| title | album | George's notes | ||
| 1 | The night you were late | summer 1975> OK, I lied - I did write two songs before April 2001, and this was the first, based on my feelings on our engagement night with Vanessa. Meant as a one-off, a curiosity - I did not think myself capable of writing songs then (I often still don't). Only sung 2-3 times in public across the years. | ||
| 2 | Ena matso rizes (Tangle of roots) | June 1999> ...and this was the other one. My only song written in Greek, it is autobiographical, in that it describes our family's fortunes and my own attitude/philosophy as a result of the nomadic lifestyle we have led (15 different addresses in 30 years, 3 countries, 6 schools, a trail of friends and memories). Later I re-wrote it in English with a new tune ("Me and mine and the folks that I love"). | ||
| 3 | May memories | April 2001> My first proper folk song, written because Mayday was coming up and I couldn't face the Herga residents and sing a traditional English Maysong, what with being Greek and that. | ||
| 4 | Night closing in | May 2001> I call it an "adult lullaby". It often gets misunderstood for a "dark" song, though I never meant it that way. My daughter likes it (and so do I); it may find its way in a future album. | ||
| 5 | Friends like these | PM | May 2001> Written originally for the Herga folks, to acknowledge their support, but (as I usually try to do even with my most personal songs) in a manner that would make it generic. My first successful song (in that it gets requested). Roy Bailey sings this one, and Cockersdale were learning it some months back. | |
| 6 | Roll with the fall | May 2001> I started writing the lyrics in 1999, spurred by a run-in my son had in a cafe with some bullies, to the tune of Angelo Branduardi's "Domenico e Lunedi". Never meant it as anything more than a little pick-me-up for him. I completed it in 2001, after he moved to Oz, but have never sung it in public as a result. | ||
| 7 | The friend I never made | PM | May 2001> Meant as a poem originally, the lyrics were written in 20 mins between tears and Glenfiddich a week after my son emigrated to Australia (December 2000). My way of saying "sorry and well done" to a great guy. A few months later, when I had discovered songwriting, I added a purposely "chirpy" tune, to avoid the whole thing becoming too morose. One of my most successful songs in terms of touching people - there's a lot of us regretful parents out there. | |
| 8 | Wish I was baking in the sunshine | May 2001> It was a cold May, and I was missing a particular Greek beach (where the Athens 2004 watersports are to be held now, so I guess it'll never be the same again). | ||
| 9 | Playing for big stakes now | May 2001> My first protest song, with an environmental theme. | ||
| 10 | Much wider than the sea | June 2001> ...or "Universal woman". Acknowledgement of my debt of gratitude to three important ladies - my mother, my wife and my daughter - and the pivotal role that all women play in our lives. | ||
| 11 | Murphy's bodhran | June 2001> True story of music bridging cultures and nations. All the names are real - "Paul the Scot" who sang "American Pie" accompanied by the bodhran was my then boss. I had the pleasure of singing this for the first time in front of a very surprised Noel Murphy (not the artist, but the one who played the bodhran that June night in Athens) who had just returned to the UK from his own foreign exploits. | ||
| 12 | Life's afternoon | June 2001> When I wrote this I had in mind the scene from "Fiddler on the roof" where Topol sings "Do you love me?" to his screen wife, after all the kids have left the nest. | ||
| 13 | Revenge? | July 2001> A real wrist-slasher, I only sang this three times in public. It deals with man's inhumanity to man, using true incidents from the conflict in Bosnia. | ||
| 14 | Beggar's dream | PM | July 2001> "Sleep is the poor man's friend" | |
| 15 | Athens 2004 | July 2001> A wry look at Greece's prospects in staging the 2004 Olympics - from a typical (I think) Greek viewpoint, chips on both shoulders and all. | ||
| 16 | Poor scullery maid | SM | August 2001> Vanessa thought I ought to write an "upstairs-downstairs" kind of song, and this is it. But I wanted to be different, so I added the sting in the tail. | |
| 17 | Countryside like this | CLT & OH | August 2001> Originally called "Hole House" after the place in High Wray, Lake District, that inspired it. A hymn to nature, and the first song that caused people to cry and me to wonder "where did this come from?" after I wrote it. It seemed too good to be one of mine. A favourite of mine to sing. | |
| 18 | Child of the future | August 2001> Lullaby to an unborn child. Written after I saw the ultrasound picture of Timmy-to-be. | ||
| 19 | Sound the horn | PM | August 2001> About the interminable last hour of the factory shift. Johnny Collins call this my "anthem", with some justification. Based on talks with a forklift truck driver in a Belgium oil plant. | |
| 20 | No-one dances down in Hell | September 2001> First attempt to mix Greek rhythms into my writing (as opposed to writing a tune in a pure Greek style). Exhortation to "cheat the Devil of our misery - let's pretend that all is well". | ||
| 21 | Can I have a beer on you, Sir? | PM | September 2001> Tipping my hat to the refreshing impudence of the habitually poor. | |
