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Ground Zero

by Patrick Burgess

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1.
Ground Zero 04:14
Ground Zero I wake up at four, pull my boots on my feet Black coffee on the subway, black ice on the street Click goes my time card, we begin working slow Knockin’ it up down at ground zero We’re like thousands of ants in two great big holes Digging and drilling, and welding steel poles We’re Mexican, Russian, Jamaican, Chinese No one’s got a green card But who’s gonna see? Roll up, roll up Its Friday night The city’s a feast, under circus lights We’re gonna rock until dawn Because when the whistle blows We’ll be knocking it up down at Ground Zero My brother Paul’s a romantic guy All the girls love his silence, and his deep blue eyes He enlisted the day the planes fell from the sky They sent him to Baghdad but they didn’t say why Now he’s home on leave, and we’re out on the town Dressed up like stars, tomcats on the prowl We’re drinking and dancing and laughing like fools Like nothing has changed and we still make the rules Paul says, I love freedom and I love my country And I love the dream that we can set them all free I would give up my life, if that’s what it takes But I’ve watched children die from our stupid mistakes I was angry and proud when I joined the fight It all looked so pure in that cool morning light Now I’m stuck in the mud with the blood and the screams And I fear that we’re wrong with no way to retreat She says, My name’s Hanna, and looks in my eyes Her pretty dark friend’s got Paul in her sights We’re on our way out now, walking hand in hand Some guy says, Hey, Chocolate, want to try a real man? He’s a mountain of tattoos with a big ugly head But Paul cuts him down, barely breaking a sweat My sweet little brother’s now a killing machine Our days of innocence a far away dream I wake up at four, pull my boots on my feet...
2.
Oh le le le 04:24
Oh le le le I am a mountain, I am a rock I’m the ocean tide that no man can stop My breath is wind in trees My blood is hope and dreams I run with wild horses and rivers to the sea Oh le le le, Oh le le la Freedom alive or dead That’s our battle cry Oh le le le, Oh le le la For every one that you cut down A thousand more will rise The lessons of history, seem hidden from your view The human spirit doesn’t quit, it grows more resolute You can’t force us to be silent, you can’t force us agree You’ll fail ‘cause we’ll struggle until eternity The more you push us down, the more we’ll hold our ground Time and god are on our side, can you hear that sound? It’s the scream of the lion, the wolf’s cry in the night The rumble of the volcano, waiting to ignite Timor, Burma, Tibet, Palestine
3.
Coffee Coffee Coffee He looks a little bit like Leo DiCaprio She looks a little bit like Nicole… you’re kidding me! He thinks he’s starring in a Bollywood movie Tight pants, biceps, tattoo of a python Lucy comes every day, exactly on the minute Old lady, small dog, latte with a biscuit She’s not looking at the black-eyed slackers Ekkied out, no doubt They need a shot of caffeine if you want to see them happy Coffee Coffee Coffee Coffee Coffee Coffee Steaming black and dirty Hot and white and frothy Coffee Coffee Coffeee Coffee Coffee Coffee I need a shot of caffeine If you want to see me happy Danny is a fireman at the station on the corner The waitress is smiling as she’s taking his order She digs his uniform, he’s breathing in her pheromones Lucy with her little dog laughing at the theatre Banker takes a double shot, another day, the same lies Black bag under his arm, black bags under his eyes Out of work actors, Latinos with an attitude Here at Joe’s café everybody’s in the theatre Cappuccino, macchiato, double espresso Arabica, Robusta, the service is too slow Skinny latte, hammerhead, decaffeinated, drip brew The master barista is bringing it to you Roasted, toasted, roller-coaster, steam-percolated Brazilian, Colombian, Java or Jamaican Mocha, Turkish, frappuccino, hydroponic, organic I don’t know what to order I’m starting to panic Yeah they need a shot of caffeine If you want to see them happy…
4.
Cambodia 05:24
Cambodia It was the monsoon season of ’75 Nixon said we weren’t there, but he lied There were bombs like rain from American planes They didn’t understand it was a huge mistake Pol Pot blamed it all on the capitalists He said everyone who’s brainwashed will have to be killed We’ll empty the cities, go back to the land Start from year zero again She was just eight years old, a barefoot skinny rice farmer’s kid When the Khmer Rouge came like dragons dressed in black The one with the scar on his cheek took her momma She heard screaming Then her sister Leah pushed her out through a door in the back And she said... Run Bo, and don’t look back I’ll be right behind you, just stay on the track Go the fisherman’s shack, I’ll meet you there Find the river and follow it down to the sea Find the river, and follow it down to the sea Bo was waiting for Leah when the dragons came But the fisherman took her in his boat through the waves They drifted for weeks, with no food and no plan Washed up on the beach in east Thailand A UN man came and said, I’ll give you a new life Bo closed her eyes, terrified They put her in a bird in the hot, wet heat It landed in the snow, she was frozen with grief A family took her in, and loved her like their own child But those dragons dressed in black still came at night Bo studied hard, became a lawyer And moved up to the city lights With her sister Leah’s voice one step behind She said Run Bo, and don’t look back I’ll be right behind