We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

Songs Of The Hollow Bone Moon (songs only)

by Pete and the Tar Gang

/
  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      $10 AUD  or more

     

1.
Fifty thousand years ago Mankind clambered through the snow Fifty thousand years ago Mankind’s hands began to grow Some will speak and some will say Mankind’s hands are made of clay Some will speak and some will say Mankind will steal all.. The clay.... (Clang! clang!) Fifty thousand years ago Mankind clambered through the snow Fifty thousand years ago Mankind’s hands began to grow Grabbed himself two fist of snow.. Mankind’s eyes began.. to glow......
2.
Fly Away 04:15
Fly away… Fly away… Fly away to better days Where the breeze blows through the trees Down the fields it seems to scream… Fly Away… Fly away… Fly away… Fly away to bluer skies Where the eagle up in the haze Seems to scream all through the day Fly away… Fly away… Fly away… Fly away to happy moons Where other lights all seem to fade And the moon screams through the veil… Fly Away… Fly Away..!.. Fly Away..!..!.. Fly Away..!..!..!..!...
3.
You better shine your shoes & buckle your boots & whisper a thousand frantic prayers… For the Old Grey Man won’t spare your soul when you’re TREADIN’ THE CONFINES OF HIS LAND! Ooooh! (X4 Choral) You better peel your eyes with an eagles eyes and shiver a thousand frantic stares… For these slopes are mean as they are’ a’ green, and his TERROR WILL PAUSE YOU IN YOUR PATH!! Ooooh! (X4 Choral) (With backup vocals) Oh, Ben Macduie, Ben Macduie, Ben Macduie spots a friend… His eyes wont stare and his fist wont dare but his MAMMOTH SIZE WILL STOP YA DEAD!! Ooooh! (X4 Choral) Old Uncle Moes bones turned to stones and his mouth is a tin box locked and stashed… Old Momma Magee can’t find the key, that TIN BOX IS TOUGHER THAN A WILD STAG!! Ooooh! (X4 Choral) Now the old grey man is everywhere and yet nowhere where you do dare to stare… His shadow is dancing at your back and his song it a’ rumbles through the air… A thousand thunders in your head and a million hail stones full of dread…... Ooooh! (X4 Choral) You better run all night, run home from fright, through the hills of gnomes and skeleton hands… But it is so hard to run when the air does hum and your legs are TWO PILLARS FULL OF LEAD!! Ooooh! (X4 Choral) Oh, Ben Macduie, Ben Macduie, Ben Macduie where are you? I can feel your eyes like a surgeons knife; I can hear your noise LIKE A REAPERS SCYTHE! There’s a million stones to stumble downward home, and I’m too damn scared to EVER FUCKING DARE! Oh, Ben Macduie, Ben Macduie, Ben Macduie WHERES YOUR FACE!?!... All grey and moley, dark and smokey, a cobbled nose of ROUGH AND SCRATCH! Oh, Ben Macduie, Ben Macduie, Ben Macduie WHERE ARE YOU!?!... These dry old bones are now turned to stones and this rusty mouth is locking fast……
4.
It’s a Christmas Eve, and the room is cold, Much colder than ever before.. And a sound is heard from a back room door, And the echo it thuds through the floor Well, I’ve heard that sound on a wheel gone by And I’ve seen your trick of the eye.. If I close my eyes, think of azure skies, For this sounding is best to ignore! …. It’s a Christmas Eve, and the room is cold, So much colder than ever before.. And a cry is heard from the balcony, As the sky turns to dust on the floor Well, I’ve played your game on so many a night And I don’t want to play it no more If I climb up those stairs, and find a pulse on the chair, Then that chair will be food for my lair! …. It’s a Christmas Eve, and the house is cold, So, so colder than ever before.. And a pulse is found on a rocking chair, As my mind starts to snort like a bull Well, I feel your laugh, but I’ll steal your laugh, And your echoes shall echo no more There’s no cause to laugh at this petrol cask As my thumb shoots the flame – FLAME TO WOOD!! FLAME TO WOOD - FLAME IT SHOULD (etc)
5.
Well, there’s a rumour runnin’ around this town about a wicked wench who plagues a roadside fence I heard her screamin’ the other night amidst the rustle of rats, and clap hammer of frogs... ‘LIKE IT WHEN IT RAINS!?’ She seems to screech till the morn – the words a storm in my head – a storm of splinter’ n’ thorn. Kept the whole town pacin’ about all night, all the children are scared to even play in the light .. OH, BE AWARES OF OLD ‘SCRAGGELLY ANNE’ WITH HER RAGGED SMILE AND HER LEPER HAND HER DEMON EYES AND HER MANGY HAIR, HER GOBLIN LAUGH AND HER WILD DOG STARES!! (Scraggelly Interlude) Well, the storms haven’t ceased, ah’ since she came to this town – With all the raining’ of snakes and all the hailing’ of frogs.. Not a batter of sleep, a’ since she came to this town, my eyes a river of glaze through all the stickle back rain… LIKE IT WHEN IT RAINS!? LIKE IT WHEN IT RAINS!!?? LIKE IT WHEN IT RAINS!!!??? LIKE IT WHEN IT RAINS!!!!????.... Scraggelly Anne… (Repeated, repeated) WELL, SHE CAME TO THIS TOWN AROUND THE CENTRE OF JUNE AND THEN THE VERY NEXT DAY THERE WAS A DOG MONSOON!!!
