1. |
A Better Land
04:20
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A Better Land
Riding the Underground with a thousand strangers
On a train that's crowded, cold and grey
Wondering about the lives of all the strangers
Day dreaming the endless winter away.
London can be hard & unforgiving
But my days of self destructions are long gone
Since I've met you, girl, I believe in living
You're my truth in a world gone wrong.
Chorus
Woman, you and I can make a stand; together we can find a better land
Woman, we can fly just take my hand; together we can find a better land.
Depressions & recessions come like seasons
And banks are thieves who'd even steal the sun
But these bitter times will never kill my reason
'Cause you've shown me there's a better world to come.
Chorus
My dreams were left were dead in another lifetime
And I've spent too many years living in that past
But girl, with you I can live another lifetime
With you, girl, I'll build a better life to last.
Chorus
England was haunting me, England was haunting me
England was driving me down
England was haunting me, England was haunting me
England was driving me down.
Chorus
London sometimes drowns you in its sorrows
But with you, girl, I know I can be strong
We'll face each & every grey tomorrow
Now that love not hate is my song.
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2. |
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The Subways & The Sidewalks
Girl, I know that London’s for the leaving
Girl, I know you really have to go
But girl it would be pointless & deceiving
To say it didn’t hit me like a blow.
The Thames has turned to grey as if in mourning
London Bridge has hung its head in shame
Cathedral bells toll out a muffled warning
The statues cry after the broken rain.
Chorus
And the subways and the sidewalks call your name
But I know I’ll never see your face again
And the sidewalks and the subways call your name
But I know I’ll never see your face again.
Girl, I know these streets started to haunt you
Girl, I know that sadness gripped your soul
Girl, I know that life began to taunt you
In a city where no love can match the dole.
Chorus
Instrumental
Chorus
Girl, I know that London’s not for dreaming
Girl, I know you needed to be free
Girl, I hope you find life of some meaning
Girl, won’t you sometimes think of me.
Chorus (X2)
Your face again, your face again, your face again.
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3. |
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I Feel Like Robert Mitchum
In this cold & cruel city under a stranger called the sun
I feel like Robert Mitchum without a coat or hat or gun
My life’s a black & white movie in the shadows of a dirty sky
I feel like Robert Mitchum so build my gallows high.
This dark old river mocks me ‘cause it knows you’re not there
I feel like Robert Mitchum when he said ‘baby, I don’t care.’
These shabby streets will taunt me as this heart turns to stone
I feel like Robert Mitchum when he made his stand alone.
Chorus
I don’t care if you remember what once you were to me
You were cold as November but now my heart is free
I don’t care if you remember what once you were to me
You were cruel as December but now my heart is free.
All I need is a cigarette, all I need is a whisky glass
I feel like Robert Mitchum when all his dreams had passed
Give me a fallen woman whose scorn I can understand
I feel like Robert Mitchum with love & hate on his hands.
(Instrumental)
Chorus
On a road of no return under a grey sky overcast
I feel like Robert Mitchum in Out Of The Past
As a drink sodden soldier or a lonely weary sleuth
I feel like Robert Mitchum in search of a truth.
Now I’m riding on a dark train to a station called Despair
I feel like Robert Mitchum lost without a prayer
My life will always be broken & my heart always will tear
But I feel like Robert Mitchum when he said: ‘baby, I don’t care’
But I feel like Robert Mitchum when he said: ‘baby, I don’t care.’
Yes, I feel like Robert Mitchum when he said: ‘baby, I don’t care.’
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4. |
Flora The Flower Girl
02:21
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Flora The Flower Girl
When she walks she walks so fine
It’s Flora the flower girl
Come one day I’ll make her mine
It’s Flora the flower girl, it’s Flora the flower girl.
I’ll always know her but never own her
It’s Flora the flower girl
Not her other but would love to love her
It’s Flora the flower girl, it’s Flora the flower girl.
Chorus
She sells flowers without any thrills:
Roses, posies & dafodils
She sells flowers for all our lives:
Lovers, mothers, ‘players’, wives.
She’s the queen of Lordship Lane
It’s the Flora the flower girl
Since I’ve seen her I’m just not the same
It’s Flora the flower girl, it’s Flora the flower girl.
