Get all 9 John Flanagan releases available on Bandcamp and save 25%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Manhood Method Actor, Honest Man, Beauty On The Bottom, There's Another Way To Where You're Going, High On High, Whatever Makes You Happy, The Last of the Cassette Men, Young Minds, and 1 more.
1. |
Beauty On The Bottom
03:32
|
|||
|
She came all that way
Just to hear me play
She sat in the front row
Then she came to smile
And talk awhile
With me after the show
I went and introduced her
To my semi-famous friend
And since that day
I never saw her pretty face again
I was just some low down
Rung on her ladder
Now she’s climbed higher
And I don’t matter
There’s beauty on the bottom babe
That you won’t find up there
There’s wisdom on the bottom babe
That you won’t find up there
Well I travelled around the country
With a good old friend of mine
We made it to that sacred rock
The first people say don’t climb
We went our separate ways that day
He climbed up with the others
As I watched the sunset change that rock
A thousand different colours
As the conquerors rewrite history’s shame
The gentle echoes still remain
There’s beauty on the bottom here
That they won’t find up there
There’s wisdom on the bottom here
That they won’t find up there
I see leaders all around the world
Looking down from up on high
As they ride a wave of frenzy
Try to make it all black and white
They think in billion dollar signs
They give they take away
They get to thinking human life
Is something you can weigh
I met a girl
She’s a farmer on her little plot of land
She come’s to me with silver beet
And carrots in her hands
She left a corporate world behind
She got out of the city
Now she’s planting seeds
And growing up community
In the way she lives her life each day
She’s teaching me a simpler way
There’s beauty on the bottom love
That you won’t find up there
There’s wisdom on the bottom love
That you won’t find up there
There’s beauty on the bottom here
That they won’t find up there
There’s wisdom on the bottom here
That they won’t find up there
|
||||
2. |
Nomad
03:59
|
|||
|
All spirits of the lyric world
Paint pictures of a flying bird
Soaring high but traveling alone
A railroad line a dark highway
The promise they must leave some day
A path only the angels could have shown
And I'll admit I’ve felt the call
To cut my ties and leave it all - behind
In hopes of some romantic dream
And in my mind before too long
I’d stumble by the tower of song
Illuminated by some bright star's beam
Oh cause I've got the soul of a nomad
And it's telling me, running free's the only way
But I've got the heart of a lover and it's drawn to you
Tells me to stay here another day
I've done my best trying to explain
It only added to the pain
Of those I love and those who wonder why
I turned the key and closed the door
I'm not in search of something more
Just something that I never dared to try
Oh cause I've got the soul of a nomad...
A soft goodbye a silent vow
Is all that I can offer now
Is that enough? I don't know anymore
Oh cause I've got the soul of a nomad...
|
||||
3. |
||||
|
I wish I could stay home
And play my banjo every day
But there’s always something to complain about
Instead I’m back here at the coal face
Trying to sing my blues away
‘Cause there’s always something to complain about
When I’m broke I’m only hoping for more work to earn my pay
‘Cause there’s always something to complain about
When I’m working I’m just wishing
For more time to rest and play
There’s always something to complain about
I know I could complain
Till that last train comes rolling in
But In truth I know I’m happier darlin’
Than I’ve ever been
I wish I could stay home
And play my banjo every day
But there’s always something to complain about
Some people have real problems
They don’t get to pick and choose
Some people just love moaning
With the first world problem blues
I know I could whinge and toot
Right through the hoot – Of that night owl
I know there’s nothing wrong
I’m just a dog that loves to howl
I’m a straight middle-class white man
Able-body, able mind
And yet I’ll find something to complain about
I’ll find something to complain about
|
||||
4. |
Free John Zarb
04:58
|
|||
|
Free John Zarb
Set him free
What kind of country do we want to be
Put a man in a cell just for what he believes?
Free John Zarb
Set him free
It’s 1968
Bobby and MLK both meet their fate
US soldiers gun down, rape and pillage
Women and children in a Vietnam village
In Australia, we’ve still got conscription
A precious few stand by their convictions
You can defer service if you get a degree
You don’t have to stand up and disagree
(So we’ve got an army of public servants and tradies
And we’ve got Farnsy singing Sadie the Cleaning Lady)
John Zarb, a postman, refuses the call
His objection to Vietnam, is his downfall
The judge said, “John, it’s written in law”
You can’t object to one specific war
Only a staunch pacificist can walk free
And that’s not what you claim to be”
The man stands up with courage, doesn’t try to hide
And now he’s doing two years on the inside
Free John Zarb…
John rides out his incarceration
While the anti-war sentiment grows across the Nation
All around Melbourne ‘Free John Zarb’ is written
Protesters March Sydney Rd, up to Pentridge prison
John’s family’s is struggling just to survive
16 bucks a week they’re just scraping by
Dad’s too sick to work and Mum’s not much better
Recovering cancer, 3 sons, she’s holding it all together
Free John Zarb…
August 1969
They say John Zarb has done enough time
And on the same day that he walks free
They pin a medal for bravery
On Ray Simpson, hero under fire
Almost killed saving his men’s lives
Two kinds of courage on display
Two heroes walked tall on that day
Free John Zarb…
Set him free...