| 22 | Living in a dream | September 2001> My "nine-eleven" song, written two weeks after the events, when hope was dwindling for any more survivors. Not appropriate to sing any more, and not half as good as Keith Donnelly's "Two trees". | ||
| 23 | His picture in your eyes | PM | September 2001> A father's lament for the passing of his daughter's childhood | |
| 24 | Resistance to the end | September 2001> My best friend was 60 and geting morose - this was my response | ||
| 25 | Batavia | CLT | October 2001> The true story of Batavia, a ship whose story captured our family's imaginations. Dedicated to Mabel (Vanessa's mum), who followed the building of the replica Batavia in Lelystad with great interest but sadly passed away without seeing her sail. | |
| 26 | Me and mine (and the folks that I love) | October 2001> Autobiographical, about the effects of our family's nomadic life on my attitudes and philosophy. The English version of "Tangle of roots" above. | ||
| 27 | Sailing tomorrow | PM | November 2001> Part 2 of my "working on an oil tanker" trilogy. He's back home for Christmas, but leave is over and he's done nothing of the things he'd planned. About the disappointments we cause ourselves through our own expectations. | |
| 28 | Letter home | PM | November 2001> Part 1 of my "working on an oil tanker" trilogy (yes, I wrote it after Part 2). A "day in the life..." kind of song. | |
| 29 | Heart of a sailor boy | PM | November 2001> About those who would go to sea, if only they could, and the way life does not turn out as we plan. Johnny Collins gave me with this the pleasure of hearing a song of mine sung by someone else for the first time, on 11th March 2002. Yes, I did cry. | |
| 30 | Granny's stories | November 2001> Lamenting the commercialisation of Christmas | ||
| 31 | Down a country lane | CLT | December 2001> About leaving the complexity of contemporary living for the simple pleasures of the countryside | |
| 32 | When you have time | PM | December 2001> About prevaricating and getting caught in the ratrace, and missing the chance to do the right thing at the right time. | |
| 33 | Expiree | CLT | January 2002> Part 1 of my "Australian" trilogy - the dilemma of a "first fleeter" convict, as his sentence is nearing its end: to return "home", or to stay? | |
| 34 | Were I to leave now | PM | January 2002> My shopping list for when it's time to move on. | |
| 35 | Like boats we throw ourselves | January 2002> Loose translation of a Greek song, describing the Greeks - as they would like to be seen. One of my favorites in its original language. Music by P.Thalassinos. | ||
| 36 | Johnny don't go walking with the fishes | CLT | January 2002> Based on the story of the Greek sponge divers, for whom the invention of the standard diving suit proved a mixed blessing: They could go "walking" on the bottom of the sea to pick the best sponge, but tempted to stay longer they started being decimated by a new unknown terror - decompression sickness. It took a further 50 years for the condition to be understood and the first diving tables to be published, based on statistics from the Greek divers' experience. | |
| 37 | Valentine | PM & OH | January 2002> Valentine's present to a dear partner, it works on the principle that a song is one of the most permanent gifts one can give: "every song, once written, is immortal" | |
| 38 | Rain | CLT | January 2002> My Mediterranean aversion to the wet stuff has been modified through years of living in Northern Europe, to the point where I actually like it. Here I try to give a picture in sounds and words of the beauty of a sudden downpour. | |
| 39 | Wake up | February 2002> Cheerful start to a new day; a "start all over again" kind of song. | ||
| 40 | Timmy's lullaby | PM | February 2002> A generic lullaby, but dedicated to my grandson. Written before I'd met the little fellow in person, with more than a degree of wistfulness because of that. | |
| 41 | Winter in my heart | March 2002> A friend's loss of her partner made me think what I would feel myself in their place and used pictures from my memory to describe the happy moments of a partnership through the year's seasons. | ||
| 42 | Memories of Salonika | CLT | March 2002> As the title says - personal and specific, but I hope able to generate equivalent images in every listener's minds, about their home town. | |
| 43 | Girl next door | March 2002> Light romantic number on suddenly noticing what is in front of us all the time. | ||
| 44 | Ordinary people | March 2002> Humorous attempt to make my point that ordinary people should be hailed as heros. | ||
| 45 | Remember Joe Turner | CLT | April 2002> Based on John Robinson's free-style poem "If ever you are in Leros". Joe's grave is there, just as described in the song, and though I have not visited there myself (yet), John's poem created such a strong picture in my mind, that I felt I knew Joe personally. I was simply compelled to write this. | |
| 46 | Will Willy will it | April 2002> The lightest of all my songs, written for a "Willie" night at Maidenhead fc. 'Nuff said. | ||
| 47 | Heading home | April 2002> Part 3 of my "working on an oil tanker" trilogy. He returns home for good. | ||
| 48 | Mermaid | April 2002> Tells the Greek myth about Alexander the Great's sister, who supposedly stole and drank herself the "water of immortality" meant to cure him, being cursed subsequently to live between sea and land and accepted by neither. | ||
