Name: 19 Beholden The Giant
Duration: P00H02M20S
Description: Performed live at Slamalamadingdong Poetry Slam, Melbourne May 2013. Courtesy of Michelle Dabrowski.

19 Beholden The Giant

from Product by Randall Stephens

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My first printed book of poetry "One For The Road" is all about travel and journey, a collection representing work written over a 6 year period.

Featuring Hopeless crushes in strange places, communications breakdowns, heartbreak, isolation, floods in Thailand, scams in Malaysia, wankers in Auckland, disillusionment in India, freaking out in the Sahara, and a stolen pith helmet in Nepal. We go from exotic adventure to facing up the economic disparities in the world.

It's 22 individual stories on 60 pages, staple stitched with illustrations, all created and composed by the author.

Also there's elephants in it. It's pretty good.

Includes unlimited streaming of 06 Don't Ask Why via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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about

Performed live at Slamalamadingdong Poetry Slam, Melbourne May 2013. Courtesy of Michelle Dabrowski.

lyrics

BEHOLDEN THE GIANT

Just got my bicycle serviced
and now I’m nervous
picked her up this evening
this demon cleaned
and parts replaced
components upgraded
scores to settle

heavy metal that shines
like jewellery
grumbles like an elephant
purrs like a kitten
cost me
like a couple of weeks pay

she don't play nice
with the other vehicles
been feeling that winter neglect
holding a grudge
can smell a car door opening
a mile away
and doesn't like it

rides up gutters
like they aren't there
they don't exist
neither does fatigue
or dark or up-hills
downhill’s exist though
she squeals with glee
whenever we see one

laughs at the wind
and keeps taunting it
at my expense
she doesn't care about her rider
just uses me
to get herself from A to B
She never gets tired
but makes me that way
demands respect
seldom returns it
powered by sweat
by doesn't recognise that herself

as hard as I breathe
standing on the peddles
there's no end to her greed
it's the insatiability
of simple mechanics
she runs off no battery
needs no petrol
isn't affected by dehydration
cold or heat
my calories alone
keep her going
and that is all she costs to run

the world's oil could disappear
oceans die
the air could become unbreathable
she wouldn't care
she can’t be stopped
-all she needs is ground
keeps eating it up
while barely making a sound
she just keeps humming along
knowing it all belongs behind her

she’s stubborn and unforgiving
and unstoppbale and...
I love her!

but don't tell her
I said any of this
‘cause she'll hurt me

a mean old horse
with a vicious temperament

she'll never exactly be
a traffic stopper
but then again
she won’t ever be
stopped by traffic either.

credits

from Product, released September 1, 2013
Performed live at Slamalamadingdong Poetry Slam, Melbourne May 2013. Courtesy of Michelle Dabrowski.

license

about

Randall Stephens Melbourne, Australia

Randall Stephens writes poetry about other poetry, cycling, sexuality, masculinity, dinosaurs and your boyfriend. People have called Randall controversial. Randall has called people losers.

Randall has toured extensively in Australia, as well as in New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia and Borneo.

Also competed in London and New York, but didn’t do very well so don’t tell him I mentioned that. ... more