1. |
Hard Life
04:54
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Hard Life
I know there’s some who would like to change place with me
Don’t think I don’t know about all of the jealousy
Take it from me, it's harder than it looks
I know there’s some who think money is a dirty word
They lie in bed and leave the pickings to the early bird
Take it from me, it's harder than it looks
It’s such a hard life
I know that’s not what it seems
It’s such a hard life
You just don’t know what work means
It’s such a full time occupation
You can never call your time your own
I ain't got time to worry where the money goes
You can't be mean when you’re being seen at every show
Take it form me, it's harder than it looks
It’s such a hard life
You’ve got to keep on the move
It’s such a hard life
You take the rough with the smooth
It’s such a full time occupation
And I work my fingers to the bone
I’m just a simple man
I do the best I can
No-one can take that much from me
I’m just a simple man
I do the best I can
No-one can take that much from me
I put it down to the politics of envy
I’d like to see them take the responsibility
Take it from me, it's harder than it looks
It’s such a hard life
I know that’s not what it seems
It’s such a hard life
You just don’t know what work means
It’s such a full time occupation
You can never call your time your own
It’s such a hard life
You’ve got to keep on the move
It’s such a hard life
You take the rough with the smooth
It’s such a full time occupation
And I work my fingers to the bone
It’s such a full time occupation
And I work my fingers to the bone
Tony Bevan 1980
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2. |
Inner Voice
05:10
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Inner Voice
I met some people this weekend
It was like meeting long lost friends
We made music all night long
Laughing talking singing songs
The things these people said to me
Were things that I’d been thinking recently
They said
You may think you have the choice
But you cant ignore that inner voice
There’ll be times that we’ve all had
When everyone will think you’re mad
To take the road you want to take
Even though you know its make or break
And you won’t know what you should do
And everyone is talking at you
You listen to their good advice
But you can’t ignore that inner voice x2
The inner voice will tell no lies
But may be hard to recognise
The inner voice may get drowned out
When other voices scream and shout
Instrumental
Some of us we have to be
Exactly as God intended and if we
Play it safe to avoid the heat
The ground will fall out from under our feet, what ever
Life is hard you can bet
You’d better take the road you won’t regret
In the end you just don’t have the choice
You can’t ignore that inner voice x3
Steven McDaniel 1997
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3. |
Since You've Been Around
05:30
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Since You’ve Been Around
Since you’ve been around
There’s been magic in the place
You are the one who came along and saved me
Since you’ve been around
There’s a smile upon my face
You are the best thing life ever gave me
When you go away
There are clouds across the sky
I struggle every day
And things never go quite right
Then you come around
And the sun comes out again
There’s something that I’ve found
That you turn my life around
Things will never be the same
Since you’ve been around
My whole world has come alive
It’s really true when I say: “I love you”
When you go away
There are clouds across the sky
I struggle every day
And things never go quite right
Then you come around
And the sun comes out again
There’s something that I’ve found
That you turn my life around
Things will never be the same
Since you’ve been around
My whole world has come alive
It’s really true when I say: “I love you”
You are the only one who understands me
I could be alone but I’ve got special company
Before we met I was going nowhere
You opened my eyes
And now I knew my true direction x2
Since you’ve been around
My whole world has come alive
It’s really true when I say: “I love you”
I love you x6
Before we met I was going nowhere
You opened my eyes
And now I knew my true direction x4
Steven McDaniel 24/8/1999
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4. |
River Runs Dry
04:27
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River Runs Dry
I went down to the river
To see what I could see
And when I looked into the water
All I could see was me
There were no fishes in the water
They were all dead and gone
No pretty birds flying round me
I ask you what have we done
There’s a jewel in the sky
Stunning blue against the night
It’s a thing of greatest beauty
The impossibly rare sight
But we don’s seem to care
About that wonder in the sky
We’re all to busy making money
Before the river runs dry.
Steve McDaniel 1999
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5. |
Fly
05:37
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Fly
These last few years are quite a story
But after all what’s done is done
And now you’re on your way to glory
Your life has just begun
So Fly, my little angels fly
The time is right
Fly, into the clear blue sky
Say goodbye
It’s time for you to go now
Because I’ve done all I can do
And its time for you to grow now
The future’s down to you
So Fly, my little angels fly
The time is right
Fly, into the clear blue sky
Fly so high
Solo
But I’ll be here when you need me
I’m just a phone call away
And I’ll be thinking of you believe me
Each and every day
So Fly, my little angels fly
The time is right
Fly, into the clear blue sky
Say goodbye
Say goodbye
Fly, my little angels fly
The time is right
Fly, into the clear blue sky
Fly so high
Fly so high
Fly
Steven McDaniel 1999
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6. |
A True Professional
05:11
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A True Professional
Hello my dear it’s nice to see you
Can’t talk for long I’ve got to fly
I’ve got these books to do
Before I go home to my kids
A true professional am I
You want to talk about your troubles
And how they make you want to die
But, what you confide in me
I must pass on, you see my dear
A true professional am I
Why is it me you come to see?
