New Album Songbook

A Visit to Victor Hugo’s House on Guernsey

Something to Say

I So Don’t Care

Like Father Like Son

Give It Up

Body and Soul

Disillusioned

Different Ways

Soft Shoe Shuffle

Folk Song

Old Age Becomes Me

Mother Nature

The Filthy Rich

Song of the Sky

Just Sitting Here

Cats Don’t Like the Rain

A VISIT TO VICTOR HUGO’S HOUSE (On Guernsey)

This is a Piano Piece

an Instrumental

a Musical Impression

no words

dedicated to Victor Hugo.

If you get the chance – do go and see for yourself where he lived – and wrote – in exile. It’s open to the public – and like the home of a Rock Star.

Or, you could read some of his books:

“Les Miserables”

“The Hunchback of Notre Dame”

To name but two…

“If a writer wrote merely for his time, I would have to break my pen and throw it away,”  Victor Hugo.

 

SOMETHIN’ TO SAY

I dunno what anybody’s sayin’ anymore

Everybody’s talkin’ but I heard it all before

I’ve seen it in the Papers

and I’ve watched it on TV

Words are gonna beat the livin’ daylights outa me.

 

But there’s Somethin’ to be said

for havin’ Somethin’ to say

Each modest opinion and dogma has it’s day

Every quip, every quote, every witty anecdote

There’s Somethin’ to be said

for havin’ Somethin’ to say.

 

I’ve never understood why Truth

has such a price to pay

Sayin’ what you mean is not like

meanin’ what you say

Remember that the more you know

the less you understand

And every word you say is like

a footprint in the sand.

 

But there’s Somethin’ to be said

for havin’ Somethin’ to say

Each modest opinion and dogma has it’s day

Every Sentimental Verse,

every Compliment or Curse

There’s Somethin’ to be said

for havin’ Somethin’ to say.

 

So, come on Everybody!

Let the Working Classes…

and the Middle Classes…

and the Upper Classes…

and the Master Classes…

and any other kind of Classes…

let all the Classes…

Chatter…

Let their heads get fatter…

Their words won’t matter…

When the Treeeeeeeeeeee…

Falls…

The Monkeys scatter…

 

Well it looks like it’s all down to

the Survival of the Strong

Nothin’ is all Right, and Nothin’ is all Wrong

Remember when your dreams go down

the Universal Drain

The Best Things in Life are

the things you can’t explain.

 

And yet…

 

There’s Somethin’ to be said for havin’ Somethin’ to say

Each modest opinion and dogma has it’s day

Bitter-Sweet, Bad or Good,

Overstated, Understood

There’s Somethin’ to be said

for havin’ Somethin’ to say.

 

So why not go ahead and say it – anyway?

 

I SO DON’T CARE

Sociologists all agree

The unacceptable face

Of Positive Psychology

Is in the Corporate Workplace

 

Oh-oh, Mumbo Jumbo is Everywhere

Oh-oh, Belief Systems are in the air…

Oh-oh, and Blue-Sky Thinking

Is neither Here nor There

And you know, I so, don’t care.

I so don’t care.

 

Some Politicians say

The Government should do more

Others say it should do less

But none of them know for sure

 

Oh-oh, Total Bollocks is Everywhere

Oh-oh, Belief Systems are in the air…

Oh-oh, and Naming and Shaming

Is neither Here nor There

And you know, I so, don’t care.

I so don’t care.

I so don’t care.

 

I can still remember,

I can still recall,

Groping for the Truth

Up against a wall,

How I fell in love with Freedom

But when all is Said and Done

It’s a Far Cry from Anything

You can put your

Finger on…

 

Chocolate Biscuits are nibbly

Sometimes Coffee is hot

People are smelly and dribbly

But like to pretend they’re not

 

Oh-oh, Hypocrisy is Everywhere

Oh-oh, Belief Systems are in the air…

Oh-oh, and Google Spiders

are neither Here nor There

And you know, I so, don’t care.

