My ashtray's flowing over,
And the 'phone's left off the hook.
I've been staring for three hours
At the first page of a book.
Day and night I keep the curtains drawn,
And curse the very day that I was born,
And get to thinking,
How I need you,
Now.
I keep staring at my wristwatch,
Until it's ticking fills the room,
And the hollow sound reminds me
Of the silence of a tomb,
And as the ceiling and the walls close in,
And the furniture begins to spin,
I get to thinking,
How I need you,
Now.
And as the days go passing by,
And I never get a letter,
How I need you.
Days turn into weeks,
And it doesn't get much better,
How I need you.
The gaslit streets lean slowly
As I reel against the wall,
And my musty head is aching
As I stagger down the hall;
Then I fill the broken glass once more,
And fling the empty bottle to the floor,
And get to thinking,
A child denied all love can't weep
But bravely bears her life alone
So Fuschia as you try to sleep
You dream of friends you've never known.
In troubled years when no-one cared
You searched for comfort everywhere
For heavy burdens never shared
Become too much for one to bear.
So much to give
But those who live
Don't know of you
Your fantasy
Of love to be
Cannot come true
Oh Lady Fuschia
Oh Lady Fuschia.
Now poised above the castle walls
She looks your last on lonely skies
Night owls pray for her as they call
Returning ere the dawn shall rise.
Your loveless life
Has led you here
Not knowing why
Your troubled mind's
No longer clear
To live or die
Oh Lady Fuschia
Oh Lady Fuschia.
Oh Lady Fuschia
Lonely, have you ever felt lonely
Like you're floating on a deep sea
And the world is somewhere else?
And when you're trying to disguise it
It only makes it deepen
Trying to pretend will only weigh you down
Cold steel
Cold, cold steel
Searching, is this why everybody's searching
Looking to the sky
To try to touch a star
And when they get it in their hand
They never want to lose it
They get a monkey on their back and a pocketful of sand
Good times, I heard about the good times
I read it in a book
It sounded alright
But then I thought I saw a stranger
So I had to give chase.
Empty glasses on the table
Rows of bottles without labels
No-one drinks with friends no more
Look to yourself and that's for sure.
Pull up all the roots I'm growing
I'm on my way
Don't know quite just where I'm going
I'm on my way
I'm on my way
I don't know when but I'm going soon
On my way
It won't be long, perhaps this afternoon.
I'll follow signs that point the way
To yet another empty day
Seems it's just my generation
But I never leave the station.
Memories that come it seems
To haunt me always in my dreams
Trains go whistling by forever
I'll just hope for sunny weather.
Pull up all the roots I'm growing
I'm on my way
Don't know quite just where I'm going
I'm on my way
I'm on my way
I don't know when but I'm going soon
On my way
I wandered far onto the lonely moors
Sparse coarse tufts of grass reached out to trip me
And above my head the leaden clouds hung low
As I turned my face into the rain.
I huddled close against a tumbling wall
Wrapped in a cloak to shield me from the bitter cold
The solitude weighed heavy on my mind
As I turned my face into the rain.
The mist rolled down across the countryside
I thought I heard the coastal sirens sound
As I turned my face into the rain.
I tried to peer into the deepening gloom
To glimpse a lighted window in the distance
But just too far to penetrate the rain
As I turned my face into the rain.
And yet somehow I sensed her presence near
And tufts of sheep's wool hanging from a gorse bush
Were as though her hands were beckoning me home
The willows stand on guard in the dark
Where lovers are rowing alone in the park.
In awe of each other they make a mistake,
And find they must spend one more night on the lake.
And I don't care if anyone knows,
There's no-one so fair as my Tokyo rose.
I don't care if anyone knows,
There's no-one so fair as my Tokyo Rosie.
The blossom has fallen before the west wind;
The butterfly lies with its silken wings pinned;
Alone in the temple the lovers rejoice
And sing to each other with one single voice.
I wear my silk kimono black,
Get you monkey off my back.
No matter where the west wind blows,
You'll never find a fallen rose.
The flowers of heaven are roses in bloom;
The east wind turns west in the walls of my room.
I build my defence in the palace of sin,
The question was survival
The answer was myself
I was on the inside looking out
You took me to the limit
But you only took yourself
You were on the outside looking in.
Something for nothing
Something for nothing
Was all you ever wanted from me
Something for nothing
Something for nothing
Was all you ever wanted to be.
You bit the hand that fed you
Ripped the fingers to the bone
You were scoring blood, when times were lean
While I looked on disgusted
Ashamed to be your friend
Thinking to myself what might have been.
Now the lone wolf beats a new trail
With scent of easy game
Howling at the full moon on his back
While his lover eats her heart out
To the bitter taste of failure
In the early dawn the Bishops' men
Shivered in the damp
But the shiver came not from the cold
And spread throughout the camp
The trembling horses sensed the fear
Of silent thoughtful men
Who prayed that wives and families
Might see them once again.
The bishops sent a dawn patrol
To investigate the weight
Of forces at the King's command
Ensconced behind the gate
The ground mist hid the patrol's approach
As they drew close enough to show
The sentries on the battlements
And an archer drew his bow.
From the topmost tower a sentry fell
As an arrow pierced his skull
And his headlong flight into the moat
Seemed that of a gull
The patrol reported little
There was nothing much to see
But the strong and silent castle
A symbol of the free.
The King's men took communion
As the first rays of the sun
Lit up the castle's gloomy walls
The fatal day begun
From the castle green the rooks took flight
To the high trees in the east
To their carrion minds the battlefield
Set a table for a feast.
A tide of black, the Bishops' men,
Equality their right
Swarmed like ants across the hill
Their aim at last in sight
The King's men dressed in purest white
Were driven back by force
And the fighting grew more violent
As the battle took its course.
The Bishops gave the order
No mercy to be shown
The sacrifice will reap rewards
When the King is overthrown
The sight of children lying dead
Made hardened soldiers weep
The outer walls began to fall
They moved towards the keep.
The rooks surveyed the battlefield
Their hungry beady eyes
Revelled in the sight of death
Showing no surprise
The pressure mounted steadily
As the Bishops neared the gate
And the desperate King called to his knights
"It's your lives or the State".
When the anxious King began to fail
As many thought he might
The Queen ran screaming round the walls
And urged the men to fight
The Bishops' men were tiring
As the afternoon drew late
And the King's men lowered the drawbridge
And poured out through the gate.
They fought their way across the bridge
The men like falling leaves
Or ears of corn that fall in swathes
The vicious sickle cleaves
The tide receded up the hill
The waste of reclaimed land
Once decaying swamp became
A shore of pure white sand.
A blinded priest was seen to bless
Both dying and the dead
As he stumbled around the battlefield
His cassock running red
If uniform were black or white
His eyes could never see
And death made no distinction
Whatever man he be.
