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Jocasta: A Musical Tragedy

by Louis Barabbas

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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Two discs in six panel full colour digipack, with thirty two page booklet featuring lyrics and production notes.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Jocasta: A Musical Tragedy via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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1.
2.
Ignore the clocks ticking and chiming I warn you don't ever take their bait Round here it don't matter what the time is Because round here it's always too late Some towns chew you up This one digests you slow You might as well just give up It'll never let go I've been searching all evening For a game that ain't rigged There's only one way of leaving Get a shovel and dig Welcome to the upside down Welcome to the inside out You won't find many new ideas in this town No one ever thought to try one out They built things to last They didn't build them to work The funny thing about the past It has a tendency to lurk Around every corner And down every drain Rising up to warn you Again and again Welcome to the upside down Welcome to the last sliver of soap There ain't a lot of optimism floating around Even the circling vultures have given up hope We've got low expectations And high rates of tax Blood is spilt on occasion But soon dries in the cracks It's one long wrong foregone conclusion This is no longer about fathers and sons More of worlds that are starting to shrink Weeping mothers giving suck to their young Tender as scabs picked down to the pink This tale is tired of the telling It don't want to unfold It's sobbing and yelling To never ever be retold While the promises pile up But nobody's counting The rivers turn to slop That ain't fit to drown in Welcome to the upside down Welcome to the shadow of the doubt The house lights have faded now But that don't mean you can just sit this one out Everyone here is so proud Everyone here is so prone No matter how big the crowd We still feel alone How did it ever come to this? How did it ever come to this?
3.
There's an After after every Ever After And if these events cause some offence I won't say what that represents I can't hear the jokes for all the laughter Life's a picnic Life's a treat But just when this life seemed so sweet You notice ants in the sugar bowl The romance is getting cold Your world's viewed through a prism Of endless euphemisms All the stories have been told The newfangles are getting old Where will our lives spit us out Can there really be any doubt That Every Tragedy Begins with a happy ending Every tragedy begins the same Every tragedy begins with a happy ending But they don't stay that way Though our fate's unknown That don't make it less certain We're paying interest on all Those happy moments that we stole So stay at home and gently twitch the curtain We've got the perfect view to Watch our shrinking futures Follow the rules Right down to the letter You think your love will grow But it's already plateaued And if your dreams come true It means you should dream better So dance like there's no yesterday Dance all of those dreams away And say Every Tragedy Begins with a happy ending Every tragedy begins the same Every tragedy begins with a happy ending But they don't stay that way Coincidences and serendipity Providence is all down to destiny I'm convinced this will end up miserably now Don't scream Don't fuss It's ever been thus Line crossed Coin tossed Game lost Because Every Tragedy Begins with a happy ending Every tragedy begins the same Every tragedy begins with a happy ending But they don't stay that way
4.
The word "People" Just means you and me But "The People" Means THEM And The People To you and me Tend to be A problem Because us people Are so feeble While The People Are strong But direct their strength At their own ranks And oh you can't go wrong If you really want to run things Then give the people something To hate Pitilessly stupid Like waves against a shore If you give the people what they need They only need it more The best action Is distraction And disruption And despair The rut gets deeper The sentiments cheaper Who's really going to care? No one notices the lies When they're sharpening their knives Hate Non-conformities, minorities, differing priorities Hate Alternate sexualities, physical abnormalities Hate They're all in thrall to mystic pieties Ignore their how and why-ities Hate Hate Hate So join the whining dining pocket-lining Career-defining Time of hate Soak up the rising All-despising Self-aggrandising Tide of hate When accusations Sweep the nation Behold your willing congregation Of hate Everything will be ok Unless you're foreign, poor or gay Hate Immigration, diversification Gender reorientation Hate Other nations, skin-pigmentations, Any form of variation Hate It is my recommendation They're the cause of all your consternation Hate Hate Hate It's your hate so use it Don't let anything diffuse it Keep it close and never lose it What is power if you can't abuse it? Fear is unconverted Hate Sadness: unconverted Hate Weakness: unconverted Hate Take these things and make them great A feeling's worth a thousand thoughts And the strongest feeling of them all is hate.
5.
