FILE_ID23
TIMESTAMPDEC 2020 (INNER-WEST EXIT)
SUBJECTIsla
Stanmore Farewell
Restlessness · necessary departure
Decoded Story
Stanmore Farewell finds Isla after the noise has faded. The trial of Dominic has ended. The headlines have stopped including her with titles like "Addict Girl". Things seem almost normal.
The song captures the push and pull between gratitude and restlessness. It's not a goodbye in anger, but in necessity. Isla knows she can't stay still.
Audio Transcript — Lyrics
[START_TRANSCRIPT]
Small flat, inner west,
Guilt money lights the walls
They ask questions,
Cause the look don’t fit right
Own it?
Yeah!
But not going there
Opal tap says go, metro drum says maybe
Inner west windows cough TV light into the lane
My mates set up at the pub, kick, bass, guitar,
Good times for the most part, thin ice
I want more than good times,
Shame climbs the throat
The Con sent a disagreement,
Didn’t shake my hand
I answered with a downstroke
Call it less than polite, fine,
I learned counterpoint in the mess,
Pushed it down the line
Sydney seems to want me still, it's a joke
Can’t maintain the fill, too much inner spill
Could catch a long flight in my head, never come back
Or find a side door in this suburb, make it famous
Safety net looks soft until it knots around the ankle
Love my band, love inner west life, hate the thoughts
They plug in, I tune within, feed back the dust
We hit first song, the floor nods, few but loyal
They want me grounded, I keep tasting runway
Guilty for the thought, guilty for the wish, still mine
She’s from the Con, quiet eyes, wrong light
Men watch me like I’m that,
Then get the stare, read the tell,
See the gap, walk it back,
Now sing it with me, unmark that trap,
I’ll unpack the noise, sing what we can’t
I try not to hurt those who helped with a steadier will
But I won’t stay still, to maintain the fill
Could catch a long flight in my head, never come back
Or find a side door in this suburb, make it famous
Safety net looks soft until it knots around the ankle
Love my band, my inner west life, hate the way my head talks
Side street coffee steam, memory set on sill
Click, a photo for a future me, set on the sill
Emails from overseas, maybe if you scream brighter
I write back, maybe if you can stand my light
I don’t owe a thing for the payments
I don’t owe the city a softer version
They'll know my why if I leave right
They’ll hate my question if I stay wrong
What I want, line of sight, drop the key, drop my fear
She feels my switch, lets it be, I note the catch
The rest tilt toward yes as if it’s the same breath
I give them a brand new ending they didn’t ask for
No encore, just a click off and a stare
They hear it, that’s farewell, without the sell
I caught a long flight from my head, maybe I’ll be back
Not going to find a side door in this suburb
Safety net holds the still like a knot around the ankle
Loved my band, my inner west life, but my head would spill
Sold the matchbox flat, expensive sill
I packed too little, took too much
Text the band, I’m on a plane
Best friend, she already knew
Might not work, but can’t have the question