Sunday, 2 July 2023

Hollow Bones

CHORDS 
A - E - D - E

CHORUS
Hollow bones
Divining from River Stones
Thriving on
The world contained in a moment of play
And every beings a thought away

Hollow bones
Human-based telephones
All-embraced
Calling all creatures, every race
Tune into your inner space

VERSE
Journeying on a magic trip
Into the underworld
There we met the special ones
Our spirit animals

The ripple effect is playing out
Raising consciousness
Connecting to the source of life
With greater confidence

BRIDGE
And still you try try try

CHORUS

VERSE
Metamorph into alignment
By tapping into tools
Mirroring and taking on
As you journey through the rules

Love and forgiveness both come first
In everything you do
Saying your sorry and ask forgiveness
And they you say thank you

BRIDGE
And still you try try try

CHORUS

MIDDLE/OUTRO? 

Study the well to cure the sick
Is your methodology
Subtly manipulating
Self-talk psychology




LYRICS

Hollow bones
Divining from River Stones
Thriving on
The world contained in a moment of play
And every being's a thought away

Hollow bones
Human-based telephones
All-embraced
Calling all creatures, every race
Tune into your inner space

Journeying on a magic trip
Into the underworld
There we met the special ones
Our spirit animals

The ripple effect is playing out
Raising consciousness
Connecting to the source of life
With greater confidence

And still you try try try

Hollow bones
Divining from River Stones
Thriving on
The world contained in a moment of play
And every being's a thought away

Hollow bones
Human-based telephones
All-embraced
Calling all creatures, every race
Tune into your inner space

Metamorph into alignment
By tapping into tools
Mirroring and taking on
As you journey through the rules

Love and forgiveness both come first
In everything you do
Saying your sorry and ask forgiveness
And they you say thank you

And still you try try try

Hollow bones
Divining from River Stones
Thriving on
The world contained in a moment of play
And every being's a thought away

Hollow bones
Human-based telephones
All-embraced
Calling all creatures, every race
Tune into your inner space

Hollow bones
Divining from River Stones
Thriving on
The world contained in a moment of play
And every being's a thought away

Hollow bones
Hollow bones
Hollow bones




Thursday, 22 June 2023

Candy Land

 Mother, father I’ve seen signs
In the symbols of your faith
Gone are days of muscadine
Nightmares follow like a wraith

Tears of sparrows, Brothers blood
Laid a curse on holy ground
Buried boundless in the mud
For the joy of tainted crowns

Go down Moses lead the band
Fill their mouths with desert sand
Milk and honey in their heads
Dreaming of a candy land

Children’s sorrow, hidden well
Drowned out by a gospel song
Trouble hid behind the veil
Lost in plain sight all along

Go down Moses lead the band
Fill their mouths with desert sand
Milk and honey in their heads
Dreaming of a candy land

Milk and honey
Running wild
Hungry mouths are full of sand
Go down Moses, meek and mild
Raise your cane and lead the band
Say farewell to freedom child
Welcome them to
Candy land  

Tuesday, 20 June 2023

Rend Your Heart

VERSE
It's not a matter of propriety
If you should do your praying quietly
There's a private sort of piety
In the silence that you find
In a corner of your mind

Might be the God you love is Lord alone
But do you know Him like you know your own
Is it His footstool or is it His throne?
That your life is aiming for
While your knees are on the floor

CHORUS
My dear your soul is a hidden thing
Like a diamond in the coal or a bud before the spring
And what's gonna make you whole is gonna pull you all apart
So don't tear your garments, tear your heart

VERSE
There's no finding any clarity
Through the veil of your prosperity
It's better kindling for Charity
Just to burn up all you know
To just what's real left in the glow

What now seems just like a senseless beast
Is preparation for a wedding feast
Where first come last until the most are least
The beginning and the end
Are both a lover and a friend 

Human human

VERSE
Human human, wallow in fear
Human this fear, is Spirit killing 
Down down deluge, soul desert thee
Put down the fear, Spirit's willing

