PRAY THESE WINGS WILL CARRY ME

Ride the waves, fight the wind
That the blurs the line, between sea and sky
I shake this frost, from these tired wings
Beating hard, beating strong, over the sea

Rainbow arc, tall and proud
Spectral rays of glistening light
How good to breathe, to smell the earth
Sacred tree, stony field, so far away

I pray these wings will carry me
Give me strength to cross the sea
Won’t you cast some light to guide my way
Think of me, when I’m far away

By night I steer, celestial paths
Using maps of stars, to guide my way
By day I chase, horizon lines
Forever straight, endless flat
Through clear blue sky

Steely, blue light, distils blue to gray
Comes the dawn, at end of night
There is no sleep, in endless flight
Catching thermals, lost in sky, over the sea

​

SHORE CRAB

Haw, Jimmy, dinnae mess wi me.
Fancy yer chances eh? Eh? We’ll see.
Naw, they dinnae caw
me Shug the Claw
fer naethin. Mon, square go then. Srang,
ye feart? Ahve taen a haill gang
o the likes o ye at wance.
Dinnae reckon yer chance
noo, eh? When ye get tae hell
ah’ll be waitin there fer ye. Caw
me a scroonger, eh? Aye, awa
an rin ti yer maw
ya wimp! Mind o Shug the Claw.

 

DEATH VALLEY

Just when it gets cool
You sense the furnace on the horizon
With his greedy fingers the sun begins to climb
Lying like a blanket You consume the world around you

What is green You burn brown to the ground
Through the haze
Feel the madness in the heat
We are driving through Death Valley To Furnace CreeK

Laying low for sunrise
Waiting for the sun to creep out
To the valley where the hungry sun must feed
Merciless, unyielding There is no life to remind you

Only when the sun sets
You feel him close around you
Though the light has gone his presence still remains
No need to be reminded
As the stars shine in the black sky
You cannot escape the heat from dusk till dawn
We are driving, keep on driving

From green lands of running water
To the brown lands of rock and stone
I have voyaged many miles to see your face
Mountains pink and gold astound me
With heated winds you do caress me
You are harder than the rock your rays bake.

​

JELLY BEAN

Soft and sweet
Small and neat
The best little friend you’ll ever meet
Good old William Shrafft using sugar, starch and corn
Made u a secret weapon for the civil war

Got to have you
Make you mine
I must admit I think of you all the time
The Chicago daily news
Finally put you on their front page
My little friend you’ve finally come of age

Red blue and green
Every colour combination you have seen
You keep on popping up
Candy in my cup
Jelly Bean
Jelly Bean

Cute and curvy
Loud and rude
Ice cream soda pop
That Tastes so good

The good old USA they loved you so much
They even gave you your own national day

Vanila, coconut and cream
Every flavour combination you have seen
I got the jelly belly roll
It’s playing with my soul

Jelly Bean Jelly Bean

​

LITTLE DARLIN'

Hey little darlin’
Hey little darlin’
Are you waiting for me
Are you waiting for me

Hey little darlin, see the summer sun
come shining upon your face
I’m so happy to be with you in this place
But we can’t be here for long
So savour it till we’re gone
I’m gonna rock n’ roll you right
through till the dawn

Could I just be dreaming
Where did those minutes go?
Lying here being tantalised by you
I’m drunk upon your potions
Blinded by your spell
Lying here being mesmerised by you

Sitting here I’m dreaming by a river far away
Staring at the white clouds
Cruise and disappear and there’s me and you
There’s just me and you

​

LIFELINES

Leaves in very shade of green
Shape and texture I have seen
Growing out from every place
Flowing into every space
Eden evergreen, it’s the essence of us all

Open wide your heart
The notes spill out into the air
And for a moment linger there

All the birds are showing off
Kidding on it’s spring
Blue, ice blue that sky
Snow is in the wind
The geese are calling, winters in their wake

Fine lines of dreamtime, Echo through the dawn
Whisper in the sunset, Spun star song
Fine lines of dreamtime, Ancient yarns spin on
Whisper in the sunset, Spun star song
Lifelines carry on

So your busy day goes by
Till the last light starts to go
When you sing your lullaby
And glide out of the show
Best wishes for you, with your enchanting song

​

WOOD FOR BURNING

Beech-wood fires burn bright and clear
If the logs are kept a year; 

Store your beech for Christmastide 

With new-cut holly laid beside; 


Chestnut’s only good, they say, 

If for years ‘tis stored away; 

Birch and fir-wood burn too fast 

Blaze too bright and do not last; 


Flames from larch will shoot up high, 

Dangerously the sparks will fly; 

But ash-wood green and ash-wood brown 

Are fit for a Queen with a golden crown. 



