PAROLES
J.P. MORTIER
ABSOLUTION
If I asked
If I asked for forgiveness
For all the sins
All the sins that I didn't do
Would it absolve me
From the things that I did to do
What I did to you
For all the things that I did to you
What I did to you.
If
I knelt
If I knelt before your altar
Take your breast to my mouth
Let me taste your holy waters
Move on south, looking up
Let me drink from your loving cup
From your loving cup
Let me drink from your loving cup
From your loving cup.
Wait.
If you could read my mind
You'd shudder at what you might find
What you may find.
Better yet
It's better off that you can't
Or you might find
Something you don't want
Something you might want
Something you will want.
If
you asked
If you asked for confession
For all your killings
And all of your inquisitions
Give me immortality
I'll give you absolution
Absolution
Give me absolution
Absolution.
© J.P. Mortier 2010
ONE
MILE OVER
One
mile over till I am with you
One mile over till I am with you
I was in the fields working with the crews
When my brother told me the news
One
mile over till I am with you
One mile over till I am with you
Race through the woods, crossing rivers blue
Prayin' to God it's all untrue.
One
mile over till I am with you
One mile over till I am with you
Heading down the avenue
A crowd is gathered, I pull 'em through
Doctor,
doctor, tell me it's not true
Ain't there anything you can do?
A lifetime flashes across my view
That's my baby in front of you.
One
mile over till I am with you
One mile over till I am with you
I was in the fields working with the crews
When my brother told me the news
One
mile over till I am with you
One mile over till I am with you
Race through the woods, crossing rivers blue
Prayin' to God it's all untrue.
Preacher,
preacher, man of virtue
Cast that devil all the way to Timbuktu
Is the saviour of souls just another voodoo?
Ain't there anything you can do?
One
mile over till I am with you
One mile over till I am with you
I was in the fields working with the crews
When my brother told me the news
One
mile over till I am with you
One mile over till I am with you
Race through the woods, crossing rivers blue
Prayin' to God it's all untrue.
One
mile over till I am with you
One mile over till I am with you
With the undertaker I travel to
The final place to bid you adieu.
©
J.P. Mortier 2010
TANKER
Six
days in the belly of a tanker
I have a picture of my daughter
Gave the man ten thousand dollars
For six days in the belly of a tanker.
Member
of the Liberian merchant fleet
Will I walk with the new world beneath my feet?
Will I be sent back home in defeat?
With a member of the Liberian merchant fleet.
Six
days in the belly of a tanker
I have a picture of my daughter
Gave the man ten thousand dollars
For six days in the belly of a tanker
Six days in the belly of a tanker
Six days in the belly of a tanker.
© J.P. Mortier 2010
COWBOY
BONES
I
ride where the cowboys all have gone
Condemned man executed at dawn
Mourning is the time to comprehend
My best friend is a traitor in the end
I
felt it in my bones
This feeling when I'm all alone
And the pain that's in my soul
Is something I can't control, no, no
I felt it in my bones
Loneliness is like a drone
And the sweet sense of desperation
Is what I wanted all along
And the sweet sense of desperation
Is what I wanted all along, all along.
Only
time turn the gullies into valleys
I find solace in the obituaries
Friends are left behind at the wake
Leave the desperate damsel at the stake.
I
felt it in my bones
This feeling when you're all alone
And the pain that's in your soul
Is something you can't control, no, no
I felt it in my bones
Loneliness is like a drone
And the sweet sense of desperation
Is what you wanted all along
And the sweet sense of desperation
Is what you wanted all along, all along.
I
felt it in my bones
This feeling when we're all alone
And the pain that's in our souls
Is something we can't control, no, no
I felt it in my bones
Loneliness is like a drone
And the sweet sense of desperation
Is what we wanted all along
And the sweet sense of desperation
Is what we wanted all along, all along
And the sweet sense of desperation
Is what we wanted all along, all along.
© J.P. Mortier 2010
DOPPELGANGER
He
talks like me and thinks like me
He walks like me, stumbles like me
Made from spare parts
Like my own broken heart
But he ain't me
This is not me
This is not me talking.
She
moves like you, and looks like you
She loves like you and lusts like you
Made from your mold
So I've been foretold
But she ain't you
This is not you
This is not you talking.
Harvester
of bones
Farmer of souls
The cells you create
From the organs you donate
And the name that you stole
Can you make me whole?
Can you make me whole?
They
live like us and die like us
They laugh like us and mourn like us
Trade individuality for immortality
But this ain't me
This is not me
This is not me talking.
© J.P. Mortier 2010
COME
BACK TO ME
Come
back
You've stains on your dress
You're down on your knees
You've blood on your hands
From trying to please
Getting a thrill
From all you can seize
Come back to me, my little tease.
Come
back
Cracks in the sidewalk,
Grass on the lawn
Stones in your pathway
Battle lines have been drawn
Attack of the enemy has not been withdrawn
Come back to me, my little pawn.
Come
back
Falling to the fever
Your words become griever
Inject me, infect me and push it in deeper
Ignoring your healer
Make me feel cheaper
Come back to me, dear grim reaper.
Now
my life is standing still
I'm addicted to curing your ills
But I have been misled
To an empty bed.
© J.P. Mortier 2010
WINDOWS
ON THE SUNSET SIDE
(Instrumental)
© J.P. Mortier 2010
KNIFE
GENERATION
Beneficiary
of a poisoned will
Heritage of all your broken dreams
We can't savour flavour till they're extreme
Drink up the chemicals from the blackened stream.