| 49 | Travelling pedlar | CLT | April 2002> They were a feature of village life in Mediterranean countries right up to my toddler years - I just caught the back end of that. They were carriers of news and messages, providers of anything you required, the link to the outside world. In WWII they also provided a communications network for the resistance fighters. But they disappeared by the end of the 50's - symbols of a simpler, slower, saner life. | |
| 50 | Welcome in another year | CLT | April 2002> My second May song, coincidentally also marking 1 year of songwriting. I like it not least for its unusual 7/4 rhythm (more precisely 3/4 + 4/4) which breaks into a Morris tune of my own devising half way. And because through this I met "Breezy". | |
| 51 | As long as someone sings a song | CLT | April 2002> Written for the 39th birthday of Herga, but in a symbolic manner (the club being "a friend"), and also in a way that allows updating for re-use. The result: It has now replaced the "birthday song" at an Indiana Hotel/restaurant on Saturday nights, when people often go to celebrate anniversaries etc. | |
| 52 | Silent majority | SM | May 2002> A "white collar protest song". I have visions of it being sung by umbrella-toting bowler-hatted pinstripe-suited people on May day (dream on!) | |
| 53 | The mill | CLT | May 2002> I have always found mills fascinating, not least for their unhurried, persistent, unstoppable motion and the feeling that they give of continuity: they were there yesterday, they will be there tomorrow. | |
| 54 | Perfect moments | PM | May 2002> Don't you wish you had a penny for every time you thought "I must remember this moment" only to forget it soon after? But I contend that life is about these perfect moments, not the strife in between; so I celebrate them with this. | |
| 55 | When the river takes a tree | CLT | May 2002> Once you leave a place-time it's impossible to recapture it, though you may miss it. Seen through the eyes of a sailor who misses his younger years on dry land. | |
| 56 | Emptyhanded | CLT & OH | June 2002> Part 2 of the "Australian" trilogy. The "expiree" decides to stay on and farm, but the weather and the soil have been unkind, and he is at risk of losing his land. The song gives us his thoughts as he is walking home "emptyhanded", having failed to persuade the banks to give him time. Andy Irvine sings this and has asked to record it (I only just stopped myself from kissing him, he might not have appreciated it...). | |
| 57 | Sangatte | LAU | June 2002> There were lots of stories of refugees from Sangatte trying to walk to England through the Channel Tunnel. I wondered at the desperation they must have felt to even attempt such a thing, and tried to imagine their feelings during such an attempt. | |
| 58 | The price of two cannon balls |  No 8 ? |
July 2002> The last entry in the paybooks of dead seamen in the 17th and 18th centuries was the deduction for the shot used to weigh them down. The song refers to the agony of the expectant wives/sisters/sweethearts, as a returning merchantman enters the harbour: Who'll be a widow tomorrow? | |
| 59 | If I had another chance | LAU | August 2002> ...I wouldn't change a thing, out of fear that the good things in my life would not happen the second time round. A "rough with the smooth" kind of song. | |
| 60 | Sailors don't know how to cry | SM | August 2002> Everyone has a story to tell, if only we would ask them. | |
| 61 | Lowestoft Rock | SM | August 2002> About the sudden demise of the Colne Shipping Company on 14th Aug 2002. It was the largest remaining UK trawler fleet, and until then Lowestoft had been a major fishing port for 700 years. But not any more, so what will they do? Turn to tourism? Sell "Lowestoft Rock"? | |
| 62 | The flowers and the guns | SM & OH | August 2002> About how my generation's youthful idealism fizzled away to cynicism and exploitation. | |
| 63 | Vassiliki | SM & OH | September 2002> The story of how my maternal grandparents met (with a modicum of poetic licence, "pappou" never played an instrument in his life, though he had a great singing voice, known to reduce his drinking companions to tears when he sang passionate Asia Minor songs) | |
| 64 | The bogeyman under my bed | SM | October 2002> Tongue-in-cheek, based on my theory that we all have a bogeyman, who never goes away, but simply mutates throughout our lives, to become our latest anxieties and fears. | |
| 65 | Escape | October 2002> An "enough already!" kind of song, wishing the bad things in this world to go away, just for one day. | ||
| 66 | Life as usual | LAU | October 2002> A song about teenage rebellion against overbearing concern and experience; I tried to see things through their eyes (and perhaps also remember some of my own feelings at equivalent times). My daughter says I did OK... | |
| 67 | Look away | SM | October 2002> About the many forms of misery we come across in a normal day, but we have conditioned ourselves to ignore, mainly as a defense mechanism. I have been like that - and God help me, perhaps I still am sometimes... | |
| 68 | Busker | SM | November 2002> Standing next to "Breezy" busking a few times I observed the behaviours of people around. Dedicated to him. | |
| 69 | Recessional | SM | November 2002> This works on my belief that many of our mistakes can be forgiven - if we have shown the capacity to love. | |