you, just stay on the track Go the old fisherman’s shack, I’ll meet you there Find the river and follow it down to the sea Find the river and follow it down to the sea Another UN man came and said, if you dare I’m looking for a lawyer who can speak Khmer The trials will begin now, thirty years late Bo flew to Phnom Penh, in the hot wet rain She stood in the court-room as they brought him in Looked at his scar, and stifled a scream Then led out the evidence of all of his crimes And the judge said, lock him up ‘til he dies She was just eight years old, a barefoot skiny rice farmer’s kid Now Bo’s standing on the court steps wondering where to turn She goes to the fisherman’s shack And is laying flowers in the sea When a voice behind her whispers, like a dream Oh, little Bo, I knew you’d come back I was right behind you but I fell on the track I’ve been waiting for you because I knew one day You’d find that river and follow it down to the sea You would find that river and follow it back to me I was alone and afraid, now my sister’s home, I’m free I was alone and afraid, now my sister’s home I’m free
5.
Roll with the Punches There’s a lantern’s shadow in a local bar Down an unlit Mexican lane I’m drinking Mezcal shots with an old sea dog Its August, in the year of the great earthquake He telling tales of a thousand ports And says, I aint been home since the war Through his bloodshot eyes he throws me words of advice As I’m crawling out through the door You’ve got to roll with the punches boy Bend like a willow tree If you’re proud and tall like a mast in a storm You’re gonna break when a strong wind comes I’m in a Bangkok trap with a kilo of black When a knock comes on the door I wake in a filthy cell, with a urinal smell My blood lies in pools on the floor The script of the dream didn’t have this scene Someone’s cheating, I shouldn’t be here And as the months drip by I fight losing my mind Whispering his words through my tears The highest of highs and the lowest of lows Seem to be the rules of the road Through the wandering years I fought phantoms of fear Lived in heat and shivered with cold Through a sweat-soaked African malarial hell Into the arms of a princess, beguiled I felt the screaming slice of the cold turkey knives Watched a friend sell me out with a smile Now my traveling days have begun to fade I’m tied down, caught up, and it all tastes the same But the miles and the smiles, the jewels of the road I carry within me wherever I go When its dragging me down and I fear I might drown And there’s nothing legal that can ease my pain I cast my mind back to old one-eyed Jack And the gift that he gave me down that Mexican lane
6.
Ambulance 44 04:17
Ambulance 44 There’s a red light flashing through the window in the rain Some kid’s in the back, needs help with his pain Kimbo shoots him up, so he’s quiet while he gets to work Through the hospital doors, we see a friendly white gown The doc says Hi boys, prep’ him, take him down Its just another night, In Ambulance 44 I got a solid truck, and a partner that I trust We do what we can and pray that its good enough Get a call about midnight, find a woman in the bath The guy says she must have had a heart attack But I see bruises round her throat There’s no doubt what that means He comes for me on the slippery floor Then tries to run, but I take him at the door It’s just another night, In Ambulance 44 I got a solid truck, and a partner I trust We do what we can and pray that it’s good enough Got a red light flashing through the window in the rain In the back a baby cries, I guess she couldn’t wait Its just another night, In Ambulance 44 For ten long years I tried to find my place in this world Doing office time felt like prison time I kept dragging at my collar like a dog on a chain But when the siren’s on And we’re speeding through the dark city night I know I was born for this, I need the risk I’m only any good when everything’s gone wrong I got a solid truck, and a partner I trust We do what we can and pray that its good enough In the clean morning light people heading off to work I’m covered in gore, every muscle hurts Had a fire, a car wreck, a shooting and two OD’s Back at the station do the paperwork and turn on the steam It all washes away, just like a dream Another night in Ambulance 44 Just another night in Ambulance 44 It’s been a beautiful night In Ambulance 44
7.
Baghdad Sky 04:13
Baghdad Sky Oh, there’s a fire in the sky again The sound of mortars breaks up my sleep In the darkness I hear my children breathing Feel the pulse of my baby’s heartbeat I am a peaceful man I don’t believe in the rule of the gun But when they come, knocking down my door I’m gonna do what needs to be done I watch the TV, I see those families Playing on the green grass, swimming in the blue sea So where’s the reason that they are them and I am me I’ve never known one single day of peace I am a simple man Just getting by the best that I can But when they come, knocking down my door I’m gonna do what needs to be done Growing up under the hand of a madman Only strengthened the love we have for our land I always prayed that a savior would deliver us But now they’ve come and made an even worse mess George was a simple man, all he had was a simple plan Let’s smoke ‘em out, that’s what John Wayne would do Get rid of Saddam and get us some oil too Simplistic Naïve Ignorant Arrogant The modern world is a complex mix No simple solutions, no quick fix The only constant is constant change We save our lives through the lives we save It’s not about religion, color or race It’s about opportunity and the disgrace Of taking more and more, and leaving less and less When they’re backed into a corner, what do you expect? I am a peaceful man I don’t believe in the rule of the gun But when they come, knocking down my door I’m gonna do what needs to be done Oh, there’s a fire in the sky again, The sound of mortars breaks up my sleep In the darkness I hear my children breathing Feel the pulse of my baby’s heartbeat
