The steady receding

VERSE
A
I am receding, it’s time that I came clean
D
I’ve been brushing it forward
E
So I know you haven’t seen

But I’m receding, I’ve tried to work out why
I’m barely in my thirties
I’m much too young to die

I am receding, I’ve every right to whine
People pretend to be courteous
Even Jasmine says it’s fine, I know she’s lying

MIDDLE
E A
I try to put on a brave face to show I don’t care
E A
My life, my fortune, for a full head of hair
Bm
I hold my head up high
F#m
I stay out of the light
E
I only go out at night

VERSE
I am receding, you might say I am depressed
Takes me two hours to get outta bed in the morning
Let alone get dressed

I am receding, it’s really getting worse
I check it every time I piss
To see if it’s reversed

But I’m receding, I’m all out of ideas
I’ve tried looking up on the internet
But all that does is fuel my fears, I’m worried sick

MIDDLE
Where do I go from here?
My options are wearing thin
Do I cut it short?
Or keep combing it forward
Or grow it long while I can!

VERSE
But I’m receding, my life is at an end
First you looks your hair you know
Then you lose your friends

I am receding, now I notice it in others
It’s like an epidemic
At least I have my brothers

We’re receding, let’s go bald together
We’ll form a political party
And then ban hair forever, we can change the world!

Work eat shit sleep

VERSE
E C#m
Got to get a fast car, and a fancy TV
Need a bigger screen, than anyone I know
Got to find love, it’s time to settle down now
Find the right girl, prettiest I know
Got to get a job, got to earn money
Her tastes expensive, more than anyone I know

CHORUS
Anyone got a job, better than my job?
Anyone got a girl, prettier than my girl?
Anyone got a life, livelier than my life?
Anyone got a home, homlier than mine?

VERSE
Got to be gettin’ up early, goinna be a busy day
Got to be the first in, kill or be killed
Need to get a headstart, if I want promotion
Can’t be showing weakness or any sign of emotion

CHORUS
Anyone got a job, better than my job?
Anyone got a love, lovelier than mine?
Anyone got a low, lonely than my low?
Anyone got a life, livelier than mine?

Soul seller

Soul seller
By Jack Stafford

VERSE 1
F
Everyone was so friendly
They put it very nice
And they know that you’re selling
Before you name the price

CHORUS
Bf
I sold my soul somehow
I sold my soul somehow today

VERSE 2
It was too much to turn down
But not enough to flee
Somebody’s going to get rich
It might as well be me

CHORUS

VERSE 3
I was thinking of the future
Of my unborn kids
How will I provide for them?
So this is what I did

CHORUS

VERSE 4
It all happened so innocently
The devil is your friend
And before I had to think about it
The money was in my hand

CHORUS

MIDDLE
C
The good times
Bf
And the memories
F
Both fade

Tarnished
By the knowledge
Of how they were paid

Cos at the end
All I have left
Is my pride

VERSE 5
It only took an instant
Nobody got hurt
But a little piece of me died
When I said those words

CHORUS

VERSE 6
I’ll tell you your first regret
As you’re walking out the door
It’s not if you should have done it
It’s that I should have asked for more

CHORUS

VERSE 7
I want to keep it quiet
But word will get around
Then just when I least expect it
I’ll hear that awful sound

CHORUS

VERSE 8
By saying it’s that one time
I keep my conscience clear
But the money’s almost gone
And I know they’ll be next year

CHORUS

Bad for good

VERSE 1
D
They say that clever men borrow, but geniuses to steal
Feel, fob and fawn to get closer to real
G
There ain’t nobody up there keeping the score
I tried originality but it’s been done before
A
You see the best boats are built from the oldest wood
And you gotta be bad to get this good

VERSE 2
So now you know I’m not proud to say I imitate
But by the time I get to fashions I was much too late

But it all goes in circles and I was paying with my crimes
Cos I was so far behind I was ahead of the times

Tell us how you did it, oh I would if I could
Just you gotta be bad to get this good

MIDDLE
G
Because such bad impersonator’s an original
A
Honestly underhand
G
If you copy badly enough what you know was done well
A
Nobody can tell

VERSE 3
Everybody you admire they all did the same
You gotta learn to ride before you get to drive the train

When you got the armour and the tools of the trade
And you learnt with the headstart your forefathers gave

Then you get to move the flag a foot from where it stood
But you gotta be bad before you get good

VERSE 4
I met a girl in Rino with a heart of gold
When the angel’s made her they took to breaking the mould

She gave up her home and through in her job
To come and cook and clean for a certified slob

Beauty for the beast did all she good
Yeah you gotta be bad to get such good

OUTRO
You ga-ah-ah-ah-ah-atta be bad
To get this good

The end of the farce

VERSE
C                    Am             F           C
It's panic in the papers and cries of surprise
                  Am               F         C
As another bank just got nationalised

