1. |
John
05:23
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John’s my name, I ain’t no landed squire
Everyone’s the same when they need fuel for the fire
Bin man, housewife, copper, young or old
A local bloke providing folk with comfort from the cold
The soft coal from the Forest will not sell
Customers know what they want; I serve my clientele
We don’t all have an equal piece of pie
But on my cart you’ll find only the best you can buy
Warm, I’ll keep you warm
The time is nigh when I’ll come by in blackened uniform
And though the morning’s dark
My horse and cart will break the day before the meadowlark
I haul it from the Midlands, through the crossroads of the land
Shovels, sacks, and sturdy backs, we do it all by hand
It keeps me fit, though sometimes it might land me in a jam
A plain upstanding citizen is all that I am
The horse is fed, the coal won’t haul itself
I live a humble life but every visit brings me wealth
Beast and man can greet me without fright
It’s only Queen and country can conscript me for a fight
Warm, I’ll keep you warm
The time is nigh when I’ll come by in blackened uniform
And though the morning’s dark
My horse and cart will break the day before the meadowlark
A bullet took my hat off but I had no time to mope
Dangling from a chopper in the mountains on a rope
I did my bit, so when I go upstairs to meet The Boss
I hope they let my hearse traverse that blessed Gloucester Cross
A rifleman, dutiful and strong
Suez, Malta, Cyprus, my service two years long
I came back to a world that hadn’t changed
But if we’d never gone, it might have all been rearranged
Warm, I’ll keep you warm
The time is nigh when I’ll come by in blackened uniform
And though the morning’s dark
My horse and cart will break the day before the meadowlark
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2. |
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Siblings left and siblings right
Surviving in Glasgow was a fight
Working a coffee machine
At just fifteen
Met a catholic guy
Became my love, by and by
He was from the shipyards at Clyde
Fifty years by his side
Fifty years
Visiting was banned
So we plotted and planned
In Gloucester, I became a spouse
With a mortgage and house
Three kids needed space
Sixty years ago, that little place
With whatever means we had
We did our best as mum and dad
He was a sweet and kindly bloke
For many years before the stroke
And then the hospital bout
My husband went in and a stranger came out
Lost my job and gained more bills
So I went and learned some new skills
Stood on my own two feet
He should have been pleased but he was no longer sweet
A sad, sad lesson to learn:
People stop coming when things take a turn
But when they took him into care
He blossomed in the company there
Sometimes you tighten your belt
No use dwelling on the hand you’re dealt
Nothing that comes can be rehearsed
Happiness is kindness first
But I’ve been lucky
I get on with everyone
Under the sun
You have to be plucky
And walk a dark, stony road
Before you’re done
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3. |
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I stroked the keys
And the Jamaican breeze echoed “God will prevail”
We had the keys to the Kingdom
When we set sail
Looking from the train through the freezing rain
The factory smoke rose
But it was houses with curtains and coal fires
So nobody froze
England or bust - we took it on trust
There was gold, I was told
I gripped boiled eggs in each of my hands
To fend off the cold
We don’t like to shirk so we took on the work
You know it had to be done
Seven thousand miles
From the island of sun
Some thought us dogs and ran away
My faith in the Lord kept me going
Every day
We would not hide because God would decide
What our lives would bring
His the dominion over
Everything
The factory shift was a waste of my gift
So I got a government pass
Strength inside, deep and wide
Changed things fast
I am a woman
With fire in my chest
Proud to be black, I don’t like to look back
And give only my best
In Jesus’ name it’s not fortune or fame
That brings back the sun
It’s family love and the light from above
The holiest one
Come to the church
You’re pecking cherries like a bird
It’s all or nothing
Hear His Word
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4. |
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Goodbye, Leipzig, at fifteen
A cold wind blew where my home had been
If there was a future, no one knew
The many peaceful hearts displaced by the few
I try not to think of that dirty place
Haunted lines on every face
The drawn-out sighing
Of young dreams dying
In Berlin in ’58
I met my British soulmate
Eddie, one day, would put down his gun
We moved to Gloucester in ’71
When life is hard-fought
Gratitude is felt, not taught
Some folk will always be
Grateful
My husband is nine years gone
My six children, they live on
I skied every year with my sons
The memories are happy ones
All are pensioners now
Where did the time go?
When, and how?
I’ve seen much of the world, it’s true
But I refuse to believe I’m through
I don’t see so well these days
But when there’s will, there’s ways
I know I won’t see it all
And maybe I can’t manage long-haul
But still I ignore the constraints
I’ve had a good life – no complaints
I’ll always be
Grateful
I will dance under silver moon
We will return to stardust soon
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5. |
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We dug our own shelter in the garden
I am never gonna forget the smell of the earth
The dog’s eyes were wide with the bombarding
So I closed mine and prayed for all I was worth
Hamstrings tight digging for dinner
Then came the sound and Daddy said “duck!”
