Catch The Sun
This was written in late 2010/early 2011 and was almost fully formed as a demo recording minus vocals. During rehearsals the drum break was added as a bit of a jam and we decided to keep the arrangment that way. It has been a feature of our live set for most of the time and we finish this and straight into Paranoia which strangely is a reversal of the album order. This is the opener for our gigs at the moment.

Catch the sun in an open hand
Can’t work out where I really stand
Climbing up to the highest peek
Look for the answer I suddenly seek

Chorus
I am the rain in the face of the storm
I am the darkness before the dawn
I am the one who cried out for you
I am the fool who has found nothing new

Feel the clean air upon my face
I have not reached another place
Deep inside the depths of my mind
The one I’ve always been looking to find 

The sudden expression of doubt
Of dreams inside that try to get out
Lies and deceit my only true friends
Got to keep on to the bitter end

I tend to write lyrics all the time and have a load of them on hand and then go through them to find the one that fits the tune. The lyrics are fairly self explanatory I think, a bit sullen and sad but with a hint of optimism. It actually started as an upbeat optimistic song then gradually the darkness crept in.



Paranoia
This was written in late 2010 and is a favourite live song run straight on from Catch the Sun. This was developed from the main verse Guitar and Bass Riff. The Chorus went through a few variations before we finalised the one we now have. The intro was added to give us a power start to our gigs as this was intended as our set opener but Catch the Sun seems to work better and we run straight into This. There is a good live version of Paranoia on our You Tube page.

What gives you the right 

To tell me when I have to fight
What gives you the power base
To change the structure in this place
You tell me that this and that is wrong
You tell me where I don’t belong
You spy on me form every corner
Your paranoia is growing stronger

Chorus
I look at you and you know what I see
Hunger and greed staring down here at me
Restrictive vices you put in place
You act like you’re the master race


Some day soon your time will come
When you’ve got nowhere left to run
When what’s in your grasp is out of reach
When you’ve nothing left to teach
Glorifying in your self indulgence
Or can you not make any more sense
Of what is going on around you
Of changing ideas that you find are new

It is largely targeted at the then Labour Government who were eroding all our personal rights and using fear to force through any changes in our privacy laws. Of course it is even more relevent now with our latest Con/Dem arseholes. 


Morose
This was written mid 2009, one of our early songs. It was from a fully formed demo with the lyrics already written and the arrangement in place.

What lengths do you have to go 

How far down is too low
What is this mind numbing pain
Will I ever be the same again

Chorus
Shut out the light close down the senses
Put up the shutters build higher the fences

Can’t shake this feeling of dread
Can’t get the thoughts out of my head
Apathy draining my very sole 
Can’t get out of this self made hole

Chorus
Alienate all push away hope
Depth of despair not able to cope

Drowning in sorrow self pity and grief
Can’t shake the feeling that life is too brief
Achievements are zero failures abound
How much has been wasted since I’ve been around

Chorus
Shut out the light close down the senses
Put up the shutters build higher the fences

The lyrics are dark and horrible and is how I think we can all feel at some point in our lives, or is that just me.


Reality
Written mid 2009 from a demo of the verse with the chorus and outro formed from jamming the tune. Once I found the Lyrics they sort of helped to finalise the song arrangement. 

Too much looking to the past
Life like yours can never last
Time is ticking quickly by
Thought you had the time to try

Chorus
Step on everyone on the way to the top
Whatever it takes you, nothing will stop
Your rise to the stardom you think you deserve
You’ve got to keep going not loosing your nerve

All the things you’ve never done
All the races you’ve left to run
Fifteen minutes is all you’ll get
From the ones who’ll soon forget


Chorus
Step on everyone on the way to the top
Whatever it takes you, nothing will stop
Your rise to the stardom you think you deserve
You’ve got to keep going not loosing your nerve


To be seen in all the right places
Seen with all the in vogue faces
Burnt out now the flames of passion
Or was it just a passing fashion

Nothing left but a centre spread
In the papers no one has read
To keep your flagging ratings high
Nothing they asked, you wouldn’t try

A dig at all the reality driven crap that is on TV. All the Z listers who will do anything for their 15 minutes of fame. How sad we are being dumbed down by all this pish and the fact that it is so popular.


Different Day
Written mid 2009 from a fully formed demo. This is our take on classic punk and drives along. I think we were still trying to find our musicical direction at this point. 

Get up, do something get out of the box

Did you go school that gave out hard knocks
Stuck in the same place forever and a day
Bleating that nothing is going your way

Chorus
Same shit different day
Isn’t always the same way
Looking out for something
that you’ll never find
Don’t you know it’s all in the mind

Stuck in a rut you made for yourself
Looking for others to give you the wealth
Why don’t you open up to the new
You’ll find out what’s wrong with you

Is it just the same as every day
Looking for something to get in way
Someone else is in the wrong
Why do you always take so long

I am always coming across people that inspired the lyrics for this song. Those that blame everyone else for their own faults and problems.


Moving On
Another very early song and got us our first airplay from Dusty Miller at Splash Radio. This came from a jam around the echoed riff and we just added and changed things as we went after the lyrics were added. 