They’re talking up turmoil and social unrest

As the free market fails yet another test

They’re preying on each other, all down the line

It could be the biggest thing since 1929

G

CHORUS
                               C              Am
We hoped it was the end of the farce
         G
That party was never going to last

We hoped it was the end of the farce
But that was just too much to ask

We hoped it was the end of the farce

But it seems that the moment has passed

VERSE 2

After years of credit and decades of debt
Common sense wasn't hard to forget

We are all guilty of going in the rush
For buying everything and never having enough

The force-fed fallacy, that greed is good
Got given the attention that a bad boy never should

CHORUS

MIDDLE
C      Em
Oh guardians
Am
Save us from ourselves

Simple people
We will hurt ourselves

VERSE 3

Those we thought in charge turned out far too lax

The can redeem though with a transaction tax

Return the regulation and end the careers

Of glorified gamblers with derivative ideas

We're faced with few roads but many more signs

And to take none of them would be the greatest crime

CHORUS

Mrs Palin's manifesto

INTRO
Dm F Dm
For God and guns, against gays and abortion

VERSE
Dm
Forget about war and the economy
Only god can set you free
F C
The things you believe in are the things we believe in

The bible’s every book you need
And I’ll control what else you read
The things you believe in are the things we believe in

I know the good lord’s got a plan
And he’s doing everything he can
The things you believe in are the things we believe in

I see our country how it’s cursed
Cos they don’t put Jesus first
The things you believe in are the things we believe in

CHORUS
F Dm
Vote for me and I’ll give you what you want
F Dm
Vote for me I’ll fight right on every front
Dm F Dm
For God and guns, against gays and abortion

VERSE
I’ll take the values of our town
And make the whole world settle down
The things you believe in are the things we believe in

I’ll make all our futures better
Pursuing personal vendettas
The things you believe in are the things we believe in

And halt the influence of thugs
By giving life for selling drugs
The things you believe in are the things we believe in

I’ll show you the power of a woman
Can’t you see what I’m becoming?
The things you believe in are the things we believe in

CHORUS

MIDDLE
I’ll end the moral slide of our nation
By stopping all sex education
I’ll give every unborn child a voice
By ending would be mother’s choice
I’ll shield our older children from pain
By making every one abstain
While the marriages of gays
I’ll make that problem go away

VERSE
I’ll work on national security
By sending our boys overseas
The things you believe in are the things we believe in

I’ll protect your right to protect your home
And insulate from the unknown
The things you believe in are the things we believe in

So join me and Mr. McCain
On our tireless campaign
The things you believe in are the things we believe in

To make the world a better place
For the best of our Arian race
The things you believe in are the things we believe in

CHORUS

The light before

D A G D

VERSE
D
Nothing’s how you want it to be
A
It’s all going wrong with the economy
G A
It’s a dire state, and you can’t pass the blame

Every move to strengthen your position
Plays into the hands of the opposition
You’ve dropped the ball and might soon be out the game

CHORUS
D G
But just when you think things are never going to improve
D G
And you’ll never get back into the popular groove
A
Remember that
Em
It’s always darkest
A D
Just before it goes totally black
D D D D A G D

VERSE
You might think you’re somehow cursed
This is not how you rehearsed it
Over and over while you served out your time











The title that was decidedly yours
You had to wrestle from histories jaws
But the awaited reign’s becoming a perfect storm

CHORUS
And as you’re thinking they’ll never see the light
Of how you alone can make it right
Remember that
It’s always darkest
Just before it goes totally black

INSTRUMENTAL

VERSE
It’s hard to know where you should begin
You can’t even turn to spin
Your predecessor spun outta control

You’re looking around for new ideas
Trying to tackle the public’s fears
But you’re firefighting’s only fanning the flames

CHORUS
But just as you’re about to give up hope
And you feel that all the slack’s come out of the rope
Remember that
It’s always darkest
Just before it goes totally black

The Sorrow of Gaia

A song inspired by James Lovelock's "The Revenge of Gaia". There must have been a time when CO2 levels reached the tipping point and Gea began her shift to the higher operating temperature described in the book.