As darkness fell both camps withdrew
Their soldiers slain like cattle
Leaving the rooks to feast alone
The victors of the battle
At evensong both camps reviewed
Their sad depleted ranks
As survivors of the battle
My ship sails in
On a cloud of broken promises
It's just not true
Not a single word she says
Time will tell
Whether I can change my ways
It might take years
It might even take always.
Tell me what you see in me
And I'll tell you what I see in you.
Your picture melts
Before my tired eyes
And all it leaves
Is just a trace of paradise
You'll change again
That's what I've been told
But don't take long
Or I might get too old.
Take it easy
But take it slow
For who knows which way next
That wind will blow
Time goes by
Just as quickly as I want it to
And I'll make out
When that ray of sunshine's overdue
You've got to keep on trying
When the thunder rolls though the storm is through
You've got to keep on trying
Lightning never strikes the same place
I've taken many chances in the middle of the ice.
When the dice are down on a losing streak
You've got to keep on trying
When your mind is willing but your heart is weak
You've got to keep on trying
I never had it easy and I never will
The sun is always shining on the far side of the hill.
Oh if you feel like crying
Don't give up
Keep on trying
Swallow your pride
And come back into my life.
When lady luck's got nothing new
You've got to keep on trying
When you're feeling melancholy blue
You've got to keep on trying
I didn't want to be the one to take the blame
Cousins-Cronk
Every day and every night
I'm thinking of you, thinking of you
When I get into bed and turn out the light
I'm thinking of you, thinking of you.
Messing around with a song that I wrote
Thinking of you, thinking of you
Plucking up the courage to send you a note
Thinking of you, thinking of you.
I just get the feeling that I'm wasting my time
I can see you strung out on a different line
I'm wasting my time, wasting my time.
Maybe I am, maybe I'm not
Wasting my time, thinking of you
But I'm making the most of what little I've got
I'm wasting my time, thinking of you.
Getting my kicks from Algerian wine
Thinking of you, thinking of you
Getting hung up on the telephone line
Wasting my time, thinking of you
Wasting my time, thinking of you
Wasting my time, thinking of you
I see you in the mist across the river of the night
You're a shadow of the past that hurts me so
The icy stream of nothing runs before my sightless eyes
But I'm blinded by a driving sheet of snow
In the gutter I can see my lifeblood flowing
Where you cut me down with but a single blow.
So you keep going your way
And I'll keep going mine
And everything will turn out just fine
Yes, everything will turn out just fine.
A spider's web of intrigue, spun in strands of gleaming black
Oh the thousand lies to light the way to you
A bent and twisted scarecrow tells the future of the past
In a field high on a hill without a view
In a moment you had vanished from my dreaming
And I was left here with the chosen few.
So you keep going your way
And I'll keep going mine
And everything will turn out just fine
Yes, everything will turn out just fine.
The sand runs through my fingers as the hours fade away
And the stars they beckon from on high
A team of six black horses rising from the ocean deep
Will carry up my body when I die
The rustle of the pebbles on the shoreline
Reminds me that my time's in short supply.
So you keep going your way
And I'll keep going mine
And everything will turn out just fine
That which was wont to wonder when
The magic mountain music man
Speak slowly soothsayer
In your way
For sure
The dreams of yesterday
Mean more than just a play to lay
The heavy air was scented by
The disappointed flowers
The weatherman had promised them
Warm soft summer showers
They bowed their weary heads
Resigned to wait a few more hours
And we walked together in the half light
Down secret paths
Climbed wooden fences
Till a dancing meadow
Enveloped us within its grassy web.
There was no need for discussion
It was surely no disgrace
Her soft skin had the texture
Of the finest silken lace
Waiting moist and trembling
It was just the time and place
And our woven bodies sang together
In harmony
With understanding
Till we fell back smiling
Rejoicing in the music we had made.
The blood red summer sunset
Was a slowly spreading stain
That rose behind the bandstand
As the shepherd played again
We heard his silver trumpet
It had blown away the rain
And we lay together in the long grass
Holding hands
And making sweet talk
Till the smell of woodsmoke
You're my secret
You're my inspiration
You're my journey
You're my destination
You have always
Been so close
And yet so far away.
You're my best friend
You're my total stranger
You're my lifeline
You're my hint of danger
You have always
Been so close
And yet so far away.
In my hour of weakness
I called on you to comfort me
But you could only set me free.
You're my memories
You're my rock of ages
You're my future
You're my empty pages
You have always
Been so close
I only have my memories to last me the remainder of my days
For time has now decided that we must go our individual ways
The warmth I feel inside can more than overcome my loss
But this is me today and tomorrow I must count the cost.
We'll meet again sometime
Though the road is steep and very hard to climb.
The pleasures of a lifetime condensed into a fleeting glimpse of truth
A moment of delight as when a child receives a sixpence for a tooth
The simple things in life mean more to me than money ever buys
The greatest thing for me to see my love reflected in your eyes.
We'll meet again sometime
Though the road is steep and very hard to climb.
We'll meet again sometime
Though the way is never clear
My sacrifice is made
Everything that I hold dear
We'll meet again sometime
Though the road is steep and very hard to climb.
Oh lover of a lifetime let me look upon your loveliness alone
Oh but I cannot gaze too long for I fear that it will turn me into stone
A monument to life to stand forever by your grave
Inscribed for all to see, a message of respect, "Be brave".
For we'll meet again sometime
These days it seems as though, Ive lived a lonely life time because I never had a girl like you to hold me tight. and since you came around and you showed your world to me im beginning to think that ill never be blue again...
now that youre in my life, you are my brightest day when you came you chased my blues away. and you know youre all that i been waiting on
and all the stars i wish upon
and so i said thank you, for being there because you and me are gonna be alright
so thank you for lovin me long, because you and me are gonna be alright
well, anytime or day, you wreck my bed (?), since the words you spoke go round my head and you know youre all that i been waitin for
yeah youre the queen of all my dreams
and so i said thank you for being there because you and me are gonna be alright
im on my knees (on my knees) its days like these (days like these) when all i see (all i see) is you and me
these days it seems as though ive lived a lonely life time because ive never had a girl like you to hold me tight and since you come around and showed your world to me im beginning to think ill never be blue anymore
now that youre in my life you are my brightest day since you came you chased my blues away
and you know youre all that i been waitin on yeah
and all the stars i wish upon
i said thank you oh for being there because you and me will always be alright
The fragile gentle butterfly with multi-coloured wings
Settles on the toadstools in the midst of fairy rings
Midsummer sounds of tinkle bells as sweet Titania sings
Or am I dreaming?
Or am I dreaming?
And I will have a castle with a drawbridge and a moat
And light my open fires with a brand new five pound note
And go off on a winter cruise in a bright red sailing boat
Or am I dreaming?
