Dave Scott-Morgan

Dave Scott-Morgan

Songsmith, Writer, Musician, Birmingham UK

Words by Dave

Kafka & Orwell

DSM 

CD & digital

11 new songs for 2024


Well Sodom said Gomorrah

We’ll be this way tomorrah
And we’ll get ’em when they least expect us to
And Shakespeare and that old geezer

Who did the Mona Lisa
Yeh they’ll wonder why they ever bothered to
They’ll be pointing at the sky
Mouthing words they cannot speak
Climbing out of windows
Running naked in the street

In the street

 

Banging on a doorbell

Is Kafka and Orwell
Like two old ragamuffins on the run
With faces long and peevy

They’re realizing really now
They should have let it go at chapter one
But now the secrets out

Like the Scotsman and his kllt
We’re in a universe

Where Rome was never built
Never built

 

Kafka and Orwell this is your song
We did it for you and for everyone
Who’s got eyes to see what’s been going on

O yeh

Kafka and Orwell yesterday’s gone
I look around the future has come
And it’s true you were right

I was wrong
Yes it’s true you were right all along

 

Lets all hold hands

Try and contact the living

Kafka and Orwell this is your song
We did it for you and for everyone
Who’s got eyes to see what’s been going on

O yeh

 

Kafka and Orwell it’s sad but true
We really don’t want to blame it on you
Oh but you were the first to picture the view
You drew it so well when nobody knew
What the future would be, how the story would run
You said it loud, you said it long
Now it’s true, you were right

I was wrong
Yes it’s true you were right all along

 

I remember the day when the Angel came
In late September light
And he spoke to a man by the name of Stan
On the edge of a nuclear night

He told him not to do just what

The programme said to do
As klaxons roared on the big war board
And generals shouted too

 

But the Angel calm took him by the arm
And whispered soft and clear
Don’t act in haste for what you face

Is not how it appears

He told him not to do just what

The programme said he should do
As klaxons roared on the big war board
And generals – they were all shouting too

 

And with voices raised and eyes ablaze
The atmosphere was thick
And every man came a-pressing on Stan
To push that button quick

But the angel said – no don’t be led
There’s things that they can’t see
That soon must show the facts

And so a hero you will be

 

Well the minutes passed and the sweat ran fast
But one thing is crystal clear
That the truth came through

And Stan did too
Cos we are all still here

And of that race through time and space

To save humanity
You can check the peace was kept

In Nineteen Eighty Three

 

And remember the day when the Angel came
In late September light
When he spoke to a man by the name of Stan
On the edge of a nuclear night
On the edge of a nuclear night

 

People go, places stay
I saw it all today
The city streets look the same
But you were nowhere in the frame
As people passed along the way
Making like it was another day
I turned around and you had gone
Without a bye or leave or I’ll see you later on
And it feels like the Laws of Motion 

are going wrong

 

People go, places stay
Only yesterday
You were there full of fun
Playing country on
A Fender Tele with a broken string
Making music out of everything
I turned around and you were gone
Without a chorus or a roll upon the drum
And it seems to me the Laws of Motion 

are poking fun

 

Oh how I’d love to see you standing at my door
Oh I’d love to see you standing there
Nobody gets to stay in one place anymore
Always on the go Always on the go
Just gotta be somewhere else
Just gotta be somewhere else today
Always gotta be somewhere else
Always gotta be somewhere so far away
Why d’you have to go so very far away

 

People go, places stay
The Laws of Motion say
It takes a lot of energy
Just to lift your head and see
The sun rise high upon a broken land
When there’s nobody to understand
I closed my eyes and you were gone
And suddenly a shadow passed across the sun
And now it’s like the Laws of Motion 

have come undone

 

People go, places stay
The Laws of Motion say

Hey Hey Mrs.M
Every letter that you write is a gem
It’s a job to know just where to start
When I’m looking at a work of art
And I read the words that you say
Oh I’m just blown away

 

Hey Hey Mrs.M
In the hashtags of mice and men
If I sing my song on the radio
And the lights go out well who’s to know
If the words I sang were all true
I sang them just for you
All the best, yours faithfully
Please address your correspondence back to me


Hey Hey Mrs.M
Can you read me that last bit again
Is there just us two to mourn the fact
That the Beatles won’t be coming back
Oh but it’s okay to dream
And it’s all right to fall in love
And to tread those grapes and to drink that cup
And to take your mojo and lift it up
And wipe those brain cells clean
All the best, yours faithfully
Please address your correspondence back to me

And please stay in touch and be sure to
Let me know what’s bubbling free


Hey Mrs.M it was a shock to discover
My face on the magazine cover
The insider secrets revealed
Stories I’ve cooked and the spuds I’ve peeled
Down in the kitchen with you
When the sky was blue, and perfectly brand new

Oh somebody bright go and turn up the light
on the hilltop today

When you think about the things that happen to you
Things that happen to you everyday
When you don’t feel like singing hallelujah
But you get on up and sing it anyway

 

When a rich man is coming by to sue ya
And there aint another penny you can pay
You really don’t feel like singing hallelujah
But you get right up and sing it anyway

 

Yeh you get right up and sing it
Just stand your ground and bring it
You may even have wing it
Oh but you sing it anyway

 

All the crumby things that happen to you
The hurtful things that people say
The jibes and cusses go right through ya
And you don’t know how to look the other way

 

Just get on up and sing it
You gotta grit your teeth and bring it

You may just have wing it
Oh But you sing it anyway

 

So many things that happen to you
That happen to you every single day
When you don’t feel like singing hallelujah
But you get right up and sing it anyway

I’m gonna get me right on up 

I’m gonna sing it to you anyway

It’s the Crime of the Century
In front of everyone

Right in the mid-day sun
And I believed every word said to me
Bout how was done

Who’s hand was on the gun

Oh I believed it, I did

For a long long time.

Ooh those men in grey,

They shut that door and locked that truth away
Ooh they cast a wicked spell,
A story told by demons from the darkest part of hell

 

They killed him then, they’re killing him again
Every Time that word goes out
They killed him then, they’re killing him again
And it makes me cry, it makes me shout
They killed him then, they’re killing him again
Now they’ve left us here on a sea of doubt

 

So many years and a million words
But still the question’s hot
What can you do when the strings get pulled
By someone at the top
What can you do but hang on
Ring that bell, bang that drum
Hold on to what is true
Don’t let it get to you,
Wait for the reck’ning to come

 

It was the Crime of the Century
In front of everyone

Right in the mid-day sun
And I believed every word said to me
Bout how was done, who’s hand was on the gun

Yes I believed it, I did

For the longest time.

When you see a face across a crowded room
and suddenly you step out of the gloom
So your heart begins a-racing off the scale
til you’re flying like a rooster in a gale

 

Love’s gonna get you
It’s as certain as the day
Love’s gonna lock you up and throw the key away
Love’s gonna get you
Love’s gonna win
Love’s gonna put you in a sentimental spin, Yeh

 

Romeo and Juliet
You’re flying high but don’t forget
It’s only real until the curtain falls

 

Ah the music stops and out pops a word
And you hope it did not sound too absurd
When I asked would she like to take a ride
I think she said yes, I’ll see you outside

 

Love’s gonna get you
it’s as certain as the day
Love’s gonna lock you up and throw the key away
Love’s gonna get you
Love’s gonna win
Love’s gonna put you in a sentimental spin, Yeh

Love’s gonna get you, Love’s gonna get you

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I turn my head to the sunrise
I set my back to the wind
I said goodbye to days of sorrow
I’ve been there once, don’t wanna go again


I place my feet on the highway
I fixed my gaze down the line
I saw the sign that said no entry
Better turn around, better change your mind

 

I pressed down hard on the pedal
I grabbed the wheel extra tight
And to the soundtrack of a mad max movie
Drove through the darkness and on into the light

 

