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The Poetry Of Chapel Street
THE POETRY OF CHAPEL STREET
(Words: Michael Gray Griffith
Music: Ben Antoniadis)
* digital download available at:
https://kultureclo.com/beat/the-poetry-of-chapel-street-17544133
Below the faceless mannequins
The gay boys are kissing
Their eyes turning red and then green
Before the 7-Eleven
A homeless man sleeps
Under a blanket that hides all of his dreams
And the singles are all out searching
For that somebody who’s searching
For what the uber drivers already know
That if you stay here until she sees you
She’ll lead you beneath the tracks
Where all of her poetry grows
If I could only record her
For in her tangled metaphors
I know there hides a perfect poem
Where her trams set the meter
For the troubles of the cleaners
Each one a portrait waiting to be hung
On cafe walls suggesting
That you should start preparing
To join her junkies’ choir as they sing
That if you stay here until she sees you
She’ll lead you beneath the tracks
Where all of her poetry grows
Oh, the poetry she has given me
In the form of imagery
Like flowers blooming for her street light moons
And I’m open to her delights
Like a sponge soaking up the night
Composing as my tram rolls along
And I think she knows I’m missing you
But the lonely are her favourite tunes
If we find our rhyme she might add us to her song
Yeah, if you stay here until she sees you
She’ll lead you beneath the tracks
Where all of our poetry grows
Yeah, if you stay here until she sees you
She’ll lead you beneath the tracks
Where all of our poetry grows
48
views
A Night In December
A NIGHT IN DECEMBER
(Written by Ben Antoniadis)
You came along like a breeze on a hot
summer night
In mid-December, around about midnight
You gently moved like a spirit across the room
Looking like a deer in the bar room lights
And like a drunk sings an old sailor’s tune
Oh, my heart raises a glass to you
You wrapped me up in all of your mystery and charms
And made me laugh, as you larked about
I still remember that playful, twinkle in your eye
That little spark of light, flicker in the night
And like a drunk sings an old sailor’s tune
Oh, my heart raises a glass to you
And I’ll always smile to remember
Your spirit of tenderness
That beautiful night in December
As we lay upon starlit bed
You came along like a breeze on a hot
summer night
In mid-December, around about midnight
You gently moved like a spirit across the room
And all because of you, I remember that night
And like a drunk sings an old sailor’s tune
Oh, my heart raises a glass to you
And I’ll always smile to remember
Your spirit of tenderness
That beautiful night in December
As we lay upon starlit bed
3
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Memory Of The Heart
MEMORY OF THE HEART
(Written by Ben Antoniadis)
Up in the house on the hill
Where the haunted lay frozen still
And hear the voices come through the walls
And murmur the quiet call
That reflection tells a sweet lie
As the lessons of days gone by
Evaporate into the sky
When the river of insight runs dry
Oh, the ghost that comes and goes
That whispers what everyone knows
And floats through the cracks in your mind
Where the fool bides his time
Don’t embrace the whore of success
Nor the naked failure of the blessed
Lest the folly of false belief
Reward that liar and thief
And as the evening shadow takes hold
Clear those weary windows to the soul
So to find a glimmer of hope
Beyond the sway of the hangman’s rope
Oh, the ghost that comes and goes
Reminds us what everyone knows
Forgotten almost from the start
Though forever buried in the memory of the heart
7
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Separation Street
SEPARATION STREET
(Written by Ben Antoniadis)
A million midnight souls pour their hearts out in the comments section
Crying in the darkness, looking for that starry connection
My heart is heavy with the weight of the ocean
I shed a tear for every lost soul that ever lost someone
All this separation, it seems, will never make sense
And every shining star just a dying sun in the firmament
With world-weary mind I try to find that place with no beginning, no end
But each time wind up back where I started again
Now I sit by the window and fill my lungs with smoke
A blessed tale on my tongue though a careless, blasphemous joke
Oh, holy is he who humbles himself
Though who’ll be the fool who thinks he truly knows himself?