What is all this talk of changing
Forever are we re-arranging
Boxes piled upon the floor
Barricades against the door
Never staying in one place
You think that life is just a race
To go from one hole to another
Because you simply do not bother

Chorus
Can’t break out of this stupid race
Change the look upon your face
We’re on a never ending vicious cycle
I don’t want this downward spiral

Changes come to you from within
You need to have the will to win
Break the habit, change the rules
Try to use some different tools
Is every one else in the wrong
Why not sing to a different song
Change it all before it’s too late
Before all we have left is hate

Chorus
Change the LP
Change the stance
Change the CD
Change the dance

 

Voyage
This was one of the 3 original songs we started with and is in our live set at different points. The first dabblings with twin lead guitar. A heavy riff and an extended lead break, goes down really well at gigs. Long live the Wah Wah. Wish we could get a good video of this one live sometime before it is dropped from the set completely.

Silvery light shines through golden hair
A winding staircase to no one knows where
Shadows of the past flit before your eyes
Every shape changes and hides in disguise
Feeling uncertain no thoughts on the next
Where am I going what course have I set
Shadows and blackness ahead’s all I see
Feeling it moving and looking for me

Chorus
Where will I end up what happens now
I cannot think straight I don’t know how
Can’t seem to move, held down by a force
Charting an unknown frightening course

Hear the strange voices of past motivation
Feel like I’m sinking into a strange station
Senses are reeling drowned in a mire
Feel like I’m moved by an invisible wire
Controlling my mind and my very thought
Whatever I try is turning to nought
Trying to break free no chance of turning
Falling on down to the final burning

The lyrics are from my fasination with Tolkien and all the Middle Earth stories. LOTR in a 2 verses and a chorus, how ubsurd my mind works sometimes.



The Other Side
This is another early song from 2009 and was from a fully formed demo. I actually posted an instrumental version on Reverbnation before we finalised the arrangement. Anyone who would like a copy of that send me a mail at kirby@theothersidefife.com.  Nice guitar riff and a cracking Bass line. This was a feature of our live set for a long time. 

Ever changing scenes up ahead
All my thoughts you’ve carefully read
Sun is shining, the sky is clear
Open your self up, I’m standing here
Over the horizon, down to the bay
It’s the ending of another day
Look out to the western shore
Put your dreams out to the fore

Chorus
I’ll take you to the other side
Up on through the clouds we’ll glide
Take you through the endless maze
On sunlit shores we’ll finally gaze

No longer just a typed reply
Your picture only makes me want to try
I can’t stop thinking of you
I’ll take to the ocean blue
Not just a comment on the screen
Just coming to me as in a dream
You’re smiling face is all I see
You’re presence changes the real me

You see into the other side
My muse from you I cannot hide
The way you look, the way you talk
The way you run, the way you walk
Looking into your endless eyes
I never want to see you cry
I’d take you now you cannot hide
I’ll take you to the other side

The lyrics are inspired from my love of surfing and the sea. Very upbeat lyrics for me and probably the closest to a love song I have written. Seem to have an endless fixation here. ;)


End Song
This was mid 2010 and was from an almost complete demo and a jammed middle 8 and lead break/outro added at rehearsals to finalise the arrangement. It has always appealed to me and I think the structure and lyrics are really good. Was only in our live set for a few months.

What else is left

Being pulled apart
No where to start
Feeling the pain 
I’m left barely sane 
A revolution of the brain 

Chorus
The race was suddenly ended and lost
But what of the payment, the final cost
Who cares about the unfortunate one
Selfish greed now takes out the sun

Unspoken thoughts
Of what I have brought
Is suddenly clear
This is real life
Not one of our dreams
The ending is near

Turning to a different kind
The strange thoughts I find
Dreams of a better day
Revolutions close
What will happened then
You’re not willing to bend

Dark and moody lyrics again. What are we doing to ourselves and the world we live on, can we change or is it all futile. Who knows. Also, harks back to my younger days when revolution was close but greed won in the end.


All Night Long
Another of the 3 original songs we started with. Good old Rock/Blues structure with loads of Wah-Wah. We started all our gigs with this song for the first year and a half. Sometimes our soundcheck song and always pulled out if we need to do a 2 set gig.

All night long I’ve been hearing the sound of the train rolling down the track

I think I’ll go take me a ride to take me way on back
Back to the place that I come from to the place I once belonged
Way back where I started out my life before things started to go wrong

I’m gonna spread my wings and learn to fly 
Just you wait and see
I’m gonna change the things wrong in my life 
And what’s happening to me

Well, I come back after such a long time and I don’t like what I see
Because all the things wrong in my life are really down to me
Well i’m gonna have to accept, the hard facts I have found
I’ll have to look inside myself and take my head out the ground

I’m not going back to the same old ways that got me where I am
I’m gonna catch a wave to set me straight on the way to my final plan
I gonna find the sea and set up camp and look out at the dusk
And hope all my choices from now on, don’t all turn to rust 

The lyrics are again inspired by surfing and the fact that I left my job as an Operations Manager, bought a Camper van and went touring and surfing for 3 years, yahoo. If only I had the money again.