|
||||
5. |
||||
|
I pulled in to St Kilda
About half an hour early
But I rang that doorbell right on time
He said “Hi, my name’s Paul”
But I already knew that
We headed to my wagon by the faded street sign
And I prayed she’d make the journey
That old white ’89 Camry
And she didn’t let me down.
The day I drove Paul Kelly
From St Kilda into Melbourne town
He’s the last of the cassette men
He’s the Banjo of our time
With his songs of the everyman
The every woman and child
If there’s a torch that he’s passing on
Every troubadour would stake a claim
But he’s lit a thousand fires
Even more maybe, with that flame
He climbed into the car seat
And spying my old stereo
He said “A Cassette Man. Good to know there’s still some of us around”
“Not by choice” I blurted
Ah, I didn’t mean to say that!
I was trying to make a joke but it didn’t quite get off the ground
If that’s a torch that he’s passing
Well it’s one I’d carry proudly
But now I’ll never live it down
The day I drove Paul Kelly
From St Kilda into Melbourne town
He’s the last of the cassette men
The Slim Dusty of today
With his songs of the everyman
The struggles that come his way
If there’s a torch that he’s passing on
Well they might not let me stand in line
But I stole a tiny ember
And I’m still working on my little fire
We hit our stride on Kings Way
Chatting about bluegrass
Finally we found something we can sink our teeth into
But he’d never heard of Nickel Creek
And I’d never heard of the Stanley Brothers
(I’ve rectified that since Paul, that I can promise you)
But we’re neither of us flashy
We’re both modest guitarists
We found some common ground
The day I drove Paul Kelly
From St Kilda into Melbourne town
He’s the last of the cassette men
He’s the Bradman of the song
With his songs of the everyman
The space between right and wrong
If there’s a torch that he’s passing on
Any torch will do
I’ll pull out my old tape player
And I’ll make a mix tape too
|
||||
6. |
Honey I'd Buy You A Home
02:45
|
|||
|
I hear that they’re selling
The old place by the river
I hear that old cottage is goin’
If it weren’t for the weeds
Growing up like trees
My honey I’d buy you a home
My honey, oh my honey
My honey, oh my honey
My honey I’d buy you a home
Well the strip club is open on one side
Centrelink is next door I know
But with that esplanade view
Of the river so blue
My honey I’d buy you a home
My honey, oh my honey…
If it weren’t for my spoilt generation
Too unbridle, entitled
To save for the loan
If they put an embargo
On smashed avocado
My honey I’d buy you a home
If it weren’t for the roof
Gutted by fire
If it weren’t for the soot on the stone
If it weren’t for the walls
With all the scrawled cocks and balls
My honey I’d buy you a home
My honey, oh my honey…
|
||||
7. |
A Place Untouched By Man
03:28
|
|||
|
I wanna go to a place untouched by man
To see the perfect work
Of God’s almighty hand
I want to leave my lonesome
Footprints in the sand
In a place untouched by man
I wanna bathe in that water clear and blue
I’ll forget where I’ve been and where I’m going to
Feel a connection to the earth, I never knew
In a place untouched by man
I wanna go to a place untouched by man…
I’ll take you fishing in that water crystal clear
It would mean all the more to me if you were near
Let’s carve our names into a tree, show we were here
In a place untouched by man
This is the kind of beauty we’ve just got to share
Let’s build a road through here, a hotel over there
We’ll make a pretty penny with plenty to spare
In a place untouched by man
Come fly away to a place untouched by man
Come see the perfect work
Of God’s almighty hand
Come on and leave your lonesome
Footprints in the sand
In a place untouched by man
I wanna go to a place untouched by man…
|
||||
8. |
Ripples
03:34
|
|||
|
I followed her to church on Sunday
She was singing in the gospel band
Though I’ve not been touched by Jesus
I consider him a holy man
And they tell me all that breathes must pray
And all that prays is blessed
And I feel the spirit moving
As I watch her heaving breast
It will strike the surface for one moment
Then it’s out of sight
And the rest of life is ripples
Of a love pure and bright
And I see a real connection
In the people as they pray
And my heart is open to them
So I sing in my own way
I think of all the good and bad
That has been done in one man’s name
Could a pure message live on
In some uncorrupted chain
It will strike the surface for one moment
Then it’s out of sight
And the rest of life is ripples
Of a love pure and bright
And my memory wanders backward
(As the pastor rambles on)
To a new young couple
Making out on a dark street corner
His feet down in the gutter
Passion spilling out of them
I still don’t know if that was lust
Or wild love the rarest gem
I followed her to church on Sunday
She was singing in the gospel band
I made sure that she couldn’t see me
As she sang beside her man
I wonder does a part of our love
Live on in her heart to day
How could anybody love
As strong as we did in those days
It will strike the surface for one moment
Then it’s out of sight
And the rest of life is ripples
Of a love pure and bright
|
||||
9. |
You Can Love Yourself
03:10
|
|
||
10. |
Honest Man
03:11
|
|||
|
“I’d do anything for you”
I said sincerely
Before you laughed right in my face
I was naked in your arms
You said “you piceans
Are such a bloody disgrace”
Was I speaking from my heart
Or speaking from my hard on?
