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Jethro Tull: Living in the Past

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: Chrysalis Records
Released: 1972.07.11
Time:
 74:35
Category: Progressive Rock
Producer(s): See Artists ...
Rating:
Media type: CD
Web address: www.j-tull.com
Appears with: Ian Anderson, Martin Barre
Purchase date: 2000.09.09
Price in €: 9,99





 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1] Song For Jeffrey (I.Anderson) - 3:24
[2] Love Story (I.Anderson) - 3:07
[3] Christmas Song (I.Anderson) - 3:09
[4] Living In The Past (I.Anderson) - 3:23
[5] Driving Song (I.Anderson) - 2:44
[6] Bourée (J.S.Bach, arr. by I.Anderson) - 3:47
[7] Sweet Dream (I.Anderson) - 4:06
[8] Singing All Day (I.Anderson) - 3:07
[9] Teacher (I.Anderson) - 3:59
[10] Witches Promise (I.Anderson) - 3:49
[11] Inside (I.Anderson) - 3:45
[12] Alive And Well And Living In (I.Anderson) - 2:48
[13] Just Trying To Be (I.Anderson) - 1:36
[14] By Kind Permission Of (J.Evan) - 10:10
[15] Dharma For One (I.Anderson/C.Bunker) - 9:58
[16] Wond'ring Again (I.Anderson) - 4:16
[17] Hymn 43 (I.Anderson) - 3:19
[18] Life Is A Long Song (I.Anderson) - 3:22
[19] Up The Pool (I.Anderson) - 3:15
[20] Dr. Bogenbroom (I.Anderson) - 3:01
[21] For Later (I.Anderson) - 2:08
[22] Nursie (I.Anderson) - 1:36

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


IAN ANDERSON - Lead vocal on [1]-[5],[8]-[13],[15]-[20],[22] Flute on [1]-[8],[10]-[12],[14]-[21], Harmonica on [1], Mandolin on [2]-[3], Tin Whistle on [3], 12-string Guitar on [7], Balalaika on [8], Hammond Organ on [8], Acoustic Guitar on [13],[16],[18]-[20],[22] Violin on [19], Producer on [1]-[22]
MICK ABRAHAMS - Electric Guitar on [1]-[2], Producer on [1]-[3]
CLIVE BUNKER - Drums on [1]-[17], Percussions on [2],[4],[15], Background Vocals on [15], Producer on [1]-[3], Glockenspiel on [16]
GLENN CORNICK - Bass Guitar on [1]-[16], Hammond Organ on [8], Producer on [1]-[3]
MARTIN BARRE - Electric Guitar on [4]-[21] Acoustic Guitar on [10], Percussion on [15], Background Vocals on [15]
JOHN EVAN - Hammond Organ on [9],[15],[19],[21] Piano on [10],[12],[14],[16]-[18],[20],[21] Mellotron on [10], Celeste on [13], Background Vocals, Harpischord on [20]
JEFFREY HAMMOND-HAMMOND - Bass Guitar on [17]-[21]
BARRIEMORE BARLOW - Drums on [18]-[21], Percussion on [21]

DAVID PALMER - String Arrangement on [3],[7], Conductor on [7], Engineer on [14],[15]
LOU TOBY - Conductor, String arrangement on [4]
on [15]

TERRY ELLIS - Executive Producer, Producer on [1]-[11],[17]
VICTOR GAMM - Engineer on [1],[18]-[22]
ANDY JOHNS - Engineer on [2]-[3],[6]-[11]
ROBIN BLACK - Engineer on [12],[13],[16]
KIM KING - Engineer on [14],[15]
JOHN BURNS - Engineer on [17]
JOHN WOOD - Engineer on [18],[20],[21]
CCS - Album Design, Artworkŝ

