Click the title for a PDF file of the relevant sheet music (where available). Where the HTML lyrics differ from those as printed, the former are to be taken as correct.
There are a few music files on this page at the end of the relevant lyrics or explanatory text.
I should point out that if the quality of these recordings leaves much to be desired, none of them was ever intended for public broadcast (with the exception of the Andrew Savage rendition of Be Good To Yourself). Though I never had any aspirations to become a performer, I had hoped some of them would be taken up by performers, commercial or otherwise, but apart from Andrew...I may one day commission MIDI or other tracks of some of the recordings and sheet music on this page but for now my readers – both of them – will have to take what is on offer. I am most grateful to Rob Becker of RDB Media whose editing and enhancement was inavaluable, although even he couldn’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.
When I was a young man
But who’ll sing for the trees when the forests have fled?
The lions and cheetahs
But who’ll sing for the trees when the forests have fled?
At one time there were so
But who’ll sing for the trees when the forests have fled?
Life in connurbations
So let’s work for the trees and the woodlands to save,
Woman of the Night,
Your wantonness is beauty,
Woman of the Dark,
You realised I was searchin’,
Woman of my Spring
Ten years my wounds don’t heal,
Woman from the dawn
Woman so sincere,
Click here to download Ain’t Life Grand?.
La,
La,
Airport in Autumn,
Airport in Autumn,
I know there’ll be no turning back,
La, la, la, la, la, la,
Airport in Autumn,
[Click here for explanatory note.]
Workin’ like a dog until the weekend,
Do my wash and shoppin’ come the mornin,
And it’s just another lonely Saturday night,
It’s just another lonely Saturday night...
Dur, dur, dur, dur, dur, dur, dur, dur, dur, dur...
Every good boy deserves favour,
Now it’s just another lonely Saturday night,
It’s just another lonely Saturday night...
Dur, dur, dur, dur, dur, dur, dur, dur, dur, dur...
Etc, fade.
Little girl, lookin’ so lonesome,
Little girl, don’t you know where you’re goin’?
Little girl, you were dead when they found you,
You know the world is full of losers,
You know for every superhero
It’s no use wishing your life away,
So the world just keeps on turning,
Yes, the world just keeps on turning,
Be good to your lady,
This world is full
You’re alone with your lady,
The grass may look greener
Be good to your lady,
If you should ever get angry with her,
When you wake up
Is the late night sup
When you wake up,
Do you drink from life’s cup
Nobody wants to be with you
Be good to yourself,
Don’t touch the weed,
When you finish work
Don’t become a jerk!
And when you socialise,
Be save, be wise,
There’s no magic formula to find:
(Repeat chorus: verses 6 and 7, and fade).
[The arrangement at the above link (such as it is) is mine rather than Andrew’s; I’ve long since lost the ability to sight read, and chords were never my strongest point in any case!]
Click here to download the Andrew Savage recording of Be Good To Yourself.
Click here to download the original demo.
I believe in flying saucers,
I believe in Galileo,
Music to be with me when I’m feeling low,
I believe that woman is the complement of man,
Music to be with me when I’m feeling low,
[Although I was once a member of the British UFO Society, by the time I wrote the music for this...and Father Christmas! Nice riff though. Eat your heart out, John Miles.]
Gone are the days of mass starvtion
Inner city life decaying –
It’s a brave new world,
It’s a brave new world,
Everywhere you look, there’s trouble
Everybody on computer,
It’s a brave new world,
It’s a brave new world,
Soil erosion,
War and hunger,
Cities growing,
Freedom waning,
It’s a brave new world,
It’s a brave new world,
It’s a brave new world,
Burmese days,
You and me,
Burmese days,
Burmese days,
If I could
Burmese days,
Burmese days,
Burmese days,
[This has a rather obvious inspiration; not sure Orwell would approve. See also this.]
Anytime you’re feelin’ lonely,
My Love it seems but yesterday
Anytime you feel unhappy,
Anytime you’re feelin’ lonely,
Call me around,
[This is a Country And Western style song. I wrote the music, and Alan did a full arrangement.
We had a guy who was interested in recording it, but alas...]
You can shoot all the birds of the land and the sea,
You can maim us and bomb us and send us to gaol,
You can poison the oceans with nuclear waste,
You can darken the skies with a hydrogen bomb,
And when it rains
You can cut up the whale into blubber and steak,
You can maim us and bomb us and send us to gaol,
No, you can’t sink a rainbow.
[Published originally in VIRIDIAN: a song for GREENPEACE, 1988.]
This is the best recording I made of this piece. I use the word best in its broadest sense.
Click here to download Caprice
Short and sweet. And stumbling, as ever!
Click here to download Caprice En Passant.
He’s a cat,
He’s a cat,
He’s the King of them all,
He’s a cat,
For a girl and a boy
He’s a cat,
(Repeat verse three)
He’s a cat,
[For context, click here.]
Actually, it was the chef who surprised me, the day after!
Chelsea Girl,
Chelsea Girl,
Chelsea Girl,
I’m gonna make sure that you get
You’re the best thing ever happened to me,
Sometimes I tire of this wicked world,
Chelsea Girl,
I want to see when you leave me
The first piece of music I ever composed; written in my bedsit at 13 Chestnut Avenue, Leeds, c1979.
Click here to download Chestnuts.
Do you see that girl?
She has style and class,
She was very rich,
Ci Devant,
Qu’est-ce-que-c’est?
She has a rented room,
Her clothes are old and worn,
She dreams of better times,
Her eyes are filled with tears,
Ci Devant,
Qu’est-ce-que-c’est?
City of another sun,
Dweller in another space,
Stars are shining in the sky,
City of another sun,
Colour me blue
Colour me green
Colour me red
Colour me white,
Colour me grey,
Her clothes are made in gay París,
She sips her claret in the wine bar
She’s a Cosmopolitan Lady,
She’s a Cosmopolitan Lady,
She buys her records from a shop
She’s physical and spiritual,
She’s a Cosmopolitan Lady,
She’s a Cosmopolitan Lady,
I’d like to sit and talk with her,
I’d like to give the girl my heart,
Cos she’s a Cosmopolitan Lady,
She’s a Cosmopolitan Lady,
I’m just an old fashioned guy
[A little poetic licence needed to make the rhyme in the second; twenty-four years or so after this I found out Noël Coward had written a song with the same name.]
When I think of all the crazy things I’ve done
When I think of all the loving hearts I’ve broke,
I see you in my wildest dreams,
When I think of all the things I might have been
I see you in my mind’s eye,
When I think of how I wasted all that time
Perhaps I’ll make my fortune,
When I think of how I wasted all that time,
Curiosity,
Curiosity
Curiosity,
Curiosity,
Curiosity
Don’t realise what you’re doin’,
Curiosity,
She’s a good girl, she’s a good girl,
Mr Businessman’s so proud of his little girl,
She’s a good girl, she’s a good girl,
Stephanie don’t stay out late, she’s in bed by ten,
She’s a good girl, she’s a good girl,
Daddy doesn’t know but Stephanie is not in school,
She’s a good girl, she’s a good girl,
Yeah, she’s a good girl, she’s a good girl,
You’ll have often heard it said
The Union’s often wrong,
Don’t bash the Union,
Don’t bash the Union:
If it hadn’t been for theUnion
If it hadn’t been for theUnion
So don’t get angry when they halt
Of course, it’s true the Union
You’ve got your Arthur Scargills,
And it isn’t just your pockets
It helps to raise the livelihood
Don’t bash the Union,
Don’t bash the Union:
Don’t bash the Union,
Don’t bash the Union:
[This was written as a response to the Hudson/Ford composition Part Of The Union.]
Dracula
“Welcome to my house,” he says,
Then he shakes my hand,
At first I didn’t understand,
When you look into his eyes
“Denn die Todten reiten schnell,”
But I will not die here,
When you look into his eyes
I must be leaving here,
[For the full background to and context of the above song, click here.]
Young man, take a look at yourself,
Young man, get a grip on yourself,
There is another time,
There is another world
Worlds in coalition
But though the sense of wonder
Young man, take command of yourself,
But you will leave this world behind,
[For context, click here.]
Click here to download Emma Jane.
I chased a dream like a butterfly
I chased the dream like a swift in flight
I chased the dream like a humming bird
I buried my dream and I changed my name
She came to me on a solstice morning
She bade me heed her silent warning
That we would have so little time,
And so I followed her abroad
You know we would have so little time,
Now I have sought her for a year,
(Repeat last two verses, and fade with echo).
There’s some men go for Lolitas,
But I like erudite women,
Erudite women.
There’s nothing else in this nation
Yeah, give me erudite women,
Click here to download the demo version of Erudite Women.
A light went out in Ireland
Where once was a bad reputation
For a light has gone out in Ireland,
The times they were a-changing
Yes, a light has gone out in Ireland,
[Thanks for Queen’s Hall, Leeds.]
When you take more than you need,
Your mind will never be freed,
It shouldn’t have happened,
Greed is a good man’s bane,
Greed is a bad, bad thing,
Greed will finish you.
One day a week, one day a week,
Get out of town, get out of town,
Groovin’ Tuesday, you’re my free day,
One day a week, one day a week,
There we all are, there we all are,
Groovin’ Tuesday, you’re my free day,
Hello, my strange young one,
Hello, my sad young friend,
Where are you going to,
Maybe they’ll come a time
Hello, my strange young one,
Maybe they’ll come a time
Holy Mother, how have your children sinned,
Holy Mother, let future men be born
I have a wondrous dream
The waters will flow pure,
Holy Mother, out of Chaos you were born,
I sense your Presence and Goodness in the Air,
Doctor, can you help me please?
Doctor, since my girl left home
Doctor, here they come again,
As a Brufen junkie....
(Fade).
I’m weird,
I’m weird,
She’s weird,
She’s weird,
This sounds surprisingly good considering the conditions under which it was recorded,
although I falter a bit towards the end. I recorded quite a lot of this sort of thing; this appears to be the best of them.
Click here to download ITMA Variations Improvisation Number One.
Or perhaps that should be No 3 – whatever.
Click here to download Jack Knife Strut.
[Still lovely twenty years on.]
Click here to download Jane Ward’s Galliard.
He came up to the city when a lad of barely seventeen,
He thought it would be easy first to find himself a rented room,
Apartments were expensive and he couldn’t get a reference,
He gave up disillusioned and he drifted into vagrancy,
They found his frozen body in a doorway one December’s night,
So far from the Sun,
The yellow clouds below
Here, we float in space,
[For the full background to and context of the above song, click here.]
Click here to download Jumpin’ Cat Flash.
Click here to download Lachrymosa.
Lady in the gallery,
What’s your name, I love you:
Lady, you’re a statuette,
What’s your name, I love you:
Lady, when you smile at me
What’s your name? I love you:
What’s your name? I love you...
(Repeat to fade).
Lady in the tower,
There’s a whole wide world outside your room,
Lady in the tower,
Sweet Lady in the tower,
[A real sad case, but I’m glad she didn’t return my call. I wrote some music to the above with the help of Mrs Jeffries but for technical reasons it has not been included here.]