She’s from Norwich but lives in Dulwich
Its Flora the flower girl
Middle class but seldom rich
It’s Flora the flower girl, it’s Flora the flower girl.
Chorus
(Instrumental)
Chorus
When she smiles she lights the sky
It’s Flora the flower girl
Her every laugh is like a sigh
It’s Flora the flower girl,
It’s Flora the flower girl
I love Flora the flower girl.
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5. |
Vera In Autumn
02:45
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6. |
El Dorado
03:15
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El Dorado
I went in search of El Dorado
I rode out wild, without a care
It was my quest for El Dorado
And the fortune & glory that I’d find there.
It was in need of El Dorado
I left my love so far behind
It was my greed for El Dorado
That froze my heart & stole my mind.
And so I searched for El Dorado
Down all the years and through my days
But found no sign of El Dorado
As the girl I loved slipped far away.
Chorus
To money we're peasants, to Mammon we're slaves
The wage packet our king from the cradle to grave
Fortune we worship, to riches we pray
But like Judas & silver: it's love we betray.
(Instrumental)
Middle 8
Over the mountain of the moon
Into the valley of shadow
I rode & rode in search of gold
And that place called El Dorado.
Chorus
And I came to hate that El Dorado
Losing my love in search of fame
For in that quest for El Dorado
I never saw my love again.
So tell the world of El Dorado
And let my story be sometimes told
No need to seek for El Dorado:
For love's that city made of gold
For love's that city made of gold
For love's that city made of gold.
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7. |
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All I Really Care About (Is You)
I know one day the world will stop its turning
I know the seas won’t stay forever blue
I know the cities may somehow keep on burning
But all I really care about is you; yes, all I really care about is you.
I know the leaves won’t be forever falling
I know this planet’s future could be through
I know that war will always come calling
But all I really care about it you, yes, all I really care about is you.
Chorus
Let the world end what care I?
Let the world end what care I?
Let the world end what care I?
As long as there is you and I (x2).
I know one day the sun will stop its dawning
I know there’ll be an end to all things new
I know that the earth will cry in mourning
But all I really care about is you; yes, all I really care about it you.
Marchers march and drummers drum while hating
Cursing gods of other men above
Let them march: you will not find me hating
Not while I believe in you and love.
I know that every mountain may well crumble
I know but there is nothing I can do
I know that nations may someday tumble
But all I really care about it you; yes, all I really care about is you.
(Instrumental)
Chorus
I know that mighty kingdoms might fall crashing
I know that Noah’s flood might just come true
What care I for all of the rain lashing?
When all I really care about is you; when all I really care about is you?
When all I really care about is you; when all I really care about is you?
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8. |
Angel Of The North
03:09
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Angel Of The North
I’ve had enough of these London streets
They’re paved with pavement not with gold
And I’m getting old
I’ve had enough of the people I meet
The sadness never leaves their eyes
So it’s no surprise:
I’m going back to my home town where only the rain can grind me down
So let these rails take their own course back to my Angel of the North.
Chorus
Angel of Gateshead walk with me
Angel of Gateshead set me free
Angel of Gateshead take my hand
Through this dark, foreboding land.
I’m going back to the Cruel old Tyne, it’s only a river but it’s still mine
Tell Pat and Jean and Johnny Mac, the boy who left is coming back.
Chorus
I’m going back to the Northern Lights, where dreams are painted black & white
Tell Maggie Carr to man the phone, for this Jack Carter’s coming home.
(Instrumental)
I’ve had enough of these London streets
They’re paved with pavement not with gold
And I’m getting old
I’ve had enough of the people I meet
The sadness never leaves their eyes
So it’s no surprise:
Chorus
I’m going back to my home town, where only the rain can grind me down
So let these rails take their own course back to my Angel of the North
So let these rails take their own course back to my Angel of the North.
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9. |
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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10. |
Brighton Streets
04:57
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Brighton Streets
I wandered lonely as a skunk
Sometimes demented sometimes drunk
Like a frightened fox at the height of the hunt
Running from a girl called N, running from a girl called N.
I loved & loathed & loved her more
She played the saint, I played the bore
Every bloody day a bloody war
Running from a girl called N, running from a girl called N.