I set my mouth on to silent
and my heart to the love of life
Reached out my hand and took the antidote
before the poison had a chance to really bite

 

And It’s a whole, it’s a whole new feeling
The view from the ceiling
So very revealing, all the past is concealing
Oh when you open your eyes it’s the end time skies and all humanity cries,
No more lies, No more lies
No more lies, No more lies
No more lies, No more lies

 

Words go out from every rooftop
Lofty memes to touch the skies
Systems are beeping, red lights are flashing
No more lies, No more lies

No more lies, No more lies
No more lies, No more lies
No more lies, No more lies

 

Chantelle, Chantelle

I can hear those wheels speak
I can’t stop tapping my feet
Rock and roll never felt so right
And I’m Riding on the Dockland Light
As day turns into night
I’m heading into the smoke on the Dockland Light

Riding on the Dockland Light
To see my baby tonight
Heading to the smoke on the Dockland Light

I could not make the express
So I jumped on the next best
I hope that driver’s got a big green light
Now I’m Riding on the Dockland Light
As day turns into night
Head into the smoke on the Dockland Light

I got something to tell her
I got something to say
It’s been with me every minute of the day

So I’m riding on the Dockland Light
To see my baby tonight
I’m heading into the smoke on the Dockland Light

Meet me at seven, Platform One
Outside of the old Shangai Blue
We’ve got some catching up to do
Me and you

Chantelle, Chantelle

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I saw the wheels as they came off
The chariots ground to a stop
The President said ‘Let me off 

I’ve got to get away’
And if he had one last thought
Before the angel drew his sword
It would be nice to hold the fort 

For just one more day

But Old Father Time, he’s deaf dumb and blind
He likes doing things in his own way
And after the fact, I’m caught in a trap,
I’m taking the rap

It’s a bad day

 

Out here in Wonderland
Nobody understands
What happened to the plans we made
Here in this Wonderland
Jesus is contraband
Nobody hears you when you pray

 

Own nothing; Be happy
You’ll Own nothing, and you’ll be happy

 

I saw the cloud as it came down
I watched it touch the ground
Making the strangest sound a man ever heard
Somewhere inside the smoke
The ancient dragon woke
The earth fell silent as he spoke the magic word

 

Welcome to Wonderland
It’s been a long time planned
Step up and shake a hand today
Your friendly poltergeist
will bring you good advice
No mention of the price to pay

 

Out here in Wonderland
Nobody understands
What happened to the plans we made
Out here in Wonderland
Jesus is contraband
Nobody hears you when you pray

Own nothing; Be happy
You’ll Own nothing, and you’ll be happy

 

It is the first day of forever
The last day of never

Better hold on tight
All along the City borders
The pleasure Captain’s daughters 

Are looking for a fight
On the Titanic everybody’s unawares
Down on the one side of the deck is he who dares
Sand on the other side is he who stands and stares
And he who says he cares


But when I lay my head down to sleep tonight
When I say my prayers to the Lord
There’s a world outside full of grief tonight
But I’ve got a place where I can be

It’s my bolthole of sanity
So when I lay my head down to sleep tonight
When I say my prayers to the Lord
I will make no deal with defeat tonight
Even though things are so dark

I’ve got a truck load of hope in my heart


So it’s the first day of forever
The last day of never 

No way to put it nice
Ah now everything is shaking
There’s no more mistaking 

What is wrong and what is right
Children are setting up their pieces on the floor
Down on their hands and knees in Harry Potter Hall
They’re playin’ Robin Hood with laser guns and more
They’re keeping score


So when I lay my head down to sleep tonight
When I say my prayers to the Lord
Though the world we’ve left them
Looks so bleak tonight
I don’t despair cos down in my soul 

I can hear drums of glory on the roll


When I lay my head down to sleep tonight
And I say my prayers to the Lord
I can feel the ground move 

Underneath my feet tonight
As I listen to crazy talk
And the wheels of this juggernaut
They keep grinding and churning
Like bad dreams returning
Klaatu Barada Nikkto Gort
They’ll still be p’rading their things
Til the Fat Lady sings
Oh I do hope her song is short


And in the commotion 

I’ll be bobbin’ on an ocean
A wide angle beautiful thought
It is the First Day of Forever
It is the First Day of Forever

It is the First Day of Forever

SIGNZ

CD & digital, 25 March 2022.
Signz is enlisting rock n roll not only to the call of fun, but also to the call of defending freedoms fast ebbing away under the gravity of encroaching insanity. Wearing the mask of a court jester, Dave gets to say a couple of things which hopefully you can connect with (some more obvious than others). 

‘TIN EYE’ (track 5) is written about TNI – The Trusted News Initiative, a conspiracy of protocols initiated by the BBC in 2020 to manipulate and censor news information to align with the given political orthodoxy.

TNI partners include: AP, Reuters, Washington Post, Facebook, Google,Twitter, Financial Times etc.

‘CROSSING JORDAN’ (track 7):  One of the great thinkers of our time – Jordan Peterson, inspired me, nay egged me, to this, my soft insurrection against new normals!

Everytime I look up,
I catch you looking down

Is it cos I live on the other side of town

Or is as I suspect that I do things differently

The truth is I can’t help it

I’m just dancing to be free
Yeh I’m Dancing, Dancing,
DANCING TO A DIFFERENT DRUM

I’m Dancing to a different drum so don’t get too upset
if you look from your balcony and see me out of step

Well I’m trying to be nice, I doing the best I can

But there’s no point talking
when you just don’t understand

that I’m Dancing, Dancing,
DANCING TO A DIFFERENT DRUM

Nothing at all like Ginger Rogers,

Nothing at all like Fred Astaire

Nothing on earth like the Mama Mia

Nothing on earth like the Dancing Bear

Have you seen the Queen of egg-nog

Making eyes at the Duke of pink

Well she aint the Mona Lisa

O but he’s the missing link

Everybody thinks I’m crazy, but I aint such a dope

To stand upon a soap box selling someone else’s soap

I am very very sorry if I step upon your toes
Oh but when you dance so close to me

my sense of rhythm goes

I’m just Dancing, Dancing,
DANCING TO A DIFFERENT DRUM

What’s going on in our world

You couldn’t make it up

Seems like the news man isn’t happy til I’m scared

Just as soon as one disaster has gone
he’s got another one prepared


You couldn’t make it up.

No no not in a month of Sundays,

Not even if your name was Shakespeare

Not if you racked your brains,
sweated blood out of your veins

No not if you tried and tried again      


I take a walk down Memory lane

Looks so pretty but it sure has changed               

Folks walk by in fancy dress,

Wearing a mask for Sunday best

 


Monday to Sunday, I’m feeling roasted
Monday to Sunday, evenly toasted
Monday to Sunday, keep me posted now

What’s going on in our world

You couldn’t make it up

You couldn’t make it up

Some things used to be sacred, now they are not

Some people were worshipped, Oh but they got shot

All the world’s trying still to get to the top

And nobody knows where it’s all gonna stop

 

A carpet of fear rolled in from the east

And found a new way of stealing my peace        

It came with an army of liars and cheats               

And they’re all riding high on the back of the beast

 

Only the Rain knows the way back to the sun   

Only the Rain holds the rainbow                        
Only a heart beats to destiny’s drum 
and though heartaches will come
pretty soon they’ll be gone

Only the Rain knows the way back home


Some things are hidden way down deep

I can’t even find them until I’m asleep
and then in the morning those stairs look so steep

And the sky is so high and my coffee so weak

 

Only the Rain knows the way back to the sun   

Only the Rain holds the rainbow                        
Only a heart beats to destiny’s drum 
and though heartaches will come
pretty soon they’ll be gone


So Let those rainclouds come and wash my tears away

Only the Rain knows the way back to the sun   

Only the Rain holds the rainbow                        
Only the Rain knows the way back home

Thought I had seen the ending of the story

Thought I had seen the writing on the wall

Thought I was in the land of hope and glory

Thought I was in the same place as before

But there’s Fire down below
Oh You say it’s not so

But this is no time to be hanging around

Watching the red light glow

Oh This thing’s gonna blow

As sure as the sun rises in the east

And SATURN HAS RINGS

The mice are running faster on the treadmill now

And as the camera passes they say cheese

Got to put tomorrow on the schedule now

Got to keep Big Brother pleased                         
Now there’s Fire down below
Oh You say it’s not so

But this is no time to be hanging around

Watching the red light glow

Bro Somebody must know
The earth has a moon and it’s beautiful
And SATURN HAS RINGS

Tin Eye can I trust you,

can I leave it to you? (What have I got to do)

Tin Eye can I trust you,

will you tell me what’s true (Tell me what’s new)

Now I’m sitting down tell me a story

Please don’t make it sad & don’t let it bore me

Tell me my friend, does this tale ever end   

Or does it just go on and on  

like the drip of a tap or the rat-a-tat tat of a gun

 

TinEye can I trust you?

