Something To Believe
Will I see him on the TV preachin' 'bout the promised land He tells me to believe in Jesus And steals the money from my hand Some say he was a good man But Lord I think he sinned, yeah Twenty-two years of mental tears Cries a suicidal Vietnam vet Who fought a losing war on a foreign shore To find his country didn’t want him back Their bullets took his best friend in Saigon Our lawyers took his wife and kids, no regrets In a time I don’t remember, in a war he can’t forget He cried "Forgive me for what I’ve done there Cause I never meant the things I did" And give me something to believe in if there’s a Lord above And give me something to believe in Oh, Lord arise My best friend died a lonely man In some Palm Springs hotel room I got the call last Christmas Eve And they told me the news I tried all night not to break down and cry As the tears rolled down my face I felt so cold and empty Like a lost soul out of place And the mirror mirror on the wall sees my smile it fades again Sometimes I wish to God I didn’t know now The things I didn’t know then road you gotta take me home I drive by the homeless sleeping on a cold dark street Like bodies in an open grave Underneath the broken old neon sign That used to read JESUS SAVES A mile away live the rich folks And I see how they’re living it up While the poor they eat from hand to mouth The rich is drinkin' from a golden cup And it just makes me wonder why so many lose, so few win You take the high road and I’ll take the low road Sometimes I wish to God I didn’t know now The things I didn’t know then And give me something to believe in
Cargill
Bored, yet busy with my hands Cargill, you’ll have me round the bend Cargill, you’re pulling all the strands Of my heartstrings entangled in your net My love’s turned, thrown away the quayside Yours, a sister on each arm Strong of shoulder, weak at the knees Cargill, I’m the finest catch that you’ll land Cargill, do not presume to understand The dread of counting home the fleet The sudden thrill of seeing you’re safely back Your catch is fallen at your feet Cargill, do not presume to understand The dread of sounding the alarm The sudden thrill of seeing you’re safely back Cargill, I’m the finest luck that you’ll chart Cargill, do not presume to understand The dread of counting home the fleet The sudden thrill of seeing you’re safely back Cargill, I’m the finest catch that you’ll land Cargill, I’m the finest luck that you’ll chart Cargill, I’m the finest catch that you’ll land
Largs (long)
So who cares if nothing Comes out of this morning But an earful of sea and a neck-full of sun And a deckchair always broken When sunbathed upon Each of us is as backwards At coming forwards Silence from me Whilst you’re keeping schtum My mind’s still as blank As that postcard we’ve barely begun So would you look at this gang How we all burst forth at sun up From our caravan parks Whilst the kids are going mental Kicking up sand I shall take this chance To slope off, find the queen of ice-creams I shall ask her to dance While she dithers with her wafers 99 is the number of my knockbacks The water here doesn’t get any warmer She won’t let me get anything near her I’m just looking for a bandstand Holiday only romance Or at least share a slider While sitting beside her I’ll kid on I’m rich, kid on I’m older and wiser Kid I’m foreign Maybe kid on I’m only from Largs So would you look at this gang How we all burst forth at sun up From our caravan parks Whilst the kids are going mental kicking up sand They’re kicking up sand So would you look at this gang How we all burst forth at sun up From our caravan parks Whilst the kids are going mental Kicking up sand I shall take this chance To slope off, find the queen of ice-creams I shall ask her to dance While she dithers with her wafers 99 is the number of my knockbacks Of my knockbacks
Miserable Strangers
I’ve done with being brave And oh how we slaved to pave our way And only to be dropped upon this quay And only to be press-ganged overseas Is this the end of the begining or the begining of the end And these miserable strangers will be the making of our friends They’ve been dropped upon this quay Just the same as you and me With each step forward there’s two looks back Are you so bewildered inside But you know we’ll have the new life that we talked of loud and proud Hack them high and hold them dear For we’ll soon forget these faces in the crowd blurred by our tears And yet we’ll miss them year on year So let’s pull ourselves together like the others We’ll throw our hats into the air And try to raise a hearty cheer And at the back of my mind and I was always hoping I might just get back At the back of my mind and I was always hoping I might just get back Always hoping I might just get back At the back of my mind I was always hoping I might just get back At the back of my mind I was always hoping I might just get back Always hoping that I might just get back Always hoping that I might just get back