CHORUS 
Turn back to the source, almighty
Take the smallest step - take the hardest
Go on, within. Listen within, 
Be still. Within. Spirit's willing

VERSE
Human human, wallow in fear
Human this fear, is Spirit killing 
Down down deluge, soul desert thee
Put down the fear, Spirit's willing

CHORUS 
Turn back to the source, almighty
Take the smallest step - take the hardest
Go on, within. Listen within, 
Be still. Within. Spirit's willing
 
MIDDLE
Can you see then? Would you be one?
Burn up thee, torch your own karma
Channeling come feel it, the one
In touch within, Spirit's willing

CHORUS
Oh mighty creator
Let the light flow
Onto heads and into hearts here
So that they might get

CHORUS
God is everywhere


A glimpse

Realise inner self

Divine heritage

 

CHORUS

 

VERSE

 

CHORUS

 

MIDDLE

 

CHORUS

 

VERSE

 

CHORUS

 

MIDDLE

 

CHORUS

 

VERSE

 

CHORUS

 

 

Valley of decision

 

 

 

 

The Kingdom of Heaven lies within

 

 

 

 

 

 

The song “İnsan İnsan” by Fazıl Say featuring Burcu Uyar, Cem Adrian, Güvenç Dağüstün and Selva Erdener conveys the idea of discovering one’s true self, and the importance of knowing one’s identity; knowing what it means to be human. The lyrics talk about the realization of humanity through a questioning of the words “insan" (person/man) and “can" (soul). It also discusses the idea of faith, the idea that one can find the true essence of humanity within themselves if they look for it. The song is ultimately about the discovery of one’s true self through learning the meaning of basic words, and the importance of faith for self-discovery.

 

Human, human that they were saying,
Now I know what it have been a human
Soul, soul that they were saying,
Now I know what it have been a soul

Muhiddin says God is almighty,
he appears ready in everything.
That which is evident, that which is hidden,
That which is an engagement, now I know.

Human, human that they were saying,
Now I know what it have been a human
Soul, soul that they were saying,
Now I know what it have been a soul

Muhiddin says God is almighty,
he appears ready in everything.
That which is evident, that which is hidden,
That which is an engagement, now I know.

Human, human that they were saying,
Now I know what it have been a human
Soul, soul that they were saying,
Now I know what it have been a soul

Muhiddin says God is almighty,
he appears ready in everything.
That which is evident, that which is hidden,
That which is an engagement, now I know.

The seeker finds it in himself
Those left outside still look for it.

In the souls heart which is,
What is believing now I know.
That which is evident, that which is hidden,
That which is an engagement, now I know.

Muhiddin says God is almighty,
he appears ready in everything.
That which is evident, that which is hidden,
That which is an engagement, now I know.

Human, human that they were saying,
Now I know what it have been a human
Soul, soul that they were saying,
Now I know what it have been a soul

Muhiddin says God is almighty,
he appears ready in everything.
That which is evident, that which is hidden,
That which is an engagement, now I know.

The seeker finds it in himself
Those left outside still look for it.

Human, human that they were saying,
Now I know what it have been a human
Soul, soul that they were saying,
Now I know what it have been a soul

 

 

Wednesday, 7 June 2023

Afterlife of a painting

Now I'm convinced and I admit that dead is better
Only as long as there's a way to live forever

The choice was clear then as it is now
I walk the path for immortality

I lived bold with elegance and a sense of pride
Then passed away irrelevant and cast aside

Today I'm the beautiful queen you have crowned
Tomorrow I'm another woman drowned

I was the image of perfect grace
Encapsulated by the painter's trace

I keep the paintings in the afterlife
And for the image I paid the price

The people saw themselves in me with fallen grace
Then tore me down relentlessly to my disgrace

Today I'm the beautiful queen you have crowned
Tomorrow I'm another woman drowned

The fruit is gone now, the tree is bare
And though you've seen me, you will not stare

