1. |
Wooden Ship
03:19
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Wooden Ship
Tear down the stars; make the night nothing
Unleash the rain; let all things drown
Rip down the moon and do it laughing
Leave it to die, without a sound.
Switch off the sun; just bring me darkness
Let there be chaos, let there be fear
Let women cry, let children whimper
Let there be rivers of desperate tears.
My woman has gone
My woman has gone
My woman has gone.
Chorus
There’s a wooden ship that carries my heart
Let that ship burn now we’re apart
There’s a wooden ship that’s my love’s pyre
Let my heart burn in its scorching fire.
Napalm the world; all seven wonders
Bomb all the mountains, mighty and tall
Murder the clouds; kill every rainbow
Let Eden fester; let angels fall.
My woman has gone
My woman has gone
My woman has gone.
(Instrumental)
Go tell the Gods; I curse their living
Go tell the Fates; I curse their name
Don’t talk of love, for now there’s nothing
Only despair, hatred and pain.
Chorus
My woman has gone
My woman has gone
My woman has gone.
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2. |
Tel Aviv
02:57
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Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv: as gracious as the morning
Tel Aviv: you know I hate to go
Tel Aviv: my heart is black with mourning
I must return to the land I know.
Tel Aviv: you know London is calling
I must heed the call & cry of home
And though I know Jerusalem’s not falling
Now I need to leave I feel so alone.
Tel Aviv: I loved one of your daughters
We sang away the nights and Gothic days
A wild as child as ever was a daughter
I miss her now as I fly far away.
Chorus
Love is a cruel mistress & the sands of time must run
But London’s not for leaving & I could never leave my son
Love is a cruel mistress & I suppose our time was done
For London’s not for leaving & I could never leave my son.
Tel Aviv: in war & peace & sunshine
Will you tell her that I miss her so?
Tel Aviv: she will always stay mine
As she knows it breaks my heart to go.
Tel Aviv: jewel beside an ocean
Tell my woman to sing her saddest songs
My love for her was complete in its devotion
But she knew I never could belong.
Chorus
(Instrumental)
Chorus
Tel Aviv: this aeroplane is soaring
As it flies through the bluest skies
Tel Aviv: the London rain is pouring
Tell my woman I shall love her ‘til I die
Tell my woman I shall love her ‘til I die
Tell my woman I shall love her ‘til I die.
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3. |
Tender Stranger
02:10
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Tender Stranger
I searched all through these London streets
Indifferent to all the danger
Looking for a soul to meet
In search of a tender stranger.
I wandered through old London town
Like a lovelorn, weary ranger
London Bridge wore a sad old frown
As I longed for a tender stranger.
London lost me in its crowds
Lonesome as any granger
Silent in a city much too loud
In my quest for a tender stranger.
Chorus
Will she love me? Will she care?
Will she call me her lover?
Will she stay or drift away?
In search of someone other?
I dreamed away my London days
A child without a manger
Regretting a girl who went away
As I dreamed of a tender stranger.
I drifted through my London life
To my own heart a stranger
I dreamt of love & perhaps a wife
In pursuit of a tender stranger.
Chorus
(Instrumental)
London my lover didn't love ,me
London my lover didn't love me
London my lover didn't love me
London my lover didn't love me.
And so it was & so I strayed
My love almost endangered
I went to church & there I prayed
A prayer for a tender stranger
A prayer for a tender stranger
A prayer for a tender stranger.
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4. |
Devizes Fair
02:13
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Devizes Fair
I knew her once in a faraway England
Her smile was like sunshine, it banished the rain
I saw her standing by the green of the fairground
She turned and smiled and called out my name.
I was a stranger lost in a strange town
Hated at school and unhappy at home
Sixteen and scared and somewhat forsaken
Always in trouble - always alone.
Her face was as tender as an angel in waiting
She’d make the Madonna turn and stare
But with a jangle of bracelets and murmur of laughter
I was loved by the girl from Devizes Fair.