8.
Wild Forces 04:09
Wild Forces Wild forces possess me One foot in darkness, one in ecstasy Stripping away my identity Leaving me wide open, like a newborn baby Vulnerable, but so excited Trusting all, terrified Flying, crying, trying to understand This mystery, so far from understanding If you say, It looks too hard lets walk away I’ll be dust outside your door But if you say, Together we will find a way Wild horses won’t drag me from you Wild forces, friend or foe Send me a sign, so that I will know Is this real, or is this just fantasy Falling in love or falling in love with love But my heart sings when I’m close to you
9.
Taxi 03:25
Taxi Climb into my time capsule Leave behind the windy night Put your life in shaky hands The blind leading the blind Yeah we’ve got wild stories Kings and queens in my back seat Fans wave from every corner Taxi I drive the graveyard shift Moon-tanned by midnight sun I chase those cocky boys When they get out and run Lords and whores, priests and thieves Ignore back seat lovers’ screams Fans wave from every corner Taxi My city’s filled with lust tonight Smooth wet skin under shining lights I can feel her pulse, I need to drive We’re electric, we’re alive Like a pin-ball bounced from side to side Every night’s a brand new movie Every customer’s a star Yeah we’ve got wild stories, Kings and queens in my back seat Fans wave from every corner Taxi I drive the Minister When he’s undercover with his secretary Picked up Father O Shea in drag He said, Hi I’m Mary I sit through the quiet hours Just the alley cats and me Fans wave from every corner Taxi, taxi Hey, taxi
10.
Tsunami Dave 05:44
Tsunami Dave If you’ve got a few minutes, I want to share a little rave About a surfing legend known as Tsunami Dave It might be a bit stretched, it could be true blue, no matter It’s a great little story when you’re sharing as brew Born on the gold coast, where his old man Nick Taught Dave to hang five before he turned six They chased perfect waves, and traveled ‘round the world Dave won all the contests and the hearts of the girls From Manly to Pipeline and Waimea Bay Out at Teaup’eau, Ulu, G land, Cloudbreak Dave caught the biggest, surfed the deepest inside But his thirst to ride giants wasn’t satisfied So he studied meteorology, the tides and the sea ‘til he came to understand what the scientists believed As our cars and factories melt the ice poles The extra weight of the water cracks the earth below Dave set up his gear, to watch and to wait ‘cause when the sea bed shifted it would send out a wave Twenty miles deep, twenty metres high When it got near the shore it would reach to the sky The waves of my life are tumbling down I’m lonely and scared and fear I might drown In this sea of uncertainty there’s one thing I know If Dave was here, he would go Just before dawn on a September morning Dave’s buzzer went off, and he sent out a warning As everyone ran to reach higher ground Dave waxed up his board and paddled on out The ocean was still, like glass on a lake On horizon a massive blue mountain took shape It grew and it grew, Dave’s heart thumped in his chest It peaked and then broke as he paddled down the crest He dropped, and he dropped, got air, dropped again Shot way out in front and carved a huge turn Out on the face of the screaming green beast He rode over the reef, and over the beach Dave surfed up the main street, cut back by the mall Bumped over a cop car, slipped but didn’t fall Pulled into a tube formed by the old banyan tree Came out by the bus-stand where he’d first kissed Marie The rising earth slowed down the wave ‘till on five mile hill, high and dry, stood Dave He hung up his board, with a hoot and a smile His quest to ride giants finally satisfied Chorus They cleaned up the mess, made Dave mayor for life ‘cause without his warning no one would have survived Now he sits on his porch and stares out to sea Patiently waiting for the next tsunami The waves of my life are tumbling down I’m lonely and scared and fear I might drown In this sea of uncertainty there’s one thing I know If Dave was here, he would go
11.
Everything I am I’m sitting here trying to get what’s inside out Tears running down my face, as I’m not quite sure why There’s an ocean of memories Laughter light, forgiveness and pain A million miles traveled, wish we could do it all again I’m only two or three, I can smell the lemon tree You’re hanging out the washing in the cool morning breeze Then I’m stuck on my face with broken bones Screaming, all alone Then you’re holding me, and all my fear is gone Everything that I am, I owe to you And I just wanted to say, thank you It wasn’t always smooth, you’re obstinate, its true Maybe I get mine from you, because I’m obstinate too Anger fuels flashing tongues We’ve cut each other more than once Before settling down on different sides of truth Everything that I am, I owe to you And I just wanted to say, thank you Now I’m traveling down my own road Found myself a shared soul With little hearts to guide And hold when they’re tired and cold Now I’m the one who must be strong And not let on when things go wrong And when I’m falling, the smell of lemons drags me on Everything that I am, I owe to you And I just wanted to say, I miss you I just wanted to say, I love you