6.
From noon, from noon, from noon, from noon till day…. Here we waltz again into another sway… Did you ever hear the tale of old McRae?... He would waltz around the town from noon till day… And then when the sun had sunk behind the frame… He would point his walking cane into the fray… And the whirlpool whirled and whirled around McRae… Then it disappeared again into the drain… And then when the streets were bare and sulky grey… He would chase his tail home – so long McRae!.. (Instrumental) From noon, from noon, from noon, from noon till day… Here we waltz again into another sway… Did you ever hear the tale of old McRae?... He would chase his tail home – so long McRae!.. So long McRae!... (Repeat Repeat Repeat Repeat Repeat)
7.
Road 04:31
Road, road, road, road Road, road, road, ro-oh-oad Road, road, road, road Road, road, road, ro-oh-oad Road, push me through the fog, foh-og Road, road, keep me, on, on, on, o-on The, line to the prom-ised land, la-and Help me to slide, on your ma-gic hand – You push me through, through, night, ni-ight Help me beat the light, light, light, light, li-ight Road, road, road, where will you take me now (?) Glide a-cross the skies like a sleepy cloud Road! Road! Road! Road! I am so – so far away from home, Home, home, home, and an-ywhere I long to play, Oh, road, road, road, road, push me on, and through the nigh- ight – Oh, moon! Moon, moon, moon, moon, fill me with your second hand light!! (Harmony Time/Instrumental) We drive beside a stor-my sea, away, away, away, way-ay – Through a mill-ion whirl-ling dreams, no way, no way, no way, way-ay-ay Of ev-er fin-ding home, tonight, today, no way, way-ay – I have climbed a la-dder in the sky tonight, tonight, nigh-ight, (Chorus) Road, road, road, road, road, (etc – with more ‘Harmony Times’)
8.
I worked for thirty year or more, along the Old McGrand And every day I broke my back to a thousand grain of sand And every day I carried my bones back to old Elsie’s hand, And there I was a happier man, the sand reformed to land… It was in the year of a two and a seven they changed their master plan And off I was shipped to a big old new tip that was not the Old McGrand They sayed that I’d be all a’ well and all good, up upon this brand new stand, And old Elsie she faded away to a ghost, way down by the Old McGrand… Well, a’ one day I tempted to make my own way, back to the old McGrand, I stole Miss Fitchers key and on my old hobble knee I a’ ran for the horses den I saw that mare Buck with a look in her eye like she was in on the plan, But as my foot hit the Stirrup a cold hand gripped my jacket and into the hay I slammed!... My old bones broke to sand and they could nought reform land, not without Old Elsie’s hand So, like Humpty I lay till my old judgement day, and with no king’s horses or men… All you men of the town take a heed to my frown and be sure to never dare, To return to your gal or some buddy old pal, not without a best laid plan!...
9.
When you go down into the Old Carbon Town, wear the rabbit foot taught around your neck When you hear the sound from the Old Carbon Town, pack tight your ears with the blocks of wax Wax to muffle all the rabble taggle sounds, hollow as a tooth eaten inside out, Many who go into the Old Carbon Town, never come back leaving healthy tracks… (Chorus x4) Do da do, do da do da do – do da do, do da do, da do... Never look down in the Old Carbon Town, only look up into the grey chalk clouds; those who look down while in the Old Carbon Town are often sucked down and drown, drown, drown, drown All the Tarmac tracks in the Old Carbon Town lead to various doors and various wells, Many they have followed in the Old Carbon Town, but all the doors and the wells are friends of hell! (Chorus x4) Do da do, do da do da do – do da do, do da do, da do... Frown, frown, frown, in the Old Carbon Town Every face covered by a bad day scowl March like ants to the pyramid towers, when the day is done buy your sweetheart flowers Let them all droop and dry, dry, dry, dry – next day comes and it’s a brand new pie Bake, bake, bake until the day you die – never did matter cause yer soul long flied! (Chorus x4) Do da do, do da do da do – do da do, do da do, da do... Well, ya know yer friend Bud went to the Old Carbon Town, ‘n your friend bud went the wrong way round Now he looks twenty years older than you, and all of his words are like an unfilled shoe A shoe which he never checked to see if it fit – a shoe he only keeps cause he likes the look of it! (Chorus x4) Do da do, do da do da do – do da do, do da do, da do... And my friend Jim Payne went to the Old Carbon Town, My friend Jim Payne wandered round, round, round Up he was swooped by a black suit gang, and now he pushes pencils in a devils tower (Fade out) when you go down into the Old Carbon Town, wear the rabbit foot taught around your neck When you hear the sound from the Old Carbon Town, pack tight your ears with the blocks of wax Wax to muffle all the rabble taggle sounds, hollow as a tooth eaten inside out….. (Etc)
