2026 Competition Entry:
SUBURBAN NIGHTMARES by Mark Farrelly
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Lyrics
SUBURBAN NIGHTMARES
You get your paper every morn
And read it till it’s creased and torn
Then toss the daily news aside
It does no more than make you cry
The kids are up, there’s toast to cook and eggs to fry
Now the day to day hypocrisy
Of everybody that you see
Does not help you understand
Why did you ever choose this man
Who sits staring with empty eyes at you
You were married and deserted and only 22
And on your own, you didn’t think you’d pull through
Bridge
So you call him love, almost every night
But it ain’t true and it don’t feel right
But at 37 you’d rather not be alone
Cos a husband helps, even though he’s never home
Chorus
And every night, you have suburban nightmares
Every night, you dream suburban dreams
And somewhere out in the middle of suburbia
I can almost hear your suburban screams
When the washing’s done, you send the kids to school
You’d like to keep them home, but that’s against the rules
Cos they’d just get on your back anyway
But wouldn’t it be nice if they could stay, at home with you?
Wouldn’t it be nice, if anyone could stay, at home with you?
Middle 8
And all that you are waiting for, is every day to end
And all that you are hoping for, is love to become a friend
Chorus
And every night, you have suburban nightmares
Every night, you dream suburban dreams
And somewhere out in the middle of suburbia
I can almost hear your suburban screams
Now a woman’s work is never done
So they say, but sometimes it’s fun
But mostly it’s somewhere between pain and tears
You look in the mirror, worried about the passing years.
Then you dream of when you were seventeen
You were the sweetest thing that he’d ever seen
And he promised to make your own happy world,
How come he left? That’s right there was another girl
So your days go slipping by so fast
It’s November now, another year has past
You try to tell yourself, that one day you’ll feel fine
But you can’t help thinking, by then you won’t have the time
To make your life so full of love and peace.
You have a thought, maybe this time, you’ll leave.
You get your paper every morn
And read it till it’s creased and torn
Then toss the daily news aside
It does no more than make you cry
The kids are up, there’s toast to cook and eggs to fry
Now the day to day hypocrisy
Of everybody that you see
Does not help you understand
Why did you ever choose this man
Who sits staring with empty eyes at you
You were married and deserted and only 22
And on your own, you didn’t think you’d pull through
Bridge
So you call him love, almost every night
But it ain’t true and it don’t feel right
But at 37 you’d rather not be alone
Cos a husband helps, even though he’s never home
Chorus
And every night, you have suburban nightmares
Every night, you dream suburban dreams
And somewhere out in the middle of suburbia
I can almost hear your suburban screams
When the washing’s done, you send the kids to school
You’d like to keep them home, but that’s against the rules
Cos they’d just get on your back anyway
But wouldn’t it be nice if they could stay, at home with you?
Wouldn’t it be nice, if anyone could stay, at home with you?
Middle 8
And all that you are waiting for, is every day to end
And all that you are hoping for, is love to become a friend
Chorus
And every night, you have suburban nightmares
Every night, you dream suburban dreams
And somewhere out in the middle of suburbia
I can almost hear your suburban screams
Now a woman’s work is never done
So they say, but sometimes it’s fun
But mostly it’s somewhere between pain and tears
You look in the mirror, worried about the passing years.
Then you dream of when you were seventeen
You were the sweetest thing that he’d ever seen
And he promised to make your own happy world,
How come he left? That’s right there was another girl
So your days go slipping by so fast
It’s November now, another year has past
You try to tell yourself, that one day you’ll feel fine
But you can’t help thinking, by then you won’t have the time
To make your life so full of love and peace.
You have a thought, maybe this time, you’ll leave.
Author
Bio
Very few writers can match Mark Farrelly’s versatility as a writer. He has spent many years as an Advertising Copywriter, writing and creating standout, award-winning advertising campaigns for TV, radio, print, outdoor, digital, etc
His advertising career included writing several jingles, which demonstrated his talent for both a strong lyric and memorable melody. But that is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to his songwriting which spans many genres – pop, blues, country, folk, jazz.
As if this is not enough, Mark has also authored several short stories, a novelette and several poems. And having written 3 short-films to enter Bryan Brown’s Twisted Tales project on the Nine network, Mark is now writing his first feature-length screenplay – Resonance (The Piano Man).
His advertising career included writing several jingles, which demonstrated his talent for both a strong lyric and memorable melody. But that is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to his songwriting which spans many genres – pop, blues, country, folk, jazz.
As if this is not enough, Mark has also authored several short stories, a novelette and several poems. And having written 3 short-films to enter Bryan Brown’s Twisted Tales project on the Nine network, Mark is now writing his first feature-length screenplay – Resonance (The Piano Man).
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