Chorus
Some days we swam, some days we drowned
While Brighton streets never made a sound
Some days we died, some days we lived
Until we had nothing left to give
Some days we drowned, some days we swam
Those Brighton streets never gave a damn
Some days we lived, some days we died
Only God knows how we survived.
I wandered lonely as a sea
Searching for a sail that would set me free
From the vicious ship destroying me
Running from a girl called N, running from a girl called N.
(Instrumental)
Chorus
Like Icarus I had to fall & fall
She laughed in scorn then slept with Paul
Her heart as cold as any Hadrian’s Wall
Running from a girl called N, yes, running from a girl called N.
I wondered lonely as a clown
A drunken oaf for Brighton Town
But though she tried she never tore me down
Running from a girl called N, running from a girl called N,
Yes, running from a girl called N.
Chorus
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11. |
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 our 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 Cool mistress & the sands of time must run
But London’s not for leaving & I could never leave his son
Love is a Cool 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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12. |
Magpie
03:21
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Magpie
Magpie: stay away from my window
Magpie: stay away from my door
Magpie: don’t tell me of your sorrows
Magpie: I won’t hear them anymore.
Magpie: you won’t kill my laughter
Magpie: you won’t spoil my day
Magpie: you won’t harm my karma
Magpie: why don’t you fly away?
Chorus
One for sorrow, two for mirth
Three for a funeral, four for a birth
Five for silver, six for gold
Seven for a secret that can’t be told
Eight is for heaven, nine is for hell
Ten is a love that treats you well; ten is a love that treats you well.
Magpie: you won’t be my fortune
Magpie: you’ll not break my heart
Magpie: love will be my tomorrow
Magpie: each day a brand new start.
Magpie: I know my woman’s waiting
Magpie: you’ll not destroy my love
Magpie: she will be forever
Magpie: the sun will shine above.
Chorus
(Instrumental)
Chorus
Magpie: fly away this morning
Magpie: don’t haunt my days again
Magpie: for better times are coming
Magpie: there’ll be no more bitter rain.
Magpie: there’ll be no more bitter rain
Magpie: there’ll be no more bitter rain.
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13. |
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 & Cruel 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 broken 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
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14. |
Michael
03:56
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Michael
Michael: is the world still turning?
Michael is the sun still burning?
Michael: is the sky still truly blue?
And does it remember you?
Michael: is the snow still falling?
Michael: is winter still calling?
Michael is the sky still truly blue?
Does it miss you too?
Chorus
Michael the sky will never be the same
But Michael the saints will know your name
Michael the sky will never be the same
But Michael the saints will know your name.
Michael: is there a new day dawning?
Michael: will there be another morning?
Michael is the sky still truly blue?
Does it mourn you too?
Michael: are the rivers still flowing?
Michael: are the stars still glowing?
Michael: is the sky still truly blue?
And does it cry for you?
Chorus
Michael: is the wind still sighing?
Michael: is the rain still crying?
Michael: is the sky still truly blue?
Does it love you too?
(Instrumental)
Chorus
Michael: is the world still turning?
Michael: life’s for the learning
Michael: is the sky still truly blue?
By the way: I love you
By the way: I love you
By the way: I love you.
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15. |
Maid Of The Morning
02:11
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Maid Of The Morning
Maid, maid, maid of the morning
Long , farewell, what more can I say
Stay free as the wind; as the rain storming
May God bless and keep you on this wedding day.
Maid, maid, maid of the morning
Though we must part this child I pray:
Live bright as the sun; as the sky dawning
May God bless and keep you on this wedding day.
Chorus
Proud is this father
Of the girl by his side
As she walks beside him a blushing bride
Proud is this father
But though you leave home
Remember that you’ll never walk alone.
Maid, maid, maid of the morning
A kiss, a kiss, as you go on your way
The wedding march plays, your lover is calling
May God bless and keep you on this wedding day.
Chorus
(Instrumental)
Maid, maid, maid of the morning
I give you this blessing as I give you away
The old priest is standing, your bridesmaids are forming
May God bless and keep you on your wedding day
May God bless and keep you on your wedding day
May God bless and keep you on your wedding day.