I’d like to think that I could (I’d like to think I could).

TinEye can I trust you?

Is your credit all good?  (Is it good)

Look me in the eye and tell me what’s happening

Don’t leave the bits out if they’re not flattering

Tell me my friend where’s it all gonna end

Or does it just go on and on

Like a whirlwind that blows round and round
back to where it come from

 

My split screen life is at your beck and call 

You read your lines off pat and I’ve heard them all

I’m eating what you’re feeding me,
I’m going where you’re leading me      

it’s rocking horse manure to me
and solid state insanity    

TinEye can I trust you?

 

So long, looking the other way  

So long, hearing what people say

I hear them say It’s all right.
Don’t go making WAVES
(Don’t go making your waves)


So long singing a lullaby
So long keeping your powder dry
You hear them cry It’s all right.
Don’t 
go making WAVES

(Don’t go making your waves)


So long, taking it lying down

So long, looking for higher ground    
You hear the sound It’s all right.
Don’t go making WAVES

(Don’t go making your waves)

You don’t have to think about it
If you don’t like it, I’m not gonna shout it,

There’s no need to fight it, no no, no.

You can get a refund from Scott-Morgan and Co

You don’t have to think about it if you don’t like it, no no.

 

You don’t have to say who you are
You could be a star, a guy or a dame
Or a synthetic brain with no body hey hey hey

You can self-identify in any old way   
You don’t have to say who you are
Now you can go far yes please go today

 

You don’t have to have right and wrong

You can say it’s a fiction, a big contradiction

Some kind of affliction – so please don’t come too close

If you want to kiss me put your lips in the post

You don’t have to have right and wrong                           

Well it used to be strong but now it’s just toast

It‘s a long way to England
It‘s a long way to England



Nobody hears me when I scream,

Nobody knows the fix I’m in

Thought I could make it to the end of the dream
but look at me now 

I’m STUCK INSIDE THIS MACHINE

you know what I mean, it’s no place to dream

it looks like my life is going
from the absurd to the obscene

 

cos baby I’m STUCK INSIDE A MACHINE 


Help me if you can, if you can, can you help me

Help me if you can, if you can, can you help me

Help me if you can, if you can, can you help me

I’m smiling but the fact is
I’m STUCK INSIDE A MACHINE

 


I’ve tried everything I know, but nothing will work

These knobs don’t do anything, not on Planet Earth   

And now my hopes are shot,
I see myself for what I’m not

I might look the part, I might scratch the spot

But underneath the truth is
I’m STUCK INSIDE A MACHINE 


Working so hard I get nothing to show it

Pouring my heart like a ragtime poet   

Hoping to God I don’t mess up and blow it

I’m still smiling but now I’m freezing at the roadside waiting for a breakdown truck

To come and pull me out of this rut


I’m so tired, trying to figure the right button to press

I’m so wired, just gotta get myself out of this mess   

But nobody hears me when I scream

I’m trapped inside a groundhog scene

Maybe it’s just my bad dream

Or maybe it’s really true
and I’m STUCK INSIDE A MACHINE.

We’ve all gone down to the CITY ON THE PLAIN

To bang that drum and wear that ball and chain

Wave that flag, ride that train

Wrap my logic up in cellophane

Oh don’t it go like the tree tops swaying to and fro

It could be this, it could be that, I don’t know

 

Black is white and Jack is Jill

That’s okay just take the pill

It’s gonna be fine;  it’s party time

Cancel all my history

Now Critical Race theory

Is the new paradigm; it’s a party line

Oh don’t it go like the tree tops swaying to and fro

It could be this, it could be that, nobody know

 

C’mon down sing the blues

Rock my cradle gently with fake news

No rules to play the game

Everybody’s riding on the train

To the CITY ON THE PLAIN

 

Now we’ve all gone down to the CITY ON THE PLAIN

Yes we’ve all gone down to the CITY ON THE PLAIN

Oh don’t you know, have you heard

There are words that can’t be spoke

Can’t be read, can’t be said, cos they aint woke

 

C’mon down sing the blues

Rock my cradle gently with fake news

No rules to play the game

Everybody’s riding on the train

To the CITY ON THE PLAIN



and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom. But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.
Gen 13.12-13

Travellers from Canton

What’s been going on?

Yes we heard the gunfire from on top of the hill

and we wondered are you living still?

and we wondered are you safe?

 

Travellers from Canton

What’s been going on?

stories are flying in the digital blue

and we don’t know who to listen to

don’t know who we can believe

 

All the world is growing up in Canton

All the world is blowing up in Canton

 

Travellers from Canton

What’s been going on?

Yes we heard the gunfire from on top of the hill

and we wondered are you living still?

and we wondered are you safe?

 

We heard it on the Xinhua

we saw it on the screens

Yes we read the report in the government press

and it spoke about the ugliness           

and it spoke as if today…

 

All the world is growing up in Canton

All the world is blowing up in Canton


The future’s not what it used to be

Only sure of uncertainty
I guess this is how life is gonna be 

from here, here on in. 

From the first moment I open my eyes every morning

Until I lay down my head back to sleep in the evening


God is hidden in mysteries

That’s the place where his magic lives

Who’s to say that He don’t exist

And look, look all around now

In every sight, every sound

There’s a message waiting to be found

 


I turn my back to the distraction machine

Facebook and Twitter they begin to scream 

Look at me! – 

I know just where you’ve been

And where you’re going to

and what you’re going to do

I know everything to know about you


I’m Watching the Signs

just Watching the Signs
can’t stop Watching the Signs

Watching the Signs

Oh standing at my door

The keepers of tomorrow say I can have it all      

Oh just give a little more today

Don’t come knocking my door
You’re not welcome no more
you’re not one of us, you’re not on the bus

You’re not playing ball


You’re not wearing a mask
I bet you’re not even vaxed!    

You’re not one of us, you’re not on the bus                  

You’ve not got a pass

 

Show me your squiggle and you can come in

If you aint got a squiggle, it aint no riddle

You can’t hang around with me and my next of kin,

No no no no


If you aint had the jab

Your credit is bad

You’re not one of us, you’re not on the bus

You aint in our bag

MADE IN BRITAIN

CD & digital, 08 October 2020.

Made in Britain. 

Yeh I’m made in Britain

And I’m made for sitting

And I’m made for standing up

Yeh I’m made in Britain

And I’m made like flippin ‘eck

Aint that enough!

 

Yeh I’m made in Britain

And the words don’t fit

into this melody

But don’t get frittin they’ll get re-written

When I’ve had my cup of tea

Yeh, yeh, yeh, yeh, yeh

 

Yeh I’m made in Britain

And the rain is spitting

down upon my head

and I’m either going to Heathrow

or I’m going back to bed

Yeh, yeh, yeh, yeh, yeh


Yeh I’m made in Britain

And I’m made for sitting

And I’m made for standing up

Yeh I’m made in Britain

And I’m made like flippin ‘eck

Aint that enough!