I so don’t care.

I so don’t care.

 

I SO DON’T CARE.

 

LIKE FATHER LIKE SON.

I feel, what I feel,

You feel, what you feel.

I think, what I think,

You think, what you think.

We never thought of growing old

We never did as we were told.

 

So, let the Signs of the Zodiac

Tell us what’s going on

All we know is that we don’t know

Like Father, like Son.

 

I do, what I do,

You do, what you do.

I say, what I say,

You say, what you say.

We say whatever comes to Mind

We speak whatever Truth we find.

 

So, let the Signs of the Zodiac

Tell us what’s going on

All we know is that we don’t know

Like Father, like Son.

 

Some say we are the Stuff of Stars

But how on Earth can we be them?

Spinning around, as we do, on a ball…

The Stars are always there

Sometimes you just can’t see them

We are, Flesh and Blood, after all…

 

I know, what I know,

You know, what you know.

I see, what I see,

You see, what you see.

We see the World from where we stand

We build our Castles in the Sand.

 

So, let the Signs of the Zodiac

Tell us what’s going on

All we know is that we don’t know

Like Father, like Son.

 

So, let the Signs of the Zodiac

Tell us what’s to be done

All we know is that we don’t know

Like Father, like Son.

 

Like Father, like Son.

 

Like Father, like Son.

 

Like Father, like Son.

 

 

GIVE IT UP.

I hated my first cigarette,

I ask you, how dumb can you get?

I thought I was so nonchalant,

But now it’s the last thing I want…

 

I’m chewing my nails,

I’m having all kinds of Withdrawal Symptoms…

If only I’d never begun,

Why wasn’t I told when I was young?

 

Give it up, give it up,

Give it up, give it up.

 

I thought I was smart,

I thought I was grown-up and King of the Castle…

If only I’d never begun,

Why wasn’t I told when I was young?

 

Give it up, give it up,

Give it up, give it up.

 

Got to give it up and set my body free,

Got to give it up because this stuff is

Killing me,

Killing me…

 

I’m finding it hard,

This habit I’m kicking is struggling back…

The stupidest thing I’ve ever done,

Why wasn’t I told when I was young?

 

Give it up, give it up,

Give it up, give it up,

 

Give it up, give it up,

Give it up, give it up,

 

Give it up, give it up,

Easier said than done

Give it up, give it up,

Kicking a habit ain’t fun…

 

I hated my first cigarette,

I ask you, how dumb can you get?

I thought I was so nonchalant,

But now it’s the last thing I want…

 

 

BODY AND SOUL.

Last night as I lay sleepless on my bed,

I was aware of Voices in my Head,

I heard ma Body talkin’ to ma Soul,

An’ I began to feel, ma blood run cold…

 

Ma Soul said, “I must soon be on ma way.”

“Farewell old friend,” I heard ma Body say,

“It’s bin good to know ya all these years…”

An’ I could tell their eyes were close to tears.

 

My Body said, “Ma Time is almost done.”

Ma Soul said, “That’s when I’ll be up and gone.”

“Where will you go? Is there another side?”

“Nobody knows for sure,” ma Soul replied.

 

Alone in Darkness, I lay wide awake.

I was a worried man, make no mistake.

Which one of Me would be the first to go?

Which one of Me would be the last to know?

 

No one is ever truly in control.

No Body ever satisfied a Soul.

“You know I’d take ya with me, if I could?”

Ma Body hugged ma Soul, and understood.

 

 

DISILLUSIONED.

Truth – is Illusion,

Ideas in the Mind,

Jumping to conclusions

Seeing, is Believing,

Ideas in the Mind

Can be so deceiving

As Time, goes by

And the Seasons change I cry;

 

I’m Disillusioned, Disillusioned,

My eyes no longer pay tricks on me.

