Author: shaun tenzenmen

Australasian DIY music specialist and practising poet, amongst other things

Tumbledown Hill – 3rd April 1987

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

Walking down long beaten tracks
Shuffling dust rises and falls
Birds whisper amongst the bows
Relaying long and distant calls

The sun beats down on broken backs
The fury transforms to lumber and bodies relax
When evening fall the fire’s are alight
Dancing together across the night

Screams breach the stillness and silence
The performance has begun
Many miles have been travelled
And many stories are to be sung

So the voices keep all hopes burning
The dark of night is slowly turning
Everything will fall silent and still
Except the singing of the will
Come lay beside me, on top of Tumbledown Hill

Idle chatter reverberates across the crowds
Fires ebb away as breakfast is eaten
The carnival against the sky, stands defiant
The peace and goodwill cannot be beaten

Stand aside you spectres and ghost of uniform
This is a free spirit which cannot be torn
Stand aside with your guns and shields
Violence is what your profession wields

Let the children dance naked in the rain
Let them free from your hypocrisy and pain
Let the flow of freedom gain
Let the freedom flow again

So the voice keep the spirit a-kindled
Even as the numbers dwindled
Everything will be silent and still
‘cept the singing of the will
Come lay down my darling, on top of Tumbledown Hill

Bag Of Bones – 28th March 1987

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Don’t ask me what it’s all about
We’re all just acting roles
The life blood and emotions
Wrapped in a bag of bones

Don’t kiss me in the morning
When the skies are blue
I’ll blow your mind by Sunday
So you can join me too

I’m tripping over buildings
Trapped in your telephones
Screaming from the inside
Wrapped in a bag of bones

Don’t ask me what’s the meaning
Of life and alcohol
I sit alone on desert dunes
Contemplating the animals

Wrap me in your arms
Touch me with your toes
A comfort and warming
This skinny bag of bones

1st May 2025 – A slight rearrangement of these words in the recording below though they are barely audible. I’m confused at how I managed to jag the saxophone sounding fairly melodic and in tune with the song. I had no idea what I was doing with the thing and it got sold soon after Hate That Smile broke up and I needed money. Written sometime in 1987 these words didn’t get used in a song until 1989.

Tomorrow Is The First Day Of Spring – 10th March 1987

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Wake up in the morning
The sun is shining bright
Open the curtains
To let in the cool white light
Light a cigarette
Draw in the wispy smoke

Wake up from the darkness of your mind
Open your eyes, let your body unwind
Memories of old make them hard to find
Your new ones will be of the same kind

Something wrong, something right
You wake up sweating
In the middle of the night
Something strange, something new
Change of mind
Or a change of view?

Mystery Trips – 27th February 1987

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Trip me up in a cloud of bubbles

Bubbles burst inside my mind
Rendering me partially blind
Pixies jump out of my ears
The mystery begins to clear

Come fly with me, with the birds
Actions are thought louder than words
A whole new world behind your eyes
Taking you up into the skies

18th Apr 2025 – Taking too much acid (not at once, but over time).

Permanent Scars – 12th February 1987

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ 19 Comments

Scars on the flesh, wounds of the heart
Pride is damaged, as I fall apart
Confusing twists in a melodramatic play
Running circles around me day by day

Turn the next corner and it could be pain
Tears pour down like the soaking rain
I could be happy but most likely not
An analysis of everything I’ve got

Bit part actors act so unbothered
Til darkest secrets are uncovered
Watch the soaps on the TV
Look at them, they look like me

Real life comes from gut reaction actions
Two minutes ago, it was so full of passion
Two minutes later it’s so full of hurt
Crushing each other into the dirt

“I love you’, tie me down, lock me away
If I told you that, did I mean it anyway?
End of scene one, start of scene two
It’s hurting me and I’m hurting you

Carry on the game til the blood is boiling
Is it really worth all the toiling?
Hanging on to loose ends for each other’s sake
I wish I could sleep but you keep me awake

Please don’t come see me tonight
It won’t turn out to be all right
I love you but want to say goodbye
Jesus, all we ever do is cry

That’s not right, let’s stop hurting each other
It would be easier if we didn’t bother
My heart is broken and yours will break
We’re just push and pull, not give and take

18th Apr 2025 – I’m guessing this was written after my first girlfriend, Emma, confessed to sleeping with her childhood friend, who had been begging to do so since I’d met her. This was a confusing time for an idiot 19-year-old boy. We stuck it out for a little longer until she went off to college and found better things to do with herself than drink in my bedroom every weekend. Never dated a blonde since.

1st Aug 2025 – Shared with Poets and Storytellers United #188 – Scars