| 70 | Without you on Friday nights | December 2002> After a season at the Blue Anchor, St Albans, I wrote this as a temporary farewell to drinking & singing pals. But... | ||
| 71 | Without you on Christmas day | OH | December 2002> ...within a week I re-used the tune to write this, based on memories of Christmasses at Ted and Mabel's (my in-laws, both sadly departed now). It struck me that there is usually someone in every family - a mum, a granny, a sister - who takes the "mother hen" role of gathering the "brood" at important times. What happens when they are gone? | |
| 72 | Circles in the air | SM & OH | January 2003> Childhood memories of the first time at a fair. This won me the "silver" at Maidenhead's bi-ennial songwriting competition (beaten by Tony Geen's brilliant "Bevin boys" - catch him and hear it!). | |
| 73 | What life for a soldier | SM | January 2003> The aftermath of war for the winner - "when life you have taken, no matter the reason, the man that you were you no longer can be". | |
| 74 | Strictly working class | LAU | January 2003> (Crystals & Mixers) Drinking song hankering after the simple ale-and-chaser without all the fancy stuff around. | |
| 75 | Hello and goodbye | SM | January 2003> A day in the life of a Lady of the Night; about the dreams that haunt us long after they have become impractical and unattainable. | |
| 76 | It takes a soldier | SM | February 2003> Tongue-in-cheek anti-war song with a tongue-twisting-chorus about how the problem is not the supply of evil; but the demand for it. | |
| 77 | By and by | LAU | February 2003> Celebrating long relationships, where love has taken an easy but deeper form. Dedicated to Vanessa as our 30 years together were coming up. | |
| 78 | Living on the stilts | LAU | March 2003> Referring to life on the oil platforms. It occured to me that we only think of those people when there is a disaster or something news-worthy like that. But they go through daily life in unusual and harsh conditions to satisfy our demand for fuel. | |
| 79 | I wish I could have met you | LAU | April 2003> About Stan Rogers, one of the greatest Canadian songwriters, snatched way too soon by an airline accident at Cincinnati airport. His story fascinated me, and his music beguiles me. I DO wish I'd met him, just to say "thanks". | |
| 80 | The rain is falling | LAU | April 2003> Part 3 of the "Australian" trilogy. Written from the point of view of the farmer's wife. | |
| 81 | Tonight no sorrow | LAU | April 2003> Parting song | |
| 82 | Give me the good news | LAU | May 2003> Why are only bad things newsworthy? | |
| 83 | Thieves of innocence | LAU/LBW | June 2003> About the forcible use of children in armed conflict; something that has happened time and again throughout history and across the globe; and nearer to you than you might think... | |
| 84 | Those who also serve | LAU | June 2003> My anthem for the common man and woman, heros "just for making it through life". | |
| 85 | Just put in the hours | OH | August 2003> About the average office worker's compromises and selling of dreams "for two weeks in the sun". | |
| 86 | Dignity | August 2003> Even a down-and-outer has his dignity, and should not be stripped of it. | ||
| 87 | When life was happy and easy | August 2003> Reminiscences about simpler, younger, carefree times | ||
| 88 | Blood on the thorn | August 2003> Based on the true story of the romance of some recently-made friends. You have to catch me at a gig to find out who, though! | ||
| 89 | Add a blanket to the sheet | |
September 2003> Celebrating the coming of autumn after a long, hot summer | |
| 90 | Hand around a bottle | |
October 2003> Ostensibly a drinking song, it is really about how we should refrain from judging others. | |
| 91 | Cost of war | |
October 2003> Graeme asked me to write a song about this, so I did. And added some twists. | |
| 92 | (The guard never changes at) Langemarck | OH | November 2003> Refers to the German cemetery at Langemarck, Flanders, where the dead are "guarded" by 4 metal statues. An eerie place that caused me much thought, especially when upon reading the guest book, I noticed so many positive messages from UK visitors - but very few messages from German ones. | |
| 93 | Latter day friends | November 2003> About love encountered and friendships made when one is mature. Alternative title: "We'll share what there is to share, and we'll make do with what we have". Pretensions no longer necessary. | ||
| 94 | Heaven is next door | December 2003> Like "Give me the good news", this points out that there is good in life, happening next door to us, if we will only look.. | ||
| 95 | Father only half the year | December 2003> The regrets of an absent father. | ||
| 96 | Ordinary love | December 2003> Never mind the romantic stories and fairy tales, ordinary love is what drives most of the world. And it is extraordinary because of that. | ||
| 97 | Trevor's story | December 2003> True story about a father killing his own son. | ||
| 98 | (Fortune) Spin again the wheel | December 2003> Optimistic song about bouncing back from adversity. | ||
| 99 | Will it all be better (where you're going)? | December 2003>"It's not what you remembered, but what you can't forget…" - knocking holes in a self-righteous do-gooder's belief that they have done all they could and heaven is theirs to inherit. Very much in Si Kahn style ("it isn't what you've got...") and if I'm honest, nowhere near as good. I might rework it. | ||