Tuesday, 23 May 2023

Comedian

 My neighbor came to my door asking for a half a cup of sorrow

So that we might come to know each other better in the lull 

Between the air raid sirens and I asked her in for tea and then we 

Smiled there in the rubble of what used to be my home 

And sang the only song that really stands up

To the mess that men will make

When they are finished being sweet and gentle boys 

And then they rise up from the ashes of their innocence 

To break the world and then we all sing:


God is a comedian playing to an audience that is too afraid to laugh


In Memphis Tennessee there is a window in a basement

Shining green tornado skies down on a bunkbed and a bookshelf

And the girl  who’s down there hiding from her high school full of zombies

While her grandpa’s on the back porch smoking weed and watching

All the skinny squirrels that chase each other up and down the scraggy maples

And if he would only tell her of the lover that he jilted

Then the two of them would understand that they are

Roughly the same person and sing


God is a comedian playing to an audience that is too afraid to laugh


Have you ever been so wretched that you sat there with your oatmeal

And your coffee in a Starbucks and you cried alone in public

And then noticed every soul around you humming like an orchestra

Just warming up and then there was the hush before the first note 


God is a comedian playing to an audience that is too afraid to laugh

Thursday, 27 April 2023

Peace on my mind

I know i am strong With peace by my side The story is power Will truth out in time? This one's for all The shame in our lives I need you to call me by my name I need you to let me be my way The story is power With peace by my side I know I am strong I know i'm alive Time and again Building a bridge Change happens when they hear what we did Build with the pen Building with stone Building with fire Building with bone Burdens are ugly The burden is real I know I am strong I know I will heal I know what I know Change happens this way We work from within It ripples away It ripples away We work from within We all gotta live If you felt under-loved And you're at the edge Call your nephew and niece By the name that they choose Be a sensitive man Put your skill to good use Go write a good book Go write a new song Go practice your love With everyone Make it all real Make it yourself Because you are here And you're nobody else This one's for all The love in your heart I know you are strong As I fall apart' This one's for all With peace by their side With peace in their heart And peace on their mind


Wednesday, 26 April 2023

Une ville avec un fleuve enterré

Une ville avec un fleuve enterré

Voilà la ville avec un fleuve enterré
Qui coule sous les pavés
Ciel de plomb
Bas en dessous de la place dorée
Bruxelles des années 80
Ma joie et mes remords

Dans le vidéo bar branché où
Sans un sou sur la rue
Des superstars inconnues
En longs manteaux noirs
 
Je suis assis sur une rive lointaine
Savourant ce chagrin ancien
Perdu dans la musique
Déformé par la musique
Posant dans le cimetière
Debout sous la pluie


A city with a buried river
 
Here is the city with a buried river
Which flows under the cobblestones
leaden sky
Down below the golden square
80s Brussels
My joy and my remorse

In the trendy video bar where
Without a penny in the street
Unknown Superstars
In long black coats

I sit on a distant shore
Savoring this ancient sorrow
lost in the music
Distorted by the music
Posing in the cemetery
Standing in the rain 

Tuesday, 18 April 2023

Dr Harries



Dr Harries I’d invite you to

Hear a song for you that I’ll sing

Though for real I’m shaking in my shoes

At the thought of you listening


Illuminating strands unseen

You helped to open up my mind

And ruminating on everything

You changed the way I look at life


Dr Harries you’re too cool for school

Letting us consume snacks and wine

As you deftly guide us through and through

Concepts fated to blow our minds


A timeless goat song, a rite of spring

At once the sacred and profane

And in the threshold nothing

Can ever truly be the same


Dr Harries I’m inspired by you

All the things you do to make us see

Just how real this life can be in truth 

Makes me glad it’s them, and not me

Monday, 27 March 2023

Recipe for something better


Svavar Knútur / Jack Stafford


For Neil and Sarah


VERSE

In a cupboard by the larder

I found an ancient book

With recipes and stories 

And lots of things to cook


So meet me in the kitchen

We’ll brew some nettle tea

Then put on silly aprons

And get busy, you and me.