Chorus
I was dark while she was light
She was day while I was night
I took flight and flew away
Earthbound she had to stay.
I sit upstairs on rainy day buses
I close my eyes and suddenly she’s there
Auburn haired and smelling of autumn
Gentle and gracious; tender and fair.
We parted the summer that I went to college
I was too haunted to ever go again there
But with a jangle of bracelets and murmur of laughter
I remember the girl from Devizes Fair.
(Instrumental)
Chorus
Time marches on and another day closes
I self destruct with my usual flair
But with a jangle of bracelets and murmur of laughter
I remember the girl from Devizes Fair
I remember the girl from Devizes Fair
I remember the girl from Devizes Fair.
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5. |
Autumn Wind
03:30
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Autumn Wind
Autumn wind blowing in the sunshine
Autumn wind proud & wild & free
Autumn wind gentle as a fine wine
Won't you bring my woman back to me?
Long ago, when life was for the learning
I went away, away across the sea
Suddenly before the year was turning
My love was lost, was lost to me.
I have searched unto the end of rainbows
But no man can tell me where she'd be
Autumn wind tell me where my love goes
Won't you bring my woman back to me?
Chorus
Autumn wind won't you tell me what you know?
Why do oceans roar & mighty rivers flow?
Autumn wind won't you tell me what you know?
Where does love & loving go? Lord, where does love & loving go?
Autumn wind I have searched the oceans
And deserts where hopes have gone to die
Lost to god devout in my devotion
Through cities as haunted as the sky.
I have walked down streets of desperation
Past highways dark & cold and mean
A hundred ports, a thousand railway stations
But every day was another broken dream.
Chorus
Instrumental
Chorus
Autumn wind the nights are for self-hating
Autumn wind the days are bitter grey
Autumn wind my heart & soul are breaking
Won't you tell her I'm sorry I went away?
Autumn wind blowing in the sunshine
Autumn wind won't you hear my plea?
Autumn wind bring back what was once mine
Won't you bring my woman home to me?
Won't you bring my woman home to me?
Won't you bring my woman home to be.
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6. |
Song For Orla
05:08
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Song For Orla
You must skip these dirty streets, you must run down lanes
You must laugh & tumble, through sad old London rain
You must bring your sunshine to a city cold & grey
Orla there’s no end to your day, Orla there’s no end to your day
Orla there’s no end to your day, Orla there’s no end to your day.
You must race through puddles, you must play in parks
You must finish puzzles and stay up after dark
You must chase the pigeons until they’ve all flown away
Orla there’s no end to your day, Orla there’s no end to your day
Orla there’s no end to your day, Orla there’s no end to your day.
Fly child be free. Fly child be free. Fly child be free. Fly child be free.
You must sing to Disney songs as you brush your teeth
You must bounce on trampolines & chase the cats beneath
You must laugh at cartoon shows & leave coats as they lay
Orla there’s no end to your day, Orla there’s no end to your day
Orla there’s no end to your day, Orla there’s no end to your day.
You must be a princess & you must take your bows
You must ring your best friend & you must ring her now
You must play a thousand games ‘til the sun has flown away
Orla there’s no end to your day, Orla there’s no end to your day
Orla there’s no end to your day, Orla there’s no end to your day.
Fly child be free. Fly child be free. Fly child be free. Fly child be free.
Although me & your mother sadly had to part
You know you’ll always be part of my heart
Although me & your mother sadly had to part
You know you’ll always be part of my heart.
(Instrumental)
You must catch a butterfly & you must find a star
You must draw some castles, you must count some cars
You must do a million things ‘til sleep gets in the way
Orla there’s no end to your day, Orla there’s no end to your day
Orla there’s no end to your day, Orla there’s no end to your day.
London will be your kingdom and you will be its queen
Every playground honour you, your life a happy dream
And may your joy & laughter blow the dark clouds away
Orla there’s no end to your day, Orla there’s no end to your day
Orla there’s no end to your day, Orla there‘s no end to your day
Fly child be free. Fly child be free. Fly child be free.
