Landed by Blue Flux A few pixels accrue: “landed 9:52” My mobile is poised and at last chimes a whisper from you The creaks and the sighs, as the hours crawl by Is it me or the walls or a ghost I can't identify And when at last I let go, watch myself down below Just the shell of a man, decent start, also-ran, long ago These days blue seems to be winning the war Some days I wish I'd kept track of the score Cold days blood lingers close to the core One day even your touch won't melt this heart anymore Slept under a thundercloud, shocked the kitchen, all hausfrau'd Bare teeth to the world, take a jump and submerge in the crowd In each eye inspecting me, reflects credence and dignity Not a leaf on the wind, but an Exocet missile set free The sum of all parts checks out, but the heft of my whole's in doubt You're the reason to devote I'm the bottle, not the note So I float to arrivals, on the crest of a wave And with a lump in my throat These days blue seems to be winning the war Some days I wish I'd kept track of the score Cold days blood lingers close to the core So today is the day to embrace the old ways once more Some days blue seems to be winning the war So today is the day to embrace once more [all lyrics © 2008-2022 Tom Berlin and Enthalpy Publishing]

Grey by Blue Flux Headlines at one: squirrel saves man Man floods own kitchen to baptise his gran Gran walks again and plants hazelnut tree And there's not a dry eye in Studio B Homespun heroes rarely engross No one faints for unsung saints Larger than life, or anyone's wife But grey's so passé Headlines at six: man beats physics Gravity's grip proved a hit with the chicks Ten cuckoo chips off his 20-stone block Well cocooned in the folds of his soft purple frock Homespun heroes rarely engross No one faints for unsung saints Larger than life, or anyone's wife But grey's so passé Open-hearted, long-departed Love's devotion, a drop in the ocean Skin to skin, thick and thin On the chin, grace not spin Homespun heroes rarely engross No one faints for unsung saints Larger than life, or anyone's wife A king for a day, with a lifetime to pay But hey - grey's so passé No way grey's so passé [all lyrics © 2008-2022 Tom Berlin and Enthalpy Publishing]

Rockdad by Blue Flux A life mapped out from A to Z Plus vinyl propping up my bed Remember them? Fife quid apiece Some rarities, no re-release And sometimes, to my wife's torment I play Eclipse, or Swelled And Spent These shelves hold more than just CDs There's bliss, there's loss, there's memories Got T-shirts, caps, man - I'm legit! And still the world don't give a shit I pay the bills, and score some pills Drive up the hill to get a thrill What dreams I had became façade – too bad My youngest digs Led Zep and Queen Brags to her friends about gigs I've seen But on the few times that we speak Her vacant stare says, “You're a freak!” I daren't pick up my guitar For fear of offspring brouhaha They've got a Glasto visit planned I'd love to join them, but I can't Fact is I'm not too popular Just because time is circular I pay the bills, and score some pills Drive up the hill to get a thrill What dreams I had became façade for a new fad Too bad, Rockdad In shops or restaurants, tubes or bus Just look around – there's lots of us At home I punch 0102 And hey, it's Rockdad City, too Canary Wharf to Downing Street The country should be at our feet We got there first, we met the stars Now best revered inside our cars My wife says, “Move on, find your place!” So I grow old, to spite my face I pay the bills, and score some pills Drive up the hill to get a thrill What dreams I had became facade for a new fad Too bad, so sad, Rockdad [all lyrics © 2008-2022 Tom Berlin and Enthalpy Publishing]

Hidebound by Blue Flux Coming down that same hill for another spell Every rock and crevice I know them all too well Got a pocketful of bruises And a bellyful of sighs Proof in case my heart accuses My mind of telling lies Light and shade - that's how the picture's made High and low - propel the river's flow Round and round, and yet I'm still hidebound Coming down that same hill, no bottom to be seen Just crimson mist arising, deep from my mind's ravine Now and then traces of oncoming faces Turn into mugshots of my most-hated tosspots Light and shade - that's how the picture's made High and low - propel the river's flow Round and round, and yet I'm still hidebound Lost in a maze of pretence Cloaked behind nerve net defence When reason calls the curtain falls Pride takes a bow and mops its brow Come now… Light and shade - that's how the picture's made High and low - propel the river's flow Round and round, and yet I'm still hidebound Coming down that same hill, I'm picking up some speed See a blur of breathless climbers Now punished for their greed And all I am is all I need My best-laid plans may yet succeed, in time Once I've slingshot around fate To climb at a supersonic rate Break the spell of this tricky and slippery slope Say farewell till I'm poised on the summit of hope Light and shade - that's how the picture's made High and low - propel the river's flow Round and round, and yet I'm still hidebound [all lyrics © 2008-2022 Tom Berlin and Enthalpy Publishing]

Sandwich On Putney Bridge by Blue Flux Tight knot, tough lot, seems like I lost the plot M3 – catastrophe. A3 caves in on me Sandwich on Putney Bridge Drive on to Hammersmith All nerves but agog I'm here, I'm in, if just a cog Coming, going, there's just no way of knowing Eschew, or unscrew this strange bewitching brew And drink, or sink, to obscurity Pleased to swing a cat in my Brentford flat Free floodlights twice a week Might turn a footie freak Girls come and girls go Rich pickings, though Crap job won't get me down Because I'm the man in town Coming, going, there's just no way of knowing Eschew, or unscrew this strange bewitching brew And drink, or sink, to obscurity Long days, and ugly nights Gridlock, and next door's fights My bills drive me up the wall I'm caught in the noose of our capital Tight knot, tough lot Up stakes or lose the plot M3 – formality, A303 and I feel free Coming, going, there's just no way of knowing Eschew, or unscrew, this strange bewitching brew I think I'll drink to serenity [all lyrics © 2008-2022 Tom Berlin and Enthalpy Publishing]

