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Dick Greener
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Dick Greener

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HALCYON DAYS (US EDITION) - LYRICS

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The Man Who Called Himself Jesus

(Cousins)

Old School Songs

He came into the shop and looked me straight between the eyes
And said "You know I'm Jesus", and I must have looked surprised
Because he said "Please don't be hasty, no-one understands
But I've got a way to prove it" and he lifted up his hands.

He was the man who called himself Jesus.

For a minute I was speechless, then I looked into his face
With sufficient lines of sadness for the total human race
And I said "You must be joking" but he slowly shook his head
And said "That's what they all say, I might as well be dead".

He asked me if I knew a place where he could start to preach
I said "Well try a church or maybe Brighton beach"
And I was trying to be serious but he didn't seem impressed
He said "You think I'm crazy, you're just like all the rest".

I was really quite embarrassed, he was looking so sincere
So I said "I close the shop soon, won't you come and have a beer"
Then he asked me if I meant it and he smiled a funny smile
And he said he'd rather like that and he hung arounds a while.

On the way he stopped to pat little children's heads
And he taught them one line prayers to say as they went off to their beds
But mostly they were frightened and they looked at him wide eyed
And when he said his name was Jesus, one girl even cried.

In the pub I asked him if he'd tried to see the Pope
And he said although he'd thought about it there was really not a hope
Then he said he thought he'd better go, he had some work to do
He said he'd come and see me in about a week or two.

Well after he had gone I thought of what he'd said
And all his funny actions they kept running through my head
And when I felt my mind was drowning in a sea of mud
It seemed his pint of beer had turned into a pint of blood.


Where Is This Dream Of Your Youth

(Cousins)

Old School Songs

Wake up one day, you're left alone
From now on you're on your own
The sands of time are running low
You'll have nothing left to show
The months slip by and change to years
Soon the twilight gloom appears
And then one day before you know
You'll have nothing left to show.

Where is this dream of your youth.

The pictures on the walls are shaking
They can hear the storm a-breaking
Storms may come and storms go
You'll have nothing left to show
They can hear the earth a-quaking
Buildings come and buildings go
You'll have nothing left to show.

Tomorrow brings another dawn
It might be better from now on
Before too long that day will go
You'll have nothing left to show
You'll have nothing left to show
You'll have nothing left to show
You'll have nothing left to show.

Where is this dream of your youth ?


The Battle

(Cousins)

Old School Songs

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
Gave God their grateful thanks.


The Weary Song

(Cousins)

Old School Songs

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
Now I know how you feel.


I Turned My Face Into The Wind

(Cousins)

Old School Songs

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
As I turned my face into the rain.


Forever

(Cousins/Hooper)

Old School Songs

Blue skies above me
I've someone to love me
To take good care of me
Forever.

Through all that time can send
We'll make it to the end
Just you and me my friend
Forever.

Oh weeping willow
Please share my pillow
So that the clouds will billow
Forever.

And I don't have to bend
We'll make it to the end
Just you and me my friend
Forever.

The gypsy woman
Who sold me her heather
She told me its good luck
Would last me
Forever.

We've got our lives to spend
We'll make it to the end
Just you and me my friend
Forever.

Through all that time can send
We'll make it to the end
Just you and me my friend
Forever.


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
And she feels fine.


A Glimpse Of Heaven

(Cousins)

Old School Songs

The hillside was a patchwork quilt
Neatly stitched with tidy hedge
And crumbling grey stone wall
The trees were bare, but Spring was near
To conjure up its endless strings
Of green magic handkerchieves

Could you only see what I've seen
You would surely know what I mean
I think I must have caught a glimpse of heaven.

A string of diamonds formed a stream
That tumbled down the daunting cliff
To sparkle bright on the beach.

New born lambs that sweetly played
Speckled eggs all newly laid
But for you I would have stayed
I think I must have caught a glimpse of heaven.


Witchwood

(Cousins)

Old School Songs

I dropped down in the witchwood
To see what I could find
The trees had taken time out
To blow away my mind
All that I could hear there
Was the sound of my own voice
But the music it was making
Was nothing of my choice.

The interwoven branches
Were laden deep with snow
A rainbow shone so softly
To show which way to go
I observed its many colours
Till my eyes were rimmed with frost
I tried hard to trace my footsteps
For I feared I might get lost.