Or am I dreaming?
Pick the golden casket and you'll get what you deserve
Yards of pure white chiffon falling in a graceful curve
Crystal-clear cut chandeliers, orchids in a bowl
Mulled wine by the fire and the finest ermine stole
The water melon moon makes gentle progress in the sky
Upside down it's floating as the satellites go by
And you can hold a conversation if you're not too high
Or am I dreaming?
Or am I dreaming?
The magic mountain music man
Is really rather shy
Watch my hand
See it shakes
Trembling as my life blood bleeds
Comfortless
Superfakes
Offering their empty creeds
That have faith or substance
That change to suit the doubter
To satisfy his needs.
Rid me of your darkness
Lay a little light on me
Clothe me with your brightness
Lay a little light on me
Oh save me someone
Lay a little light on me
Growing boys
Masturbate
Drink the wine and take the bread
Saintly priests
Castigate
Holy water for the head
With shades of John the Baptist
Who came intent to rescue
And danced with death instead.
Bless the good
Curse the bad
Some are wise
Others mad
Phoney profiteers suitably seeming sad
Preparing for the kingdom
Annointing us with wisdom
I am the depth of age of the mountain
Yet still you believe to know how to be free
You are the life of the stars in the night sky
As constant much brighter yet younger than me
But I am the echo that calls you forever
The conscience that shows you the way to belong
And if you allow me I'll love you forever
Hawken / Cousins
I sometimes sit and think about our evenings in the firelight
You and I when we were young
Laughing at the crazy-patterned shadows that were dancing on the wall.
Without a care, with time to spend
Hardly speaking for hours on end
That was you and I when we were young.
Walking hand in hand beside the river at the weekends, you and I
When we were young
Children with their fishing nets were laughing as they took their catches home.
Caterpillars in paper bags
Knees tied up with dirty rags
That was you and I when we were young.
Brushing through the fallen leaves together in the autumn, you and I
When we were young
Planning for the future without knowing what it held for us at all.
The road to nowhere never climbs
We changed direction a dozen times
Hero's face was gaunt and tanned
His sail was set in search of land
His life-raft, solely by him manned
Was guided by the tide
Heroine wore fleecy white
She beckoned like some saviour bright
Shipwrecked sailors in the night
Were bid welcome to her side.
Where one man's search must surely cease
The irresistible white fleece
Led Hero in search of the peace
That she alone could offer
Thus he knelt before her feet
Wary lest their eyes should meet
He knew his life was incomplete
For he had yet to suffer.
Enticing Heroine, so calm
Took Hero firmly by the arm
Told him that she meant no harm
That she alone could save him
Hero could no longer speak
While realising he was weak
His life increasingly grew bleak
For all the love she gave to him.
While storm clouds gathered high above
The heroine he grew to love
Turned slowly to a snow white dove
And spread her wings to fly
Crushed and broken in the end
Hero watched his soul ascend
Knowing that he was condemned
one brief recollection of all the
people in my life that have come and gone
one brief fleeting moment of people I've loved
and the people that i have wronged
long lost are the loved ones gone
but this bird cannot seem to
mend it's broken wing
so the lust for life dissipates and a new
greed rises for the needful things
don't wanna think about it
i indulge myself
distraction means less pain
bury my emotion to protect myself
'til i can't feel a fuckin' thing
i've dared to dream and i've tried to live
but I'll play it safe again
I'm just a slave to my vices now...
BRING OUT YOUR DEAD
Voices wither and crack then die
the ringin' in my ear will sing me soft asleep
dead silence now is all I hear
inspration following me
don't wanna think about it
i indulge myself
distraction means less pain
bury my emotion to protect myself
'till i can't feel a fuckin' thing
I've dared to dream and i've tried to live
But I've played it safe again
Just another slave to my vices now...
my addiction, my illness
my only trusted friend
my addiction, my illness
my only childhood friend
you twisted warm embrace engulfing all i tried to be
my body's breaking under arms that will not
SET ME FREE
my addiction my illness my only childhood friend
my addiction my illness my only trusted friend...
Locked in this cage that I've built myself
constructed out of
twisted cold reminders of a life once lost
but i've found my way again
here among the wreckage and the vampires
but i'll play it safe again
i'm just a slave to my vices now...
my addiction, my illness
my only childhood friend
We are born to this fantasy
Can't believe what they've done to you
Hard to see all these years go round
Taught to hide all that's true inside
What was it like
When you were a child?
Did you see the world
In a different light?
When the veil came down
Our destiny grew away from us
Don't it make you weep
Can't you see
I believe that we were meant for each other
We'll get along somehow
If they leave us alone
Why don't they let us be
...Just what we want to be
Don't it make you weep, can't you see?
I can't believe what they've done to you
They've got you just where they wanted you
When we sleep, dream each other's dreams
Casting memories on a sea of hope
Remember life as a child could be
Bring it back for all of use to see
What was it like
When you were a child?
How did it feel?
Did your mother treat you kind?
Mend those broken toys?
For in your heart there's innocence
Waiting to be free, can't you see?
Strawbs - Song For Alex
I've been many places, I've passed through many cities
Paris to Toronto and the rest
The travelling can bring you down, you're always on your own
But I see friendly faces everywhere.
From a song that pulls your heartstrings to a sea of smiling faces
Oh, but a careless word can make you feel so sad
But in the end I add things up and I find it's all worthwhile
When I see friendly faces everywhere.
The windswept streets are empty when my working day is over
And I always think of home last thing at night
Then I close my eyes and fall asleep for I know that in my dreams
That I'll see friendly faces everywhere.
Preserves Uncanned (2-cassette/2CD), 1991, CD 2, Track 19
Dave Cousins and Brian Willoughby: The Bridge, 1994, Track 10
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Song Of A Sad Little Girl
(Cousins)
Old School Songs
She looks so frail beside you
As she wears her sick disguise
You say she'll soon be better
As you dry her tearful eyes
You tell her fairy stories
She tries to understand
She looks to you for comfort
And holds out her little hand.
But early in the morning
When the sun shines
Into her tiny room
She wakes up like a bird
And she's fine again.
You gently kiss her forehead
And from the room you creep
But you linger in the doorway
As she whimpers in her sleep
Her cheeks are flushed like sunset
And her head's an open fire
All night she turns and tosses
As her temperature gets higher.
But early in the morning
When the sun shines
Into her tiny room
She wakes up like a bird
And she's fine again.
The nightlight in the corner
Casts a soft and peaceful glow
Her face becomes much cooler
And her breathing much more slow
She dreams of clowns and princes
Sailing boats and trains
The fairies come by moonlight
To take away her pain.
But early in the morning
When the sun shines
Into her tiny room
She wakes up like a bird
And she's fine again.
