Various
Lyrics
A Feather Fell (Tribute to Derroll Adams - Banjoman 2002)
We took the train to Bruxelles
Eddie had a girlfriend there
They fell into each other’s arms
So I’d plenty of time to spare
In the “Welcome Bar” they all spoke French
But sometimes strange things happen
I picked up a couple of words or three
And two of them were music to me
The name of Derroll Adams
Took him down to the bar next day
He sipped scotch and coke
And I hung on to every word
And he stopped shakin’ and joked
“When some folks drink they get so stoned they end up falling over
The opposite seems to happen to me
An hour ago I was stumbling, see,
Me and my tongue just couldn’t agree
Now I drink till I get sober.”
We took our instruments to town
I was trying too hard to impress
I had to learn to play it soft
I must have been OK I guess
Little birdie, little birdie
That was what we sang
I was twenty-one with a big guitar
Flown the nest left the door ajar
Pickin’ out tunes in a Belgian bar
With the tattooed banjo man
That birdie, little birdie
Must have been a dove
He had hate written on his left hand
His picking hand was love
When I got back to Paris
It was early in sixty-six
I’d locked that evening in my mind
Though I doubt if he did in his
A few francs and a handshake
Sweet as a soft-shoe shuffle
A little bird’s feather fell that night
Across the street from the neon light
Silently and out of sight
Under a winter moon so bright
Cracked the frosty pavement right
In the cobbled stoned heart of Bruxelles
That birdie, little birdie
Must have been a dove
Hate was written on his left hand
Picking hand was love – sweet love
Ramblin’s a decision made
Whilst heads still rule our hearts
Moving on means something else
Than having to depart
A feather fell to the pavement
I was lucky to watch it down
And it fell with a whisper not a shout
There wasn’t anybody else about
But someone saw a star go out
Over Portland town.
We took the train to Bruxelles
Eddie had a girlfriend there
They fell into each other’s arms
So I’d plenty of time to spare
In the “Welcome Bar” they all spoke French
But sometimes strange things happen
I picked up a couple of words or three
And two of them were music to me
The name of Derroll Adams
Took him down to the bar next day
He sipped scotch and coke
And I hung on to every word
And he stopped shakin’ and joked
“When some folks drink they get so stoned they end up falling over
The opposite seems to happen to me
An hour ago I was stumbling, see,
Me and my tongue just couldn’t agree
Now I drink till I get sober.”
We took our instruments to town
I was trying too hard to impress
I had to learn to play it soft
I must have been OK I guess
Little birdie, little birdie
That was what we sang
I was twenty-one with a big guitar
Flown the nest left the door ajar
Pickin’ out tunes in a Belgian bar
With the tattooed banjo man
That birdie, little birdie
Must have been a dove
He had hate written on his left hand
His picking hand was love
When I got back to Paris
It was early in sixty-six
I’d locked that evening in my mind
Though I doubt if he did in his
A few francs and a handshake
Sweet as a soft-shoe shuffle
A little bird’s feather fell that night
Across the street from the neon light
Silently and out of sight
Under a winter moon so bright
Cracked the frosty pavement right
In the cobbled stoned heart of Bruxelles
That birdie, little birdie
Must have been a dove
Hate was written on his left hand
Picking hand was love – sweet love
Ramblin’s a decision made
Whilst heads still rule our hearts
Moving on means something else
Than having to depart
A feather fell to the pavement
I was lucky to watch it down
And it fell with a whisper not a shout
There wasn’t anybody else about
But someone saw a star go out
Over Portland town.
