Divebomber
Neil Finn
Sat by the window, widow sat
And dreamed of planes in silhouette
In cloud formations overhead
Oh, you better get there when it matters
When she's taking off, you will really need to hold on tight
Pretty soon the connection is made
We're ascending higher and higher each day
And there's no turning back
Sun is overhead, target’s down below
It's gonna be a wreck, alright
It's a risk if you're flying fast enough
With the rush of blood, you can bet you'll forget anyone
She understands where you're taking herand she won't break up under the Strain
The engine sighs it's time, we must pull her out
I have this to say to you, I'll do my best to save you
But I'm hoping I don't black out
Cos there's only one way down
Then I wake up in a sweat
Landing safely in bed
Oh man I thought we were dead
Punch me gently out of shape now darling
It cannot be that bad
For all I know we're high above the ground
And there’s only one way down
Song appears on:
Neil Finn - Dizzy Heights (Album, 2014)
Live (on acoustic guitar): Fangradio 2020
“It’s a dreamscape. I used to have recurring dreams when I was a kid about planes, from reading World War II comics and my Dad being in World War II. I used to have dreams about dive bombers coming over - waves of them - and running for cover.”
“I originally taped off the TV, from a movie called “Dive Bomber”, the sound of these planes. They were so good, I was able to write a whole song around it that fitted the swoop and dive of the planes. I tried to get Warner Brothers to give me the original soundtrack that I had recorded off the TV but they wanted $30,000 for it. I have to say big ups to Peter Jackson and his people - they helped me find really good plane sounds which were free in the end.”
“The melody and atmosphere of Dive Bomber was the 3rd incarnation of that song. Initially it was jaunty 40’s style swing song. I love to destroy my work in order to rebuild it and transform it.”