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


1972 LP Chrysalis MS-2106
1990 CD RUSH 52612

Track [1] recorded: July 1968, at Sound Techniques, London, England
Tracks [2],[3] recorded: November 1968, at Morgan Studio, London, England
Track [4] recorded: February 1969, at Vantone Studio, West Orange, NJ
Track [5] recorded: March 1969, at Western Recorders, Los Angeles, CA
Track [6] recorded: April 1969, at Morgan Studio, London, England
Tracks [7],[8] recorded: September 1969, at Morgan Studio, London, England
Tracks [9],[10] recorded: December 1969, at Morgan Studio, London, England
Tracks [11],[12] recorded: January 1970, at Morgan Studio, London, England
Track [13] recorded: June 1970, at Morgan Studio, London, England
Tracks [14],[15] recorded Live: November 4, 1970 at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY
Track [16] recorded: June 1970, at Morgan Studio, London, England
Track [17] recorded: December 1970, at Island Studio, London, England
Tracks [18]-[22] recorded: May 1971, at Sound Techniques, London, England



Released July ’72 in the UK, Oct. ’72 in the US – just 6 months after ‘Thick As A Brick’. The first two sides of this compilation were filled with near – hits and flipsides previously unreleased on albums, while the third side was taken from a live recording made at Carnegie Hall during the ‘Benefit’ tour on Nov. 4th,’70. Side four was mainly filled with songs recorded just before ‘Aqualung’ was released. The US release peaked at No.3. A slightly different song line-up was used for the two-sided British version of the album that charted at No.8. That version omitted the third and fourth sides of this compilation.

J-Tull.com



An unconventional best-of collection at the time of its 1972 release, Living in the Past existed to gain a greater foothold in America for Jethro Tull following the breakthrough success of Aqualung. And it did, by offering a little something for everyone. There are a number of songs that became FM radio staples, ranging from the heavy rock of "Teacher" and "Hymn 43" to lighter fare, such as the title tune. A pair of jam-heavy selections, "By Kind Permission Of" and "Dharma for One" (featuring the era's requisite in-concert drum solo), were recorded live at Carnegie Hall. Overall, Living in the Past does an excellent job of revealing Tull's achievements and limitations, its ambitions as well as its pretensions.

Daniel Durchholz - Amazon.com essential recording



Who/what is (a) Jethro Tull? Like a pollster in an asylum, you'll probably get every conceivable answer, since Ian Anderson has yet to put the same cast of characters on two successive LPs. Although Living in the Past is no more than a hodgepodge of old English-only singles, EP sides, album tracks and a couple of live cuts, it answers the question fairly well, effectively telling the story of a band that's had as many faces and sounds as Medusa had snakes.

When Anderson, Mick Abrahams, Glenn Cornick and Clive Bunker formed Jethro Tull in 1968, they were an extremely crude outfit that occasionally came on like an amplified Salvation Army band. This Was, though an uneven first release, was lit by frequent flashes of brilliance from Abrahams' guitar and Bunker's drums. "A Song for Jeffrey" and "Love Story" represent that segment of Tull's past here, and leave little doubt why the band was once the darling of the American underground. But though their combination of earthy, Muddy Waters-ish street blues and psychedelic pyrotechnics was the order of the day in the immediate post-Cream period, it didn't sit well with purist Abrahams; when the issue of musical direction finally came to a head, he was soon on his way to forming Blodwyn Pig.

The addition of Martin Lancelot Barre plunged Tull deep into heavy rockdom, but hardly into the pit of directionless plodding inhabited by wah-wah wonders who shall remain nameless. Tull's songs became logically constructed, the playing was remarkably tight, and the lyrics were far more than words between jam sessions. They may have relied heavily on repeated riffs, but they were intricate, groin-rattling licks. The magnificent Stand Up was recorded with this Tull alignment, as were numbers like "Driving Song" and "Singing All Day." The latter showcased the band's mellow side—not the contrived introspectiveness of an "I'm Your Captain," but a touching expression of life's inner joys and sorrows.

But Anderson, ever the perfectionist, felt the band's alignment was too restrictive, preventing the flute and guitar from exploring their outermost capabilities. So enter an old school chum, John Evan, for the Benefit sessions, which worked out so well that Tull No. 3 soon became a reality with his permanent addition. His rollicking piano and calliope-like organ fit in perfectly, allowing the band far more experimentation and versatility than ever before. Tull switched from soft, swaying ballads like "Just Trying to Be" and "Wond'ring Again" to hard rockers like "Teacher" with an ease that defies imagination.