All
of us kids in this knife generation
We ain't got, we ain't got no home
All of us kids in this knife generation
We ain't goin', we ain't goin' home.
I
don't know how to stop when the hormones are kicking in
Drop me off at the daycare with a dose of Ritalin
Can no longer tell which feeling is genuine
Give me the hammer and I'll show you discipline.
All
of you kids in this knife generation
You ain't got, you ain't got no home
All of you kids in this knife generation
You ain't goin', you ain't goin' home.
All
of you kids in this knife generation
You ain't got, you ain't got no home
All of us kids in this knife generation
You ain't goin', you ain't goin' home.
© J.P. Mortier 2010
OMNIVOROUS
My
baby said to me
Why are we here
We're all alone and we live in fear
My baby said to me
Why are we alive
All we seem to do is merely survive
Baby said to me
Why do we love?
Is this all we're capable of?
I said to her
Isn't it obvious?
We're here because we're omnivorous.
My
baby said to me
Why are we here
We're all alone and we live in fear
My baby said to me
Why are we alive
All we seem to do is merely survive
Baby said to me
Why do we love?
Is this all we're capable of?
I said to her
Isn't it obvious?
We're here because we're omnivorous.
© J.P. Mortier 2010
HAUNTED
MAN
Black
poet, I'm a slave to my words
I'd say that I'd love you but my ghosts would have overheard.
You
see, I'm a haunted man
I got the conscience of a clergyman
In your eyes, this gentleman
Could not stand to be a charlatan.
So
I stay alone and alert
Not say promises I can't keep
The way I feel, I dare not speak
My emotions run too deep.
For
my life's a shipwreck stricken sea
From the relations of which I'm a refugee
I've got the realism of a divorcee
And this future, I cannot foresee.
It's
the price of experience
Not to lead you to treachery.
© J.P. Mortier 2010
BELT
Some
people are looking for fate
Some people are looking for a mate
Some people need to think
Some people need another drink
Some people are looking for a belt.
Some
people are looking for a purpose
Some people are looking for themselves
Some people are looking for wealth
Some people are looking for health
Some people are looking for a belt.
Some
people are looking for trouble
Some people need a little t & a
Some people are scoring for drugs
Some people are searching for God
Some people are looking for a belt.
© J.P. Mortier 2010
ON
A TOWER
I'm
on a tower watching the other
Behemoths under a perfect sky
Wind in my hair, the breeze from the Atlantic
Autumn seems like a distant cry
I call on my baby, tell her I love her
When a distant point seems to catch my eye
I'm on a tower watching the other
Watch the other.
Have
you heard the news, listen to warnings?
There's a threat coming from the east
Show of strength, muscles flexing
The tiger lunges like a beast
The poor and the jealous sharpen their knives
When not invited to the feast
I'm on tower thinking the danger has ceased.
But there's nothing, nothing you can do
There's nothing, there's nothing you can say.
Under
the tower, I'm assembling the sculptures
That awaits the spectators in the mezzanine
When a thunderous noise, sudden chaos
We run out to check out the scene
Shrouds of dust, clouds of debris
And people falling from the sky
At the foot of a tower, looking up, wondering why
And there's nothing, there's nothing I can do
There's nothing, nothing I can say.
I'm
on a tower watching the other
Perfect morning under a perfect sky
Wind in my hair, the breeze from the Atlantic
But winter is sharpening its scythe
I call on my baby, tell her I love her
As I see what's coming from across the sky
I'm on a tower watching my brother go down.
© J.P. Mortier 2010
BACKPACKER
THE
TRAVELLER
I've crossed a thousand miles
For a glimpse of your smile
To be with you for awhile
But I've never been there
No, I've never been there
I've never been there with you.
I've
travelled around the world
Just to find this girl
Find my little pearl
But I never found her
And should I find her
Would she follow me back home ?
Of
all the places here and afar
From Ueno to Zanzibar
I want to be in your arms
Find my destination
Amongst many nations
With no discrimination nor harm
I've
crossed a thousand miles
For a glimpse of your smile
To be with you for awhile
But I've never been there
No, I've never been there
I've never been there with you.
© J.P. Mortier 2008
SUPERBLACK
New world is on the way
Priests and killers pave the way
Everyday is judgement day
Superblack
In the name of God
Superblack
In the name of profit and fraud
Bandeirantes
paint the boundaries
Blaze a trail of brutality
We live upon their legacies
Superblack
Country made of slaves and stones
Superblack
Roads are built on blood and bones
Superblack
History won't write the wrongs
Superblack....
The
colour of discovery is gold
Like in all the tales of old
And in the future, history's retold
Superblack
All over again
Superblack
Which lesson will you retain ?
Superblack
Where the forgotten will remain
© J.P. Mortier 2008
NATIONAL
PINETOP
Gold mines are gutting Guyana
The big chin pops up in Katanga
Common gain will not yield to common sense
One day you'll repay in dollars
Everything you saved in cents
I
provide the jobs, you provide the death beds
Don't go swimming in Spanish riverbeds
Sell your broken dreams out in Mogilev
It's amazing what P.R. can do
Dirt and shit never sticks top you
Stuck
in a bus out in National Pinetop
And the lizards leap out of the bag
The old man is drunk again
I try to wake him up to get the little fuckers back in the sack
Rio
and Kyoto have been left behind
Buying a reputation is all you had in mind
And when you thought conspiracies were a thing of the past
Look who's greasing the ass of your local diplomat
© J.P. Mortier 2008
MOON OVER INDIAN OCEAN
( instrumental )
© J.P. Mortier 2008
CALIFORNIA
Sail away to California. Sail away to California
Where the girls don't ever seem to care
Where the girls don't ever seem to care.