Crazy Lady,
Ten years more have gone by
Crazy lady,
O Sylvia I try,
Crazy lady,
Your Daddy is gone but you will chase
Crazy lady,
O Sylvia I tried,
Crazy lady,
You left us your enigma,
Crazy lady,
O Sylvia I try,
Crazy lady,
O Sylvia we tried,
[Objectively speaking, I think this is a lot stronger than Ralph McTell’s Sylvia; I did manage to set it to music partially when I wrote it way back c1986, but it needed quite a bit of work doing on it, and I never quite got round to it. It was in G Major – that’s about all I can remember at this distance – June 23, 2010.]
She comes to me at midnight,
Her kiss is warm and tender,
Don’t want, don’t need nobody else,
[For the full background to and context of the above song, click here.]
You’re so lovely, you’re so lovely,
I desire you, I desire you,
I have hurt you, I have hurt you.
She has left me, she has left me,
You’re so lovely, you’re so lovely,
[Eat your heart out, John Dowland.]
Click here to download Little Dance.
Looking back into the past,
Thinking back to ’eighty-one,
Maybe further down the line,
I’ve got a bad case of neurosis,
I went to see the chief physician,
She’s the only who tries to understand me,
She gave her diagnosis,
[Ah yes, the lovely Karen. She had one Hell of a bedside manner. Dream on. And when did you ever wear a tie?]
Love is green, love is green,
Love is blue,
Love is all living things,
Love is green,
Love is fire,
Love is everyone’s toy,
Love is life,
Love is fair,
[This was one of Alan’s favourites; the music is complete but the words are not. I wrote this with a particular female vocalist in mind.]
Man in the Moon shine down on me,
For two long years we’d been together,
Man in the Moon shine down on me,
I didn’t think, but I must have hurt her,
Man in the Moon shine down on me,
I came into this world in August 1956,
Come seventeen and I was leaving home,
Without a friend in London and embittered my heart grew,
Inside I had the feeling
Meanwhile, five thousand miles away, more wretched far than me
I know that not a woman in the gallery
Ten years and more went by, and Bundy languished on Death Row,
Though Bundy’s gone to burn in Hell for all eternity
[Although I was in a really low place when I wrote this, it was not inspired initially by personal experience. Around 1975 I saw an Irishman busking in the subway complex at Marble Arch. I remember he was using a carpo, and playing very fast, finger picking. Most buskers, certainly most guitarists, are total crap, but this bloke was very good, I remember I saw him again sometime later playing an instrumental piece.
At Marble Arch he was performing a song about a character Lord Arnold, who caught his wife in flagrante delicto, slew her lover, then asked her to choose between them. She chose the dead man, at which he killed her too, and threw her body on top of his.
I learned years later that this is a traditional song which as usual has different variations, but it is known principally as Matty Groves. Over the years I’ve met some far sadder cases than me, including one or two guys who’ve never had girlfriends. It’s only at this distance I realise that like me they’ve missed nothing. Men may become serial killers, but only women marry them. I think I got it about right with Adam’s Rib.]
Click here to download Melancholy.
I can’t remember when I wrote this but it was probably between 1987 and 1992. At 1 minute 19 seconds of this archived version you can hear me say “F”, which is presumably a reference to the chord. At this distance all I can remember about F is that it is a barre chord, the first I learned from my guitar tutor Keith at Spring Grove, Isleworth, more years ago than I care to remember.
The F was edited out and the file re-uploaded on July 26, 2024.
Click here to download Melancholy Lady.
Merle,
Merle,
And in the twilight hours,
Truly thou art wonderful,
Merle,
Merle,
[I wrote the words, and I think we wrote the music together. Alan arranged, of course, although there are no chords here, I can’t remember why. The atheist and Jehovah’s Witness argued over many things, but one subject on which we had no disagreement whatsoever was the wonder of Creation. The sheet music as written out here (by me) is a long way from being playable!]
My own arrangement, not exactly influenced by Al Stewart’s Denise At Sixteen, but written with a similar sentiment; one of my personal favourites, simple to play and pleasing melodically. Alan liked it too. Alas, the lovely Miss Harrison...sigh.
What appears to be a slightly better recording of this track than the one offered here appeared with Paranoia on Eh?, another early tape put out by Andrew Savage. As can be seen from the cover, this tape included Paranoia.
Click here to download Miss Harrison’s Toy.
Rich man got it made;
Rich man’s life is full of fun,
Money go round
Nations in the red,
The credit squeeze is on,
Money go round
Can’t afford to buy,
Can’t afford to re-inflate,
Money go round
Always knew one day you’d go too far,
You had so much, you had to have it all,
It’s hard to feel sorry for you,
You crushed and killed for power,
Your wantonness was truly unsurpassed,
It’s all over now, your time has nearly passed:
Hold your head high as the sands run from the glass,
This is a JPG scan of the Alan Barber arrangement with the first verse only; I can’t find the rest of the song at the moment. The inspiration was a short story by Elizabeth Jane Howard.
I saw her walking across the park,
Nothing ventured, nothing gained,
I saw her standing in a crowded room,
Nothing ventured, nothing gained,
I saw her standing in the launderette,
I said I like your long, blonde hair, my dear,
Nothing ventured, nothing gained,
Nothing ventured, nothing gained...
(Repeat to fade).
[More poetic licence; the blonde in the launderette stood me up.]
Click here to download the demo version of Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained.
Click here to download Pamela Jean.
It happens when you’re doin’
There’s people at the station,
It’s paranoia,
You’ve made a reservation
Paranoia:
Paranoia:
Paranoia:
(Repeat to fade).
Click here to download the demo version of Paranoia.
Permafrost behind,
Curséd be the name of Frankenstein,
Soon I will be there
Curséd be the name of Frankenstein,
Curséd be the name of Frankenstein,
(Fade)
[For the full background to and context of the above song, click here.]
She’s dressed to thrill,
She knows no shame,
She dresses like a slut,
I know her name,
[No, this does not mean quite what you think, but it would take too long to explain.]
I met you at the station,
That was your first impression,
I coulda fell for you,
I went to her apartment,
She was a wretched creature,
That we would come to naught,
I meet them in the city,
They turn away with laughter,
To be rejected by
Really must be poison.
It happens all the time,
Really, really poison.
Am I the only one?
I can’t believe I’m poison,
Play it, Sam,
One more, Joe,
I can’t take anymore,
And there’s naught I can do
Play it, Sam,
That rhapsody in blue, for me.
Click here to download Room At The Top.
I sit inside my palace,
I make my loans with malice
I sit inside my palace,
Mine is the world of Alice,
I am the banker man,
I am the banker man,
The deficit is growing,
The people’s belts must tighten,
For centuries I’ve financed
I agitate for peasants
I am the banker man:
I’m honoured and respected,
You work until your fingers
Thee’s nobody can tame me,
Some say I am the puppet
I am the banker man:
I am the banker man:
I am the banker man,
I am the banker man:
There’s no chance to the world’s despair:
Run wild, run free, you foolish young things,
Run wild, run free, you haven’t a care,
Your fathers, grandfathers, ancestors before
So you inherit a world that will soon
Take fish as you like in a great quantity
Shoot wildlife and cut down a jungle of trees,
Pump sulphur dioxide and all sorts of waste
Your atom and hydrogen bombs do explode,
Run wild, run free, you foolish young things,
Run wild, run free, you haven’t a care,
Don’t bother conserving, that’s too much employ,
Pollution may poison the air and the sea,
Run wild, run free, you foolish young things,
Run wild, run free, and enjoy while you can
[I’d be the first to admit this is a bit weak, lyrically, but it’s the thought that counts.]
Seasons change,
Seasons change,
Seasons change,
Seasons change,
Shadow of a man,
He had the gift, and he had to choose
A shadow of a man,
Shadow of a man,
Now when he wakes up in the morning
Shadow of a man,
He had a wife and a house and car,
Shadow of a man,
Shadow of a man
Just another loser in the...
Shadow of a man
Just another loser in the game.
[The above was written about a well-known soccer player. People who know the not-so-beautiful game will have no trouble discerning who.]
You see them on the your silver screen,
It isn’t just a few big stars
Poor Alex always takes the rap,
There’s Tony Knowles, he does enjoy
Steve Interesting Davies
But what goes on in hotel beds
You’re Chairman of the W.P.B.S.A. aren’t you, Rex?
Young Tony Drago’s right on cue,
Silvino, is it true you grassed Kirk Stevens up?
Len Ganley says “Let’s keep it clean”.
Her hair is as fine
She’s four foot eleven,
Oh,
She’ll wound and she’ll hurt you
Oh,
You can’t live without her,
Yes, whichever you choose
Give me a vision,
Lead me from the darkness
Give me an omen,
In my darkest hour
Give me a moment,
Let me draw closer
Remove my pretentions,
If there is a meaning
Not sure how she spelt her name exactly; I’ve got the sheet music somewhere.
Click here to download Shelly Girl.
Ridin’ ’ome on the Underground
I got me a job in a shoe shop,
Well it costs so much money
Well I get up in the mornin’
(Fade)
[Where are you, Chas & Dave?]
Like an optical illusion
The Spectre Of The Brocken
His suicidal mission
The empty words of Churchill,
For all the countless millions
The Spectre Of The Brocken
When I was just a boy of ten
I took them at their word,
That crime pays rather well,
I read about a man
I read about another man
There’s something like this happens
I turned on my TV one night
I saw my heroes libelled
It may be that I’m foolish,
I met a man who wanted peace,
Another man stood up and called
It may be that I’m stupid,
One night in a casino
He tipped the doorman with a ten,
The bread he lost was his,
But if I live a hundred years,
A peasant farmer gives his lifeblood
His creditor sits at his desk,
That if there is a God above
Most everywhere I read or look,
Usurpers of the people’s wealth
I don’t believe in Jesus,
For if there is a God above,
Click here to download Sunset Theme.
Little girl been sitting in the shade too long,
There’s no sense you crying now your lover’s gone away,
There is no reason,
Little girl, I see a smile come to your face,
Now Winter’s dawning, comes the snow,
I thought our love would never die,
We came together in the Spring,
It seems like only yesterday
We lay together in your bed,
Now Winter’s dawning, comes the snow,
I can’t forget the swallows in September.
Stranger at the party,
Young girl throws her arms around me,
Everybody talkin’,
Says: I really like you;
Can’t refuse her offer,
You’re not like the other guys
Every time I come to these places
This is what they call havin’ a good time,
Went to another party,
As I left the building
A Song For The Trees
There were trees around here,
Forest and woodland,
And the waters were clear,
But that is all gone now and so far away,
No woodlands or waters to hunt, fish or play,
And as I grow older I look to the day
When the trees are no more,
Only mem’ries of your,
Can this happen somehow?
Is it going to now?
Who’ll shout of their green when the mountains are dead?
Come all you good people, we can’t let them die,
There’s still time to save them – if we all try.
That we see in the zoo,
Tigers and hyenas,
And the antelope too,
They all face extinction because of Man’s greed,
There isn’t much time now, so Mammon take heed:
Your silver is worthless, your gold we don’t need
When the flora is gone,
And the fauna is done,
This is happening now,
We must stop it somehow...
Who’ll shout of their green when the mountains are dead?
Come all you good people, we can’t let them die,
There’s still time to save them – if we all try.
