Number Four

The Go-Betweens “Bye Bye Pride”


From the moment I first heard this song it was a favourite of mine. I stumbled upon the Go-Betweens quite accidently at a gig in London in 1987. I seem to remember they opened with this song and from the second that Amanda put lips to wood and belted out the opening on her clarinet I was hooked. It was the song I showcased to people when illustrating the genius of the Australian indie giants. Virtually any compilation of great music I have made over the last twenty-years would have this joyful refreshing and thoughtful ditty in it.
If you haven’t heard of them, and you like some of the other music on here – then let a little bit of them into your life.

The following is from the CNN website.

By CNN's Barry Neild

“Long admired by critics and more successful contemporaries, Australian musician Grant McLennan -- co-founder of The Go-Betweens -- wrote lush, poetic songs that could break hearts and mend marriages.But when he died earlier this month at the age of 48, most people had still never heard of him.
Following his fatal heart attack at home in Brisbane, scores of fans and celebrity admirers, who have in the past included U2, R.E.M. and Coldplay, logged on to the band's Web site to share their grief, while highbrow newspapers such as Los Angeles Times and Britain's Guardian rattled off deeply affectionate obits.”

“the door is always open wide.”

A white moon appears
Like a hole in the sky,
The mangroves go quiet.
In la brisa de la palma
A teenage rasputin
Takes the sting from a gin,
When a woman learns to walk
She’s not dependent anymore
A line front her letter may 24
And out on the bay
The current is strong
A boat can go lost.

But I didn’t know someone
Could be so lonesome
Didn’t know a heart
Could be tied up
And held for ransom.
Until you take your shoes
And go outside, stride over stride.
Walk to that tide because
The door is open wide.

Turned the fan off
And went for a walk
By the lights down on shield street.
The birds in the trees
Open their wings ...
He goes home again.
He dreams resistance,
They talk commitment,
Things change over long distance.
Took the shirt off his back
The eyes from his head
And left him for dead.

But I didn’t know someone
Could be so lonesome
Didn’t know a heart
Could be tied up
And held for ransom.
Until you take your shoes
And go outside, stride over stride,
Walk to that tide because
The door is open wide.
Little lies, they’ll take your pride.
Until you take your shoes
And go outside. stride over stride,
Walk to that tide because
The door is open wide.
Stride over stride
Walk to that tide.
Bye, bye pride.
Because the door is open wide.
The door is always open wide.
The door is always open wide.