Love is just a melody

A sunset over the sea

In its own special category

Nothing else compares

 

When my baby comes around

There’s no other show in town 

I’m looking at her thinking how

Nothing else compares

 

When my baby calls my name

It does something up in my brain

And I got no words to explain

But nothing else compares

 

I guess it’s called destiny

It was always you and me

It’s so obvious to see

Nothing else compares

 

Love is like a holiday

From every grey and dark thought in your head

Turn around to see the other side instead

 

She loves me, she lovely

 

Love is just a melody

A sunset over the sea

In its own special category

Nothing else compares

 

Love is like a holiday

From every grey and dark cloud in the sky

Open up the door

Let the bluebird fly

Starry Lady

dreaming away

There goes another dream

And another day without you

 

I’m here on a stairway of blue

that’s not even real

Amazed at the things I’ve seen

And the way I feel about you

Starry Lady

Starry Lady

Starry Lady

Are the stars out tonight where you are

 

Love is a piece of eternity

a beautiful thought

it flies where the spirit leads

though it was never taught how to


Starry Lady

Starry Lady

Starry Lady

Are the stars out tonight where you are

 

Starry Lady

dreaming away

There goes another dream

And another day without you

Something’s calling me on

Over this big ocean

Some kinda homing beacon

Or just a powerful emotion

Ah

 

I wonder what I’m gonna do

When I get to the wall

And I stand at the door

And I turn the key

And I realise it’s me

‘cause nobody else can see

The truth of it all

 

Something’s calling me on

Over this big ocean

Some kinda homing beacon

Or just a powerful emotion

Ah

 

I wonder what I’m gonna do

I wonder what I’m gonna do

 

Somebody told me you’d be there

(waiting for me at the water’s side)

I knew in my heart of hearts

we’d have this time to share

 

Something’s calling me on

Over this big ocean

Some kinda homing beacon

Or just a powerful emotion

Ah


02 Oct 19  Carmathen

Big man standing there
trying to outstare us

We aint moving anywhere
Baby you can’t scare us

In the darkness …

 

No light shines

No bell chimes

No dog whines

 

No light is seen no sound is heard

Not a flicker not a word

In the darkness

I’m Lovin on you –  just Lovin on you

the days are few but they’re all brand new

and I’m Lovin on you

 

I’m Lovin on you, just Lovin on you

a dog with a chew, a kid at the zoo

I’m lovin on you

 

Somebody is speaking like a flower by the way

I can smell their fragrance but I can’t hear a word they say

 

Cos I’m Lovin on you – all that I do

You’re my cutchy-coo, and beautiful too

I’m Lovin on you

 

I’m Lovin on you, I love what you do

You’re my cutchy-coo And I’m Lovin on you

 

All I do,  just Lovin on you

the days are few, but they’re all brand new

and I’m Lovin on you

 

Like a bird in the blue, a sail boat too

a dog with a chew, a kid at the zoo

I’m Lovin on you

 

There’s trouble on the tele, Fire on the wind

and even the Caped Crusader now is trying to do us in

 

but I’m Lovin on you – just Lovin on you

what a to do, you’re my cutchy-coo

and I’m Lovin on you

 

I’m Lovin on you, can’t stop Lovin on you, I’m just Lovin on you

Like a bird in the blue, a sail boat too

a dog with a chew, a kid at the zoo

I’m Lovin on you

Like a dog with a chew, a kid at the zoo

I’m Lovin on you

There’s a day called today

It’s a day like no other

When you open your eyes

And the world is brand new

Don’t even think for a moment you can

turn back the hands of the dial

Nobody’s seen this day

Nobody’s been this way

Now it’s a day called today

and the past has no part it can play

now it’s a time to stand

with whatever’s in your hand

Time to get up and step out

of the footprints in yesterday’s sand

      

There’s a day called today,

it’s like no other before it

and all you can do

is hold on to love

What will become of the plans that we made

Only tomorrow can say

No eye has seen this day

Nobody’s been this way

Now it’s a day called today

and the past has no part it can play

yes it’s a time to stand

with whatever’s in your hand

Time to get up and step out

of the footprints in yesterday’s sand

She was only a girl in a red dress

She was only a girl in a crowd

But when it come to romance

she was wearing the pants

Yeah she knew how to lay the law down

Go–getter Lady,

Go–getter Lady    

I remember the first time I saw her

So perfectly cute standing there

she turned on her light,

it was love at first sight

But it all went downhill from there

Go–getter Lady,

Go–getter Lady    
Go–getter Lady    

It’s Strange, what love does to the brain

It drives a man insane
but what can you do

when she’s turning that screw again

No, don’t let the feeling show

nobody needs to know

you’re under the thumb but still you just can’t let go

 

Now she stands on the street with a clipboard
telling the folk going by

Just how terrible she

has been treated by me

oh and here’s the petition to sign

Go–getter Lady

Go–getter Lady

Go–getter Lady  (out to go get a man)

Go–getter Lady  (out to go get a man)

It’s good to see you after all this long time

It’s nice to know that life’s treating you fine

How it all comes flooding back

As we sit and chew the fat

You and me, no mystery

There was a time when we were flying free

Out on a roll, cheeky and bold

Pulling the stops out for that pot of gold  

 

We took our chances and we pushed out the boat

We burned the bridges and we filled in the moat

Like we were dancing in a whirl

Me and you against the world                  

Back to back, just knowing that

You’d always be around to take the slack

We played to win, sink or swim

To catch the moment when the wave comes in

 

Come a little bit closer to the heat of the flame

I hear you call out my name

Stand a little bit nearer to the edge of the cliff 

I keep on wondering if

 

I suppose I should have read between the lines

I was a fool not to notice the signs

The truth was oh so bittersweet

The blood ran to my feet                 

When I knew that it was true

Your cheating ways told me a tale on you         

And from that day, I turned to Grey

No doctor’s pill could take the pain away

Oh I turn to Grey, I turn to Grey

 

I thought it would never end

You’d always be my best friend

I’m turning to grey

I’m turning to grey

So here we are in Eden beneath a painted sky

with grassy slopes and mountain goats

and elephants that fly

Oh and Cindy’s on the cell phone

calling up the Prez.  

And telling him she’s struggling

to understand a single word he says


Dee was playing guitar as the sun went down            

And in the dark moon and stars

were dancing all around

Oh and Cindy’s talking money

like Texas people do         

colouring the future in

a greener shade of philanthropic blue


When I get back to the rest of the world             

and I hang up my hat and I tell what I’ve heard

Under a brand new sky I’m gonna feel it again

I’ll Climb up that grassy slope but baby until then
Oh and Cindy’s in the kitchen

cooking up a storm

Wrestling with a giant squid

that’s climbing up the drainpipe headed home


All these things are happening out at Cindy’s Place

It’s Sunday night, I’m feeling like

the smile upon her face

Oh and Cindy’s playing catch-up

running down the years.

Going back along the track

And picking up the laughter and the tears

SEVEN

CD & digital, 07 July 2019

Seven

There are seven wonders of the world, seven colours of the rainbow, seven seas and seven continents, seven days in a week, seven notes in a scale, seven deadly sins, seven virtues  (yes and seven inches on an old 45rpm record!). 
As numbers go, seven has a swish pedigree. Need I say more..?

Things could be better, Things could be much worse

I could get what I want I could get what I deserve

Well I could be a superstar –

This could be my number one

Or I could be selling matchsticks to a second city son
when THE WHEEL turns around

 


There’s faces at my window, voices at my door

I give them what they want

but they keep coming for more

It’s all so obvious, so plain to anyone

they don’t want meet my daddy

they just want to have some fun   /meet his son

when THE WHEEL turns around     

 


I stood before the people so perfectly alone

Just me and my guitar And this megaphone

I spoke to them with passion, with not a shred of doubt

Oh but the wind was from the North then

now it’s from the south

and THE WHEEL turns around     

 


Well I turn on the tele, to catch up with the news

I could understand it if I wasn’t so confused.