10.
Well, where will ya go when ya footsteps don’t know...?... (Chorus) Away from the flow (x4) When you tread over ground on dry stick twigs, and that’s all there ever is..?.. That’s all there ever is..?.. And the only bird that flies in the sky is a dry wing bone blown by eddying highs..?.. (Chorus) When you’re away from the flow (x4) When ya look to the sky and ya look to the ground And lo and behold they’re both dirty and brown… And ya look to the ground for a morsel to eat… And lo and behold you gotta settle for dust ta eat!?.. (Chorus) And you’re away from the flow (x4) Well, Harry and Sally and there best friends hung from a tree long dead in the wind (distant scream) (Chorus) While a cold wind blows (x4) And I looked to the ground and the Bone Earth said: (echoed) ‘you betta cry and cry!..’ – My tears sizzle the pan!!!!.... (Sizzle…) (Chorus) While a bone wind blows! (Ad infinitum)
11.
Come all you young sailor men, and listen to me I’ll sing you a song of the fish in the sea… (Chorus) And its windy weather boys, Stormy weather boys Blow ye winds westerly – blow ye winds blow! A jolly south wester boys, and steady she goes! (Tars) Eel!! Now, up jumps the eel with his slippery tail, He climbs up aloft and reefs the topsail.. (Tars) Shark!! Then up jumps the shark with his nine rows of teeth Saying, ‘you can eat the dough boys, I’ll eat the beef!’ And its… (Chorus) (Tars) Lobster!! Now, up jumps the lobster with his heavy claws He bites the main boom right off the jaws! (Tars) Halibut!! And, up jumps the halibut, lies flat on the deck, says ‘mister captain, sir, don’t step on my neck!’ And its…(chorus) (Tars) Herring!! Now, up jumps the herring, the king of the sea, Saying, ‘all you other fishes, you follow me!’ (Tars) Codfish!! And up jumps the codfish with his chuckle head, He runs out up forward and throws out the lead!! And its…(chorus) (Singer) All right is it time for the big one!? (Musicians) Yeah, WHALE!! Now, up jumps the whale… the largest of all… He says ‘If you want any wind, well, I’ll blow ye a squall!!!’ And its… (Chorus)
12.
Always 03:59
Jackets full of steak knives, monkeys eating French fries, dancing under street lights – Can you hear the brawl?... (Echo) (To audience) ALWAYS! Stopped inside a shipyard, signed up for the mainmast, sail by the North Star – Can you feel the cold?... (Echo) (To audience) ALWAYS! Trapped inside the fish-tank, sink inside the quick-sand, reaching out for dry land – Can you hear the call?... (Echo) (To audience) ALWAYS! Frowning like a broad bean, soaking in the soup steam, boiling in the bad dream – Can you feel the scold?... (Echo) (To audience) ALWAYS! Lost inside the tower, holding on for power, dying like a flower – Can you smell the rose?... (Echo) (To audience) ALWAYS! Sailing past the sirens, all the men are die-‘n’, all the souls are fly’n – Can you see the souls?... (Echo) (To audience) ALWAYS! Boiling up the broad beans, boxing up the bad dreams – close my eyes and scream - SCREAM! – Can you hear the screamss?... (Echo) (To audience) ALWAYS! Loading up the shotgun, careful not to have fun – this old world is past done! – Can you hear the squall?... (Echo) (To audience) ALWAYS! Sinking in the o-cean, drinking all the po-tion, fish with no emotion! Can you see the shore?... (Echo) (To audience) ALLWAYS! ALLLWAAYS!! ALLLLWAAAYYS!!! ALLLLLWAAAAAAYYYYSSSSSZZZ!!!!!!!!!!!
13.
Mr Spun 04:42
See the stars stud the sky like a giant emerald pie – Hear the corn, hug the fields, as it whimpers through the night – Mr Spun, wheres your gun, to the cellar you must run – Mr Spun, Mr Spun, he is hiding in the cellar – With your wine, with your rum, drinking – fun fun fun fun fun! – Open kegs, liquid legs – he will hang them up like like pegs! – Mr Spun, Mr Spun, to the cellar you must run – Mr Spun, grab your gun – go and CRU-CIF-Y THE HUN!!! (Bright Flashes) (‘Chorus’) See the toe-nail moon, beaming down like torchlight spoons – Hear the owls, make their sounds – looking down like feather hounds – Hear the gate, swing and brake, hear him hissing like a snake – Mr Spun, here he comes, shouting thunder through his thumbs – Curse the wine, curse the rum, for your knees are jelly plumbs – Mr Spun, here he comes – SHOUTING THUNDER THROUGH HIS THUMBS!!! (Bright Flashes) (‘Chorus’) See the clouds, float like dreams, in the night like bubble beads – Hear the trees, twist and scream, in the night train whistle steam – Mr Spun, hand drop gun, into night time he did run – Took one look, shiver shook, running round like headless chook – Hear him shout, hear him shout, in the night like dying cow – Mr Spun, hand drop gun – into night time he did RUN! RUN! RUN! RUN! RUN!!!!

