1. |
Take it from here
02:47
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This is my party. These are my friends.
(Let’s take it from here.)
I’m excited ‘bout sumpthin’ and I won’t pretend.
(Oh Yeah, take it from here.)
After thirty five years I finally found out about it.
(That’s a whole lotta’ years.)
I’m a lucky old man and I want to shout about it.
(Old man, take it from here.)
That’s right, I’m lucky!
(Old man, take it from here.)
Love is a riddle, life an abstraction.
(Can you Try to be clear?)
And a kind word can trigger a chain reaction.
(All right, take it from here?)
Maybe a metaphor is what I’m missin’?
(I dunno, but let’s hear?)
It’s a little like laughing and a lot like kissin’.
(What’d’ja say? I didn’t hear?)
Laughin’. Kissin’.
(I got it this time, loud and clear.)
Since you ask
(What you on about?)
I will tell you
(What’s the song about?)
It’s being in this moment
(Will it be something sweet?)
And keeping a beat, or playing with a melody.
(Do I, Do I, Do I, get to sing in your chorus?)
It’s a smile on the street,
(Old friends)
A friend that you meet,
(New friends)
Or listening to a sweet refrain.
(Or present company.)
If I’m not being clear enough, I’ll sing it again!
So if you’re feelin’ a little deflated
( I can lend you an ear.)
And life’s not what you anticipated.
(Oh well, take it from here.)
Come down to my house, there’s always some cheer.
(How do we get there from here?)
Just sit down beside me and I’ll pour you a beer,
(Yes please, take it from here?)
Or some whiskey.
(Do-wah, Do-wah, Do-wah - ditty - ditty.)
Some tequila sounds nice.
(ah - ahhh - ahhhhh - ahhhhh)
Just help yourself …
(Yes please, we’ll take it from here.)
To some love and friendship.
(Right, take it from here.)
We got lots!
(Oh Yeah, take it from here.)
Just look around you.
(Oh Yeah, take it from here.)
It’s a bottomless pot,
(Oh Yeah, take it from here.)
And that’s not all we got.
(Oh Yeah, take it from here.)
It’s a bottomless pot.
(Oh Yeah, take it from here.)
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2. |
Bury love
03:37
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Picking out the pieces of a life together
Wonder what possesses you to say forever
When every second you look around
Forever crumbles and love hits the ground
Pulling out the splinters of a messy ending
Breathing the relief of one beyond pretending
But there’s only you
There’s only you to lose now
And we can bury love in iron coffins
Six feet under earth and stone
Shed no tear to mark its lonely passing
Leave no crumbling grey headstone
Six feet underneath the crossroads
Turn our backs and walk away
But in the wind the dust and ashes
Still it haunts you
Still you pay
Building up the corners of another lifetime
Laying your foundations on the same old fault-line and
When the sky tumbles who will you blame?
Tear down the prison but the spirits remain
Striking out the records and the evidence (you’re)
Burning all the letters in your own defence but
But there’s only you
There’s only you to lose now
And we can bury love in iron coffins
Six feet under earth and stone
Shed no tear to mark its lonely passing
Leave no crumbling grey headstone
Six feet underneath the crossroads
Turn our backs and walk away
But in the wind the dust and ashes
Still it haunts you
Still you pay
Every breath and
Still you pay
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3. |
Take the time
03:47
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I want you to think about the miles that we’ve crossed.
And I want you to think about where we’ve been.
People take countless journeys and are proud that they’ve gone.
Some people never make it, and still they’re proud that they’ve gone.
Today I think I’ll take a ride and dream about the world.
And marvel at the shape it takes when you’re nearby.
I’ll think a lot then I’ll come back home to take hold of you.
I’ll shed a tear for those who don’t take time for a ride.
I care for you you
I care for everyone
I want to hold you.
I want to hold them.
I’m afraid for you.
I’m afraid for everyone.
I need to hold you.
I need to hold them.
Someday I’d like to fly in space and dream above world.
And all about, the dreams below me will be flying around.
On earth, in space, and in my dreams I’ll take hold of you.
I’ll take the time to dream about, holding you.
Who says I’ll die?
I don’t plan to ever die.
But if I die then, who can tell me
I did not take my dream and ride it around?
I care for you you
I care for everyone
I want to hold you.
I want to hold them.
I’m afraid for you.
I’m afraid for everyone.
I need to hold you.
I need to hold them.
I need to hold you.
I need to hold them.
I need to hold you.
I need to hold them.
