DUOCHROME - LYRICS
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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?
Never Take Sweets From A Stranger
(Cousins)
Old School Songs
I met her on a Friday evening
Heading for the city lights
She asked me to take her all of the way
She was really in the mood that night
I drove on 'till I was tired
Asked her if she'd care to stay
I booked a room in a fancy hotel
And said we'd carry on the next day
We hadn't spoken but a word or so
When she began to unbutton my shirt
I lifted her blouse, there was nothing underneath
Then I slid my hands inside her shirt
Everything about her was golden
She was as hot as the rising sun
She was real as it comes and nothing so real
Than the two of us together made one.
Never take sweets from a stranger
She may want to take you for aride
Never take sweets from a stranger ...
She lay in my arms in the morning
Said she had to make a telephone call
I said "Make it here while I step in the shower"
But she said she'd make it in the hall
I dozed in the soft light shadows
Turned to find that she wasn't there
I phoned on down to the reception desk
For the girl with the golden hair.
I pulled on my clothes and went down to the hall
Looked all around and who knows where
They said that they hadn't seen her at all
Then they other guests began to stare
They showed me the morning papers
On the front page of the Daily Sun
Was a picture of the girl with the golden hair
She'd been a victim of a hit and run.
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.
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".
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.
Beat The Retreat
(Cousins)
Old School Songs
The rat race was over
Before it was won
And I started walking
When I could have run
Like a child who missed out
On a sunday school treat
Now you know how I feel when
I beat the retreat.
I slept like a soldier
My gun at my side
My uniform folded
I wore it with pride
I could not rest contented
Till I joined the elite
Now you know how I feel when
I beat the retreat.
This winter wind brings
Such a chill to my bones
Erect in my memory
A small cairn of stones
So that those from afar
Can see where our paths meet
Now you know how I feel when
I beat the retreat.
The last post is sounding
Now it's time to be gone
There's no further reason
For singing this song
The battle is over
I accept the defeat
Now you know how I feel when
I beat the retreat.
Ringing Down The Years
(Cousins)
Old School Songs
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
Georgia - Georgia on my mind.
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.
Ways And Means
(Cousins)
Old School Songs
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 flame that lights the lamp of life within.
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.
We'll Meet Again Sometime
(Cousins)
Old School Songs
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
Though the road is steep and very hard to climb.