She wakes up
Like a bird
Row upon row
Of drab colourless houses
Bowing low
Before high rise blocks
Varicosed housewives
With sweaty armpits
Scrimping and scrubbing
Their husbands' socks
A limp polluted flag
Flutters sadly in its death throes
While crippled trees in leg irons
Wearily haul themselves
Through another diluted acid day.
The Auction
(Cousins/Lambert)
The vultures stood outside the gate
Quite unaware that fate
Is unaware to those who wait
In vain. Their pride
Betrays the means of their destruction.
Take my rings and trinkets bright
But leave my eyes which give me light
My tongue which gives me leave to speak
The rest is yours and welcome.
The wolves will suck the bones they bought
Those over which they fought
Their elders always having taught
Them envy. Their greed
Explains their total lack of conscience.
The auctioneer is seldom lost
Our paths have sometimes crossed
But he has never failed to count the cost
Of passion. Desire
Is the whole point of his existence.
Now you have given cause to bleed
You join the wolf pack as you feed
But now you find yourself in need
Of comfort. But peace of mind
You brought a new kind of sound into my life
You brought love every day
You brought a new kind of sound into my life
And I threw it away.
You gave my eyes a new sight they'd never had before
You brought beauty every day
You gave my eyes a new sight they'd never had before
And I threw it away.
The song that I sing
Is the music I bring
Don't try to change me
I'm doing the best I can
Don't try to change me
I'm happy the way I am.
You gave the mornings a light they'd never seen before
You brought love every day
You gave my mornings a light I'd never seen before
And I threw it away.
The sound they appeared to hear
Was the sound that didn't disappear
But stayed forever
You are love, you need love
You know that much better than I do.
You brought a new kind of sound into my life
You brought music every day
You brought a new kind of sound into my life
In the light of the morning after
There's no lover's laughter
Just a pile of clothes beside my door
In the street I can hear the rain
But in my heart there's only pain
I've seen you look that way before.
Oh I can't let you go
I'll find it hard to be without you
I want to feel you all around me
Hold on to you somehow
And I pray that you'll stay with me
I'm so afraid to let you go.
You watch the clock as you fix your make up
Turn around as you hear me wake up
But you can't look me in the eye
You grab your coat and start to run
'Cause you can't face the only one
We met when you were still a girl
In nineteen sixty eight
You wore a white dress and a hat
I touched the hand of fate
Your sweet voice took my breath away
Your smile lit up your face
You still had both feet on the ground
I was out in space
That certain sadness in your eyes
The secret of your smile
I've carried all these memories
Down many's the weary mile
And every time I hear your name
My eyes moist up with tears
As every word you ever sang
Comes ringing down the years.
We sat and talked the whole night long
Of all our rights and wrongs
Of mutual acquaintances
We sang each other's song
You were with me when the morning broke
The birds refused to sing
They knew when they were beaten
They hid beneath their wings.
I was in a Cleveland hotel room
When they telephoned the news
I drowned my sorrow all night long
The Southern Comfort blues
The show went on to great applause
Choking back the tears
As every word you ever sang
Came ringing down the years.
I reached out for the hourglass
To turn it face about
But who knows where the time goes
When your time is running out
I know someday we'll meet again
And I know just what I'll find
You'll have taught the angels how to sing
Old School Songs
I wish I knew you were to stay
I know too well why I feel this way
It's just that I can plainly see
That I need you and you need me.
I'll stay with you while the days go past
Live for today, try and forget the past
My friends all say and I agree
That I need you and you need me.
I'd like to say it isn't true
But all of me must lie with you.
Sometimes I say how can it be
That I need you and you need me.
Do you recall what I said before
I meant it then, now I mean it more
I'd like somehow to make you see
That I need you and you need me.
I'd like somehow to make you see
I'm as the world forever spinning
Rekindled by the early rising sun
I'm as the road that's ever winding
A never ending journey just begun.
And the wheel turns in my heart and in my soul
The fire burns ever in my head
While others come with lanterns
That will last throughout the night
To follow in the ways where we have led.
She's as the river ever flowing
As constant as the Greenwich clock at noon
She's as the sea that's ever rolling
A high spring tide that rises with the moon.
And today is much the same
As any other day has been
And I think about tomorrow
And while there's not much that I need
To take me further on
There are still things that I borrow.
They are as the wheel forever turning
The heart that gives an athlete strength to win
They are as the fire that's ever burning
The soldier smiling softly sings a song of sad farewell
As the train pulls out to take him far from home
His children waving gaily without knowing he has gone
Now you know what I feel.
And the thoughts that always greet you
Every morning when you rise
They never ever change they're just the same
When you're weary to extreme
And you never laugh or cry
You're just a sheet of glass behind a frame.
The best days of your life are when you don't know right from wrong
When the fantasies around you seem so real
And reality is really as fantastic as your dreams
Now you know how I feel.
So the train pulls out forever, just a whistle and it's gone
And the station disappears before your eyes
In time the rails will rust and you'll forget that you've been there
Listen to my story,
I've got something I must say
All about a new experience
That came to me today.
Well I don't want your sudden changes,
I don't need your New York zoo,
But I want some understanding
'Cause I think I'm going to lose
Yes I think I'm going to lose.
Take me home, little sleepy,
You don't have to take that train
That leads you where you just don't want to go
Take me home little sleepy,
You don't have to take that train,
This little rock and roller's going to show you what
you are.
Well it might have been in Texas,
And it could be New Orleans,
But it really doesn't matter
'Cause it's only in my dreams.
In the places where I travel,
And the people that I meet,
All I know is what I'm fighting for,
It's you I really need.
Yes, it's you I really need.
In the middle of time,1
I'm going to be thinking about you
Take a look at yourself,
Pieces of 79 and 15
Drifting along a jumbly scene
Pieces of 79 and 15
Drifting along a jumbly scene.
79. Out of work people
Sitting on top of a barberous pole
Strippers who like it and fancy a bit
And parties and songs in the night.
15. More people but mostly the same
Girls down with love, tell me what can you do
Seeing your friends down a hole in the ground
I didn't realise how much it would grieve you
How I hurt you when I said I was going to leave you
Understand I didn't know, but it only goes to show
How blind I must have been not to believe you
My mind is in a whirl and its spinning madly
In my dreams you looked at me so very sadly
I tried to show surprise when a tear fell from your eyes
You know I didn't mean to hurt you so badly
I can't believe that I've been chasing rainbows
But I'll think of you and follow you whichever way the wind blows
In the silent hours of night I'll be thinking about you
And I wonder how it was I came to doubt you
Let fortune cast its spell remind me that I fell
Remind me that I just can't live without you
I can't believe that I've been chasing rainbows
Do you remember the day we met
How we made our way in fits and starts
Do you remember the day we met
How we played our roles in silent parts
Oh what a day we had
Oh what a day.