Many wales in the sea,
But hunted high and low,
Soon no longer will be,
Great tankers while travelling back from the Capes
Spill ton after ton of crude oil in their wakes
Polluting the oceans and rivers and lakes,
Still the ships dump their oil,
The environment spoil,
This is happening now,
Can we stop it somehow?
Who’ll shout of their green when the mountains are dead?
Come all you good people, we can’t let them die,
There’s still time to save them – if we all try.
Is at such a fast pace,
But men of all nations
Whatsoever their race
Must all join together and work to preserve
The flora and fauna of our Mother Earth,
We don’t have a vast and unending reserve
Of these things to enjoy
So we must not destroy,
We can save them somehow
If we start working now
Or their beauty will go in our time to the grave,
For the sake of our children we can’t let them die,
There’s still time to save them, if we all try.
Adam’s Rib
Sister to the Snake,
Stealer of the Light,
How many hearts you break.
You never seem to tire
Of luring us from duty
And fuelling our desire.
Enticing me to bed,
For you Cain bears his Mark,
For you his tears are shed.
You even guessed what for,
You promised me a virgin,
Then came to me a whore.
When Love was all around
I felt your passions sting
As you dragged me to the ground.
You’ve left my head a wreck;
What would I give to feel
My hands around your neck?
Of time, so false and glib,
Long may men curse the spawn
Who sprang from Adam’s Rib.
We’re always taken in,
But scratch off your veneer
To touch the Devil’s skin!
Ain’t Life Grand?
Another guitar instrumental composed and played (extremely badly) by Yours Truly.
Airport In Autumn
La, la, la,
La, la, la,
La, la, la.
La, la, la,
La, la, la,
La, la, la.
The wind rising slow,
Your aircraft’s departing,
Ad I’m flying low,
And soon I’ll be grounded,
Then where will I go,
And what will I do
Living apart from you?
The wint-e-ry breeze
Brings tears to my eyes
And I stifle a sneeze,
My body is frozen,
My mind ill at east,
For what will I do,
Living apart from you?
But I’m still under your spell,
For you the outlook is black,
But for me, the future will be Hell.
La, la, la, la, la,
La, la, la, la, la, la,
La, la, la, la, la.
The sky turning grey,
The wind rising slow,
The jumbo is flying
My loved one away,
My head is on fire,
My feet, they are clay,
for what will I do,
Oh what will I do,
Tell me what will I do
Living apart from you?
Alleycats
Another Lonely Saturday Night
Friday night clock off, go home, crash out,
Too tired to dress up and go to a dance,
Stay home an’ watch TV,
Wish I had somebody who would spend the time with me.
Laze around the house all afternoon;
Like to put on a suit and tie,
Score with a chick like any normal guy,
But I know what’ll happen if I try for sure,
So I don’t even think about it anymore.
While other guy are ridin’ with their girls in cars,
I try to kid myself I’m all right,
Don’t wanna haunt the wine and the disco bars.
It’s just another wasted weekend,
I’m like a winter squirrel stuck in his drey,
I’m sitting’ here wishin’ my life away,
At twelve o’clock I turn out the light,
And try not to think about another lonely Saturday night.
And every man deserves to have a lady love,
I didn’t want a goer or a raver,
Just someone I could cherish would be enough.
I always was the one was neglected,
And even when I acted bold,
They laughed at me, and I was rejected,
I tried to come on through,
And take a philosophical view,
But I always ended out in the cold.
While other guy are ridin’ with their girls in cars,
I try to kid myself I’m all right,
Don’t wanna haunt the wine and the disco bars.
It’s just another wasted weekend,
I’m like a winter squirrel stuck in his drey,
I’m sitting’ here wishin’ my life away,
At twelve o’clock I turn out the light,
And try not to think about another lonely Saturday night.
Aphrodite’s Child
Don’t you know where you are from?
Little girl, all on her own-some,
Lookin’ for a time and place where she’ll belong.
Her Mamma was a beauty queen,
But she didn’t treat her right,
An’ now she’s turnin’ seventeen
She’s begun to see the light,
To see that there is
No love for Aphrodite’s Child,
Runnin’ free with the wind in her hair,
No love for Aphrodite’s Child,
Mamma’s never had the time to care,
No love for Aphrodite’s Child,
No love for Aphrodite’s Child,
No love for Aphrodite’s Child.
Can’t you see the way?
Little girl, I can see the hurt is showin’,
Don’t you be so afraid,
Your Daddy was a movie star,
He never had the time
To love you right, that’s why you are
So bitter in the prime
Of your life,
No love for Aphrodite’s Child,
Runnin’ free with the wind in her hair,
No love for Aphrodite’s Child,
Daddy’s never had the time to care,
No love for Aphrodite’s Child,
No love for Aphrodite’s Child,
No love for Aphrodite’s Child.
Hanging in the air,
Little girl, I suppose you were bound to
Do something drastic if you could not bear
The way you were treated,
It’s a tragedy and a cryin’ shame,
But who is at fault, yeah who is to blame
That there was
No love for Aphrodite’s Child,
No love for Aphrodite’s Child,
No love for Aphrodite’s Child.
April Fools
So you needn’t look so sad,
And beggars can’t be choosers,
But it’s really not so bad,
It’s a rainy day in April,
And you’re getting wet right through,
But you’re just another rain-soaked April Fool.
There is a none too handsome rogue,
For every Caesar there’s a Nero,
A guy who’s always out of vogue,
Okay, you’re nuthin’ special,
But many serve, few rule,
So I guess you’re just another April Fool.
For dreams and wishes are manifold,
And often only emptiness they hold;
It’s no use chasing a fantasy,
You have to live with reality,
At the end of the rainbow
You’ll find disillusion just as likely as a crock of gold.
And the wheel of life goes round,
For fame and fortune there are so many yearning,
But very few are found,
But there’s no reason to feel so bad,
Just think of all the good times that you’ve had,
And remember (when it gets you down) the golden rule,
You’re just another April Fool.
And the wheel of life goes round,
For fame and fortune there are so many yearning,
But very few are found,
But there’s no reason to feel so bad,
Just think of all the good times that you’ve had,
And remember (when it gets you down) the golden rule,
You’re just another April Fool.
Be Good To Your Lady
Don’t go makin’ her cry.
Don’t chide or abuse her,
Take for granted or use her.
Of sad, lonely men;
You’re lucky to have her,
Remember that when
Or you’re out on a date,
So don’t you go hurt her,
And don’t you desert here.
On the other side,
But don’t lose her, brother,
You may not ever find another.
Let her know that you care,
Make her feel that you need her,
And don’t ever mistreat her.
And make her cry,
She might leave you and run to
Some other guy,
So be good to your lady,
Be good to your lady...
Be Good To Yourself
Take a look in the mirror
And ask yourself
Do you like what you see?
Playin’ hell with your liver?
Are your eyes goin’ square
From too much TV?
Do you relish the mornin’
Or do you think instead:
It’s just another day?
Or do you sit there yawnin’
With a drum in your head
And hell to pay?
When you’re lookin’ down an’ feelin’ blue,
But there’s one thing that you can always do:
Be good to yourself.
Don’t live improperly,
The damage is soon done
Once the seed is sown,
Don’t drink too much,
Look after your body,
It’s the only one
You’ll ever own.
Don’t shoot, don’t sniff glue,
And don’t overfeed
Your appetite,
Take what you need,
Eat well and drink too,
But alwas heed
That extra bite.
Be good to yourself.
And you’re off for the weekend,
Do you go to ground?
Do you lie in bed?
Play squash with your best friend,
Spar a couple of rounds,
And take off that spread.
Don’t go with women
Who are fast and free,
You’ve heard this before:
To enjoy good livin’,
Don’t need no cheap thrills,
Don’t need no whore.
Just don’t let self-indulgence make you blind,
Take care of body, heart and soul and mind,
and be good to yourself.
Believe In Music
I believe in love,
I believe that one day Man will
Reach the stars above.
And Von Däniken,
I believe the Universe
Expands without an end.
I believe in Father Christmas,
And in Father Time,
I believe there is no mountain
Man can never climb.
And I believe in freedom,
And I believe in music.
Music to be with me when I’m high,
Music to be with my children as they grow,
Music now until the day I die.
Music to be part of everything I do,
Take my spirit under its control,
Music for the people every race and hue,
Every living being, every soul.
Oh I believe in music,
Yes, I believe in music.
I believe in destiny, and in the Cosmic plan,
I believe that love will always triumph over hate,
I believe that in the stars is every mortal’s fate,
And I believe in freedom,
And I believe in music.
Music to be with me when I’m high,
Music to be with my children as they grow,
Music now until the day I die.
Music to be part of everything I do,
Take my spirit under its control,
Music for the people every race and hue,
Every living being, every soul.
Oh I believe in music,
Yes, I believe in music.
I believe in music,
Yes, I believe in music.
Brave New World
Across the Northern lands,
Now is the hour of deprivation
And the Third World’s outstretched hands.
How long can we last?
Super-powers still replaying
The dramas of the past.
It’s a grave new world,
Western mountains of grain,
Famine in the East,
People killing each other
In the quest for peace.
And a grave new world,
But if we have the will
There is time for us still,
We can save our new world.
For yellow, white and black,
Once we burst the neutron bubble,
There’s no turning back.
Play the numbers game,
Brother’s gaoler, Mammon’s suitor,
Power is their aim.
It’s a grave new world,
The technology’s faster,
The machine is your master,
You’re a slave in this world.
And a grave new world,
But if we are defiant
And don’t bow to the tyrant,
We can save our new world.
Acid rain,
Pollution, corrosion
Of forest and plain.
Want and need,
Red hatemonger,
Lust and greed.
Woodlands shrinking,
Dollar buys a dime,
Never knowing,
Seldom thinking,
There’s so little time.
Social bareness,
No one in control;
Stop complaining,
Seek awareness,
Or you’ll lose your soul.
It’s a grave new world,
Western mountains of grain,
Famine in the East,
People killing each other
In the quest for peace.
And a grave new world,
But if we have the will
There is time for us still,
We can save our new world.
And a grave new world,
But if we have the will
There is time for us still,
We can save our new world.
Burmese Days
Take me back into my Burmese days,
How I long to live my Burmese days,
Live them over again.
Sitting on the lawn and drinking tea,
We were living life so happily,
Take me back to way back then.
Play the White Man underneath the Indian sun,
Burmese days,
On the frontier where Britannia holds the gun,
All my friends
In this tropic paradise are having fun,
Drinking tea on Asian lawns
Pretending they are still at home in England.
La dolca vita, oh my Burmese days,
Such hypocritical, pretensive ways,
But that is where I belong.
Live them over again, then I would,
Got the fever in my English blood,
Had the yearning so long.
You could be a titled lady, my Mem Sahib,
Or wear sarongs,
And a turban, all that Oriental garb,
Do what you care,
No one gives a damn and nobody will laugh,
They’re drinking tea on Asian lawns
Pretending they are still at home in England.
Take me back into my Burmese days,
How I long to live my Burmese days,
Live them over again.
Play the White Man underneath the Indian sun,
Burmese days,
On the frontier where Britannia holds the gun,
All my friends
In this tropic paradise are having fun,
Drinking tea on Asian lawns
Pretending they are still at home in England.
