SONGWRITER

1.  Lord of the River
The idea for this song came from reading two inspirational books : Waterlog by Roger Deakin &
Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Graham.

1.     Lord of the river,  You’re in there somewhere,   You are the waters at play
I need to feel you,  I need to touch you,   Feel all my cares wash away
Fish dart away with a ripple or twenty,   Damsel flies hover and play
And the water rat goes sculling gently by

2.      When I am near you, I am part of you,   I feel the spray on my face
I am at peace; I feel I’m in heaven,   This is a wonderful place
May I intrude and be part of your waters,   Rippling over the stones
And the water rat goes sculling gently by

3.      Do not be late; be there in good time,   And you’ll hear the Piper play
It doesn’t matter how long you linger,   Everything celebrates Day
Worshipping wildlife all come together for the Piper at the gates of dawn
And the water rat goes sculling gently by

4.      When I swim through your pools and the sunlight reflects on the reeds at the edge of the stream
The heron stands guard over our congregation,   It could be a scene from a dream
And just like a choir, the songbirds sing an anthem to greet the day
And the water rat goes sculling gently by

2.  Knight School
What if the Knights of the Round Table had had to go through the same educational routine as we do today ?
Inspired by a headline in the Birmingham edition of the WHAT'S ON ? magazine.

1.      In a land that had no liberty   You fought for Christianity
Those stories handed down to me from generations past
Tell me, tell me, is it true ?   That you rode through a land that we never knew
Where the skies above were always blue ?   Oh, tell me it was true ?

2.      So did you really go to school ?  I’m sure you take me for a fool
But Knight Class would have been so cool and I’d love to have been there
You rode to battle unafraid,   The Holy Land you did invade
For your work experience on crusade.   Oh, tell me it was true ?

 3.      And when you got your Knight's degree   With honours gained in chivalry
You worked for “Arthur plc”, with famous Lancelot
A company with high ideals,  Disputes resolved with swords of steel,
But today it all seems so unreal.   Oh, tell me it was true ?

 4.      You rescued maidens in distress   Including one distraught princess
Each sally, a complete success,   Each one with golden hair
And were you paid by dragons slain ?   Or was it cases of champagne ?
Or by maidens on your counterpane ?   Oh, tell me it was true ?

 3.  No-One There
My daughter says this is about trail-blazers, but the implication is that your back-up plans are never good enough.  If you get into difficulties in this life, you're on your own !  Verse 5 turns this into a protest song !

1.      Do you remember 1912, Titanic put to sea
Carrying the hopes and dreams of everyone like you and me
They sailed into that iceberg,  they hit it fair and square
They were out in front, carrying the flag;   They looked round, there was no-one there.

 2.      Well the year was 1924, two men were climbing high
Mallory and Irving on their journey to the sky
Did they stand upon the summit ?Did the blizzard tear their hair ?
They were out in front, carrying the flag;  They looked round, there was no-one there.

 3.      In the dark of 1942 they came to France by night
Falling into danger from the frail Lysander flight
Did they know what they were doingAs they drifted through the air ?
They were out in front, carrying the flag;  They looked round, there was no-one there.

 4.      Now its January ‘67, Bluebird’s on the lake
Campbell’s driving faster; the record’s his to take
Did he hit some floating branches as the boat spun in the air ?
He was out in front, carrying the flag;  He looked round, there was no-one there.

 5.      Fast forward to the present to see that things don’t change
People, places, faces, and names to re-arrange
Our troops are always out there,  Does the government really care ?
They‘ll be out in front, carrying the flag;  They’ll look round, there’ll be no-one there.

 4.  Another Sunrise
Inspired by a colleague and friend of some 25 years who retired at the same time as I did, only to fall seriously ill almost straight away.  But, fortunately, there was a happy ending, thanks to the care and attention of the NHS, to whom we all owe so much, and which is now being dismantled, piece by piece, by the present Tory government.

1.      Another sunrise paints itself across the morning
She leaves the building, having sat with him all night
She almost lost him, A & E his saving graces
Her tears are drying as she walks into the light       

Ref.  She never realised how much she loved him,   Till he was about to leave her side
Never thought about what her life would be like,   If he wasn’t there each morning to provide

 2.      She woke at three, when he was taken oh so badly
She dialled the number, 999 alright
The paramedics, they were there it seemed like lightning
She travelled with him as they sped into the night

 3.      He’s out of danger; she didn’t think he’d make it this far
Nurses and the doctors worked on him all night
He couldn’t breathe and his lungs filled up with water
She risks a little smile and walks into the light

Ref.  She never realised how much she loved him,   Till he was about to leave her side
Never thought about what her life would be like,   If he wasn’t there each morning to provide

4.      A full recovery’s going to take him all his time
She can’t believe it, that he’s going to be alright
The worst is over, now he’s in the best of places
Her heart is racing as she walks into the light

 5.      We never realise what we’ve got until we lose it
They’ve been together now so many days and nights
It made her stop, she hadn’t thought about the future
The car is waiting as she walks into the light

 Ref.  She never realised how much she loved him,   Till he was about to leave her side
Never thought about what her life would be like,   If he wasn’t there each morning to provide

Out.   Another sunrise paints itself across the morning
She leaves the building, having sat with him all night
She almost lost him, A & E his saving graces
Her tears are drying as she walks into the light.
Her tears are drying as she walks into the light