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4. |
Manuel
04:03
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Manuel, he was a sailor in a Spanish bar
Told me tales of London in Andalucia
(He said) You can get the drinks son but they know me here
Buy the bigger bottles ‘cause you gets more beer
I spoke to him in Spanish and crawled back to my room below the stairs
Now he’s waiting for a ship on a corner where the winds blow cooler
Maybe she come. Maybe she don’t
Maybe she come. Maybe she don’t
Manuel, he sailed for Cuba on a rising tide
Watched his ship leave harbour from the harbourside
Havana had him swept up in her gentle grip
I was having a good time, he said: - Forget the ship
He drank his fill of sunshine. He signed aboard and sailed for home again
Now he’s waiting for a girl on a corner where the winds blow cooler
Maybe she come. Maybe she don’t
Maybe she come. Maybe she don’t
Manuel, he told me stories and I drank them down
Halfway to Havana, in that Spanish town
Corner of the ocean, watching on the world
Waiting for a ship, for a drink, for a girl
We settled up the bar. He said, Hey man, you speak Spanish good.
Maybe he’s still waiting on that corner where the winds blow cooler
Maybe she come. Maybe she don’t
Maybe she come. Maybe she don’t
Maybe she come. Maybe she don’t
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5. |
Somebody else's troubles
03:49
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6. |
Moment's joy
04:29
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When I am able to get up from this table
And simply walk away absent of blue …
When I am able to disregard, my trivial worry,
Time alone can be a simple joy.
But there are nights when jealous feelings begin
To undermine, my peace of mind …I swear it’s a sin.
I boil, I stew, I spin around consumed with fury,
Blinded to the moment’s simple joy.
Kicking a stone through this city of lovers …
Shadows in doorways, I hear them kissing.
Shall I retire to my rusted old bed?
I’d rather instead, lay down my head with you.
I had a Betty one time, she was my steady.
I asked her for her hand, she flatly refused …telling me
“What is it with you anyhow, Man, what is your hurry? …
Why are you such a little boy?”
That’s when I had a talk among me, myself and I.
We all agreed that I’m not such a bad guy.
But when I see you, what can I do? My vision gets blurry.
I become just like a little boy.
I’d like to be able to tell you I’m at peace inside
But that would be a lie, and what a lie!
But just supposin’ you’d chosen to baby …
Don’t you think maybe, life could be gravy for two?
If you could only be a bit more discreet …
When I can finally make detachment complete …
When I can finally live alone and own my own worries,
Time we share could be a moment’s joy.
But nights, well I can’t sleep. I toss, I turn, I keep …
Imagining you’re holding hands with some good some handsome man
Who is the source of your last smile, who hears all your worries,
Who takes the time to lend a moment’s joy.
I’m sippin’ espresso, it’s two a.m. …
I’m driven to distraction, looking for some action
To distract me from the fact that you won’t be back.
I’m blue and I’m black.
My egg’s about to crack.
Despite what I say,
I miss you anyway.
So don’t be coy …
How about that moment of joy?
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7. |
Kansas
03:16
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I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore
I’ve never seen the sun so bright before
I’ve never seen such blue sky up above
I don’t think we’re in Kansas
I think we’re in love
And you blew me away like a hurricane
Tornado with the wind and the driving rain
Yeah you blew me away like a hurricane
To another world, to another plane
And I don’t think we’re in Kansas
I don’t think we’re in Kansas
I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore
I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore
I pick myself back up from off the floor
Shaken all the dust out of my hair
I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore
And I don’t really care
And you blew me away like a hurricane
Tornado with the wind and the driving rain
Yeah you blew me away like a hurricane
To another world, to another plane
Lost, with no way home
Lost, but not alone
And I don’t think we’re in Kansas
I don’t think we’re in Kansas
I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore
I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore
I’ve never seen the sun so bright before
I’ve never seen such blue sky up above
I don’t think we’re in Kansas
I think we’re in love
And you blew me away like a hurricane
Tornado with the wind and the driving rain
Yeah you blew me away like a hurricane
To another world, to another plane
And I don’t think we’re in Kansas
I don’t think we’re in Kansas
I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore
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8. |
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My Darling winter solstice child
Has messy hair and a great big smile.
And she is no child, she’s a woman I know
Who's happy right now with some other Joe.
She chooses to call him her Romeo.
My winter solstice is shorter than most.
She’s five foot four hours from her toes ‘til her coast
With eyes as bright as daytime in a snowy blue place
And a night-time as peaceful as her sleeping face.
This girl is an autumn memory, I long to embrace.
Just let me tell you a couple things more.
Like her name is Corine, but I like to call her Cor.
She makes me feel special when she’s nearby.
I swear, sometimes I get butterflies.
My heart skips a beat when I’m not sure why.
Cori, won’t you sing for me “Jessie James”?
Girl, you know I love to hear you sing that name.
And I’m sure that Jessie had a solstice child too.
If he did, I’m sure she was a lot like you.
He probably shot her boyfriend, like I would like to do.
My Darling winter solstice child
Has messy hair and a great big smile.
And she is no child, she’s a woman I know
Who's happy right now with some other Joe.
She chooses to call him her Romeo.
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9. |
Sweet Marie
03:03
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I never felt better than I did right then …
Writing down words with a fountain pen
Painting a picture of destiny
With the words that she wore most frequently.