But it doesn’t really matter, if what they say is right

Well I’ll be on the balcony

and you’ll be on your bike

when THE WHEEL turns around

Drive on to Moscow

Moscow be my friend

on you must go

you must go to the end

 


The year is Eighteen Twelve my General

Can you save yourself my General?

Can you look me in the eye

be prepared to stand or die

if your want to be

my General…

 


Drive on to Moscow

Moscow be my friend

on you must go

you must go to the end

 


Now it’s Nineteen Forty Two my General

Can I rely on you, my General?

Can you look me in the eye

be prepared to stand or die

if your want to be

my General…

 

Drive on to Moscow

Moscow be my friend

on you must go

you must go to the end

Tanya, we are a dark people
Tanya, we are a dark people

Tanya,

The world is very small

You’ll never work it all out
Your dreams are in the sky

Like empty years they cry out,
Tanya!

When you’re sad and you feel you can’t go on
Look and see how far you’ve come

Understanding who you are

And remembering the star you are to me

Tanya

The days are very strange
so full of dangers and doubt

But through the twists and turns

the candle never burns out

Oh Tanya!
There’s a whole lot of places you can see

A lot of people you can be
Understanding who you are

And remembering the star you are to me

When you’re sad and you feel you can’t go on
Look and see how far you’ve come

Understanding who you are

And remembering the star you are to me

and from the darkest day
there’ll come a better way
for you and your dream Tanya.


Where tears meet the river,

where the rubber meets the road

I sit meditating on the good times we have know’d

while Romeo and Juliet pass by inside the fog

Peter turns to Jesus,

and says ‘boy it’s gonna be a slog’

But Don’t Leave me now


I’ve got so much on the burner,

so much I have to say

But every time that elephant is standing in the way

So I grit my teeth, I hold my peace,

I put my tongue into my cheek

I close my eyes, I count my sheep at the ending of the day

Don’t Leave me now 


There was pride, there was passion.

There was Bogey and Bacall
I squinted through a keyhole and I tiptoed down a hall

And I listened through a stethoscope

and I heard the rushing wind

I looked inside a universe where Judas never sinned

But Don’t Leave me now

–  whatever you do                              


Do I, or do I not cast a shadow on this wall?

Is that the headless highwayman skiing down that waterfall

oh no, it’s just tomorrow playing for time

there’s gold down in the valley and a piece of it is mine

So Don’t Leave me now 

I’m Lovin on you –  just Lovin on you

the days are few but they’re all

Ring-a-ling-a-ling goes the bell
that ring-a-ling-a-ling I know so well
The deal is on the table     

the map is on the wall

We made our plans, we shook our hands
now we’re waiting for your call     
But it’s Long time coming,
Coming to me



He who picks a winner picks the strongest
He who laughs the last laughs the longest
When you call me from your private jet
flying coast to coast   

‘The meat is in the oven babe

and the cheque is in the post’
Oh but it’s Long time coming

Coming to me



Something in the smells and bells don’t sit right
when you say we got to do the deal at midnight
it’s One, Two, Three and Four

I did it once, I can’t do it no more
So let it rock, Let it roll

My ship is on the way
Oh but it’s Long time coming

Coming to me

 

I’m Lovin on you

Red Rose she tip toes,

She hums-ahs, she yes no’s

she bakes pies, she housewives,

she bow ties, she tells lies

But she knows all there is to know about dying slow

does Red Rose

 


Well she writes plays, she acts parts

she’s a Lord Protector, she’s a Bachelor of arts

And she collects men like a connoisseur

And she hates them who love here

And I knows all there is to know about dying slow

for Red Rose

 

Red Rose,

cold as winter snows

and warm as the first light of spring

She knows

which way the river flows

But makes like she don’t know a thing.

 


Well she’s the only virgin outside paradise

She’s the only one who’s not been sacrificed

She’s a stone cathedral, she’s a patron saint

And she’s a Red Cross Parcel for those who aint

cos she knows all there is to know about dying slow

does Red Rose

Standing here at the gates

Face to face

hoping this scene is a dream 

but I know it aint

cos they ask me why –  why is it a secret?

But it aint no secret, no no no no no no.

It was writ, it was read, it was spoken, it was said
hung high upon a notice board and underlined in red

Here at the Gates of eternity

 

Watching the people go by

my oh my

With faces like flint,

there’s no telling what they think

but they ask me why? –  why is it a secret?                            

But it aint no secret, no no no no no no.

It was writ, it was read, it was spoken, it was said
and high upon a notice board it’s underlined in red

Here at the Gates of eternity

 

 

With the Butcher the baker and candlestick maker

The Kings and Queens, movers and shakers

mothers and lovers and givers and takers

and all of them looking at me!

Here at the Gates of eternity

When the trumpet sounds

It’ll be time to close the door

Meet me inside the city wall

And Lookout on the Horizon

Lookout over the sea

 

Only yesterday

I caught the news as it came through

I couldn’t believe they could be so cruel

And Lookout on the Horizon

Lookout over the sea

 

Say, do you know

If there’s a place we can go?
Say, do you know

Say, can you see

An end to all this agony?

Say, can you see

 

Stand on the wall and look for the light

And yell if you see it,
yell if you see it!

yell if you see it!

yell if you see it!

 

 

Is it over now

Can we begin to mend our ways

Could we in time believe it pays?
And Lookout on the Horizon

Lookout over the sea

HIGHLAND

CD & digital, 26 June 2018.

‘STILL’ (track 2) is sung by Alyssa Smillie.
The version of ‘GIBRALTAR FARM’
differs from the one on ‘BUBBLES’.
 

Somewhere down the M6 we went through a door
Now we’re Not in Narnia anymore
And I’m walking down the streets of Birmingham again

Turn off my facebook, Turn off my tweets

If you want me I’ll be under the sheets
I’m gonna hide my face until I don’t know when

I’m chugging along Not in Narnia
Na-na-no-no-no, Back in Birmingham
I’m chugging along Not in Narnia
Na-na-no-no-no, that’s where I am

I’m chugging along Not in Narnia
Na-na-no-no-no Not in Narnia
I’m chugging along Not in Narnia
Na-na-no-no-no Not in Narnia

Somewhere down the M6 we went through that door

Now we’re Not in Narnia anymore
And it’s easy to imagine we never were

Mirror Mirror, on my wall

Can you see my reflection at all
Did I dream it up or was I really there?

I’m chugging along Not in Narnia

Na-na-no-no-no Not in Narnia

How beautiful the mountains
Rise up from the sea
How perfectly silent
They are speaking to me
Soft as a whisper
A cry upon the air
They speak about tomorrow
Like it’s always been there

Rest your head my darlin’
Close your sleepy eyes
You can take my word for it
I will still be here
when you arise I’ll love you
Still, I’ll love you Still.

 

There’s fog on the ocean
Rain down in the glen
And the smell of the fire
Takes me back to who knows when
off in the distance
a songbird is singing
a sweet lullaby for another to hear

Rest your head my baby
Close those sleepy eyes
You can be so sure of it
I will still be here
when you arise I’ll love you
Still, I’ll love you Still.