If you sleep If you sleep don't dream But if you dream Dream one little thing for me Not wars Not glory or applause There'll be time for these of course But for now dream little things Just shrink the world to a single bed And let the thoughts that swirl round your head All slow slow slow Because one day Bigger things'll get in the way And you'll find they're here to stay And you've no more time for little things You will learn, you will ponder and discern And the world will turn and turn And take you far far away from me You may laugh You may some day think I'm daft But the memories you'll soon have Will some day take my place you'll see So before your past accumulates And while you've still so few yesterdays To pull you down Don't fret Don't frown or feel regret Nothing matters much just yet So enjoy the little things And when the sun yawns and draws down the blinds Don't you dare grow up during the night 'Cos you've no words To absorb all that occurs There's no need to feel disturbed While you're still a little thing
6.
So you've got new laws You think may cause Some civil wars Well don't you worry There's all to gain Check the weathervane You bring the rain I'll bring the brolly Shatter those taboos What have you really got to lose It's a good day to bury bad news There is no need to lie It's easy as pie Believe me I Can share your burden Boy take heed And follow my lead 'Cos all you need's a good diversion Celebrity accused Of giving somebody a bruise? It's a good day to bury bad news You want to legislate But fear they'll hate Your police state Well don't be concerned Doubts are raised But we're not fazed Check the final page 'Cos there you'll learn When the world blows a fuse Chaos ensues That's a good day to bury bad news This ain't no joke 'Cos we're the folk Who shine the mirrors and pump the smoke Don't be mistook Take a closer look 'Cos what's a dagger without a cloak? Military coups Must I give you clues? It's a good day to bury bad news I'm not afraid to say Mistakes were made But in all good faith Well ain't that something? It's our job To see through the fog While the drains are clogged With yesterday's bunting Sit back and choose From all the menus A good day to bury bad news Beneath the mechanism Of the political position A problem has arisen That demands a new revision This libertarianism Leads to untenable schism And the people's decision? Sign a new petition! Power abused? Fetch my thumbscrews! It's a good day to bury bad news Dig a hole Dig a hole Dig a hole hole hole It's a good day to bury bad news Fill it in In in in It's a good day to bury bad news Dig a hole Fill it in You're on a roll If you can spin Why choose a bitter pill When there's sweet medicine While the people enthuse And the journalists snooze It's a good day to bury bad news
7.
I've no problem with the modern Just the modern of today It seems so very sudden And shows no signs of going away Have we all forgotten I suppose no one understands That in my day the modern Was so full of romance Where is all the style today? Where is the elegance? No one greets with enchanté Where is the romance? What was once grand and gracious And kept us all entranced Is now just ostentatious Where is the romance? Ou est la romance Ou est la finesse Au revoir jouissance Bienvenue tristesse Ou est la romance Ou est-ce aujourd'hui Adieu et bon chance Salut ennui There are fewer people starving In the slums and hinterlands I'm sure they're very charming But where is the romance? Though many may be better off With this brand new stance The view from the very top Is deprived of its romance Ou est la romance Ou est la finesse Au revoir jouissance Bienvenue tristesse Ou est la romance Ou est-ce aujourd'hui Adieu et bon chance Salut ennui It's become a scrum of tourists Where there used to be flaneurs We've swapped the top philanthropists With crass entrepreneurs Who really wants it this way? Let me see a show of hands It's such a sorry soiree Where is the romance?
8.
Don't get me wrong Don't walk away it's not a con I'm just proposing you're a person Who's supposing things won't worsen I can tell I know these feelings all too well I've got the answers Take no chances You can save yourself a living hell I know you're sure I know you've heard it before I realise That you're wise In the ways of the world You've got faith That fate keeps you safe Well ok, But let's look at it another way…. How do you know? Now tell me this Do you think ignorance is bliss Well try the future It might suit you Allow me to introduce you Let me give a little glimpse Of what's to come You're not convinced? You just rely on The blue sky on That hilarious horizon? I see you're torn You don't think we should be forewarned Well it ain't cheating Life is fleeting Make your troubles start retreating Do you believe Things will just work out to be Naturally satisfactory? How do you know? All prophecies come with a clause (Of course) You can't escape it, shape it Change it, rearrange it But though you'll know what's in store (And that can be such a bore) Don't sweat it Regret it If it kills you Let it Now don't assume It ain't all doom and gloom But hey, don't it pay To have all the facts at your disposal What will you choose What do you really have to lose We shed light on your plight It's your life It ain't no dress rehearsal You've got this far You've got some stories You've got some scars You've seen where you've been And you know where you are But what's that shadow? Hanging right over you Glorious euphoria? You're sure But how sure are you? How do you know?