All this separation, it seems, will never make sense
And every shining star just a dying sun in the firmament
With world-weary mind I try to find that place with no beginning, no end
But each time wind up back where I started again
So I post a comment to the sacred heavens above
Scrawled upon the wing of a sleeping turtle dove
And hope that in the morning it will deliver my song
To the Lord of the Dance, now dawn has nearly begun
All this separation, it seems, will never make sense
And every shining star just a dying sun in the firmament
With world-weary mind I try to find that place with no beginning, no end
But each time wind up back where I started again
9
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Beyond The Light
BEYOND THE LIGHT
(Written by Ben Antoniadis)
God is out there but you’ll find Him inside
The infinite somewhere when you close your eyes
The silent shadow that embraces the night
The nameless face beyond the light
Though man can’t help but put words in His mouth
To make sense of his suffering in a world without
Though one must believe to see what is true
As one must feel to know Him within you
Fret not, my friend, that the road is long
That the days unending and the song unsung
Revelation may come in a moment of time
When you ask with the heart and let go of your mind
God is out there but you’ll find Him inside
The infinite somewhere when you close your eyes
An old man’s hope some broken night
A child’s wish beyond the light
3
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Room With Too Many Mirrors
ROOM WITH TOO MANY MIRRORS
(Written by Ben Antoniadis)
Ben Antoniadis - vocals, guitars, programming
James Rogers - bass
Max Mery - drums
(bass recorded by James Rogers,
drums recorded by David Lees)
Recorded, mixed & mastered by Ben Antoniadis
I lay in the midday sun
A hummingbird lays a sunflower upon my tongue
Changes come in waves
Timeless and tideless
Flowers in bloom by lonely graves
For the souls of yesterday
We dance alone in the light of revelry
Then fall silent with shame when they see
In a room with too many mirrors
And too many secrets to keep
Oceans of time flood open mind
Then recede in the blink of an eye
Heat beats down from heaven above
Hell freezes over in time
An avalanche of angels in the sky
Falling into endless night
Chanting in the light of cosmic vision
As wisdom slips from their lips in silence
In a room with too many mirrors
And too many reflections in your mind
Naked before the cult of the sun
Accused of all I've said and done
Silent before a jury of one
I write my own confession
And like the first monkey shot into space
Bewildered and oblivious to his fate
Trawling the walls of imagination
Painted with distant constellations and black holes
In a room with too many mirrors
And more truth than can be told
19
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Cult Of The Common Good
CULT OF THE COMMON GOOD
(Written by Ben Antoniadis)
In the cult of the common good
No one is free but it’s all good
The more equal among us preach loud above us
And tyranny rains down upon us
In the cult of the common good
The fascist wears a black hood
As the puppets parade on the world stage
And corruption spreads like the plague
Baby, stay safe in the cult of the common good
You won’t be free but it’s all good
In the cult of the common good
Just do exactly as we say you should
And don’t question our law, rotten to the core
Just politely ask, “Please, sir”, for more
In the cult of the common good
Believe everything we say you should
But don’t worry, you’ll have free speech
Just as long as we agree you’re free to speak
Baby, stay safe in the cult of the common good
You won’t be free but it’s all good
Baby, they say how beautiful it’s gonna be
You’ll own nothing and you’ll be happy
4
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Mad Season
MAD SEASON
(Written by Ben Antoniadis)
Ben Antoniadis - vocals, acoustic guitar, programming
Len Hawco - electric guitar, programming
Recorded, mixed & mastered by Ben Antoniadis and Len Hawco
2
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Turning The Page
TURNING THE PAGE
(Written by Ben Antoniadis)
Turning the page to a new dark age
I hear the Revelator say
Surrender to the timeless sage
Keep the faith where mystery leads astray
When time stands still
And temptation breaks your will
Under the light of a falling sky
Winding our way to judgement day
Counting the days under chemical rain
Where war is waged on every man
And there’s nothing left to do but make a stand
On the hill
Rising up until
Some will live and some will die
God bless the child
With the spirit of the wild
Where innocence dreams tonight
God bless the child
With the spirit of the wild
Where innocence dreams tonight
21
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Anonymous Friend
ANONYMOUS FRIEND
(Written by Ben Antoniadis)
There’s a woman down the street
Told me she’s the whore of Babylon
But she’s only ever been good to me
So I told her that she’s not
She’s been to hell and back, it seems
Seen heaven in between
Days that burned like chapels ablaze
And nights that shined serene
When I walk by, I stop to say hello
She always gives me a smile
A soul that glows with something of hope
Though walks a tortured mile
Today we both had a smoke
And spoke of the End Times
She said the demons all been let outta hell
And I told her she was right
But the passersby will walk on by
And not see the warning signs
The truth before a blind man’s eyes
That she sees in the coming light
She gave me a gift as I went on my way
A gift for anonymous friend
She slept outside the church last night
And probably will again
Oh, the broken brother on the street
Do you give your last dollar?
