Leaving Sydney

S. Kilbey

Appears On:

Leaving Sydney

Narration (unofficial)

leaving sydney
leaving home
leaving on a slow boat
that' evie in front of me
she's grimacing into the wind
the wind that blows from far away
the wind that blows us off to avalon
into some magical shmagical mist
in some coracle
in some celtic dreamtime
into some guinevere malarkey
leaving sydneys behind
like its lovely factories
and the quarries with silver water
and the rusting hulks
and the shifting bulks
and the mirror balls decaying
and the ghosts of trains delaying
and some damn tv show about rock and roll
and dad said "it's too loud!"
i said i want to go to sydney and buy a nehru shirt
complete with a pendant
and then we left sydney
i was not so sad at our long descent home
sydney in its model business
its luxurious room
its luxuriant plant light
it's taken for granted
it's turned out ok
it turned out fine
sydney, get thee behind me
the day we embarked for kythira
the day they busted superman
the day they freed the noise
we were there, weren't we brother
leaving sydney at last
leaving pittsburgh
leaving stockholm
leaving montevideo
leaving hamburg
leaving it all behind
can't afford it no more
can't afford the luxury of my life
i can't afford a ford
sydney done killed me
sydney done kicked me out
sydney don't turn your back on me
sydney don't dream it's over
sydney like some new nineveh
sydney with her sandstone and iron
sydney what a pretty city
but today we row away
i wear my shirt like cosmic fire
i fly across the greenish sea
with its frothy patterns
sydney don't forget me
sydney i never want to see you again
sydney in summer
sydney in spring all garlanded in flowers
sydney in autumn with her lovely ways
sydney winter like a crystal morning
sydney nights are warm
people waste away in paradise
people in hippie crash pads smoking the herb
people with dreads and hemp clothing
ah people are hedonistic in sydney
people move away and people act like total strangers
people come up to you and they kiss ya
people do many things
people sit and wait for buses that never come
sydney still a youngish whore down by the harbour
eating her fish that costs and costs
her wharves and her waistline
her towers and her hovels
sydney i worship you
don't make us leave
don't toss us out
don't make me lose it out there
outside of you
inside looking out
sydney don't shut me out