Do you remember the day we met
How we kissed the way they do in France
Do you remember the day we met
How we lost our tongues before the dance
Oh what a day we had
Oh what a day.
Photographs of junior high
Your hair was straight and so was I
Do you remember the day we met
How we scandalised the scripture class
Do you remember the day we met
How we walked away on broken glass
Oh what a day we had
Oh what a day
Oh what a day we had
No work, we just got paid
But we're not on our holidays
'Cause there's not much to do
When you got a big brother like you.
We all have the right
To go work, well if you like
But we never do
'Cause we got a big brother like you.
We got a big brother like you.
Tell me where will it end
There'll be no work for the working men
We're all lined up with nothing to do
'Cause we got a big brother like you.
Now all they ever say
'Cause there's no work for you today
So go and join the queue
With the other poor beggars like you.
And all I ever hear
Is you're not qualified my dear
You need GCEs and a high IQ
If you want to join the chosen few
Be one of the chosen few.
Tell me what can we do
There'll be no work for the likes of you
Sit around all day with nothing to do
'Cause we got a big brother like you.
But oh how will it take
For you to make the same mistakes
For you will never turn back
Or try to find another way.
Tell me where will it end
There'll be no work for the working men
We're all lined up with nothing to do
We'll sit around all day and listen to you
But you can say what you like but you haven't a clue
What a big brother should do.
Now when the time is right
We'll call on everyone to fight
And we'll show them what to do
With another big brother like you
Another big brother like you
With another big brother, we'll turn the screws
With another big brother, we just can't lose
With another big brother, 'cause we won't choose
Another big brother like you
The dancing flames grow low
Burning embers start to glow
Pictures soon will fade
Pictures that the flames have made
Your hazy wistful face
Suddenly is gone without a trace.
Summer days all float downstream,
Wondering where the day has been
Boats that sail away at night
Come the day have sailed far out of sight.
Reminiscing, summer walks
Empty glances, moonlit talks
[Promises that mean so much
Broken with a single touch/
Candy floss and ice cream cones
Discotheques and Rolling Stones]
Passing fancies fly away
Empty shadows on a sunlit bay.
Summer days all [I] float downstream,
Wondering where the day has been
Boats that sail away at night
Come the day have sailed far out of sight.
[Deserted evenings warm and still
Strangers come and go at will
Driftwood on the silent shore
Laughter from an open door.
Friendly faces once again
Come inside before it starts to rain.]
Summer days all float downstream,
Wondering where the day has been
Boats that sail away at night
I sometimes sit and think about
Our evenings in the firelight
You and I
When we were young
Laughing at the crazy-patterned shadows
That were dancing on the wall
Without a care
With time to spend
Hardly speaking
For hours on end
That was you and I
When we were young.
Walking hand in hand beside the river
At the weekends
You and I
When we were young
Children with their fishing nets were laughing
As they took their catches home
Caterpillars in paper bags
Knees tied up with dirty rags
That was you and I
When we were young.
Brushing through the fallen leaves
Together in the autumn
You and I
When we were young
Planning for the future
Without knowing what it held for us at all
The road to nowhere never climbs
We changed direction a dozen times
That was you and I
The woman moves in mysterious ways
Her miracles to defend
She is patient as your enemy
Triumphant as your friend
She lures her prey with sleight of hand
And scores with a poisoned dart
Who knows why
Deep down inside
Stone cold is the woman's heart.
The woman has the cutting tongue
But the man still has his pride
The fire may long have burned out
But he smoulders deep inside
The drama calls for a leading man
He hungers for the part
She will set you up
Let you down
Lay your body low
She will lead you to believe
THat you have nowhere else to go
She is sorcery
In every way a perfect work of art
The woman has the frigid touch
Still the memories remain
She has clothed herself in loneliness
And learned to wear the pain
She has run the race
In many's the way
Well anyway it's a long story. She's been waiting for so long.
Still got the songs in her mind and the autograph on
the photograph. She's got a past full of secrets. She's got
a clock on her feelings. Back from the days when she used to
have wings. She had a dream full of anger. She had a dream
full of action. Afraid to get old she feels so cold. Such a typical
reaction.
Chorus:
Oh yeah. Oh yeah. She wanted to be a heartbreaker. Oh yeah,
she was so greedy but lousy lovemaker. Oh yeah. Oh yeah.
She wanted to be a heartbreaker. (Oh yeah)
She used to be a queen of the scene. She had a key
but she lost it. Nothing's gonna last and the time goes fast
-she knows. She had a man but she messed it up again.
She had a chance but she blew it. She's gotta little babyboy
in her womb but she doesn't have a clue yet, she doesn't have
a clue yet.
Chorus
Striking her down. Crushing her to the ground.
(Heartbreaker. (6x))
Chorus
My gate is swinging open
My fence is broken down
My window's staring blindly
Greets the callers with a frown
And I need a place to hide away
When I am feeling blue.
Nothing else will do, babe
Nothing else will do.
I've got no friends to turn to
When I am feeling low
I'm lonely sad and empty
Most everywhere I go
I'd like to leave the world behind
And try and start anew.
Nothing else will do, babe
Nothing else will do.
All I ever wanted
Was a place to call my own
A place that's quiet and peaceful
Where I can feel so all alone
I've been told this place is heaven
I wonder if it's true.
Nothing else will do, babe
Nothing else will do.
But it seems the path to heaven
Is always round the bend
And always in the distance
There's a road that has no end
But I will hope to find it
Before my life is through.
Nothing else will do, babe
Long gone the days, of which dreams were made
Naive in the glow of evergreen
Innocent days, of fresh airs and graces
The bruising of hearts, the losing of races.
Passionate days, remember them well
The devil may care of evergreen
We measured success in the stains on the back seat
Our tongues in your mouths, our hands on your heartbeat.
Evergreen
Sweet evergreen
You are all the love
There's ever been
You are all to me
And more sweet evergreen.
Gentle the breeze that blows through the trees
Caressing the leaves of evergreen
We married in haste, young lambs to the slaughter
We weep in the arms of a favourite daughter.
Evergreen
Sweet evergreen
You are all the love
There's ever been
You are all to me
And more sweet evergreen.
Here in the windchill years of our lives
We dwell in the shade of evergreen
Stirring the last of the slow burning embers
Counting our way through a year of Decembers.
Evergreen
Sweet evergreen
You are all the love
There's ever been
You are all to me
And more sweet evergreen
Sweet evergreen
You are all the love
There's ever been
You are all to me
My ashtray's flowing over,
And the 'phone's left off the hook.
I've been staring for three hours
At the first page of a book.
Day and night I keep the curtains drawn,
And curse the very day that I was born,
And get to thinking,
How I need you,
Now.