Oh, the fallen sister, would you wash her feet?
And receive like any other?
There’s a woman down the street
She told me she’s the whore of Babylon
But she’s only ever been good to me
So I told her that she’s not
There’s a woman down the street
She told me she’s the whore of Babylon
But she’s only ever been good to me
So I told her that she’s not
12
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2
comments
Hackable Animals
HACKABLE ANIMALS
(Written by Ben Antoniadis)
* digital download available at:
https://kultureclo.com/beat/hackable-animals-by-ben-antoniadis--18068050
Soulless pseudos of materialism
Well-versed in New World Utopianism
Tighten the noose of zeros and ones
Around the necks of our daughters and sons
With contempt for free will as a thing of the past
That hackable animals need wise up fast
To realise they’re only free to comply
With the dictates of psychopathic pie in the sky
Oh, the fallen angels too proud to ever understand
They’re mere counterfeits, cogs in God’s great plan
And though the duality of man the story of his Fall
These little earthen gods will never hack the soul
Yet, it’s forbidden to question the revolution
And the road to hell ain’t even paved with good intentions
Progressive, inclusive, sustainable?
No, the terrorised flesh in the mouth of the cannibal
The arrogance of intellect, the absence of reason
The mouthpiece at the pulpit with lack of wisdom
Where the wicked one comes in appearance of light
To deceive the misguided in the witching hour by night
Oh, the fallen angels too proud to ever understand
They’re mere counterfeits, cogs in God’s great plan
And though the duality of man the story of his Fall
These little earthen gods will never hack the soul
Yeah, the fallen angels too proud to ever understand
They’re just a necessary evil in God’s master plan
And though the duality of man the story of his Fall
These little earthen gods will never hack the soul
5
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Lonesome Gull
LONESOME GULL
(Written by Ben Antoniadis)
* digital download available at:
https://kultureclo.com/beat/lonesome-gull-ben-antoniadis--17901706
Is time on our side?
Do the stars align?
Are the goddesses for us?
Or do they laugh in our faces?
These questions I can't answer tonight
Or any other night of my life
Without faith to light my way
Through the darkness and strife
I'm just a lonesome gull on the breeze
Floating between the sun and the sea
Silence your loose tongue
Don’t feed the demons
Speak the truth always
Whatever may come
Surrender your soul to the Great Beyond
Humble yourself before the Lord above
Believe in the light, that it save you tonight
I'm just a roving raven tonight
Drunk on hope and the promise of flight
I'm just a rambling soul on the road
Travelling with the wind in my soul
15
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2
comments
Tyrants In Tiaras
TYRANTS IN TIARAS
(Written by Ben Antoniadis)
* digital download available at:
https://kultureclo.com/beat/tyrants-in-tiaras-by-ben-antoniadis-17910388
Grotesque princes of flesh squeeze into Lolita’s dress
Decadent, mendicant friars see too many sins to confess
Blue-blooded, black-suited liars disembowel the governments
Tyrants in tiaras dine on the blood of the innocent
The herd all hail their masters and delusions of disaster
The brainwashed zombies all quiver for they fear the changing weather
As the prophets of scientism stoke the fires
Where they crawl upon the earth like bugs in the dirt
Above the graves where dead men see
See they’re asleep at the wheel
And some already done a deal
Already sold their soul
What you got left when it’s gone?