Jessica's Dream by Blue Flux She's slipped out the gate and into a dream She's working her magic down by Jessica's stream A purseful of rose petal, a thimble of dew Some crushed sugar diamond to make it come true She's slipped off her wellies and put on her new dress The others are waiting for the little princess In the big room there's laughter, tiaras and tea Sparkling faces from the play school, like you see on TV Puff go four candles, make a wish, Jessica Friends are forever, dreams won't get you far Each opened door can close both ways Soft footsteps lead where reason plays She's slipping with ease through the gaping big hole In the charming but tired old fence of clueless parental control Her glittery smile gets her into the bar without heat There's the girls from Flamenco and the boys from T'ai Chi Come on, Jess, down the hatch, tonight we'll be your treat Each opened door can close both ways Soft footsteps lead where reason plays It slips off her finger like tar from a hull So much hate she can't breathe anymore One flick by the window, and 9 carats gone dull Are set free from the 14th floor They slip her some tens to help mend the old fence Twice a month for the baby in June She's well into bingo with her new friends in limbo Wins a Disney trip and some perfume Each opened door can close both ways Soft footsteps lead where reason plays Each opened door can close both ways Once reason rules it seals the maze [all lyrics © 2008-2022 Tom Berlin and Enthalpy Publishing]

Skinchange by Blue Flux I've wished for a fountain of toys Flashy and swishy, all mine not yours They've dished me that lesson for boys Needs must, but greed busts In time you'll see I've read tales of courage and skill Fearless and firm, the man of the hour Spoon-fed, gung-ho proved a vacuous thrill Needs must, but fakes rust So much to carry, so little to trust I've climbed many org charts and floors Reptilian reaper, stretch targets come cheaper Flew blind, fell behind, took a hit, crawled out the door Needs must, cannot savour a crust For fear of a stab in the back I'd sip every poison this world provides Coveting, conjuring, bullshit and bigotry, gnaw away my inside Your lips set me free from the shackles of pride Keep trust, hold fast, and I'll speed us through the rain With nothing but love tattooed to my back the beast will be slain With nothing but love [all lyrics © 2008-2022 Tom Berlin and Enthalpy Publishing]

Second Chance by Blue Flux Second chance A casual word, a frozen glance Can mean so much To hearts in time but out of touch Unsteady footsteps cast the spell Your mind becomes a weightless carousel With ifs and buts that worked so well Now failing to compel Second chance A tender word, a meaning glance Can give so much To hearts in tune but out of touch You're fizzing like a soda flask With vital questions one should never ask Sky-high above all worldly tasks The dream has shed its mask Second chance A misplaced word, a sideways glance Can hurt so much To freeze a heart beyond the touch With minutes eating seconds raw Each leave of absence seems stranger than before The games you play aim to ignore Your stone-cold hands, the spinning floor A distant fear of nevermore Will second chance come knocking at your door [all lyrics © 2008-2022 Tom Berlin and Enthalpy Publishing]

The Agenda by Blue Flux Lie still – big chill Make noise – hear voice Cry hard – hear the Mewger-Boughat heart Press play In school honest's uncool Copy and paste shit-hot new taste Never pursue Gift-wrap a clue and let the honey buns come to you Press play Backed into a corner, nursing my dissent Watching each performer as the truth gets bent Each breath I take is rife with poison and portent The old man leaves at six now Crawls back home at ten Says, “Got to grease them skids now.” But M-B's mad again “My cupboard's full of clothes, Jack, I only bought for you.” Guess someone wants their life back And someone's not quite through Left, right, all damn day and night Like ants without a queen Cars starburst, do their worst, to feed the fun machine Clinging to my corner, trying to make sense Think I'm getting warmer crafting my defence Before I join the ranks and fight against pretence Press play Question not this Camelot So all may share the dream Next up: shock TV therapy, shock away the pain Compliant views on don'ts and dos Help redefine insane Sign up to change, however strange Go skidding round the bend To dodge the holes that pin-striped moles Could not be arsed to mend I corner each offender, eager to lay bare Every skewed agenda, every snake-eyed prayer And soon there's interviews And book deals to compare [all lyrics © 2008-2022 Tom Berlin and Enthalpy Publishing]

instrumental

Click Here by Blue Flux Am I the coroner of human kind Or just a prisoner in my own mind Will bottled liberty help free my soul Or snare the best of me, to keep control Should I trust testament, or telescope Laugh with the rest of them, or grab my coat Too scared to look at what I'd find [all lyrics © 2008-2022 Tom Berlin and Enthalpy Publishing]

Vanilla Days by Blue Flux There's a man on the beach, white, turquoise and blue He's set off to reach, a port of some sort – not a clue To explore new horizons, he said, to take him away Soon he'll track his own footprints in vain, as he does every day Same old song, wood for the trees all along There's a man in a house, pacing the floor His children and spouse play family next door He snarls at the cage of domestic decay Once escaped to the bright lights he'll call home twice a day Same old song, wood for the trees all along Lifelong quest Utopian flavours try to enslave us But vanilla days are the best There's a man on a roof, under battleship skies Down below tiny faces of hopelessness, venom and lies Wind in his hair, a last gasp of air When he wakes in a puddle of sweat The cool hand of his wife brings tears to his eyes And it's Sunday, and breakfast in bed Same old song, wood for the trees all along Lifelong quest Utopian flavours No sooner savoured than fallen from favour, unblessed Vanilla days are the best [all lyrics © 2008-2022 Tom Berlin and Enthalpy Publishing]