Lyr Add: Suicide Town

Subject: Suicide Town
From: Stewie
Date: 25 Mar 01 - 08:30 PM

SUICIDE TOWN
(Alistair Hulett)

The seagulls are wheeling and haggling
Over takeaway scraps on the main drag at dawn
Some black-eyed susan walks up
And asks me if I'd like to get off or get on
I've been up for so long
I don't think I'll ever come down
This life's just a bruise
On the surface of Suicide Town

Outside the clip joint
The tuxedo thugs are kicking some drunk in the brains
Armed to the teeth with wild animal logic
Of the terminally insane
They knock off at six
Then they're in at Anchor & Crown
Where the old fellows toast the new morning
In Suicide Town

Singing, where have you gone
Mrs Brown's lovely daughter
Gone from the meat market
Down to the abattoir
So many had her
And nobody caught her
And one day she floated away

And where are you now
Mrs Brown's lovely daughter?
'I drowned in the ocean of God's holy water
All me wee lambs
They were led to the slaughter
And then I just floated away'

The squad cars hiss over the asphalt
And circle around
Like sharks in the rain
No one looks at them directly
We watch their reflection
In shop window panes
Give them a gun
And a badge they can wear like a frown
And they'll make sure it's business as usual
In Suicide Town

Oh dear, what can the matter be
There goes another ambulance
Off to the cemetery
Dumping off more of
The victims of chemistry
Nobody knew they were there

Down at the cab rank
We all stand in line
In the alfresco casualty ward
There's no conversation
There's only small talk
Most of it's wild and absurd
I wish I was home
I can't sleep but I'd love to lie down
And watch the amphetamine replay
Of Suicide Town

And the seagulls are wheeling and haggling
Over takeaway scraps on the main drag at dawn

Words and music by Alistair Hulett.
Source: Alistair Hulett 'Dance of the Underclass' Red Rattler RAT CD 001.

There's an excellent version of this powerful song on Roy Bailey's latest and last (so he says) CD: 'Coda' Fuse CFCD404. Bailey notes that Hulett says of this song that, after a night out in the Kings Cross area of Sydney, he awoke and found the words written on a piece of paper at his bedside. He doesn't remember much of the evening, but concluded that he must have written it!

--Stewie.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Suicide Town
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 25 Mar 01 - 10:15 PM

G'day Stewie,

Found he written it(?) after a night up at the Cross ... I thought the cops sounded familiar.

Regards,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Suicide Town
From: Joe Offer
Date: 25 Oct 21 - 03:13 PM

Joe - crosslinks needed

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Suicide Town
From: MoorleyMan
Date: 25 Oct 21 - 07:08 PM

It's a hell of a powerful song, i just love the wry, quirky mix of emotional responses and the cutting commentary. I've been singing it for over 20 years and it still takes my breath away. Alistair really was a songwriter of true stature, so many great songs...

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Suicide Town
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 26 Oct 21 - 12:46 AM

Alistair singing Suicide Town, Girvan FF

Kings Cross is not quite the same these days - it's more like Yuppietown -

One of my favourite parts of the Cross is Butler Stairs with the plaque to Mick Fowler who helped save old Kings Cross from the developers so poor folk could still live there. There is no cheap accommodation or poor folks in the area now.

sandra in Kings Cross, Sydney