Swim away to my utopia. Swim away to my utopia
And it seems as though I'm never there
And it seems as though I'm never there.
I don't want to be. I don't want to be Without you.
I don't want to be. I don't want to be Without you.
Sink
away to my dementia. Sink away to my dementia
And it seems like I don't seem to mind
And it seems like I don't seem to mind.
I don't want to live. I don't want to live Without you.
I don't want to live. I don't want to live Without you.
I
don't want to be. I don't want to be Without you.
I don't want to be. I don't want to be Without you.
Sail
away to California. Sail away to California
Where the girls don't ever seem to care
Where the girls don't ever seem to care.
Sail away, sail away.
© J.P. Mortier 2008
HASH HOUSE HARRIER
From the crowded streets of Malaysia
To the green fields of Africa
Gathered together at the on-in
Is the drinking club with a running sin
You'll be the hare and we'll be the hounds
You can run and run so you can't be found
Leaving your trail through the city hub
We'll all meet back at the pub
Cause
we're all Hash House Harriers
And we live in a time so much happier
And we will drink to the glory of the Empire
Singing songs about kissing your mother
Run
with the FRB's to the market square
Then the bus station then the elder's lair
Through the farms and fields in the heavy sun
We'll quench our thirst when we are done
Cause
we're all Hash House Harriers
And we live in a time so much wearier
And we will drink to the health of the Empire
Singing songs about groping your mother
Back
at the bar with Mungo Park
General Kitchener is stumbling in the dark
Drinking and fighting, they will assume
And there's Dr. Livingston, I presume
Cause
we're all Hash House Harriers
And we live in a time so much scarier
And we will drink to the survival of the Empire
Singing songs about doing your mother
On-on
Cause we're all Hash House Harriers
And we live in a time so much deadlier
And we will drink with the ghosts of the Empire
In heaven or hell fucking your mother
© J.P. Mortier 2008
DRY
MARTINI PARLOR
Out in the desert in '42
Down the Red Sea coast
There lies the dry martini parlor
Full of lepers and ghosts.
A violent moon reminds them
Of a long lost lover
Who had lost her innocence
And every memory of her.
Days
pass,
The front line moves back and forth
A compass holds no meaning
To the scorpions left in the fort
In the endless days of a war
Fought out here and in every land
Allegiances are empty of meaning
Loyalty shifts like the desert sands
Like the desert sands.
As
all dies around us
And the memories fade
Soon it will all mean nothing
With no one left to relate.
Except for the dreamers
Except for the fools
And all of the romantics
Who howl at the moon.
Days pass,
The front line moves back and forth
A compass holds no meaning
To those scorpions left in the fort
In the endless days of a war
Fought out here and in every land Allegiances are empty of meaning
Loyalty shifts like the desert sands
Like the desert sands.
© J.P. Mortier 2008
BLUE NILE / WHITE NILE
See me. Friend to my sword
Obedient to my lord
My knives are shiny
And my teeth are long
And I am famished
For soon I shall be a martyr
And soon I shall be banished
Deaf
man
There is no one to lick your wounds
No one to heal your soul
No virgins there to tend to you
No access to the garden
Granted to the likes of you
To the fallen hero
Only death, death awaits you
Blind
man
Lead your flock to the precipice
Send your young to die
In acts of war and cowardice
Gather all your prophets
At the junction of the schism
Pay a contribution
For your lack of criticism
People
The vultures have preyed upon your kind
Neither east nor west
Pull the veil upon your mind
Pay in blood, pay in oil
Play with your souls
Keep your eyes open
Or blind faith will swallow you whole
© J.P. Mortier 2008
LOS ANDES
( instrumental )
© J.P. Mortier 2008
LONDRINA
Crouched and slumped in a bus in southern Brazil
It was late when we pulled into town
In my glazened state, I looked through the window
And there was a buxom Brazilian brunette
Whoa...
who is she, what is she waiting for...
Possibly maybe the next bus out of town
So I jumped on the platform of the terminal
And ventured around
As
I saw her face, I thought I did see
the Southern Cross in her eyes
All the austral constellations in one revelation
so I started to smile
Where
are you going to?
That's when I realized I didn't speak Portuguese
I'm just a busker from a frozen land
And I could use some company
On
the way from Foz to Rio
I met a senorita in Londrina
Suco
to her lips, I studied her hips
And every wave in her hair
I caught her eye, I let go of a sigh
As I try not to stare
Intercom
comes on and it won't be long
For the bus is about to pull out
Long contemplation and then hesitation
Consequences are weighing about
One foot on the bus, the other on the platform
She seemed to be headed this way
So I walk down the aisle but I lose track of her smile
Too late to turn the other way
Back
in my seat, I see her standing alone
As the bus, it drives away
I feel like I'm in a b-series war movie
My head fills with a thousand clichés
Look
back at the lights in the hills of the dusty town
I left my senorita in Londrina
© J.P. Mortier 2008
HAWAIIAN
BLIGHT
Locust plague and banana blight
Take the violets to the other side
See how easy it is to waste paradise
Pressure tactics wildcat strikes
Lobby groups fight for a piece of the pie
See how easy it is to sell paradise
Will we have to wait
Until the sky turns to black now
Will we have to wait
Until there's no turning back now
The
snake flashes dollar signs
Businessman takes the bite
See how easy it is to be chased from paradise
Cut
the trees and plant the seeds
All you do is breed the weeds
Growing GNPs cannot sustain paradise
Will
we have to wait
Until there's no fucking trees around
Will we have to wait
Until Hawaii sinks underground
What
you take, you must replace
If you can't replace, you can't take
You may have to lose your jobs for the sake of paradise
Will
we have to wait
Until the sky turns to black now
Will we have to wait
Until there's no turning back now
Will
we have to wait
Until there's no fucking trees around
Will we have to wait
Until Hawaii sinks underground
© J.P. Mortier 2008
COAST OF AZUR
( instrumental )
© J.P. Mortier 2008
HERE
Out West, they celebrate
But there's something here I have to say
The hammer has fallen
And the faces have grown solemn
Here
it comes
Slowly, surely across the sea
Warning lights are sending signals through the night
Down from the coast
To this place I love the most.
