a strand of hair

an original song written in 2015, with some cartoons made by finger drawing on the tablet.

Lyrics:

she found a strand of hair on his jacket.
strawberry blond and very long.
he said it was his mother who came to visit,
from the old folks' home.

another strand of hair was found in his car.
jet black, smelling of lavender. 

he said it was the insurance agent Amanda, 

who suffered from asthma. 

on their bed she found another strand of hair. 

sort of like...chestnut brown. 

"who was here?" she asked, 

"go to sleep!" he frowned. 

their floor is so clean it squeaks like a mouse. 

yet she found a strand of hair in the bathtub. 

short, coarse, and golden brown. 

she broke down and cried and cried and cried and cried. 

"that's our dog Fifi, you crazy lady!"

album ( a poem by R. S. Thomas)

I sang out a poem by R.S. Thomas.

baritone ukulele, voice, painting


Album by R. S. Thomas

My father is dead. 

I who am look at him who is not, 

as once he went looking for me in the woman who was. 

There are pictures of the two of them, 

no need of a third, 

hand in hand, 

hearts willing to be one but not three. 

What does it mean life? 

I am here I am there. 

Look! 

Suddenly the young tool in their hands for hurting one another.

 

And the camera says: Smile; 

there is no wound time gives that is not bandaged by time. 

And so they do the three of them 

at me 

who weep.

what we talked about when we talked about love

based on a short story by Raymond Carver.

i wrote this song in 2015. recorded this version 3 years ago, i think. 

baritone uke and voice. the paintings are older. 

the lyrics are based on Carver's story of the same title. the story is about these 2 couples who sat around the table one night, drinking and talking about love. the scenarios below are 2 different stories that were shared that night. the beauty of this story, is that Carver also conveyed the underlying distance, yearning and dissatisfaction that seem to exist between these 4 different people, each with their own partner, and with their friend's partner, as they sat and talked about love. my lyrics don't mention that part of Carver's story. i just focused on the 2 stories that were shared. the one about the old man feeling so utterly broken hearted because he could not turn his head to look at his beloved wife, who was lying on the bed beside him at the hospital, since his body was so badly damaged from the car accident, that one moved me a lot. 

Lyrics:

Terri had a lover 

he tried to kill her 

he dragged her around the living room 

by her poor ankles 

her head kept knocking on things 

as he went on saying : I Love Her 

what we talk about when we talk about love 

what we talk about when we talk about love 

what we talk about when we talk about love 

what we talk about when we talk about love 

the old couple had a car accident 

multiple fractures, concussions 

but what was hurting the old man the most 

was that he couldn't turn his goddamn head 

to look at his goddamn wife - 

He Loved her 

what we talk about when we talk about love

what we talk about when we talk about love 

what we talk about when we talk about love 

what we talk about when we talk about love 

JooJoo Breakfast Club

oh this was so much fun to make! recorded August 2020. The cartoons were made maybe in 2019 or 2018. how you start is all it matters so get your breakfast right we serve vegemite, marmite, and mightymite and all other kinds of brekkie delights no need to cry over last night's misendeavour slap it on your toasties and you don't have to remember we give you what you need to help you start your day there's a cereal killer on the run and some famous people having fun the pig eats the chicken's eggs the chicken eats the pig we have the friendliest staff and lots of bananas a puppy and a birdsong some tears and lots of laughter we won't discriminate or judge you we don't follow history we follow the morning sun we serve breakfast 24 hours for early risers and all the all-nighters we look at life through a donut's hole we play a little uke, and laugh at it all this is the joojoo breakfast club this is the joojoo breakfast club