 

Rest your head my darlin’
Close your sleepy eyes
You can take my word for it
I will still be here when you arise
I’ll love you
Still, I’ll love you
Yeah I will love you Still

Oh the Eyes of Lochaber are open wide
but they won’t let on where the blue caps hide
til the Kingdom falls on the other side
Go Laddie Go, Go Laddie Go

 

Well the whistle blows as the train steams west
And the men on board are the worst and the best
but freedom rides on their success
Go Laddie Go, Go Laddie Go

 

Oh the Eyes of Lochaber
They are following me
Oh the Eyes of Lochaber
Hard as the rain til the struggle and the pain
is just a memory

 

Oh the Eyes of Lochaber
from the sky down to the sea
Oh the Eyes of Lochaber
flying like a buzzard in his skyscraper cupboard
looking down on me

 

As I’m walk along that path again
that once was trod by the best of them
I can hear that song across the Glen
Go Laddie Go, Go Laddie Go

 

Oh the Eyes of Lochaber are watching still
From every heart on every hill
when freedom calls free men will
Go Laddie Go, Go Laddie Go

Gibraltar Farm

Violette came

She walked in its long green grass and left on an aeroplane

With all that she had

One summer’s night

Riding the clouds of England and France in the fading light

Oh and every night I heard her calling out

Across the wires

Oh I’m out on that long and lonely road I chose

And nobody in England knows but you, you, you 

 

Oh let me go where the tears don’t flow

Oh let me stay where there is no war today

 

 

Gibraltar Farm

Violette knew

Every turn and glance of the dangerous dance that she had to do

With all that she had

She did it so well

With a fire in her heart

She played out the part til the curtain fell

Oh and every night I hear her calling out

Across the wires

Oh I’m out on a long and lonely road tonight

And nobody can see my light but you, you, you

 

Oh let me go where the tears don’t flow

Oh let me stay where there is no war today

I was down in the boondocks

on the Edinburgh Road

banging on the door to the Mother Lode  

when Ceilidh Al, as bold as brass  

was coming down the mountain

on his Whisky Poet glass

And I‘m under the Big Brown Sky      

watching the changes fly

and hearing them call out my name

as the wind and the rain go by


They talk up a future in poetic rhyme
standing on the parapet of Auld Lang Syne

feelings run high and faces are red

everybody’s shouting out but not a word is said

And I‘m under the Big Brown Sky

watching the changes fly

and hearing them call out my name
as the wind and the rain go by

 

So take a cup of kindness, hang it on the wall

don’t let nobody touch it no, no one at all

There’s only so much water can go under the bridge

before I get a molecule to pass down to my kid     

under the Big Brown Sky

watching the changes fly

and hearing them call out my name

as the wind and the rain go by

 

Ceilidh light, don’t leave me lone tonight
Ceilidh light, come keep me warm tonight
Ceilidh light, I need you by my side

BUBBLES

CD & digital, 01 January 2017.

‘THE ROCKFORD BUBBLE’ (track 4) is a spoken piece written and performed by Alan Piano Smith (aka Professor Throovest). It introduces the song which follows ‘MISTRESS CAROLINE’, 

I’ve been living on easy far too long

And the ravens sent to feed me have all gone

And every time I see the sunset

I can hear you call my name

So I’ve made up my mind

I think that it’s time

I’ve got to get myself a seat on a plane

 

I was saying to life give me a break

Crying so hard like a child in the dark

Keeping everyone awake

Now I’m through with all that moping

All that walking in the rain

Will be history

When it’s just you and me

I’ve got to get myself a seat on a plane

 

ON A PLANE

I’m flying out across the blue

ON A PLANE

I’m coming home, back home to you

 

I’ve been searching -in red green and blue

But you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to see

When it aint working for you

Or that only your sweet loving

Can make it work again

I’m scared of the drop

But ready or not

I’m gonna get myself A seat on a plane

Yeh I’m gonna get myself A seat on a plane

 

ON A PLANE

I’m flying out across the blue

ON A PLANE

I’m coming home, back home to you

Iris
Iris, I have a message for you
Iris, I have a message for you

And in the language of the day

I would love you if I may

I would give you my today, my tonight

So please don’t say you won’t accept

or I’ll have to take the next

and stand loser for the rest of my life

Iris, I have a message for you
Iris, I have a message for you


And in the language of the hour

I would friend you with a flower 

I’d describe it to you how I feel I should

cos this confusion is my brain

and my attachment to the same

is as helpless as the grain to the wood

Iris, I have a message for you
Iris, I have a message for you

 

Hold your lamp up high

There’s a loner passing by

and he’s caught in your glow
he’s got nowhere else to go

every flower that you grow

just blows his mind


Iris
Iris, I have a message for you  (yeh you!)
Iris, I have a message for you  (yeh you!)

I can hear the telephones are ringing    

and somebody is banging on my door
but I can’t face the message that they’re bringing

can’t take it any more

I just got to hide away

Like a squirrel in a dark place  

it’s my Black Dog Day

I don’t think that I can take it,

can’t find the treasure in my clay    

don’t know if I’m going to make it –

through this Black Dog Day      

The life insurance man he knows my number    

He’s pestering me every single day          
he’s watching every ladder I walk under

but what’s he going to say

When he finds out it’s for real         
There’s a monkey in the engine

And a penguin at the wheel

 

And they talk to one another

like they’re in a Shakespeare play

like it’s Hamlet and his mother

in ‘A Black Dog Day’


Now it’s a sorry situation –

but only yesterday  

I had it all together

and let it all slip away       

 

Now I don’t think that I can shake it,

please let me just fade away

I don’t want to have to fake it,

through this Black Dog Day      

Thank you very much
Ladies and Gentlemen, we are gathered here for the reading of the final will and testament of one, Lord Rockford Moses, whereby his Lordship has instructed me to tell you as follows:

That I, Lord Rockford Moses, being of sound mind, do hereby bequeath my entire estate to one:

Caroline, Mistress. 

(Got your attention didn’t it?)

– to have, to hold, to spend, luxuriate, squander or disperse in any and all ways she thinks fit.

 

Terra firma, ad hoc, de facto Magna Carta, pro rata Procol Harum, ad nauseum, Habeus Corpus, omnibus, terminus – Persona non grata
et Status Quo.

by Alan Smith aka Arthur C Throovest

 

Lord Rockford Moses
being of sound mind

Left everything to Mistress Caroline

Stepped in his time machine

and disappeared from view

leaving the argument for me and you

And he wished he could be here

But he’s done the best he can

Yes he wished he could be here
and he hopes you’ll understand


that I, Rockford Moses
being of sound mind

Leave everything to Mistress Caroline

The five thousand acres

And all the precious works of art

wine in the cellar and the tigers in the park

And he says it’s okay

You can give it all away

I don’t care what you do

But just be careful what you say about my…


Sweet love child Mistress Caroline

She was my friend
she love me when I was alone without a dime

Sweet love child Mistress Caroline

She scratched my back she lit my fag,
she chilled my wine, she done me fine

Love her til the end of time
Love her til the end of time


Well all right, so I’m being foolish

Well all right let people know

About the dreams and wishes you wish

In the night when lights are low

 

Well all right, well all right

We’ll live and love with all our might

Well all right – well all right

Our lifetime of love will be all right

 

Well, all right, so I’m going steady

It’s all right when people say

That those foolish kids can’t be ready

For the love that comes their way

 

Well all right, well all right

We will live and love with all our might

Well all right, well all right

Our lifetime of love will be all right

 

 

Buddy Holly, Jerry Allison, Joe Mauldin, Norman Petty

© Peermusic Publishing


The Queen, the Prince and the Dish

Came together on a day like this

crossing over boundaries  

Suddenly the hand of fate

Has thrown them together on a date

Welded into time and space

 

Far be it for me to forget the good times

Far be it for me to stand in the rain

 

The Queen turned to the Prince and said I know you

but who’s that snazzy dresser over there?

He said ma’am that’s the dish and he’s famous

for disappearing in thin air, disappearing in thin air

 

The Queen, the Prince and the Dish

came together in a way like this

crashing in to memories             

Now for hopings sake
I’m hoping that the news is fake

but hearts that hope are hearts that ache       

 

Far be it for me to forget the good times

Far be it for me to stand in the rain


Wild horses couldn’t keep him at the Maypole

and places to the west and to the east
mothers, sons and daughters searched for him

from the greatest to the least, the greatest to the least

The Queen, the Prince and the Dish

Came together on a day like this

shattering my certainties

Once upon a time the earth was flat

you loved me and that was that

but now is now and now I see

A subtle change in scenery, when you look at me

And I know it in my knower, something isn’t right  

I feel it in my feeler, I puff it in my pipe

I run the movie backwards to the bit that makes me blue

Where you boil the hero in your verbal stew

Well it don’t taste good and it aint a pretty view

and I know it like I know it in my knower

Yeh I know it like I know it in my knower

 

Here inside these four walls

I sing my song to no applause

Searching for the smile upon your face

as my ship sinks without a trace, and nobody escapes!