But
the night is growing dark
We've got the ignition but not the spark.
Did I survive adversity
Only to succumb to anarchy?
Here
it comes
Slowly, surely. Across the sea
Still wasting my time
Waiting in line For Coca-Cola and democracy.
When
I look across the sea
There's someplace else I'd rather be
Don't talk to me about tomorrow
When here and now is all I'll ever know.
Here
it comes
Slowly, surely. Across the sea
Warning lights are sending signals through the night
© J.P. Mortier 2008
WHO'LL WATCH OVER US?
Who'll watch over you Once I am gone?
Who'll watch over me Once you are gone?
Anyone at all?
Who'll
watch over us Once we are gone?
Who'll see all we've done Once we are gone?
Anyone at all?
Who'll
watch over me Once you are gone?
Who'll watch over you Once I am gone?
Anyone at all?
© J.P. Mortier 2008
Notes
THE
TRAVELLER
Quoi ? Une chanson autobiographique ? oui ? non ? ...peut-être ?
C'est la première fois que j'utilise une guitare acoustique dans l'enregistrement d'une de mes chansons ....certainement pas la dernière fois... J'ai loué une Taylor 410 pour les sessions. J'ai quand même utilisé ma Godin LGX pour les solos et un doublage de la guitare qui tiens le rhythme.
SUPERBLACK
L'histoire nous apprends beaucoup sur nous mêmes... pas seulement
ceux que l'histoire se souviens mais surtout sur ceux que l'histoire choisi
d'oublier.... La contribution des acteurs de notre histoire n'est pas toujours
mis sous une perpective judicieuse et certains évènements sont
oubliés dans la tourmente... ce n'est pas un oubli accidentel.
Les versets sont en 10/4 et les refrains en 4/4. En plus ,il y a une mesure de 2/4 avant les refrains... est-ce que ça dérange mon batteur ? Des fois, les chansons doivent respirés... en tout cas, en concert, cette toune fesse assez fort.
NATIONAL
PINETOP
Un soir, j'ai vu un reportage qui passait au réseau de Radio-Canada
anglais sur certains compatriotes qui ne fesaient pas de choses très
gentilles dans plusieurs pays en voie de développement... finalement,
on est peut-être pas si tolérant et fins comme on le pensait.
...Au fait, il y a une petite ville poussiéreuse qui s'appelle Pinotepa
Nacional et qui n'a rien à voir avec le propos de cette chanson.
MOON
OVER INDIAN OCEAN
Une chanson qui fut écrite à l'extérieur d'un
resto au bord de la route en Australie Occidentale. L'autobus s'est arrété
pour le souper mais j'avais une idée en tête. J'ai demandé
au chauffeur d'ouvrir le compartiment à bagages et j'ai pris ma guitare.
Quand j'ai eu fini d'écrire ma chanson, c'était le temps de
repartir... le ventre vide mais une belle petite instrumentale en plus.
CALIFORNIA
Une chanson qui parle de l'envie d'être ailleurs. J'étais
au Méxique quand j'ai écrit California.
J'aime les vocales qui se retrouvent dérrière...un peuà la facon des Beach Boys mais sans les woo-oos. Définitivement, une chanson fait pour la radio grâce à tout un travail de mon ami, Billy szawlowski à la console.
HASH
HOUSE HARRIER
Les Hash House Harriers ont été formé il ya prés
d'un siécle par des expatriés Britanniques qui cherchaient une
raison pour se saouler la gueule. Ils ont inventé un petit jeu de chiens
et de lièvres. Le "lièvre" partait en courant en laissant
des indices dérrière lui. Les "chiens de chasse" partaient
quelques temps plus tard et essayait de le rattraper. La chasse se terminait
au pub ou n'importe quel bar du coin. Une fois tous revenu, ils se donnaient
des noms inventifs comme "Trou de Cul" ou "Petite Queue"
ou ce qui passait dans leurs imagination. Ils chantaient des chansons cochonnes
et passaient du bon temps. Ce jeu est devenu tellement populaire que c'est
presque devenu un genre de culte. On retrouve des groupes de Hash House harriers
à travers le monde dans pas mal toute ville de taille respectable...
DRY
MARTINI PARLOR
J'ai écrit cette chanson en 2003 pendant l'invasion des Américains
à Bagdad qui a commencé la deuxième Guerre du Golfe.
... j'ai pensé a une histoire que j'avais lu (une BD pour être
plus précis) écrite par Hugo Pratt, mieux connu comme auteur
des aventures de Corto Maltese. Cette histoire se déroule pendant la
deuxième Guerre Mondiale. Des soldats des deux côtés se
retrouvent isolés dans un fort dans le désert Éthiopien
coupés de toutes communications. Ils ne savent plus qui est en contrôle
du territoire sur lequel ils se retrouvent et alors les combattants se retrouvent
en situation de match nul. La, ils commencent a se connaître et se retrouvent
confronté à l'absurdité de la guerre.