Call Me Round
Anytime you’re feelin’ blue,
Just give me a call,
Call me around, round, round,
And I’ll come running just to be with you,
You know I love you only
With a love that’s deep and true,
So give me a call,
Call me around, round, round,
If ever you should want to start anew.
The two of us were one,
And yet it’s been so many, many years,
But now you are so far away
And my sunshine is gone,
And still it hurts me to hold back the tears.
Or painful moments you are going through,
Whatever the reason,
The hour, day or season,
Just call and I’ll come running back to you.
Anytime you’re feelin’ blue,
Just give me a call,
Call me around, round, round,
And I’ll come running just to be with you,
You know I love you only
With a love that’s deep and true,
So give me a call,
Call me around, round, round,
If ever you should want to start anew.
My feet will hardly touch the ground,
So swiftly I’ll come running back to you.
Can’t Sink A Rainbow
You can run all the foxes to ground,
You can plough all the meadows, destroy all the green,
You can lose all the good things we’ve found.
You can make us a fugitive kind,
You can slander and libel us, and you can rail
Till you’re blue in the face, but you’ll find
That you can’t sink a rainbow.
You can dam every valley on Earth,
You can ruin all beauty in rashness and haste,
If you think that will add to your worth.
You can blot out the light of the Sun,
You can start a third war, Armaggedon may come,
But you know that when all’s said and done
You can’t sink a rainbow.
The Mother is shedding her tears;
She cries for her children,
She cries for her world,
And the evil you’ve done in such a few years.
You can kill baby seals for their fur,
You can twist people’s bodies until their hearts break,
But there’s one thing you can’t make occur:
You can’t sink a rainbow.
You can make us a fugitive kind,
You can slander and libel us, and you can rail
Till you’re blue in the face, but you’ll find
That you can’t sink a rainbow.
Caprice
Caprice En Passant
Carbonel
And a real cool cat,
He’s a cat,
And he knows where it’s at,
He’s a cat,
And he knows how to swing
Because he’s the King.
And he mews and purrs,
Like a cat
In the shadow stirs,
With the full moon bright
Of a witching night
He knows how to swing.
Watch him walk on the wall
As the town hall clock strikes one,
Then he’s up on the roof
Running swift and aloof;
Carbonel,
Is the spell of the withc undone?
Silent as the tomb,
Darkest minion
Of the twiggy broom,
He’s the light of your life,
He will brighten the gloom,
He knows how to swing.
He’s a bundle of joy
Who by fortune was acquired;
Little Rosemary Brown
Found her pussy in town
When the wicked out witch
Cantrip retired.
Under Rosie’s spell,
He’s a cat,
And you’ll quickly tell
When you see where he’s at
That he’s Carbonel,
The one and only King.
Silent as the tomb,
Darkest minion
Of the twiggy broom,
He’s the light of your life,
He will brighten your gloom,
He knows how to swing.
He’s the light of your life,
He will brighten your gloom,
He knows how to swing.
Cos he’s King!
Chef’s Surprise
Chelsea Girl
You know I really love your dimpled face,
And when you smile at me
I can’t believe your mine,
You got me shakin’ like a leaf, walkin’ on Cloud Nine.
It’s a wicked world out there,
But while I’ve got you
And you love me true,
I really haven’t got a care,
But Chelsea Girl...
Don’t you grow up in your Daddy’s world.
I’m never gonna make it to the top,
I left school when I was just fifteen,
You’re gonna see things I’ve never seen.
All the things I never had,
Like a proper education,
You won’t end up like your Dad.
Chelsea Girl...
Ain’t gonna grow up in your Daddy’s world.
Oh yes, you are,
You’re your father’s little treasure,
One day you’re gonna be a star.
It seems so cruel and vile,
But when I look into those big blue eyes,
You make it all worthwhile.
I’ve seen the years flash by so fast,
When a man grows old,
The world grows cold,
But I’m gonna make the good times last.
You’ve got another who will care,
But he’ll have to be a special guy
To win the love of one so fair.
Oh Chelsea Girl, don’t you live in your Daddy’s world.
Chelsea Girl, you don’t belong in your Daddy’s world.
Chestnuts
Ci Devant
Do you know that girl?
She doesn’t look very happy,
You will agree.
But that’s in the past,
Cos she’s come down in the world,
Really come down in the world.
Had a pleasant niche,
Her mother married into the aristocracy.
Her Daddy was a lord,
The chairman of the board,
But she’s come down in the world,
She’s come right down in the world.
She used to be a debutante,
A lady of high society,
She had everything she ever wanted.
Why did she throw it all away?
Was it due to a broken romance,
Or circumstances?
Wears only cheap perfume,
She cooks for herself,
And she lives off charity.
Her only dress is torn,
She’s come down in the world,
She’s come right down in the world.
Of life in warmer climes,
How she used to sail away
On a winter cruise.
Thoughts of her early years
Are all she has now in the world,
She has nothing else in the world.
She used to be a debutante,
A lady of high society,
She had everything she ever wanted.
Why did she throw it all away?
Was it due to a broken romance,
Or circumstances?
City Of Another Sun
Planet of another star,
When the span of Man is run,
Will you still be shining?
Master of another time,
Will you take our planet’s place
When the Earth is gone?
But they won’t forevermore,
Everything that is, must die,
Every sun cease burning.
Built beneath an alien sky,
Though you flourish when we’re gone,
One day you too will die.
Colour Me
When I’m thinking of you,
The things that we could have
But never did do,
When I loved you so madly,
You needed me too,
Those were such happy days.
When I think of the time
He gave you his heart,
And you gave me back mine,
Since the day that we parted,
The Sun hasn’t shined,
But those were happy days.
When I think of you still,
My head is on fire
And my blood running chill,
And I pray that you’ll leave him,
But I know that you will
Remain with him for ever and ever,
While I’m alone and cold.
Now my anger is hot,
It’s more than the blues,
It’s a fever I’ve got,
And however I try
I forget you not,
You were a part of me,
And you will always be.
Now it’s over at last,
You’re a fairy chimera,
A ghost fading fast,
For the present is now,
And the heartache is past,
I’ll learn to love again,
Oh yeah, I’ll learn to love again,
Oh yeah, I’ll learn to love again,
Oh yeah, but the memories will always remain.
Cosmopolitan Lady
She cooks I-tal-i-en;
She likes to dance and travel free,
And dines with tall, dark men.
Talking tête à tête,
And then she’s riding in the sports car
Of her German date.
And she doesn’t give a damn
For the Old School Tory
Or the Empire’s glory,
She’s in love with the liberal man.
And she leaves me in a whirl,
Cos I’m an old fashioned guy
Can’t catch the eye
Of the hypermodern girl.
In Kensington, Earls Court,
She’s into blues and soul and rock,
And every kind of sport.
She practices TM,
She likes her lovers radical,
But I’m not one of them.
And she doesn’t give a damn
For the Old School Tory
Or the Empire’s glory,
She’s in love with the liberal man.
And she leaves me in a whirl,
Cos I’m an old fashioned guy
Can’t catch the eye
Of the hypermodern girl.
But don’t know what to say,
I’d like to kiss and walk with her,
Invite her to my drey.
And swear eternally
That I’d be true,
But if I did,
She’d only laugh at me
And she doesn’t give a damn
For the Old School Tory
Or the Empire’s glory,
She’s in love with the liberal man.
And she leaves me in a whirl,
Cos I’m an old fashioned guy
Can’t catch the eye
Of the hypermodern girl.
Can’t catch the eye...
Of the hypermodern girl.
Crazy Things
These past ten years,
Appears
So many tangled webs I’ve spun,
I’ve told so many needless lies
That I’ve clean run out of alibis,
Yeah, thanks to all the crazy things I’ve done.
This past decade
With my charade,
I feel I oughta choke,
For girl you were so good to me,
But all I gave was misery:
The crazy, reckless, senseless things I’ve done.
An angel of the morning,
The love beams
Like a light ray in your smile,
But when I wake I realise
There’s a bitter, cold day dawning,
Cos you were mine and by my side for such a little while.
If I’d not chose’ a gambler’s life
And fate not been so mean,
My heart bleeds like a waterfall,
But now the writing’s on the wall:
The things I’ve never done and never seen.
You’re a-weepin’ like a willow,
The love you gave was spurned by one untrue,
But now you cry
No more for there is resting on your pillow
The head of someone else who’s loving you.
I feel so bad
And sad,
But all the fault and blame was mine,
So I guess there’s nothing left for me
’Cept just go on the way I’ve been,
Yeah, I guess I’ll just keep rollin’ down the line.
Win you back some far tomorrow,
And everything will turn out like it should,
But I live ’neath a waning moon,
And all I have is sorrow,
You know I’d sell my soul
To turn the clock back if I could.
I feel so bad
And sad,
But all the fault and blame was mine,
So I guess there’s nothing left for me,
’Cept just go on the way I’ve been
Yeah, I guess I’ll keep on rollin’ down the line,
Yeah, I guess I’ll keep on rollin’ down the line,
And pray to God one day it turns out fine.
Curiosity
There’s nothing quite like that,
Curiosity,
Remember what it did – to the cat.
Don’t wanna go and poke your nose in
Where it doesn’t belong,
Cos if you do, you’ll get a thump
On the end of your hooter, and you’ll be for the high jump.
Is bad news at the double,
When you mind somebody else’s business
You’ll wind up in a whole heap of trouble.
Best hear no, speak no, see no evil,
Leave well alone,
Some stones were better left unturned,
Some things best left unknown.
Why do you want to know?
Animosity
Will surely grow,
Because people take exception to a dirty, little snoop:
Policeman on the trail of a suspected crime,
Or a pressman looking for a scoop.
Best leave it be.
Curiosity
Kills privacy.
Leaves people in ill-humour;
The trail of a fox
Puts a marriage on the rocks:
Unsubstantiated rumour.
When you’re askin’ leading questions;
You’ll cause somebody’s ruin
With those unkind suggestions.
Don’t interfere.
Curiosity
Means trouble’s here.
Curiosity:
Mind your own business.
Daddy’s Darling Daughter
She doesn’t play around like the rest of the crowd,
She’s a good girl, she’s a good girl,
Daddy’s darling daughter.
Loves his daughter Stephanie, more than anything else in the world.
Doesn’t go get layed by boys, doesn’t smoke or drink,
Stephanie’s a perfect girl; that is what he and his wife both think.
She doesn’t play around like the rest of the crowd,
She’s a good girl, she’s a good girl,
Daddy’s darling daughter.
Works hard to pass her exams, hasn’t got time to go out with men,
Stephanie she wants to be a barrister at law,
That’s what she is studying every day, evening and weekend for.
She doesn’t play around like the rest of the crowd,
She’s a good girl, she’s a good girl,
Daddy’s darling daughter.
Every afternoon she plays her father for a fool,
Mr Businessman would surely have a heart attack,
If he knew his precious girl was lying on her back,
And his wife would turn a very angry shade of red,
If she saw her innocent young daughter giving head.
Stephanie is a disgrace to her proud father’s name,
When she should be studying, she’s out hustling on the game.
She doesn’t play around like the rest of the crowd,
She’s a good girl, she’s a good girl,
Daddy’s darling daughter.
She doesn’t play around like the rest of the crowd,
She’s a good girl, she’s a good girl,
Daddy’s darling daughter.