Living in the Past's two live cuts further demonstrate Tull No. 3's complexity and power. Evan showcases his virtuosity on "By Kind Permission Of," weaving in and out of various classical, blues and neo-jazz themes, paced ever so gently by Anderson's haunting flute. "Dharma For One" may be slightly restructured (" ... which means it's a wee bit louder"), but it rocks out even more raucously than the original. Frequently Anderson and Barre fly off on separate, simultaneous sorties, using the thumping, pounding backing of their fellows as an explosive launching pad. Was it any wonder why these guys were voted "most promising new talent" in a 1970 musician's poll?

But for all its potential, the band was in deep trouble, a schism rapidly forming within its ranks. Bunker and Cornick wanted to stick with solid riff-rock, while Evan and Anderson were dead set on a lighter, airier, less substantial sound. Cornick was the first to go, being replaced by another Anderson crony, Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond. The change affected Tull's sound drastically; Aqualung's release saw the band's spirit and drive replaced by plodding efficiency and ho-hum competence. For many the album was a bitter disappointment: though it was Tull's first gold LP, it was frequently filed away after only a few listenings.

Bunker's replacement by Barriemore Barlow completed Anderson's coup—he had handpicked his own group of sidemen, proficient but hardly a threat to his control over material. Their output (an EP and the epic Thick as a Brick) has been little more than amplified folkiedom and moralistic pop-rock—a pale shadow of their earlier work. Where once was a powerful English rock band appeared a pseudo-Socratic troubadour with an eclectic band of thespian yesmen.

While it's an admittedly personal preference, I'd much rather have a dynamic "Back to the Family" than a piece of heinous schlock like "Up The 'Pool" or a work as emotionally vapid as Thick as a Brick. In his haste to avoid tuneless heaviness, Anderson seems to have forgotten that a little amplified talent was never a crime. Tull once had the talent; this new bunch I'm not so sure about. It sure hurts to lose an old friend, and if Tull doesn't get back on the right track soon, there's gonna be a lot more disappointed folks living in the past.

GORDON FLETCHER - RS 128
© Copyright 2001 RollingStone.com



Listen to this 20-song collection, put together to capitalize on the explosive growth in the group's audience after Aqualung, and it is easy to understand just how fine a group Jethro Tull was in the early '70s. Most of the songs, apart from a few heavily played album tracks ("Song for Jeffrey" etc.) and a pair of live tracks from a 1970 Carnegie Hall show, came off of singles and EPs that, apart from the title song, were scarcely known in America, and it's all so solid that it needs no apology or explanation. Not only was Ian Anderson writing solid songs every time out, but the group's rhythm section was about the best in progressive rock's pop division. Along with any of the group's first five albums, this collection is seminal and essential to any Tull collection, and the only compilation by the group that is a must-own disc.

Bruce Eder - All Music Guide



Living In The Past ist das denkbar passendste Etikett für die britischen Rock-Mannen um den oft scheinbar schier atemlos trillernden Flötisten und Minne-Sänger Ian Anderson: Ihren Namen entlehnten sie vorgeblich vom Schreiber eines jahrhundertealten Buchs über das Beschlagen von Pferden, auf der Bühne bevorzugten sie in den Anfängen altertümliche Klamotten von anno dunnemals und speisten früher deutlich stärker als heute ihren Folk-Rock-Sound gern aus höfisch anmutenden, folkloristischen oder auch mal klassischen Quellen. So gelang den progressiven Rockern das Kunststück, neben einem klaren, skurrilen Image einen absolut unverwechselbaren Sound zu kreieren. Als 1972 die Best-Of-Kollektion Living In The Past erschien, zählten Jethro Tull nach Album-Rennern wie Stand Up, Aqualung und Thick As A Brick zu den Top-Stars im Rock-Zirkus. Also schien die Zeit reif für eine erste Zwischenbilanz, die deutlich substantieller ausfiel als spätere. Kombiniert aus Album-Tracks und einigen Live-Titeln, vermittelte Living In The Past das Beste aus beiden Tull-Welten: ihre feinfühligere Studioseite und die rockigen Bühnen-Derwische. Das Titelstück, "A Song For Jeffrey", das kammermusikalische Instrumental "Bourée", "Witches Promise" oder "Locomotive Breath", bis heute ein Radio-Favorit, sind charaktervolle Tull-Visitenkarten geblieben, die Top-Wahl für alle, die auf frühe Einzelalben verzichten wollen.