There’s a pixie in my bedroom and I can’t put out the light
I just know its going to get me at the bottom of the night
so I’m staring at the ceiling, practicing my lines

I used to be Romeo but now I’m Frankenstein

I know it in my knower, I knew it all the time

Don’t I know it like I know it in my knower

Yeh I know it like I know it in my knower

 

it don’t matter what you say, I know it in my knower
You can cut it any way, I know it in my knower


Yeh I know it in my knower, when all is said and done

No I aint going to fight and I aint going to run

so I pay the man my penny, and I make me my wish

and the ship sails on to the edge of the abyss

and I know it in my knower on a night like this

Yes I know it like I know it in my knower

Don’t I know it like I know it in my knower

yes it’s a time to stand

with whatever’s in your hand

Time to get up and step out

of the footprints in yesterday’s sand

Gibraltar Farm

Violette came

She walked in its long green grass and left on an aeroplane

With all that she had

One summer’s night

Riding the clouds of England and France in the fading light

Oh and every night I heard her calling out

Across the wires

Oh I’m out on that long and lonely road I chose

And nobody in England knows but you, you, you 

 

Oh let me go where the tears don’t flow

Oh let me stay where there is no war today

 

 

Gibraltar Farm

Violette knew

Every turn and glance of the dangerous dance that she had to do

With all that she had

She did it so well

With a fire in her heart

She played out the part til the curtain fell

Oh and every night I hear her calling out

Across the wires

Oh I’m out on a long and lonely road tonight

And nobody can see my light but you, you, you

 

Oh let me go where the tears don’t flow

Oh let me stay where there is no war today

Are you ready to climb up the ladder

Are you ready to see

What the view is like from up on the balcony?


Are you ready to step up to the wire

Spead your feathers and fly

Are you ready to climb to the top of the sky?


Nothing in the old, the oldie fashioned kind of way
Nothing too big-time this isn’t Broadway

Everybody got a new way of talking     
Everybody got a word
Are you ready to run with the message you heard

 

Everybody got a piece of the puzzle

Just the one little jot

Are you ready to fly with the baggage you got

 

Nothing in the olde-oldie fashioned kind of way
Nothing too big-time this isn’t Broadway
Give me a break, I’ve got a deadline to make
We’ve gotta dance the night away


Are you ready to climb up the ladder

see the view from the top

don’t bother going up if you’re scared of the drop

Nothing in the old, the oldie fashioned kind of way
Nothing too big-time this isn’t Broadway

I was down in the boondocks

on the Edinburgh Road

banging on the door to the Mother Lode  

when Ceilidh Al, as bold as brass  

was coming down the mountain

on his Whisky Poet glass

And I‘m under the Big Brown Sky      

watching the changes fly

and hearing them call out my name

as the wind and the rain go by


They talk up a future in poetic rhyme
standing on the parapet of Auld Lang Syne

feelings run high and faces are red

everybody’s shouting out but not a word is said

And I‘m under the Big Brown Sky

watching the changes fly

and hearing them call out my name
as the wind and the rain go by

 

So take a cup of kindness, hang it on the wall

don’t let nobody touch it no, no one at all

There’s only so much water can go under the bridge

before I get a molecule to pass down to my kid     

under the Big Brown Sky

watching the changes fly

and hearing them call out my name

as the wind and the rain go by

 

Ceilidh light, don’t leave me lone tonight
Ceilidh light, come keep me warm tonight
Ceilidh light, I need you by my side

ACROSS THE DIVIDE

Across the Divide

CD & digital,  2013.

May the road rise to meet you
May the wind be in your back
May that storm never reach you
And may your lover give you loving back


May you walk and not be weary

May you run and not faint
May you soar like the eagle
May you be who you are, not who you ain’t


Take me to your Captain, allow me to explain
All these good vibrations are doing in my brain
It should have been so easy but it seems so hard
When every ship that passes tries to break my heart


And the road comes to meet me
And the wind is in my face
And it’s sure to defeat me
If I don’t put that devil in his place


I think I got the message, Loud and clear
I got pictures in my head and music in my ear
And all I’ve got to do is plug in to the Son
This little benediction is for everyone


May the road rise to meet you
May the wind be in your back
May that storm never reach you
And may your lover give you loving back

Up with the lark
Down to the park
And across the highway
I’ll be making my hay
On a Normal Day


Working the line
Saving a dime
For a weekend away
In the month of May
On a Normal Day


You can see them as they go
Cheerio! Cheerio
It’s the only thing they know
Cheerio!


Work like a slave
Live in a daze
And the years slip away
And the month of May
Was a Normal Day


You can see them as they go
Cheerio! Cheerio
It’s the only thing they know
Cheerio!


Work like a slave
Live in a daze
And the years slip away
And the month of May
Was a Normal Day

They said it could not be
Not me and you, not you and me
Who do you think you are
To dream so big, to reach so far


Yeh Love is a Mission Impossible
An ocean of fire uncrossable
Yeh and I heard every word that they said to me
And that Mission Impossible prophecy
But only tomorrow knows


The message on my pad
Said spread your wings, don’t look back
Take what you have and go
And if it’s love well tell her so


Yeh Love is a Mission Impossible
An ocean of fire uncrossable
Yeh and I heard every word that they said to me
And that Mission Impossible prophecy
Yeh Love is a Mission Impossible
Only a Mission Impossible
But only tomorrow knows
Only tomorrow knows


Yeh Love is a Mission Impossible
A runaway train unstoppable
Yeh Love is a Mission Impossible
An ocean of fire uncrossable
Love is a Mission Impossible
Only a Mission Impossible
Yeh Love is a Mission Impossible
Only a Mission Impossible
Yeh Love is a Mission Impossible
Love is a Mission Impossible

Well Delilah came on the phone & said
‘Boy, d’you wanna take me home?’
and Samson, he said ‘Babe you know I do,’
‘but there’s things to be worked out,
there’s my ma who is without,
and she must be informed that we are two’

 Well Delilah said ‘I have no grouse,
and besides I’ve seen your house
and I like it, it has all my due respect.
But to me you now must come,
and what’s to do must now be done
– together, so as to get the best effect.’


Well Samson he said ‘Bye’, then looked me in the eye
and said ‘Friend, I’m in need of counselling.’
And I said ‘Oh Sam you must not go’,
and he said ‘but friend, how do you know?’
and I said ‘Ah yes, I was on the extension, listening in.’


And he said ‘Ah yes that is so,
but your advice I must forgo,
for my love she will not wait for evermore.’
and with a parting glance,
he shook hands and said ‘Thanks,
God bless you friend’, and walked out of the door.


Many months were then to pass
before I was led to ask
off a weary warrior from the South:
‘What news of battles won,
of Kings & Queens undone,
what secrets do you keep within your mouth?’
He said ‘It is not well, for many gods have fell
and many more are waiting yet to fall.
And the sun will not long set
before Elijah himself has met
that most feared mortal of them all.’


‘For the one of whom I speak,
is now prisoner to the weak
as we are all prisoners to fate.
And Queen Delilah has decreed
she cannot intercede
in matters preferential to the state.’


Well I was sore afraid, for the soldier had portrayed
a vision of my one and only friend.
And so I made all haste, unto the city gates
thereby to put my torment at an end.


