1 / Magic (4:28)2 / Random Draw (5:57)3 / The Poet(3:22)4 / Between The Lines (5:24)5 / Keytar (4:31)6 / Disappear (7:48)7 / Conversation (4:08)8 / 58 People (6:38)9 / Dreamer (4:28)
Credits FAF is Edwin Roes (guitars, samples & loops), Hans van Lint (vocals, samples), Ed Wernke (drums, percussion), Clemens Steenweg (keyboards, backing vocals), Jan Nieuwenhuis (bass, pedals, 12 strings, backing vocals)All songs written, arranged and produced by For Absent Friends.Lyrics Hans, except The Poet (Clemens, Hans), Dreamer (Edwin, Hans).Drums recorded at Emiel Zwaard Recording, Delft.Demo’s, guitars and the rest at Moving View studios and in home studios spread across the lowlands.Mixed at Moving View studios, Wassenaar.Mastered at Abbey Road Studios, London.Artwork & design by Bert van Dijk.Band photo by Greet van Breugel.
1 / Magic [ 4:28 ]that it’s hydrogen atoms fusing into heliumand a blast of particlesdoesn’t mean thata sunset isn’t beautifulit just means that we know hownature conjures up its magicand it’s front row seats for allthat it’s chemical electronicsseveral billionsof neurons firingdon’t mean thatthe love we experience isn’t realit just means that we know hownature conjures up the magicand lets us celebrate it allthe world is so much richerwhen you got it wrongjust follow theevidencethat it’s replications of variationsunder pressureof selection powersdon’t mean thatour lives have been robbed of all meaningit’s the other way aroundwhen nature conjures up its magicand lets us celebrate it all
2 / Random Draw [ 5:57 ]In all our livesthe one thing that we’ve all been givenis this deck of cardsthis pool of genes and arbitrary linesdrawn in the sandaround the places we call homethat we mistake...for castles that we ownIn all our livesthe one thing that we’ve all been givenis this random drawamongst the mums and dadsthat were livingand they colored who we arethey took us placesthat we call homethat we mistake for castles that we ownand we don’tand I won’t sit here moaning‘bout going outthe place to choosewhile you’ve spent all your moneylosing everything you’ve got to loseIt’s understoodthe earth beneath the lives we’re livingis this pale blue dotthat’s spinning round and roundand round and round it goesoblivious to monkeysfighting for their rocksthat they call homemistaking them for castles that they ownand I can’t sit here bloating‘bout what I think I have achievedwhile you’ve put all your moneyon promises and wolves and thievesand I won’t sit here moaning‘bout going out and the place to choosewhile you’ve spent all your moneylosing everything you’ve got to losea few thousand milesof air that we can breatheless than oneout of a hundred cups of waterthat we can drinkthis random drawis all we got
3 / The Poet [ 3:22 ]the poet is blessedwith an aura like Jezuswith a handshake inspiringboth reverence and trustaddressing our needslike a business man doesthe best of the bestand the rest eats the dustso here it goesa poem sent downstraight from the towerthe poet dislikesto be pushed for a truceto settle for piecewhen besieged by fake newsearly reports reallydon’t look that goodGod bless the gunsthat protect kids at schoolso there it goesa poem sent downstraight from the towertwo-hundred and eightymagnificent strokesit’s bold and it’s truethe hoax is Chinesethere’s a brave new worldwaiting for youso here’s to the womenfree pressand to scienceto stand-upto reasonto loveto politeto great-great-grandchildrento lifeto opt-outto hope against hopein a world gone crazyand there it goessome say it’s a factthere’s a socialist pactand a brave new worldwaiting for youthe poet believesin a world free of liesin justice and frontiersof blue-coloured stripesimpregnable valuesthe wrongs and the rightsAmerica firstgiven malegiven whiteso here it goesa poem sent downstraight from the towertwo-hundred and eightymagnificent strokesit’s bold and it’s truebe careful my friendyou’re missing a trendthere’s a brave new worldwaiting for you
4 / Between The Lines [ 5:24 ]if I ever had a chanceI just didn’t take itthe chance to say the wordsI just didn’t say themif I ever made us feelcoming second placeif I ever hadthis distance about methe air as if Icould have done it without youif I ever made us feelroutine everydayknow that you were insidelike the drum of a heartbeatin the air I breathein the water I needjust like poetryyou can read between the linesif I ever gave youthe kind of love you wantedif I didn’t understandbut still gave you comfortif I ever didkeep it treasured in your heartif the words that I’d saywere too easy thentoo self-assuredto mean anythingif I ever let the doubttake over youknow that you were insidelike the drum of a heartbeatin the air I breathand in the water I needjust like poetryyou can read between the linescause every time I thought I was lostevery time I thought I saw youmost of it was spots before my eyes(in all my lifeyou were therewhen it all was falling down)every time I thought I knew youI missed the tell-tale signs of our demise(I was losing my groundI am losing my ground)you can read itright between the linesyou can read itbetween the lines
5 / Keytar [ 4:31 ](instrumental)
6 / Disappear [ 7:48 ]what’s that noisefrom down the hall?these muffled voicescalling someonewhere’s a telephonewhen you need one?the place it looks familiarbut something crucialis missing herethis unexpected mistthat’s moving inmakes me disappearwhere are you?are you there?why these violent sentimentsI didn’t do nobody wrongwhere’s a loving armwhen you need one?the room the shadowson the floorthe walls they look unnaturalthis unexpected madnessin the airmakes me disappearwhere are you now?are you there?I’d like to tell youjust how wonderful it wasto get to know youbut I don’t rememberand I can see the weight it carrieswhen I don’t recognizeyour faces anymoreI disappearwhere did all my family go?I’ve got to letmy parents knowsomeone should be calling 911that silhouettebehind the dooris making meuncomfortablethis unexpectedviolence in the airmake it disappearmakes me disappear
7 / Conversation [ 4:08 ]in a conversation that we never hadwe were talking about our childhoodthat outside our lives were worlds apartand inside so much felt so alikeand the truth was something flexibleand it seemed we laughed and talked for weeks on endabout the stuff you made from scraps and shamblesworth all the money ever spentand I could see youso much clearer thanI ever did beforein a conversationthat we never hadwe were talkingof boys becoming menof all the first timesand the last timeshow they shaped our livesour confidencethere were silencesthey were comfortablesome thingsare better left unsaidbut we could readbetween the lineswe knew exactlywhat the other meantand I could hear youso much louder thanI ever did beforein a conversationwe never hadwe looked back at 1981when I lost my faithin what is goodand what is rightand you felt you lost your familyand I asked you how and whyand you told me you were sorryand so did Iso did Iso am Iin a conversationwe never hadI told you how much I love youhow much I’d miss youwhen you leavehow much of you I find in meand I could see youI’d see youI see youso much clearer nowthan I ever did beforeyou stopped breathing
8 / 58 People [ 6:38 ]58 people on a tramstaring rumblingin their pocketswork and calls and busy tunesthey fit inside a wafer can58 people on a tramlook like meand look at meweary gaze and vague expressionsclimbing up the food chain58 people on a tramhasty I love you’ssilent humsand it’s us and themman to manthis is herethis is nowcompletely lostinside a crowdthis is herethis is nowlet me out58 suits no 59 or 60 somethingI’ve lost my countchasing numberslike sharks in the shallowswaiting for the kill58 people on a tramskip their breakfastwithout a blinkand it’s us and themman to manthis is herethis is nowcompletely lostinside a crowdthis is herethis is nowlet me outand let mesee you againlet mefeel you again58 people on a tramdon’t have a cluejust where I amclose your eyesand I’m home againthis is herethis is nowcompletely lostinside a crowdthis is herethis is nowlet me out
9 / Dreamer [ 4:28 ]I used to dreamflying across water and landleaving my footprints in the sandeverywhere I’d beenthat I was the onewho decided where the wind would blowmaking the sunshine, rain or snowand paint colours into trees(in every colour that I please)there’s enough fire to lightenough of this dream to lifethere’s enough space and time and stringsto pull us through these watersif I was the onewho decided where the wind would blowmaking the sunshine, rain or snoweverywhere I’d beenI flew to desertscarrying clouds upon my backand a rainbow caught up in my sackto turn sand into green(some of the brightest that I’ve seen)there’s enough air to breathefor all of this life to livethere’s enough space and time and stringsto pull us through these watersthere’s enough fire to sparkenough of this dream to lifethere’s enough space and time and stringsto pull us through these watersthere’s enough air to breathethere’s enough fire to lightthere’s enough space and time and stringsthere’s enough for us allthere’s enough airthere’s enough for us all