‘Arctic Ostrich’
Living in the frozen tundra of the north,
The bitter blizzard hits you with a driving force.
Flat head, proud chest, biped, flightless.
Living, living in the cold of the northArctic Ostrich, head in the snow.
Frozen ideas; don’t want to know.
Can’t see, can’t hear, can’t smell a rat,
Arctic Ostrich, can’t last, last like that.He used to live in Eden long ago,
Fell from the garden, wondered to the ice flow.
A stranger came and paid his passage back home.
His ticket’s waiting at the arctic aerodrome.
Can’t see, snow blind, Scott free, another time.
Looks like, looks like his plane will leave aloneIf a stranger put a ticket in your hand
That would take you right up to the promised land.
You don’t pay, it’s a free ride, one way, with a guide.
Would you take it would you understand?
Would you take it would you understand?
Would you take it would you understand?
Would you take it would you understand… understand?Composer: Robert BathurstLyricist: Martin Day
© M Day 3-Oct-1984
Background
As was the case with many of the early Salt Solution songs the lyrics came first and needed to be tailored to fit the music that came after it. This is the third version. It pained me to lose carefully crafted lyrics. I sometimes used to sing ‘string vest’ instead of flightless in concerts as a homage to the lyrics that were left on the cutting room floor.
This song was affectionately nicknamed ‘Arctic Frosties’ by Rob Bathurst who wrote the music, a title that was later adopted as the album title.
Movie
Footage of the frozen Arctic wastes and the Northern lights provide suitable imagery for Salt Solution‘s track ‘Arctic Ostrich‘.