The witchwood started singing
With a strange unearthly sound
My fingers grew like branches
I stood rooted to the ground
And the spell is still unbroken
I am still her bidden slave
Till a casket from the witchwood
Bears my body to the grave.


Sheep

(Cousins)

Old School Songs

July the fourth in the market town
Farmers have come for miles around
Bringing their wives and children.

A farmer stands with his youngest son
Watching their sheep driven from the pen
The slaughterhouse is waiting.

Look they're turning back
They're frightened
Dogs are snapping at their heels
Jumping on each other's backs
Hear their squeals.

The young boy stands looking quite dismayed
How can they know they're just animals
Come pull yourself together.

The farmer tells him to look inside
Row after row of raw carcasses
Their blood runs in the gutters.

Listen to their silly bleating
Farmer beats them with his stick
Milling by the open door
Don't be sick.

The young boy
Takes a look around
See people watching blankly
And he pities them
For they too
Look like sheep
And he tells himself
When he grows up
When he becomes a farmer
He will just plant seeds of love
He will just plant seeds of love
He will just plant seeds of love
And he will harvest peace.


The Shepherd's Song

(Cousins)

Old School Songs

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
Reminded us that it was to go.


The Hangman And The Papist

(Cousins)

Old School Songs

The village square stands quiet with the curfew still in force
The streets are even clear of dogs and whores
Like some evil bird of prey the scaffold spreads its wings
The people build their fires and bolt their doors
The mayor is giving dinner to the officers and wives
His eldest son is learning how to fawn
The barrack block is hushed and tense, the soldiers drawing lots
Who will be the hangman in the dawn.

The lot falls on a young man who has served for but a year
His home is in the village close nearby
He shivers at the thought of what he's forced to do next day
He wonders who it is that has to die
The full moon casts a cold light on the gloomy prison walls
The papist walk his cell, he cannot sleep
He hears the waiting gallows creaking just beyond the door
He prays for he has no more tears to weep.

The day begins to break, the muffled drums begin to sound
A crowd begins to gather in the square
The presence of the hangman in his terrifying mask
Weighs heavy on the minds of all those there
The colonel reads the sentence which the papist knows by heart
He has failed to show allegiance to the King
His crime is thus with God himself, in His name he must hang
The papist, head held high, says not a thing.

The jailer binds his hands and puts the blindfold to his eyes
He leads him through the door before the crowd
The hangman sees his victim and the blood drains from his face
He sees his younger brother standing proud
The hangman tries to protest but is ordered to proceed
His trembling hands begin to take the strain
His eyes are blind with streaming tears, he cries for all to hear
"Forgive me God, we hang him in they name".


Benedictus

(Cousins)

Old School Songs

The wanderer has far to go
Humble must he constant be
Where the paths of wisdom
Distant is the shadow of the setting sun.

Bless the daytime
Bless the night
Bless the sun which gives us light
Bless the thunder
Bless the rain
Bless all those who cause us pain.

Yellow stars may lead the way
All diversions lead astray
While his resolution holds
Fortune and good will will surely follow him.

Bless the free man
Bless the slave
Bless the hero in his grave
Bless the soldier
Bless the saint
Bless all those whose hearts grow faint.


Queen Of Dreams

(Cousins)

Old School Songs

Spoke the Queen of Dreams
I was Lord of the Forest
Walked within her paths
Sheltered within her bowers
Pine needles for my pillow
The dove my only true friend
I was Lord of the Forest.

Spoke the Queen of Souls
I was Lord of the Ocean
Swam beneath her waves
Sheltered within her shipwrecks
Precious gifts I bring you
From rusting hulls of the deep
I was Lord of the Ocean.

Spoke the Queen of Heads
I was Lord of the Mountains
Scaled her highest peaks
Sheltered within her valleys
Climb high upon my shoulders
I will show you the world
I was Lord of the Mountains.

I had no head for heights
But close my eyes to make the climb
Oh Queen of Dreams
Oh Queen of Souls
Oh Queen of Heads
It's time.


Heavy Disguise

(Ford)

Fazz Music

Crowded afternoon and there's not enough room in the city today
The people assembled to hear what resembled evangelists say
Some came just to see them for a laugh
Others to be free
Fools must pretend to be wise
We've a faith that we use as a heavy disguise.