Don’t Bash The Union
That the Union is red,
But don’t you be so credulous,
Or you might get misled.
And maybe it’s too strong,
But if it hadn’t been for the Union
Where would you now belong?
When it calls a strike
To your dislike
And brings about mayhem.
Don’t listen to the others,
Who are putting down the brothers,
Because the working man owes everything to them.
We’d still be stood in line
For a hand-out from the Church,
And kids would still work down the mine.
You’d have no holiday,
Save Christmas, Easter, New Year,
And you’d get no sickness pay.
Production of those cars,
Instead
You ought to bless their heads
And thank your lucky stars.
Does get into a muddle,
It’s been a long and winding road
From the martyrs of Tolpuddle.
Your Pollitt and your Dash,
But in the end they’ve always
Paved the way for better cash.
That the Union helps to fill,
It fights for compensation
For the injured and the ill.
Of every working man,
So don’t you put it down,
You should be lending it a hand.
When it calls a strike
To your dislike
And brings about mayhem.
Don’t listen to the others,
Who are putting down the brothers,
Because the working man owes everything to them.
When it calls a strike
To your dislike
And brings about mayhem.
Don’t listen to the others,
Who are putting down the brothers,
Because the working man owes everything to them.
“Enter freely, and of your own will.”
The man in black
Is holding back
Until I cross the threshold.
At first I didn’t understand,
I thought I must be going mad,
But I have seen the evidence,
He is a creature,
A creature of the night,
He shuns the light,
And like a lizard
Down the castle walls
He slithers and crawls.
I thought I must be going mad,
He stands behind me unreflected
And now I know
I’ve been selected
For his women fiends,
A fate more terrible
Than e’en my darkest dreams.
They hold you hypnotised,
You realise
He is the symbol of man’s darkest fears,
He is the Devil’s son,
The blackest, ev’lest one,
He could live a thousand years.
Or so I heard them say.
Coachman of fiend from Hell
Brought me this twisted way?
And I will not become as him,
I have to flee, that’s crystal clear,
But which way do I turn?
Another hour comes the setting sun,
The Count will be abroad,
And whither do I run?
They hold you hypnotised,
You realise
He is the symbol of man’s darkest fears,
He is the Devil’s son,
The blackest, ev’lest one,
He could live a thousand years.
That’s crystal clear,
But which way do I turn?
Another hour comes the setting sun,
The Count will be abroad,
And whither do I run?
Elidor
You’ve spent too long in the cold,
The time has come
To boldly run,
And chase that pot of gold,
The sword you now hold
In your hand
May seem like worthless wood,
The days and months may fall like sand,
But life will yet be good.
And take your trusting friend,
The two of you
Will venture to
The world where time’s no end,
And in the fading light of a fairy gloaming,
Beyond the twilight door,
The light you will restore...
To Elidor.
There is another place,
Where the unicorn sings,
And the magic rings
Bring a smile to a young girl’s face.
Where only children know,
Where no woman or man,
Since time began,
Could ever,
And will never
Go.
For the adult inside the child,
There comes a time
In everybody’s prime
When he ceases to be beguiled.
May begin to slowly fade,
The magic of youth
Will thunder
On, and leave the world dismayed.
Your finest hour is here,
For you the light
Is burning bright,
You have no cause to fear.
You’ll surely think your eyes deceive,
That you’ve been put into a trance,
For no one who’s of age will believe
Your fantasy romance.
The ancient truths you will unwind,
The secret pathway you will find
And restore.
The light to Elidor.
Emma Jane
End Of A Dream
Through the canyons of my mind,
And I watched my boyhood flutter by
With my fantasies behind;
Down the haunted years
Through the long dried tears
I can see how I was blind,
But it sure did seem a good dream at the time.
Down the corridors of youth,
Every adoloscent days and night
Led me further from the truth,
I was hypnotised,
I was dogmatised,
And faith was my only proof,
But it sure did seem a good dream at the time.
To the fields of Asphodel,
But Elysium was a mocking bird,
And my Heaven turned to Hell
As my dream became a night-
Mare and the light no longer fell
On a lonely man the world had left behind.
Just a couple of years ago,
And I faced the fire and I braved the flame
Feelin’ deadbeat, tired and low,
But I came right through
As I knew I’d do
When my dream to dust had blown.
But it sure did seem a good dream at the time,
Yes, it sure did seem a good dream at the time.
Ephemeron
When the sky was misty blue,
With the angel dust in her hair
And Venus in her eyes.
While she swore her heart was true,
But when I saw her standing there
How could I realise...
And with the fading of the light
She would her fairy chain untwine
And vanish to the night?
But with the rising of the Sun
I couldn’t find the magic ford
To my love, Ephemeron.
For with the fading of the light
She did her fairy chain untwine
And take herself into the night,
And I will seek till time is done,
But even now I’ve come to fear
That I have lost Ephemeron.
Erudite Women
Some for Senoritas,
And some for old maids.
There’s some like them fair
Of their skin or their hair
While some like them hot,
And some like them ever so young,
Some like them tall dark and thin
With a dimple in chin,
And some like them very well hung.
The ones who aren’t dim in
The ways of the world,
The girls with honours degrees,
MA’s PhDs,
They really amaze me,
They make me go crazy...
Personalities brimmin’
With wisdom, education and charm,
They really turn me on,
The lady doctor and the high school ma’am.
Like sophistication
For a girl in her prime,
That makes a wonderful blend,
Could be the start of a trend,
And it leaves me feeling quite sublime
To know a girl is au fait
And can talk tête à tête
On any subject under the Sun
The ones who aren’t dim in
The ways of the world,
The girls with honours degrees,
MA’s PhD’s,
They really amaze me,
They make me go crazy...
Farewell To The Emerald
This January day
As the final chord of the final song
Faded out and died away.
Of the darkest vagabond,
Now the broken hear lies unbeating
On its way to the world beyond.
See the drink and the damage done,
Fare-thee-well to Emerald,
Our finest, saddest son.
Like they always have been, always are,
But the boys won’t be back in this town anymore,
And there’s no whiskey left in the jar,
No dancing in the moonlight,
No joints left to roll, drinks to mix,
The stage is deserted, the spotlight is gone,
Traded in for the price of a fix.
Too late: now the deed has been done;
Fare-thee-well to Emerald,
Our finest, saddest son.
Greed
When you make somebody bleed,
You sow a poisonous seed,
Contempt and ill-will are all you breed.
Greed will bring you down.
Repentence you won’t heed,
Your lust will feed and feed and feed.
Greed will finish you.
It wouldn’t have happened
If you’d listened to the Master,
But it’s the Devil’s desire,
It’s set your soul on fire,
And you’re headed for certain disaster.
Greed will only bring you pain,
Greed is the mother of deception,
And greed will be the end of you.
Gred will cause you suffering,
Greed will hurt and sting.
Greed will be the death of you.
Greed will kill you. Dead.
Groovin’ Tuesday
I leave my room behind,
One day a week, one day a week,
I go and blow my mind,
I’m in Heaven, I’m in Heaven!
When Groovin’ Tuesday comes around,
Down Spring Grove, that’s where I’ll be,
Go fool around, go fool around,
Where life is free and easy.
I’m in Heaven, I’m in Heaven!
When Groovin’ Tuesday comes around.
Make a new way, and a new man out of me,
Groovin’ Tuesday, I just can’t wait
Till Groovin’ Tuesday comes around.
My friends are waiting for me,
One day a week, one day a week,
Life will be so worth living.
I’m in Heaven, I’m in Heaven!
When Groovin’ Tuesday comes around.
Sat in the local tavern,
Up at the bar, up at the bar,
Or in the corner, laughing.
We’re in Heaven, we’re in Heaven!
When Groovin’ Tuesday comes around.
Make a new way, and a new man out of me,
Groovin’ Tuesday, I just can’t wait
Till Groovin’ Tuesday comes around,
Till Groovin’ Tuesday comes around.
Hello, My Strange Young One
Where have you been?
What have you done?
I haven’t seen you round this place
A year or so,
Where have you been?
Where are you gonna go?
I always thought you’d come through in the end,
But I can see your road’s been long and hard,
You’ve grown so old,
You look so tired.
For what’s left of your life
What will you do?
I want so much to come along with you,
But you must walk alone.
You’ll learn there’s more to life
Than women, song and wine,
Until that day comes you’ll be sad my strange young one.
Oh Lord, when will you realise what you’ve done?
Where have you been?
What have you done?
I haven’t seen you round this place
A year or so,
Where have you been?
Where are you gonna go?
You’ll learn there’s more to life
Than women, song and wine,
Until that day comes you’ll be sad my strange young one.
Oh Lord, when will you realise what you’ve done?
Hymn To Gaia
They have despoiled you since history began;
Still I implore you
Don’t let them reap the wind,
Do not extinguish the soul of worthless Man.
Into a world where your Truth is burning bright;
Don’t let the Darkness deny the coming Dawn,
Do not forsake us, don’t take away the Light.
That one day we will restore,
The salmon to the stream,
And reverence to your Law.
The forests will return,
And Gaia’s love endure
Until the Sun shall cease to burn.
You took disorder and fashioned Harmony,
You freed the Slave and gave new Hope to the Forlorn,
Do not desert us in our Hour of greatest Need.
I feel your Spirit breathe Life into the Sea,
Nothing can happen without you are aware;
Holy Mother, hear your humble servant’s plea.
I Don’t Wanna Be A Brufen Junkie
I got a pain in the back of my neck.
It’s got me tense and ill at ease,
I’m gonna be a nervous wreck
If I don’t get some relief from you
Like I did before, and soon,
Can’t you mix me up some wizard’s brew
With your magic phial and spoon?
But don’t you give me a small pink pill
Because I’d rather ache and ill...
Than be a Brufen junkie.
I’ve undergone such stress,
She hasn’t rung me on the phone,
Or sent me her address,
I need some medicine to make
The pain and tension less,
But not the pills that make me shake,
And leave my head a mess.
Oh doctor, give me something quick,
But I’d rather be a lunatic...
Than a Brufen junkie.
The tremors and the shakes,
I need some stuff to kill the pain,
And take away the aches,
But not the Brufen; don’t you know
The way it tortures me?
Cos when I stop it leaves me low,
One day I might O/D.
Oh doctor, give me something fast,
But not the pink pills, I won’t last...
As a Brufen junkie.
I’m Weird
Different from you,
I’m weird
In the things I do.
Drugs don’t turn me on,
Nor alcohol.
But I’m no sonofagun,
I just like to rock ’n’ roll.
As weird as her,
But I fear
We can’t concur,
Cos she’s insane,
Of a different strain,
She likes nothing better than to cause men pain;
I’m weird,
And she’s weird,
But we can’t be weird together.
But in an evil way,
She sneers
At everything I say.
She got the hellcat fever,
She’s out of control;
I was a true believer,
But she got no soul.
She got a vicious tongue,
I persevered,
But all I got was stung,
It’s a cryin’ shame,
She won’t play the game,
But she’s only got herself to blame.
She’s weird,
And I’m weird,
But we can’t be weird together.