My baby prays for the godless, to find their way back home
I’ve been down that hole, been down that road before
Where the people come and go and some stay forevermore
But what is forever to a man living moment-to-moment?
Where some are asleep at the wheel
And some already done a deal
Already sold their soul
What you got left when it’s gone?
8
views
So Far From Home
SO FAR FROM HOME
(Written by Ben Antoniadis)
* digital download available at:
https://kultureclo.com/beat/so-far-from-home-ben-antoniadis--17689791
I was so far from home
Where the black winds blow
Where the fools bury their gold
And the medicine men dig up their soul
For a glimpse of what God only knows
I was so far from home
Roaming wild and free
Saw the serpent leer from the tree
And whisper to the wayward Eve
When all the while the enemy was me
I fell to my knees as the night fell hard
I looked to the stars and the spirit above
And prayed for release
From the enemy
I was so far from home
When I lost my way
I got led astray
Playing the games people play
Every other day
I was so far from home
Where the wild things grow
Where the dreamers are bound to go
With an offering to the great unknown
For a glimpse of what God only knows
I fell to my knees as the night fell hard
I looked to the stars and the spirit above
And prayed for release
From the enemy
10
views
21st Century Usury Blues
21st CENTURY USURY BLUES
(Written by Ben Antoniadis)
* digital download available at:
https://kultureclo.com/beat/21st-century-usury-blues-ben-antoiadis-17689367
Ben Antoniadis - vocals, rhythm guitar, synth
Len Hawco - slide guitar, bass & drums
Produced by Ben Antoniadis & Len Hawco
15
views
Another Sparrow Falls
ANOTHER SPARROW FALLS
(Written by Ben Antoniadis)
It’s business as usual in the new abnormal
As they casually dismiss the blood running from the temple
And ignore the corpses piling up, the grievous bodily harm
For nothing says, “Stay safe”, like a needle in the arm
And the walking, talking comatose, pay no heed
To the spirit of awakening in those that are freed
For their ears hear not at all the cry of freedom
Inert within the walls of their comfortable prison
An iron fist rules in the empire of lies
Another sparrow falls, blindly from the skies
Though the Lord forsaketh not the faithful’s plaintive cries
With the promise from above, every martyr shall rise
Yet, every dog has its day, as every tyrant surely dies
When their power will erode in the blink of an eye
As every tower will crumble in the empire of lies
For the truth is like a rising tide that cannot be denied
An iron fist rules in the empire of lies
Another sparrow falls, blindly from the skies
Though the Lord sees all before everyone’s eyes
And hears the call of conscience behind every disguise
Still, they keep on denying and grinding their axes
See no elephant in the room with their delusional complexes
For nothing is certain, except death and taxes
And those who won’t admit they’re wrong about the fuckin’ vaxes
9
views
Questions For God
QUESTIONS FOR GOD
(Written by Ben Antoniadis / Michael Gray Griffith)
* digital download available at:
https://kultureclo.com/beat/questions-for-god-ben-antoniadis-17564765
Street sweeper sweeps away the broken at dawn
The souls without hope; forgotten, forlorn
As leaves fall gently like jaded ballerinas
Dancing on the praying saying, “Lord, can’t you hear us?”
Angels sigh from the Afterlife
At a man laying flowers at the feet of A.I.
As his mother cries for the child that was
And the satellites prey upon the soon to be gone
Lord, Lord, Lord
We’re falling apart
What was that gift you gave us to heal our hearts?
