Music Jukebox

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************ listen and buy my songs on www.arkade.com ************

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This is a list of the songs I have currently written, a brief explanation of where they have come from and the inspiration behind them. Not all have been recorded yet, but if you attend any of my solo gigs and open mike sessions, you may hear them in the raw. Some have yet to be completed. If they are recorded, I will indicate this with an asterix *. The others have yet to be recorded and I play them 'live' only. Request your favourite and I'll see what I can do !

The Lady You Don't Want to Meet -Not drawn from personal experience, but I'm sure countless men have fallen in love without getting to know the lady in question properly - bars are full of those who have loved and lost. They say you never really know someone until you live with them. This cautionary tale has a politically incorrect twist in the tail. This may not go down well in some circles, but others may say she had it coming ! I'll take my chances.

Fuelpad Frenzy - Ever had the feeling of 'having to get out' ? Feel trapped, hemmed in, on a road to nowhere ? Some people are like hurricanes, twisting through life, driven from within. They can't explain it themselves, just a 'twisting wind' inside of them. This song is for those kind of people. The 'Redheaded Stranger' reference is a nod to Willie Nelson and his great song of the same name.

Hoffen de Liefen - I don't know if this phrase means anything in German, or any other language for that matter ! If it does, then aplogies are due, but can you tell me what is is ? This title came from nowhere in the Summer of 2003 when I was play fighting with my young son, during a stop on a driving holiday to the South of France. I used it as something of a battlecry as he came at me with all guns blazing, time after time ! I remembered it and wrote it down for later use.

When we got to the South of France, we stayed in a rented apartment complex high above the Riviera, close to St Tropez. Sounds very posh, doesn't it. In fact it felt like a ghetto, albeit a nice one. I like to mix with the locals, drink in local bars, get morning newspapers from the local shops, interact with the locals. None of that here. The gates were locked, we had to drive everywhere. Sure there were swimming pools and tennis courts with beautiful people playing on them or lounging around behind huge designer sunglasses. A poor Welsh boy felt disassociated ! I wasn't intimidated, but the scene just wasn't for me.

We went to St Tropez once, spent ages in a traffic jam down the one road to the place. The song says it all. What a dump - full of pretentious prats left over from the Sixties (in my opinion !). The holiday itself was great, French roads are great for driving ie empty. Cogolin has great pipe shops (bought a corker for my Dad). Will we be going to St Tropez again in a hurry ? You decide !

The Bottom Line - Written for the 'one good year folk' as Slaid Cleaves calls them. People who just need one good year without any setbacks to set them up straight for the future. Those who need a break. You know how it is... you manage to save some money for the future, for a rainy day, and then wham, the car breaks down, the tv blows up, the roof begins to leak. Bugger. So much of life now is ruled by big business, economies of scale. Most High Streets now look the same, few individually owned shops, just the same corporate identity all over the world. How boring is that ? Ordinary people are caught up in the retail gears, mangled and spat out. Behind every corporate decision, made with a stroke of an annonymous pen, ordinary lives are deeply affected. The final verse adds a different perspective on work and committment.

* January - One of the first songs I ever wrote. When I had finished a rough version, I thought to myself 'I can do this' ! The version you now hear is the distillation of many previous versions. I remember singing it to Bernie, my wife, literally shaking with nerves ! I had never shared any of my writing with anyone before, just sang cover versions. You can hide behind them. If someone finds fault with a cover, they're not criticising the singer, merely the song. Here though, it was me, pouring my heart out, baring my soul. Bernie made a few lyrical suggestions which I took on board. We'll share the royalties ! What's half of nothing again ?

Number 1510 - A news report said that a body had been found, unidentified. The authorities thought he was 'a family man'. thought about all the displaced and homeless people drifting around, battered and bruised from Life. Their stories deserve to be told.

* Another 'Oh Bugger' Moment - Thismay be the one song I hope I will be remembered for and will strike a chord with all those over the age of 35. As we all get older, we all experience some or all of the sentiments and experiences within this song. I heard of these things happening to other people, now they're happening to me !