Cette chanson est une des rares pièces écrite au piano (il y en aura d'autres à l'avenir). J'ai enregistré une version pendant les sessions de l'album The English House mais j'ai décidé de la refaire pour Backpacker. Elle commence en 5/4 et le "refrain" est en 4/4.Je peux aussi affirmé que se sont les meilleures performances vocales que j'ai réalisé jusqu'a maintenant.
BLUE
NILE / WHITE NILE
Voila le résultat de deux chansons que j'ai monté et
ajouté une partie instrumentale en 7/4... la toune la plus "heavy"
avec une saveur de rock progressif...
LOS
ANDES
Une instrumentale en 3/4 inspiré par la musique des quechuas
d'Argentine du nord. Cette chanson me fait promener dans les montagnes....et
oui, c'est moi que vous entendez respirer sur la piste de guitare acoustique.
J'étais pas mal malade lors de cet enregistrement. Maintenant, ca fait
parti de la performance...
LONDRINA
Est-ce que vous avez déja vu une femme si belle que vous êtes
resté hypnotisé et que vous alliez dans des directions opposés
et qu'il n'y avait aucune chance de la revoir et que quand vous avez finalement
amasser assez de courage de lui parler qu'elle était déja partie
?
Eh bien, ça m'est arrivé a plusieurs reprises dont une fois en pleine nuit dans une gare routière dans les fin-fonds du sud Brésilien.
HAWAIIAN
BLIGHT
Pendant une voyage avec mon père à Hawaii sur la grande
île, ona vu une pancarte qui avisait de ne pas apporter de bananes d'un
côté de l'île pour cause de maladie.... j'ai été
inspiré d'écrire une chanson "verte" sur nos manipulations
sur les éco=systèmes qui nous entourent. Et.. oui, j'ai écrit
cette chanson sur un ukulele!
COAST
OF AZUR
Celle-ci fut écrite devant la maison de mes grand-parents dans
le sud de la France juste avant notre départ pour la Côte d'Azur.
HERE
Depuis la chute de l'Union Soviétique, il y des gagnants et
des perdants en Russie et dans les ex-pays de l'est. Mais si vous pensez que
les méchants communistes qui ont sévis sur le peuple ne sont
plus en charge ...détrompez-vous car ils se sont recyclés en
hommes d'affaires, charlatans et gangsters... et tant pis pour le pauvre peuple.
WHO'LL
WATCH OVER US ?
Il pleuvait depuis plusieurs jours and et me voici tard le soir pris
dans le dortoir d'une auberge de jeunesse à Hong Kong a regarder la
pluie tomber sepuis le balcon. J'ai pris ma guitare et j'ai écrit cette
chanson sur les gens qui nous sont très loin, la solitude, la mort
et l'héritage qu'on laisse une fois que l'on est parti.
THE ENGLISH HOUSE
A
MAN NAMED KENNEDY
Hiding in the alley
Sneaking up behind me
This old man's name was Kennedy.
That's
when he told me
« Whole world's gone crazy »
Hiding in the concrete canopy.
He
studied philosophy
Even held a degree
But he couldn't find his place in society.
«
It's all truckers and roadies
Consumers and phonies
This ain't no place for fantasy. »
«
Everybody sees me
No one wants to hear me
Yet my mind roars so audibly. »
«
They coat themselves in pity
Wearing clothes so pretty
They become like private property. »
The
old man shook my hand
« No time to understand,
Son, the power lies in the land. »
Running
from the alley
Looking out behind me
This old fucker's name was Kennedy.
Kennedy, Kennedy.
© J.P.Mortier 2003
SOMETHING
SOLID
You know and I know
Who we are, what we mean to each other.
Your car, your furniture
It's not part of your culture.
Your ads and TV shows,
None that you can grow on.
You know and I know
Your mind, your friends, your family,
It's all that will ever be.
If
you got to believe in someone,
Let it be someone you can trust.
And if you got to believe in something good,
Let it be..... something solid.......something solid.
You
know and I know
In your grave,
Your bank account, it's not gonna count.
There's no jobs, no gods nowadays
Life after death...
Well, who can say?
You know and I know
All I have is you
And all that you have is me.
If
you got to believe in someone,
Let it be someone you can trust.
And if you got to believe in something good,
Let it be..... something solid.......something solid.
Solid, baby.
© J.P.Mortier 2003
KOTO
( instrumental )
© J.P.Mortier 2003
SHIGOTO
Sean, Hamid and I
We walked through Mejiro's lights.
To look for work
To this place we had heard.
A
new job for the day now.
A new boss for the day now.
A new site for the day now.
4 a.m. towards the park.
For
a handful of yen
We'd be construction men.
Suddenly from everywhere
They were there
An
army in overalls now.
They made no sound at all now.
Like zombies enthralled now.
Converging towards the park.
Vans
arrived, recruiters abound
Spotted and selected like in a lost and found.
And off we go
Destination? I don't know.
For
some house to build now.
Some wall to paint now.
Some basement to pitch now.
A job fair in the park.
We
stood alone the three of us
Not knowing what to do
Nor who to ask.
No one came to us.
They just stared at us like the gaijins that we were,
Aimlessly trying to get hired
Aimlessly trying to get hired.
Sunrise
lights the avenue
From black to red to blue.
Crowd thinned out.
Vans rolled out. We lucked out.
We
were left alone now.
Broke and unemployed now.
So we left for home now.