9.
So is this it for me? Tell me honestly Did my life peak And no one was around to see? I haven't done a thing Not worth mentioning My reputation's hardly glistening Is this it for me? Categorically? From now on it's just the appendices? God it's all so clear Now the end is near I'm doomed to disappoint and disappear Is this it for me Is this all the sympathy I get as I head into eternity What have I achieved? No I won't believe That there's no chance I can't still be reprieved Where were the hands to guide me? Why did they only push me down? Is this it for me? Insurmountably? Don't these rules have some elasticity? How will I be judged My legacy be fudged When my final finger print has been smudged Is this it for me? Terminally? No appeal or pardon? No amnesty? So what, I'm just some ghost Trying to make the most Of fighting for a place among the footnotes? Where were the hands... Now the clocks tick in competition While life mauls us with its claws We trust in the superstitions That trip us up and make us crawl And while Youth carried on without me I began to lose my nerve Then Time sold me out completely Is this what I deserve? On the contrary What perversity Where the hell's the cavalry? Is this it for me Will no one disagree Or question Fate's unchallenged tyranny? It's more than I can stand Living a life pre-planned And deliberately dealt a losing hand. Is this it for me? No apology? By what power? What authority? I'm held hostage by the past The present never lasts And now the future's coming at me fast Where were the hands... Do all those about to die Feel they've never lived Could I have been more? Well could I? Do more than just exist? Why did I just accept? Why did I never choose? I kept all my desires in check Now it's mate in three moves And Destiny Has got it in for me Well we'll see about that now won't we.
10.
They expect a woman to weep To lose sleep To wail To fail to keep on top of things Well I will not weep I will not wail I will howl Howl howl Where can I go that isn't here? When here stretches so far and deep into me What do I do with all of this strength? What do I protect if I don't protect him? I will howl I will howl I will howl
11.
Before you disperse While you still fear the worst And wonder what's done And what we've still to do At moments like these It's easy to think that we Are the last of an old way Not the first of a new We've been through this before We're all tired and sore And those years, well sure Each one left their mark But the seeds have been sewn And though I know You cant get blood from a stone You can get a spark Don't you want to feel like you're a part of something Don't you want to feel like you did once before Don't you want to feel like this is the start of one thing That'll lead to more We need to show that we're done With stooping for crumbs Though I suppose everyone here Is ready to rest Well I don't know about you But I think it's human nature to Seek out the odds To pit ourselves against Because we've not finished trying This is no day for crying Some flags are still flying And some are buried with the dead I'd never suggest You ain't already given this your best But all we have left now Is what lies ahead Don't you want to feel like… I don't care what they say About good old days Empty fantasies Of big societies Be on your guard Because times are hard For everyone (well almost) Don't rely On getting by I'm damned if I Will stand aside And lose all hope Maybe our chances are slim But don't think now of giving in Who says we can't win Because I think we just might So gather your things Let your hopes all take wing Because mouths that still sing Are mouths that still bite Don't you want to feel like…
12.
Later has come And it didn't bang a drum It snuck in through a window When our backs were turned I'm not suggesting Faith's made for the testing But it's clear how here and now Faith never learns Life flies by On the outside But please spare me the details Raise your glasses Time passes Everything else fails There's progress except Well I wouldn't hold your breath But in time She'll be as fine As one can reasonably hope The human brain is a funny old game We've made loads of inroads But there's still more to know When you least expect Life collect its debts Who knew it was all up for sale? For all classes Time passes Everything else fails We only survive as long As blind chance spares us Right or wrong Time soon ensnares us Moments don't last Where do they go? The years slip by fast But the hours are so slow I could have sworn I'd barely been born Yet here I am With no plan Thirty eight and how Did I get here Does everyone have this fear They're pretending Upending Their claim on the Now My youth is intact I've just lost our way back to it Born away with the wind in my sails To greener grasses Time passes Everything else fails We only survive as long As blind chance spares us Right or wrong Time soon ensnares us Moments don't last Where do they go? The years slip by fast But the hours are so slow.
13.