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16. |
Make It On Through
03:42
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Make It On Through
You're a long time living you're a long time dead
You're a long time fighting the ghosts in your head
But you keep on believing - for what else can you do?
When you're the father of children you've got to make it on through.
Its a mountain you're climbing and a long way to fall
The years aren't for counting but you have to stand tall
So you keen on scheming - for what else can you do?
When you're the father of children you've got to make it on through.
It's a long day's working & it's a short night's sleep
And though you're are strong some doubts must creep
But you carry that burden - for what else can you do?
When you're the father of children you've got to make it on through.
Chorus
There may be days when things go wrong
You've got to keep on keeping on
There may be times when you're not strong
You've got to keep on keeping on.
There's times when you'll be broken by the luck you have known
When your job defeats you & you feel like you're owned
But you keep on working - for what else can you do?
When you're the father of children you've got to make it on through.
Chorus
(Instrumental)
Chorus
And your children may sometimes think your best's not enough
And just raising a family is tougher than tough
But you keep on dreaming - for what else can you do?
When you're the father of children you've got to make it on through
When you're the father of children you've got to make it on through
When you're the father of children you've got to make it on through.
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17. |
Bird With A Broken Wing
03:05
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Bird With A Broken Wing
Another night I drank alone
A club of bores I thought of home
She sat & stared: a safety zone
But how was I to know?
And so we spoke, it wasn't forced
The crowd was loud, my voice was hoarse
I said: 'a drink?' she said: 'of course.'
But how was I to know?
She's a bird with a broken wing
Cannot fly, cannot sing
Just a bird with a broken wing
Dreaming her life away.
Chorus
They say there are angels
To walk with us all
They say there are angels
To catch us as we fall
They say there are angels
To save us from dread
They say there are angels
But her angels were dead.
She's a bird with a broken wing
Cannot fly, cannot sing
Just a bird with a broken wing
Dreaming her life away.
(Instrumental)
And so we danced to music shrill
A love affair her drinking killed
I walked away her soul was ill
But how was I to know?
Chorus
She's a bird with a broken wing
Cannot fly, cannot sing
Just a bird with a broken wing
Drinking her life away
What more is there to say?
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18. |
Meet Me (In The Angel)
03:20
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Meet Me (In The Angel)
It’s raining in London and all over England
They skies are so grey they’ve forgotten the blue
It’s raining in London and all over England
Who cares for the rain when I’m meeting you?
When I’m meeting you?
It’s raining in London and all over England
The lightning is flashing it shatters the clouds
It’s raining in London and all over England
Who cares for the rain if you’re in the crowd?
If you’re in the crowd?
Meet me in the Angel
We’ll talk just for a while
Meet me in the Angel
When I see you there I’ll just smile
Meet me in the Angel
We’ll laugh away the day
Meet me in the Angel
And promise you’ll never go away.
(Instrumental)
It’s raining in London and all over England
The puddles are forming, the thunder is loud
It’s raining in London and all over England
But I’ll tell you I love you, I’ll shout it out loud
I’ll shout it loud.
Meet me in the Angel
We’ll laugh away the day
Meet me in the Angel
And promise you’ll never go away.
Meet me in the Angel…
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19. |
The Trains & The Rain
03:36
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The Trains & The Rain
London can be as lonely as a mountain
Since you went away it’s lost its soul
London rents are mighty & keep mounting
And these buildings seem to take a bloody toll.
Since you went away my heart is grieving
Since you went away my world is wrong
Love is nothing more than a heart wanting:
That life should be more than a lonesome song.
Chorus
So I sit in the gloom of this shabby London room
As the shadows on the walls whisper your name
So I sit in the gloom of this lonely London room
Writing songs about the trains & the rain
Writing songs about the trains & the rain.
Once upon a time we talked of weddings
I dreamt I’d be a father to your child
Guess I didn’t know where we were heading
Guess that our love had me beguiled.
We were going to live & learn together
We were going to somehow grow & grow
I suppose I thought out love would be forever
So why you walked away I’ll never know.
Chorus
(Instrumental)
Chorus
May your days always being you sunshine
May your child forever find her smile
May your life be joyous as a fine wine
May your days flow softly as the Nile.
Chorus
Writing songs about the trains & the rain.
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20. |
Bremen
04:10
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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.
... more
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