Not to return to the park.
For
some house to build now.
Some wall to paint now.
Some basement to pitch now.
A job fair in the park.
© J.P.Mortier 2003
LIKE
A WAVE
Smoothing voice ringing deep in my ears
Like a wave into the night.
Eyes so blue as her face appears
Like a wave into the night.
A
warm front in the July night.
A distant flicker of the TV light.
Drowns me in desire and delight.
Like a wave, like a wave, like a wave.
There
she is, just for me but she can't be reached
Like a wave upon the beach.
Stranded like a castaway, drained and bleached
Like a wave upon the beach.
All
you teen idols, you beauty queens
From every page of fashion magazines.
You came on to me in my dreams.
Like a wave, like a wave, like a wave.
Bound
to you, I'm a slave to your siren song
Like a wave into the storm.
Passing through and receding out to where you belong
Like a wave into the storm.
Wake
up and there's no one in sight.
Here I am, a victim to her blight.
I plunge in an ocean as black as the night.
Like a wave, like a wave, like a wave.
All
you teen idols, you beauty queens
From every page of fashion magazines.
You came on to me in my dreams.
Like a wave, like a wave, like a wave.
© J.P.Mortier 2003
INLAND
SEA/BOATS
( instrumental )
© J.P.Mortier 2003
TOKYO
2 A.M.
There she was at the top of the stairs
Shadows hiding in her long brown hair
I heard her cry so I sat next to her
Neons bathed the staircase where we were
This
is Tokyo at 2 a.m.
This is Tokyo at 2 a.m.
As
I held her in my arms
A spark ignited from her to me
Against the tide of a foreign land
As close as two people could ever be.
This
is Tokyo at 2 a.m.
This is Tokyo at 2 a.m.
And
this moment was all we ever owned
Frozen in the motion of a metronome
Cause it's always when you're all alone
That you realize you're far from home.
This
is Tokyo at 2 a.m.
This is Tokyo at 2 a.m.
© J.P.Mortier 2003
SAYONARA
BABY
She is there
Oh my God, she is there
In the station so bare
She is there,she is there 'neath the panda bear
She is there, oh my God
Oh my God, she is there.
I
can't believe the way that she looks
I can't believe the way that she looks
And there she is filin' her claws
And sharpenin' her hooks
I can't believe.
So
I try to say hi now
Despite the fear in my eyes
I try to say hi now
Despite the fear in my eyes
I try to run, try to hide
Find an excuse why
Oh my God, there's this look in her eyes.
And
what they say
About love being blind
And what they say
You take what you find
Well, it's so hard to a gent
When you got no intent.
At
the table
I don't know if I'm able
At the table
Not feeling so stable
Try to eat, chew the meat
Avoid the feet underneath.
I don't know if I'm able.
And
she talks, and she talks
You know that dreary small talk
And she don't stop with that dreary small talk
She';s a tease, she's a flirt
Push the gaijin in the dirt
And she talks and she talks and she talks....
And what they say
About love being blind
And what they say
You take what you find
Well, it's hard to be a man
With someone you can't stand.
Yeah, you know what it's like....
Now
we're in the park
Yes, it's Ueno in the dark
We're in the park now
Just a kiss in the dark
But the light betrays the night
Reveals the unforgiving sight
This is it. This is it.
Sayonara, baby.
© J.P.Mortier 2003
I'LL
DAMN YOU TO HELL
I'll damn you to hell
But I wish you well.
I want you to stay.
You're going away.
I'm out of line.
You're out of time.
I wish you well
But I'll damn you to hell.
I
bare it all.
You bear it all.
I say fare well.
You say farewell.
I'm all alone.
You're on your own .
I wish you well
But I'll damn you to hell.
I'll
damn you to hell
But I wish you well.
I want you to stay.
You're going me away.
I'm out of rhymes.
You're out of time.
I wish you well
But I'll damn you to hell.
© J.P.Mortier 2003
THE
STREAM
Let the stream
be your guide
though the tides
of your life.
Let
the current
be the flow
the undertow
through the highs and lows.
No
one knows its destination.
No one knows its origin.
No one questions its motivation.
Let the stream wash off your sins.
...Wash
off your sins.
Let
the river
sweep you away
show you the way
day after day.
Let
the water
be your blood
as thick as mud
a deep and wide flood.
No
one knows your destination.
No one knows your origin.
No one questions your motivations, baby.
Let the stream wash off your sins.
...Wash off your sins.
© J.P.Mortier 2003
FREE
MAN
If I could put it down
I would be such a free man.
If I could put it out
I would be such a free man.
Such a free man.
Such a free man.
If
you could hear me out
And look at me straight in the eye.
If you could help me now
You'd save me before I would die.
Before I would die.
Before I would die.
Look
at us, baby
Struggling it out.
Sometimes we whisper,
Sometimes we shout.
Scars on your body
And scars on my soul.
Is this the kind of shit that makes us whole?
If
I could put it down
I would be such a free man.
If I could stop from beating you up
I would be such a free man.
Such a free man.
Such a free man.
© J.P.Mortier 2003
WHEEL
THIS ONE
Welcome to Tokyo
Welcome to Narita
Welcome to Domestic Hell
Welcome to the English House.
A
pimp from Singapore
Sword maker from Prague
A school of English teachers
From the Outback to Pakistan
Like modern day fortune hunters scavenging the city
They hunt wealth, seek opportunities
Alone in the masses in the slalom of Japanese etiquette
Human islands form the English House.
© J.P.Mortier 2003
345
DAYS AWAY FROM YOU
When I think of you
I bridge many miles
At the speed of thought
You get to travel a lot.
