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Aotearoa calling, the land of the long white cloud
On Taranaki rain is falling, thunder crashing loud
The plane descends in Auckland’s dawn, the rental car is ready
The Northern hemisphere is gone, and my heart is strong and steady
A-O-Tay, A-O-Tay, A-O-Tay, A-O-Tay — Aotearoa
From Turanga in the Bay of Plenty to Taupo’s scenic shore
White knuckles while I drive the left, while below the breakers roar
Tongariro river rushes from the ice fields of Mt. Doom
While “Middle Earth” is a tourist trap, at least I must assume
A-O-Tay, A-O-Tay, A-O-Tay, A-O-Tay — Aotearoa
Rongotea to Wellington, hard by the Tasman Sea
The ferry ride to Picton brings the South Island nearer me
Paparoa to Punakaiki (poon-a-kye-key), the Pancake Rocks are calling
In the Land of the Long White Cloud it’s deeper in love I’m falling
A-O-Tay, A-O-Tay, A-O-Tay, A-O-Tay — Aotearoa
What is this? A travelogue? A litany? A memory?
Some fever dream? A bucket list? A selective history?
No — this is my new song of joy, sweeter than any kiss
As Brian Ferry pointed out — there’s nothing more than this!
From the brewpub down in Greymouth, and Franz Joseph further south
This Pakeha’s gratitude flows freely from my mouth
Hiking hut to hut upon the glaciers of Aoraki
I drink unfiltered snowmelt as it rushes toward the sea
A-O-Tay, A-O-Tay, A-O-Tay, A-O-Tay — Aotearoa
The fjordlands west of Queenstown mark the beginning of the end
Of this magnificent journey, with my body on the mend
To the South Pacific Ocean, where Christchurch takes back the car
A final embrace by the Long White Cloud, home never felt so far
A-O-Tay, A-O-Tay, A-O-Tay, A-O-Tay — Aotearoa
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2. |
Introduction to Lean In
02:03
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3. |
Lean In
03:44
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The storm is raging all around, fit for neither man nor beast
But the South Island’s where your freedom’s found, the wind is how you’ll be released
So hold your hat, your scarf, your coat - don’t turn away, push right on through
You’re almost to that shore remote, so as in everything you do... (Chorus)
You gotta lean in, keep your ballast tight, drive your pistons hard, it’s
gonna be alright
Just remember keep your goal in sight — yeah, you gotta lean in.
You gotta lean in, to the full force gale, grit your teeth as you seek to
prevail
When you arrive it might seem a tall tale, but you gotta lean in.
Pelting rain or driving snow, your body screams “I’ve had enough!”
Whatever makes it a rough go, at altitude you need strong stuff
So zip up tight, tuck in your chin…tenacity will win the day
Push past the doubt you keep within — you’ll find yourself along the way..as long as you: (Chorus)
Bridge: You gotta-gotta-gotta-gotta-gotta lean in (x3)...to it all.
The weather might be calm and bright - the day serene, the sky all clear
But your inner world has had a fright, you’re facing down your deepest fear
Your task remains to forge ahead, confront the specter of its wrath
Choose carefully the ground you tread, there’s only one rewarding path...and that’s to lean in.
(Chorus, then end)
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4. |
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Chorus: Not all who wander are lost; not all who wander are lost
Not all who wander are lost; but I am.
I’ve got my maps, my phone, the camper… I’m certified self-contained
I even have a sense of where I’m going in this endlessly pouring rain
I can camp for free just up ahead, if I can determine the location
But driving on the left with the wheel on the right is stressing my vacation (chorus)
I should have sprung for the WIFI deal, my phone is like a brick
This switchback road through the divide is about to make me sick
It sounded like a good idea to drive all the way around the islands
A topographic map would’ve shown the challenge of the highlands
(chorus)
Bridge: It’s probably time to take a full length look into the mirror
And contemplate why my destination’s not getting any nearer
If my wench is there on my GPS I surely do not hear her
Each kilometer the price of my confusion becomes dearer
(chorus)
If I hate driving back at home, what made me think I’d like it here?