Tears from the crowd with men crying aloud or just ringing their hands
The love in their hearts at this joining of people from far away lands
I'd so many questions I could ask
I wanted to be free
Fools must pretend to be wise
We've a faith that we use as a heavy disguise.

Cheers from the crowd for a much-loved constituent lately arrived
Here's to the soul of the man who takes toll for just staying alive
Can't ignore the feeling in the air
Glad that I was there
Fools must pretend to be wise
We've a faith that we use as a heavy disguise.

Evening drew on with a change of opinion from left wing and right
And North accused South who were left little doubt that they needed to fight
I cannot begin to understand
The suffering tonight
Fools must pretend to be wise
We've a faith that we use as a heavy disguise.


New World

(Cousins)

Old School Songs

There's blood in the dust
Where the city's heart beats
The children play games
That they take from the streets
How can you teach when you've so much to learn
May you turn
In your grave
New world.

There is hate in your eyes
I have seen it before
Planning destruction
Behind the locked door
Were you the coward who fired the last shot
May you rot
In your grave
New world.

There is death in the air
With the lights growing dim
As those who survive
Sing a desperate hymn
Pray that God grants you one final request
May you rest
In your grave
New world.


Two Weeks Last Summer

(Cousins)

Old School Songs

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
Come the day have sailed far out of sight.


Blue Angel

(Cousins)

Old School Songs

Divided

The gypsy girl stood quite alone
Her eyes were brightly shining
Her head was in the clouds
Where she had found the silver lining
And all the while the crippled boy
Was dancing with his lady fair
While I stood on the sidelines
Trying to make out that I wasn't there.

So loud the music grew and grew
With ever greater pain
I stepped back in the shadows
For I could not stand the strain
I tried to look, my eyes were blind
I tried to speak but could not find
The words to say.

They left me lying where I lay
I could not bear the light of day.

Treat me kindly dear blue angel
Deepest colour of the night
Be merciful, be gentle
For I have no strength to fight.

Half Worlds Apart

So I lay in half world dream state
Pressed like a flower in the pages of a half book
Words in softly spoken whispers
Steal through the silence of the blue veiled half light
The best of questions have no answers
The best of answers need no questions
Born on the quest for a wave of half peace
Acquired in a Dresden china cuplet
Bound in the chains of the half book binding
Half way to my half life.

Treat me kindly dear blue angel
Deepest colour of the night
Be merciful, be gentle
For I have no strength to fight.

So she lay in half museum
Pinned like a butterfly which failed to reach its half life
Tender moments left half spoken
Lost like an orphan in the pleasures of the dream state
A man of honour has no secrets
How can I be a man of secrets
Trapped in the web of the woven blue veil
Peering to find the angel weaver
Most sacred saviour of the silver lining
Half way to my half life.

Treat me kindly dear blue angel
Deepest colour of the night
Be merciful, be gentle
For I have no strength to fight.

At Rest

Sleep the sleep of peace my love
And I will let you be
I alone can comfort
I alone can set you free
I will be your healer
And give you back your pride
In times of need remember me
At rest here by your side.

When the hour of darkness comes
And time itself stands still
When voices from the future
Seem to come and go at will
I will be your servant
Your ever constant guide
When all is lost remember me
At rest here by your side.

The wisdom of the fool is such
That he alone is sane
So delicate the balance
That e'er the moon could wax and wane
I will be your teacher
And show you where to hide
When all else fails remember me
At rest here by your side.

Treat me kindly dear blue angel
Deepest colour of the night
Be merciful, be gentle
For I have no strength to fight.


Here It Comes

(Cousins)

Old School Songs

I will give you silver
I will give you gold
I will give you treasures
To keep when you are old.

Here it comes
Here it comes
Here it comes
Here it comes.

The moon will be your chariot
The heavens open wide
I will be your comfort
As through the stars you glide.

Here it comes (love, love, love)
Here it comes (love, love, love)
Here it comes (love, love, love)
Here it comes (love, love, love)
Here it comes (love, love, love)
Here it comes (love, love, love)
Here it comes (love, love, love)
Here it comes.

Come and lay beside me
We'll light a single flame
Safe and warm within you
My thigh (?) will bear your name.

Here it comes (love, love, love)
Here it comes (love, love, love)
Here it comes (love, love, love)
Here it comes (love, love, love)
Here it comes (love, love, love)
Here it comes (love, love, love)
Here it comes (love, love, love)
Here it comes.