I want to be back
Your
picture, still with me
Hellish fridge has done its worst
But I ditched it two flights down to its demise
You should have seen the sparks in my eyes.
I will be back
Now
the nights don';t seem so long
Separation will not be prolonged
No longer blurred by the tears
I'll be back next year.
© J.P.Mortier 2003
FOR
KIRSTEN
( instrumental )
© J.P.Mortier 2003
BELA
LUGOSI
Hey, Bela Lugosi
Where have you been?
What have you been up to lately?
The days of monsters have come and gone.
There's
Henry Ford
He's slavin' the assembly line
Wasted all day in the welfare line
Nostalgia's nice but it has its price.
Too
many people, not enough jobs
So who will feed us educated slobs?
There's nothing to do
I was wondering... what about you?
There's
Kennedy with F.D.R.
Wondering where Babe and the other sluggers are
Free agents roam
But they've got no home.
Too
many people, not enough time
Clean air for jobs is economic crime
Another tree falls
Feeding off genocide.
Too
many people, not enough space
So who will save this poor human race.
Once we all start to lose,
It's time to change the rules.
© J.P.Mortier 2003
THE
ENGLISH HOUSE
I can't believe it's been ten years
Since we hanged out at the House
Standing next to the beer machine
Under Tokyo's city lights.
Good-bye
Andrea, good-bye Pete
We said good-bye in the subway heat.
Good-bye Gis, good-bye Sam
This is no longer where I am.
Armed
with our guitars,
We would play into their hearts.
Ridin'
on the Yamanote sen
We took credit cards and yen.
Money was not the reason
We would make it till next season
Playing
truco until five
We partied on every two nights.
Philippe would walk in with his poker face
The jokers knew they';d be getting aced.
Armed
with our guitars,
We would croon into their hearts.
Hanging
out with Sean at the club
Eyeing every prospect in this zoo.
You know she looked so beautiful,
I didn't know what to do.
I
can't believe it's been ten years
Since we hanged out at the House
Standing next to the beer machine
Under Tokyo's city lights
Good-bye
Andrea, good-bye Pete
We said good-bye in the subway heat
Good-bye Gis, good-bye Sam
This is no longer where I am.
Good-bye
Yoshi. Good-bye Stockman. Good-bye Andrea. Good-bye Pete.
Good-bye Kirsten. Bye-bye Lucy. Au revoir Phillipe. See you later Sean.
Good-bye Karen from Boston, see you later. Good-bye Karen from Austria. Karen
from Germany, Karen from Australia ....and all you Karens out there.
Good-bye Gisela. Good-bye Yair. Good-bye Hamid, Doug, Tom,
Good-bye Janet, Kelly. Good-bye Lee Ann.
Adios Jorge. Mr. Johnny and the missus.....
Good-bye all my friends... and I'll see you on the road....
© J.P.Mortier 2003
Notes
A
MAN NAMED KENNEDY
Il y a un dicton japonais qui dit que le clou qui dépasse doit
être enfoncé. C'est le sujet de cette chanson. Il n'y a aucun
rapport avec l'ancien président des États-Unis ou quelque membre
de sa famille.
J'ai composé cette chanson un soir dans la station Ikebukuro ou je me faisais quelques yens. De temps en temps, il y avait un vieil itinérant qui venait se réchauffer dans la station avant la fermeture. M. Kennedy, c'était lui.
SOMETHING SOLID
Il n'y a que trois choses qui ont de la valeur dans la vie: ta conscience,
tes amis et ta famille.
KOTO
Un koto est cet instrument qui donne ce son de corde qui fait "plunk-plunk-plunk"
et qui est toujours utilisé à la TV ou dans les films pour que
notre cerveau comprenne que l'action se passe au japon ou qu'il y a quelque
chose de japonais va se passer.
Je ne pouvais résister a mettre ce gong à la fin.........
SHIGOTO
Basé sur des faits vécus... comment se trouver une job
dans un pays étranger quand on ne comprend ni la langue ni la coutume
ni les procédures et que l'on se retrouve dans un parc à 4 heures
du matin avec un iranien et un irlandais entouré d'une armée
de travailleur de la construction japonaise qui vous regarde silencieusement
et se demande," C'est qui ceux la?"
LIKE A WAVE
Il est tard (ou tôt selon votre point de vue) et tout est calme.
Il fait chaud. Vous ne pouvez pas dormir. Vous êtes tout seul et excité...
et tout ce que vous avez est le canal 12......
INLAND SEA / BOATS
La Mer Intérieure... un bras de mer situé entre Honshu
et Shikoku.
Inland Sea et Boats étaient deux chansons distinctes et ont été fusionnées en une seule pièce instrumentale. Toutes deux ont été écrite dans l' "English House" et elles étaient deux pièces calmes, très tranquilles et paisibles mais l'intervention humaine est venue pervertir cette tranquillité.
Apparemment, à Kobé, ils ont grugé la moitié d'une montagne pour en faire une île dans la mer pour gagner un peu de terrain sur la mer. Voila pour l'intervention humaine.
TOKYO 2 A.M.
Un soir, en revenant de la station de métro ou je jouait, je
suis entré ( il n'y avait pas de porte en avant ) et tout en haut de
l'éscalier, Sylvia était la et elle pleurait.......
SAYONARA BABY
Au moins une fois dans la vie d'un homme, il doit faire face à
une expérience qui le marquera à vie : le "blind date".
Mon expérience s'est arrivée à la station Ueno et attendait
sous une énorme statue de panda.