| 100 | Spring is just around the corner | January 2004> Little nature picture, from the interregnum between winter and spring. | ||
| 101 | Prodigal | January 2004> How easy it is to be sucked into a new life and forget the old... | ||
| 102 | Prodigal's return | January 2004> ... and the rude awakening. Autobiographical? No, thank God. Not yet. | ||
| 103 | Liverpool to Istanbul | January 2004> The call of exotic places - a little hymn in praise of a city I love. No, not Liverpool. | ||
| 104 | Sharp on the lookout | February 2004> Exhortation to stop wallowing in the past and look to the future. | ||
| 105 | Brick by brick | February 2004> Redressing the balance for builders' reputations. Most are hard working people, who do the job right, on time, are polite and show no "builder's cleavage"! | ||
| 106 | The ending of the day | OH | February 2004> Both a love song and a prayer - you can take it as you want. | |
| 107 | Innocent Katy | |
March 2004> Katy is a real person. About 50 yrs old, she has a mental age of 2-3. As a result, she has minimal language and recall. For her each day is new, and she can look at the world with renewed surprise. Would that we could do the same! | |
| 108 | The bite of the underdog | OH | March 2004> Another little rail at the powers that be, with loads of doggy metaphors (and my apologies to Mr Les Barker) | |
| 109 | If you'd only seen her | |
March 2004> Looking at an old face and seeing the beauty that once was there | |
| 110 | Memory | OH | March 2004> We cannot control what we remember - even less so as we get older; and as it starts to fail, this non-selectiveness of memory becomes frustrating. Here, an old man in hospital reminisces, as best he can... | |
| 111 | Baba (Dad) | FMNT | April 2004> Old age - "Don't do this to my father, Lord - I beg you, no, not him!" | |
| 112 | Sea(side) Shanty | April 2004> Trying to lighten up: "Rub the oil, slap the cream". Well - why not? Purists may not like this one! | ||
| 113 | A Moment | |
April 2004> Savouring a single moment with someone close | |
| 114 | Because she did | |
April 2004> No personal experience in this - but an amalgam of observations on the behaviour of those left behind when "she" (mother, lover, wife) has gone, whatever the reason. | |
| 115 | I will not give up on my dream | |
June 2004> The title says it all really. Whatever the dream may be. | |
| 116 | City Day | |
July 2004> Birdseye view of a day in any city centre; sort of "Streets of London" from the 45th floor. | |
| 117 | Goodbye Swallow | |
July 2004> Farewell song for two dear friends, John and Nicole (Cloudstreet), who will be leaving in October 2004, hopefully to return next year. | |
| 118 | Working week | FMNT | July 2004> Attempting to correct some wrongs (tongue-in-cheek). Like having a week of 11 days, taking pension at 18 etc... | |
| 119 | The silence of friends | FMNT | August 2004> True friends can say much without speaking, and are not afraid of silence between them. | |
| 120 | The language of silence | August 2004> The Greek version of the "The silence of friends" | ||
| 121 | Watermelon seeds | FMNT | August 2004> The world's children remind me of the multicoloured seeds of watermelon. Each with a promise for the future inside it. | |
| 122 | Reach the sky | FMNT | September 2004> Pushing gently the maturing brood out of the door...in a "don't worry about us, go do your thing" kind of way. | |
| 123 | Bare feet dangler | |
September 2004> Dangling bare feet in water as a method to make you feel just a little child-like again | |
| 124 | There will be dancing | FMNT | September 2004> The sequel to "Johnny don't go walking..."; Johnny is returning in a boat full of sponges, though not without some mishaps on the way. | |
| 125 | Just you and me | FMNT | September 2004> A sort of sequel to "Reach the sky" after the door has closed and the parents look at each other realising that they have to learn to be by themselves again; and they have to learn to love each other as individuals, and not simply as the other half of a family unit. | |
| 126 | Last train home | FMNT | September 2004> Another one in the "Office work" series, this one warns the after work revellers that they may not have many chances to keep a family together | |
| 127 | Young eyes | |
November 2004> About how young people see things more optimistically than grumpy old fogies like me. | |
| 128 | Sing to me Angelo | FMNT | December 2004> Tribute to Italian fiddler/singer/songwriter Angelo Branduardi, whose music, more than anyone else's, is guaranteed to relax and transport me. | |
| 129 | Remember me like this | FMNT | December 2004> Capturing a happy moment, to remember when things turn for the worse. | |
| 130 | Sailor's lullaby | |
December 2004> "Bless the wind, for it's taking me homeward - go to sleep, and I'm on my way home" | |
| 131 | Come back, swallow | |
December 2004> No, this not a sequel to "Good bye Swallow"; it's about the (mediterranean) custom for children to tie a red-and-white twisted thread around their wrists every 1st March, until they see the first swallow - bringing in the spring. | |
| 132 | Caligulas and Neros | |
December 2004> Anti-war song: "Isn't it a shame to watch the heroes led by zeroes?/ Why are we still fighting for Caligulas and Neros?" | |