Why do ambulances rush in eerie silence?
With lights flashing hard but muted sirens
And what is this fuse burning deep inside?
I’m sick all the time but they tell me I’m fine
Lord, Lord, Lord
We’re falling apart
What was that gift you gave us to heal our hearts?
Oh, Lord
How long till you return our call?
Oh, Lord, we’re holding on
Trying to stay strong through it all
Street sweeper sweeps away the broken at dawn
The souls without hope; forgotten, forlorn
Is our deal still to be saved or forsaken?
I believe that it is but I could be mistaken
Lord, Lord, Lord
We’re falling apart
What was that gift you gave us to heal our hearts?
Oh, Lord
How long till you return our call?
Oh, Lord, we’re holding on
Trying to stay strong through it all
6
views
The Poetry Of Chapel Street
THE POETRY OF CHAPEL STREET
(Words: Michael Gray Griffith
Music: Ben Antoniadis)
* digital download available at:
https://kultureclo.com/beat/the-poetry-of-chapel-street-17544133
Below the faceless mannequins
The gay boys are kissing
Their eyes turning red and then green
Before the 7-Eleven
A homeless man sleeps
Under a blanket that hides all of his dreams
And the singles are all out searching
For that somebody who’s searching
For what the uber drivers already know
That if you stay here until she sees you
She’ll lead you beneath the tracks
Where all of her poetry grows
If I could only record her
For in her tangled metaphors
I know there hides a perfect poem
Where her trams set the meter
For the troubles of the cleaners
Each one a portrait waiting to be hung
On cafe walls suggesting
That you should start preparing
To join her junkies’ choir as they sing
That if you stay here until she sees you
She’ll lead you beneath the tracks
Where all of her poetry grows
Oh, the poetry she has given me
In the form of imagery
Like flowers blooming for her street light moons
And I’m open to her delights
Like a sponge soaking up the night
Composing as my tram rolls along
And I think she knows I’m missing you
But the lonely are her favourite tunes
If we find our rhyme she might add us to her song
Yeah, if you stay here until she sees you
She’ll lead you beneath the tracks
Where all of our poetry grows
Yeah, if you stay here until she sees you
She’ll lead you beneath the tracks
Where all of our poetry grows
48
views
Underground
UNDERGROUND
(Written by Ben Antoniadis)
Hey, let’s go down
Down to the underground
Where the poets peddle their wares but no one cares
Where Friedrich and Fyodor
Argue over God
And who walks the dog furthest into the fog
Into the blessed abyss
Where ambivalent angels kiss
The skin of the soul who stands tall above it all
Hey, let’s go down
Down to the underground
Where the painters defend their pride at a heavy price
But who’s gonna claim the prize?
For beauty’s best disguise
And the longest look into the hurricane’s eye
Where everything is calm
Till they sound a silent alarm
And the siren song leads you down the garden path
Where everything is fine
Till it’s all on the line
Where danger takes you deeper beyond the warning signs
Hear yourself, let’s hear him say
That the siren makes you pay
More than, for your lonely part
If you’d paid her from the start
But there’s so much more to see
Now the music you can breathe
Parasites, self-righteous scenes
Urban farmer drama queens
Hey, let’s go down
Down to the underground
Where you find many a soul in the lost and found
Hey, let’s go down
Down to the underground
Till the Spirit leads you back where your feet touch the ground
9
views
Awakening
AWAKENING
(Written by Ben Antoniadis)
Stars align in foreign skies
Tears fall from my baby’s eyes
A world gone wrong, outta its mind
What’s that you got, baby, behind your eyes?
Jupiter and Saturn merge
Come together with cosmic urge
A world divided, torn apart
What’s that you got, baby, inside your heart?
