Lizzy Hardingham Lyrics
Orpheus
I am no Orpheus I should not follow you under
I should take time for pursuits that will bring me some joy
Here in this moment I promise these words I’ll remember
I am worth more than a puppet or even a toy
Now I am yearning for grapes in the field of a spring time
I am Persephone caught tween the light and the black
Now in this moment I promise this oath I’ll remember
I will gaze forward and not on the train on its track
Here I stand torn in two
If I stay I’ll forget I know
This sweet prayer that counters you
You’re not Hades yet, even though
Here in your company no one is gaining an ego
You send the messenger just to bring me bad news
Here in this moment I promise this protest I’ll remember
While there is breath in my lungs it is my choice to choose
I am no Orpheus I should not follow you under
Blue
You could have the silver dollars brimming from you purse
You could hold a potion that could cure any curse
You could have a needle to make a broken heart whole
But you’d still have the blues in your soul
You could spot the rarest bird up in the sky
You could know the answer as to how the bumble bee flies
You could be the force that sets the stone off to roll
But you’d still have the blues in your soul
Why do we fall?
How do we make sense of it all
Just think: we could be splitting the sugar from the cane
We could all be homeless, stranded in the rain
We could be a father and mother out of love
But the sky would still be blue up above
You could wield the waves with the magic in your hands
You could see the lighting make the glass out of the sand
You could summon lost things from the deepest darkest hole
But you’d still have the blues in your soul
You could sing the sweetest song we’ve ever heard
You could see the angels or fly just like the birds
You could be the teacher to whom we all enrolled
But you’d still have the blues in your soul
Why do we fall?
How do we make sense of it all
Just think: we could be a riding upon the river styx
We could be building for Hades, laying his bricks
We could be the worst things but when push comes to shove
The sky will still be blue up above
Yes we could be the worst things but when push comes to shove
The sky will still be blue up above
Dance With Me
That was the day that they walked to the top of the tower on their own
I lost my pack at the floor where a Wurlitzer played
I sat in a chair burnished gold for a couple of hours like a throne
Watching them waltzing on air made the fear in me fade
Leaving a trail of memories across the floor
A golden vignette framed everything that I saw
1 2 3, dance with me
4 5 6, they learnt the tricks of the trade in their day
But they’re fine, come dancing time
I watched from the sidelines, transfixed by the dance of the golden
Pairings of swans glided gracefully skimming the surface at midday
Swilring in cardies and corduroy slacks to the music they were beholden
Swaying through steps they learnt in their salad days
Turning in circles to wind back the clock on the wall
Nora and Iris and Albert were part of it all
1 2 3, dance with me
4 5 6, they learnt the tricks of the trade in their day
But they’re fine, come dancing time
Serenity comes to the ones who seek to empower
Dappled white hair of the ones dancing there in the tower
1 2 3, wont you dance with me
4 5 6, they took time just to learn the tricks of the trade
On that day they were so fine, they gave a Twirl for a little lost girl
Beauty engraved on this memory of mine, of dancing time.
King of The Boundless Deep
Oh the whale is free of the boundless sea, he lives for a thousand years
And he sinks to his rest ‘neath the billows breast, nor the roughest tempest fears
Oh the howling blast as it hurries past is music to lull him to sleep
He has seen the spray of his boisterous play as he dashes the king of the deep
Oh the rare old whale mid storm and gale
The ocean his home shall be
For a giant in might, where might is right
The king of the boundless deep
And a wonderous tale could the rare old whale of the mighty deep disclose
Of the skeleton forms of bygone storms and of treasures which no one knows
He has seen the crew when the tempest blew, shake down from the slippery deck
And stemming the tide with his glassy side and spraying the ocean with wreck
Oh the rare old whale mid storm and gale
The ocean his home shall be
For a giant in might, where might is right
The king of the boundless deep
The whale shall still be dear to me when the midnight lamp burns dim
And the student’s book is his favourite nook for they are all lit by him
From none of his tribe we could ‘er imbibe so blessed so useful a thing
But we’ll on land go hand in hand to haul him to ocean king
Oh the rare old whale mid storm and gale
The ocean his home no more
For a giant in might where the price is right
Laid on the ocean floor
Oh the rare old whale mid storm and gale
The ocean his home shall be
For a giant in might no price is right
The king of the boundless deep
Memorial For A Glacier
One night in winter when Mr Jack frost had departed, broken hearted
For his love had left his side
So Mr Jack frost left the town for he saw no reason to stay the season
Without his loving bride
There in the glow of the Greenland sun lay his love
Where once a tall glacier soared high up above
Now she's a speck in the waters that rise, how she swears
To drown all the people too blind and busy too care
Wallowing deeper than even the ocean she flows through, nowhere to go to
He wanders all alone
The kings in their throne rooms are laughing and burning their money, they think it’s funny
Safe inside their homes
But little they know of the vengeance that grows in the soul
Of the ice queen reduced to the rivers and oceans that flow
Soon she will rise like the eagle soars through the air
To drown all the people too blind and too busy to care
Jack’s all alone, separate from all he holds dear
Jack’s all alone, his time on the earth growing shorter every year
It’s never too late to appeal to the queen and her king
Now is the time we must stand up to shout and sing
For when Greenland is melting it’s our job to stop and repair
We are not people too blind or too busy too care
Rolling Down To Old Maui
It's a damn tough life, full of toil and strife, we whaler-men undergo
And we don't give a damn when the gale is done, how hard the winds did blow
For we're homeward bound from the Arctic ground on the good ship, taut and free
And we won't give a damn when we drink our rum with the girls of old Maui
Rolling down to old Maui, me boys, rolling down to old Maui
We're homeward bound from the Arctic ground, rolling down to old Maui
Once more we sail with the northerly gale through the ice and wind and rain
Them coconut fronds, them tropical lands, we soon shall see again
For six hellish months we've passed away on the cold Kamchatka sea
But now we're bound from the Arctic ground, rolling down to old Maui
Chorus
Once more we sail with the northerly gale, towards our island home
Our whaling done, our mainmast sprung, and we ain't got far to roam
Our stu'n's'l booms is carried away, what care we for that sound?
