then you’ll find your faith
To get you through tomorrow
With just a little grace
In this ole crazy world we live
Sometimes it’s like a life raft
And other times leaks like a sieve
And when it all comes crumbling down
Help me drop an anchor
To keep my roots there on the ground
In this ole crazy world we live
Sometimes it’s like a life raft
And other times leaks like a sieve

Peace of mind
Is all I need to unwind
All these
Tangled knots inside
I’m on my knees I’m crying and a
Tell me I’m not alone
Tell me I’m not alone
Tell me I’m not alone
They keep on telling me
No you’re not alone
They keep on telling me
No you’re not alone

Well I’m digging round
In the sand
Lost in the wilderness
Just looking for a hand
I’ve got seed
I must sow……

8. Coffee, Methadone & Cigarettes

See my old man has a broken heart
Gotta leaky valve, an aneurysm
But, trace it back to the start
When that big old fire came towards Nannup town
That greedy thing burnt more than the bush down
You can bury the dead and try to forget
You’re still waking up with
Coffee, methadone and cigarettes

In the summer of fifty eight
When innocence shattered and broke
The tree, the egg, the nest, the breast, the yolk
When those thieving flames
Took my grandad from my Pa
And ever since then we’ve been mending all those scars.
But the bandages and ointment ain’t done yet.
You’re still waking up with
Coffee, methadone and cigarettes

That broken bird somehow grew
With his seven brothers and sisters
Moved from the country to the zoo
Between the legacy visits and the boarding schools.
Yes he learnt to dodge the books
And he learnt to dodge the fools.
Says he’s made mistakes
But lives with no regrets
Still waking up with
Coffee, methadone and cigarettes

Grandma on Sunday
Used to eat the chicken neck
Said she wasn’t hungry and the kids could have the rest.
When those kids grew they learnt just what she’d done.
She would go hungry for all of them
She’d go hungry for everyone
Now she’s gone and it’s hell in the hand basket
Still waking up with
Coffee, methadone and cigarettes

See my old man has a broken heart
Got a leaky valve, an aneurysm
But yeah trace it back to the start
When that big old fire came towards Nannup town
That greedy thing burnt more than the bush down
You can bury the dead and try to forget
You can bury the dead and try to live with no regrets
You can bury the dead and it’s all gone to shit
Still waking up with
Coffee, methadone and cigarettes
Now she’s gone
And it’s hell in a hand basket
Still waking up with
Coffee, methadone and cigarettes

9. Tell Me Why

I got to let it go
I got to give it up
Gonna take a ride in my pickup truck
Because it’s one in five
Maybe one in ten
That you and I are gonna get back together again

I’m gonna roll one up
I’m gonna burn one down
Gonna take a left
Into the shady part of town
And Jamie on the corner
Gonna hook me up
Ain’t nothing I can do
But go and get messed up because ….

Tell me why
You and I keep wasting our time
Ain’t no use trying to read your goddamn mind
And I can’t work it If you can’t work it out
Tell me what it’s all about
Darling, tell me what it’s all about

And now I’m broken down I got to take it slow
Gonna catch a Greyhound into Chicago
And the windy little city gonna blow it away
All my disillusion and all my pain
All my disillusion and all my pain because..

Chorus

Wandering alone
Trying to find my feet again
Trying to find out who I am
So tangled up in you
I can’t separate the two
Where do I end and you begin…

Chorus

10. Brown Eyed Bird

Brown eyed bird
Don’t you cry
Tonight we’re gonna write ourselves an alibi
Get us out of this mess
And take what little we can take
Run away from the facade
And all that’s fake

All the whispers
That rattle all our souls
All the secrets that
No one else will know
But the wind and wolves
Howling at my door
And I’m tired

Baby you and me
We got everything we need to be happy
So let’s run away from it all
Tell the world, brown eyed bird
We don’t need none of their fantasies
We don’t need none of their fantasies

Brown eyed bird
Don’t look back
There ain’t nothing there now
But faded tracks
And if you don’t wanna be here
Well then you’re on your own
I got to get out of this place
I gotta find my home

11. You Don’t Have To Be Angry Anymore

Tell me did you find
Just what you were looking for
I hope you realized everything you thought it had in store
And all the silly things around
You go let bring you down
Tell me when you gonna come back, you gonna come back around

You don’t gotta be angry anymore
Ain’t no way you gonna go and gonna win this war
All the wolves chasing round around around in your head
You don’t gotta know, no you don’t gotta know

Come to think about it now
I don’t know where you go
Something in the past
Left a splinter
Still stuck in your soul
And your brown eyes
Turn black as night
Ain’t no nothing I can do or say to make it right

12. We Want More

When I was young
I longed to be a soldier
Playing war on the street
With Billy and my brother
Remembering all them years ago
Pop said, ”Don’t be a pawn
In a rich man’s war
You can’t pick a side living on a ball
That only fight’s to save your soul”

Kid when I look around
And witness all the horror
And all the things that we do to hurt one another
I got to open the gates

We want more
We want more
Got everything
Can’t find what we’re looking for
We want more
We want more
Tell me what it means
Feeding this machine

When I was putting my little boy to bed
“What about all the war and fighting” he said
“Everybody at school talking about World War Three
Can you tell me what’s gonna happen to our family?”

Kid when I look around
And witness all the horror
And all the things that we do to hurt one another
Could make you lose your hope
Lose your faith
Go AWOL on the human race
Got to believe in love
More than I do in hate
And when they raise the walls
You got to open the gates

We want more ……