I keep staring at my wristwatch,
Until it's ticking fills the room,
And the hollow sound reminds me
Of the silence of a tomb,
And as the ceiling and the walls close in,
And the furniture begins to spin,
I get to thinking,
How I need you,
Now.
And as the days go passing by,
And I never get a letter,
How I need you.
Days turn into weeks,
And it doesn't get much better,
How I need you.
The gaslit streets lean slowly
As I reel against the wall,
And my musty head is aching
As I stagger down the hall;
Then I fill the broken glass once more,
And fling the empty bottle to the floor,
And get to thinking,
The years have left their mark
And time must be to blame
To me you're still the same
Josephine, for better or for worse.
I thought that I would stay
Always young and free
But now you're part of me
Josephine, for better or for worse.
For richer, for poorer
To honour and obey
For better or for worse
You're still the same today ... Josephine.
Sometimes our way of life
Has gone against the grain
Yet somehow you remain
The silent prophet
Seeks his inspiration after midnight
With a candle lit for comfort
In the shadow of the shade.
Belladonna
Waves a parasol beneath the window
So enchanting and inviting
In the scheme that she has laid.
The lonely prophet
Waves to Belladonna from the window
In the hope that she will notice
And may wish to know his name.
But cruel Belladonna
Turns to face the waiting sunrise
With its promise of excitement
Thinking little of the game.
Shine your lantern brightly
Do not heed the darkness lightly
We must always talk politely
In the presence of the night
Deadly nightshade
Hear me calling
Shadows of the evening
Falling down.
The quiet prophet
Gathers up his papers for the fire
He alone will read the message
In the words that he has burned.
Belladonna tries the door
To find the room is empty
And she coldly rakes the ashes
The wise man came in deep disguise
All the way from Mexico
We sat in circles on the ground
And listened to his words of wisdom
He spoke of unclimbed mountain ranges
And plains
That stretched beyond the point of no return.
We talked in terms of solitude
And parted with respect
Realising
That the world held a place for us
When I look into your eyes
I can see straight through those old white lies
Can someone take you higher
Liar
Charmer
You are one of those mistakes
A lonely singer sometimes make
You hurt my pride and leave me tongue-tied.
Charmer
Even when you're near me
Love is far away
See.
Charmer
Now where should I begin
To explain the shape I find you in
You're under age and underrated
Charmer
You're a wild storm in the night
You're the early morning shining bright
A time and motion revolution.
Charmer
Can you hear me
Do you see yourself reflected
In the stars in your eyes
Do you wear their disguise
Have they taught you how to cry.
Charmer
Deep down you're very hard
And you never played a losing card
But I am just beginning
Winning
Charmer
Now you'll make out alright
Just keep your halo shining bright
Our lines were crossed
I must have been the saddest man
Who ever wrote a love song
For when I spoke of ways and means
I knew it would not last long
After all the years
The growing pains and heartaches
I swore that I would die for you
And sealed it with a traitor's kiss.
We must have been a crazy pair
To think we'd last together
I hope you find your own new world
And make it last forever
You gave me your best
I gave you all my worst years
I swore that I would die for you
And sealed it with a traitor's kiss.
Thank you for your sympathy
God bless you for your kindness
I'm sure that as the years roll by
You'll understand my sadness
I can't have been the only man
Who ever wrote a song for you.
Take care of the kids
I didn't want to hurt them
I swore that I would die for you
Strawbs - Why
Mirror, mirror, speak the truth
I see my age but not my youth
Pride comes before a fall
The winner's eye is ever small.
Why.
I realise it's not too late
... (?) a penny on the plate
... (?) I feel so free
So blind eyes can never see.
Why.
I keep on sliding down the wall
Till I can't slide no more at all
I can't climb back, I never could
And I just won't try but I know I should.
Old School Songs
They called him Alexander
With the best band in the land
He'd topped the bill in Paris
But in Venice it was banned
A pile of dusty gold discs
Were among his claims to fame
There was no-one over sixty
Who didn't know his name.
Alexander you were great
The man the critics loved to hate
You could have been as big as the Beatles or the Stones
Alexander you became
The lonely housewife's favourite name
You could have been the greatest of them all.
The gig was held in honour
Of his golden jubilee
He did not need the money
So he said he'd play for free
He got the band together
Who'd been with him through the years
They rehearsed the Alexander songs
And shed nostalgic tears.
The crowd rose to their feet
When Alexander hit the stage
His face had been rebuilt
So that you could not tell his age
He played all of the old songs
And the crowd sang every word
He danced like Margot Fonteyn
And whistled like a bird.
He came on for the encore
But collapsed against the stand
The crowd was hushed, the doctor came
There was panic in the band
He diagnosed a broken heart
The critics had been fed
Their reviews became
The signpost stands where the crossways meet
There's but one road to the journey's end
The wanderer bent with his heavy load
Is waiting for a friend.
The sun sinks slowly behind the hill
The dead leaves lie where the wind has blown
Likewise he who has travelled far
Must find his way alone.
And as he leaves so the signpost turns
To point the way to the journey's end
The old grey man with his heavy load
If the school bell had rung
Would it have rung a death knell?
Now the dark day has gone
And there isn't any bell
In the flower of their youth
How were they to know?
And now there's so few left
And not all the flowers grow
Just think how you would feel
Had one been a child of yours
And you look out every day
And still see the coal seam sores
To remind you of that day
Just you look out in the rain
And although some children p1ay
The soft blush of evening
Returns to the folded hills
The sky rains magenta
In praise of the shepherd's skills
The lion lies down beside the lamb
At peace in the holy ground.
The King is returning
And those that were lost are found.
The old moon is resting
She sleeps in the new moon's arms
The love of a mother
Eclipsed by her daughter's charms
The robin bares his wounded breast
And sings with a joyful sound.
The glory of Heaven
Explodes in the rising sun
The long wait is over
The new reign just begun
The ransom of the holly bush
Was paid when the King was crowned.
A symphony of harmonies
Further on down the road babe, you will accompany me
Further on down the road babe, you will accompany me
When I think back, your love was like the sun
And I don't remember no cold days, now, I just remember the warm ones
Further on down the road baby, you will accompany me
If a fusing life that I'd had before I would rather be
But baby, I'd be glad to learn from you
And darlin', I know you'd be glad to learn from me
And if we get down and things get sad
We can tear up each other [Incomprehensible]
Things just ain't that bad, babe
If a fusing life that I'd had before, I'd rather be
Day by day, just one step, just one step at a time
'Cause woman you have given me so much
Just an easy stub in your aching heart
I don't know where they came from and I don't care what they might say
Woman, you be loving in my corner, oh, oh, oh, all the way
Day by day, and the magic of kindness floating all the time
Further on down the road, baby, you will accompany me
Oh, I'm hoping
Further on down the road, baby, you will accompany me
Ohh baby, can't you hear me prayin'
When I look back, your love was like the sun
And I don't remember any cold days, I just remember the warm, warm fun
Further on down the road, baby, you will accompany me
Ooh babe, oh babe, oh babe
Oh babe, ooh babe, oh babe, oh babe
Ooh babe, oh darlin', oh babe, oh darlin'
While seasons change in timely way
The salt sea ever flows
Where open moors lie cold and bleak
A single flower grows.
