It was a fine idea in autumnOn the palest afternoonsParallelograms of sunshine fell across the roomI woke up and it was winterWith the rain across the roofsAnd the weather turned me into a bit of a recluseIf I needed...

Her letter said in three weeks She’ll be coming down from SydneyAnd if it wasn’t asking too muchCould she spend a few days with meBut it’s miserable this time of yearDon’t visit, you’ll regret itBut if you must...

Hi there dear,I’m on Mars againKeeping in touch with all my friendsI found a nice placeWhy don’t you come and visit?It’s not as red as you’d thinkFrom looking at the picturesAnd it’s my home againIt’s my home...

Hey Mike, you busy?All this sunshine’s making me dizzyWent outside, all my clothes driedAnd if I’m babbling, please forgive meBut it’s the first hint of sunshineFor a week or so, I’d sayAnd I’m keeping well, I’m...

What a beautiful day for a crushing defeatWhat a stupid waste of sunshineA funeral pace down a favourite streetBut I have to come home sometime, I supposeDon’t be hopeful on my behalfI’d like to offer my...

When it’s hot the whole town goes to the swimming poolWhen it’s not the whole town stays insideWalk past the war memorialTowards the water slideAnd on your leftIs all that’s left of the bowling greenA town without...

It was dark when you got homeAnd only getting darkerThe garden overgrownIt was further than you thoughtFrom the driveway to the doorYou fumbled for the porchlightAnd somehow you were sureThat there was something...

Is it April yet?I forget sometimes how slowly summer passesYou disappeared into DeparturesOnly half a year agoIt seems like so much more, you knowI went a fortnight without so much as an emailThen a postcard scant of...

He says he loves her, he’s her husband He says “I do” but he doesn’t He tells lies by the dozen And sometimes she feels like sticking her head In the bread oven Here comes the baker’s wife Clutching a butcher’s...

Katy’s on the telephone With her collar up and her defences down I smell like brandy and it’s starting to rain She says the line is bad, she says “Speak up Dad” But she speaks so softly when she says my name She...

I’ll drop you a postcard, I’ll pick up my penMiranda Street’s deserted, it’s winter againGive me ten minutes and I’ll paint you a pictureOf holiday houses where the sun won’t shineAnd the paint is peeling around...

Every now and then everything comes up roses But you know me and all I know is Right from day one our days were numbered But you kicked up a storm when I stole your thunder We’re twisted together, we’re intertwined...

It's a lonely, lonely, lonely nightIt's a lonely, lonely, lonely nightI need a little distraction to come alongA little distraction, and you're the oneIt's a lonely, lonely, lonely nightSuch a lonely, lonely, lonely...

Even the most familiar faceCan disappear without a traceAmidst a crowd of theatregoersI had been waiting for a whileMy stare mistaken for a smileTill I found the personNo-one knows as well as I doA hug hello and I'm...

Press your fingers against the stringsThis is where the song beginsPinch a hair from the tip of your tongueClose your eyes and fill your lungsHere is where her neck beginsFeel the blood inside your skinIt's...

One of these daysShe’ll buy an old suitcaseAnd she’ll throw a few things togetherGive her godspeedShe says “the sooner I leave the better”And any day nowThat joke will turn sourAnd she’ll say a sweet...

By the time you read thisI’ll be anywhere but hereI really can’t believe it’s only been a yearI’m trying to tell you how I’m feelingI hate all this so muchYou might be hard of hearingBut you’re always soft to...

Heavens above, I could never hate herShe’s done nothing wrongA photograph of Rita HayworthA Latin bombshell, an atom bombLovely Rita, America’s sweetheartThe girl next door and a whole lot moreFrom Hollywood to...

I was supposed to wait for youBut we’ll have to wait and seeHave I been stood up?Standing for an hour or twoBy the detective agencyI wish the walls weren’t powder blueAnd I bet you’re the same as meWhen I put...

Downstairs it’s dark most of the timeAnd it’s a messThe air is stale with the smell of wineAnd cigarettesShe says she’ll clean it up sometimeBut she forgetsShe paints her nails and draws the blindsI draw a deeper...

