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
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.
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?
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.
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.
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…
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.
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.
” 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…
“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.”
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.
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…
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.
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…
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
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…
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.