ITMA Variations Improvisation Number One
ITMA Variations Improvisation Number Three
Jack Knife Strut
Jane Ward’s Galliard
Johnny Go Home
Believing most naïvely in the stories he’d been told,
He marvelled at the buildings, unlike anything he’d ever seen,
The ladies were so beautiful, the streets were paved with gold.
And then obtain employment in a busy factory,
But three days in the city turned his optimism into gloom,
And very soon he realised it wasn’t meant to be.
He wound up in a hostel with a hundred other men,
And when he looked for work, although they treated him with deference,
Employers said he wasn’t qualified to work for them.
His pride so wounded that forevermore he’d bear the scar,
And in a while his bitterness had turned into complacency,
Which in its turn fermented in the bottom of a jar.
A wino and a dosser and a victim of the cold,
The doctor said in all his years he’d never seen a sadder sight:
A man who’d pass for fifty yet was twenty-five years old.
Jovian Days
Yet the journey’s only half begun
In the shadow of the red-eyed god.
Hold secrets men will never know
The secrets of the red-eyed god.
The further man has ever come
On the last frontier
We cruise the cosmic ways,
Soon we travel on
To the ringed world
But for a while
We move in the shadow of the red-eyed god,
In the splendour of our Jovian days,
Of our Jovian days.
Jumpin’ Cat Flash
Lachrymosa
Lady In The Gallery
Won’t you say you’ll marry me?
I know we’ve never met before,
But I couldn’t love you more.
You’re precious as a work of art,
Please don’t you break a stranger’s heart,
And don’t just walk out of my life,
I want you, want you,
Need you oh so bad.
Won’t you hold me to your breast?
I know I’ll die if you walk away
And deny me your caress.
What’s your name, I love you:
You’re a walking symphony,
Won’t you play sweet music,
And spend your life with me?
And I am just a silhouette,
But I’ll be your marionette,
All you have to do is pull my wires.
There’s nothing I won’t do for you,
Please won’t you learn to love me too?
We’ve never met before, I know,
But I want you, want you, want you,
Need you so.
Won’t you hold me to your breast?
I know I’ll die if you walk away
And deny me your caress.
What’s your name, I love you:
You’re a walking symphony,
Won’t you play sweet music,
And spend your life with me?
You send me into ecstasy,
You’re more than a Mona Lisa
And a Venus made of stone.
Lady, won’t you come my way?
I have so many things to say,
You’re a real live angel carved out of flesh and bone,
And I want you, want you, want you,
Need you so.
Let me take you in my arms,
Let me drown in your laughter, sunbathe in your smile;
What’s your name? I love you:
We’ll take it nice and slow,
But lady, won’t you stay a little while?
Lady In The Tower
Wasting every hour,
Sitting all alone,
Why don’t you call me on the phone?
Lady in the tower,
Life needn’t be so sour,
I could be so good to you
If you’d only ask me to.
But you have to leave behind your gloom,
And walk out in the Sun,
That’s something that you’ve never done,
There’s a whole life out there to embrace,
But if you’ve not the will to face it,
There’s nothing I can do,
I can’t get through to you.
You have it in your power
To break the witch’s spell,
Let me be your wishing well,
Oh Lady in the tower,
Please don’t you fade away.
Please don’t you fade away,
No, don’t you fade away.
Lady Lazarus
So many ghosts inside your head,
You’re so confused
In your twilight muse
That your sanity has fled.
And now the ritual again
Must be seen through,
Time to
Relive the pain.
Are you fire, or are you ice?
Or are you a vamp,
And a gypsy tramp,
Or a little girl sugar and spice?
But I may never understand
Your mad as a hatter’s world Alice in Wonderland.
Now is the time to be reborn,
I see you standing white as a linen sheet
In the winter trees at dawn.
His spectre till the last
Until your own life to the gassing room is cast.
Are you really gonna do it in the end?
Or are you just a pose
And a plastic rose,
A well refined pretend?
But I could never understand
Your mad as a hatter’s world Alice in Wonderland.
I guess it really wasn’t just a game,
Though I thought you lied
Still the Phoenix died,
Now there’s no one left to blame.
And you left your printed word,
But though the rhymes are spoken,
Are their meanings ever heard?
Are you fire, or are you ice?
Or are you a vamp,
And a gypsy tramp,
Or a little girl sugar and spice?
But I may never understand
Your mad as a hatter’s world Alice in Wonderland.
Were you fire, or were you ice?
Or were you a vamp,
And a gypsy tramp,
Or a little girl sugar and spice?
But we could never understand
Your mad as a hatter’s world Alice in Wonderland.
Lady Of The Shroud
My lady, my lady,
They say she is a vampire, but not
My lady,
My lady of the shroud.
My lady, my lady,
And she will be my lover,
My lady, my lady of the shroud.
My lady of the shroud.
Just want my lady to myself,
My lady, my lady,
Just gonna take my love away
Ahd live with her rest of my days,
My lady, my lady of the shroud.
Lament
So wonderful, so wonderful,
You’re so precious, so delicious,
So beautiful, so beautiful,
I wish that you were mine,
Please say that you’ll be mine.
Please stay with me, please stay with me.
I desire you, I desire you,
Please lay with me, please lay with me,
And love me too, my love,
Please love me too, my love.
Forgive me, please, forgive me please,
I hate hurt you, didn’t mean to,
Don’t leave me, please, don’t leave me, please.
Or I will surely die.
I’ll fade away and die.
My love has gone, my love has gone.
She has left me, gone forever,
My love has gone, I can’t go on.
Now I will surely die,
I’ll fade away and die.
So wonderful, so wonderful,
You’re so precious, so delicious,
So beautiful, so beautiful,
And once you were mine,
Yes, once you were mine.
Little Dance
Life Goes On
Even though the die is cast,
I can clearly see where I went wrong,
Nothing’s quite what it appears,
How I spent those fruitless years,
Looking for a place where I’d belong,
But life goes on,
Life goes on,
Life goes on,
Life goes on.
All the things I could have done,
Had the chance to make a better life,
After that in ’eighty-two,
Had a chance again with you,
Now the emptiness cuts like a knife,
But life goes on,
Life goes on,
Life goes on,
Life goes on.
Everything’ll work out fine,
Can’t afford to waste another day,
Gotta work hard to get back,
On the right side of the track,
If it can be done, I’ll find a way,
And life goes on,
Life goes on,
Life goes on,
Life goes on.
Love A Lady Doctor
Because I’m healthy as can be,
Another bitter-sweet prognosis
Is I can’t see my GP.
They tell me that she’s busy,
And she won’t be treatin’ me,
But I can’t help, can’t help lovin’ a lady doctor.
He told me it was in my head,
He gave me such scorn and derision
That I almost wished him dead,
But when I felt her stethescope
Upon my chest, it gave me hope,
And I can’t help, can’t help lovin’ a lady doctor.
There’s nowhere else I’d rather be than in her care,
I’d like to tell her how I feel,
And I hope my wounds don’t ever heal,
Cos if they did, I’d die of shock
That I couldn’t see my lady doc’.
She said: “You’re in the clear,
You haven’t got psychosis,
But you still must come back here”,
She said: “I can see you’re depressed,
I think you’d better get undressed”.
I can’t help, can’t help lovin’ a lady doctor.
“Now please remove your tie and shirt,
And guide my hand to where it hurts.”
I can’t help, can’t help lovin’ a lady doctor.
Love Is Green
Love is woodland and plain,
Love is warm, balmy oceans,
Love is sweet summer rain.
Love is blue,
Love is eagles on high,
Love is sails in the sunset,
A mackerel cloud sky.
Every small bird that sings,
Every fish of the river and sea,
Love is beauty and truth,
Love is wisdom and youth,
Love is God-given, wondrous and free.
Love is green,
Love is leaves of a tree,
Love is all that was, is,
All that ever will be.
Love is ice,
Love is silver and gold,
Love is awesome like thunder,
Yet sweet to behold.
Every girl, every boy,
Love is laughter and smiles,
Love is passion and joy,
Love is born on the wing,
To both pauper and king,
Love is sunlight that sparkles on a diamond stone ring.
Love is life,
Love is life above all,
Love is sight to the blind,
E’en the deaf hear its call.
Love is hope,
Love is green, love is blue,
Love is here all around us,
For me and for you.
Man In The Moon (Shine Down On Me)
Light up the dark and set me free,
My life is full of misery,
Please take it away from me,
Man in the Moon shine down above,
Fill up the emptiness with love,
My girl and me fit hand in glove,
Please make her come back to me.
And everything was fine,
Through sunny skies and inclement weather
She promised she’d be mine,
But yesterday we had our first quarrel,
She walked out of the door,
I really thought she’d be back tomorrow
But now she’s gone forevermore.
Light up the dark and set me free,
My life is full of misery,
Please take it away from me,
Man in the Moon shine down above,
Fill up the emptiness with love,
My girl and me fit hand in glove,
Please make her come back to me.
I miss her oh so bad,
She knows that I’d do anything for her,
I’d never make her sad,
Please won’t you help, I’m empty without her?
I’ve got to find a way,
You know there’s something magic about her,
I love her more than words can say.
Light up the dark and set me free,
My life is full of misery,
Please take it away from me,
Man in the Moon shine down above,
Fill up the emptiness with love,
My girl and me fit hand in glove,
Please make her come back to me.
Me And Ted Bundy
I never done no man or woman harm to get my kicks,
But first day that I went to school they had it in for me,
And thirty years and more I lived in Hell and misery.
I always was a sickly child right from the very start,
But I had goodness as well as a murmur in my heart.
I yearned for wealth and happiness, wished these for others too,
But neither came to pass, a poor man’s dream was all I knew.
At school I was a forward kid like others who were smart,
But they found love and friendship while my soul was torn apart,
For every time I stumbled, they laughed heartily and long,
Come twelfth grade and I’d had enough, I told them I was done.
Come nineteen and the seeds of rot were sown,
And I knew then no matter what I said, where I was blown
That a man who is so much reviled forever sleeps alone.
I fantasised about the girlfriend that I never knew,
While ugly and uncultured men, more so than I got laid,
Into the West End haunts of pimps and prostitutes I strayed.
But something turned me off about the slags I paid to score,
And though I parted with my cash, I never fucked a whore.
There was something obscene,
Repulsive and demeaning
About them, and unclean,
And in my youthful folly interpreted this to mean
That a man who never has a woman know
Must live his life an outcast, and forever sleep alone.
Ted Bundy in a frenzy had launched on a killing spree.
They knew he’d murdered twenty-one young girls, the very least,:
Articulate, intelligent and handsome, yet a beast.
At one of his trials, Bundy groupies sat and gazed in awe,
They passed notes to him in the dock, undying love they swore,
Some really thought him innocent, but many didn’t care,
I didn’t know about him then, but if I had been there
Would hesitate if asked to choose ’twixt him and me,
A girl would rather by a fiend be known,
Than a man who is an outcast and forever sleeps alone.
While I found love in eighty-two I thought I’d never know,
She didn’t know quite what I was, and neither did she care,
But she came to me much too late to ease my soul’s despair.
For in a while I blew her mind, now I’m alone again
These seven years, and I guess that’s the way that I’ll remain,
For some men get no second chance if they let slip the one,
I threw her precious love away, now she’s forever gone.
