Get all 9 John Ellis releases available on Bandcamp and save 35%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of NATIVE, GROWING SILENT, TELLS, PROTEST SONGS, BUSH TELEGRAPH (EP), COME OUT FIGHTING REMIXES, GET YOU (Radio Edit), RURAL, and 1 more.
1. |
OWN WAY HOME
03:32
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OWN WAY HOME
It’s been this way since I was a kid
I don’t fit in, and I never did
I’ve been carried up high, been brought down low
Try telling me something I don’t know
I’m a river that flows away from the sea
I get where I’m going eventually
Maybe forgiveness is the best revenge
They’ve got evidence but I’ve got a good defence
I can find my, find my own way, own way home
I can find my, find my own way, own way home
It’s the end of the world and I can’t wait
Too much too soon, too little too late
I’ve got my fingers crossed and my lucky charms
This’d better not be another false alarm
I can find my…
Words and music: John Ellis
Published by Jellisongs/ Admin. by HereWeAreMusic
© John Ellis 2010
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2. |
COME OUT FIGHTING
02:42
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COME OUT FIGHTING
I’ve spent too much time
Feeling like I committed a crime
I’m done, I’m checking out
I’m not guilty and I’ve had enough
Oh oh
Why should I compete
With everybody on every street?
Where’s that brotherly love?
Where’s that endangered dove?
Oh oh
Push me in the corner – I’m gonna come out fighting
Push me in the corner – I’m gonna come out fighting
Raised up to obey
Everybody every single day
Things learned at the scene of the crash:
Trust God only, everybody else pays cash
Oh oh
No more auditions baby never again
Never apologize never explain
Words and music: John Ellis
Published by Jellisongs/ Admin. by HereWeAreMusic
© John Ellis 2010
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3. |
MAYBE (JUST MAYBE)
03:54
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MAYBE (JUST MAYBE)
No day that ever starts like this is going to be bad
She took me into her arms and kissed me like we had just met
With daylight exploding through my window
Maybe just maybe in the end it’s all worth it after all
And maybe it’s all worth it in the end
I’m way out past the pier and I can see my house from here
When I get tired I’ll glide these walls of glass and foam to shore
Some days, they remind you why you don’t want to die just yet
Maybe…
Wind came up in the afternoon, we watched the sun give way
We kindled hope like a guttering flame, just enough to keep us warm
Today we all took one step forward
Maybe just maybe…
Words and music: John Ellis
Published by Jellisongs/ Admin. by HereWeAreMusic
© John Ellis 2010
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4. |
GOVERNMENT SONG
04:00
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GOVERNMENT SONG
There’s a man who invented a machine
To make dirty water clean
And it works, it could really change the world
But there’s a man Who’s in charge
Who would like a luxury car
And that’s what it’s going to take to bring clean water to the people
Is this the country we prayed for?
The land our heroes have betrayed
Whatever happened to the struggle?
Maybe it’s time to start again
There’s a girl who lives with a disease
That keeps her on her knees
All she needs is a fucking loaf of bread
But there’s a man in a uniform
Sunglasses, crocodile shoes
Puts a gun in her hand and sends her out to kill her next-door neighbour
And if you listen you will hear
Luthuli turning in his grave
O Spear of the Nation!
When did you become a slave?
Words and music: John Ellis
Published by Jellisongs/ Admin. by HereWeAreMusic
© John Ellis 2010
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5. |
A LUTA CONTINUA
03:49
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A LUTA CONTINUA
Big man in a big suit in a big car full of bad loot he’s a
Vice President, CEO, he’s a four-star general on patrol
Fled to Russia in the struggle, learned in China how to hustle
Years waiting, learned patience, beady eyes on the big pay-off
A luta continua
You eat yourself, Azania
A luta continua
New government, no rules there is so much to steal and no time to lose
He’s a big predator on the loose; there’s no crime if there’s no proof
Famine is a fundraiser prime minister’s a fund-chaser
Donations rotting on the docks big man is taking stock
A luta continua
You eat yourself, Azania
A luta continua
Big man in a poor nation; the sickness of the population
One Party, three-piece suit; liberation’s prostitute
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6. |
THE UNLUCKY ONE
03:15
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THE UNLUCKY ONE
Is there something I could have done
Just to ease my way through this world?