VERSE 1
Em
When the world changed
Em
A warm night in July
G
The factories were working overtime
To meet the rising demand
D
An ever bigger fire
Bm
To feed the flames of man's desires

VERSE 2
When the world changed
For her it was no surprise
For too long they’d been burning
The balance had been turning
But the point at which they’d learn
Was past the point of no return

VERSE 3
When the world changed
She did it with a sigh
For all that she’d created
Would have to start again
All because of them
And the ambitions of men

VERSE 4
When the world changed
She knew they’d take it on
Not accept the changes
And try to intervene
Then only when they see the cost
Would they realize what they’d lost

VERSE 5
When the world changed
Forever in a day
To bring the balance back
And counter the attack
She wondered if she should
But it was for the greater good

VERSE 6
The night the world changed
She didn’t sleep at all
She thought about the changes
cos there could be no reverse
But things were getting hot
And man was never gonna stop

OUTRO
Am
The night the world changed
C
Ahhhhhh
Am
The night the world changed
C
Ahhhhhh
Am
The night the world changed
C
Ahhhhhh

JUST LYRICS:

When the world changed
A warm night in July
The factories were working overtime
To meet the rising demand
An ever bigger fire
To feed the flames of man's desires

When the world changed
For her it was no surprise
For too long they’d been burning
The balance had been turning
But the point at which they’d learn
Was past the point of no return

When the world changed
She did it with a sigh
For all that she’d created
Would have to start again
All because of them
And the ambitions of men

When the world changed
She knew they’d take it on
Not accept the changes
And try to intervene
Then only when they see the cost
Would they realize what they’d lost

When the world changed
Forever in a day
To bring the balance back
And counter the attack
She wondered if she should
But it was for the greater good

The night the world changed
She didn’t sleep at all
She thought about the changes
cos there could be no reverse
But things were getting hot
And man was never gonna stop

Gig - 't Blijvertje, Amsterdam - Friday 2nd May 2008

Gig - Winston, Amsterdam - 25th April 2008

Gig - Troubadour, London - 2nd April 2008

Come see as at the end of a week of open mics in London at the famous Troubadour.

My idol's not a paedophile

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INTRO:

G D/F# Em7 Am C

Not such a long time ago, I can still remember how that

Em D

music used to make me smile.

G D/F# Em7 Am C

And I knew if I had my chance that I could make those people dance

Em C D

And maybe they'd be happy for a while.

Em Am Em Am

But January made me shiver, with every paper I saw delivered.

C G/B Am C D

Bad news on the doorstep, I couldn't take one more step.

G D/F# Em Am7 D

I can't remember if I cried when I saw him by a child’s side,

G D/F# Em C D7 G C G

Something touched me deep inside, the day, the music, died.

CHORUS:

G D C

They say my idol is a paedophile

G D C

And now my idol’s got a police file

VERSE:

Em C D G

He didn’t mean to cause a big sensation

Downloading pictures of a younger generation

The things he did look awful cold

Maybe should a died before he got old

BRIDGE:

Am C

Oh no, say it ain’t so,

D D

I don’t believe…

CHORUS

VERSE:

Like pinball wizard it has to be a fix.

Wrote wizard with such a supple wrist……….

BRIDGE

CHORUS

OUTRO:

A D

The kids are alright x3

Happy New Year

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A# F D# F

31st December 2003

A# F D# F

I promised mum a quiet one at home with the family

A# F D# F

But that is really not the way I want to end the year

D# F D#

Get me out of here



Head out to the nightclub and I’m drinking like a fish

Tequila shots and chasers, on a mission to be sick

All this night’s investment is about to reappear

Get me out of here



I make a b-line for the bathroom and the toilet breaks my fall

Barely into consciousness someone people are coming in the stall

A leather-coated bearded guy asks I’m feeling queer

Get me out of here



I crawl back on the dance floor and I’m laying down my moves

I’m getting the eye from a cutie-pie, I can she wants to grove

She curls her hair, sips my beer and whispers in my ear

“Let’s get out of here”



We finally find a taxi and he asks us where to go

But just then a gorilla guy smashing through the window

She says “that my boyfriend he’s an SAS engineer”

f**king get us out of here



We head on back to her place ‘cause she swears she lives alone

But I’ve barely got to first base when her father arrives home

I nearly made it out the backdoor but I fell over her school gear

Get me out of here



How on earth did I end up here?

I’m just not thinking clear

I only want a Happy New Year

A friend indeed

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Careful what you wish for

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INTRO: C Am7 Dm G



VERSE 1 (plucked):

C

Strumming alone in his room

Am7

A songwriter sings out a tune

Dm G

A minor melancholy melody



He sings of a love that was his

And moans of how lonely he is

A sad and depressing song



Practised and now he’s on stage

Feels like he’s coming of age

The crowd all disagree but what do they know



CHORUS 1:

Em Am

Can you imagine how he feels?