Jocasta Regina She really should've been a Star of the screen Not on the arm of the regime But oh what a whirl She had such a spark In her youth she was the hottest girl Since Joan Of Arc Jocasta Regina As sharp as a guillotine Lit up the media Then poured on the gasoline Burning so bright But now dimmed down low Her heart sealed up tight Like a pistachio Jocasta Regina A lioness to our low hyena Such a demeanour Someone ought to quarantine her She seemed to float As though walking on air With her thirty yard petticoat And a thousand yard stare Jocasta Regina You must have seen her Always pressed up between the Paragraphs in magazines Starved to perfection Unsexed by grief A strange predilection If you suspend disbelief Jocasta Regina Some kind of modern fairy queener None supremer Hit me with your court subpoena We can't get enough Though we clearly resent She's not capable of love Just affectionate contempt Jocasta Regina A walking Deus Ex Machina Hard to believe a Single thing they say about her She looks so sad But we've all had a laugh They say she's half mad Though they don't say which half
14.
I'm in no hurry to see how this ends Your minds seem made up Well I guess that depends If you think I Would just stand by Whining and pining away I know it ain't easy You're feeling betrayed By all those tomorrows That became yesterdays Don't make no Mistake though We go on 'Til we've won The day Because in every town For miles around They're singing out How long can this go on? Don't try to stop me Don't even pretend This whole place is broken But some breaks can mend How can you Continue To do as you do Anyway We've got so much desire But not enough hope I'm so sick and tired I'm struggling to cope With useless Excuses Let's get on and do this Today Because in every town... How long can this go on? How long do we bow down? How long until we're strong? How long can this go on? You think closing your eyes Will help you walk through the dark I don't mean to chastise But you're wide of the mark Together Whatever It's now or never Win or lose How much of who you are Is who you want to be Well you won't get very far Without someone like me Because sooner or later All you hesitaters must choose Because in every town...
15.
I'm famous from one end of the bar to the other When I arrive take cover Or you'll discover I'm famous from one end of the bar to the other You get these, the next round's on me My favourite drink is called Same Again Same Again Same Again Yes my favourite drink is called Same Again Come drink another Same Again with me I'll have gin, rum or vodka Beer, wine or whiskey From a glass preferably But I'm not fussy I'll have gin, rum or vodka Beer, wine and whiskey You get these, the next round's on me My favourite drink is called Same Again Same Again Same Again Yes my favourite drink is called Same Again Come drink another Same Again with me. This is the best place in the world Where I haven't been barred Though I admit I've tried hard My repute is unmarred This is the best place in the world I haven't been barred You get these, the next round's on me And my favourite drink is called Same Again Same Again Same Again Yes my favourite drink is called Same Again Come drink another Same Again with me. When I drink down to life's level it raises me up You don't get that from a coffee cup So why would I stop When I drink down to life's level it raises me up You get these, the next round's on me And my favourite drink is called Same Again Same Again What I was saying again? Yes my favourite drink is called Same Again So who'll drink another Same Again with me?
16.
Fate looms Hums it's little tunes Don't know what'll happen But it's going to happen soon It's time to take sides I feel your pain It's hell in all but name Don't know who to blame But we'll find someone It's time to take sides They were wrong So we crack our throats in song Pray it won't be long Until things alter It's time to take sides Clocks tick feel sick What are you afraid of? Nails bitten to the quick What are you afraid of? Oh well, take your pick What are you afraid of? So alone now Fear Though it whispers in your ear It is not a friend today Who'd have thought it A government so sordid Yet people applaud it When will it end? It's time to take sides Police horse hooves Striking sparks upon the cobble stones Troops march through the troubled zones Kick down our doors, we're not at home Because it's time to take sides Rotten luck taking names What are you afraid of? Forgotten their ill gotten gains What are you afraid of? World's going up in flames What are you afraid of? I don't know now Fear Though it whispers in your ear It is not a friend today I hear the distant thunder rolling We watch the flags unfurl But never heed the warnings We die in different worlds To the ones that we are born in Or we hope to Promises he says What are you afraid of? Take a guess, a little test What are you afraid of? It'll turn out for the best What are you afraid of? I'm not so sure Fear Though it whispers in your ear It is not a friend today I hear the distant thunder rolling We watch the flags unfurl But never heed the warnings We die in different worlds To the ones that we are born in So come and test your mettle Come and join the cause The only things that settle Are dust and old scores We've all seen better days Though I can't remember when And those who can't be saved Can still be avenged Hope's an open letter Telling you to survive Hope don't make things better But it helps you stay alive Hope is the rain On a world that's turning barren Hope is the saying What's the worst that could happen? What are you afraid of? Don't you want to feel like you're a part of something?