I loved the ground she walked
I loved the ground she walked upon
And the air she would softly breathe
The feather touch of her gentle lips
That only a fool would leave
That only a fool would leave
But we tasted forbidden wine
Though I loved the ground she walked upon
I could never have made her mine
The swallows fly all along the canal
And I watch with a heavy heart
In dizzy spins they dive and wheel
Touch wings and then depart
Touch wings and then depart
As the summer fades away
Though I loved the ground she walked upon
I knew that I could not stay
The swallow is a summer's child
And she flies before the cold
Though I loved the ground she walked upon
She was not mine to hold
She was not mine to hold
But it was easy to pretend
Though I loved the ground she walked upon
A summer has to end
A summer has to end
And the air she would softly breathe
The feather touch of her gentle lips
That only a fool would leave
That only a fool would leave
But we tasted forbidden wine
Though I loved the ground she walked upon
I could never have made her mine
The swallows fly all along the canal
And I watch with a heavy heart
In dizzy spins they dive and wheel
Touch wings and then depart
Touch wings and then depart
As the summer fades away
Though I loved the ground she walked upon
I knew that I could not stay
The swallow is a summer's child
And she flies before the cold
Though I loved the ground she walked upon
She was not mine to hold
She was not mine to hold
But it was easy to pretend
Though I loved the ground she walked upon
A summer has to end
A summer has to end
Teacher, Teacher (Single, 1972, and Easy CD, 1999)
And my dad says, “At school you were protected
At college you neglected to open up your eyes and look around you,
And you don’t know nothing at all.”
Teacher, teacher, when will it reach ya
The writing on the outside wall
If you gained all your knowledge
From books you read in college
Then you don’t know nothing
Nothing at all.
And my dad says “That nothing could be finer
Than to be taught by a miner
Blinking in the light of the bright classroom
And you don’t know nothing at all.”
Chorus
La, la, la, etc.
Chorus
And my dad says “That you couldn’t name the classes
Who breathed upon your glasses.
And made you miss the writing on the outside wall
And you don’t know nothing at all.”
Chorus
Teacher, teacher, when will it reach ya
Who you are just teaching us for
If you gained all your knowledge
From books you read in college
Than you don’t know nothing, nothing at all.
At college you neglected to open up your eyes and look around you,
And you don’t know nothing at all.”
Teacher, teacher, when will it reach ya
The writing on the outside wall
If you gained all your knowledge
From books you read in college
Then you don’t know nothing
Nothing at all.
And my dad says “That nothing could be finer
Than to be taught by a miner
Blinking in the light of the bright classroom
And you don’t know nothing at all.”
Chorus
La, la, la, etc.
Chorus
And my dad says “That you couldn’t name the classes
Who breathed upon your glasses.
And made you miss the writing on the outside wall
And you don’t know nothing at all.”
Chorus
Teacher, teacher, when will it reach ya
Who you are just teaching us for
If you gained all your knowledge
From books you read in college
Than you don’t know nothing, nothing at all.
Teacher, teacher
Teacher, teacher,
Teacher, teacher, etc.
Alexei My name is Alexei, I once was a farmer And in ’17 took up arms in the fight And later I worked on the land for my country And often my children slept hungry at night But I hear that the miners in the State of Kentucky Are not even as lucky as me They cannot afford to buy shoes for their children Why, oh why are they frightened of me? Our countries preach one word yet practice another In the name of freedom one fights in Vietnam And the others send soldiers to Czechoslovakia And out from my window I look round at the land My name is Alexei and I am an old man And all of my life I have worked on the land The giver, the taker, receiver of all life The blood and the dirt are ingrained in my hands My body is broken but not yet my spirit My eyes are tired but not yet my mind Through the frail strength of age I can call you my brother For I see that your hands are as dirty as mine I can see that your hands are as dirty as mine Grey Sea Strand (Single, 1981, B-side to England)Oh the big man he goes walkingWith the little girl in his hand Down to the sea she takes him Back to the grey sea strand
Oh the big man he is silent With the small glass in his hand He stares through the rain-streaked windows Down to the grey sea strandOh the currents run wild on this coastline Took the lives of many a man And there’s many a weary fisherman Offered prayers on the grey sea strand
And so it was this terrible night When their little boat went down, That he clung to his brother who could not swim So that they should not drown.Let me go, his brother he cried And at least one shall be saved And he pulled from the big man's tired arms And vanished beneath the waves.