Part Of The Union

(Ford/Hudson)

Fazz Music

Now I'm a union man
Amazed at what I am
I say what I think
That the company stinks
Yes I'm a union man.

When we meet in the local hall
I'll be voting with them all
With a hell of a shout
It's out brothers out
And the rise of the factory's fall.

Oh you don't get me I'm part of the union
You don't get me I'm part of the union
You don't get me I'm part of the union
Till the day I die, till the day I die.

As a union man I'm wise
To the lies of the company spies
And I don't get fooled
By the factory rules
'Cause I always read between the lines.

And I always get my way
If I strike for higher pay
When I show my card
To the Scotland Yard
This what I say.

Oh you don't get me I'm part of the union
You don't get me I'm part of the union
You don't get me I'm part of the union
Till the day I die, till the day I die.

Before the union did appear
My life was half as clear
Now I've got the power
To the working hour
And every other day of the year.

So though I'm a working man
I can ruin the government's plan
Though I'm not too hard
The sight of my card
Makes me some kind of superman.

Oh you don't get me I'm part of the union
You don't get me I'm part of the union
You don't get me I'm part of the union
Till the day I die, till the day I die.


Tears And Pavan

(Cousins/Hudson/Ford)

Old School Songs/Fazz Music

Tears
(Cousins)

Where are the tears
That you should be crying right now
I see the world weariness
In your eyes
I hear your voice
Soft and sad
Yet your laughter rings
Like carillons of bells
In my ears
I feel your heart
Beat like the wings of the wild goose
I smell your love
On me
I can still taste the tears
That you should be crying right now.

Pavan
(Hudson/Ford/Cousins)

And when she lies in need of care and comforting
So as a child's toy she is caressed
And yet when cast adrift upon the changing tide
So as a ship becalmed she lies at rest

Oh darling go to sleep
For the night is young
There are many songs
Yet to be sung
Oh but I will sing them all to you
Before the night is through.


The River

(Cousins)

Old School Songs

I made a sideways motion
Turning a new leaf
The single minded miner's girl
Was there to share my grief
I shivered in the butter wind
Three times the cockerel crowed
I waited for the river
But the river did not flow.

An autumn turned to silver
Winter turned to gold
The weatherman said dress up
Oh but I did not feel the cold
Kids waited with toboggans
As I sheltered from the snow
I waited for the river
But the river did not flow.

I will drink the milk from you breasts
Meld myself to you
Collect the valley lilies
The worshippers once strew
My body aches with hunger
Yet your belly has to grow
I waited for the river
But the river did not flow.


Down By The Sea

(Cousins)

Old School Songs

Maybe you think, a lot like me
Of those who live beside the sea
Who feel so free, so I surmise
With their comfortable homes, and wives
Who end up drinking tea together
In the afternoon of their lives.

They build their homes upon the seashore
The quicksand castles of their dreams
Yet take no notice of the North wind
Which tears their building at the seams.

In their dismay and blind confusion
The weeping widows clutch their shawls
While as the sea mist ever deepens
The sailors hear the sirens' calls.

And in the maelstrom sea which follows
The lifeboat sinks without a trace
And yet there still remain survivors
To bear the shame of their disgrace.

Last night I lay in bed
And held myself
Trying to remember
How it once was with you
How your hands were softer.

Yesterday I found myself
Staring into space
Rather like the sailor
In my own home surroundings
I'm not sure I know me.

If you were me what would you do
Don't tell me I don't need you to
It won't help me now.


Lay Down

(Cousins)

Old School Songs

By still waters I lay down with the lambs
In pastures green I made peace with my soul
And I cared not for the night
While my guiding star shone bright
By still waters I lay down
I lay down.

Lay down, I lay me down
Lay down, I lay me down
Lay down, I lay me down
For my soul.

At the roadside I took toll of my times
In dirty streets I found peace for my soul
May the merciful be right
Are you ready for the night
At the roadside I lay down
I lay down.

Lay down, I lay me down
Lay down, I lay me down
Lay down, I lay me down
For my soul.

In deep sorrow I took flight with the sun
From mountains high I gained strength for my soul
I proved stronger than the test
When my spirit came to rest
In deep sorrow I lay down
I lay down.

Lay down, I lay me down
Lay down, I lay me down
Lay down, I lay me down
For my soul.