Claus Böhm - Amazon.de



(2 CDs; 42:55, 45:35 ) Mit "Song For Jeffrey" eröffnete Flöten-Derwisch Ian Anderson jüngst seine gloriosen "Best Of Jethro Tull"-Konzerte. Derselbe Song stand 1972 am Anfang der ersten Tull-Compilation, die ein Fest für Gefolgsleute der Band ist: mit begehrten Singles ("Witch's Promise", "Sweet Dream"), Album-Highlights und Live-)Raritäten. Die MFSL-Doppel-Gold-CD hat gegenüber der Midprice-Einzel-CD vier Titel mehr (darunter "Sourée"), ein üppiges Booklet und klingt voller und griffiger. ** M: 7-9 ** K: 6-7

© Stereoplay



Hätten Jethro Tull sich 1972 aufgelöst, es wäre zu dem Zeitpunkt eines kreativen wie kommerziellen und jungen Höhepunktes gewesen. Die Alben unterschieden sich sehr zu dieser Zeit, Aqualung war der große Durchbruch, der den Flörensound (fast) jedermann bekannt machte.Hätten Jethro Tull sich 1972 aufgelöst, es wäre zu dem Zeitpunkt eines kreativen wie kommerziellen und jungen Höhepunktes gewesen. Die Alben unterschieden sich sehr zu dieser Zeit, Aqualung war der große Durchbruch, der den Flörensound (fast) jedermann bekannt machte.

"Thick" as A Brick" war eine gelungene Überraschung nach dem etwas popigen Vorläufer, für manche das beste Werk der Gruppe mit dem Methusalem-Image. Getragener, sensitiver Sound, der aus einem einzigen Track von 50 Minuten bestand. Jethro Tull war zu dieser Zeit der neue Geheimtip für die Progressiv-Hörer, die allerdings trotz Anerkennung in der Elite auch Millionen Platten verkauften.

Dieses Doppelalbum kam zu jener Zeit heraus und war wieder eine Überraschung, es zementierte das mittelalterliche alte Gruppenimage auf schlichte Weise. Obwohl schon einige bekannte Songs von 1969 - 71 dabeiwaren kann man es als neues Werk ansehen, da die meisten Lieder unveröffentlicht waren oder ganz anders als bisher bekannt.

Der Ton der kürzeren Tracks ist eher ruhig, es dominiert oft die Akustikgitarre und Flöte, manchmal verziert mit Rock-Riffs (Teacher, Sweet Dream).

Toll und gelungen waren auch die beiden letzten, sehr langen Tracks, Livemitschnitte aus der Carnegie-Hall, originelle lange Klavierpassagen (By Kind ...), eine progressive Neubearbeitung von "Daharma for one" wieder mit langen Instrumentalsoli. Diese Musik hätte ich gerne einmal Live gehört. Leider war die Bereitschaft der Gruppe, so etwas zu präsentieren später weniger vorhanden.

Anspieltips: "Living in the past", "Witches promise" "Christmas Song", "Life is a long Song", "Wondring again", die sehr ruhig und melodiös sind, und zum Teil auch als Radiosingles erfolgreich waren. Leider fehlen die Songs "Teacher" und "Bourée" von Bach. Die LP hatte übrigens eine schlichte lederartige Außencovergestaltung, die an das Mittelalter denken läßt. Innen war ein Booklet mit vielen Farbfotos der Anfangsjahre.

Alfred Neumann
 

 L y r i c s


A Song For Jeffrey

Gotta go away tomorrow.
Gotta get away, my god.
I'd take you along with me,
But I could not go so far.

Don't see what I do not want to see.
Don't hear what I don't think.
Won't be what I don't want to be.
Continue in my way.

Oh, ceased to see where I'm going.
I've ceased to see where I'm going.
I've ceased to see where I'm going to.
I don't want to.

Every day I see the morning
Come on in the same old way.
I tell myself tomorrow brings me
Things I would not dream today.

Gotta go away tomorrow.
Gotta get away, my god.
I'd take you along with me,
But I could not go so far.

Don't see what I do not want to see.
Don't hear what I don't think.
Won't be what I don't want to be.
Continue in my way.

Oh, ceased to see where I'm going.
I've ceased to see where I'm going.
I've ceased to see where I'm going to.
I don't want to.