| 133 | Harrow to Australia | December 2004> Light-hearted farewell to Herga friends prior to leaving for Canberra; "it is a long way from Harrow to Australia, but nowhere near as long Australia back to you" | ||
| 134 | Middle Age | January 2005> Boy and Girl through to Man and Woman, Young Couple through to Middle Age Comfort and Habit. When does it all happen, why so fast? DEFINITELY NOT AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL! I hope... | ||
| 135 | Circular Quay | |
January 2005> Looking at the water lapping a bit of undeveloped shoreline next to Circular Quay in Sydney - where the first transportees, and later immigrants, first made landfall - set me to thinking: Is this the sand they stepped on, the air they breathed? | |
| 136 | Christmas in the Summer | January 2005> Light-hearted (or perhaps not so light-hearted) impressions from my first Australian Christmas | ||
| 137 | If you only... | |
January 2005> ... could have seen her with my eyes. Beauty in the eye of the beholder | |
| 138 | Sin by Omission | February 2005> Walking by and not interfering to help someone in need - but one day it could be you who needs the help. | ||
| 139 | Eco-Warrior | February 2005> The loneliness of contemporary Cassandras warning us of things to come; it takes a special kind of courage to keep at it in the face of derision and scorn; and "I told you so", when the opportunity comes, is bitter consolation. | ||
| 140 | Landfall | FMNT | February 2005> 20th century immigrants arriving in Sydney harbour; full of hope and dreams. Everything seems strange and exciting. A world of opportunities opens. A hopeful, yet whistful, song. | |
| 141 | Glory Gone | FMNT | February 2005> The story of nail-making, in the words of Charlie Troth, the last of the Bromsgrove nailers | |
| 142 | Life's a Joke | March 2005> We take ourselves too seriously sometimes, forgetting to enjoy our short presence on the planet | ||
| 143 | Here Comes Another Monday | |
March 2005> A happy Monday morning song! Well, sort of... Just to be different. | |
| 144 | The End Of The Road | FMNT | March 2005> Beggars will be kings, and all will be redeemed (except GWB perhaps). | |
| 145 | Another Dozen Letters | |
April 2005> The frustrations of applying for jobs - "what's the use of trying if you don't get the breaks". | |
| 146 | Contradictions | April 2005> A hopeful little song to highlight that every cloud has its silver lining. Dedicated to Dan and Nancy. | ||
| 147 | Yesterday's Kid | May 2005> Same tune as "Another Dozen Letters", lyrics celebrating the child in each of us | ||
| 148 | Toni with an "I" | LE | May 2005> The triumphant conclusion to someone's painful efforts to reverse fate and earn an ordinary life - in this case a transsexual about to undergo the final part of surgery. | |
| 149 | The Biggest Part Of Me | FMNT | June 2005> A love song with a difference, it refers to the illogical envy of a loved one's past life and the wish that one could have shared that too. | |
| 150 | Traitor's Love | June 2005> Dressed as a "Traitor"-"Patriot" conversation (note the quotes), this song attempts to describe the basic thinking behind the eternal conservative versus radical argument, the mistrust between the two and the strong-armed way such conversations are often closed | ||
| 151 | A Woman Dreams | July 2005> About how we often dream "out of time" - young when we are old, older when we are young etc | ||
| 152 | The Land Remains | August 2005> Same tune as 151, but a different theme - "Man comes and goes but the land remains" | ||
| 153 | Grumpy Old Man | August 2005> ...and proud of it! | ||
| 154 | Harbour Lights | LE | August 2005> A welcome sight for any returning sailor | |
| 155 | Anytown | FMNT | August 2005> Is this your town? | |
| 156 | Ahmed | November 2005> The true story of Ahmed al-Khalib, a Palestinian child accidentally killed by Israeli forces, whose organs were donated to Israeli children; knowing that in such cases the cornea is particularly prized for transplants, it set me thinking - here would be in all likelihood some Israeli child seeing through Ahmed's Palestinian cornea; and would they see things differently? | ||
| 157 | Early Start | December 2005> The peacefulness of early morning contradicting the day to follow | ||
| 158 | One By One | LE | December 2005> For departing friends | |
| 159 | Show me a dozen | December 2005> ...and wrap them in a song. The songwriter in the role of conscience. | ||
| 160 | Lost Generation | January 2006> A couple of hours into the new year and several bottles down the line, a conversation with my daughter gave me some insight into her generation's feelings - and my own generation's role in that | ||
| 161 | Count your blessings | January 2006> Challenged by JT to "sing him something happy" I set about finding reasons to be happy myself. There were plenty.... Yet another musical departure, this is a Russian/gypsy influenced tune. | ||
| 162 | Lullaby to an older child | February 2006> They grow, they leave, but sometimes they come back needing help - and you have to be there for them. | ||
| 163 | Tsamiko | LE | February 2006> A memory of the elders of a village dancing during the village fete | |
| 164 | Another 50 years | April 2006> Written to commemorate the century partnership of two dear friends, Kevin & Jenny in Melbourne | ||
| 165 | Rozellas | LE | May 2006> Whistful thanks to Australian friends after the last visit there | |