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7. |
Spanish City
04:29
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Spanish City
The world was another place, the sky had a different face
My grandmother and me, we rode to the sea
We took the train to Spanish City in the rain
Spanish City in the rain, Spanish City in the rain, Spanish City in the rain.
The North was another town, the sun was like half a crown
A city in grey, was left for the day
We took the train to Spanish City in the rain
Spanish City in the rain, to Spanish City in the rain, Spanish City in the rain.
Chorus
A thousand miles from Barcelona, a thousand miles from Madrid
A thousand miles from Pamplona, a thousand miles from Cadiz
A thousand miles from Barcelona, a thousand miles from Madrid
A thousand miles from Bilbao, a thousand miles from Cadiz.
The days were in black & white, life was a hard day’s night
A cold Geordie shore, an ocean that roared
We took the train, to Spanish City in the rain
Spanish City in the rain, Spanish City in the rain, Spanish City in the rain.
The summers were longer then, the accents were stronger then
There was Jean, there was Paul; my father would call
As we took the train, to Spanish City in the rain
Spanish City in the rain, Spanish City in the rain, Spanish City in the rain.
Chorus
(Instrumental)
There were aunties & uncles then, cousins, a hundred friends
There was Wendy & John, we laughed like a song
As we rode the train, to Spanish City in the rain
Spanish City in the rain, Spanish City in the rain, Spanish City in the rain.
Those days were another time, my life took a different line
But I still recall, the memories stand tall
Of when we took the train, to Spanish City in the rain
Spanish City in the rain, Spanish City in the rain, Spanish City in the rain.
Chorus.
A thousand miles from Cadiz, a thousand miles from Cadiz.
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8. |
Golden
03:27
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9. |
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Emma (With Such Small Hands)
Emma when I heard you & Stevie were for leaving
I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry
But London life had left you cut & bleeding
And where do you go when your pretty dreams have died?
Losing friends from London can be woeful
But I know in my heart you had to get away
You needed a land & place that was more soulful
And Stevie always dreamed of Cardiff Bay.
Chorus
And I know that your lion’s heart will meet all life’s demands
But Emma not even the rain has such small hands
And I know that your lion’s heart will meet all life’s demands
But Emma not even the rain has such small hands.
When Stevie thought he had really lost you
When your poor & tired heart lost its beat
It was your Irish pride that came to save you
For an Irish heart can never spell retreat.
When you had your child it was a blessing
The miracle of a life that came to you
And though London without you both is depressing
I know you & Stevie will stay true.
Chorus
(Instrumental)
Chorus
I know you both love the life you’re living
And your daughter is the pleasure of your days
May you always keep loving, laughing & giving
And think of me far away from Cardiff Bay.
Chorus
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10. |
Rome Wasn't Built
02:55
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11. |
With Words Unspoken
03:16
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With Words Unspoken
We met by the river: the sad lady Thames
You were too pretty I thought we'd be friends
But as the skies opened and it thundered above
With words unspoken: we knew love
With words unspoken: we knew love.
I came from lonely, you came from divorced
Both broken hearted with children of course
We couldn’t stop laughing; soaked from above
With words unspoken: we knew love
With words unspoken: we knew love.
Chorus
Sing a song of sixpence, a pocketful of rye
Four & twenty blackbirds baked in a pie
When the pie was opened the birds began to sing
Wasn’t this a dainty dish to set before a king?
We walked by the river: we heard distant bells
We talked of our children and then of ourselves
From different countries but we fit like a glove
With words unspoken: we knew it was love
With words unspoken: we knew love.
Chorus
We kissed in the rainfall, a man stopped & stared
But lost in the moment we just didn’t care
My heart was bursting - when push came to shove
With words unspoken: we knew love
With words unspoken: we knew love.