Em Am

At the news of his first record deal

F G F G G G G C

Something in his eye, I think he’s going to cry



VERSE:

Recorded and now he’s on tour

Like his idols before

Spreading his sadness wide, there’s nowhere we can hide



But things are already going astray

He’s becoming a rock n roll cliché

Indulged he’s sadder ten fold, to fit the mould



CHORUS:

There’s daily coverage of his life going bad

They’ve even got an interview with his dad, He says

“Way to go son, I knew you’d be the one

I’m so proud, I think I’m going to cry”



VERSE:

Checked into a cheap motel

He turns it into his own private hell

Lying there with a needle in his arm, he needs to keep him calm



CHORUS 3:

Wishes he was back in his room

Fame came way too soon

Lonely feeling bad, but happy to be sad

Careful what you wish for, it might come true

Every moment matters

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Key: D#m
Guitar notes: Capo at 4th fret

INTRO: D#m F#m D#m F#m B

VERSE 1:
D#m A E
Living lives lived before
G#m
Holding down a job and nothing more
D#m &nb sp; A ; E
Driven from craft by the need to create
G#m &nb sp; &nb sp; B
But in the end it’s all to late

BRIDGE:
D# &nbs p; E ; G#m
Eroding away, counting the days
F# &nbs p; &nbs p; E
Towards the bright light, hold on tight now!

CHORUS:
E
We don’t have much time to live
B
Every moment matters
E
Give all you’ve got to give
B
Make every second count now

VERSE 2:
Don’t waste your life changing my mind
Just try and change the world in little
But none of it matters in the end
I’ll go down laughing I can pretend

BRIDGE

CHORUS

SOLO (same as intro)

BRIDGE

CHORUS

OUTRO (same chords as verse)

Dinner court

Download

VERSE
All-knowing girl, sad and dissatisfied
Angry at all, throws out in vain

Knows enough to know, but not to realise
Worldly words don’t a traveller make

CHORUS
Say that you can – Where you gonna go?
Say that you can't – What you gonna do?

VERSE:
Turns to the table, no eyes offer sympathy
Mirrors seen selective scenes

What’s for desert? What must they think of me?
All-knowing girl, blows on her flame

CHORUS x2

The thin veil or distraction

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VERSE
C ; G F ; C
Sometimes, I feel things slowing down
C ; G
I know that I'm in trouble when I have time to look around

C ; Am F ; C
I need the veil of variety and change
C G
To hide the realization that drives all of us insane

BRIDGE
Am
Depression is a lack
Em
Of adequate distractions
Dm G
Send it up or leave town

CHORUS
C Em
To get away, is the only way
F G
I know to get it back
C Em
Ruining every day, in a new way
F C
I know will get it back

VERSE
Now and then I stop to compare the two
If I had to start from there again I don't think I'd make it through

I've tried the dice, the stars and the market
But in the end it all becomes routine

BRIDGE
The meaning of life is to give life meaning
"Do what you like a lot"

CHORUS

SOLO Em Am Fm G x2

MIDDLE
C
So get up get out of bed
Am Em Am Em
You head is only reeling from staring at the ceiling
F ; G
You need a change of scene

Just get up get out of bed
Your body's only aching from the lack of strain it's taking
You need to get back on your feet

CHORUS

Strange times

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VERSE
D ; A
There are people with funny ideas
G ; ; A
And they're growing in number each year

They're building bombs and they're arming themselves
They want rearrange the rubble that makes up this place

It's getting harder to know what to think
There are multiple sides and history lies

It seems it's getting worse all the time
I for one feel like they're losing our precious minds

CHORUS
D ; G
These are strange times we're living in
Bm &nbs p; A
Stranger all the time
D ; Bm
These are strange times we're living in
G ; A
Stranger all the time

VERSE
There's a weird girl that lives upstairs
She's got clothes you can see through and a facial tattoo

For hours I hear her crying in the shower
She says that she hears voices that won't leave her alone

On the upside she's quiet and clean
But I'll be much more inquisitive with the next ones I screen

It seems she's getting weirder all the time
I for one feel like she's losing her precious mind

CHORUS

The obituary of Will Perrin

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VERSE
Dm C
I found him in the paper
Dm
Among the stories of the dead
Am
Marked out from the others
Dm
By the tender of his age

Made his name as a climber
Travelled across the world
But didn’t find his place there
And went looking somewhere else

BRIDGE
F C
If someone who climbed as high as him
A# C
Saw no future from up there, how will I fair

CHORUS
F C A#
This one goes out to the young men that have gone
F C A#
This one goes out to the young men that have gone
C A# F
And the forgotten souls that carried on
F C A#

VERSE 2
As he climbed into his 20s
The mountains weren’t enough
His path led to India
Among less fortunate

There he found no answers
Or the reason for it all
Friends grew anxious for him
AS they saw him walk

BRIDGE + CHORUS

MIDDLE
F
Think how many of these travellers
C
The papers never write
Gm
Lying on the cold road sides
C
Thinking they’re all alone

I want to tell them and make ‘em see
That it gets easier
They’re just the deep down blues we all go through
And there is another side

CHORUS