| 166 | The miracle of life | LBW | May 2006> Anthemic celebration of that which is all around us, yet we take so little notice of. | |
| 167 | Minutes | June 2006> Bemoaning the speedy passage of time | ||
| 168 | Eleven | June 2006> Considers the loss of a child - new tearjerker about those heroines, the "childless mothers" | ||
| 169 | Smile | June 2006> Railing against false seriousness and pompousness | ||
| 170 | Ordinary man | June 2006> First set of lyrics for a new tune... | ||
| 171 | Tractor wheel | June 2006> Second set of lyrics - games we'd play as children with the most unusual objects we'd find | ||
| 172 | The future you built | July 2006> Third set of lyrics - sarcasm at parents being surprised when their kids turn out "bad"... as if it wasn't their own fault in the first place. I will probably retain these and put to a new tune, as it fits well the "generations" theme that I am trying to develop. | ||
| 173 | Petty kings & presidents | July 2006> Fourth set of lyrics - about those who would rule our lives | ||
| 174 | Regrets | LE | July 2006> When a loved one goes and we review our actions, the "might have been" is the hardest to take. | |
| 175 | The Teacher's last lesson | September 2006> Sometimes the greater wisdom comes from the humblest people, and needs no words | ||
| 176 | Pieces | LE | October 2006> "Let me be first..." was what Baba always used to say, and he got his wish. And I think now that perhaps he was not that unusual after all, and there are many others in a similar situation. | |
| 177 | Another day | LE | October 2006> Four ordinary days, with four distinctly different results/effects; but are they all driven by the same motives? | |
| 178 | An emigrant's Rebetiko | LE | October 2006> My first Rebetiko! The idea came from an analogy that Gabriel Doyle drew recently on mySpace | |
| 179 | Tis xenitias | LE | October 2006> It's the Emigrant's Rebetiko in Greek... | |
| 180 | Concealment | October 2006> We all have secrets (don't we?) that we dare never tell - are we less worthy because of that? | ||
| 181 | Apology | LE | November 2006> Same tune as "Concealment" - this is an apology to lovers past | |
| 182 | Small dreams | February 2007> WIt's not just the big dreams that define us, but perhaps even more so the little ones; of course they are all big to the dreamer. | ||
| 183 | Late spring | LE | February 2007> Disappointment at the late arrival of spring; this uses the Asturias traditional tune La Xeringosa, and it is a tribute to Igor Medio And Carlos Redondo, members of the Asturias Celtic band Felpeyu, whose lives were tragically cut short on the 2006 summer solstice. | |
| 184 | Upwind of me | LE | April 2007> A rant at the slowness of politicians to catch on to the need to do something about global warming - whether man-caused or not. | |
| 185 | Rush Hour | LE | April 2007> Watching the passers by in front of a streetside cafe in London, parallel lives that totally ignore each other and the world at large | |
| 186 | For a Friend | LE | May 2007> Written for Scrump (Paul Gunningham), when he was recovering in hospital | |
| 187 | I do my smoking in the rain | June 2007> Parody of the pop song of my youth, in the aftermath of the smoking ban in the UK | ||
| 188 | Standing in the rain (parody) | June 2007> Another parody linked to the smoking ban, this one of Sydney Carter's masterpiece of the same title | ||
| 189 | The hills above the city | LBW | August 2007> From a distance, all the City's ills and problems are non-visible or insignificant | |
| 190 | Farewell Adieu | No 9 ? | August 2007> Mail-order bride to mother; written to the tune of the 1645 Flemish song "Ik zeg adieu", on the same subject | |
| 191 | How can it be | December 2007> Surprise at a grown up child, now an adult making her own way in the world | ||
| 192 | Serendipity | LBW | December 2007> Ode to coincidence bringing people together for a song | |
| 193 | Daniel and Ayshe | LBW | December 2007> On crsoss-cultural relationships and the stir they cause around them | |
| 194 | The last song | LBW | February 2008> "If this is the last song, don't let it be sad..." - closing song for a session | |
| 195 | Blossom on the breeze | April 2008> On the joys of springtime | ||
| 196 | Rejection | LBW | April 2008> Grumpy review of my generation's achievements in shaping our world | |
| 197 | Memories are kind | No 9 ? | April 2008> I don't know about others, but I mostly remember the good times from my childhood... | |
| 198 | Life's dreams | LBW | July 2008> The quality of dreams changing with age - hopeful, anxious, reflective. | |
| 199 | The art of kite flying | LBW | July 2008> Childhood memories of making and flying our kites | |
| 200 | A few crumbs of bread | No 9 ? | July 2008> Translation of the similarly titled Greek song by the Katsimihas Brothers. | |
| 201 | Love of a sort | LBW | July 2008> Lunchtime observations of secret lovers | |
| 202 | Fame | October 2008> ...for the sake of it seriously gets my goat. Yet I wish I had a penny for every adolescent (and older) thoughtlessly striving for it | ||
| 203 | Hand me downs | LBW | October 2008> Inspired by Mark Cohn's beayutiful "The Things We Handed Down", this is an observation that so much we take for granted is indeed just that - handed down. | |
| 204 | Street Life | LBW | October 2008> A "week in the life" - at Frances Street | |