Found a job I could do in a Pourtsmouth town …
Processing clams in a lobster pound
Working overtime, making pretty good pay
As I pass the hours to Christmas day.
I’m preparing for an adventure
In the Alps or the Pyrenees, I’m unsure.
I’m not going for a woman, but if I were
Her name would be Marie.
I bought a rope, a sack, a bottle of wine …
Studied the harbour for a weather sign.
It’s December at the Port Authority.
I board a ship called Claire at four-thirty.
I’ll pay for my passage with my lower back …
Hauling up anchor with a guy named Jack
Who shares his liquor like he shares his time
Telling stories in poetry that has no rhyme.
Jack talks about adventure
In the North Atlantic centre
Where Fingal’s shadow and a siren’s lure
Destroyed a ship called “Oui, Marie”
One time the quiet took me to the rail.
For want of a reason, my skin turned pale.
As it happened, I was shown, all shrouded in mist
A familiar shore where we once kissed.
I know the coast well though I’ve never been …
And I know the road like the clothes I’m in.
I know the face of the woman, I’ve come to see.
And the wind just whispered her name to me.
My hunger for adventure
Is sated when I am near her.
As the wind knows water and the water knows stone,
So I know silence inside Marie.
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10. |
Upstairs at Ivan's
03:55
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When he was a kid, Ivan never hid
From all the boys who’d throw their stones at his guitar
The old man that I knew, he’d played and made it through
And in his attic room our Ivan was the star
People can talk. People can say whatever they want
Let the evening bring what it will bring
There’s a room up in the roof
And he was living proof
That blood is only skin-deep and music is everything
No-one could really play since the Beatles went their way
The year that I was born, the day the music died
(But with) our cans and cigarettes – John, Paul George and Chet
We did our best to keep his song alive
People can talk. People can say whatever they want
Let the evening bring what it will bring
There’s a room up in the roof
And he was living proof
That blood is only skin-deep and music is everything
Far below the seagulls
Hidden by the stones
Rattling in the shadows
A closet full of bones
And I was miles away
Dreaming I could play
As high above my head the words were thrown
One sunny afternoon in Ivan’s living room
He took the plastic off the sofa, told me to sit down
And what he told me there of his family affair
I still hear the scales come crashing all around
People can talk. People can say whatever they want
Let the evening bring what it will bring
There’s a room up in the roof
And he was living proof
That blood is only skin-deep and music is everything
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11. |
Couples' dance
05:29
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Dancers enter where they will
They sit or stand along the wall
New suits, new frocks, all looking well
Boys and girls with no story to tell.
It’s a couples’ dance. Promenade.
It’s a long night to wait with your back to the wall.
It’s a long walk on your own to the back of the hall.
Should I ask her …or just wait a while,
Or take her hand, nod and smile?
It’s a couples’ dance. Promenade.
“Take hands four from the top!
Hush now, listen.
This will be proper dance
So don’t cross over.”
A pride of pretenders …too cool, too soon
Are smokin’ cigs in the anteroom,
Laughin’, jokin’, not much to say.
First one, then another …slips away.
It’s a couples’ dance. Promenade.
In the corner sits a covey of doe-eyed girls,
Some with fringe, some with curls.
They seem timid or shy, but not entirely so.
One says “yes” …and with a rosy glow!
It’s a couples’ dance. Promenade.
“Long lines forward and back
Pass through, turn alone.
See her face but hold only her gaze
Then swing for eight.”
Wishes and dreams criss-cross the floor
In glances that spark, so electric.
Moments come …and then are lost so quickly.
Here she comes.
It’s a couples’ dance. Promenade.
It’s a long night to wait with your back to the wall.
It’s a long walk on your own to the back of the hall.
It’s a couples’ dance. Promenade.
It’s a couples’ dance.
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Somebody Else's Troubles London, UK
Somebody Else’s Troubles are James Baniecki, Ian Coles and Charlie Graham: a musical partnership forged in the legendary
Campfire sessions at the Big Green Bookshop, London UK.
Americana, country, folk and rock’n’roll on things with strings: guitar, pedal steel, mandolin, bouzouki.
... more
Somebody Else's Troubles recommends:
Ace folk EP by our long-suffering soundman and 4th trouble. If you like this, check out his other 2 singles too.
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Ian's 2016 solo effort - 10 years in the making...
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As the grass grows
by Ian R Coles
Ian does folk!
go to albumIf you like Somebody Else's Troubles, you may also like:
Michelle Stodart’s folk music captures hope in melancholy, addressing the transformational aspects of the most challenging times.
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Stunningly beautiful songs wrought with pedal steel and nylon-string guitar that cast mesmerizing melodic shapes.
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The Flowers That Bloom in Spring
by Kieran Kane & Rayna Gellert
Kieran Kane & Rayna Gellert offer up a stunning minimalist country record, conjuring huge emotions with little more than vocals & guitar.
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