fish in the sea - all gold - the sea returns its treasures - sheets of rain - ian looked away - love is not bright mrs humble & mr morgenstern - in your own time - gathering the miracles - little palaces/shinglesounds - grave

MRS HUMBLE AND MR MORGENSTERN

Come on Pippin let’s play horse
Neddy’s favourite in our town, belly up

Visiting the ghost towns
 Sirens in hell
All the papers are torn to shreds
And the people all wish me well
Wish me well
Oh as I lie on the ground with a sandbag over
The sculpture’s making impressions of him
and it’s so wonderful they’re not speaking

I’m hiding among the haystacks
Miracles overhead
Silly places I have seen
Oh he’s better off read
See ‘em scattered
Better not be battered
Wipe it off

Don’t any of that residue pass your way my boy
Inky fingers
Stick ‘em in this bowl of soapy water
You know you’d like to don’t you

Oh visitors welcome in the home town
Are you understanding me
Are you understanding thee
 I went last time to the cadences of morning
Ah brothers stand together
Ask the question
Mr Morgenstern was so barrel chested and made the following remark

Oh I’m ever so humble, Mrs Humble
Mrs Humble’s in the tower
I love Mrs Humble don’t you
I’m on the pulpit of all ways
Barrel nation
I can’t pretend I’m not nervous today
Stand in a circle
Stand in a line you lot

Bye bye thanks awfully for coming
But Mr Morgenstern wasn’t totally convinced by any of it

March 2009

IN YOUR OWN TIME

Well I can assure you this is not about art
Howard, Howard speak to me

Old man did you find a copy of the same line
All the rubbish that floated by again and again
The many houses that they built for the price of a meal
A whole lifetime in a day
On a day when love wasn’t mentioned at all

Chorus
Only an idol, only a fluffy cloud
Only and idol, from a picture postcard now

You’re looking so thin today midear, so thin today
is that the closet you are in baby
the habits that cost you so many opportunities
you never needed to win
the white horses put on a display for me today
within sight of the ewes
and miracle water has presented his daughter
and isn’t amused by you for jumping the queues
jumping, gazumping

Chorus
Only an idol, only a puffy cloud
Only and idol, like a picture postcard of her

So lets all welcome Mr Hammond
As he entertains us in several suits of armour

Oh just stick it out on your own
Stick it out on your own
On your own

Oh just find love on your own
Find love on your own
on you own

Oh just find peace on your own
Find peace on your own
on you own

and in your own time

GATHERING THE MIRACLES

Oh Enid they made you promises
And they left you in the corner with the eyelashes
Went out and left you all alone
Till the little boy he brought you home
Wonder, wonder now

So many smiles at finding you
Faced with fascination
With your travelling friend
Between the dusting and the dishes
Have all left him in a mess
Through thick and thin, he’s there for you

Enid there are many ways
For me to show how much I care
Let me lower you onto the grass
And stroke your hair
Those words will heal for you
Those words will heal you in the morning

When the sun touches your skin
We’ll let you in
Softly stroking the wrinkles
And gathering the miracles

September 2009

LITTLE PALACES

So who will be the first to go
Spit in your eye, spit in your eye
Cross that bar and wonder why
Whisper to me, whisper to me
That ending sigh

Little palaces straight and narrow
Bring out the blooms from off the barrow
Call out your name in all the churches
Look out of my window, there’s silver birches

Ghosts and vandals fill my head
Miracles solved nothing is said
Dogs and wastrels in the morning
Shouting and the saints are calling

So who will visit when I am gone?
And sing the morning, sing the mornings victory song
Over the years they come to me
And whisper brother silently

September 2009

SHINGLESOUNDS

Dance the dance, shed the trance
Gone to earth waifs of man
Hold the course

Spread out among the beaches
While the old men gather speeches
On the shingle braving the weather
The old men stand together

Raise me up, raise me up Lord
I’ve given everything to her
I have gathered in the fields
And all those treasures you brought over the years
My children and the wasteland
Bright the miracles and bright the land
That stands before me
Cold water and my toes are frozen here
Bringing the light you gave to all
Take me up
Take me up father

GRAVE

This grave, that follows me
The sound I seek
This grave, that follows me
Throughout the days
Like the lark in spring
And the love it brings to me
On this stage, and walks away
This grave that follows from the vine
Too long has it stayed
And made the light die
Like the child hides the tears from my eyes
And leaves me wondering why
In this grave
In this place the stave remains
And wound itself in glory
To be tamed
Like the grave that names
Until that day
When I return to thee

March 9th 2009

FISH IN THE SEA

Anything will do, yes even a risky sandwich
One I will give to you, my lord
Yes that’ll be dandy
I’m just trying to be frisky
Like being spotted on the roof
Jostling for position, just a goof, in this crazy spoof

chorus
I’m not trying to be difficult, you’re welcome said she
Not only trying to be difficult, just nod if you agree
With a growl and a bed of roses, a poppy and a seed
No one could ever be so difficult in their right mind,
Fish in the sea

Automatically, you’ve got attitude, requests for bacon
I’m not being heard by you correctly, directly
Chasms created by the wild words
Rolling seas that wander by the wild herds
Wild herds, wild herds

chorus
I’m not trying to be difficult, you’re welcome said she
Not only trying to be difficult, just nod if you agree
With a growl and a bed of roses, a poppy and a seed
No one could ever be so difficult in their right mind,
Fish in the sea