Autumn

(Hawken)/(Cousins)/(Cousins)

Old School Songs

Heroine's Theme
(Hawken)

[instrumental]

Deep Summer's Sleep
(Cousins)

I sense Autumn coming on
The mist has hung low all day
Small birds gather on the wing
Preparing to make their way.

The trees begin to show
A trace of brown among the green
Bringing back the memories
That only you and I have seen.

I sense Autumn coming on
The sun sinking red and deep
The fires burning in the fields
As late Summer falls asleep.

The leaves begin to scatter
As the North wind calls their name
Folding gently back into
The silent earth from which they came.

The Winter Long
(Cousins)

Still waters flow
Sea breezes blow
Wild flowers grow
Abundant at your feet.

Soft falling snow
Warm candle glow
Flushed faces show
The pleasure when we meet.

Hold on to me, I'll hold on to you
The winter long I will always be with you.
Hold on to me, I'll hold on to you
I will be the one who will always see you through.


Hero And Heroine

(Cousins)

Old School Songs

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
To sail all alone to die.


Midnight Sun

(Cronk/Cousins)

Old School Songs

I have seen the midnight sun shining
I saw you fly away smiling
The dark night sheds no light
It merely serves a warning
I pray for one single ray of hope
Oh midnight sun.

I have seen the midnight sun shining
Watched her rays steadily dying
The candles are alight
I sit alone in mourning
I wonder is there death after life
Oh midnight sun.

While in my life
I have loved
I have lost
I feel no warmth from your days.

Yet I have seen the midnight sun shining
Welcomed her full golden lining
For when I have to fight
To wake up in the morning
I look to her for her open arms
Oh midnight sun.


Out In The Cold

(Cousins)

Old School Songs

I walked in the city at midday
It was empty and bare
I looked in the mirror at midnight
There was nobody there
You had become the very breath that I breathed
You were all I desired, my will to succeed
But now I know how it feels to be old
Out in the cold.

I walked in the city at midday
It was feeling the strain
I looked in the mirror at midnight

It was starting to rain
I sucked on your breasts, your legs opened wide
I could scarcely believe all the pleasures inside
But now I know how it feels to be old
Out in the cold.

Whoever believed in astrological signs
Under my eyes your name burns in the lines
For now I know how it feels to be old
Out in the cold.


Round And Round

(Cousins)

Old School Songs

I drew the blade across my wrist
To see how it would feel
Looked into the future
There was nothing to reveal
For we were just the product
Of the ever spinning wheel
Round and round we go
Round and and round we go.

Come and see me
When the screw has turned another turn
It's not that I'm confused
But I've an awful lot to learn
But I will be the one
To make you work for what you earn
Round and round we go
Round and and round we go.

After all it's just the revolution I despise
The dawn of revelations and the flower power prize
And I pity those poor children with no sunshine in their eyes
Round and round we go
Round and and round we go.


Ghosts

(Cousins)

Old School Songs

Sweet Dreams

Go to sleep my babies
Don't you wake up
The stars will keep you company
So close your eyes
Old Uncle Moon will shine his dearest sweetest dreams
And hold you in your arms
Until the morning comes.

Night Light

Dark the night, not a sound
Damp and cold, frosty ground
Above your head the lion screams
To tear you from your moonlit dreams.

Damp with sweat, mouth is dry
Twisted branches catch the eye
Beside your bed the angel stands
You cannot touch his withered hands.

Guardian Angel

As the lion's eyes dance before me
They are kindly yet bloody red
I can see that he is smiling
But I cannot live inside his head.

There the needle stands before me
I climb inside it towards the light
Where the angel stands in glory
His sword of peace defends the night.

So the world is spread before
As I fly high on angel wings
But the angel is deceiving
For he is weeping as he sings.

Night Light (continued)

Early birds, morning breeze
Spinning leaves, sleepy trees
Gently tap the window pane
It's good to see the sun again.


Grace Darling

(Cousins)

Old School Songs

You have been my lighthouse
In every storm
You have given shelter
You have kept me safe and warm
And in my darkest nights
You have shone your brightest lights
You are my saving grace
Darling I love you.

You have been the pilot
Who guides me home
You have been the my rock
As on the seven seas I roam
And when I was becalmed
You were the strength in my arms
You are my saving grace
Darling I love you.

And when I found my back
Was torn and broken on the reef
You sailed your tiny boat
Across the dark seas of my disbelief.