Though winter snows fall deep and long
The flower grows the while
The weary traveller passing by
Feels warmer for her smile.
Sunshine and the tender flower
Both melt the young man's heart
But he who lingers waits his turn
Must learn to play his part.
Through summer days of warmth and love
The young man tends his flower
But blinded by their colours bright
Heeds not the passing hour.
The autumn trees once clothed with gold
Now frayed and sadly worn
The flower bids a chill farewell
The young man's heart is torn.
While seasons change in timely way
The salt sea ever flows
Where open moors lie cold and bleak
Mirror, mirror, speak the truth
I see my age but not my youth
Pride comes before a fall
The winner's eye is ever small.
Why.
I realise it's not too late
... (?) a penny on the plate
... (?) I feel so free
So blind eyes can never see.
Why.
I keep on sliding down the wall
Till I can't slide no more at all
I can't climb back, I never could
And I just won't try but I know I should.
Why.
####
Wherefore
The King of hearts, he gave me frankincense
The King of clubs, his flask was myrrh
The diamond Queen brought back a purse of gold
That I had wanted from her.
The pack lay crushed and broken in her hand
Silence slipping slowly by
The King of spades was all that I deserved
And I sat back and and wondered why
I see myself reborn
In every generation
I look to children
For my source and my salvation
And I will build my house of rock
On their foundation stone.
I can see the new beginning
The universal loser winning
I can hear the children singing
Making a date with tomorrow.
Once I was blinded
By the light of my reflection
The mirror's eyes were moist
With tears of deep affection
I could not see my way
To make the last connection home.
The leaves of my life
Have been falling
And time rolls along
Like a wheel
The innocent games
That we once played as kids
At the gate you will wait
And hesitate and you will lose
I've got my life to live
You must take what you make
From the fake without a name
I've nothing more to give.
But if pleasure means money, then take it all
I'll make sure I'm out the next time you call
I know that something always turns up in the end
I've been my own worst friend.
I was blind, you were kind
Now I find that I was shy
Nothing to do but leave
I understand, it was planned
Like the sand I'm high and dry
I've no more dreams to weave.
But if pleasure means money, then take it all
I'll make sure I'm out the next time you call
I know that something always turns up in the end
I've been my own worst friend.
Like a fool, I was cool
As a rule it works out fine
This time it worked out wrong
Now you've turned, I have learned
And I've earned that which is mine
Why not take me along.
But if pleasure means money, then take it all
I'll make sure I'm out the next time you call
I know that something always turns up in the end
Feeling like I do
There's not a lot of words to say
I only know I love you
Trying as I do
To put it all another way
It still comes out
I love you.
I feel your loving coming on
I feel your loving coming on
And I can feel the hope in your heart
I can feel the hope in your heart
I feel your loving coming on.
If only I could use the beauty of the poet's words
Your name would last forever
Simple as I am
Simple as I choose to be
I know we'll last together.
Goodnight, goodnight
I'm hoping that I find you well
We're really going to have to try hard
Goodnight, goodnight
When you were young you were protected
When you were growing you were sheltered
But when you reached your adult years
You were left alone
And you had no-one to rely on
No-on to care for you
A lost soul in search of some kind of shelter and
protection.
Now where do you run
Where do you hide
Where do you go
When you need a hole to crawl in
Where do you go?
I found that in our darkest hour
The young ones that I knew and loved well
Beckoned with the memory
Of their alluring spell
And so I gathered up my senses
Bade one and all Godspeed
If my ways were what you desired then love is what you
must need.
I tried to find a consolation
But realised that deep down inside
Consolation is but yet
My all despairing pride
And now I'm dark eyed and bewildered
My guts can feel the strain
My mouth is dry, my chest is tight
The night sky hung so heavy
The wet road shone so bright
Reflecting back my headlights
As I drove on in the night
To Stormy Down.
I drew into a lay-by
My eyes were dark with strain
Turning up my collar
I walked out in the rain
On Stormy Down.
I was high on Stormy Down
Thinking of my friends below
But they had gone some other way
They did not want to know
About Stormy Down.
I thought I saw the devil
In the branches of a tree
It was just imagination
But he looked a lot like me
On Stormy Down.
The cold moon drew strange faces
On a slowly changing cloud
One looked like God the father
And I shouted right out loud
It takes a little sunshine
It takes a little rain
It takes a little laughter
It takes a little pain
But I can take the heartaches
I only want my love to grow in you.
It takes a little kindness
It takes a little tears
It takes some understanding
To last so many years
But I can take the changes
I only want my love to grow in you.
I'll hang in on you
While you hang out on me
I know you have your reasons
For needing to be free
Why don't we talk it over
And find out where we stand
In my old-fashioned way
I'll always lend a helping hand.
It takes the joy of knowing
That even if we're poor
We somehow turn out richer
Than we ever were before
Now I don't need much money
Joey and me were out on the freeway
Leaving the city race
Out of the hustle, into the country
Searching for open space
Shoulder to should, mile for mile
But neither of us knew where
Sleeping at night out under the stars
Inhaling the mountain air.
Under the open skies
Living in paradise
Joey and me were free
Nobody else allowed
Anyone more's a crowd
Joey and me makes three.
Often we talked of wasting our time
And bridges that we had crossed
But mostly we looked in vain for ourselves
Forgetting that we were lost
Joey and me were two of a kind
In love with our own ideals
Aiming to keep the gathering years
In pace with our rolling wheels.
Let me tell you how it all went wrong
How me and Joey didn't belong
We were tripping the light fantastic
Intergalactic
Joey and me.
The wilderness road had taken its toll
I knew I could never last
The lines had gone down in a f; lurry of snow
The winter was on us fast
I made my way back into the city
Hitched to a guiding star
Joey is out on his own again
Once I was a minstrel boy, I sang just like a bird
I used to trade in memories, I relived every word
But the galleries are empty now, the crowds have all
gone home
I locked away my songs, I sang them on my own
I sang them on my own.
Now those who walk behind me have heard it all before
They knew the many reasons I screwed them like some
whore
Like jumped-up jacks of all trades they walked with
fettered legs
And wondered where the tent went when I pulled out all
the pegs
I pulled out all the pegs.
This song is sung for me
This song is sung for me
This song is sung for me
This song is sung for me
This song is sung for me.