Do you know what it does to me?
I want to find the bastards who
Could have done this to you
Is no one there to take good care of you
You want to tell me all your troubles
Well my own troubles make me cry
My wife she must have been
Like you when she was 15, see
A true professional am I
Solo
Why is it me you come to see?
What is it that you see in me?
I want to take you in my arms
I guess you want that too
Will no one else please take good care of you?
I am not qualified to help you
There’s social workers who can try
But there’s some things they can’t do
Can’t mention love its true, because
A true professional am I
A true professional am I
Steven McDaniel 1993
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7. |
Beautiful Places
03:29
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Beautiful Places
My good friends hold beauty
Close to their hearts
We talk of art, music and mystery
And our eyes fill with wonder and tears
Hearts and minds touch
My good friends let me talk of my fears
And I listen closely to theirs
We stand away from the world
And look for meaning
For we know there are beautiful places x2
But you are a work of art
You are mystery
You stand away from the world
And you see clearly
And my eyes fill with wonder and tears
With you I’ve found meaning
I have found a beautiful beautiful place x2
But that beautiful place has been spoiled
By reckless vandals
The canvas torn cruelly
Still the mystery is intact
This work is my destiny
It has been given to me
The canvas must be restored lovingly
The growing things nurtured to full bloom
For the world needs beautiful beautiful places x3
Steven McDaniel 1994
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8. |
Watching for that Girl
05:10
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Watching for that Girl
Why, why did I wait till now to fall in love?
What in the world must I be thinking of?
This seems so inappropriate,
but she fit’s the fantasy,
and she would seem to be free from preconceptions
Even as a boy I had a certain feeling
I was forever searching for ‘the hidden meaning’
I couldn’t quite explain, explain what fate was dealing
In every situation
In all deliberation
I’ve been watching for that girl
To share my consternation
A scientific mind looks for rational solutions
And disregards the facts if they don’t fit with his conclusions
I cared for you its true, but did I need to marry you?
In every situation
In all deliberation
I’ve been watching for that girl
To share my consternation
We, we never could see eye to eye,
And we, we never have been quite sure why,
We, misunderstood just what was needed,
Now we must break up,
I really can’t keep up the self-deception any more
If I’d known then what I know now things wouldn’t be the same,
But you’ll never know the pleasure if you never know the pain,
You’ll never understand the moves if you’ve never played the game,
In every situation
In all deliberation
I’ve been watching for that girl
To share my consternation
Why, why did I wait till now to fall in love?
What in the world must I be thinking of?
This seems so inappropriate,
but she fit’s the fantasy,
and she would seem to be free from preconceptions
At this point in time I’ve tried to open up my mind,
I’ve got to let things run their course to see what I will find
The girls they’ll come along, I’ll write about them in my songs
In every situation
In all deliberation
I’ve been watching for that girl
To share my consternation
x3
Steven McDaniel and Jonathan Presland 1994
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9. |
Blue Stone Lane
05:30
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Blue Stone Lane
Hold my hand
Show me the way
Show me the door
To the black and white floor
Show me the faces
Of coloured delight
Where songs are sung
The dim crystal light
The brisking of warmth
The silent dull pain
Where torture is calm
The silver touched palm
The Blue Stone Lane
Where soft fantasy lies
Stars of surprise
Sting wipe the eyes
Among strength and beauty
Red bread of a king
Show me this place
No matter my sin
Show me this place
No matter my sin.
