1. |
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My mother rode her motorbike
Up and down the boulevard
From Glasgow to Dumbarton
In 1941
And the bombs fell down on Clydebank
Set the evening sky alight
And burned a memory in her mind
That burned until she died
My father flew a Lancaster
Falling towards Canada
Stalling towards Canada
In 1945
He lived to fly another day
Lived the moment every day
Fought his demons every day
Until the day he died
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2. |
Man Of The Land
03:44
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I was born in the home of a working man
A poet and a singer and a man of the land
He would have died for our freedom and he carried his scars
Hidden in the fold of his heart
he lived his life by his moral code, loved his family and he tried his best
To provide
he couldn’t provide what we needed, and he knew it
All his life
And I sat by the pool in the dying sun
With the geese overhead and he handed me his gun
And we killed for food I felt the thrill
The primeavel hunters instinct
I cried for the beauty of the stricken bird
He held me, and I cried for the ways of the world.
And I sat with him then, a tired old man
There’s parts of me that understood
To love your father without the guilt
We both curled in when he reached for a drink
And I never knew if I’d the right to forgive
He cried for his failures and I
For the ways of the world.
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3. |
No Tears No Chains
03:49
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He fell through the door like a tree scared the shit out of me
six feet five in his stocking soles
A giant of a man and a wee bit mean
I offered him a drink, a rope to a drowning man
He reached out a paw and took a might swig
Collapsed in the chair and the stories began
He said
I sailed a ship across the sea
To a country far away, the land of the free
No tears no chains
30 nights I slept under frozen skies
Ate what I could when the dogs were done
Woke up with needles of ice in my eyes
I stood all day praying for the work to come
Left that hell when I walked away
Walked ‘till my shoes and the roads were one
Back home I married for love and she gave me a son
I was working hard on the sea and the land
Filling the pot with the trap and the gun
She left with a man called Bertie and she stole my life
Deep inside the flame had died
I found the bottle when I lost my wife
I followed them then half drunk, half blind with hate
Tracked them down to the dear green place
A couple of rats in a secret space
I took him one black night down at Betty’s Bar
Dragged him out by the coat lapel
Looked him in the eye and put his face in the tar
I put a gun against his head
Left him lying there for dead
No tears, no chains.
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4. |
Solitary Traveller
03:38
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A lonely traveller on the road
Face well pinched against the cold
Legs well oilskinned, back well packed
In sturdy boots and cosy cap
Reluctantly you move aside
To give-way seems to hurt your pride
Who are you?
Surprise, surprise you’re in the shop
An orphan onion that’s you’re lot
Back-pack unpacked to mine for money
Revealed a pot of heather honey
You nearly fainted at the price
Well it’s Colonsay, it’s twice as nice
Who are you?
For two long days you breathe sea air
Buy postcards, stamps, and ask the way to Oransay
Where time stands still
Day planned like a sergeant’s drill;
Footprints vanish in the sand
Trousers rolled up shoes in hand
You make the priory and no more
That’s history in half and hour
We meet again down at the pier
Waiting ‘till the ship appears
Rucksack crammed you’re quite unskilled
A passing traveller’s nearly killed
You climb the gangway, slip from view
Someone else we never knew
Who are you?