Is there something I should’ve said?
Maybe I’m just the unlucky one
Oh Fate, you’re a cruel god
And you’re deaf, you’re dumb, you’re blind
Good Fortune is arbitrary, uh oh
And I’m the unlucky one
You made me the unlucky son of a gun
Well maybe I was born to lose
To come last in the human race
I’ve been kicking at the dark trying to make it bleed
Fighting heaven for a little grace
Oh my God how about a break?!
Should I laugh or should I cry?
Shake my fist at the empty sky?
Destiny is a friend of everybody else
But I’m the unlucky one
You made me the unlucky son of a gun
Well maybe I was…
I thought maybe this time would be different
But I feel something coming on
Just when I see it all starting to come right
I can feel something going wrong
Is there something I should’ve done?
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7. |
RANT
02:18
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RANT
All you rabble all you rank and file
If you feel like something’s gone wrong, you’re right
Are you really getting what you paid for?
Tell the powers that be: STAND DOWN!
Tell the fake authority: STAND DOWN!
Tell that public enemy: STAND DOWN!
You better…
Look at all these champagne revolutionaries
Wielding power like they won the lottery
Getting everything we paid for!
Tell the powers that be: STAND DOWN!
Tell the fake authority: STAND DOWN!
Tell that public enemy: STAND DOWN!
You better…
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8. |
BRACE YOURSELF
03:33
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BRACE YOURSELF
I used to tell the truth but now I know better
Nobody wants to know which way the wind will blow
Knives in my back, the handles read “Jesus Loves You”
Just like honey for bees, I’ve been money for thieves
Innocent lamb led to the slaughter
The shepherd’s the one who wields the blade
You’ve got to brace yourself
Make them take you alive
Kick at that dying light, just stay awake
Resist the urge to sleep and keep stumbling
All bets are off, take nothing for granted, baby
None of your good deeds will ever go unpunished
I promise you, where there’s smoke, there’s mirrors
Building’s on fire, someone’s selling water
You’ve got to…
A friend or foe, you’ll never see it coming
Everything will change, and then again…
You’ve got to…
Words and music: John Ellis
Published by Jellisongs/ Admin. by HereWeAreMusic
© John Ellis 2010 © Broken Records
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9. |
REBELS
05:31
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REBELS
The rebels just took the city
They’re pissing on the constitution
The president’s in the basement
They only left his shoes on
Refugees in the bushes
Watch the city hall explode
Democracy’s a whorehouse
Everyone gets a turn
Run the home-made flag up
Set fire to the embassy
No more foreign interference
Now that everything’s for free
Rename all the freeways
After the Glorious Revolution
Clean the blood out of the Mercedes
Let’s go meet the fans
Wandering ones – bewildered people
A swollen river with no sea
From shore to shore, land-locked and gun-shy
When will the victims of ‘Freedom’ be free?
No such thing as stand-off
The strongest always wins
Government’s like clothing
And it’s time to change again
Curfew for the masses
Buffet for the king
Let’s re-write that anthem
It’s time to make them sing
Wandering ones…
Where’s that ammunition?
Someone’s at the gate
…ungrateful traitors…
Time to escape
Words and music: John Ellis
Published by Jellisongs/ Admin. by HereWeAreMusic
© John Ellis 2010 © Broken Records
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10. |
FINGERHOLD
03:43
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FINGERHOLD
Fingerhold
Clinging to the last remains
The robe in shreds
The many-coloured coat unraveled
Holes in my shoes, I am
Better off barefoot
CHORUS: Are you still holding on?
Will you never let me go?
Are you still holding on?
Weakening grip
Nothing left to grab onto
Slippery slope
What would happen if I just let
Go? Throw my hands up
In surrender
CHORUS
Fingerhold
Who is holding who?
It’s a finger hold
Look me in the eye
Tell me it was real
How does a broken trust ever heal?
Who is holding who?
Who am I clinging to?
Words and music: John Ellis
Published by Jellisongs/ Admin. by HereWeAreMusic
© John Ellis 2010 © Broken RecordS
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John Ellis Durban, South Africa
A singer-songwriter from Durban, South Africa, John has played his music all over the world. His fifth full-length solo album "Native"will be released on April 27 2022.
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