CHORUS

I’ll meet you in the kitchen

I’ll meet you where you are

We’ll bake something together

Why stop now, we’ve come this far?


VERSE

We’ll start with preparations

And gather what we need.

Once all is on the table,

We’re ready to proceed


A bucket of acceptance

Warmed up by the brew

Sprinkle it with humour 

It’s the start of something new 


CHORUS


VERSE

So, easy on the ego

In fact, just let it be

It does nothing for the flavour

Replace with empathy


Mix up and let it simmer,

Don’t burn and don’t reduce

A heart, all charred and scolded  

Is not of any use


CHORUS


OUTRO:

It’s a journey of perfection

The culinary art

Of baking a confection

To heal the human heart






Tuesday, 21 March 2023

Public land

We grew up on a dead end street out on the edge of town 

We didn’t have much land to call our own 

We had big dreams of the mountains and tall pines 

We needed those wild places we could feel it in our bones 


Every weekend Dad would take us to the forest to roam around 

We learned to hunt and fish just like he had planned 

It was as much a part of us as that house that’s we called home 

I thank god every time I step on public land 


Those hills were like a classroom they taught me all I know 

It wasn’t hard for me to understand 

Leave it better than you found it cause we only get one chance 

We have to be good stewards of the land 


Every weekend Dad would take us to the forest to roam around 

We learned to hunt and fish just like he had planned 

It was as much a part of us as that house that’s we called home 

I thank god every time I step on public land 


Meaning in the Moment

Everything you see is impermanent
Every last star in the firmament
Everyone you love or you ever met
Every single thought running through your head

Every setting sun, every morning mist
All the works of art and the sciences
Every “out of body” experience
Everything you see is impermanent

Try, try, try not to let it throw you
You know you can find
Meaning in the moment
Meaning in the moment

Every sweet song that you ever heard
Each turn of phrase, every perfect word
Every back corner of consciousness
Every single thing is impermanent

Try, try, try not to let it throw you
You know you can find
Meaning in the moment
Meaning in the moment

No one will remember us
When we return to sand and dust
But there’s one thing that you can trust
When you feel all alone
Meaning in the moment 

Sunday, 5 March 2023

Galileo - with a microscope

 (verse - G / C / Bb / F / Gm / G)

Trust yr gut and it will tell you
"Put your love in the ground"
Make amends with inside friends
Help them to feel at home

(chorus - E / C / A)
Galileo
Galileo
Galileo - with a microscope

Wobbling on the pottery wheel
Microbiome from Ma & Pa
Lord of the Flies meets Silent Spring
I'll be glad to wake from this Piscean dream

Galileo
Galileo
Galileo - with a microscope

(bridge - A / A / D / G / D / G / 
Tuned in by choice 
Had I not been in pain
Would I choose the same?
Dr. Natasha 
The worlds that you found
When you looked around
The Universe inside us

Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride
I've got yr yellow book



LYRICS

Trust your gut and it will tell you
"Put your love in the ground"
Make amends with inside friends
Help them to feel at home

Galileo
Galileo
Galileo - with a microscope

Wobbling on the pottery wheel
Microbiome from Ma & Pa
Lord of the Flies meets Silent Spring
I'll be glad to wake from this Piscean dream

Galileo
Galileo
Galileo - with a microscope

Tuned in by choice
Had I not been in pain
Would I choose the same?
Dr. Natasha
The worlds that you found
When you looked around
The Universe inside us

Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride
I've got your yellow book

Thursday, 16 February 2023

The new convention

VERSE
Am
A journey into moments
G
A journey out of mind
F
A journey through the possible
Em
Collated and entwined

Telescopic netherworlds
Portals into space
Hyperplexic Ferris wheels
Cut up and replaced

CHORUS
F                               C
Welcome to the new invention 
G                                        F
Where everyone is an artist - Why would anyone disagree?

