Lyrics

Rob has a great love of connecting with people of all races, religions and age groups. Constantly having to adapt to different cultural settings and social situations has provided Rob with many challenges and tensions that have helped to shape the way he approaches the craft of lyric writing. On this page you will find the lyrics to some of Rob's current songs as well a some background thoughts surrounding the way the songs developed.

Lord of the Endless Star-field © 2006 Rob Greaney
The title of this first song was inspired by the title of a Bruce Cockburn song. The first 2 stanzas took about a week to write but the last line of the 3rd stanza came to me after about 6 weeks of wrestling.
Thats the longest fight I've had with words. The problem with this song was that I set myself a hard task simply by starting in the heavens. Where do you go from there? I had aimed with this song to leave the listener with a sense of wonder and awe surrounding the Creator, the Great Mystery of the universe. What sort of language to use to describe the indescribable.
To use lay language or even theological terms to attempt such a feat seemed way beyond futile to me. Poetry then proved to be the most accurate tool.
This poem-become-song is not to be studied line by line for theological correctness, rather just to be taken as a whole, to be experienced and looked back upon.

Lord of the Endless Star-field

Lord of the endless star-field
Fire of a million suns
Eternal end
The other side of time
Above this violent universe

Follow the Blue and White Line © 2006 Rob Greaney
This song was inspired by a simple instruction given to me at the Auckland airport after a long journey from India back to my home land. I asked an Air New Zealand stewardess (a lady in grey) how to get to the domestic terminal to make my connecting flight and she said "Follow the blue and white line" and pointed to the ground. It just sounded so much like a song title and after exiting the terminal I did just that, "followed the blue and white line". I had to wade through the very multi-ethnic crowd with my trolley and luggage. All sorts of beautiful faces bursting with anticipation, big Samoan families, Chinese, Muslim woman with head coverings and black T-shirted Westies all straining for the first glimpse of their loved ones as they exited customs and the long wait ended, but alas there was no-one there to welcome me as I wasn't quite home yet. Then I got to thinking of all the times I'd arrived in foreign lands and had to make my own way, not grumbling of course but still there's a loneliness there. The song started to foment in me as I made that 12 minute walk between terminals and wondered what that loneliness meant and did others feel it too. We all have a blue and white line to follow and we must all wonder what's at the end of it. I deliberately didn't want to resolve this song (happy ever afterish) because I don't believe life is full of happy endings. Do I have hope? Oh yes I have hope? May you find a warm welcome when you finally arrive home.
Any Kiwis reading this I'll leave you to work out the metaphors and allusions.

Follow the Blue and White Line

Forty eight hours on a silver bullet

Touch down smooth on a long white cloud
My life's on a carousel, I read the sign
And a lady in Grey tells me follow the blue and white line

I push my trolley through bright shinning faces and
Stuffed toys and flowers and all God's races
A smoker breaths in the sun's winter shine
And a man in a taxi tells me follow the blue and white line

What's waitin for me at the end of this stripped down rainbow
Warm smiles and tears and or a bus to a budget hotel

What's waiting for me at the end the two-toned trail
Home made love or just TV and takeaways

One more leg just a few more hours
Strapped in fast by window and wing
The airline magazine sings the praises of where I've just been
And the steward reminds me to follow the blue and white line

An old lady beside me says she's goin home
Packed a spare cardie in case it gets cold
I look down below from my seat in the sky
Neath the trees and the snow I can just see the blue and white line

What's waitin for me at the end of this stripped down rainbow
Warm smiles and tears and or a bus to a budget hotel

What's waiting for me at the end the two-toned trail
Home made love or just TV and takeaways

What's waitin for me at the end of this stripped down rainbow
Warm smiles and tears and or a bus to a budget hotel

What's waiting for me at the end the two-toned trail
Just someone I know to welcome me home

Mona's song was written for a friend who lost her father suddenly. She adored this man and the loss devasted her. At the time I was unable to be contacted and it grieved me to know that my friend had been suffering so much without me knowing. I began to write this song and found the process a very painful one for myself. I sort of journeyed through each verse feeling my way along through her grief, working with pen, paper and guitar and finally coming up with what I have many times introduced as "the sadest song in the world". After writing Mona's song I check with her husband Mina to see if it would appropriate to sing it to her. It was and I did and I am assured that in some way it helped in the whole grieving/healing process. This song will always stand as a sign of love and respect for my dear friends mina and Mona.

Mona's Song

Well I’ve never been good at saying goodbye

Thought you were forever and a day

In my heart I imagined

You’d still be here when I was old and grey

You’ve been there as long as remember

You were strong you carried me

When I was sad you spoke so softly

And when I cried you held me on your knee

Now I feel so afraid

Coz the sun went down a long time ago

And it didn’t come up again

I never knew a world without you

And the way I feel right now

I’m just not sure that I really want to

It seem like my soul has gone and left me

Searching through the years of memories

No matter where I am the room seems empty

As another wave of sorrow swallows me

I can see you when I close my eyes so clearly

I think I hear you and I turn around to see

My head knows but my heart’s not understanding

How the one I loved so much could ever leave