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Five Balloon Monkey

by Graham Stephen

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1.
Monochrome Rainbows 06:05
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Rows of red-brick dream homes Where they whisper as you walk by High court behind the each curtain Passing judgement on your life You used to be the bangle girl (glimmering) With starlight in her hair (apple blossom) Now they're filling newspapers With tales of your despair But you love these cobbled puddles The empty soul of this old town Where the rain can hide the tears in your eyes But they'll never see the monochrome rainbows in your sky Comb your hair like Julie Christie Try to walk just like Bardot Both sides of the High Street Now there's nowhere left to go The cheeky boys in the bookie's Wouldn't waste ten bob on you Second best petal in the rose parade Girl most likely too But you love these cobbled puddles The empty soul of this old town Where the rain can hide the tears in your eyes But they'll never see the monochrome rainbows in your sky Midnight at the station Billy's trying to choose a train To anywhere and everywhere Strong enough to break the chain But he never quite learned to lesson Of cutting roots and getting free Cut-price king of his own parade A hero that no-one ever sees But you love these cobbled puddles The empty soul of this old town Where the rain can hide the tears in your eyes But they'll never see the monochrome rainbows in your sky
2.
Party 04:23
lyrics
Whose face will I wear to the party Whose makeup will I try to put on Where will I be by bedtime When all of my new friends have gone Where will I fly to for winter Where will I be come the spring What will I betray on my wedding day Will I wear a diamond ring? The mirror has lost my reflection The hour glass is slipping through time I struggle to hang on to the moments Lose hours in the smoke and the wine Swallows will follow the sunrise Seasons can never explain Summer came dressed up as winter And springtime drowned in the rain Listen to me little brother I know that you know who I’ve been The illusions you think you are chasing Are fragments of somebody’s dream I tried so hard to reach you When you were right by my side The walls that you build high around you Can't hide the sweet soul inside
3.
Flower Girl 04:39
lyrics
London streets are waiting for you now Paved with roses, violets and golden chances The world is out there waiting just for you In your leaking raincoat and your endless dreaming Open up your eyes let the colours fly Through the grey clouds of your disguise Somewhere underneath the paving stones Seeds can crack the buildings and break the walls down All the secrets Mother Nature knows In your Chelsea t-shirt You're the flower girl Open up your eyes let the colours fly Through the grey clouds of your disguise
4.
Pretty Butterfly 03:23
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5.
Where Will You Go? 03:42
lyrics
Who's that hiding in the green grass Where did you go, what did you see Where will you be, without me? Who's that tapping at the window Where did you go, what did you do Where will I be, without you? The world is waking to the sunrise (The sun keeps rising I don’t know why) I'll wait here until the tears dry Until I see can myself through your eyes Who's been tugging at my heartstrings Where did you go, what can we do? Who will we be without you? The world is looking at the sunrise But I can't see until the tears dry Until I see myself through your eyes
6.
Hey There Frances 03:24
lyrics
Hey there Frances what’s a girl like you Doing in a place like this Your bedroom wall is covered by certificates When did you end up just another Miss Chewing through the check out queue Polishing your nails Telling tales About your well hung boyfriend Hey there Frances why’s a brain like yours Dying in a place like this Your student head was bursting with ideas Why do you stay and fritter them away Sweeping up the sugar spills Handing out small change Telling tales About your well paid boyfriends You spend all day gazing at the clock Counting every tick Until they turn off the scanners and the background tape Then you escape Hey there Frances what you gonna do When you’re locked up in this mistake Feeding pensions chasing promotions Much too late to make the break With a supervisors badge and a fistful of keys And the till-girls don’t believe You were ver young enough to have a boyfriend If lifetimes came in three for two It’s always two for them and one for you They’ll tell you lies and bleed you blue Believe me Frances Believe me Frances now is the time To throw your uniform away Wave goodbye to stacking up the baked beans Tomorrow is a brand new day There’s more for you than that check out queue More to life than pretty nails And canteen girls Boasting about their boyfriends
7.
Kelly 04:33
lyrics
Clutching by your fingertips to someone else’s tragedy Rustling through unopened mail for hints a catastophe Ooh girl, you should be cool The scraping in the attic the devil in the radiator Whispering neighbour who found out how much you hate her Ooh girl you should be cool Kelly needs catastrophe to give her life a twist Someone else’s tragedy to prove that she exists Clinging to calamity hanging on the phone Kelly needs a crisis, a crisis of her own, yeh-eh-eh Cutting up the toilet roll with a broken razor blade Analysing every tactless observation you ever made Ooh why can’t you be cool A spot, a lump, a cough, a chill, fever or an icy sweat Best medical advice is always on the internet Ooh why can’t you be cool Kelly needs catastrophe to give her life a twist Someone else’s tragedy to prove that she exists Clinging to calamity hanging on the phone Kelly needs a crisis, a crisis of her own, yeh-eh-eh The breeze in your apple tree could turn into a hurricane A perfect summer day could be murdered by a spot of rain Ooh girl you should cool Clinging by your fingertips to someone else’s tragedy Wasting every minute looking for catastrophe Kelly needs calamity to give her life a twist Someone else’s tragedy to prove that she exists A shocking diagnosis some drama on the phone Kelly needs a crisis, a crisis of her own, yeh-eh-eh