You have been the anchor
And I the chain
Straining as we hold ourselves
Together in the rain
I have found you ever there
My constant keeper's daughter fair
You are my saving grace
Darling I love you.


Lemon Pie

(Cousins)

Old School Songs

The sharper is the berry
The sweeter is the wine
The longer we are parted
The sooner you are mine
You are mine.

Lovely lemon lady
You make me feel so shy
But lovely lemon lady
I love your lemon pie.

The stronger my deception
The lesser grow my lies
The shallower the whole truth
The deeper are my eyes
Are my eyes.

Bitter lemon lady smile
I'll see you in a little while
Lemon lady sweet and sour
You have me in your lemon power
My lemon pie.

The simpler the solution
The more that it will mean
The greater the resistance
The further I will lean
I will lean.


To Be Free

(Cousins)

Old School Songs

The gilt-edged invitation came
And I said "What can this mean?
To attend the coronation
As the first guest of the Queen
And sit upon her right hand
Where the Prince is normally seen?"
The maids of honour stared at me
And registered surprise
To see a man of such good taste
Appear before their eyes
Now bring rather humble
I adopted a disguise
As the Minister of State
For Mass Environment Controls
Who condemn the working classes
For inhabiting the holes
That belong to Queen and Country
But do not permit their souls
To be free like me.

The perspex chandelier
Began to melt and slip away
One million candle-powered
It kept the night at bay
While the power station workers
Were busy making hay
The workers in the fields
Were engaged in self-defence
Which involved the use of barbed wire
As a self-containing fence
But as a means of self-protection
It was needlessly immense
I stopped to ask them for a light
They pointed at the sun
Which raised their hopes of harvesting
A better crop than guns
Can ever mass produce
At the expense of anyone
Who is free like me.

The solitary peasant
In his home above the lake
Raised high on wooden stilts
Has made the singular mistake
Of revolutionary conduct
At the celebration wake
His urban counterpart
Engaged in mundane occupation
Enjoys the chance of laughing
At the Queen's humiliation
At the hands of Ministers of State
For Rehabilitation
Now the power station worker
Though his aim is too disjointed
Finds himself around the corner
While his gun is never pointed
He is ever at the ready
He desires to be annointed
And be free like me.


Hanging In The Gallery

(Cousins)

Old School Songs

Is it the painter or the picture
Hanging in the gallery?
Admired by countless thousands
Who attempt to read the secrets
Of his vision of his very soul.
Is it the painter or the picture
Hanging in the gallery?
Or is it but a still life
Of his own interpretation
Of the way that God had made us
In the image of His eye?

Is it the sculptor or the sculpture
Hanging in the gallery?
Touched by fleeting strangers
Who desire to feel the strength of hands
That realised a form of life.
Is it the sculptor or the sculpture
Hanging in the gallery?
Or is it but the tenderness
With which his hands were guided
To discard the unessentials
And reveal the perfect truth?

Is it the actor or the drama
Playing to the gallery?
Heard in every corner
Of the theatre of cruelty
That masks the humour in his speech.
Is it the actor or the drama
Playing to the gallery?
Or is it but the character
Of any single member of the audience
That forms the plot
Of each and every play?

Is it the singer or his likeness
Hanging in the gallery?
Tongue black, still and swollen,
His eyes staring from their sockets,
He is silent now, will sing no more.
Is it the singer or his likeness
Hanging in the gallery?
Or is it but his conscience,
Insecurity, and loneliness,
When destiny becomes at last
The cause of his demise?


The Promised Land

(Cronk)

Not available

It was early in the morning
And our ship was still at sea,
With a lifetime far behind us we were free.
We had strong hearts and a faith
In our good Lord's guiding hands;
The mist before us cleared, and we saw the promised land.

With our brothers and our sisters
We soon forged into the land,
Building towns and cities far beyond our dreams.
As the tree which reaches to the sky,
The child who learns to stand,
So we had men of vision to create the promised land.

But the vision soon became
One man's view of wealth and fame,
And the gun became what wisdom used to be.
So the struggle had begun
Which has never yet been won,
Hear the people, hear them saying, "Are we free?"

So God bless you, my promised land,
Let nothing you dismay,
For the hand that guides our fortunes has strange ways.
And when the fight is over
And the judgment is at hand,
Please don't forget our brothers,
Far beyond the promised land.


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