Leaf Piece (long)
I’m clinging on to my homeland My fingers clawing earth, peat and sand My back’s still hurting bad But my eyes are still attached To a vivid dream of lousing times And the promise of my leaf piece In the furrows of my bag And in my laughter lines I hear the songs my father sang I have but half the voice he had I keep it harnessed reign it in Until the sun it melts on the horizon That’s when I clap eyes upon my lass And I find I’m singing like a lark My voice is calloused and my back is choked And out of earthen clods my heart will soar For now my tongue is held And my wheesht is haud But for now my tongue is held And my wheesht is haud
For One Night Only
You know on a Friday I hand you the housekeep I pocket the small change I hide it, I save it Now it’s the weekend, we’re stepping out bowling Spending our money, c’mon just enjoy it. One turns to several and out comes another Unpredictable drunkard You caught him, you named him Now it’s the weekend, we’re spending our money Wayne is appearing for one night only You know on a Friday I hand you the housekeep I pocket the small change I hide it, I save it Now it’s the weekend, we’re stepping out bowling Spending our money, c’mon celebrate it. One turns to several and out comes another Unpredictable drunkard You caught him, you named him Now it’s the weekend, we’re spending our money Wayne is appearing for one night only Wayne is appearing for one night only
Bluebell, Cockleshell, 123
Bluebell, Cockleshell, 1 2 3 Stand at ease, bend your knees Bow to the west, salute to the east We’re all sitting on our mammy’s knees Bluebell, Cockleshell, 1 2 3 Stand at ease, bend your knees Salute to the king, bow to the queen What a lot of fisherwives I can see Ding dong goes the castle bell So fare thee well my mother Bury me in the old churchyard Beside my only brother My coffin shall be black Six white angels at my back Two to sing, two to pray Two to carry my soul away Bluebell, Cockleshell, 1 2 3 Stand at ease, bend your knees Salute to the king, bow to the queen What a lot of fisherwives I can see Bluebell, Cockleshell, 1 2 3 Stand at ease, bend your knees The queen didnae want me so she sent me to the king The king said close your eyes and count to sixteen Ding dong goes the castle bell Fare thee well my mother Bury me in the old churchyard Beside my only brother My coffin shall be black Six white angels at my back Two to sing, two to pray Two to carry my soul away Bluebell, Cockleshell, 1 2 3 Stand at ease, bend your knees The queen didnae want me so she sent me to the king The king said close your eyes and count to sixteen Bluebell, Cockleshell, 1 2 3 Stand at ease, bend your knees Bow to the west, salute to the east We’re all sitting on our mammy’s knees
One Floor Down
Release me slowly Don’t leave me cold This sadness only Appears after dark You tear from me a hello Enlighten me in the ways of the world You know that I live only one floor down You know that I live in a bubble of my own You tear from me a hello-o Enlighten me in the ways of the world You know that I live only one floor down You know that I live in a bubble of my own
Crystal 8s
Pauper’s Dough
Injustice on its knees underground The clawed-out tonnage is to our detriment In these clarty surrounds The combined earnings of our tenements Won’t stretch to many rounds And yet we’re striving to be counted We’ll fight for what is right And we’ll strike for what is rightfully ours And I want better for my boy To bury my father in dry, consecrated ground You’ve got to rise above the gutter you are inside You’ve got to rise above the gutter you are inside You’ve got to rise above the gutter you are inside You’ve got to rise above the gutter you are inside Rise … Rise … Rise above the gutter you are inside Rise above the gutter you are inside Rise above the gutter you are inside Rise above the gutter you are inside You’ve got to rise above the gutter you are inside You’ve got to rise above the gutter you are inside Rise (above the gutter you are inside) x2