It was later that night that they found him Swimming the wrong way from the land With his empty burden they turned him round Brought him back to the grey sea strand.
Oh the big man he goes walking With the little girl in his hand With the rain in his face she takes him Down to the grey sea strand.
And the big man he is silent
With the small glass in his hand He stares through the rain-streaked windows Down to the grey sea strand.
Small Voice Calling (B side Single – When I Was A Cowboy)
In order to judge me
I have to agree to put you above me
And that would not make sense
When the course you are taking
Is causing an aching
I believe, from sitting too hard on the fence,
And there’s a small voice calling your name outside
And he wants to come in.
He says he remembers you from way back
Don’t care where you’ve been.
The humble can stumble
Over the feet of the shuffling meek
Whoever put out that line
They can wait for the earth
For what it’d be worth
Well, I don’t mind so long as they leave me some wine.
There’s a small voice calling our names outside
And he says he knows us
He says he remembers us from way back
But his name ain’t Jesus
That’d be too easy now, don’t you agree?
Don’t give me no hard lines
I’ve done my share of crying
Hard luck brings me down
Give me something to smile about
Something to make me laugh out loud
And we’ll both get up off of the ground
There’s a small voice calling our names outside
I have to agree to put you above me
And that would not make sense
When the course you are taking
Is causing an aching
I believe, from sitting too hard on the fence,
And there’s a small voice calling your name outside
And he wants to come in.
He says he remembers you from way back
Don’t care where you’ve been.
The humble can stumble
Over the feet of the shuffling meek
Whoever put out that line
They can wait for the earth
For what it’d be worth
Well, I don’t mind so long as they leave me some wine.
There’s a small voice calling our names outside
And he says he knows us
He says he remembers us from way back
But his name ain’t Jesus
That’d be too easy now, don’t you agree?
Don’t give me no hard lines
I’ve done my share of crying
Hard luck brings me down
Give me something to smile about
Something to make me laugh out loud
And we’ll both get up off of the ground
There’s a small voice calling our names outside
And he says he knows us
He says he remembers us from way back
But his name ain’t Jesus
That’d be too easy now, don’t you agree?
To each and everyone assembled here
Well let’s make it clear
Right from the very start
There’s no reason or rhyme
To put out a line about what to do
Unless it comes from the heart.
There’s a small voice calling our names outside
And he says he wants to come in.
He says he remembers us from way back
Oh, how can we avoid him?
He says he remembers us from way back
But his name ain’t Jesus
That’d be too easy now, don’t you agree?
To each and everyone assembled here
Well let’s make it clear
Right from the very start
There’s no reason or rhyme
To put out a line about what to do
Unless it comes from the heart.
There’s a small voice calling our names outside
And he says he wants to come in.
He says he remembers us from way back
Oh, how can we avoid him?
Summer Come Along (Single, 1969)
Summer come, I finally made it
I never thought I’d get to see the winter through
I watched the birds race their shadows cross the cornfield
Well, you can’t catch them, but I can catch you.
And I’ve been waiting for the summer it’s true
But I’ve been waiting just as long for you.
Summer come around
Summer come along.
Look at the fields do you see them growing?
Feel the grass breathe under your feet
I’ll give you a gold watch to put in the pocket
Of any scarecrow that you meet.
And I’ve been waiting for the summer it’s true
But I’ve been waiting just as long for you.
Summer come around
summer come along.
Make up your mind, I gotta be going
Time and tide wait for no one, it’s true
And summer this year was such a long time coming
Don’t make me wait for you.
And I’ve been waiting for the summer it’s true
but I’ve been waiting just as long for you.
Summer come around
Summer come along.
I never thought I’d get to see the winter through
I watched the birds race their shadows cross the cornfield
Well, you can’t catch them, but I can catch you.