I’m Disillusioned, Disillusioned,

And the more I look the less I see.

 

When I was a little boy

My eyes were open wide

Sometimes I was enchanted

Other times just mystified

But now those days are gone

It’s worth remembering

In the Land of the Blind

The one-eyed man is King

He leads the Dance

“Honi soit qui mal y pense”

 

I’m Disillusioned, Disillusioned,

My eyes no longer pay tricks on me.

I’m Disillusioned, Disillusioned,

And the more I look the less I see.

 

Right now, the more I look

The less I wanna see,

And the Truth is all

That it appears to be.

 

If sheep and crows can share a field

With all the worms beneath

Then surely there’s no need

For sewing Dragon’s Teeth?

The Neo-Right, the Neo-Left

The Neo-In-Between

The Neo-Happy-Clappy

With their Neo-Tambourines

May seize the day

But the Truth won’t go away.

 

I’m Disillusioned, Disillusioned,

My eyes no longer pay tricks on me.

I’m Disillusioned, Disillusioned,

And the more I look the less I see.

 

Right now, the more I look

The less I wanna see,

And the Truth is all

That it appears to be.

 

Oh yeah, the more I look

The less I wanna see,

And the Truth is all

That it appears to be.

 

The Truth is all

That it appears to be.

 

 

DIFFERENT WAYS.

” Whatever is in your mind they call:

“Psychological”

But what about Love?

Don’t say it’s just all

“Biological”

I don’t know what to think

Throw in the Kitchen Sink

I’m losing my mind because of You

You and your Different Ways

Are part of these desperate days

What is it that makes me so crazy

For you? For you…

And your Different Ways

Your Different Ways…

 

There’s got to be something deep inside

People never share

Maybe we’ve all got something to hide

Yeah, like how much we care?

Life’s University

Has no Diversity

It’s all about Me and not about You!

You and your Different Ways

Are part of these desperate days

What is it that makes me so crazy

For you? For you…

And your Different Ways

Your Different Ways…

 

” Whatever is in your mind they call:

“Psychological”

But what about Love?

Don’t say it’s just all

“Biological”

Maybe Humanity

Has never known Sanity

You and your Different Ways

Are part of these desperate days

What is it that makes me so crazy

For you? For you…

And your Different Ways

Your Different Ways…

 

Yes, you and your Different Ways

Are part of these desperate days

What is it that makes me so crazy

For you? For you…

And your Different Ways

Your Different Ways…

 

Different Ways…

 

Different Ways…

 

Different Ways…

 

 

SOFT SHOE SHUFFLE.

“Confrontation” is not my style

When it comes to expressing a Point of View

Oh, I freely admit I’d rather run a mile

Than talk to a man, who’s gotta do

What a man’s gotta do. Because…

 

A man can Think and a man can Feel

But when one man’s “Fake” is another man’s “Real”

One man’s “Right” is another man’s “Wrong”

And when Push comes to Shove I go into ma Song

 

And Dance…

 

With ma Soft Shoe Shuffle and ma Jazz Hands

With ma Eyes an’ Teeth like a Happy Guy

I can slip ma way across the Badlands

“So long,” (Big Smile), “Bye-bye.”

 

Now, sometimes a man is born to be wild

An’ sometimes a man is Nobody’s Child

Huffin’ his Puff, all Tattooed an’ Big,

Draggin’ his knuckles an’ showin’ his Ig-

 

-norance… (Oh look out!)

 

With ma Soft Shoe Shuffle and ma Jazz Hands

With ma Eyes an’ Teeth like a Happy Guy

I can skip ma way across the Badlands

“So long,” (Big Smile), “Bye-bye.”

 

Men can be Heroes, men can be Jerks,

Men can pretend that Democracy works

But from Six Feet Under? Pushin’ up Daisies?

You won’t find me talkin’ Sane to Crazy

No chance!

