BORDER LIGHTS
I can see them border lights
It means I’m halfway home
From the grey skies and dirty streets
Of good old Melbourne town
Out here the starlights
And the shape of the trees
Go on forever
Sitting by the jukebox
At the edge of town
With roadhouse cool he tells me
There’s nothing goin’ down
In this hick town
He’s at the end of his tether
I couldn’t handle his distance
And his vacant eyes
Masking his friendly face
With an evil disguise
So I walked out the door
That leads to forever
Three years later it’s Bordertown
again
And I’m a-steppin’ out into the
night
I crossed the road with my cap in
my hand
Said soldier, “will you give me a
ride?”
He said, “Sonny I’ve killed
people for less than that.”
Then he smiled and then said “alright”.
1977 – back in Australia. Back on the familiar hitchhiking
run between Adelaide and Melbourne. Based on real events from several long
waits for rides in Bordertown. Still stands the test of time as quite a
reasonable song IMO. And at last I’m no longer just writing about love lost
angst!
