BEST OF THE STRAWBS - LYRICS
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Shine On Silver Sun
(Cousins)
Old School Songs
Once I sat upon a hill
To watch the world go by
My friend the young magician
Had forbidden me to cry
But I was the comedian
With the laughs in short supply.
Shine on silver sun
Shine on everyone
Shine on silver sun
Shine on.
The sunlight filtered softly
Through the pale and watery sky
To catch the mirrored salmon
As it rose to take the fly
The flowers on the riverbank
Were left alone to die.
The church bells sounded midnight
As I rose to say goodbye
And a solitary tear
Fell from the corner of my eye.
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.
Where Do You Go (When You Need A Hole To Crawl In)
(Cousins)
Old School Songs
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
And my forehead's lined with the pain.
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.
Don't Try To Change Me
(Lambert)
Not available
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
And I threw it away.
Little Sleepy
(Lambert)
Old School Songs
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,
I just can't live without you.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.