17.
Misery Every single sucker Has their own Recipe Falling over each other Just so They can be Harmonising With their own Self-harmonies It's a cruel world Would you have it any other way? Misery I'm beginning to think Everybody's having A better time than me I don't feel so chic Maybe we should tweak Our philosophy Can't get it out of my mind Who the hell designed This catastrophe? It's a cruel world Would you have it any other way? Misery You've got to admit When you think about it One of humanity's All time one of a kind Single finest discoveries Inexaustible One size fits all And so catchy It's a cruel world Would you have it any other way?
18.
Wait a little longer Stay a little longer The world slows And hollows Yet my heart still remains So full With a lullaby But no baby to lull Don't say a word to Those who would hurt you It's cold out But just hold out Your hand I won't ever let you go My lullaby With no baby to lull Now I make Sure that every Mistake Is carried with me And I've set Every regret In stone As a monument But still This is a lullaby With no baby to lull. Wait a little longer Stay a little longer.
19.
Death is what happens to other people It's not what happens to us We'll be home before The beer gets warm And toast All those On the end of our fisticuffs
20.
My heart does not bleed Nor will it sing It's a drab dreary thing That clenches up so tight within me Don't say a word Don't understand Oh man I'm keeping it together The best I can I've been smeared with your kisses Snarled up in lust I didn't make a fuss I was young in years but old in weeping Don't turn your back Stay on your toes Lord knows I'm keeping it together the best I can And I never knew how hard it could be Just like I never knew how hard I believed That you'd be better Now I'm keeping it together Maybe I used to make choices Now I just live with them Like you could give a damn Like you know a thing about me Everything's wrong I've been biting my tongue For way too long I'm keeping it together The best I can And I never knew how hard it could be Just like I never knew how hard I believed That you'd be better Now I'm just keeping it together
21.
Let me take a look Ooh he's just the sort Eyes undisturbed by thought Love the limp Not too obvious Hints at a sort of dented glamorous Afflicted fighting for his country? (No it was a childhood accident Don't interrupt me) As a quirk it's better than a facial scar It pushes an agenda but not too far Timeless yet contemporary A special kind of ordinary He's full of promise but not much else Still promise is good, promise sells Give them a sense of grand occasion Let them unfence their imaginations A little work and he could be A splinter of divinity A ray of sun A raison d'être Half icon Half public pet Though nothing too revolutionary Just a special kind of ordinary You don't need to shine Just glitter a little When you speak the lines Be noncommittal Represent to them a second chance Invent some much-needed romance For the humdrum no fun soul Of the potentially incendiary everyday prole You must inspire but not incite Be almost a rebel but not quite Visual rather than visionary A special kind of ordinary There's not a lot of future in being new But for now a new you will do So be the day dream of the nation Be their reflected expectation Light a beacon fuelled with hope Trusted like an unlicked envelope Plant the thought and then demand a Better sort of propaganda A standard issue legendary Special kind of ordinary
22.
Stand where I can see you Now turn around slow History can't hear us No one knows So lay me down And take me now We are compelled forever onwards Like the cogs within a clock Some doors never open And some don't lock Lay me down Take me now Do you really want to know me So that you too are known I swear something is familiar I feel it deep down in my bones Lay me down Take me now Hold fast to your course Don't lose your nerve Stumble or swerve Just one more fold And one more tear No winners here And none down there Don't lose your hold
23.
Ladies have you noticed A gentleman's persistence They always talk of closeness When they aim to go the distance Hats off to him for trying He had the flag of the home port flying He said the flotsam and the jetsum Are there for those that let's 'em I said If that's what you call progress You can count me out I'll be having none of it i don't see no fun in it You can keep your progress to yourself He said we're guided by the stars above I said more like the moon He said music is the food of love I said Love just licks the spoon He said the only constant here is change Who are we to stay the same? I felt his hand upon my knee Some things never change it seems If that's what you call progress You can count me out I don't want no part of it There's no point in starting it You can keep your progress to yourself Don't you feel like The future and the past Are squeezing up so tight On either side of you There's nowhere to hide from view Who knows where we're heading to What the 'eck's a girl to do? They say you can't avoid progress Well sure there's a lot of it about But though I hear it's all the rage I still fear it's just a phase Progress don't seem too good for your health If that's what you call progress You can count me out I'll be having none of it I don't see no fun in it I don't want no part of it There's no point in starting it You can keep your progress to yourself