The Flat Earth Song - This describes an attitude that rules many people's lives, one of distrust and a fear of the unknown and change. Understandanvle, but so negative, as it leads to closed minds. This blocks all growth and leads to isolation and stagnation, spiritually, mentally and emotionally. However, the people themselves can see niothing wrong and presume they have got Life sorted and down. Self satisfied, opinionated bar experts are included in this. Maybe, this is just my view of thre world, but hey, I wrote the damn song anyway !.

 

Twelve Months of Christmas - Bernie, my wife, hails from Whitby, North Yorkshire. Her brother, Duncan, was researching the family tree when he came across an old tape made by their Grandad Walker being interviewed by local historian Claire Argument. This tale was told by the old man. I sang it at Whitby Folk Club to thunderous applause !

Blowing Some Air -The phrase used when playing loud music. The air is blown out of the amps, especially the bass when 'rumbling low'. It's a magic feeling when a band is on song, playing and tying into the rhythm - liberating and 'just right'. This song is meant to convey that feeling of opening your shoulders and letting go.

Modern World - Sometimes it feels like we are living too fast, too quickly to really take things in. This songs captures that sentiment.

* Ain't Life Grand (thanks Mr Gates) -A modern love song, how my wife and I met and the story so far !

How to Avoid Bar-Room Brawls - A song of caution for those less worldly wise.

Did You Recover, or Were You Pushed ? - An intensely personal song, unlikely to be played in public.

* A History of Welsh Names - Back home in North Wales, many folks share the same first name and surname. To make things easier, they're given nicknames. This song describes some of the characters I've known or still know. I hope they're still talking to me !

* Three Minutes - A song about how a small encounter or incident can make a big difference.

For Grant - A song for my lad. He's growing so fast now, in secondary school. Where's the time gone?

They're Closing the Door - This was a poem, framed on the wall of a pub in Bantry Bay, Eire.  It tells of the demise of an old landlord and his pub. I dictated the words into my phone and put the music to them later.

Vicious Valentine - There's good and bad in all of us. This song's written from the perspective of a predatory character, best sung on a wndy evening in Autumn somewhere remote. Scary!

Easy, It Is Not ! - The lot of a singer/songwriter is not an easy one!

I Can't Carry You - A 12 bar blues number. Easy-ish to remember the words to this one!

* Steady Thumb - A song written from the perspective of an old man trying to impart some of his knowledge to an impetuous youngster.

* Kiss Me, It's Christmas - This won the local open mic competition for the 'Most Miserable Christmas Song' in 1994. I can't think why... I'm banking on this one to subsidise my pension.

Dawn Flight - Work still in progress

Unattended - Again, intesnely personal.

Semi Pro - A dig at 'Ladies of a Certain Age'. Will probably get me hanged, at some point.

If You Believe - Written after noodling on the guitar for a while. One of the first songs I wrote. Finished it in around half an hour.

Nothing Stays the Same - I went back to where I lived in London during the early 1980's. My, how things had changed. I wrote this sitting at a cafe table during lunch. Everything in the song is true. Go to the corner of Pentonville Road and Caledonian Road in Kings Cross and look for yourself, if you don't believe me!

Nineteen

I Want...

On Loftus

Summer Morning

45 RPM (thanks Mike) - A blatant rip-off of Mike Peters' song of the same name, though the words and meaning are different. A longing for days and things gone by.

The Train Song

Get Away

The Car - We spend time travelling to and from North Wales to see family. This is a song about that.

Who Cares - A 'What the Hell' song, written really quickly. Follows the golden three chord rule!

Just Do It

Do You Think It's Easy Being Santa ? - Written for the 2005 Christmaas Song competition run by Kev Buxton at Kontra Acoustics. It won, hands down!

Cards - This is an intesely personal song, not yet sung in public or recorded in private. It deals with bereavement. Not a feel good song at all, but a great relief when I wrote it.

I Could Be You - Wrote this very quickly about identity theft, of all things. Sounds like a challenge for Summer School or a song writing weekend !

Blurred - When people are under pressure, they do things they normally wouldn't dol. The drinker who has one too many and then drives in the morning 'a bit groggy but I'll be ok', the worker who bends the rules to please his boss and then gets disciplined or sacked when found out, the soldier who takes it out on others for the death of a comrade... when lines get blurred, people get hurt.

 

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Work continues on this section ! Patience, my friends, patience...