In all this time, Ted Bundy sat inside a US gaol,
Love letters and proposals brought to him with every mail,
Till January 24th in 1989
His final plea rejected, he at last ran out of time,
And though a cheer rang up outside the prison as he fried
There still were many women wept that such a fiend had died.
It’s not the thought of what he did that really sickens me,
But knowing that if somehow he had risen from the dead,
There’s not a woman in this world would sleep with me instead.
Melancholy
Melancholy Lady
This is a guitar instrumental composed and played (very badly) by Yours Truly.
Merle
You are the siren of the dawn,
The precious black pearl of songful joy
On my dewy lawn.
How sweetly do you sing,
How the tidings that you bring
Warm the heart of every man.
You seek your leafy bowers
Cackling like a hen
As you spring from branch to branch.
More than simply magical,
What hand could frame thy lustrous plume
Or lure thy throat to sing?
You are Creation’s joy,
In tune with Mother Nature,
You sing your Father’s praise.
Would that you share that joy
With every child of the morning
Forever and always.
Miss Harrison’s Toy
Money Go Round
Poor man got the blues,
His clothes are old and frayed,
No powder in his fuse.
Poor man’s full of work,
Rich man lies out in the sun,
Poor man slaves like a jerk.
And round and round,
It makes the world revolve.
I never had a problem in my life...
Money couldn’t solve.
Goin’ to the dogs,
The parasites have bled
It dry, no cash to oil the cogs.
Prices through the roof,
You knew the problem all along,
And now you’ve got the proof.
And round and round,
It makes the world revolve.
There’s not a problem in the world today...
Money can’t solve.
Can’t afford to sell,
Can’t afford to die,
No water in the well.
But we can fight a war;
The Big Five fund the state –
We pay their debts forevermore.
And round and round,
It makes the world revolve,
There’s not a problem underneath the Sun...
Money can’t solve.
Mr Pierrepoint
Always had that strange look in your eye,
Guess it was just a matter of time
Before you committed the ultimate crime.
Too late now for tears, so don’t you cry:
Mr Pierrepoint’s on his way.
Lovely ladies, servants at your call,
Whatever you took, it wasn’t enough,
You went double or quits on a lunatic bluff,
You flew so high, now you’ve just six feet to fall.
Here comes Mr Pierrepoint.
You never had a need,
The debutantes adored you,
But your game was lust and greed.
You broke a thousand hearts,
Now you’re waiting in the tower
For the strike of nine,
Your life’s on the line,
And your world is torn apart.
But you weren’t the first, nor will you be the last;
No matter how high the privileged rise
Their wallets are always too small for their eyes;
Avarice is the trademark of your caste –
That’s why you’ll meet Mr Pierrepoint.
Here comes Mr Pierrepoint.
And face Mr Pierrepoint.
Mr Wrong
Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained
And moved towards her like a killer shark:
Hey baby, won’t you give me your number, won’t you tell me your name?
She took one sideways look at me,
And if looks could kill, stone dead I’d be;
I stood there open-mouthed and nearly died of shame.
But though she walked right on and she passed me by
I didn’t have the time to stand and cry,
And if you ask, I’ll tell you the reason why...
Nothing won nor ascertained
If you don’t take a chance on romance every now and again.
Nothing wagered, nothing lost,
But in the end you’ll count the cost,
And until the day you die, all alone you’ll remain.
She was as fine as any rose of June,
Hey honey, why don’t you an’ me go get away from the crowd,
Her face grew angry, silent red,
And I was filled with a sudden dread
And raised her voice, and started screaming aloud,
And so I turned away, walked out the door,
And I’ve not been back there any more,
But if you don’t ask, you’ll never know the score.
Nothing won nor ascertained
If you don’t take a chance on romance every now and again.
Nothing wagered, nothing lost,
But in the end you’ll count the cost,
And until the day you die, all alone you’ll remain.
Went up and asked her for a cigarette,
Hey darlin’, I really dig your style;
The girl went red in a crimson flush,
But then her anger became a blush,
She gave me a frown,
And then the ghost of a smile.
And as I finished talking she came real near,
And whispered something wonderful in my ear...
Nothing won nor ascertained
If you don’t take a chance on romance every now and again.
Nothing wagered, nothing lost,
But in the end you’ll count the cost,
And until the day you die, all alone you’ll remain.
Pamela Jean
Paranoia
Something you shouldn’t do,
You get a terrifying feelin’
That everybody’s watchin’ you.
They’re underneath the bed, the walls have ears,
They’re hiding in the cupboard ’neath the stairs,
They’re tapping your phone,
You’re never alone,
You laugh, you know it’s crazy but it chills you to the bone.
Hanging round on corners who should not be there,
While at your destination
Is a man you’ve seen before,
Except you can’t think where,
But is it them or is it you?
You try to rationalise,
Coincidence it has to be,
There’s nothing you can do,
So you’d best not fantasise,
It isn’t a conspiracy.
It’s all inside your head,
Paranoia:
Like the doctor said,
Paranoia:
Strangers lurking in the foyer...
Everybody’s watching you.
Paranoia
Is gonna twist your brain,
Paranoia:
Your going half insane,
Paranoia:
When you’re cheating your employer...
Everybody’s watchin’ you.
For a midnight assignation
With a girl you’ve just met
Your lady doesn’t know,
Or so
You think, till in the moonlight there’s a silhoeutte;
It’s sticking to the wall
And slowly creeping round the hall,
You’re thinking soon you’re gonna hear a shout,
But then the other girl appears,
You try to put aside your fears,
But deep inside you still think that’s she’s found you out.
When you double cross your lover,
Paranoia:
When you tell her there’s no other,
Paranoia:
Strangers lurking in the foyer...
Everybody’s watchin’ you.
Was you alibi defective?
Paranoia:
Is your neighbour a detective?
Paranoia:
When you’re cheatin’ your employer...
Everybody’s watchin’ you.
When you’re lyin’ an’ you’re stealin’,
Paranoia:
It’s a terrifying feelin’,
Paranoia
Will be your sanity’s destroyer...
Everybody’s watchin’ you...
Permafrost
Now I’m on the ice,
Deep into the frozen North I ride;
There’s no peace of mind
For this lonely man,
Not since his loss of brother, friend and bride.
What have I unleased on the world?
When will the nightmare end for this lonely man?
Curséd be the name of Frankenstein,
Creator of a fiend so vile,
The wretchedest being on Earth since time began.
Where he’ll wait for me,
The final showdown,
One or both must die,
Still he lures me on,
To the great beyond;
God in Heaven, hear this sinner’s cry.
What have I unleased on the world?
When will the nightmare end for this lonely man?
Curséd be the name of Frankenstein,
Creator of a fiend so vile,
The wretchedest being on Earth since time began.
What have I unleased on the world?
When will the nightmare end for this lonely man?
Curséd be the name of Frankenstein,
Creator of a fiend so vile,
The wretchedest being on Earth since time began.
Peroxide Blonde
Killer without a cause,
Her blood is chill,
The temptress of the Moors,
Peroxide blonde,
Lady vagabond,
She waves a magic wand,
And leaves me spellbound.
She has me spellbound.
There’s defiance in her eyes,
She plays a lethal game,
She’s the one they all despise
And all the ladies tut,
I want to hate her, but...
She leaves me spellbound.
She has me spellbound.
And I know just where she’s at,
She has a wicked fame,
And she’d trample me like a man,
But I’m obsessed by her,
And not distressed by her,
Cos when I hear her purr,
She leaves me spellbound.
She has me spellbound.
Poison
My cool, refined blind date,
You came with hesitation,
But one thing couldn’t wait.
You said: You fail my test.
I read in your expression:
You only take the best.
Petite with eyes of blue,
But girl, what did you do?
You made me feel like poison.
She was alone and blue;
She didn’t know what love meant,
She just sat in her room.
She never had a friend,
I tried but couldn’t reach her,
And I knew in the end
It wasn’t me she sought,
And I was left distraught:
She made me feel like poison.
I talk to them in town,
I’m not a Walter Mitty,
But still they put me down.
Or glare at me in hate,
For now and ever after
I guess this is my fate:
(However hard I try)
All womankind, guess I...
I wonder what’s my crime,
I guess it’s just that I’m...
Please tell me what I’ve done,
Why do they hate and shun me?
Why do I feel like poison?
They make me feel like poison;
Please tell me I’m not poison.
Rhapsody In Blue
Play it again,
The sunshine’s gone from out of mah life,
Now here comes the rain;
Play it, Sam,
One more refrain,
Of that rhapsody in blue, for me.
One more for the road,
I’ve got a long, long way to go,
And heavy is mah load,
One more, Joe,
For mah life has been bestowed
With a lachrymosal misery.
An’ I’m feelin’ so sore
That mah hair is turning grey,
And I almost could drown
In the tears of a clown
Since mah baby went away.
Cos she’s found someone new
So I’m asking you to play
That rhapsody in blue, for me.
Play it again,
The sunshine’s gone from out of mah life,
Now here comes the rain;
Play it, Sam,
One more refrain,
Of that rhapsody in blue, for me.
Room At The Top
Root Of All Evil
And I couldn’t give a damn
For the working class,
They can kiss my arse:
I am the banker man.
To merchants and to kings,
And neither dare give me offence
For fear I’ll call them in.
Give orders to the state,
You’re in my debt
I’ll make you sweat,
My pen decides your fate.
A land of make believe,
But it’s part of the deal
That you think it’s real
And so do I deceive.
My power is supreme
With a wave of my pen
I make/break men,
Start a nightmare, end a dream.
I rule by lies and stealth;
You pay me compound interest,
And I usurp your wealth.
And someone has to pay,
Or my credit stops
And the dollar drops:
Uncle Sam has feet of clay.
But no one questions why;
When I tell the politicians: Jump!
They say to me: How high?
A profitable cause
In every corner of the globe:
Pursuit of winless wars.
To liberate their land;
When the winds of change
Blow cruel and strange
They never understand.
I secretly command;
There’s no chance to the world’s despair,
It’s all the way I planned.
I give to charity.
But if I have to bounce your cheque
I’ll charge a hefty fee.
Are tender to the bone;
I write a figure in my book
And cancel all you own.
I’m out of all control;
Dictatorship by finance
Of the planet is my goal.
Of emperors and kings,
But he who pays the piper
Calls the tune and pulls the strings.
My power is supreme,
With a wave of my pen
I make/break men,
Start a nightmare, end a dream.
Mine is the hidden hand,
You build my castles in the air,
And build your own on sand.
I rule by lies and stealth;
You pay my compound interest,
And I usurp your wealth.
I secretly command,
There’s no chance to the world’s despair:
It’ all the way I planned.
It’ all the way I planned.
Run Wild, Run Free
Don’t plan for tomorrow, don’t care what it brings.
As long as you feel the cool breeze in your hair.
Never cared to conserve their unlimited store,
Be barren and lifeless and void as the Moon.
From that inexhaustible puddle the sea.
You’ve only your comfort and wallets to please.
Direct to the atmosphere in a great haste.
Each one a more powerful, dangerous load.
Don’t plan for tomorrow, don’t care what it brings.
As long as you feel the cool breeze in your hair.
It’s always far better to use and destroy,
But what do you care about that? C’est la vie!
Don’t plan for tomorrow, don’t care what it brings.
The fruits of your follies: irredeemable Man.