 

With ma Soft Shoe Shuffle and ma Jazz Hands

With ma Eyes an’ Teeth like a Happy Guy

I can dance ma way across the Badlands

“So long,” (Big Smile), “Bye-bye.”

 

With ma Soft Shoe Shuffle and ma Jazz Hands

With ma Eyes an’ Teeth like a Happy Guy

I can dance ma way across the Badlands

“So long,” (Big Smile), “Bye-bye.”

 

FOLK SONG.

Said the Broth of a Boy to a Slip of a Girl

You are the Flowers, the Forest

and the Birds that sing

But how can I ask you to marry me?

When I have no Gold

For a Wedding Ring?

And she said:

 

Though you say all God’s gifts are in me

I cannot give myself to you

Your words of love bring me no comfort

Said the Slip of a Girl to the Broth of a Boy

 

And she turned her head away

And made no sound

As the Stars shone down

All the Stars shone down

On the Slip of a Girl

And the Broth of a Boy

 

Said the Broth of a Boy to a Slip of a Girl

You are the Flowers, the Forest

and the Birds that sing

I will sail the Seven Seas

And seek my Fortune

When I return I’ll give you Everything…

 

And she said:

Though you say all God’s gifts are in me…

I cannot give myself to you

Your words of love bring me no comfort

Said the Slip of a Girl to the Broth of a Boy

 

Once more she turned away

And made no sound

As the Stars shone down

All the Stars shone down

On the Slip of a Girl

And the Broth of a Boy

 

Said the Broth of a Boy to the Slip of a Girl

Though you say you cannot be my Wife

You are still the Flowers, the Forest

And the Birds that Sing

And I will Love no other

For the rest of my Life

And she said:

 

Though you say all God’s gifts are in me

Now I can give myself to you

Love has no need for Gold nor Silver

Said the Slip of a Girl to the Broth of a Boy

 

And as he took her hand

All the Stars shone down

All the Stars shone down

All the Stars shone down

On the Slip of a Girl

And the Broth of a Boy

On the Slip of a Girl

And the Broth of a Boy.

 

OLD AGE BECOMES ME.

I used to think I could think things through

Now any notion I fancy will do

My Lifetime’s False is divided by True

Old Age becomes me…

 

So many memories to recall

Good Times, Bad Times, Big and Small

Now like New England, after the Fall

Old Age becomes me…

 

The Sycamores and Willows

Stand tall down by the stream

My blanket is a Jacaranda Blue

Among my extra pillows

I still know how to dream

Someday I’m gonna runaway with you…

 

I know Life is much more than

My limited attention span

Now all I do is – all I can

Old Age becomes me…

 

Across the Universe is

Where all of us must go

Sooner or later, by and by

But what is far, far worse is

All those People in the Know

Who claim they can explain the Reasons Why…

 

I’ve had my fill of all the Ballyhoo

Enough of Soft Shoe Shufflers too

And as for the Young and Beautiful…

Well, you know what they can do!

 

Old Age becomes me…

 

MOTHER NATURE.

Little Children, hard at Play

Share your Laughter, while you may

All too soon there will come a day

Mother Nature will have her say…

 

Mother Nature is the Law

Giving Less and taking More

As you grow Older just because

Of Mother Nature and what she does.

 

Little Children, while you grow

There are things you will never know

Stars above you could be below

So, take care now, mind how you go…

 

Mother Nature is the Law

Giving Less and taking More

As you grow Older just because

Of Mother Nature and what she does.

 

Little Children, not so fast!

Take your Time now and make it last

Don’t be sorry or downcast

When your Future becomes your Past…

 

Mother Nature is the Law

Giving Less and taking More

As you grow Older just because

Of Mother Nature and what she does.

 

Yes, Mother Nature is the Law

Giving Less and taking More

As you grow Older just because

Of Mother Nature and what she does.

 

THE FILTHY RICH.