Maybe both, I beg your pardon
I get carried away you see
But you’ll make an honest man of me
“I’d do anything for you”
You SMS’d me
With an asterisk attached
Piece by piece you let me in
You say you’re learning how
To keep your heart unlatched
And the footnote to your asterisk read:
“Within reason”
You’ll never lie just to be pleasing
With you only get honesty
And you’ll make an honest man of me
I’d do anything for love
Just when it floors me
Like the way it has with you
But I’m old enough to know
That there’s a part of me
I’ve got to hold on to
And you’re bold enough to tell me
You need time without me
So you don’t drown
It’s not about me
We will find our way tenderly
Now you see
You’re making an honest man of me
|
||||
11. |
Young Minds
04:54
|
|||
|
A child wanders wide-eyed into the world
His mind an empty slate
A blank canvas to paint
He sees the world in all its beautiful colour
And all the ghastly mess
And all the terrible mess
And he has questions no one wants him to ask
They say don’t rock the boat
Sit down! Don’t rock the boat!
He wonders why we built our world on money
And could we start again?
Yeah we could start again
Come on young minds
Don’t get lost in their old thoughts
Let our young minds rise above
All the bullshit we’ve been taught
We must stand up
And take the lead
‘Cause no one else is going to
Feel the fire in your soul
Come on young minds take control
And as time moves along he loses his fight
And blends in with the game
And now he’s just the same
As everybody else
But who would blame him for it
It’s not easy
Swimming against the tide
When you’re swimming against the tide
Come on young minds…
Not another broken record
Not another broken record
Not another broken record
Not another broken record
It’s time to move on
Come on young minds…
|
||||
12. |
Leave Me To My Blues
03:12
|
|||
|
Leave me to my blues tonight
You can't right every wrong
And every sadness is playing like music in me
Leave me to my blues tonight
It comes on now and then
I don't know why I don't know or when
Out of the shadows of the early evening
I hope you understand
Leave me to my blues tonight
And I'll be back before too long
But every sadness is playing like music in me
Leave me to my blues tonight
What is the ill what is the cure?
What's to indulge what's to endure?
It will be different in the early morning
When I unlock this door
Leave me to my blues tonight
And I will write you a song
‘Cause every sadness is playing like music in me
Leave me to my blues tonight
|
||||
John Flanagan Thornbury, Australia
From the Cygnet Folk Festival in Tasmania to the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia John Flanagan has won over fans far and wide. Audiences are drawn to the original but timeless melodies and deeply honest lyricism of the song-writing. Combining traditional old-time instrumentation with contemporary sensibilities John creates an alt-folk sound that is old and new at the same time. ... more
John Flanagan recommends:
Further Down the Line
by Scott Cook
Scott Cook is one of the best lyricist out there at the moment. He's a true Troubadour living on the road and singing about injustice and also about the good things in life, always with wit & humour
go to album
Take Care, Take Cover
by The Maes
No exaggeration some of the best folk harmonies in the WORLD. This is a truly unique and heart-grabbing band.
go to albumIf you like Honest Man, you may also like:
First Time Really Feeling
by Liz Stringer
supported by 8 fans who also own “Honest Man”
What a surprise for me .What a great artist. Certainly deserves more.Beautiful lyrics,i love her music. All songs are beautiful.
go to album
Best Love in the Universe
by Maggie Rigby
supported by 5 fans who also own “Honest Man”
go to album
Wealth of Sorrow
by Cahalen Morrison
Bright and skipping songs that foreground the sound of the banjo and fingerstyle guitar in music that feels timeless.
go to album
House and Land
by House and Land
House and Land offer a stirring take on classic Appalachian folk; this is delicate, heartfelt balladry.
go to album