Seasons Change
So do I,
So does the way I feel for you,
The time has come to say goodbye
And move along to pastures new.
So do we,
We’re different people two years on,
Now there’s contempt and jealousy
Where once was love, a love that’s gone.
So do you,
You don’t enthrall me anymore,
The time has come to say adieu
And set sail for a different shore.
I’m sorry, babe,
There’s nothing more that I can say,
I’m grateful for the love you gave,
But now we two
Must go our separate ways.
Shadow (Of A Man)
Shadow of a man,
Shadow of a man,
Shadow of a man.
Between his talent and indulgence, and he chose the booze,
A prima donna who was born to lose,
He hit the bottom,
There was no stopping him.
Now he’s a shadow of a man,
He had the world at his feet
And wound up walking the street,
Just another loser in the game.
Shadow of a man.
And he sees his face
Reflected in the mirror,
It’s such disgrace,
Sometimes he feels like
An outsider to the human race,
He’s gone to pot,
And all he’s got
Is another empty bottle.
Shadow of a man.
And everybody said he’s gonna be a star,
But in the end he didn’t get much farther
Than the bottom of a bottle...
He’s just a shadow of a man.
He had the world at his feet
And wound up walking the street,
Just another loser in the...
Sex An’ Drugs An’ Snooker
They wear suits, the’yre polite and clean,
But what goes on behind the scene?
Sex an’ drugs an’ snooker!
Who get involved in brawls in bars,
And get black eyes, they’ve all got scars:
Sex an’ drugs an’ snooker!
But he can be a pain,
And Kirk’s a very pleasant chap
Although he snorts cocaine.
The girls; there’s White the wonderboy,
And old Ray Reardon’s not so coy:
Sex an’ drugs an’ snooker!
Can be so very boring,
And Dennis Taylor’s very nice
Except he can’t stop jawing.
When Thorburn’s potted all the reds?
“We all get stoned out of our heads!” – ice chorus (ditto refrain)
Sex an’drugs an’ snooker!
But though you disapprove of drugs...
“I’m very fond of sex!”
While Willie Thorne says “Yes, it’s true
That bald men use a deeper screw!”
Sex an’ drugs an’ snooker!
“Oh yes!”
No wonder you South Africans get such an awful press.
While Alex says "What do you mean?"
“I mean, you cunt, don’t be obscene!”
Sex an’ drugs an’ snooker!
Sex an’ drugs an’ snooker!
She’s Woman
As fine can be,
Her body divine,
So is she,
She means all the world
To him, you and me,
She’s feminine, sensuous, woman.
And six foot three tall,
She’s white, black, brown, yellow,
A queen and a thrall,
She’ll teach you to fly,
And she’ll force you to crawl,
She’s feminine, sensuous, woman.
The stars rise and set in her eyes,
Oh,
She beguiles you by mixing the truth with her lies.
Till you cry and you bleed,
You’ll see all the warning signs,
But you’ll not heed
The pitfalls and dangers
Because you so need
This temptress, seductress and woman.
She’ll charm her way into your bed,
Oh,
She’ll capture your heart,
And she’ll screw up your head.
But what can you do?
You can’t live with her either,
So both ways you lose,
For whichever you choose
You end up with the blues
Such is this enigma called woman.
You end up with the blues
Such is the enigma of woman.
Show Me The Answer
Show me the way,
Give me a reason,
Let me know what to say.
And the doubt of night,
Never, never desert me,
Don’t take away the light.
Give me a sign,
Destroy my illusions,
But don’t leave me blind.
Don’t let me walk alone,
Take my hand and guide me
Through the great unknown...
Show me the answer.
Give me a chance,
A path to improvement,
A way to advance.
To where you’re burning bright,
I want to feel your power,
Want to stay in the light.
I don’t need them no more,
And my inhibitions,
What do I want them for?
Let me see it clear,
If there isn’t, I still must know,
I will have no fear
If you show me the answer.
Shelly Girl
Sign Of The Times
I got mugged by a gang of kids,
Not ten years old
But they rolled
Me over, an’ left me on the skids,
Me Grandmuvver’s always complainin’
About the ’ooligans down our end,
But me Dad says t’ Muvver
That it ain’t no trend,
It’s just a sign...
A sign of the times.
I bought me a three piece suit,
Me suit got nicked,
An’ the company kicked
By the VAT, so I got the boot.
Me grandfarver’s always complainin’
That ’is pension money ain’t enough,
But me old man tells ’im things ain’t gettin’ any rough’
Er, it’s a sign...
A sign of the times.
That it ain’t at all funny
Just t’ put some air in me tyres,
While the geezer at the station
Says ’e blames it on inflation
An’ the Chancellor’s desires;
An’ the rich are gettin’ richer,
An’ the poor are gettin’ poorer,
As the National Debt acquires
Really staggerin’ proportions
With the interest extortions
Of the banks...
It’s just a sign of the times.
I got me a sister called Caroline,
An’ a right little raver is she,
She lives in a hurry,
An’ me Mum’s always worry-
In’ about what she’s gonna be;
She says she wants to work as a topless model,
It’s a doddle,
An’ it pays real good,
While me Muvver says: No!
But me Dad says: Jo,
It’s just a sign...
A sign of the times.
An’ before I’ve finished yawnin’
There’s me spaniel lickin’ at me face,
’E’s a faithful little nipper,
’Cept he’s gone an’ chewed me slipper,
An’ it’s all about the place,
An’ I need to earn a bob,
So I find another job,
Though I hate this rodent race,
But me Dad says though it’s rainin’
There’s no use in you complainin’,
It’s a sign...
It’s just a sign of the times,
Yeah, just a sign of the times,
It’s just a sign of the times,
A sign of the times,
A sign of the times,
A sign of the times...
Spectre Of The Brocken
Or a shadow in the snow.
I see his face in every crowd
Wherever I may go;
Though he has no tomorrow
He’s always on my mind:
The broken man the whole world left behind.
To no one else appears,
He cries out in the darkness
But his pleas fall on deaf ears;
The whole world have forgotten,
To his suffering they’re blind,
But The Spectre Of The Brocken
Is always on my mind.
To this unheeding shore,
Condemned him to a living Hell
For then and evermore;
He looked for peace and friendship,
But neither did he find,
Now The Spectre Of The Brocken
Rests uneasy on my mind.
His talk of liberty,
Are now exposed for what they were:
The basest perfidy;
The talk of crushing tyrants,
Who would enslave us all,
Was naught but propaganda
To keep alive the War.
Who died in World War Two,
For different reasons
From those they thought they knew,
For one old man in Spandau,
And all of human kind,
Now The Spectre Of The Brocken
Rests uneasy on my mind.
To no one else appears,
He cries out in the darkness
But his pleas fall on deaf ears;
The whole world have forgotten,
To his suffering they’re blind,
But The Spectre Of The Brocken
Will be forever on my mind.
Strange World
They said: Crime doesn’t pay;
Be truthful, honouring all men,
And never go astray.
That never got me anywhere,
I’d been out in the world
Some years before I grew aware
And lies serve most men good,
As long as crime’s within the law
And lies aren’t understood.
Said he was crazy for his wife,
He told the judge he loved her so,
That’s why he took her life.
So loved his countrymen,
And so desired their freedom
That he maimed and murdered them.
Everywhere I look or go,
The more I learn about this life,
The less I really know.
And had to shield my eyes,
I saw so many con men
Tell the world a pack of lies.
And heard politicians speak,
They said to those who kill our sons
To turn the other cheek.
It may be that I’m slow,
But I believed in justice once,
Wherever did it go?
And friendship for us all,
Fair shares for working folk,
Emancipation for the thrawl.
For justice for his race,
The first man, though his brother,
Punched the second in the face.
It may be that I’m blind,
But the more I learn,
The less I understand the human mind.
I watched someone play roulette,
He dropped my monthly salary
With every losing bet.
Rode back to his hotel,
He’d thrown away a hundred grand,
And though life was just swell.
No one persuaded him to play,
I have no right to criticise
His throwing it away.
Of one thing I’ll be sure,
Whatever purpose it may have,
That’s not what money’s for.
To the land he tills,
He mortgages his livelihood
To pay his daily bills.
And with a stroke of ink
Adds thousands to the poor man’s debts,
It makes me stop and think
This can’t be what he planned;
The more I learn about this world,
The less I understand.
Newspapers or TV,
There’s someone praising those
Responsible for misery.
And murderers win fame,
While he who tried to save us,
Reviléd is his name.
I don’t believe in Love,
And sometimes I have doubts
That there is still a God above.
This can’t be what he planned;
The more I learn about this life,
The less I understand.
Sunset Theme
Sunshine
Time to come out of the shadows
And start walking in the sunshine, sunshine.
So you made a big mistake, well, we’ve all been wrong,
But the world will keep on turning,
So come out into the sunshine, sunshine.
You’ll soon find another when you go out
Walking in the sunshine, sunshine.
Dry your eyes, young woman, and start living for the day,
Life’s too precious to be wasted,
So come out into the sunshine, sunshine.
There is no rhyme,
So stop your crying,
And don’t waste no more time.
We’ve all been unhappy.
I know he hurt you bad,
But that was yesterday,
Your wounds will heel, so don’t be sad.
You look so much lovelier now you’re out
In the sunshine, sunshine.
So put the heartache behind you,
Get back in the race,
You’ve no time for sorrow,
Now you’re living in the sunshine, sunshine.
Swallows In September
But everywhere I see or go
I cannot force myself not to remember
The day they gathered ’neath the eaves
As slowly fell the Autumn leaves:
I can’t forget the swallows in September.
Nor that we’d ever say goodbye,
I hoped that we would always be together,
But now I find that you’re untrue,
It leaves me feeling sad and blue
To think that what we had is gone forever.
And I knew you were everything,
The one and only girl I ever wanted,
The Harvest Moon shone down above
As you declared to me your love,
Now by these tender memories I’m haunted.
Your father said you’d gone away
To Gretna Green where you had wed another.
And now I’m sitting in my chair,
My heart is broken with despair
To think our everlasting love is over.
Then suddenly you raised your head
And stared across the rooftops at the swallows.
You said: “They’ll soon be leaving here”,
And then you shed a silent tear,
How could I know that you were soon to follow?
But everywhere I see or go
I cannot force myself not to remember
The day they gathered ’neath the eaves
As slowly fell the Autumn leaves:
I can’t forget the swallows in September.
The Alien
Walk into the room,
Jungle music stings my ears,
Choke on reefer fumes.
Tells me: You’re the star.
But I feel like a man from,
I feel like a man from Mars.
Passin’ round the drink,
I jus sit there gawkin’
At the lady who gives me a wink.
Not been here before?
Baby, I won’t bite you,
Whatchoo say we score?
Take her home to bed,
Can’t forget quite either
Something that she said,
I pick up in these bars,
You act like a man from,
And love like a man from Mars.
I see people turnin’ on,
Can’t understand the looks on their faces
When they see me drink alone.
Never could see the point,
Quarter of an hour an’ I’m makin’ a beeline
Anywhere out of the joint.
Year on to the day,
Blew out all the candles
Then turned and walked away.
Heard the guy who parked the crs
Say: Looks like he’s leavin’
The one they call the man from Mars.