Love Story

Going back in the morning time to see if my love has changed her mind, yeah.
Going back in the morning time to see if my love has changed her mind, yeah.
I know what I will find: That she is wasting time.
She could be picking roses.

Going back in the morning time to see if my love has seen the light, yeah.
Going back in the morning time to see if my love has seen the light, yeah.
Oh, I told her last night she should improve her sight.
She could be painting the roof.

Going back in the morning time to see if my love has come around, yeah.
Going back in the morning time to see if my love has come around, yeah.
She offered me no sign. Her head is in the ground.
She could be calling for winter.


Christmas Song

Once in a royal David's city
Stood a lonely cattle shed
Where a mother held her baby.
You'd do well to remember the things he later said.

When you're stuffing yourselves at the Christmas parties
You'll just laugh when I tell you to take a running jump.
You're missing the point I'm sure does not need making:
The Christmas spirit is not what you drink.

So how can you laugh when your own mother's hungry,
And how can you smile when the reasons for smiling are wrong?
And if I've just messed up your thoughtless pleasures
Remember, if you wish, this is just a Christmas song.

(Hey! Santa! Pass us that bottle, will you?)


Living In The Past

Happy, and I'm smiling, walk a mile to drink your water.
You know I'd love to love you, and above you there's no other
We'll go walking out while others shout of war's disaster.
Oh, be forgiving, let's go living in the past.

Once I'd used to join in every boy and girl was my friend.
Now there's revolution but they don't know what they're fighting.
Let us close out eyes. Outside their lives go on much faster
Oh, be forgiving, we'll keep living in the past.

Oh, be forgiving, let's go living in the past.
Oh, no, no, be forgiving, let's go living in the past.


Driving Song

Will they ever stop driving me?
Have they ever taken time to see
That I need some rest if I'm to do my best?

Can I please stop working so hard?
They just tell me, "Gotta [push 'em hard?]."
Got to think of my health. Can I be by myself?

Oh they tell me I'll be home someday.
When I doubt it, I can [???].
But this hard life I've led is makin' me dead.


Sweet Dream

You'll hear me calling in your sweet dream.
Can't hear your daddy's warning cry.
You're going back to be all the things you want to be
While in sweet dreams you softly sigh.
You'll hear my voice is calling to be mine again.
Live the rest of your life in a day.

Get out and get what you can
While your mommy's at home a-sleeping.
No time to understand,
'Cause they lost what they thought they were keeping.

No one can see us in your sweet dream.
Don't hear you leave to start the car.
All wrapped up tightly in the coat you borrowed from me.
Your place of resting is not far.
You'll hear my voices calling to be mine again.
Live the rest of your life in a day.

Get out and get what you can
While your mommy's at home a-sleeping.
No time to understand,
'Cause they lost what they thought they were keeping.

Get out and get what you can
While your mommy's at home a-sleeping.
No time to understand,
'Cause they lost what they thought they were keeping.


Singing All Day

Singing all day, singing 'bout nothing.
Singing all day, singing 'bout nothing.
Singing all day, singing 'bout nothing.
Ooh, my, my, my.
Ooh, my, my, my.

We're down to the station to look for her there.
To look through the crowds for a glimpse of her hair.
Nothing to see but the crowds keep staring
At me, my, my.
Ooh, my, my, my.

Down to the street, trying to remember
Shuffling our feet outside the menswear.
Is that her in the fur coat? No, it's not December.
Yeah, my, my, my.
Ooh, my, my, my.

Singing all day, singing 'bout nothing.
Singing all day, singing 'bout nothing.

Back to the house. Maybe she'll phone me.
Singing my songs, feeling so lonely.
I sing very softly so if the phone rings
I can hear it.
I can hear it.

Singing all day, singing 'bout nothing.
Singing all day, singing 'bout nothing.
Singing all day, singing 'bout nothing.
Ooh, my, my, my.
Ooh, my, my, my.


Witch's Promise

Lend me your ear while I call you a fool.
You were kissed by a witch one night in the wood
And later insisted your feelings were true.
The witch's promise was coming,
Leaving he listened while laughing you flew.