It’s the same old Chicken

And the same old Egg

The Bankers bank

And the Beggars beg

While History

Repeats itself

And Dreamers dream

Of a Commonwealth

And Thinkers think

Of a How and Why

Among the What

And Where and When

A Who is Who

Of Nobody goes by

 

The Filthy Rich

Don’t have a lot

In common with

The Dirt Poor

What are they good for?

The Filthy Rich

Don’t have a clue

Why people like

The Dirt Poor

Do what they do…

 

On their Hands and Knees

Come Rain or Shine

Heaven only knows

What they hope to find…

 

As they dig their Dirt Poor Fingers

Into Heaps of Stinking Waste

The Misery of Opulence

Is equal to the Squalor of Good Taste…

 

In our Heart of Hearts

And our Monkey Brains

We know this Status Quo

Cannot be maintained

Without the Jealousy and Greed

Every one of us seems to need

Without the Selfishness and Hate

That we all find so innate

It’s the Same Old Story

No one understands

So, remember Whoever you are

Whatever you do please don’t forget

To wash your hands…

 

SONG OF THE SKY.

Ash to ash and dust to dust

The World has been around

Four Thousand Million years

When all the Guns and Tanks

Have turned to rust

Then People will no longer live in Fear

 

They’ll live as one

Under the Sun

They’ll sing the Song

Of the Sky…

 

I am the Light of a New Day

They call me Tomorrow

I see the Shadows of Night

Skip away from me

I touch the eyes of the World

With a Hope for the Future

I am the Spirit of Life

In all Humanity

 

I ask the Question

For what it is worth

“Is there Intelligent Life on this Earth?”

The bigger the People

The harder they fall

Ain’t it a shame that the Brain is so very small…

 

People come and People go

And Life on Earth goes on

As Once Upon A Time…

When People learn to share

The things they know

Then there will be no need for Punishment or Crime

 

They’ll live as one

Under the Sun

They’ll sing the Song

Of the Sky…

 

I am the Light of a New Day

They call me Tomorrow

I see the Shadows of Night

Skip away from me

I touch the eyes of the World

With a Hope for the Future

I am the Spirit of Life

In all Humanity

 

I see the Children

With so much to learn

I see the People with Money to burn

I see the People

With nothing at all

Ain’t it a shame that the Brain is so very small…

 

I am the Light of a New Day

They call me Tomorrow

I see the Shadows of Night

Skip away from me

I touch the eyes of the World

With a Hope for the Future

I am the Spirit of Life

In all Humanity

 

JUST SITTING HERE…

I don’t mind just sitting here

All by myself…

 

By myself is all I need

For now…

 

All I need to know

Is in my Memory…

 

All I need to understand

Is how…

 

Can anyone feel so alone

They don’t know what to think?

If I knew, I’d tell you

In a heartbeat, in a blink

 

So, here am I and

Where are you?

And what if I

Should say to you

My heart would break

If ever you

Should leave me?

 

Just sitting here

 

All by myself

 

Just sitting here…

 

CATS DON’T LIKE THE RAIN.

Raindrops pitter patter

Runnin’ down your window

Heaven knows it’s oh so cold outside…

 

How could I ever think

Of walkin’ out that door?

As if I didn’t need your love – anymore.

 

Up above the clouds

The Sun is shining

Or so they say you know I’m really not that sure…

 

How could I ever think

Of walkin’ out that door?

As if I didn’t need your love – anymore.

 

Well I know, sometimes, I’ve treated you so badly…

And I’m sorry, if I caused you any pain…

But you know me by now, that’s how I love you…

Just as True, as you know cats don’t like the rain…

 

Listen to the four winds blow

I know you think I’m sleepin’

I love the way you touch me, tenderly…

 

How could I ever think

Of walkin’ out that door?

As if I didn’t need your love – anymore…

 

Don’t misunderstand me

How can I explain?

Just remember, cats don’t like the rain.

 

Just remember, cats don’t like the rain.