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5. |
Brightest Star
03:39
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I never thought you’d leave so soon
You took the warmth from summers bloom
Now I see you everywhere
The brightest stars don’t hide away
At night I close my eyes and dream for you
I stand here blessed I’ve watched you grow
You’ve so much more to learn, to know
So much love and so much time
To live your life, as I’ve lived mine
At night I close my eyes and dream of you
As you stumble hour by hour
With memories of your fairest flower
If I could split my joy in two
If I could pray, I’d pray with you
At night I close my eyes and dream with you
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6. |
The Hall In '59
05:12
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The Hall in ’59
They danced the Quadrille and the Lancers too
The men in suits with their polished shoes
The ladies shone in summer dresses, arm in arm and warm embraces
And Renee danced with Ella then
When girls were girls and men were men
The dancers swayed to the music played
In the hall in ‘59
Gentlemen’ take your partners for a Valeeta, to start the night
And Dougie jumps down from the stage
Finds a partner and makes his way to the dance floor
It’s now filling up
Anticipation, and some good luck
Maybe romance is in the air
For a handsome lad and his lady fair to
Chorus
Donald Oransay, get your pipes and play for an eightsome
You can take your time
We need two more couples for the bottom set
Dougie’s game, that’s still one to get
They twist and turn, their legs a blur
Jasper HOOCHS as he pa de bas
Keep playing Donald their no done yet
The backs of their shirts are soaked with sweat
Now! what to do, the chain, the wheel
Now! Swing your partner, now your done and
Donalds cheeks are rosie red
The dancers gasp their thanks and then they
Chorus
Ruaraidh Beag’s outside the door
He’s had a couple, three or four
The music spills out from the hall and
Ruaraidh jigs and swigs
Kelly’s jeep’s a handy bar
There’s no drink taken in the hall
It’s the last dance, everyone take the floor
But Ruaraidh stalls outside the door…..as they
chorus
***
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7. |
The Journey
04:20
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The Journey
I wake to the sound of the coal scuttle rattle
As my father sets the fire and lights the lamp
That casts it’s shadows and flickering light
And cracks a chink in the long dark night
I pull the blankets over my head
I don’t want to leave the snuggle of my bed
I’m just waiting for the morning
I slip out of bed down the creaky stair
There’s ice on the windows and I feel the heat from
The Raeburn in the kitchen
And it draws me in
And I dress in the heat
And the day begins
And I don’t want to move from the friendly heat
But the door opens wide and there’s rain and there’s sleet and I’m
Waiting for the morning
Then we’re out the door, the sky’s still black
The trailer’s on the tractor with a bale of hay
That’s a seat for the journey and
The engine coughs and catches
And it’s then we’re off
“The boat’s on time” my father says
And the drizzle falls and wets our hair
And the tractor growls and we’re nearly there
Just waiting for the morning
There’s a flame in the distance as we make our way
Down the jetty to the shed and Para’s there
The rain runs in rivers from his oilskin coat
As he shows us inside, with the creels and floats
And you feel his strength
And you lean on him like a rock
The engine idles as the ferry-boat swings
On her ropes, ready as the journey begins
And Donald’s grumpy, but Donald’s there
you’re never scared when Donald’s there
Waiting for the morning
The ferry-boat eases out from the pier
Hits the first wave and we’re soaked with spry
Someone squeals but we’re not scared
You’re never scared when Donald’s there
The ship looms huge in the shadow light
Then we’re in the lea, Para ties a rope
And the door opens up on the side of the ship
There’s hands that grab you as you tumble and trip
And scramble up the ladder with a helping hand
the journey’s over before it began
and we’re
Still waiting for the morning
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8. |
Lizzie Brown
03:38
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I had an afternoon to spare
On my own in Oban
I took a walk out of the town
Past the cathedral
I don’t think we’d arranged to meet
Take a walk, go down the street
I’m 40 years too late.
Then I see you standing there
The sunshine through you’re hair
The laughter in your eyes
I kissed you on the cheek
Your skin as smooth as ice
Breath as sweet as wine
I’ve not seen you at all
You’ve stayed forever young
I hear about you now and then
From a friend who knows a friend
Let’s meet up and have a meal
Catch up on 40 years
You’re a part of who I am
But I wouldn’t change a thing
Would we have made it anyway?
As the evening sun slips down
I start walking back to town
Look out over the bay
As the daylight slips away
And there’s a wee bit of my heart
Lies broken on the ground
And I remember Lizzie Brown
***
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9. |
Tractor
02:58
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ì
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10. |
Home Is Where The Dog Is
04:04
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