(Instrumental)
Chorus
We met by the river: the sad lady Thames
Love was that story & that’s how it ends
We’ll be forever with help from above
With words unspoken: we knew love
With words unspoken: we knew love
With words unspoken: we knew love.
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12. |
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What Fools These Mortals Be
Their days as Cruel as snow, their lives an empty show
They think that they are free, what fools these mortals be.
Believing they can live, without the need to give
So blind they cannot see, what fools these mortals be.
They hide inside their shells, as if in prison cells
In penitentiaries; what fools these mortals be.
Chorus
Dream on, when everything is wrong; make love your constant song
Dream on, when everything is wrong; make love your constant song.
They live above the fray; more lonely every day
Their pride their enemy, what fools these mortals be.
Chorus
Pretending not to care, that no-one's ever there
Lost in purgatory, what fools these mortals be.
Chorus
(Instrumental)
Chorus
They say that love is pain; it saves us all the same
A thousand clowns agree, what fools these mortals be
What fools these mortals be, what fools these mortals - be.
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13. |
At War With The World
04:54
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At War With The World
I know he’s right, I know he’s weary
Know he must fight for his honour clearly
I know he’s angry, almost to tears
He lashes out - half in fear
For what can you do, when the world has turned on you?
And every right you’ve ever known is wrong?
What can you say when the world has turned away?
For he’s at war with the world: for he’s at war with the world.
I know he’s tired, beaten down
When it comes to fury he wears the crown
I know he’s bitter, lost to rage
When it comes to pain to writes the page
For what can you do, when the world turns on you?
And every right you’ve ever known is wrong?
What can you say when the world turns away?
For he’s at war with the world, for he’s at war with the world.
Chorus
There is no peace when your world’s at war
When you don’t know what you’re fighting for
There is no peace when your world’s at war.
While I walk he never walks alone
While I live he’ll always have a home
While he stands I stand beside
His fight is mine, his pride my pride
For what can you do, when all the world has turned on you?
And every right you’ve ever known is wrong?
What can you say when all the world has turned away?
For he’s at war with the world, for he’s at war with the world.
Chorus
I love the man - like no other
He’s my heart, there’ll never be another
Blood is blood when said and done
What else is there? He’s my only son
For what can you do, when the world turns on you?
And every right you’ve ever known is wrong?
What can you say when all world has turns away?
For he’s at war with the world, for he’s at war with the world.
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14. |
A Miner Died Today
03:59
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A Miner Died Today
There’s no cortege, no sobbing hordes
No princes pass clutching at swords
No heads will bow in the House of Lords
A miner died today.
There’s no salutes from muffled guns
No guardsmen march, no sound of drums
No choirs sing of kingdom come
A miner died today.
Chorus
And my mind is filled with anger
And my heart is filled with rage
That working men die underground in this day & age
And my mind is filled with anger
And my heart is filled with rage
That working men die underground in this day & age.
No flags will fly at half mast
No cavalry will slowly pass
No bronze statues will be cast
A miner died today.
A brother, father, friend & a son
Who’ll never again see the sun
Another disaster but nothing is done
A miner died today.
Chorus
And I wonder if any give a damn
As I think of the klds of Aberfan
Murder’s illegal but the coal-board can
A miner died today.
(Instrumental)
Chorus
So Swansea bells begin your toll
Tell the world of the price of coal
And the bloody cost to a dead man’s soul
A miner died today.
And let the tolling of the mournful bells
Ring for the men who work in hell
May they stay safe and live to tell:
A miner died today.
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Roy Smiles London, UK
Roy Smiles has recorded ten albums:
'Drunks & Dreamers' (2011), 'Time's Moving On' (2012),'Seize The Day' (2013),
'Autumn Song' (2014), 'Bremen' (2014), 'The Trains & The Rain' (2015), 'Northern Angels'.(2018), 'Lost Souls' (2020), 'November's Child' (2023) & 'Tales Of The Ocean' (2023).
All available on Bandcamp.
Contact: roy.smiles@aol.co.uk.
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