Cette chanson, écrite bien après mon temps au japon, est la plus récente à part pour " Koto".
I'LL DAMN YOU TO HELL
Après le blind date de Sayonara Baby, voici une autre tragédie
romantique.....
Cette chanson est un peu spéciale car elle fut une des premières compositions ou je trouvais que la musique et les paroles formaient un tout bien que les paroles soient assez simplistes. Cette pièce et "Kennedy" ont été les catalyseurs dans l'évolution de ma démarche artistique et ces deux morceaux ont une place spéciale pour moi. Le fait que cette évolution soit arrivée pendant mon séjour à Tokyo, il était naturel de baptiser mon premier cd du nom de la maison ou ce tournant important c'est déroulé et d'y aller avec un thème visuel japonais.
THE STREAM
Une pièce tranquille et un peu bluesy écrite un soir
à la " Maison anglaise".
FREE MAN
Écrite sur le toit de la Mitsui Bank à Méjiro.
Quand on habite avec 27 personnes, il arrive qu'on aimerait avoir un coin
tranquille pour soi-même de temps en temps. Mon endroit était
sur le toit d'un édifice. Je sautais la barrière, montais l'escalier
de secours jusqu'au toit pour être seul avec ma guitare.
.....Cette chanson parle de l'abus et de la violence faite aux femmes du point de vue de celui qui fesse. Il y a des groupes et du support pour aider les femmes qui sont confrontées a cette situation mais il y a trop peu pour aider les hommes aux prises avec cette mixture de désespoir, ignorance, stupidité et de colère. On ne fait que réparer les pots cassés une foi le fait accompli et on se retrouve avec une victime et un criminel.
WHEEL THIS ONE
Wheel This One est la chanson qui a subit le plus de transformation
depuis sa conception jusqu'a la version finale.
Au début, le sujet était un meurtre qui s'était produit dans un dépanneur près de chez mes parents avant mon départ pour le japon. Le meurtrier avait été arrêté avec son butin de 48$. Malheureusement, les paroles ne cadraient pas avec la musique. Le rythme était trop vite et l'atmosphère n'était pas appropriée. Les paroles ont été gardées pour une autre chanson.
Avant d'enregistrer l'album, j'ai pris la progression et j'ai transformé cette chanson en instrumentale. Pendant la production, j'ai remplacé les guitares distortionés pas des synthés. J'ai commencé à écrire un poème qui décrivait les gens et l'atmosphère qui régnait dans l'english house. Tranquillement, cette chanson est devenue Wheel This One avec sa jungle et ses habitants.
Voici une liste partielle des résidants de l'English House : un fabricant de sabres de Prague, un pimp de Singapour, plusieurs profs d'anglais, une photographe suédoise, trois marines en permission, un analyste de la bourse qui est devenu fou en cherchant fortune à la bourse de Tokyo, un prêtre vaudou de l'Île Maurice, une danseuse du ventre de l'Afrique du Sud, des membres de la mafia israélienne, des chefs cuisiniers de la Colombie, un prof de tango de Buenos Aires, un champion de karaté de Téhéran et une collection de musiciens, hôtesses de club, écrivains, vendeurs ambulants, hippies et autres globe-trotteurs.
345 DAYS AWAY FROM YOU
Le point tournant de mon temps au japon. Yoshi, le propriétaire,
avait une collection de vieux appareils ménagers... des réfrigérateurs,
des machines à laver, des cuisinières. qui ne marchaient plus.
Il y avait un vieux frigo de bar dans ma chambre. À ce moment, je n'avais
pas de cols. Le frigo s'est mis à couler une eau nauséabonde
sur mes affaires dont une photo d'une de mes copines......
Disons que j'ai vérifié la théorie que les frigos ne sont pas aérodynamiques en la balançant d'une fenêtre du deuxième étage.
Deux jours plus tard, j'ai confirmé mon vol pour la Corée.
FOR KIRSTEN
Kirsten était... et elle est sûrement toujours..... une
belle fille de la Nouvelle Zélande qui m'a demandé d'écrire
une chanson pour elle...
BELA LUGOSI
Bela..... Henry Ford...... FDR... Kennedy..... Babe Ruth...... on regarde
souvent le passé avec nostalgie en oubliant certains détails
comme les deux guerres mondiales, le communisme, la grande dépression,
l'exploitation des ouvriers, le racisme, le polio et nos petites vies dominés
par des religieux superstitieux......
Bien sûr, on a bien évolué. Aujourd'hui, on a la guerre préventive, le terrorisme, les problèmes environnementaux, le racisme, le sida et nos vies affectés par des chefs religieux superstitieux........
THE ENGLISH HOUSE
....Un "au revoir" a une époque de ma vie... la jeunesse.....
quelque chose comme ça...
"The English House" était ce qu'on appelle au japon une "gaijin house" qui se traduit en une maison pour étrangers. Une sorte de croisement entre une auberge de jeunesse et un appartement. Les globe-trotters sac à dos, les musiciens de rue, les profs de langues et autres voyageurs y séjournaient parce que c'était moins cher que les hôtels et les auberges. Certains ne restaient qu'une nuit, d'autres y habitaient pendant des années. Certains gaijin houses étaient très bien et conviviaux et d'autres l'étaient moins. Une chose certaine était qu'on y rencontrait une faune humaine très intéressante.
Mon séjour au English House a été pour moi une sorte de déclaration d'indépendance ( ou un genre de service militaire dépendamment des jours. Mais il se forgeait dans cette maison des amitiés solides que je n'oublierai jamais.