Anna Driscoll 12/1/1997
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10. |
Love
05:41
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Love
There is someone who loves you
And I make no demands
Need no return
Love does not look for love
There’s someone who loves you
And I see through your pain
See the golden seed, the promise of flowers
See the spark, the promise of fire
Love sees like a child sees
And I see this child of the Earth
But,
Cold common sense
Lawful institutions
Obligations,
Categorisations
Loves chord lies severed
And, my world is finished
Or may at last be about to begin
For I has plumbed the depths
Understood my passion,
I have a new way of seeing
Love sees like a child sees
And I see a child of the Earth
So though you may not hear it
That heart continues to beat
Though you may not see them
These eyes continue to watch
Weeping when you weep and
Shining when you shine
There is someone who loves you
So talk out the pain,
Overcome the past,
Water the seed,
Kindle the spark,
Let the flowers grow,
The fire erupt,
Love sees like a child sees
And I see a child of the Earth
x2
There is someone who loves you
And I make no demands
Need no return
Love does not look for love
Steven McDaniel 1993
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11. |
Sweating Cold Minestrone
05:07
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Sweating Cold Minestrone
Sweating Cold Minestone, x2
Fancy meeting you here in our favourite place
Did I call you, did you call me, well let me explain
Coincidence has been on the bottle again
Coincidence has raised its ugly face
I’ve lost mine you’re right, I’ve lost my bottle I mean
You took it to the cleaners and I never got it back
I’m glad to see you’ve still got your ugly face intact
It fits in perfectly with our favourite scene
You’ve got the devil in your soup and your God is swimming in acid
Don’t administer to me when Satan is in front of me
Sitting seductively
Sweating cold minestrone x2
Like a scene from that film, Grief Encounter’s the name
‘cept we’re not on a train and the spelling has changed
And you’re not whats-her-name and I’m not whats-his-name
And plainly you’re not laughing, well let me explain
You’ve got the devil in your soup and your God is swimming in acid
Don’t administer to me when Satan is in front of me
Sitting seductively
x2
The kids are fine, their analyst now lives in France well good for him
And how’s your Mum, still baking bread? Sorry plain forgot, she’s dead
I’ve never seen you looking so wickedly cute
Cos you’ve drunk too much wine and indulged in forbidden fruit
You won’t give an inch I know except off your hips
Here’s my lawers number, and here’s my new address
You’ve got the devil in your soup and your God is swimming in acid
Don’t administer to me when Satan is in front of me
Sitting seductively
x3
Sweating cold minestrone x3
Jonathan Presland 1995
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12. |
La Passionara
06:41
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La Passionara
You hooked me
You looked me over
Your mouth unfolding
A smilers web conceiving my desire for you
Your bed as hard as trusted nails which clawed me back
Drawing bloody scenes of what we would.
To be together
After all these years
No matter what
No matter whether, it doesn’t
We’re still together
In Spain, there was a woman
Bold and beautiful
La Passionara had only to avert her eyes
Which shone like jewels
Fought for in the grasping sun
Converting boys to sinners
Or returning them home to Mother
No place for toothless gringos in this human race
For time is on our side
Composure open wider than the flood gates in the morning tide
Call be crazy if you like
But I have a hazy memory of when we danced at dawns
Diving for pleasures
You unfurled your tentacles like widows wings
Soon our lips had picked up the necessary lingo
You said my moves had all the gracefulness of a flamingo
With steel plated legs
So I enticed you
To spread your favours
On grassy Dawns
Not once, not twice not thrice
I named you all four lawns.
In Spain, there was a woman
Bold and beautiful
La Passionara had only to avert her eyes
Which shone like jewels
Fought for in the grasping sun
Converting boys to sinners
Or returning them home to Mother
No place for toothless gringos in this human race
Drunk in moon-dust
We crazy paved our future based on a love of lust
And a lust for love
There you’ve made me say it
I love the way our love has not decayed in time
I love you ways like I love La Passionara
La Passionara like I love you
Jonathan Presland April 1993
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13. |
Giromancing
04:03
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Giromancing
The card read, Giromancing is not dead
The flowers looked healthy, it must be said
Yellow daffodils, not yet faded
Perfect but for the plastic that had melted
In the extreme heat of a one-bar fire
Not very electrocute, but all that they could perspire to
They were lovers, it was true
But it had taken a while to come through
In the YOP scheme of things it seemed an age
Like the time from signing on
Till the time you get paid
T’will be called, the Giromance of the Century x3
She was YTS, but he was definitely CP (at least prospectively)
It's hard to remember who picked up whome
Who picked up what in which or what room
For in the heat of it all things become blurred
As blankets are ruffled emotions are stirred, into
Actions speak louder than words
Eyes meet across the wardrobe
Hands across the ceiling touch lightly
Finger-tipping a hold and screaming out
“Don’t drop the bleeding thing on me toes”
And then a pause
Followed by a chest of drawers
Beware those black silk stockings falling loose
You creatures of co-habit daring your noose
Till all is made safe for the inspector of disgrace
Who makes that early morning call
With a doleful knock at the door
T’will be called, the Giromance of the Century x3
She was YTS, but he was definitely CP (at least prospectively)
And for appearance’ sake
One shared life is allowed to break
But not to break up separate
But not lured away into any false sense of
Social security
With nose frustrated the key-hole man
Leaves our Giromancers elated
Happy in their beds to conceive
Their next Girocheque x2
T’will be called, the Giromance of the Century x many
She was YTS, but he was definitely CP
Jonathan Presland, a very long time ago.