Imagine him outside, Imagine him on a boat on the sea
Like a miracle stretching out in front of thee
Gentle gravy on a party dress, and a ghost in bed,
the rest is in his head, don’t listen to the hours or me
Just in case I’m not being responsible or contrite, tonight
And the old boulders roll

chorus
I’m not trying to be difficult, you’re welcome said he
Not only trying to be difficult, just nod if you agree
With a growl and a bed of roses
I’m not trying to be difficult, you’re welcome said she
Not only trying to be difficult, just nod if you agree
With a growl and a bed of roses, a poppy and a seed
No one could ever be so difficult in their right mind,
Fish in the sea

ALL GOLD

These are the days of lightness
These are the days of getting tightness
These are the days of wonders
These are the days of sorry blunders

All gold, all gold
Stick another layer on if you’re cold
For there are of us who feel the same way
Sing another one for the vanished man
On his stage of castigation, on this day

So easy when the signs of learning, are
Shouting out at the years turning
Fantastic flags are being waved about and all around
And the billionares are being saved
All of them, All of them

All gold, all silver and gold
Searching down that spiral stairwell
Sings your soul, and
Searching for the families gone in peace
You didn’t know, like the snow
The snow that’s bringing the country to its knees
Bringing the country down to its knees

They’re moving all the goalposts through the misty haze
And the state’s taking prisoners these days
But it isn’t easy being wise, even if you’re able
To bring your idleness to the table

All gold, all gold
Eventually you’ll scream
Like it’s just a dream
Doesn’t mean you’re crazy if you start to scream
You better dodge the drops and shall them show and
Shower her with cadences of beauty
These are the days of brightness
All gold, all gold

These are the days of wonders
These are the days of the sorry blunders

February 2009

THE SEA RETURNS ITS TREASURES

Underneath the shallows
Are the old man’s barrows
Old iron spread out across the fields today
Wash on the flagstones
Water comes like torrents in the morning
And the brilliance in the spray
Doesn’t shine today
As the miracles wander to and fro
And the sea returns its treasures in the morning
And some of us are like the wave
Through curtains drawn and
Turn our heads towards the dawn
Reach to me, reach to me my darling
With your comb and your mirror singing
So many colours
Like the storm that came between us
Last night, it’s early warnings
And the sea returned its treasure today

SHEETS OF RAIN

Sheets of rain that fall
Flow on the village below and it’s
Only time, that keeps the lines drawn
Waiting for you, to be only, certain if it’s friend or foe
Let it be now, who are
Waiting for God
In his house to be home

Follow that plough with your only
Son in your arms, oh and it’s
Well worth waiting for
Though the difficult days take the pleasure away
And it’s only your new home
Drive along to the end of the world
Tonight

There’s a staggering sense of space here
And it’s no use shouting on corners
Brilliant hymns are being sung
All through the night

The balloon goes up in a million hours
You can perceive it cos it’s one of ours
Take me up, take me up
Let me see the station from here
And you’re watching the thousands
They are watching you
And they cannot touch you here

So let’s welcome you friends to the party time
Let’s hope we can be gentle this time
And it’s only making you welcome
With this song the thrill
The thrill of it all and over and over
And over and over and over and over
This time we’ll be here

April 17th 2009

IAN LOOKED AWAY

When the family went to the picture house Ian looked away
When the friends all looked for the golden sun Ian looked away
When his sister danced in the afterglow Ian looked away
And when the last sound came from the stinking herd Ian looked away

Oh when the herd looked up from their grasses and their greens Ian looked away
When acceptable taste was the order of the day Ian looked away
And when the time had come for thy will to be done Ian looked away
And the bacon’s sliced and they’re playing very nice Ian looked away

So don’t be afraid if I say I think you’re strange
Oh don’t you be offended if I say you could be mended
And I hope that I don’t make you feel wrong inside
For your mine, tonight, tonight

When the angels came for the big display Ian looked away
In the middle of the night or the day of all days Ian looked away
When the tricks were being played and the boasts were being made Ian looked away
And when the chances came to be the first in the game Ian looked away

When the paintings fascinated everybody stared Ian looked away
And when the children laughed at the comfy cabaret now Ian looked away
As the teams were picked and his friends were being chosen Ian looked away
And when the parents came at the end of the day Ian looked away
And when they took em all away and they took them home to stay Ian looked away

February 23rd 2009

LOVE IS NOT BRIGHT

Boxed in by the burning buildings
Your invitation wasn’t planned this way
The mother ship is on the horizon
And the lamb lies down in the land
And love isn’t bright this day
And love isn’t bright this day
And love isn’t bright this day

Calling all stations should I listen
As I’m quaking in my boots at the voice
And the stars all collide in their wisdom
And we’re still choosing the graceful endings
And love is here even though we break
And love is forever as we
Switch off the lights
Switch off the lights, now

We’re under sail for the duration
Magnanimous gestures are made towards the land
And love is here
Floating on this ship of fools tonight
And love is here

Where shall we go
Let’s go to the strangers house
Look the rocks have hit the roof
Let’s go
Where shall we go
Let’s go for the summit where the fancy flies
In the teeth of the gale lies the rhyme and love
We’ll go where the fancy takes us
Come home my brothers
Come home love is calling
Love is calling

Boxed in by the burning buildings
Your invitation wasn’t planned this way
The mother ship is on the horizon
And the lamb lies down, lies down

March 3rd 2009