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Whale Beach Road

by Luke Escombe

/

about

Written in early 2020, in a cloud of anger and frustration at the political leadership of Australia during the bushfires, and at my own inability to take meaningful action. I was coming at it like a blues rock song, something in the vein of "Gimme Shelter", but the band heard it more as a reggae song, which gave it an interesting tension. I guess it's in the lyrics too, does the narrator really want to commit to long term activism or does he just want his beachside paradise back?

Aaron Flower added the string parts which took the track somewhere else again. I wanted to put this out into the world before Australia goes to the polls this weekend, as a reminder of why we urgently need a change of government in this country.

lyrics

Whale Beach Road

1
Can’t see the sky through the haze
Haven’t seen the sun in days
Smoke in my eyes
Is this the way it’s gonna be?
I got a son now, I got a wife
I got the features of the good life
but I’m all shook up
like a bottle top floating on the sea


Chorus
Give me back my blue sky
Give me some sunshine
Give me a sign that there’s still hope
Someone shine a light through the smoke
Give me back my blue sky
Give me some sunshine
Getting tired of livin on death row
Give me back the good life I knew
one year ago
one year ago
one year ago
one year ago
on Whale Beach Road


2
All I see around me now are white people
with first world problems
look at all those white people
but now we got a whole world problem
needs our attention
We need to get together
Leave the suburbs
Take the bus into the centre
Join the marches, hold the signs up
Show them affluent dissenters
saying


Chorus
Give me some blue sky
Give me some sunshine
Give me a sign that there’s still hope
Or a big fat bag of dope
Give me back my blue sky
Give me some sunshine
Getting tired of living on death row
Give me back the good life I knew
one year ago
one year ago
one year ago
one year ago

Bridge
You can’t wait till there’s an election
To push for a change of direction
Before you open up your wallet take time for reflection
and make a careful selection
Money won’t offer you reprieve
when there’s poison in the air you breathe
Money won’t protect you from the heat
when the fire’s coming down your street

Chorus
Give me back my blue sky
Give me some sunshine
Give me a sign that there’s still hope
Before people start hanging from a rope
Give me back my blue sky
Give me some sunshine
Getting tired of living on death row
Give me back the good life I knew
one year ago
one year ago
one year ago
one year ago
on Whale Beach Road

credits

released May 16, 2022
Written by Luke Escombe
Strings arranged by Aaron Flower
Backing vocals arranged by Sarah Belkner
Engineered by Andrew T Beck, Daniel Denholm and
Richard Belkner
Mixed by Richard Belkner
Mastered by William Bowden
Produced by Luke Escombe and Evan Mannell

Recorded at Damien Gerard Studios, The Shred Shed, Point Blank Sound and Free Energy Device studios between 2020 and 2022

Luke Escombe - electric guitars and lead vocal

Band
Evan Mannell - drums and percussion
Zoe Hauptmann - bass
Aaron Flower - guitar
Clayton Doley - organ

Strings
Veronique Serret - violin
Chris Pidcock - cello
Elizabeth Woolnough - viola

Backing vocals
Darren Percival
Alice Terry
Daniel Mifsud
Sarah Belkner

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Luke Escombe Sydney, Australia

A singer-songwriter who combines rock, blues and soul influences with authentic storytelling and humour. Luke is best known as the creator and frontman of ARIA-nominated kids band The Vegetable Plot. His new album "Whale Beach Road"is his first studio release under his own name in over ten years. ... more

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