Oaken logs, if dry and old, 

Keep away the winter’s cold; 

Poplar gives a bitter smoke, 

Fills your eyes and makes you choke; 


Elm-wood burns like churchyard mould,
Even the very flames are cold; 

It is by the Irish said; 

Hawthorn bakes the sweetest bread, 


Apple-wood will scent the room, 

Pear-wood smells like flowers in bloom; 

But ash-wood wet and ash-wood dry 

A King may warm his slippers by 



​

SALVATION

Preacher won’t you tell me what it is that I must do
Where do I find work when there’s no work coming through
Do I go up to the station try and jump a passing train
Head up to the city full of drunken dreams again
I can see it in the distance, it get’s closer everyday
Help me ease my burden to get me on my way
If I could only get my Mojo working in the bosom of my heart

Lord please give me succour
A thousand times I’ve cried
I am ready for salvation and I can’t be denied.

Angel give me shelter from the devils in my head
Help me walk the path of rightousness in place of sin instead
I just got to keep on moving, or all hope is gone
On dusty roads from town to town you’ll see me stumbling on
I can see it in the distance, it get’s closer everyday
Help ease my burden to get me on my way
If I could only get my mojo working in the bosom of my heart

I can see it in the tears of my children’s eyes
Looking at me for answers, remembering promises I’ve made
If I could get a gun, flag someone down
Lord give me the answer I have come undone

Preacher now it’s over the end has come at last
I’m sitting here staring at an empty glass
I just got to keep on moving, or all hope is gone
On dusty roads from town to town you’ll see me stumbling on
I can see it in the distance, it get’s closer everyday
Help ease my burden get me on my way
If I could only get my mojo working in the bosom of my heart

CHITTERYBITE

Came from the streets of smoke
Laughing singing all the city folk
Faces peering from an old steam train
Rattling down the rails to the sea again

Chittery Bite, Chittery Bite
Mamma’s going to give you what you like
Chittery Bite, Chittery Bite
Mammas going to keep you warm inside

Father’s mothers wains
On a fayre weekend from the cities chains
On the pier at the Broomielaw
A happier sight you never saw

Through the sunshine wind and rain
Doon the watter down they came
Fish and chips on the promenade
All the steamers, they went doon the water
And sailed away

Today we still sail down
The clyde Riviera to Rothesey town
On the paddle steamer, the Waverley
The happiest sight you’ll ever see

LOST BETWEEN SEA AND SKY

My distant son
Where the trade winds blow
That’s where you’ll go
Lost between sea and sky

So she gets a little older,
Becomes a touch more frail
Until the ship comes in the harbour,
Then she feels that same old thrill
That night he dances with her
Like he’s never danced with her before
They go round and round
Like a spinning top birlin’ upon the floor

It takes four months to remember, and
Eight days to forget
Until the ship it leaves the harbour,
To where the distant sun must set
She pulls her scarf around her head, and
Stares out at his sea
Where defiant whitecaps framed on gray,
Scream their ecstacy

​

SHORTNIN BREAD

Put on the skillet, slip on the lid,
Mama's gonna make a little short'nin' bread.
That ain't all she's gonna do,
Mama's gonna make a little coffee, too.

My baby loves My My baby loves
My baby loves short'nin' bread,

Three little children, lyin' in bed
Two were sick and the other most dead
Sent for the doctor and the doctor said,
Give those children some short'nin' bread

When those children, sick in bed,
Heard that talk about shortnin' bread,
Popped up well to dance and sing,
Skipped around and cut the pigeon wing.

Slip to the kitchen, slip up the led,
Filled my pockets full of short'nin' bread;
Stole the skillet, stole the led,
Stole the girl makin' short'nin' bread.

Caught me with the skillet, caught me with the led,
Caught me with the gal makin' short'nin' bread;

​

I WILL MAKE YOU BROOCHES
FOR YOUR DELIGHT
FOR BIRDSONG IN MORNING
AND MOONSHINE AT NIGHT
I WILL MAKE A PALACE
FIT FOR YOU AND ME
FOR GREEN DAYS IN SUMMER
AND BLUE DAYS AT SEA

UP TO THE MOUNTAIN, DOWN TO THE SEA
OVER THE OCEAN, YOU AND ME
BIRDSONG IN MORNING,
MOONSHINE AT NIGHT
I WILL MAKE YOU BROOCHES
FOR YOUR DELIGHT

I  WILL MAKE MY KITCHEN
YOU SHALL KEEP YOUR ROOM
WHERE WHITE FLOWS THE RIVER
BRIGHT BLOWS THE BROOM
YOU SHALL WASH YOUR LINEN
AND KEEP YOUR BODY WHITE
IN DEWFALL IN MORNING
AND RAINFALL AT NIGHT

THIS SHALL BE FOR MUSIC
WHEN NO ONE ELSE IS NEAR
A FINE SONG FOR SINGING
A FINE SONG TO HEAR
THAT ONLY I REMEMBER
THAT ONLY YOU ADMIRE
OF THE BROAD ROAD THAT STRETCHES
AND THE ROADSIDE FIRE