Right now I’d gladly pay a driver, kick back, enjoy a beer
I’d relax with someone else behind the wheel, at least I so conjecture…
It will be money well spent when again it’s time to plan my next adventure (chorus; end)
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5. |
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6. |
The Two Headed Dime
04:05
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The Two Headed Dime
The Queen’s profile is sketched on the New Zealand dime
While the other side is etched with a face out of time
Elizabeth passed, and the Commonwealth wept
Yet the Kea still sang, and the volcanoes slept
In the southernmost city at the bottom of the world
A flag of surrender was finally unfurled
And into the Tasman, colonial history was hurled
A surge of justice and peace as each big breaker curled
Signs are in English and Māori wherever you go
It’s a type of equality, and not just for show
I’m sure there’s fear and prejudice, like you’ll find anywhere
But an authentic cultural embrace is what I found down there.
As I absorbed all of this, I took some time to reflect
How dual language signage was a sign of respect
A simple thing, really….perhaps an aftereffect
Of a nation’s commitment to embrace, not reject
I’ll continue to explore this, with a flip of the coin
The two headed New Zealand dime in this cause I’ll enjoin
A coin with no tails might have wondrous tales to tell,
If I can keep eyes and ears open and stay under its spell
The struggle’s eternal & largely within, so I’ll call “heads” I/t air and let the journey begin
A transformation of spirit will be worth every dime;
This is a summit trail that we all ought to climb
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7. |
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You couldn’t be blamed if you woke up one day
In a different time zone, for a 30 day stay
And found that all the names were “Mac that” and “Mac this”
With a Ben Lomond here, a Rob Roy Glacier there
And Scottish name places attached everywhere
You’d assumed you woke up to a Brigadoon bliss
But as you rub the sleep from your eyes, a surprise is in store
You’re twenty latitude lines from Antarctica’s shore
There’s no bagpipe music, no tartan, or plaid
But it sure looks authentic, so you can be glad
That you’ve made it to:
The Scotland of the South Seas
The Scotland of the South Seas
The Scotland of the South Seas
Your clan is welcome here.
They are sheep everywhere, and granite, and gorse
Invasive fir trees, including Scotch pine of course
MacCauley, MacFarland, MacKenzie, the rivers
They call their little streams burns, and their mountain lakes, tarns
You’ll find Shetland ponies inside of their barns
If they don’t wear their Macs when it rains then everyone shivers
They also drive on the left side, not settling the matter
Their kiwi can’t fly, when they cross the road they get flatter
They celebrate Burns Night, as any Scot would
You’ll see nary a kilt which is all to the good
Which means you’ve made it to:
The Scotland of the South Seas
The Scotland of the South Seas
The Scotland of the South Seas
But you’ll find no haggis here
Bridge: Dunedin, Aberfeldy, Glenburn and Kilbirnie
Place names in two hemispheres…a most confusing journey
[Chorus; fini You finally made it to the…..Scotland of the South Seas]
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8. |
Moonlight on Aoraki
04:54
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The moon comes up, as the sun goes down
The evening shadows vanish on the darkening ground
The rain has stopped, it’s finally clear
The peak of Aoraki will in moments appear
And its snowcap burns bright white in the night
It’s thickened its coat while all we got was the rain
Framed by the skyline as it flexes its might
And lit by the moon that’s just beginning to wane
Tomorrow we leave, but tonight I hold close
And try to check my tendency to wax on verbose
I silence myself, and watch the moon crest the peak
For once it seems that none of us are tempted to speak
We tramped for days, and were denied any views
The rain, it came in buckets — we sure paid our dues
The mountain majestic in the clear moonlit sky
We take it all in as we let out a sigh….
