The Swing

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The Swing 1984

This page contains possible corrections to the lyrics of songs from "The Swing" by INXS. Send comments/suggestions to Bruno Andrighetto.

Track Listing:

Original Sin
Melting in the Sun
I Send a Message
Dancing on the Jetty
The Swing
Johnson's Aeroplane
Love Is (What I Say)
Face the Change
Burn for You
All the Voices

Lyrics originally transcribed by Jeffrey Curtis, and posted to An Excess of INXS.

Corrected lyrics from the published sheet music or from the sleeves of the 7" singles are highlighted in red . My personal suggestions are highlighted in bold, while parts I'm not sure about are italicized.

INXS: The Swing, 1984

Original Sin

You might know of the original sin
And you might know how to play with fire
But did you know of the murder committed
In the name of love, yeah
You thought what a pity

Dream on white boy
Dream on black girl
And wake up to a brand new day
To find your dreams have washed away

There was a time when I did not care
And there was a time when the facts did stare
There is a dream and it's held by many
Well I'm sure you had to see
It's open arms

Dream on white boy
Dream on black girl
And wake up to a brand new day

Dream on black boy
Dream on white girl
Then wake up to a brand new day

Melting in the Sun

I'm melting in the sun
This is what they call the life
I suppose too much sun
Makes a desert Arab say
In the middle of this country
There's a lot I want to see

Great expectation
Oh, it would seem to me
And I waited on
I waited on, I waited on

Do you wanna make a story up
There's enough in all we see
If it happened this morning
Tonight we'll see it on TV

Great expectation
Oh, it would seem to me
Great expectation
(Take a look, around you)
(Take a look, around you)
Oh, it would seem to me
(Take a look, around you)
(Take a look)
And I waited on
I waited on, I waited on

She was twelve and knew the world
A boyfriend knew a dance to this
Everybody's got advice
Take a snake take a ladder

This is what they call the life
I'm melting in the sun

[Repeat chorus]

I Send a Message

From the Songbook:

Here in the silence
I think of you
I send a message
And hope it gets through

Think of the distance
Think of the miles
Over the valleys
Could take a while

I miss the people
I miss the fun
You're my apparition
She's my only one

And I imagine
You're standing here
You're phenomenal
So inspirational

Man of the world
For all the good reasons
Take away the pain
And drink the wine

[Chorus]
[Guitar solo (Play it Timmy)]
[Repeat verse 1]

[Chorus]
[Sax solo]

I miss the people
You miss the fun
You're my apparition
She's my only one

From the 7" sleeve:

Hey in the silence
I think of you
I send a message
And hope it gets through

Think of the distance
Think of the miles
Over the valleys
Could take a while

I miss the people
I miss the fun
You're my apparition
She's my only one

And I imagine
You're standing here
Like some animal
So inspirational

Mad at the world
For all the good reasons
Take away the pain
And drink the wine

[Chorus]
[Guitar solo (Play it Timmy)]
[Repeat verse 1]

[Chorus]
[Sax solo]

I miss the people
You miss the fun
You're my apparition
She's my only one

Dancing on the Jetty

From the Songbook:

Watch the world argue
Argue with itself
Who's gonna teach me
Peace and happiness

We could sit here forever
Just never get old
Listen to the world
Letting God's tyres down

Hit cities, sharp nights
Rag clothing
Dancing on the jetty
So our feet stay dry

Blood is upon the steps
Two thousand years ago
Pray like hell then we go to fight
Another war in the holy land

Shot the world
Too sorry
Snap decision
In our moment's glory
We're gonna watch them keep it strong

We're making trouble
We change tracks
Do the skilled time
Take time to take notice

Hit cities, sharp nights
Rag clothing
Dancing on the jetty

From the 7" sleeve:

Watch the world argue
Argue with itself
Who's gonna teach us
Peace and happiness

We could sit here forever
Just never get old
Listen to the world
Letting God's tyres down

Hit cities, sharp nights
The right clothing
Dancing on the jetty
So our feet stay dry