It’s a nightmare, I know, of their own making
But the sleeping giant, slowly awakening
The voice of the innocent sounds
Silent oppressed on the ground
Rulers’ draconian will
Rebels rise in a battle of wills
It’s a nightmare, I know, of their own making
But the sleeping giant, slowly awakening
The silence sends a message to me
To stand for truth and liberty
To pray for strength to carry on
To fight to sing a new song
It’s a nightmare, I know, of their own making
But the sleeping giant, slowly awakening
16
views
Tyrants In Tiaras
TYRANTS IN TIARAS
Grotesque princes of flesh squeeze into Lolita’s dress
Decadent, mendicant friars see too many sins to confess
Blue-blooded, black-suited liars disembowel the governments
Tyrants in tiaras dine on the blood of the innocent
The herd all hail their masters and delusions of disaster
The brainwashed zombies all quiver for they fear the changing weather
As the prophets of scientism stoke the fires
Where they crawl upon the earth like bugs in the dirt
Above the graves where dead men see
See they’re asleep at the wheel
And some already done a deal
Already sold their soul
What you got left when it’s gone?
My baby prays for the godless, to find their way back home
I’ve been down that hole, been down that road before
Where the people come and go and some stay forevermore
But what is forever to a man living moment-to-moment?
Where some are asleep at the wheel
And some already done a deal
Already sold their soul
What you got left when it’s gone?
Where some are asleep at the wheel
And some already done a deal
Already sold their soul
What you got left when it’s gone?
25
views
Beggar’s Heart
BEGGAR'S HEART
(Written by Ben Antoniadis)
Just another starving artist
Somewhere between the gutter and the stars
From street lamp dark to dim lit bars
Song soothes the beggar's heart
Just another fool for love
Between the madness and whence it starts
Between beautiful pain and difficult pleasure
But even the wisest fool must play their part
In the echo chamber of the heart
We play the tune for love departed
Just another hapless dreamer
Where happiness a fleeting dream
And dreams can stack against a man
In a dreaming, sleepless last stand
Just another one-legged lark
Singing that lonesome song in the dark
Free as a bird, so they say
But not so free when there's habits to pay
In the underground cavern of the mind
We play the tune for love left behind
Just another wandering soul
Between the truth and endless lies we're told
Between the waking dream and aching toll
Rest in hope now, restless soul
In the sacred hall of the soul
Play the tune for love left out in the cold
With just a ciggie to roll against the mortal toll
Rest in hope now, restless soul
4
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The First Time
THE FIRST TIME
(Written by Ben Antoniadis)
The first time we made love
You came in colours and I came in blood
A silent oath, a heavenly seal
Like we’d just fallen from the ethereal
Two lost angels in a hotel room
Skin to skin under the curve of the moon
Later, you said you were a wild river
From whence it flows it flows forever
I bathe in the waters, rest on the shore
Dream of a place where there’s pain no more
Baptise me, babe in your tender way
And hold my hand when I go to my grave
And I’ll do the same for you if it be that way
Last time I held you by Manila Bay
You said that we’d meet again someday
Oh, how many times must the seasons change?
Till we’ll be together again
And how many times must the earth turn?
Till the lessons of love again be learned
The first time we made love
You came in colours and I came in blood
A silent oath, a heavenly seal
Like we’d just fallen from the ethereal
Two lost angels in a hotel room
Skin to skin under the curve of the moon
11
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The Ghost Of Las Pinas
THE GHOST OF LAS PINAS
(Written by Ben Antoniadis)
Oh, Gengmado, you haunt the streets at night
Is it wine, women and song, that fuel your appetite?
Oh, Gengmado, you’re a cad on the sly
The Ghost of Las Pinas in the shadow of night
Oh, Gengmado, when will you come home?
Do you know Lola waits for you all alone?
Oh, Gengmado, where do you go?
When the sun sets on Las Pinas and the stars make show
Oh, Gengmado, you haunt the streets at night
Until you scratch at the door, lookin’ for a bite
Oh, Gengmado, you’re a ramblin’ feline
The Ghost of Las Pinas in the shadow of night
14
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