A living gale is after us, thank God we're homeward bound!
Chorus
How soft the breeze through the island trees, now the ice is far astern
Them native maids, them tropical glades, is awaiting our return
Even now their big brown eyes look out, hoping some fine day to see
Our baggy sails, running 'fore the gales, rolling down to old Maui
Chorus
Shenandoah
Oh Shenandoah I long to see you, away you rolling river
Oh Shenandoah I long to see you
Away, I’m bound away, across the wide Missouri
Oh Shenandoah I love your daughter, away you rolling river
For her I’d cross our foaming waters
Away, I’m bound away, across the wide Missouri
‘Tis seven long years since last I’ve seen you, away you rolling river
‘Tis seven long years since last I’ve seen you
Away, I’m bound away, across the wide Missouri
Shenandoah I long to hear you, away you rolling river
Oh Shenandoah just to be near you
Away, so far away, across the wide Missouri
South Australia
As I walked out one morning fair, heave away haul away
Twas there I met mid Nancy Blair, and we’re bound for south Australia
And if there's one thing on my mind, heave away haul away
It's leaving Nancy Blair behind, and we’re bound for south Australia
In south Australia I was born heave away haul away,
In south Australia round cape horn and we're bound for south Australia
I tell the truth I'll tell no lie, heave away haul away
If I don't marry her, I'll die, and we’re bound for south Australia
Now as my wife stands on the quay, heave away haul away
The tears begin as she waves at me, and we’re bound for South Australia
In south Australia I was born heave away haul away,
In south Australia round cape horn and we're bound for south Australia
I'll drink one for the foreign shore, heave away haul away
And I'll drink one for the girl I adore, and we’re bound for south Australia
Now as we wallop round cape horn, heave away haul away
I wish to God if never been born, and we’re bound for south Australia
In south Australia I was born heave away haul away,
In south Australia round cape horn and we're bound for south Australia
In south Australia I was born heave away haul away,
In south Australia round cape horn and we're bound for south Australia
Harvester of Gold
Harvester of gold he cried, you’re counting down the days
Your mothers and brothers have all flown away
Harvester of gold he cried, brace our breeze no more
For with the first day of spring you shall sing on another shore
Gold shines on, gold will it shine when you are gone?
Harvester of gold he cried, those wings are wearing thin
No time to address this big mess we’ve got you in
Harvester of gold he cried, you’re time is at an end
Your fellow man barely can call himself a friend
Gold shines on, gold will it shine when you are gone?
Harvester of gold he cried, what torture have you seen?
The smoking gun’s nearly won this sorry scene
Gold shines on, gold will it shine when you are gone?