Blood is upon the steps
Two thousand years ago
Pray like hell then we go to fight
Another war in the holy land

Shout the word
True story
Snap decision
In a moment's glory
We're gonna watch them keeping score

Making trouble
Change tracks
Fool the system
Take time to take notice

Hit cities, sharp nights
The right clothing
Dancing on the jetty

It's the swing
It's the swing like a pendulum
And not a moment as the years go by
On an innocent face

The swing, and you'll never never laugh
There was a darkness like an old friend
It scratched and crawled up the wall
Into my life
Into my destiny
Into my desire

It's the swing
It's the swing like a pendulum
So look behind you when the race has run
And winner is made

The swing, and you'll never never laugh
There was a darkness like an old friend
It scratched and crawled up the wall
Into my life

Well it's the swing
Yeah a swing like a pendulum
Between the kisses and between the lines
There is nothing to hide

[Chorus]

Yeah the swing
It's the swing like a pendulum
It's the swing
It's the swing like a pendulum
It's the swing

Johnson's Aeroplane

Four long lines one darker than the rest
Each one has a purpose making borders on the land
Farmer's pride you know he works real hard
From a small aeroplane you can see the fields

Heart shaped hedges
Japanese gardens
A place to work and grow, a place to work and grow [x2]

Four long years one leaner than the rest
The animals are thin and the pasture's dry
Farmer's pride if the weather doesn't lie
From a small aeroplane you can see the sea

Lots of blue
Very deep/Verity blue
A place to work and grow, a place to work and grow [x2]

Johnson sees the fields and mourns? in silence?
Steel machines and black tar roads
Countryside where the spirit never dies
In his face all the history shows
Farmer's pride as the rains came down

A place to work and grow, a place to work and grow [x2]

Shaped hedges, Japanese gardens [x4]

A place to work and grow, a place to work and grow

Love Is (What I Say)

This is, food of love
They said, got that wrong
Smiling, you and I
Thinking, never say die

What I say now
What I say now
I don't think we know each other enough to lie
Enough is enough anyway

He changes, lives alone
Drowning, by the fire
Out of depth, he becomes
Man without, qualities

Looks like, the food of love
They said, I got it wrong
Smiling, you and I
Thinking, never say die

[end with:]
You and I
What I say

Face the Change

Turns back to front
Turns hate to love
The simple things that mean a lot
Turns rock to sand
Turns ice to snow
It's you and me about to grow

Change the face of a magazine
Face the change of a million years
Stare in shock at what you saw
Take a breath and lock the door
Tell your children what to do
Mistakes and all they still love you
Change the face of a magazine
Face the change of a million years

Turns rough to smooth
Turns don't to do
To reminisce turns me to you
Turns war to peace
Turns greed to need
The consequence of visionaries

Burn for You

It's no use pretending
That I understand
The hide and seek we play with facts
It changes on demand

Tilt my hat at the sun
And the shadows they burn dark
Light me and I'll burn for you
And the love song never stops

I like the look in your eyes
When you talk that certain way
I love the day in the life
When you know thatlover's way

Minding my own business
When you came along
Temperatures were running hot
The fever was so strong

It's always an adventure
The fantasies we make a fact
You're the secret I desire
I can't keep that to myself

When we're not together
It doesn't feel so bad
We could be so far apart
But our love's not sad

It's no use pretending
'Cause I understand
The hide and seek we play with facts
It changes on demand

All the Voices

Deep down in my heart
There is a lot of words
Tears fall down my face
But I hear the many voices that cry in vain

I wanna tell you
Don't give it up, no
I wanna tell you
Don't give it up, no

Hear the voices
What's/Waltz around you
All the people
Never doubt it
Hear the voices
Take a look at what surrounds you
All the people
We can change things never doubt it

Keep wanting, you/new start
Is it just too much to ask
Ooh, what does it take
'Cause I hear a million people singing the same

[repeat chorus, with revised last line:]
We can change it, we can change it

Hear the voices, all the people [repeated...]

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