This is the last monthA childhood disappearsShe may look young for her ageBut she is brave beyond her yearsWith the weight of the world on her shouldersAnd the weight of a child insideAnd it’s the waiting that’s the...

You were never one for sleeping lateBut oh! the working week can waitWe ought to spend today togetherYou might be less than overjoyedUnimpressed and unemployedBut I refuse to waste this weatherA midweek midmorning to...

Here’s me in 1981Squinting into a sinking sunAnkle-deep in the PacificIn the foreground are my friendsGrinning madly at the lensThey look heliolithicAgain in 1993A Polaroid you took of meIn a long-forgotten...

She’s given it some thoughtAnd it’s giving her some griefCould it be she’s bored beyond belief?By the time she says goodbyeShe’s looking somewhere elseStifling a sigh and gritting teethAt the open door she...

Yeah, you’re upsetSo am I, so am II sometimes forget just how seldom you cryAnd thus how much I hate it when you doYeah, you’re a mess, more or lessSo am II sometimes forget there are stars in the sky— So...

Clouds and clifftops closeGrey like all the ghostsIt’s cold on the shipwreck coast this morningYou’re looking for LorneA coat to keep you warmA scarf to keep me from noticing you’re yawningThe grass in the...

We shook hands and parted waysThe sun danced on his eyesFinancial matters were cast asideI’ll sleep well tonightI had to leave this place behindSee some colour for the first time in my lifeYou said you were readyBut...

Twenty-five year old teenager steals every sceneHe's got wrinkles in his forehead He's supposed to be younger than meHe's a rebel with a clauseHis contracts guaranteedHe’s filthy rich and he’s squeaky cleanThe...

You and I have got a postpak relationshipIt's a tale of two citiesI don't know how many self addressed envelopesHave passed between you and I and Melbourne and SydneyTwo weeks 'till your train gets inAnd it's another...

Andrew’s pleasure is a beautiful girlfriendThey both wear sunglasses and hide their facesAndrew’s pleasure is a beautiful girlfriendWho isn't scared to kiss him in public placesOthers say it's quite ironicThat she...

It was summer when she moved inAnd it was winter when she moved out againAnd the sky was usually blueAnd the single bed was big enough for twoIt's funny the things that stay with youHer jewellery on the table and the...

I love you from the heart of my bottomI love you from the bottom of my soulI love the soles on your feetI love you from the foot of the hill(I promise I will)I'd sail the driest desertI'd walk the wildest seasI'd swim...

I walk right past his window when the light is growing dimHe looks away from me and as I glance in at himHe owns one bed, one bookcase and the televisionHe sits and watches and I’m glad I’m not there with himThere...

At the arse-end of another centuryI spend hours in the cemeteryOn my way to anywhere but hereIt was perfect in the summertimeI'd just ask and the sun would shineBut the days just disappear this time of yearYesterday...

Not for the first timeI'm having second thoughtsIn the days we used to shopliftI was always getting caughtBut we were pennilessAnd penitence was more than I could affordFor the last time:You'll be fineThat was forever...

I don't know the difference between you and the weatherYou covered me in dust and wet me throughFelt a little nervous when we two were togetherBecause you were like a storm that I could talk toWe'd go between the...

For five months he was dryFeb til JulyBut he found a little songWrapped up in a dreamGave some thought to the rhymesPut a little work into the chorus lineBut it was really just a dreamJust a solid, good night's...

On a tree-lined routeLooking out on wastelandTreated to a one-man show on a tramJust harmonicaNo peripherals, no bandJust harmonica, just a manIn another timeYou were reaching for my handIt was all I could do to try...

Breakfast, sat on a Japanese mattressGetting this happy takes practiceThe world would be duller without usBlacklist anyone who tries to attack thisThey can say what they like but the fact isThey know nothing about...

You don't need to ask me twiceI'm not averse to giving adviceOn a barstool basisFour o'clock sounds fine to meI'll meet you at the libraryThere's privacy in public placesOh, but, reader, heal thyselfPut the book back...

Tuck your head below my breast I will not love you any less Give your bravest face a rest And grate your grief out on my dress Lower you down next to me lover I’ll wrap you in my cotton skirt Kiss close one eye then...