24.
Some children have imaginary friends Not me As a boy all I could see Were imaginary enemies As the others played their games I was learning all the names Of every strain of each disease That brings our species to its knees I examined all the tiny things The tiny flies Their tiny wings The little lives with little limbs That came apart Upon my whims But as I grew and fell so hard Beneath the bullies of the school yard Who saw me as a tiny thing A tiny fly with tiny wings I learned to turn invisible To lurk behind the powerful And I soon rose up through the school Because I knew which strings to pull And oh years later I'm the power behind the throne That's mine and mine alone I'm pulling the strings And oh those bullies Were the first against the wall The teachers too, I showed them all Now I'm pulling the strings Who needs a spotlight When you've got the shadows And a little gallows near I always wanted a career As a puppeteer Hear them jingling and jangling I might just leave you dangling Don't check the papers They don't refer to me 'cause I'd much prefer to be just Pulling the strings Why would I want my name In an encyclopaedia When I control the media! I'm pulling the strings Keep your facts Because I've got my opinions All of my dominions are here I always wanted a career As a puppeteer Hear them jingling and jangling Pray I don't start tangling I always wanted a career As a puppeteer Here's a little tip Don't give me any lip Or I might start to snip snip Power and it's entourage Are such a fitting camouflage But I'm the one that's really in charge I'm pulling the strings
25.
There's enough loneliness to go round There's enough loneliness to go round Let's be lonely forever But lonely together Only be lonely with me I'll be lonely with you If only you knew Just how lonely we all could be
26.
Underneath every event Both those discreet and prominent You'll find a trader hanging off it Like a limpet seeking profit Thousands die and thousands live You're on the take Why should you give A thought to who Slips through the sieve We all exist to serve the business May you live through Interesting times May you live through Interesting (What are you suggesting?) May you live through Interesting times What's the use If no one profits? No excuse Get your hands off it Human beings Dirty brewings Victims fleeing Through the ruins Lawyers suing Debts accruing Nothing ventured Nothing doing Pay them Sway them Or enslave them Do it all From a tax haven Yield enlarging Book massaging Indiscriminate surcharging May you live through Interesting times May you live through Interesting (Personal besting) May you live through Interesting times No moral high-horse where there's a profit So dismount lest you're thrown off it As the markets rise and fall Well that's the cue to make your call There's wealth in store Get set for more But always keep your funds offshore Guilty parties Guilty pleasures Deadly doses No half measures Here's some wisdom Come and listen So you too can play the system May you live through Interesting times Though you all knew Terms and conditions apply May you live through Interesting times Chase that profit Seize and scoff it If it were a wine you'd quaff it Beef it up and stroganoff it Okay boys I think he's got it Scoop a little from the bottom Skim a little off the top Don't underestimate a short back and sides Put on a tie and take the lot The scruples are long forgotten No one knows where that buck stops Another day another dollar All strictly white collar Forgive me if I keep talking shop But just wait until you see that share price drop Can you hear the champagne corks go pop? Come on kid show us what you got May you live through Interesting times Public loss and private gain Have always happily combined May you live through Interesting times One simply cannot overstate There is no tragedy too great No we would never hesitate To up the portion on our plate May you live through Interesting times Screw your way through Interesting times May you live through Interesting times Interesting Smart investing Heart arresting Rule contesting Share divesting Trade infesting Stock ingesting Means testing Interesting interesting Interesting times.
27.
So what if it took me until now To figure out Just where I fit Where I can really commit To a calling, quit dawdling The scales have all fallen Away from my eyes I feel like my whole life Has been but a petty thing Spent in the wings Always auditioning Just waiting for someone to sing something hopeful And mean it this time Well if that someone has got to be me now Yes if that someone has got to be me Well I won't disagree now Just wait and see now No No fear It don't all end here No No fear I won't just disappear D'ya here? Oh let me not be explained Or I might be explained away Forget about the hour Forget about the day This is a fine time To finally find time To think about what I want now Not to feel young or old But just to feel new Screw what we're told About what we ought to do There's a line in the sand I don't mind where I stand So long as I can stand out And since that line has got to be drawn now Well it's my time I've decided it's all I can do to be sure now I can do so much more now No No fear It don't all end here No No fear I won't just disappear D'ya here? To hell with all those doubts in my mind now Yeah I tell you I've figured out just in time It's my life to design now And I'm starting right now. No No fear It don't all end here No No fear I won't just disappear D'ya here?