And I’ve been waiting for the summer it’s true
But I’ve been waiting just as long for you.
Summer come around
Summer come along.
Look at the fields do you see them growing?
Feel the grass breathe under your feet
I’ll give you a gold watch to put in the pocket
Of any scarecrow that you meet.
And I’ve been waiting for the summer it’s true
But I’ve been waiting just as long for you.
Summer come around
summer come along.
Make up your mind, I gotta be going
Time and tide wait for no one, it’s true
And summer this year was such a long time coming
Don’t make me wait for you.
And I’ve been waiting for the summer it’s true
but I’ve been waiting just as long for you.
Summer come around
Summer come along.
Sweet Girl On My Mind (B Side Single – Heroes and Villains)
Well the dice were loaded and the cards were stacked
And I thought it an honest game
I needed a lady to complete my hand
But I drew the ace of spades
Because the dealer was crooked and I got burned
It was just like gambling blind
Now I got murder in the back of my heart
From a sweet girl on my mind
So I keep on running, keep moving on
Nowhere seems too far
And the only time I can mention her name
Is when I’m piled up drunk in a bar
And then I talk to anyone who will listen
Any drunk I can find
About the murder in the back of my heart
From a sweet girl on my mind
As I go around from town to town
What really tears at my heart
The things that were done by that so called friend
Who worked just to keep us apart
And if we never meet it will be a sin
If we do it will be a crime
Cos I got murder in the back of my heart
From a sweet girl on my mind.
And I thought it an honest game
I needed a lady to complete my hand
But I drew the ace of spades
Because the dealer was crooked and I got burned
It was just like gambling blind
Now I got murder in the back of my heart
From a sweet girl on my mind
So I keep on running, keep moving on
Nowhere seems too far
And the only time I can mention her name
Is when I’m piled up drunk in a bar
And then I talk to anyone who will listen
Any drunk I can find
About the murder in the back of my heart
From a sweet girl on my mind
As I go around from town to town
What really tears at my heart
The things that were done by that so called friend
Who worked just to keep us apart
And if we never meet it will be a sin
If we do it will be a crime
Cos I got murder in the back of my heart
From a sweet girl on my mind.
Tickety Boo
Get up in the morning, second thing you do
Put the kettle on, make a little brew
That’ll do you, - Tickety Boo!
See you Jimmy, don’t you agree
Only one thing better than a nice cup of tea
And that’ll be two – Tickety Boo!
Blow away the cobwebs and stop yawning
A little cup and sorcery is magic in the morning
Or in the afternoon or the evening too
Cheer yourself up, pour yourself a cup – Tickety Boo!
Tickety Boo, isn’t that nice
The only cup of tea that makes you feel good twice
One lump or two – Tickety Boo!
Blow away the cobwebs and stop yawning
A little cup and sorcery is magic in the morning
Or in the afternoon or the evening too
Cheer yourself up, pour yourself a cup – Tickety Boo!
Tickety Boo, isn’t that nice
The only cup of tea that makes you feel good twice
One lump or two – Tickety Boo!
Put the kettle on!
Put the kettle on, make a little brew
That’ll do you, - Tickety Boo!
See you Jimmy, don’t you agree
Only one thing better than a nice cup of tea
And that’ll be two – Tickety Boo!
Blow away the cobwebs and stop yawning
A little cup and sorcery is magic in the morning
Or in the afternoon or the evening too
Cheer yourself up, pour yourself a cup – Tickety Boo!
Tickety Boo, isn’t that nice
The only cup of tea that makes you feel good twice
One lump or two – Tickety Boo!
Blow away the cobwebs and stop yawning
A little cup and sorcery is magic in the morning
Or in the afternoon or the evening too
Cheer yourself up, pour yourself a cup – Tickety Boo!
Tickety Boo, isn’t that nice
The only cup of tea that makes you feel good twice
One lump or two – Tickety Boo!
Put the kettle on!