| 205 | Erotokritos | LBW | December 2008> Translation of the most famous excerpt from the traditional Cretan epic poem of the same name - the scene of the parting of the lovers, a well-known Greek traditonal song | |
| 206 | Foxes rule the Street | LBW | March 2009> We think we rule our world. But at night we give up our domain to others... | |
| 207 | Azadeh | LBW | June 2009> Based on the 'tweets' of an Iranian dissident during the demonstrations following the Iranian Presidential Elections of 2009 | |
| 208 | Daddy's Little Girl | No 9 ? | July 2009> The path to the destruction of our dreams is a simple one, and is facilitated by many - loan sharks, pimps etc. Intended as the song and incidental music for a related public information film. | |
| 209 | Forest of beeches | No 9 ? | November 2009> Translation of one of my favourite contemporary Turkish folk songs, 'Karli Kayin Ormani', written by Zulfu Livanelli, about the loneliness of old age and regrets for decisions never made. | |
| 210 | Lie-In | No 9 ? | February 2010> Ode to Saturday mornings | |
| 211 | Mother's Always Right | No 9 ? | February 2010> First we learn the lessons, then we teach them. Eventually we can see the truth, or otherwise, behind them, but sometimes even then we prefer to believe. As if part of us never grows up or wise. | |
| 212 | Hang Around | No 9 ? | February 2010> (...have another beer). Encouraging message to a friend - it's not over till it's over. | |
| 213 | Daisy's Song | No 9 ? | June 2010> John Keats' poem set to music. | |
| 214 | Dole | No 9 ? | July 2010> About the hurt pride of being unemployed and the deception and subterfuge used sometimes to hide the fact. | |
| 215 | Esperanza Waits Above | No 9 ? | October 2010> or The Earth Can't Have Them Yet - a song for the Chilean (and one Bolivian) miners rescued on 13/10/2010. Esperanza (Hope) is the name of the baby girl born while her father was trapped 700 metres down the mine. | |
| 216 | Eye Of The Storm | No 9 ? | December 2010> The result of watching too many retrospectives on TV. Seriously though, I think we baby-boomers have made a real mess of the world and we don't yet appreciate it fully, or what this does to the next generations, or how they may react!. | |
| 217 | Love is not enough | January 2011> Antidote to the "love will make everything all right" mush... | ||
| 218 | Ordinary Day | No 9 ? | March 2011> Celebration of the pleasure contained within what seem to be ordinary days. Another celebration of life. | |
| 219 | Danae's Song | No 9 ? | June 2011> (in Greek) Written for my youngest niece for the occasion of her wedding, a celebration of her life so far | |
| 220 | Columbo | No 9 ? | June 2011> Tribute to the great Lieutenant upon his passing. | |
| 221 | The Bittersweet Silence | No 9 ? | November 2011> On the 2 minute silence on 11th November every year, and that sombre commemoration should not overshadow celebration of the things gained | |
| 222 | When She's Smiling | No 9 ? | December 2011> Pure, unadulterated, happy (yes!) love song about the many things a good partner can be to us, over and above the obvious - the object of our affection | |
| 223 | And then She Smiled | No 9 ? | February 2012> The power of the smile of a loved one, which can make things better for us, at all stages in life | |
| 224 | Ex Apostaseos - (From A Distance) | No 9 ? | February 2012> Lament for Greece - (in Greek). A cry of anger and frustration from an expatriate about what is happening to/in his/her country | |
| 225 | Defiance | No 9 ? | October 2012> An old revolutionary's sarcastic, defiant cry - "yeah, sure, any day now I will stop being a rebel..." Or "old hippies never die, they just mutate". | |
| 226 | Ora Gia Oneira Aliki | No 9 ? | October 2012> (in Greek) A warning to my compatriots against the call of Golden Dawn in these troubled times. I fear for my country as the fascist elements take hold, based on the understandable unrest and dissatisfaction from the austerity measures. | |
| 227 | Better Days | No 9 ? | November 2012> What we all strive for, and some of us remember, is not lost. Not yet. | |
| 228 | Thessaloniki | No 9 ? | April 2013> Translation into English of the wonderful poem of Nicos Kavvadias, set to music by Thanos Mikroutsikos | |
| 229 | Illusions | No 9 ? | May 2013> The more the world changes, the more we adapt and kid ourselves that everything is the same. But is sure isn't. | |
| 230 | Argument | No 9 ? | June 2013> The aftermath of an argument between a couple - NOT from personal experience, I hasten to add! | |
| 231 | I still see You (Redemption) | No 9 ? | January 2014> What makes us ignore the passage of time and still see the original unsullied version of someone we love? | |
| 232 | Longing | No 9 ? | April 2014> Translation/arrangement of "Yar Ko Parag", a traditional Armenian song - the title says it all. | |
| 233 | Black Dog | No 9 ? | December 2014> Depression is all too common - it affects 1 in 10 of us at some time or other | |
| 234 | Lydia's Song | No 9 ? | April 2015> The story of Lydia Hardy (nee Priest), Chesham's first Fairtrade activist | |
| 235 | Make Them Count | No 9 ? | August 2015> I will no longer count the days... Re-setting of priorities. | |
| 236 | Evening Sunshine | No 9 ? | September 2015> Inspired by a photograph of one of our town's best loved couple at a town picnic. | |
| 237 | No 9 ? |