So we dropped down to the ground as the planes came back around
And in my mother’s muddy face, a trace of coming unstuck
The Wiltshire skies less foreboding
There was a US army base not far away
All the local boys threw out their toys
‘Cause the girls preferred the men from the US of A
They had moved me out west for my safety
But my uncles shut me up in a chicken coop
My fear of feathers was conquered that day
I was just another ingredient in mother nature’s soup
Oh, so long ago
If I could, I’d do it all again
Some folk like to sit and watch a game show
But in my mind I’m running like I did when I was ten
If you can’t leave your chair with your body
Maybe leap out with your mind
I’m digging for the treasure in pictures and books
And dive into the journeys I find
The letters said my folks would fetch me
When the enemy was finally denied
But wartime had a nasty way of scuppering your plans
So I hunched up in the pantry with my doll and cried
At fifteen, I’d been home and back again
I loved to learn but couldn’t bear that school
The boys had all the fun while every girl was a minion
And this girl didn’t polish shoes for the boys like a fool
Oh, so long ago
If I could, I’d do it all again
Some folk like to sit and watch a game show
But in my mind I’m running like I did when I was ten
If you can’t leave your chair with your body
Maybe leap out with your mind
I’m digging for the treasure in pictures and books
And dive into the journeys I find
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6. |
Winnie
04:22
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Winnie was one of triplets
Graced the Earth from 1917
They grew up with ten other children
In the wilds of the Forest of Dean
A pump in the yard for water
And the WC outside
They would strike up a lamp or candle
To handle the coal-black night
They had no time for flowers
There were cabbages and spuds to tend
No lack of work to fill the hours
At the house in Mile End
Beef dripping for thruppence
Stick an apple in yer knickers and go
Some sugar or some cheese, Mr Hooper, if you please
There’s many mouths to feed and funds are low
Winnie and eight sisters
Had to share a single room to sleep
At fourteen years they’d be out in the world
Working to earn their keep
She began a life of service
As a housemaid in Cheltenham town
A pound a month and room and board
A lifetime away from tumbledown
When Winnie had a half day’s leisure
She’d watch the ladies on parade
Walking Pekinese for pleasure
Along the Cheltenham Promenade
One day she joined the effort
When The Great War came to pass
Making TNT so the Jerries would flee
This gentle country lass
She met a chap while dancing At the YMCA
And the lovers married On VE Day
What a priceless romance
After all the gloom
Winnie’s voice a melody
To brighten any room
Winnie, the winsome
Winnie, the voice of cheer
Winnie bringing light to the dark and lonely night
Winnie, live on, my dear
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7. |
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There goes the siren sound
Evacuate the playground
Barely in my sixth year
I learned to know that things could fall here
But still, we kids believe in magic
Living in the now - what else is there anyhow?
Starry-eyed stories as days unfold
Into daisy chains, and spinning leaves
Rolling in green
Just running free
Guiding in summer fields
The forest awaits my seeking
The poppy patrol begins
The saturation makes my heart sing
I know the radiance will be
The symbol of the fallen soul
The petals that settle and grace the ground like
The daisy chains, and spinning leaves
Rolling in green
Painting a scene
Things take a tuneful turn
In Midland Road a school for music
Daddy says ‘You can learn
To play piano, if you choose it.’
It may seem late, but at forty eight
I broke from my mould
Because you’re never too old
I tinkle the keys at a school up the road
Young hearts and melodies and voices fold
Into daisy chains, and spinning leaves
Rolling in green
Swaying like trees
Poppy! Poppy!
Poppy! Poppy!
Poppy! Poppy!
Poppy! Poppy!
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8. |
Douglas
06:28
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It was not plain sailing getting the goods through
Your Bofors gun aimed at nothing and no one – until they found you
Protect the supplies – fix your eyes on the blue
Threats from the skies above and the depths beneath you
But…
You could stand on the deck at night
And see to the ends of space
And be sorry for the stars
So far from this lovely place
At the bars in New York and Baltimore
Your drinks and your high jinks were paid for
The uniform opened any door
It was freedom and fun and friendship you were fighting for
You must remember this
When ice and metal kissed
Caught her above the waterline
After repairs the silent prayers
Two ships fell foul of a U-boat on the prowl
And when the tears have dried
The fallen far and wide
They will not be denied
Till time has up and died
Sleeping souls sparkle like the dew
And our freedom is the prize
And the enemies have their eyes
On us forgetting you
You could stand on the deck at night
And see to the ends of space
And be jealous of the stars
So far from this ghostly place
Ahoy! Sicilian civilians in a bum boat
You were two weeks short of your pay and could barely stay afloat
It was hot, so the trader got your Navy overcoat
And in return, you got a banjo ukulele – the antidote
You could stand on the deck at night
And pluck at a gentle pace
And be jealous of the stars
So far from concentration face
Your diary showed in Llanthony Road
There was a midnight fright
You played your piano as loud as you could
Then came the singing until it was light
Doug’s home! (After six long years)
Doug’s home!
Doug’s home! (Only happy tears)
Doug’s home!
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The Powdered Earth England, UK
The Powdered Earth are Gloucester, UK based writer/producer duo George Moorey and Shane Young.
gentle sounds, kind words, fiction and real life stories in song shaped wrappers
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