credits

released August 20, 2014

Pete Reid and the Tar Gang are: Pete Reid on songwriting/compositions/intro and outro dialogue, lead vocals, guitar, toy accordion and glockenspiel. Jean MacArthur Brown on junk percussion and backup vocals. Kirri Buchler on violin, backup vocals, sound design and co-arrangements. Will Morgan Tait on piano, backup vocals and co-arrangement. Renato Vacirca on piano in track 4, 6 and 11, backup vocals, and bass in on track 5. Anto Macaroni on bass in all other tracks, and backup vocals.

Special Guests: Peter Marjonovic on accordion and backup vocals. The Tar Pit Men's Choir: Dan Bryan, Bernard Nolan, Pablo Calero, Pikkle Henning, Leroy Appleton.

All songs recorded in Melbourne by Mr Anto Macaroni. Tracks 8, 12 and 19 recorded and mixed by Leroy Appleton. Intro and outro tracks recorded and mixed by Kirri Buchler and Pete Reid. All songs mixed by Pikkle Henning and Anto Macaroni. Mastered by Wez Prictor at The Finishing Post. Creative design and album art by Pete Reid.

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Pete and the Tar Gang Melbourne, Australia

Pete and the Tar Gang (2006 to 2011) made songs about the sea, obsession, the wild man, ghosts, love gone wrong, post apocalyptic scenarios, the sublimely self deluded and characters pushed to various extremes.
The musical styles are as diverse as blues, folk, rock and operatic cabaret.
The Tar Gang was a posse taking various shapes, according to the material mined by Pete.
... more

contact / help

Contact Pete and the Tar Gang

Streaming and
Download help

Report this album or account

If you like Pete and the Tar Gang, you may also like: