Get all 18 Luke Vassella releases available on Bandcamp and save 35%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Confusing Them With Our Joy, Christmas In Lismore, 7 Songs, KAIROS, Glory Light, Something Good, Cloudcatcher Video Series, In a North Coast Town, and 10 more.
1. |
Lighthouse
03:34
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LIGHTHOUSE words & music by Luke Vassella
Long may the Bangalow Road always take us back
To that summer of '95
When the North Coast was new to me
Lookin out from the top of the Coolamon scenic drive
Between a million stars, the cloudcatcher and the sea
The moon lit up a liquid path, and the light swept over me
I'm still dreaming, under the lighthouse
Oh Byron Bay, I'm still trying to figure you out
So let the North Coast party never end
Let the Byron girls stay forever young
Half a lifetime under the mystic light
I'm still believing the best is yet to come
O lover of my soul I heard your song, I know you're there
From Wategoes to the Rosebank hills I been singing to you everywhere
Ooh I'm still dreaming, under the lighthouse
Another drifter in Byron Bay I'm still trying to figure it out
Just another grain of sand, has washed up on your beach
Just another outstretched hand for a dream almost in reach
I remember that music, that girl, bouncing to the beat in a beautiful world
I remember that freedom, that girl, swirling with the rhythm as the fire twirled
Ooh I'm still dreaming, under the lighthouse
Oh Byron Bay I'm still trying to figure you out
Just another grain of sand, has washed up on that beach
Just another outstretched hand for a dream almost in reach
What's not to love about those curves along the Bangalow Road
What's not to love under the lighthouse
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2. |
Rocky Creek Dam
03:07
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ROCKY CREEK DAM words & music by Luke Vassella
I'm gonna lay me down, where the green grass grows
Where the pretty birds sound, where the sweet water flows
Out at Rocky Creek dam, there's so many memories shine
I'll be takin it easy, one day at a time
I been livin this life the best that I can
I was made for the shade out at Rocky Creek dam
I'm gonna lay me down where the Nightcap sways
Where the kids run around on the sunshiny days
Out at Rocky Creek dam, I'm flat out like a lizard thinkin'
While the frisbees are flying, the barbecue lights are blinkin'
I been livin this life the best that I can
I was made for the shade out at Rocky Creek dam
Out at Rocky Creek dam, it's a beautiful place
Rain, hail or shine I got a smile on my face
I'm just trying to do the very best a man can
Havin' fun with the fam out at Rocky Creek dam
I'm gonna lay me down where the phone's out of range
Where that goanna comes around and he looks at me strange
Out at Rocky Creek dam, I kick off my shoes
I lose my car keys, I'm gonna lose these blues
I been livin this life the best a man can
I got it made in the shade out at Rocky Creek dam
Livin this life the best a man can
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3. |
One Vancouver Night
03:47
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ONE VANCOUVER NIGHT words & music by Luke Vassella
There are moments in time I wish I could re-live forever
Like the one Vancouver night I swear I'll always remember
Still spinning from the flight, my day had fallen off the calendar
I took one look at the state of the United States, then I turned left into Canada
One Vancouver night, harbour lights in the city shined so bright
Starlight danced and flickered in the lover's eyes
Looking over the water for a while, it was a beautiful sight
One Vancouver night
There are moments in time, I wish they'd never disappear
Like that crisp Canada feeling, as we strolled along the pier
Warmed by the happy radiance of my friends who just couldn't wait to get married
Le joie de vivre, la bella gioia
They were floating and we were carried
One Vancouver night, the city shined so bright
Starlight danced and flickered in the lover's eyes
Looking over the water for a while, it was a beautiful sight
Once upon a time
One Vancouver night, there could be no forgetting
I took the sweetest ride to the other side to celebrate Colin & Nadia's wedding
What a spell to be under, looking round like a child with the tired, wide eyed wonder
It was a beautiful sight, it was one Vancouver night
There are moments in time when your heart is filled to overflow
Wrap those memories around you my friend, don't ever let em go
Like the one Vancouver night
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4. |
Glory Light
05:32
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GLORY LIGHT - Words & Music by Luke Vassella Copyright 2018
"Hey Lukey V, I got a spare ticket to the Dylan show"
Said my friend Davey, how could I say no?
We crossed the border into Brisbane rain
Two Mexicans eating sushi from a Southbank train
We made it to the show
Septuagenarian Bob gave it a red hot go
He played the new stuff, he played the old
He gave a glimpse of the diamonds, a glint of the gold
But near the end he played something very special
Like I hoped he'd do
The song was 'Long and Wasted Years'
And they brought the stage-light fader up, right on cue
It was like somebody turned on a glory light
Turned on a glory light
Showed us something special
Made us feel like something happened that night
Well, years ago I took my darling
To see him at Ballina, Seagulls Park
Now that was the very best show I ever saw
We were front and centre, cuddled up in the dark
And Bob looked straight down at us
With a half smile that I understood
As if to give his blessing, as if to say
"Son, you've done real good"
As if to turn on a glory light
Turn on a glory light
Show us something special
Make us feel like something happened that night
Like the spirit moved, and made rough places smooth
But there's times I've seen Bob when I should've stayed at home
Watching paint dry or watching the tele
Like that time at Bluesfest, man he had nothin on
Our very own Paul Kelly
I guess I've done all the dumb things,
I know I've been careless,
And deeper water is calling me on, but still...
I'm going to see him again, just one more time
I've got a spare ticket from another friend
Slip and me don't know what we're gonna find
But I sure hope Bob brings it to that Newcastle fishbowl
I sure hope he slings it like an arrow
Into our heart and into our soul
Come on Bob, turn on a glory light
Turn on a glory light
Show us something special, make us feel like something happened tonight
Turn on the glory light, turn on the glory light
Show us something special make us feel like something happened tonight
Like the spirit moved
Like all the long and wasted years don't matter
Like it's all alright
Come on Bob turn on the glory light
Like it's all gonna be alright
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5. |
Mission Beach
07:06
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MISSION BEACH - Words and Music Copyright 2016 Luke Vassella
So here we are
Swayin with the breeze
And the coconut palm trees
On Mission Beach
I'm gonna borrow my sister's caravan
I'm goin chasin the Queensland sun
Five long years I thought I tried to save my countrymen
From oblivion
It's too much for me, my friend
I can't keep carryin this around
Let's packup the family, let's head north
I'll cry out, "Lord, help me lay this burden down."
I'm alive in the lap of luxury
I'm bathed in light on Mission Beach
My mission is so sweet
I felt the joy of the redeemed
We stopped for a picnic at the port of Gladstone
I saw the flare from the LNG
And a vision of the spirit on the water
Recreatin the landscape in front of me
Well Cynthia says, "maybe there's hope for the un-creators"
But the future looks frightening
Though our tears fall like rain
We're gonna learn how to harvest the lightning
I'm bathed in light, people are freefallin in the sky
But I'm still alive on Mission Beach
My mission is so sweet
I felt the joy of the redeemed
I'm gonna spend the day in my own way
Listenin to Ray LaMontagne
Got the moonlight shinin, waves subsidin
Sippin on the sugar champagne
Wow, you look so good Queensland
And you've sure been good to me
But you're still a lot like New South Wales
You just got more sun in your hair, and more sand in your bikini
Ooh, oh Mission Beach, Mission Beach
And from the top of Dunk Island
I felt like I could see forever
Or maybe 7, or 8, or 9 thousand years
Since the last big change in this coastline and the weather
See, up there I read an old story
They say this place used to be grey kangaroo country
Now its all covered in water
Translucent green as far as the eye can see
Oh Mission Beach
My mission is so sweet
Ooh I felt the joy of the redeemed
That cassowary runs through the forest
He keeps his kids where it's cool and shady
Me, I'm runnin down the Bruce Highway
I got a Jayco caravan, three kids and my lady
I got no advantage over the animal
We share the same fate
I pray these kids cope with the changes
I pray this country repents before its all too late
Oh Mission Beach
My mission is so sweet
I felt the joy of the redeemed
I felt the joy, the joy, of the redeemed
So here we are
Swayin with the breeze and the coconut palm trees
Here we are
On Mission Beach
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6. |
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A WAY(where there is no way) words & music by Luke Vassella
How can I say I believe you, how can I claim to receive you
In a country where the truth is so easily bent
How can I claim that I have found you, how can I have built my life around you
In a country invested in no treaty, nor covenant
But all people are like the grass, their glories wither and quickly pass
But your word stands forever, your promise will remain
So I sing to you, let a voice be true in the chaos and decay
I surrender to you, trust you're making things new
Cos you make a way where there is no way
How can I say I've seen you, how can I claim to have been with you
When generations of my countrymen live in despair
How can I claim to live the story of a resurrected glory
In a world hell bent on destruction and death everywhere
These equations don't add up, I'm done, I'm out, I've had enough
I see no hope, I see no vision, I see no way
Still I sing to you, let a voice be true, in the confusion and decay
I surrender to you, trust you're making things new
Cos you make a way where there is no way
You make a way where there is no way
O keeper of our tears
Keeper of our years
I sing to you in the dysfunction and decay
I surrender to you, trust you're making things new
You make a way where there is no way
Cos you make a way where there is no way
Cos you make a way where there is no way
Let these dry bones dance
Let these dry bones sing
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7. |
Pandora's Box
04:27
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PANDORA'S BOX - Words & Music by Luke Vassella Copyright 2019
Never fear my boys we’ll all go to hell together...
These are some of the words of a ship wrecked sailor,
The HMS Pandora’s gaoler
To the men in chains in the box on the deck,
As the Coral Sea crashed over the wreck
It was the year of 1791
The Bounty mutineers had had a good run
Until they were bound to Pandora’s box
And a Master at Arms who wouldn’t open up the locks
He said "Never fear my boys
We’ll all go to hell together!"
Never fear my lads
We’ll all reach the bottom together
Shed no tear my boys
We’ll all go swimmin’ together,
So bid your last farewell
To the fife and the drum
And the rum and the women forever…
(Oh there she goes…)
Upon a flooding tide the men came to grief
Pandora’s hull smashed into the reef,
She creaked and groaned as the sea filled the boat,
All night, all hands tried to keep the thing afloat...
Through the perilous hours they fought the tide
But the hole in the hull was way too wide,
With the morning came the reality grim
The ship was going under it was sink or swim….
Never fear my boys
We’ll all go to hell together,
Never fear my lads
We’ll all reach the bottom together,
Shed no tear my boys
We’ll all go swimming together,
So bid your last farewell
To the fife and the drum
And the rum and the women forever…
Oh there she goes *6
So the pirates were trapped in Pandora’s box
With chains on their hands and their feet like rocks,
Til a moment of mercy and chance held sway,
Mr Moulter freed the bolt and threw the prison door away
Oh there she goes.... Oh…
Onto a sandy cay the survivors rallied,
35 missing names were tallied,
The stunned prisoners looked around
But the Master at Arms wasn’t nowhere to be found…
Though he left them there in the box so black
It was the gaoler jumped ship with the devil on his back
If it’s sorrow that you’ve seen, or horror that you heard,
Remember, sweet mercy may yet have the final word...
Never fear my boys
We’ll all go to hell together,
Never fear my lads
We’ll all reach the bottom together,
Shed no tear my boys
We’ll all go swimming together,
So bid your last farewell
To the fife and the drum
And the rum and the women forever…
Oh there she goes *6
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8. |
Augustines
13:47
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AUGUSTINES words & music by Luke Vassella
Let me tell you a story, let me sing you a song
About making the most of a world gone wrong
About living with the lemons in the lemonade
About keeping it cool when you're drinking the kool-aid
See one day I happened to be walking around
I was lost and lonesome in Lismore town
When by chance I glanced up from my feet
There was a brand new place on Woodlark Street
Augustines was the sign I read
I opened the door and I poked through my head
I saw an empty chair right about my size
In the half lit room I adjusted my eyes
Clare was there, she looked so fine
Surrounded by the beautiful bottles of wine
Oh my friend I tell you I don't suit all the scenes
But I could see myself suiting Augustines
Oowee, will I ever find the sweet serenity of a satisfied mind
If I ever forgot what a good time means, I could try to remember down at Augustines
You could say I was getting a little ground down by life
You could say it's worn a little thin with my beautiful wife
You could say I was just a little wasted on the vine
A fading flash in the pan of space and time
Like an old guitar strung out and stressed
My heart's been broke beating out of my chest
They could close the curtains and turn down the lights
And pour me something strong for a long dark night
Give it to me straight, neat and fine
Ease my heart and relax my mind
Cos if I ever forgot what a lifetime means
I'd have a good think about it down at Augustines
Oowee, will I ever find the sweet serenity of a satisfied mind
Cos right now I couldn't give a bag of beans for all the problems in this world
I'm at Augustines
What's the use in a theme park, or a mickey-mouse church
When you're caught in the cold, when you're left in the lurch
When you're wondering what the hell it all means
When you're staring at the walls at Augustines
Maybe I could play, maybe I could sing
Maybe I could make my guitar ring
In that cosy corner by the piano
In my best dinner jacket darlin', I'd be good to go
There's so many reasons to savour the time
To savour the flavour of a good red wine
And it looks like this joint's got the good grapes
All kinds of colours, and flavours, sizes and shapes
Well it's no secret, Jesus turned the water to wine
He helped the people rejoice, he let em have a good time
The first written revelation of his power
And quite possibly the world's first true happy hour
It was the gift of a father to a son
To share a spirit of joy with everyone
But if these wineskins should ever burst at the seams
I could wait for the new wine here at Augustines
You know, I walked past the place that was Mark's cafe
I remember sipping 'just grounds' back in the day
And talkin with a friend and a neighbour or two
Back when life was long and the sky was blue
I walked on past 'Sombrero's', it only made me sad
Cos they made the best damn margarita I ever had
The tables are still set, but the room makes no sound
The front door's locked, there's noone around
Still I walked on past Dave & Benny's Tatts Hotel
I remember that smooth Irish whiskey well
In the backroom there was always something going on
Now the lights are off, and those days are gone
And over the way I see the old arcade
That's where I drank the coffee sweet Alisha made
That girl had a lovely smile and a friendly call
Maybe I never went there for the coffee at all
Still I kept on walking across Keen St
I see the Gollan Hotel's gotten back on it's feet
There were nights there with the band we just kept breaking strings
Showing off to a room full of pretty young things
But I kept on walking, I just kept on walking
Until I came to Gilhooley's, I got kicked outta there
One time I was playing too much Leonard Cohen everywhere
At the time it was the best thing I thought I could do
You could say I got a little depressed there, for a day or two
Man, I was so lonesome I thought I could die
But hey, that's no way to say goodbye
It ain't easy when the people want circus tricks
It ain't easy when they wouldn't know mud from bricks
Boys, you keep a wheel turning in your music machines
You raise a toast to the memory at Augustines
Oowee, will I ever find the sweet serenity of a satisfied mind
If I ever forgot what a good time means, somebody'd help me remember…
There's too much talking I can hardly think
My mind's still walking, I've forgotten to blink
My friend says why worry, you don't need to fret
Don't be caught in the headlights on a road of regret
Cos there's a whole lotta ways you can fill in the blanks
And how many reasons do you really need to give thanks
My friend you can't change what's beyond your control
And all the money in this world it won't buy your soul
And all the worry in the world, it won't buy you an hour
You'll be as cold in the grave as the ivory tower
In this meaningless life you can't right every wrong
Take a look around, good people perish while the wicked live long
So don't be over-righteous, don't be given to crime
Brother why destroy yourself before your time
Don't you know this burden's been laid on the whole human race
Don't you know all things are beautiful in their time and their place
Don't you know eternity has been set in the human heart
Even dear old Arthur Stace couldn't understand, writing in that chalk from the end to the start
But when insecurity reigns in the anthropocene, I said to my friend
I think I could be locked in tight here at Augustines
Now I'm trying to recall some of the moments I had
Thinking what I learned from my dear old Dad
He always seemed to face the future with hope and good cheer
But I do miss his smile talkin over a beer
I do miss the company that I once knew
But life has moved on, what can I do
Even Moses only looked upon the promised land
And brother Simeon, he only held the saviour for a moment in his hand
You've just got to finish the race you run
Hold fast to the promise and don't come undone
I read something I liked that Rumi had to say
Something about a mystic tavern, a soul cafe
Any moment these wineskins could burst at the seams
What am I doing in the doorway at Augustines
Am I losing my mind looking for a place that I'll never find
Through the twists, the turns, the rifts and ravines, to hell with it all down at Augustines
Oowee, will I ever find the sweet serenity of a satisfied mind
If I ever forgot what a good time means I could try to remember down at Augustines
Maybe I been flying by the seat of my jeans, tied up in knots down at Augustines
And when Jesus comes knocking, he knows where I've been
He knows I'm waiting, trembling here in the doorway, staring at that empty chair…
I think I need a moment to put down the pain and the loss
To hang up the halo, and climb down off the cross
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Luke Vassella Lismore, Australia
Luke is well known on the NSW North Coast and beyond as an inspirational performer.
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