Bridge: Aoraki towers over this world of rock and ice
The high point of the Southern Alps displays at last its height
This moonlit alpenglow will more than suffice
To showcase its dominion on this marvelous night (riff #2)
Our bodies are tired, but our spirits renewed
By the memory of the Tasman glacier earlier viewed
A giant slab of ice sheared off in front of our eyes
As it tumbled in the river we watched it capsize (riff #1)
The Tasman Rver flows to Lake Pukaki
Carrying its ice and glacial flour short of the sea
The turquoise water is an astonishing hue
And makes the lake itself an otherworldly blue (riff #2) (To bridge #2)
Bridge #2: In the Aoraki moonlight we hear the Kea’s cry
An ancient bird that hides by night and steals our food by
day
As I raise my head up to the ghostly midnight sky
This entire glacial paradise holds me in its sway
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9. |
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10. |
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When first she came to Parliament I cursed the air and spat
“You’ll not be running anything!” we said, and that was that
John Key was our PM then, he wore a manly hat
I thought his Nationals would stomp and crush her like a gnat.
I tell you Jacinda is out of control
She’s trampling on my freedoms, she’s crushing my soul
Don’t even get me started on the ballots that she stole
I tell you Jacinda is out of control
Those bastards with New Zealand First threw their lot in with her
Got her elected as PM, they acted as chauffeur
They thought she was a pussycat, all soft smiles and demure
One year led to five as voters fell for her allure
I tell you Jacinda is out of control
If I told you all the ways she is you’d just call me a troll
Her fireside chats were just for show and Labour ate it whole
I tell you Jacinda is out of control
She cared more for theMuslims and the Maori than for me
When COVID came, she locked us down, I was no longer free
I didn’t want no microchip, we told her “let us be”
We couldn’t even take our boats out on the Tasman Sea
I tell you Jacinda is out of control
Her radical progressive ways will put me on the dole
I think I’d like her fine as a nude dancer on a pole
I tell you Jacinda is out of control
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11. |
Queenstown Farewell
04:28
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I was sweating in your sun this morning
I’m shivering under your moon tonight (repeat both lines)
Chorus:
Queenstown farewell…..farewell Queenstown….
I’ve fallen deep into your sway
Queenstown farewell…..farewell Queenstown….
You held me in your arms today
Ben Lomond summit in the scorching sunshine
Back to the lake before the moon could rise (repeat both lines) (Chorus)
Paraglided far above the water
Landed safely in an open field (repeat both lines) (Chorus)
Bridge: As a finish it could not be bested
A sparkling jewel in this southern land
While my body was severely tested
I felt the world in each grain of sand (Instrumental riff)
I’ll take you with me as a lasting blessing
I’m grateful to have known your charms (repeat both lines). (Chorus)
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12. |
Men and Mountains
03:19
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Great things are done when men and mountains meet
This is not done by jostling in the street
That’s what William Blake observed
As his eternal muse was served
Great things are done when men and mountains meet.
There are precious few mountains you can see from London town
The Thames cuts through the center of the level ground
So what do you think he meant when he said
That momentous things would come to a head
And that great things are done when men and mountains meet
Maybe your highest mountain is found
Where the ship of your ambition has again run aground
Or in the gathering of the enemy army in the valley below
Your mountain could be the fear you never could face
That dread that always serves to scratch you from the race
As you feel the underutilized potential inside of you grow…
(Scat verse)
Pull out your climbing gear and engage that daunting peak
The gauntlet’s been thrown, adventure is what you seek
Your time is now, there’s no need to wait
Life slips through your fingers while you hesitate
Because great things are done when men and mountains meet
It’s not the mountain ahead that wears you down…it’s the grain of sand in your shoe you haul around
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jimeddy Ann Arbor, Michigan
I no longer trade time for money, so I'm a lucky guy. Songwriter, music collector (at a pathological level); supporter of independent artists of all stripes. Open mic enthusiast, international traveler every chance I get. Forward in All Directions!
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