Today the sun is shining and I feel a million dollars And I don’t need reminding that I own eleven cents The winter of my discount tent when we first met each other Became the summer of the seventeenth dole payment...

A funny old birthday I’ve talked to no-one Is she counting her loose change At the edge of the ocean? It’s a while since we’ve spoken I want her to phone me I’m a little lonely She’ll be home Sunday She’ll be...

I never thought that it could happen quite so strictly But strictly speaking we were usually speaking strictly I returned her library books And she returned my dirty looks The hardest thing I’ve ever done was...

I had a dream about Jennifer Jason Leigh I was running and she was chasing me Sometimes she looks amazingly beautiful

Tram ride through the city Got my backpack on my lap Got all the cars driving round like crazy Got no plans cos I’m feeling lazy Nice day in the city My friend stops by on his bike I ask him ‘How’s your baby?’ He...

The drunkest man in the world Misunderstands what he’s overheard Morose one minute, more toasts the next He’s amazing, he’s a mess Nevertheless Always well dressed The drunkest man in the world The ones he loves...

Far from handsome Close to ugly I pull my pants on I don’t look lovely I wear a singlet underneath my shirt I tuck it in at all times And as the plot gets thicker The hair on top gets thinner I’m not happy but I’m...

I’ve got nothing on todayWhich is not to say I’m ***I’m just sans plansMaybe you could come overGod knows I’m going nowhere fastSince you askedWhenever you wantThere’s a spot out the front of my placeThe time...

All the streets look the same ’til I’m fumbling for changeLight on the porch like we had arrangedHome street home, it cheers mePat my pockets for the keyThe boys and I have been throwing back glasses in big stone...

First things first: I have a happy secretThe next bit’s worseI intend to keep it that wayI can’t remember the last word spokenI got some mail I didn’t openIt’s an un-read letter dayI know both of us are poorBut...

I’m not sure what I should sayYour closest friends are far awayBut you know that I live locallyAnd you can pin your hopes on meYou’re not sure how you feel about himI guess you’ll just sink or swimSometimes it...

I’ll make you wait aroundFor all these things to be sent offIf you’re with meI’ll traipse you round this townI’ve got so many things to take care ofTime goes slowSo slow, so slowNow I’ve got somewhere else to...

Around here the roofs are redderAnd the houses are closer togetherBut the people are further apartAnd it doesn’t ever really get darkI bury myself in booksI’m very good at murderous looksGods knows how I can...

Your dad’s proud face is glowingHe recommends we buy goggles and flagsAll aboard and don’t forget your bagsLet’s leave this place behindAnd I didn’t get you a presentBut you don’t seem to mindThis party’s...

I must admit I find it funnyBut I might have known she’d find it dumbThe air hostess and the blow-up dummyI’m in stitches and she’s twiddling her thumbsShe hasn’t laughed onceShe thinks there’s something wrong...

I don’t know when it startedBut it’s worse now than beforeWe could both be broken heartedIt’s so hard to be sureBut what are boyfriends for?We went from perfect strangersTo less than perfect friendsBut it’s the...

Every second Saturday it’s off to Wormwood ScrubsTo sit within six inches of the man she lovesThe visit’s twenty minutesBut it’s a whole day on the busPresses her fingers to the glassAnd waits for twenty years to...

When my friend comes overWe sit on the sofaAnd most of our clothes are other people’sWith hairstyles the same asThe rich and the famousWe’re certainly no strangersTo pins and needlesShe’s caught up completelyIn...

Take your timeOr some of mineI’ve got more than I know what to do withIt’s getting boringAt the wrong end of the morningStaring myself stupidInto a turned-off televisionCross-eyed, couch-riddenI should get myself to...

For argument’s sake let’s pretend we could stop arguingOver which of us is wrong and why it isn’t youWe’re barely awake before your head’s up in the clouds againThere’s nothing you like more than having nothing...

She gets a haircut every JuneOn a kitchen chairLast year it couldn’t come too soonNow she couldn’t careHer mind is otherwise occupiedShe sits cross-legged on the floorIn an A-line skirtBut she’d make a beeline for...

We’ve never been much chop at all that sensual stuffOne of us always seems to stop before the other’s had enoughLike a self-help manual that’s been written in BrailleIt seems the more that we touch, the more we...