1. |
Old Lady
04:48
|
|||
|
Old Lady
Old lady with her her piled high
Breathing in the smoke she's surrounded by.
Fixing her questioner with her eye -
No intention yet to just lie down and die.
What's the point in having views
Without an audience who's
Gonna hang on every word -
Both the wise and absurd.
Old lady says she doesn't listen to her songs.
Well except sometimes when her neighbours put her CDs on.
She'll give credit where credit's due
But she racks her brains for names to give it to.
Bob and Leonard - they wrote a bit
But for 40 years now they've just turned out the same old shit.
And she pauses while another cigarette is lit...
Debussy.... Duke Ellington... and that's it.
Old lady still has that toothy grin
And it still depends on the mood she's in.
There's no way now that she's ever gonna sing
Or run her fingers up and down those strings.
In LA she sits
Surrounded by self portraits.
Looking for a shoe that fits
Before the world forgets.
Old Lady with her head held high
Fading into the smoke she's surrounded by
copyright: Greg Hancock 2014
|
||||
2. |
Buckles and Buttons
07:36
|
|||
|
It's been a long night - It's been a hard fight
Through a dark place
But in the daylight, he tries a smile
And reaches out to touch her face
He says he wants to turn back the pages
To when things were still OK
He doesn't want to just burnish these cages
That they're living in today.
He says, "The thing is
I believe there's more to life than this."
But his mask slips
As she pushes his fingertips away.
He gets up early - makes some coffee
And then sits in the dark alone
These are the only moments he gets these days
When his thoughts can be his own
He used to be so out there - self confident
The centre of the fun
Now he just sits and wonders where
The man he was has gone
He says "Don't get me wrong.
I really love them all.
But sometimes I think I'm on the brink
And I'm only half trying not to fall."
He follows orders - without question
And never watches the news.
He says "It's not for people like me
To express my points of view.
It doesn't mean that I don't have them
I just keep them safely tucked away
Cos I know that I can sleep then
Without the dreams of what I do each day.
And when things get really rough
I polish my buckles and buttons up
And put an extra shine on my shoes
To see me through another day.
|
||||
3. |
Three Conversations
05:38
|
|||
|
I still don't quite know what to make
Of the conversation I heard today.
Two nurses sharing a cake
In the hospital cafe.
One used a knife to illustrate the way
And then leaning in to be discreet
She said "It shouldn't be allowed!"
And her friend frowned and agreed.
And said
"I don't think it is...now."
Sweet old lady serving in the shop
Beside the railway line
Where I often used to stop
To buy myself some wine.
She said "It's changed round 'ere!
This town doesn't feel like mine!
And now there's all these fuckin' queers...
And you can't tell half the time!
Do you want a bag with that, dear?
That's £5.99."
From the stage one day
My eyes picked out
The face of the very one
The songs were written about.
He said "They advertised your name.
But the real reason that I came
Was to say I still feel just the same."
And I said "I do too!"
And then he introduced his wife and walked away
And I came home
To you.
|
||||
4. |
Comfortable Hatred
05:15
|
|||
|
For nearly 40 years these two old friends
First followed, then set and then ignored the latest trends.
One bears a grudge and thinks the other one should make amends.
Comfortable hatred - that neither wants to end
Tall and elegant Grace looks down
On dumpy little Margaret, all made up like a clown.
Looking quite ridiculous in that shiny evening gown.
She wears her displeasure in the flicker of a frown.
Margaret eats so fast she can't remember what she ate
While Grace just pokes and prods at the food on her plate -
With a sneer of disdain as she looks around this place.
Comfortable hatred has left a scar on her face.
Grace makes no attempt to hide what she thinks
As men a fraction of their age keep buying Margaret drinks.
Giggling like a silly girl as the champagne glasses clink
Margaret makes new friends. And Grace just blinks.
It never crosses Margaret's mind to rise
To the constant provocation of Grace's tuts and sighs.
There's steel in her heart but only kindness in her eyes.
Comfortable hatred is just part of any marriage she decides.
Last ones on the terrace at three a.m.
Both trying to keep straight faces as the manager complains
Then three pairs of eyebrows raised as Grace lets one off again....
Margaret holds her aching sides
Graces just turns to try to hide
The smile that's spreading behind her fan
While Margaret holds out her hand
And Grace takes it
And these two old friends help each other to stand.
|
||||
5. |
The Baby's Head
05:15
|
|||
|
Well I made the arrangements through a government agent.
And we told the kids that they could only take one of their toys.
And we left after midnight, leaving the hall light on.
And we covered the baby's head so it wouldn't make too much noise.
We rolled through the town, pushing the children's heads down.
And flinching at every sound of gunshot and grenade.
Somehow we got to the border
And the guard winked and said "It's all in order here"
And my wife covered the baby's head with her hand
As they lifted the barricade.
You try explaining to a seven-year-old girl
That she's just witnessed the end of her world.
Or convince a five-year-old boy
That his mother's tears are not his fault.
We drove the the mountains and the forest surrounding
The old family farm, where they waited
With their lips caught in their teeth.
And at the sound of our engine the old women came running out
And they covered the baby's head with kisses and tears of relief.
|
||||
Greg Hancock Exeter, UK
Singer/songwriter and guitarist based in Devon, England.
If you like Greg Hancock, you may also like:
A Place Like Home
by Mr. Alec Bowman_Clarke
The new EP from Scottish songwriter Alec Bowman_Clarke goes deep, setting vulnerable lyrics to gentle melodies & stripped-back arrangements.
go to album
I Used To Be Sad & Then I Forgot
by Mr. Alec Bowman_Clarke
Alec Bowman perfectly captures the dark soil under the pastoral world of British folk with this collection of melancholy originals.
go to album
featured on Bandcamp Radio Dec 3, 2013
go to album
Veneer (20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)
by José González
featured on Bandcamp Radio Aug 29, 2023
go to album
Our Blood Is Red
by Luke James Williams
Emotive acoustic balladry from this UK musician with heart on sleeve and hushed arrangements.
go to album
El Invento (Remix EP)
by José González
featured on Bandcamp Radio Mar 15, 2022
go to album
The St Buryan Sessions
by Sarah McQuaid
Recorded live at St Buryan Church, the latest from Sarah McQuaid is a showcase for the simple power of voice & guitar.
go to album