28.
It's all over the news But between the lines and under the story Leaving clues Just when you've decided there's nothing more You can possibly lose There's a whole lot of nothing With your name on From which to choose It's a cruel world Would you have it any other way? Here we are The media Standing guard Over our Little patch of history Decency? That's news to me. Desperate times Desperate measures Despite all your best endeavours Such a crime Lasts forever So condemn them At your leisure Conscience no chance Whatever the circumstance Conscience no chance Don't care if it's happenstance Conscience no chance The press shall lead the first advance Just one Question What's the worst thing you can think of? Come on, you can do better than that. I urge you to reach down low Plumb depths you did not know Any human could sink to Oh but hey Let's not get carried away His siblings are his children His children are his siblings It's a wonder it don't fill them With crippling misgivings Incest Regicide Look at how the standards slide Poor old Cal What a sucker Turns out her's a mother --- What's the worst thing you can think of? Come on, you can do better than that. Your secrets will come find you If they don't then we'll remind you Your future's got a line through Just one Question What will you do now? Jocasta Regina No one obscener Jocasta Regina No one uncleaner Jocasta Regina Nothing can redeem her.
29.
Our past rarely lives up to our expectations My friends all got bent out of shape by despair Now I only recollect what I wish I could alter Or wish I had dared The appetites of memory are so seldom sated And getting your own back on the world Well that's a full time job So as I give myself up to the grip of the present I ask it to stop Now lock and bolt all the doors Because tomorrow's coming Lock and bolt all the doors Before it begins Don't invite it in You know it'll cause Nothing but sorrow Lock and bolt the doors Nothing burns like a bridge Nothing breaks like a promise Nothing sounds as honest As a man with a cure But during the time when I was still unfinished I yearned to be sure So muzzle your ambitions And tender your secrets We all know the weakest won't last one more day But sunlight is brightest When glimpsed through the bars of a cage Lock and bolt all the doors Because tomorrow's coming Lock and bolt all the doors Whatever the spin Don't invite it in You know it'll cause Nothing but trouble Lock and bolt the doors It's too late To become who I thought was I hate For that drum to be stilled But don't wait Who am I to say no If there's only one road left to follow? Hide away what you can't ignore Model each day on the one before Fine, ok But now no more Just lock and bolt the doors Tomorrow is coming Tomorrow is coming Tomorrow is here So steer clear And lock the doors
30.
Don't you want to feel like you're a part of something Don't you want to feel like you did once before Don't you want to feel like this is the start of one thing That leads to more I don't care what they say About good old days Empty fantasies Of big societies Be on your guard Because times are hard For everyone (well almost) Don't rely On getting by I'm damned if I Will stand aside And lose all hope Don't you want to feel like you're a part of something Don't you want to feel like you did once before Don't you want to feel like this is the start of one thing That leads to more
31.
My daddy always said When you drop down dead There are certain things that just ain't allowed When you get your angel wings Don't you try to bring a thing Because there ain't no pockets in a shroud Oh my girl you'll soon be finding Behind every silver lining There lurks the biggest deepest darkest cloud But it don't matter if you're rich Or if you haven't got a stitch Because there ain't no pockets in a shroud There ain't no pockets in a shroud There ain't no pockets in a shroud There ain't no pockets in a shroud So smile and leave it all behind When the end is nigh When you've sighed all of your sighs And your last remaining furrow has been ploughed Come and bid adieu For it's not au revoir for you There ain't no pockets in a shroud When that big red curtain falls And they're sweeping up the stalls And the girls have dropped their curtsies and you've bowed You've taken your last turn There are no more lines to learn There ain't no pockets in a shroud There ain't no pockets in a shroud... All it takes is one calamity For alas such immortality Is a trait with which you never were endowed When you've quit all of your hurting There's only one thing left that's certain There ain't no pockets in a shroud So now no more caveats You've bagged up and drowned your cats And choked a sob as each of them meowed Well isn't life a bitch Now you've scratched your final itch There ain't no pockets in a shroud There ain't no pockets in a shroud...