And once inside the city walls, and in the royal halls,
I gazed upon the scene with disbelief.
 For there in that princely castle
sat a rogue and a rascal,
a vagabond, a liar, and a thief.

And I looked at each in turn,
and bade them all confirm
that Samson of Judea dwelt within.
And they answered with a laugh,
and bid me follow aft
to the Arena, where the show would soon begin.


Well the Arena it was bubbling,
all the senators were juggling
for a seat that would lend pleasure to their view.
Then a mighty horn was sounded,
and all outbound flights were grounded,
as Delilah made her entrance dressed in blue

 

She cast aside her robes, and the multitude arose
enraptured by the beauty of her skin.
And they spent themselves a-grinning
’til Delilah, she stopped spinning and said
‘Let Samson from the dungeon be brought in!’

 

And I cried ‘Oh Sam, what has gone wrong?
and he said ‘Friend, it’s a long long story –
and time is of the essence it is true.’
‘But to cut the story short, young Delilah is a fraud,
yeh and her parents – they are both unmarried too’.

 

Then with a fearful cry, he looked blindly to the sky
and bade the Lord one dying wish to grant.
Then he whispered to my ear –
‘God speed you quickly far from here,
for the coming of Jehovah is at hand’.

 

Then the sky was rent in twain,
with great boulders did it rain.
As I watched from off a hill in Galillee…
And with tears in my eye, I bid that life bye-bye
and walked away into eternity…

 

So friends remember this,
when you’re lost inside your bliss,
A true love can be captured but never bought.
So don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched,
cos if the cock and hen aint matched….
All the pleasures of the roost will come to nought!

Don’t you know, can’t you see
I’m good to go. I’m tax paid, I’m Duty Free

 

I can’t wear this ball and chain no more
I got better things to do than listen to this sorry talk

 

Ring the bell, break the glass
Shout the news: Have you heard the war is past

 

I can’t wear this ball and chain no more, no more
I got better things to do than listen to your sorry talk

So Bye bye baby
I can’t wear this ball and chain no more
I got better things to do than listen to this sorry talk

 

So if I capture every moment
If I squeeze it till it’s dry
If I chew the best, if I spit out the rest
If I shout it to the sky

 

Rise and shine, shake your head
Now’s the time to get a hold 

of what the message said

So Bye bye baby

I can’t wear this ball and chain no more, no more
I got better things to do than listen to the sorry talk

 

I can’t wear this ball and chain no more, no more
I got better things to do than listen to the sorry talk

You’ve made your bed now you must lie in it
Maybe you’ll cry in it, Maybe so will I

 

You gave your word and now you’ve broken it
Should not have spoken it
Should have let it lie

 

Cold City, send me a hope
Just want somebody to believe in
Cold City, keep me afloat
Just need somebody to believe in

 

You said you’d wait, but now it’s so late
Think I’ll just go and get myself another date

 

You’ve made your bed now you must lie in it
Maybe you’ll cry in it, Maybe so will I

 

Cold City, mix me a hope
Need somebody to believe in
Cold City, life is a joke

With nobody to believe in

 

Now it’s so late, it’s pointless to wait
Think I’ll just go and get myself another date

 

You’ve made your bed now you must lie in it
Maybe you’ll cry in it, Maybe so will I

 

You made a promise now you’ve broken it
Should not have spoken it
You know it was a lie

 

Cold City, send me a hope
Just want somebody to believe in
Cold City, keep me afloat
Just need somebody to believe in

 

Cold City, mix me a hope
Need somebody to believe in
Cold City, keep me afloat

 

Just want somebody, just want somebody
Just want somebody to believe in

In that old cotton town
When the evening came down
There were men with no love in their heart
For no one or no thing
Only a tear could they bring
Cos I hear the people sing

They’re a comin’ – Don’t let them in

They’re a comin’ –  No not again

They’re a comin’ – 

Don’t let them do what they did to our kin


Not a dime was he worth
Just the salt of the earth
He believed that a man has to fight
If he wants to be free
And that’s what he wanted to be
When he said this to me

They’re a comin’ –  Don’t let them in

They’re a comin’ –  No not again

They’re a comin’ – 

Don’t let them do what they did to our kin


Oh my pretty one, who’s gonna hold you tonight?
Oh my pretty one, who’s gonna fight your fight?


I was born I was raised
In them Shanty Town ways
And I knew there were some things
That could not be spoken about
And some things of which I’ve no doubt
Cos I heard the people shout

They’re a comin’ – Don’t let them in

They’re a comin’ – No not again

They’re a comin’ – 

Don’t let them do what they did to our kin

Someone’s raking my coals
Someone’s stirring my pot
Someone’s spinning my reputation
Round like a top
And I sniff the air and I know just where
My laser stare should drop

Hey Hey
Robin’s at home tonight
Robin’s alone tonight
And she’s writing crazy stories on my wall

When the curtains are drawn
And she’s got nothing to do
Just to live in a fantasy
With me there in it too
And she plays the part of a bleeding heart
All red and black and blue

Hey Hey
Robin’s at home tonight
Robin’s alone tonight
And she’s writing crazy stories on my wall

She never should have said it
And I wished I’d never read it
And she’s really gonna get it
If she doesn’t make an edit real soon

Can’t you see, it’s such a waste
I wish you’d come and say it to my face

 

There’s a face at my window
There’s a knock at my door
It’s Robin singing,
Robin bringing tweets galore
And I don’t know why I feel so shy
I guess it’s just because

Hey Hey
Robin’s at home tonight
Robin’s alone tonight
And she’s writing crazy stories on my wall

She says I’m only a cog
In a wheel, in a job
I don’t know what I want to be
‘Cept that I want to be free

 

And with an air of detachment
A well-to-do accent and all
She wrapped her life into a ball

And out of her bundle
The laws of the jungle
Came wearily tumbling down, down, down

 

She says the world is a hard place
It’s built upon heartache and pain
And one of the rules of the game
Is don’t let nobody up-front
You just take what you want while you can
Virtue be damned
People like that I just can’t understand

 

Post War Baby
Haunts me daily
I’m thinking that maybe
Your love can do anything in the world

 

And soon a professional rip-off
A tip-off she granted to me
I listened so expectantly
But she said I’m only a cog
In a wheel, in a job
I don’t know what I want to be
‘Cept that I want to be free

Next door but one 

where you are what you say you are
Next door but one there’s a Girl in a Jaguar

A really high class dame
Makes all the rest look lame

Tells everyone the rain 

never falls on the roof of a Jaguar
Next door but one 

where you are what you say you are

 

It’s got all the latest gear
A bedroom in the rear
With rotating Chandeliers

 

She says she’s on TV
A personality
Ah but she aint fooling me

Cos I know that she works in a coffee bar
Six nights a week when she don’t have her daddy’s car

Next door but one 

where you are what you say you are
Next door but one there’s a Girl in a Jaguar

Next door but one 

where you are what you say you are

What you say you are
What you say you are
What you say you are

Hush now the night is falling
Nobody knows
Who’s going to be standing here 

when the third bell tolls

 

High in the Captain’s tower
I see them counting their loot
Laughing at who looks the best 

wearing the parachute

And they know what train I’m on
And they know which side of paradise I’m from

 

Off in the drunken distance
A lifetime away
I see your lips move but I can’t hear what you say
Across the divide

 

I shouted but no one answered
Just look straight ahead
I guess they can’t stop to speak ’til the sky turns red

And they know what train you’re on
And they know which side of paradise you’re from

 

Summers coming early, and you’re sat on your thumb
C’mon, c’mon, c’mon
Summers coming early; get your wedding dress on
C’mon, c’mon, c’mon

 

See now who holds the candle
Who knows the way
Back to the lights that twinkle 

on the far side of this bay

 

I look out across the divide
But what’s there to see
Only the ruins now of how it used to be

When they know what train you’re on
And they know which side of paradise you’re from

Is it raining tonight, across the divide
Yes it’s raining tonight, across the divide

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