The peaceful queen of platitudes sat resting on his
throne
His laurel wreath was slipping as he retrieved his
buried bone
Ah but I had got there sooner, I had chewed away the
While he slept in the gutter, I slept on the mat
I slept on the mat.
This song is sung for me
This song is sung for me
This song is sung for me
This song is sung for me
This song is sung for me
This song is sung for me
Where Am I?
I sit here in peaceful meditation by a river
Watch my thoughts go floating down the stream of consciousness
Never ever changing the direction of my dreaming
To realise myself
Nothing more or nothing less
And as the hours slip away
On this pleasant April day
I sit and watch the flowers grow
Where am I
Where am I?
I'll Show You Where To Sleep
Just paint a picture of the world
In gentle pastel shades
Indistinct and somehow blurred
Like childhood escapades
The painting box is rather dear
But the paints themselves are cheap
Leave your pack at the side of the road
I'll show you where to sleep.
Dead brown weeds in a ditch at the side
Of a field of burning corn
The road opens out before you
Like the womb where you were born
There's no need to pretend again
To try and earn your keep
Leave your pack at the side of the road
I'll show you where to sleep.
And crowds will gather in the sun
As stone madonnas weep
And the shepherd is a good man
As he tends his flock of sheep.
In case you find your tortoise shell
Is getting rather tight
You can wrap yourself in your magic cloak
And disappear from sight
And I will stand guard over you
As through the door you creep
Leave your pack at the side of the road
Old School Songs
looking through their windows
Peering through lace curtains
All the little ladies
With grey haired hat-pinned heads
Watching people they know who don't understand
That they're living their lonely lives second hand
Even second hand's better than none.
Spreading all the gossip
Baking cakes for tea time
All the little ladies
With lonely single beds
Watching children they know as they jump and play
Trying giving them sweets but they run away
Even naughty boy's better than none.
Sunday lunch is coming
In a van of kindness
All the little ladies
With no friends but the dead
Watching doctor they know as he takes their pulse
Trying giving a smile for there's nothing else
Looks around with angel face
She does everything with amazing grace
She wears smart clothes but no-one knows
She's got nobody waiting at home.
She is not the only song I sing
Though I sing them all for her
There is something in her melody
That I've never heard before.
The winter and the summer
Need never come again
The winter and the summer
Need never come again
In my life there is no season
No reason.
She is not the only book I read
See her pages are not torn
And her story is of loneliness
Though her memory still war.
The winter and the summer
Need never come again
The winter and the summer
Need never come again
In my life there is no season
No reason.
Every now and then I'm sad
Thinking what we could have had
If we'd met some years before
Would we now be wanting more.
She is not the only sound I hear
Though to hear her lights my day
There's no picture in the gallery
That has half as much to say.
The winter and the summer
Need never come again
The winter and the summer
Need never come again
In my life there is no season
I leave you with your head buried in the pillow
Oh so sleepy, oh so sleepy
As twisted as a knot, as tangled as a wire
Burning like a coal on the open fire
Oh so sleepy, oh so sleepy.
I talk to you in riddles of the drunken sailor
Oh so sleepy, oh so sleepy
As pretty as a rose, as bitter as a thorn
A smear of virgin blood on the broken dawn
Oh so sleepy, oh so sleepy.
Now did you hear the wind, did you ride the carousel
Did you find the seaman's mission, only time can really tell
Or do you see your future in the wishing well
Oh so sleepy, oh so sleepy.
I brush you with a kiss as the moonlight murmurs
Oh so sleepy, oh so sleepy
As simple as defeat, as certain as a toy
Crying like a girl with the future of a boy
Old School Songs
A dog is all a good boy needs
To lick his wounds when his heart bleeds
To gnaw his bones and chew his meat
A friend to turn to in defeat.
A dog is all a good boy needs
To follow where the master leads
A faithful servant true and kind
The seeing eye that guides the blind
Who understands all his commands
Who never queries his demands
Who disapproves but still concedes
A dog is all a good boy needs.
A dog is all a good boy needs
To cure the sick among the weeds
To fix the root of his disease
And set his weary mind at ease
Who always answers when he calls
Who never stumbles when he falls
Who breaks the back of his misdeeds
A dog is all a good boy needs.
Who bares her teeth but never bites
the Mother courage when she fights
Who stands to lose but still succeeds
Time is the power
The enemy hour
The soul survivor of the news
The headlines.
Life is a friend
I value its end
For I can take it when I choose
The deadlines.
Time and life
Will meet at dawn
The swords have been drawn
For the takers.
Time has no heart
It wins from the start
Was I so foolish
As to try to ignore it.
Life is complete
And proud in defeat
At last I understand
Why I adore it.
Time and life
Fight to the end
But life has to bend
Strawbs - Oh, How She Changed
She leaned forward in the lamplight
In her eyes an amber glow
She was promising the earth
And yet somehow saying no
We talked of pleasant summer days
Kew Gardens, Hampton Court
The jewellers where we bought
The ring that held us close together.
Oh how she changed with every passing day.
In the swirling misty morning
As the day began to break
In the heavy dew her footsteps
I am floundering in her wake.
Oh how she changed with every passing day.
The shutters of indifference
Have close to bar the view
A person I once knew.
Cousins
She looks so frail beside you as she wears her sick disguise
You say she'll soon be better as you dry her tearful eyes
You tell her fairy stories, she tries to understand
She looks to you for comfort and holds out her little hand.
But early in the morning when the sun shines into her tiny room
She wakes up like a bird and she's fine again.
You gently kiss her forehead and from the room you creep
But you linger in the doorway as she whimpers in her sleep
Her cheeks are flushed like sunset and her head's an open fire
All night she turns and tosses as her temperature gets higher.
But early in the morning when the sun shines into her tiny room
She wakes up like a bird and she's fine again.
The night light in the corner casts a soft and peaceful glow
Her face becomes much cooler and her breathing much more slow
She dreams of clowns and princes sailing boats and trains
The fairies come by moonlight to take away her pain.
And early in the morning when the sun shines into her tiny room
She wakes up like a bird and she's fine again
She wakes up like a bird and she feels fine
She wakes up like a bird and she feels fine
Old School Songs
I'd like to live on a farm again like I did for part of the war
I've got a few happy memories though we were rather poor
But I can't go back, these days have gone
I'm only reminiscing
Ah me, things aren't what they used to be
Ah my, in days gone by.
Just take a look at these photographs I took of baby and you
They're rather brown but you still can see the love come shining through
But a photograph's no substitute
I'd rather have the real thing
Ah me, things aren't what they used to be
Ah my, in days gone by.
I've got a pile of old clothes upstairs that have come in style again
I know they suited me but nowadays it doesn't seem the same
'Cause I can't go back those days have gone
I'm only reminiscing
Ah me, things aren't what they used to be