8.
Doing Yoga 03:42
lyrics
I’m chanting words that I don’t understand My breath is running out through my hands I’m squeezing my body into shapes I never knew I’m trying hard to empty my mind Leave this anxious world behind Get somewhere out in the open air I’m doing yoga Trying to follow my spirit guide Find my peaceful place deep inside Instead of trembling and mumbling Like a fool on the roam I will keep my mindfulness clean I will walk in the spaces between Keeping my distance from the world I’m doing yoga I’m chanting words that I don’t understand Trying to hold the globe in my hand Trying to look something less like a fool Don’t know where I’m going here But I’m doing yoga
9.
Too Late 05:28
lyrics
Look deep into tomorrow from the window of your train Two fingertips of sorrow might make you whole again You'll find your equilibrium but you’ll soon be taking sides Too late for little children, too late for being wise Too late for me and Mary Easy days when we were younger when summer seemed so long Walking in the sand dunes singing our favourite songs Bobbie G and Amen Corner took us halfway to paradise Too late for little children, too late for being wise Too late for me and Mary Always know September There’s something in the air Cold wind that made us shiver Now reminds me you’re not there Leaves will soon be falling Like fragments of our lives It feels like time deceived us, pushed us different ways But fading autumn twilight reminds me of those days And I’m lost in the shadows of the darkness where we’d hide Too late for little children, too late for being wise Too late for me and Mary
10.
Teacup 03:23
lyrics
She holds her teacup in both hands Tied up in a kitten curl I’d guess the world will never understand The kaleidoscope in this one girl When I am lost deep inside myself She grins out at me through her hair There is no treasure I wouldn’t trade Just to see her sitting there I never knew I was broken Until she stole right in through the cracks I never knew I was going now I Just can’t find my way back When I am chasing the days away She’s the one who makes me wait Shows me the colours of the morning sky Tells me that it’s not too late
11.
Clown Shoes 03:38
lyrics
Hey clown shoes the lonely spotlight found you on the tightrope Hey clown shoes is that a trace of sawdust in your hair? Some nights your footstep falters then you’re spinning through the air Searching blurry faces for one who’ll really care Hey clown shoes now’s the time to scrub away the make up Hey clown shoes you don’t need that greasepaint grin The day you wake up happy is the day you really see That being close to normal’s not too bad a place to be Hey clown shoes untie that shabby shoebox full of secrets Hey clown shoes throw away that tissue full of tears The field of grass has faded where the big top used to be All they left were ticket stubs and candy stranded memories Hey clown shoes there’s a rainbow waiting for your blue sky Hey clown shoes a lucky star is looking for the catch Tomorrow is a new town and we’ll be arriving soon There you’ll have the chance to dance to your own tune
12.
Daylight 03:57
lyrics
Best time of the day When work’s twelve hours away I sit in the darkness And refuse to pray For something good To break into my room Show me the way to escape tomorrow I’d like to love the sun But it brings the morning And I hate the day I hate the daylight Sit up all night To count the stars Crying babies restless cars Steal my sleep Spin the clock They rush around me Never stop to breath Best place I know Nowhere to go Best place to be Is here with me If each day was mine I’d learn to love the time Grab each minute Live right in it
13.
Darkest Place 02:22
lyrics
Some days she's just angry at the world As if it steals a piece of her each day that she survives Almost guilty of her breath Some days she's to blame for everything Every human tear and every baby starving Almost guilty of her breath But no one gets see her darkest place No one there to share her secret tears No one there to hold her until the trembling's gone Some days she's too tired to lift her head It's so full of indecision, confusion and regret Almost guilty of her breath But no one gets see her darkest place No one there to share her secret tears No one there to hold her until the trembling's gone Some days she's just angry at the world As if it steals a piece of her each day that she survives Almost guilty of her breath

about

Five Balloon Monkey were a a girl band who haunted British movies of the 60s and 70s. Billy Liar chased them along Carnaby Street, through the Mulberry Bush and on to Summerisle, where they vanished mysteriously. Or was it just my imagination (running away with me)?

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released November 30, 2022

Written and mostly performed by Graham Stephen

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Graham Stephen Scotland, UK

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