It's dark inside the great convention
Exhibitors are reminded to be uniformly free

VERSE
Pixelated prophecies
Prompted into being
Will we ever be able to
Believe in what we're seeing

Artistic instability
Call it what you will
It comes without a warranty
And this is not a drill

CHORUS




LYRICS

A journey into moments
A journey out of mind
A journey through the possible
Collated and entwined

Telescopic netherworlds
Portals into space
Hyperplexic Ferris wheels
Cut up and replaced

Welcome to the new invention 
Where everyone is an artist - Why would anyone disagree?

It's dark inside the great convention
Exhibitors are reminded to be uniformly free

Pixelated prophecies
Prompted into being
Will we ever be able to
Believe in what we're seeing

Artistic instability
Call it what you will
It comes without a warranty
And this is not a drill

Welcome to the new invention 
Where everyone is an artist - Why would anyone disagree?

It's dark inside the great convention
Exhibitors are reminded to be uniformly free






VERSE

Gaudi employed everywhere
Buildings that you drink
See your world as psychedelic
Or etched in pen and ink

A self-curated comedy
Or an open-source asylum?
No a digital dystopia
My poor poetic Byron

Democratised - homogenised
It's spherical despair
Comfortably curled up inside
An avocado chair

Pixelated prophecies
Prompted into being
Outsourcing imagination
Believe in what we're seeing

Artistic insecurities
Melovolently mined
All this time a filter setting?
How awfully unkind

Thursday, 9 February 2023

Two Cokes for Paul Nelson

Two Cokes for Paul Nelson
(Murphy / Lethem / Stratford
These are the elements of a verse
Sherman cigarettes - but it gets worse
Footprints on the running board of his wall
And by the way his name was Paul
And let’s not talk of his fall … just yet

Oh starved to death – that’s what the tabloids say
But you know - I don’t see it that way
In fact for me - the opposite is true
Paul was a glutton for everything he loved and knew
From Orson Welles, Ross Macdonald, Howard Hawks, Raymond C, Chet B, PKD, and
Warren Z … oh The New York Dolls and me

So let’s take a seat at the Jackson Hole
Let’s raise two cokes and toast his soul
The soul of a man - our friend
Paul Nelson – Paul Nelson

A magnum forty-five and a snub-nose thirty-eight
But books can kill if you can’t get them straight
A paragraph, a sentence, to a starving mind
Some die for want of an opening line
Life on a shrinking editorial island
Paul couldn’t lie, he couldn’t lie

Hey Rod Stewart - bashed out on a lark
Typing as fast as Lester Bangs could bark
Paul the quiet man, living in a borrowed head
An enabler who couldn’t get out of bed
Marathon man in a hamburger booth
He told the truth, he told the truth - that’s Paul

Let’s take a seat at the Jackson Hole
Let’s raise two cokes to toast his soul
The soul of a man - our friend
Paul Nelson – Paul Nelson

Abiding mentor, with a guiding mind
Freeze-frame, isolate the details, and then rewind
A stickler for the director’s cut
His own mis-en-scene, he fell into a rut
Scraps on the cutting-room floor
Shut the door, shut the door, shut the door

Now somehow he lost his way and that’s a pity
But in the words of Norma Desmond
The movies got small not Paul not Paul not Paul not Paul

A drink at the Jackson Hole
Two cokes oh let’s toast his soul
The soul of a man
Our dear friend
Paul Nelson – Paul Nelson

The older you get, the more you live with ghosts
And that’s according to Nick Tosches
who’s now among them
And Paul …

Tuesday, 7 February 2023

Lagom

Strip the leaves
And pick out the flowers
Toast the seeds
And harness the flesh

May your cupboard
Be abundant with
Flavours and colours
And the produce you buy
Be exactly what you need

Not too much, Not too little,
Just right, Just right, Just right

No life is linear
All days are adventures
To enjoy or endure
And all food still matures
Without you in mind

One day you want pizza
The next you want pie
It’s kind of easy
If you eat what you buy

Not too much, Not too little,
Just right, Just right, Just right
Not too much, Not too little,
Just right, Just right, Just right