Leaves falling red, yellow, brown, all are the same,
And the love you have found lay outside in the rain,
Washed clean by the water but nursing his pain.
The witch's promise was coming,
And you're looking elsewhere for your own selfish gain.

Keep looking, keep looking for somewhere to be
Well you've wasted your time, he's not stupid like she is,
Meanwhile leaves are still falling, you're too blind to see.

You won't find it easy now, it's only fair.
He was willing to appear to you, you didn't care.
You're waiting for more, but you've already had your share.
The witch's promise is turning,
So don't you wake up for him, it's going to be late.


Inside

All the places I've been make it hard to begin
to enjoy life again on the inside,
but I mean to.
Take a walk around the block
and be glad that I've got me some time
to be in from the outside,
and inside with you.

I'm sitting on the corner feeling glad.
Got no money coming in but I can't be sad.
That was the best cup of coffee I ever had.
And I won't worry about a thing
because we've got it made,
here on the inside, outside so far away.

And we'll laugh and we'll sing
get someone to bring our friends here
for tea in the evening --
Old Jeffrey makes three.
Take a walk in the park,
does the wind in the dark
sound like music to you?
Well I'm thinking it does to me.

Can you cook, can you sew --
well, I don't want to know.
That is not what you need on the inside,
to make the time go.

Counting lambs, counting sheep
we will fall into sleep
and we awake to a new day of living
and loving you so.


Alive And Well And Living In

Nobody sees her here. Her eyes are slowly closing.
If she should want some peace, she sits there without moving,
And puts a pillow over the phone.
And if she feels like dancing no one will know it.
Giving herself a chance there's no need to show her how it should be.

She can't remember now when she was all in pieces.
She's quite content to sit there listening to what he says;
How he didn't like to be alone.
And if he feels like crying she's there to hear him.
No reason to complain and nothing to fear; they always will be.


Just Trying To Be

There was a time when you were so young and walked in that way.
They made you feel they loved you while seeming to say,
"You're going wrong if that game you don't play,
And at the song I sing will leave you astray."

Unfeeling feel lonely rejection.
Unknowing know you're going wrong.
And they can't see that we're just trying to be, and not what we seem.
And even I'll believe that it's not real and only a dream.


By Kind Permission Of

[Introduction:]
Please, let's have a big welcome for Jethro Tull.

Whoop!
Hello. Hang on, press on. Be back with you in a minute.
I'd better not open this now because it might contain contraband. We'll give it
to John to supplement his camels. He dropped on his head when he was very
small. We occasionally cut his fingernails off and smoke them. This is a... a
song about everything.


Dharma For One

[Introduction:]
She's really turned on by the television, and vice versa.
Here's a song called, [???]. Yes, right. Rearranged though, nevertheless. A
new lease on life. In other words, it's just a bit louder. "Dharma For One".

[Lyrics:]
Dharma!
Seek and you will find truth within your mind.
Dharma!

Dharma!
Each to his own we say. Together we're led astray.
Dharma!
D-d-dharma!

Truth is like freedom: It doesn't fool me.
Be true to yourself, never [picture?] you're free.
Dharma must come eventually.

Dhar-ar-ar-ar-ma.
Dhar-ar-ar-ar-ma.
Dhar-ar-ar-ar-ma.
Dhar-ar-ar-ar-ma.
Dhar-ar-ar-ar-ma.
Dhar-ar-ar-ar-ma.
Dhar-ar-ar-ar-ma.
Dhar-ar-ar-ar-ma.

Dharma!
Seek and you will fine truth within your mind.
Dharma!
D-d-d-d-d-dharma!

Truth is like freedom: It doesn't fool me.
Be true to yourself, never [picture?] you're free.
Dharma must come eventually.

Dhar-ar-ar-arma!
Dhar-ar-ar-arma!
Dhar-ar-ar-arma!
Dhar-ar-ar-arma!

[Outtroduction:]
Thank you! [???]


Wond'ring Again

There's a stillness of death on a deathly unliving sea
and the motorcar magical world long since ceased to be,
when the Eve bitten apple returned to destroy the tree.
Incestuous ancestry's charabanc ride,
Spawning new millions throws the world on it's side,
Supporting their far flung illusion, the national curse,
And those with no sandwiches please get off the bus.

