Northern Songs

I found you as the year was turning, or did you find me?

Daylight finally returning for this refugee

I’d taken the road less travelled for so long

Our story slowly unravelled in a song

So come on in, no matter where you’ve been just come right on in

A girl from the north was singing, bringing in this new year

Even the lonesome were ringing their bells of good cheer

We sang how the times were a-changing, we threw off our chains

Our voices as one exchanging our joys and our pains

So come on in, no matter where you’ve been just come right on in

Our past may try to haunt us, catch us unaware

Steadfast we’ll hold together, devil may care

We heard that the tanks were rolling again in the east

A self-proclaimed strong man controlling the quick and deceased

When we open our homes and borders we’ll surely see

Those escaping disease and disorder are just like me

So come on in, no matter where you’ve been just come right on in

Been tasting honey from the razor’s edge, the razor’s edge of life

Told to be careful how I use my words -- they can cut like a knife

When you’re hanging onto the window ledge of life by your fingernails

When you’re riding a runaway train and running out of rails

When you’re sounding your retreat may the road rise up to meet your feet

Though you dance with two left feet may you never miss a beat

Though the road seems long and hard may it rise up to meet your feet

When you’re sounding your retreat may the road rise up to meet your feet

When wintry winds bring snowy weather, iron lands lie covered like sheet

When all is lost and hope abandoned may the road rise up to meet your feet

Thank you, Mr Brown, for the morning paper,

I like my news a little late -- it makes me feel safer

I read about infection rates from the safety of my room

I’m still one of the quick but I don’t assume

The hills look so green and lush it’s easy to forget

As my green-eyed girl pours coffee spins the wheel and sets our bet

She’s not immune to danger, she’s lost at love before

He didn’t even leave her -- the doctors said he lost the war

Green-eyed girl I’ll stay with you

‘til the thunder fades and the sky turns blue

Green-eyed girl my perfect pearl -- won’t you save me please my green-eyed girl

Though the streets are all empty now

The birds have lost their fear of us

Mr Brown no longer brings the paper -- he thinks there’s nothing to discuss

My West Coast friends can’t put their fires out

They say the world is heating up

But I lie here with my green-eyed girl who simply pours a loving cup

Green-eyed girl I’ll stay with you…..

There’s a fire burning all around -- do you think you’re safe in your home town?

It took the weak the tired and old now it’ll take the brave and the bold ...

This road has been a hard one, many have crashed along the way

Fingers burned, no lessons learnt just values to decay

There’ll be a hard, hard winter coming soon if we don’t change our ways

The end of days

We started out so bright-eyed, so young and so strong

Our loyalty unquestioned how could we go wrong?

There was heart break and tears coming soon -- distrust and decay

The end of days

So if you can hear me -- turn on your light

We’ll find better ways to the end of days in your arms it will be alright

We trusted our teachers who said ‘find your own truth’

Yet in all our bold searching we burnt up our youth

They’d be hard, hard answers coming soon, there are no easy ways

The end of days

So if you still need me -- open your door

We are the answer we’ve been searching for -- we’ll search no more

On the day that we left Denver on that rocky mountain road

We’d been singing for our supper and the joy had overflowed

We were heading into Boulder as the storm clouds grew

Looking over her shoulder it was then I knew we were heading back to blue

We were coming into Cheyenne where the snow was falling fast

She was day-dreaming of cowboys but their glory days had passed

The snow was falling harder Laremie came into view

The storm had really jarred her it was then I knew we were heading back to blue

By the time we reached Elk Mountain we had slowed down to a crawl

Trucks were sprawled across the highway -- truckers bruising for a brawl

We pulled into a motel as the tension grew

She slammed the door so hard it was the I knew we were heading back to blue

We slept off our frustration and we got back on the road

Heading for Salt Lake City to repay a debt we owed

She was looking in the mirror when her fuse finally blew

Facing seven years of bad luck it was then I knew we were heading back to blue

Autumn blows the leaves around the steep streets of this Northern Town

Man and dog still walk the moor where they worked together before

Push bikes push on up the hill past the mansion that was once a mill

Nothing lasts, don’t get me wrong -- after all this is only a Northern Song

Teenage lads push each other around -- cigarette butts laying all around

School girls pull at their ‘too short’ skirts -- social media gets them where it hurts

Old folks kept their families strong -- mill working days were hard and long

Nothing lasts, don’t get me wrong -- after all this is only a Northern Song

Rattle of the spinning wheels keeping time -- scouring, milling, finishing -- church bells chime

Ghosts in wooden shoes clatter along -- after all this is only a Northern Song

In the dale as night time falls, owls cry from drystone walls

River water in safer hands, women folk make fair demands

Summer, winter women swim, Cherubim and Seraphim

Some things change, don’t get me wrong -- after all this is only a Northern Song

Watching time slip away on another perfect sunset

Did I touch down today on the ground?

Did I crawl from the sea ? ‘Cause I’m afraid to get my feet wet

I’m just sitting in my tree safe and sounding

It seems there's more to this than just swinging ‘round

New ways to lose the things we loved before

New ways to choose what will become under the sun

There's a new moon tonight, it’s reflected in the water

I’m inspired by the sight from my room

It seems there’s more to this than we assume

New ways to lose the things we loved before

New ways to choose what will become under the sun

Oh earth, dear earth have your wells been purged, we search both night and day

Your springs have gone and thereupon our greed led us astray

Have our callow ways let us destroy the sustenance we seek

We can’t employ your wells of joy our souls have become weak

Oh earth, dear earth we beseech thee to listen to our prayer

Our grave ingress we now confess, our foolish ways declare

Our wanton ways led us astray to the bottomless pits of hell

We can’t employ your wells of joy, in misery we must dwell

Oh earth, dear earth we pray again -- give power to the powerless

To our children show, on them bestow the wisdom of noblesse

Oh let them see and then decree, your wells they must safeguard

So they can employ your wells of joy with hearts and minds unmarred

All appearances so elemental -- the finger and the rings that’s made of gold

Skin responds to touch so warm and gentle, light years from the black hole’s threshold

A distant star imploding from exhaustion send shock waves through the spiral galaxy

Time and space are subject to distortion, such stuff as we are made of it’s debris

We are wandering in space, no sense of time or place -- embrace!

You feel you can’t go on you’re feeling spent -- your well-made plans have left you in the lurch

You forget the light-years travelled to create you -- despair the short time spent on your life’s search

If you only knew where you were going, you say you could relax, go with the flow

Stars up in the heavens, rivers flowing, seem to know precisely where to go

We are wandering in space, no sense of time or place -- embrace!

Where are you now? What can you see?

What can you hear and what can you touch?

No sense of ‘me’