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14. |
Lark
06:23
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Lark
Larks tongue will be the death of it yet.
As bitter as old boots and as cursed as cut-throat steel
It wound itself around its foe,
At last that wretched foe could speak no more,
Its conversation, though, had been poor
Lark had been held in high esteem
Declared a protected species by the queen no less
Before she lost her head
The president, so pleased by events,
Now exposed what had been till then
A secret of the queen
Lark served up as delicacy
To celebrate the expose
The president held a soiree
And what appeared on silver trays
To feed the esteemed dignitaries?
Not Lark, that would have been amiss
Oh lark oh lucky Lark, no not so,
You see, although the president’s profession
was to fix minds
His passion was to dismember
And no expense spared to hunt down Lark,
First enticed from woods then plundered from the skies
Larks tongue fed through the paper shredder
(Where Presidents clients disappear)
No whistle blowing as Lark is pulled wing from wing
And sliced from ear to ear
Now the President has gone to ground
And not a sound
And not a sound
Jonathan Presland 1995
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15. |
Education
04:35
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Education
It’s Education that you want
It is indeed the font of all knowledge
Who needs imagination
It’s Education that you need
If you’re to succeed as you go through life
Get qualifications
Make sure you do as you are told
When you go to school
We know what’s best for you
Try to keep yourself under control
It's the Golden Rule
You’ll need to know what will be expected of you
It's Education that’s the key
To who you’re gonna be
When you leave school
And by then all your options will be gone
You could be just what you want to be
And we’re here to make quite sure
There’s just one open door
And Education is the key
Creative thinking is for fools
Who never learned the rules that have been set down
They need our Education
With Education you will find
You’ll just get let behind , if you don’t buckle down
We’ll teach you all you’ll ever need to know
Too bad if your your mind doesn’t work the way ours do
There will be nothing for you
In this bright future there’s a place for a chosen few
Our examinations prove what you’re made of
You will be just what we want you to
And we’re here to make quite sure
There’s just one open door
And Education lets you through
The Educational debate
Will simply have to wait until everyone’s
Had the chance to get Education
Steven McDaniel 1993
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16. |
Today's the Day
04:48
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Today’s the Day
Today’s the day when the world’s gonna end
Today’s the day when I find my best friend
Today’s the day everything’s going wrong
Today’s the day when I write my best song
Life is a major thing every day
Something always gets in your way
But today’s gonna be a beautiful day
Cos nothings gonna happen today, today
It’s gonna happen today
Today’s the day that what went round comes around
Today’s the day that what was lost will be found
Today’s the day we’ll be in for a surprise
Today’s the day I see something in your eyes
Wish you were here to share my life today
But something’s gonna get in your way
But today’s gonna be a beautiful day
Cos nothings gonna happen today, today
It’s gonna happen today
Tomorrow, tomorrow’s no show
Yesterday, yesterday’s got to go
Today’s the only day you need to know
Yes today’s gonna be a beautiful day
Cos nothings gonna happen today, today
It’s gonna happen today
Today’s gonna be a beautiful day
Cos nothing’s gonna happen today, today
It’s gonna happen today
It’s gonna happen today
Steven McDaniel and Ricky Bishop 2003
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17. |
Moments
04:48
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Moments
The end of striving
The end of future
Hold only the moment
The moments, the moments that make up a day
My moment has come
The noise ends like waking to a quiet morning
Each moment a perfect picture
Each life a focused purpose
I can let that go now
And move into what comes now
The eternal moment
The eternal calm
Hold only the moment
The moments that make up a day
The moments that make up a day.
Steven McDaniel 2007
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Planet Zyz Milton Keynes, UK
Planet Zyz isn't cool. That's because I'm not cool and Planet Zyz is just where music and stuff I'm involved with gets made and put out to the Big Wide World. Cottage Industry? Well, actually a Terrace-in-Milton-Keynes industry. Every album is different to the others, and none of them quite fit in with where all the Cool Stuff is. Outsider Art? This stuff is from a different planet. ... more
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