The excrement bubbles, the century's slime decays
and the brainwashing government lackeys would have us say,
It's under control and we'll soon be on our way
to a grand year for babies and quiz panel games
of the hot hungry millions you'll be sure to remain,
The natural resources are dwindling and no-one grows old
And those with no homes to go to, please dig yourself holes.

We wandered through quiet lands, felt the first breath of snow,
searched for the last pigeon,
Slate gray, I've been told.
Stumbled on a daffodil which she crushed in the rush heard it sigh
And left it to die.

At once felt remorse and was touched by the loss of our own,
Held its poor broken head in her hands, dropped soft tears in the snow.
And it's only the taking that makes you what you are.

Wond'ring aloud, will a son one day be born ?
To share in our infancy, in this child's path we've worn.
In the ageing seclusion of this earth that our birth did surprise.
We'll open his eyes.


Hymn 43

Oh father high in heaven smile down upon your son
whose busy with his money games his women and his gun.
And the unsung Western Hero killed an indian or three
and made his name in Hollywood to set the white man free.

If Jesus saves, well he'd better save himself
from the gory glory seekers who use his name in death.
I saw him in the city and on the mountains of the moon
his cross was rather bloody He could hardly roll his stone.

Life Is A Long Song
When you're fallen awake and you take stock of the new day
And you hear your voice croak as you choke on what you need to say.
Well don't you fret, don't you fear,
I will give you good cheer.

Life's a long song.
Life's a long song.
Life's a long song.
If you wait then your plate I will fill.

As the verses unfold and your soul suffers the long day,
And the twelve o'clock gloom spins the room, you struggle on your way.
Well don't you sigh, don't you cry,
Lick the dust from your eye.

Life's a long song.
Life's a long song.
Life's a long song.
We will meet in the sweet light of dawn.

As the Baker Street train spills your pain all over your new dress,
And the symphony sounds underground but you [wanted?] duress.
Well don't you squeal as the hell
Grinds you under the wheels.

Life's a long song.
Life's a long song.
Life's a long song.
But the tune ends too soon for a song.

But the tune ends too soon for a song.


Up The 'Pool

I'm going up the 'pool
From down the smoke below
To taste me mom's jam sarnies
And see our auntie Flo.

The candy floss salesman
Watches ladies in the sand
Down for a freaky weekend
In the hope that they'll be meeting Mr. Universe.

The iron tower smiles down
Upon the silver sea,
And along the golden mile
They'll be swigging mugs of tea.

The politicians there
Who've come to take the air
While posing for the Daily Press
Will look around and blame the mess on Edward.

There'll be pocket spades and bingo, cockles, mussels, rainy days,
The seaweed dance, sand castles, icy waves,
The deck chairs, rubber dinghys, old best braces dangling down,
The suntan, stranded starfish in a daze.

We're going up the 'pool
From down the smoke below
To taste me mom's jam sarnies
And see our auntie Flo.

The candy floss salesman
Watches ladies in the sand
Down for a freaky weekend
In the hope that they'll be meeting Mr. Universe.

There'll be pocket spades and bingo, cockles, mussels, rainy days,
The seaweed dance, sand castles, icy waves,
The deck chairs, rubber dinghys, old best braces dangling down,
The suntan, stranded starfish in a daze.

Oh, Blackpool.
Oh, Blackpool.


Dr. Bogenbroom

I've one foot in the graveyard,
And the other on the bus
And the passengers who trample
Each other in the rush.

And the chicken-hearted longhair
Is throwing up his fill
To see the kindly doctor
Who has the super-kill.

Well I'm going down,
Three cheers for Dr. Bogenbroom.
Well I'm on my way,
Three cheers for Dr. Bogenbroom.

Well I've tried my best to love you all,
All you hypocrites and boors,
With your eyes on each other
And the locks upon your doors.

We drown me in the fountain,
The blind, I needed you.
Oh, living while I was dying,
We were all just passing through.

Well I'm going down,
Three cheers for Dr. Bogenbroom.
Well I'm on my way,
Three cheers for Dr. Bogenbroom.


For Later

Instrumental


Nursie

Tiptoes in silence 'round my bed
And quiets the raindrops overhead.
With her everlasting smile
She still my fever for a while
Oh, nursie, dear, I'm glad you're here

 M P 3   S a m p l e s


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