about

PATRICK BURGESS - SINGER-SONGWRITER, HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYER & SURFER - NEW CD ‘GROUND ZERO’

Patrick Burgess worked as director of the UN's human rights program in East Timor and with emergency relief after the genocide in Rwanda as well as in the Congo, Uganda, India, Nepal, Yemen and Indonesia. He has been a barrister, a truck driver, a barman and a professional lifeguard, crossed Africa by bicycle and dug-out canoe, sailed across the Pacific Ocean, hitched across the United States, lived in the Himalayas and surfed big waves in many remote islands. These are the stories he collected along the way…

‘Ground Zero’, the new CD from Patrick Burgess, includes a range of songs that are stories about Iraq, Cambodia, East Timor, New York, taxi drivers, pirates, paramedics, surfing and modern day pirates. Produced in Sydney, many of the tracks have generous help from a range of Sydney musicians including Rob Hirst and Martin Rotsey of Midnight Oil.

credits

released July 23, 2016

All songs by Patrick Burgess
Vocals, guitars, harmonicas: Patrick Burgess
Guitars, bass, keyboards,
Backing vocals: DC
Drums & hand percussion: Nerida Wu, Dean Belcastro
Backing vocals: Galuh Wandita,
Jo Perrett, Paul Orrock
Additional percussion: Rob Hirst
Additional guitars: Martin Rotsey,
Gil Madeira
Produced by D.C & Pat Burgess
Recorded at The Cool Room &
Moonlight Studios, Sydney, Australia
Engineered by D.C, Josh Atkinson,
Dean Belcastro, John Cobbin
Mixed by D.C.
Mastering by Steve Smart at
Studios 301, Sydney, Australia
Artwork by Evil Twinns
Cover photos by Michael Morgan

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about

Patrick Burgess Australia

Human rights activist singer-songwriter Patrick Burgess draws from the stories of ordinary people who have inspired him during his travels to many of the world’s conflict areas. He has worked in Rwanda, East Timor, Myanmar, the Congo, Cambodia and dozens of other countries, always carrying a guitar...

Patrick Burgess’ new single, ‘Stolen Children’ out now on Bandcamp!
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