about

JOCASTA is an epic new musical set in the murky world of political power games, media manipulation and familial betrayal.

The story of Oedipus has been told many times, yet his mother Jocasta is always reduced to a supporting role, a narrative device rather than a force in her own right. It is time to reset the balance and focus on her part in one of the greatest tragedies of classical mythology.
This project is supported using public funding by Arts Council England.

Learn more at www.louisbarabbas.com/jocasta

credits

released May 5, 2017

Book, Music and Lyrics by Louis Barabbas
Recorded at WR Audio, Salford.
Overture and String Section arrangement by Peter Byrom-Smith
Brass arrangement by Biff Roxby
Mixing and Mastering by Dan Watkins

The Cast:
Jocasta - Bridie Jackson
Robert Creon (her brother) - Louis Barabbas
Horace Creon (her father) - Jami Reid-Quarrell
Laius (her husband, The King) - Felix Hagan
Fleur (her mother in law) - Laurien Schreuder
Molly Maudlin (proprietor of the Chorus Club) - Ríoghnach Connolly
Maeve Maudlin (bar tender at the Chorus Club) - Liz Green
Peggidy Maudlin (singer at the Chorus Club) - Natasha Hodgson
Founders of Sphinx - Tom Robinson, Claire Mooney, Matt Hill, Tony Walsh, Louis Barabbas
Edith Lesser (leader of Sphinx) - Becca Williams
Bruno Jinks (her best friend) - Ian Bermingham
The Delphi Twins - Mark McGhee, Elizabeth Lewis Williams
Sober George (a drunk) - Tom Hingley
Humphrey Leatherbreath (a banker) - Richard Barry
Oliver Dropcloth (a doctor) - Andrew Ab
Activists - Joe Solo, Laura Kidd

The Pit:
Drums and Percussion by Phill Howley
Double Bass and Bass Guitar by Joel Roberts
Piano, Accordion, Organ, Celeste and Backing Vocals by Fran Lydiatt
Cello - Rod Skipp
Viola - Helen Tonge
Violin - Gillian Ripley, Alexandra Dunn, Kate Moran
Clarinet, Bassoon, Oboe and Flute - Emily McArthur
Tenor and Bass Trombone, Tuba, Cello, Synth and Backing Vocals by Biff Roxby
Treble and Bass Flute, Musical Saw and Backing Vocals by Kirsty McGee
Guitars, Saxophone, Autoharp and Slide Whistle - Louis Barabbas
Additional Piano and Electric Guitar by Felix Hagan

Voices of the people:
Sophie Lewis Williams, Eleanor Lewis Williams, Sara Harris, Bryony Anderson, Helen Sharp, Gillian Byrom-Smith, Peter Byrom-Smith, Jackie Blades, Paul Armstrong, Rhian Blades, Marina Blades, Thomas Adams, Jean McDonald, Nicholas McDonald, Dorothyanne & Shaun, Aileen Bennett, Julie Marie Duffy, Tom Cleghorn.

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Louis Barabbas Manchester, UK

Louis Barabbas is a writer, performer and firefighter, best known for caustic love songs and energetic stage shows.

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