Harvester of gold
McClennon Babies
A wise old tale says these babies three
Were left on the moors for the wildlings to be
McLennon and McLennon and McLennon makes three
This begins the tale of McLennon babies
One dark December the winter winds did blow
Three starving children with no mother's milk to flow
With only beggars’ rags and no better to know
Frozen on the ground were McLennon babies
I tell the tale like my mother told me
And she from her mother before
Fables fade away like a whisper on the wind
And howling heard deep within the moor
As time remembers deep in Devon that night
Crying was silence by ashy grey sight
Ruby red spheres in the dazzling moonlight
Came to the rescue of McLennon babies
Crimson eyes and silken fur were gathered all around
To herald to beginning of a life of man and hound
Nowhere could a father or a mother be found
Thus began the raising of McLennon babies
I tell the tale like my mother told me
And she from her mother before
Fables fade away like a whisper on the wind
And howling heard deep within the moor
Days and weeks and years flew by in the company of beasts
No bakers bread or butchers’ bones or baptism of priest
In the ways of the wildings the McLennons did feast
But soon would come a turning for McLennon babies
From four legs to two, they must rise
They'll always have those crimson eyes
But the day it came when they strolled right into town
Mary McLennon didn't recognize her McLennon babies
I tell the tale like my mother told me
And she from her mother before
Fables fade away like a whisper on the wind
And howling heard deep within the moor
Cheshire Man
The Cheshire man sailed into Spain for to trade the merchandise
And when he arrived out from the mane a Spaniard he espied
Who said look here you English rogue, what fruits and spices fine
Our land produces twice a year that though has not in thine
The Cheshire man ran to his hoard and fetched a Cheshire cheese
He said look here you dog behold- we have such fruits as these
Your fruits are ripe but twice a year as you yourself did say
Such as I present you here our land brings twice a day
And then into a passion flew, his rapier took in hand
The Cheshire man kicked up his heels saying though art at my command
Never let a Spaniard boast while Cheshire men abound
Lest they should be taught the cost to dance a Cheshire round
Never let a Spaniard boast while Cheshire men abound
Lest they should be taught the cost to dance a Cheshire round
Magpies
We weave a song like a magpie gilds gold, we steal the words of the bold
We tell a tale like a magpie builds a nest, we take the pieces from the rest
Shining in the sun is a chance for something new
So I’ll reach out my hand take it from you
Dazzling rhythms and sparkling tunes, tempting us in to certain doom
Where words are the treasures sparkling out of site, and painting a picture in the night
Glistening in the light is a word so pure and true
So I’ll reach out my hand and take it from you
Taking all the best from everyone you find, paving the way the best you can
Leaving fumbled footprints from crafting something new out of the old you have to hand
Grasping at stories with claws so thick and strong, praying and hoping for a song
Piecing together an old forgotten phrase with melodies so sweet you could almost say
They burn so bright they leave us in a rosy hue
So I'll reach out my hand and take them from you
We’ll reach out our hands and take them from you
Floorboards
Hello I am the ground neath your feet
I have been keeping the dirt from your skin
Now that your children are all grown and gone
Maybe we can sit and reminisce but where to begin
The holes in my back tell a story
The cracks in my armour today
Are battle scars of yesterday's glory
Of 12 years of family fray
Sand lacquer and varnish are all that I need to be new
Sand lacquer and varnish will rob me of memories with you
Goodbye to the soot stain that’s under the chair
That you pretended not to have seen at the time
Goodbye to the heels that did pierce in my back
No more shall you see the remanence of whiskey and wine
The holes in my back tell a story
The cracks in my armour today
Are battle scars of yesterday's glory
Of 12 years of family fray
Sand lacquer and varnish are all that I need to be new
Sand lacquer and varnish will rob me of memories with you
Goodbye to the chips that your little ones made
Battered and bruised yet I was the place that they played
Goodbye to the times that I soaked up your tears
While the world would span around you I was the constant that stayed
The holes in my back tell a story
The cracks in my armour today
Are battle scars of yesterday's glory
Of 12 years of family fray
Sand lacquer and varnish are all that I need to be new
Sand lacquer and varnish will rob me of memories with you
Christmas Common
Every year come December time, I know I’ll shed a tear
Swapping scores down the memory line for the brightest of the year
Now I know without a doubt last year I saw a blip
Happy memories simply running out, slipping through my fingertips
Last year I could use a little light
Driving over Christmas Common late last night
When the bed made of nettles was covered in snow
And the magical moments their faces did show
And the fountain of St Agnes with music did flow
Just when I needed it most
Stained glass windows framed a friend of mine in beaming holy light
Christmas bells they began to chime singing ‘O Holy Night’
Last year I was down, I took the blows
Driving over fields I saw the light on the snow
When the bed made of nettles was covered in snow
And the magical moments their faces did show
And the fountain of St Agnes with music did flow
Just when I needed it most
Last year I fell in to the abyss
Freezing falling stumbling in the dark, save me from this
When the bed made of nettles was covered in snow
And the magical moments their faces did show
And the fountain of St Agnes with music did flow
Just when I needed it most
Denim Steel
First love is like your first pair of really good jeans
First love is like learning what they mean
To be unbending, to not need mending, learning how to thrive
To hold you close now, and then somehow last you through to forty-five
‘Cus that first love is denim steel
And that first love is learning how to feel
First love is like feeling the seam start to go
One, maybe two, maybe five years at the most is how long you’ve got left you know
The hem is fraying and what needs saying, you’re both afraid to say
‘Cus it’s fading, the colour’s shading as blue turns into faded grey
‘Cus that first love is denim steel
And that first love is learning how to feel
Though they still fit and the fit is still good you’re older and stronger and wise
And though you’ve changed, life has been rearranged, comfy was good at the time
And these new jeans, though they’re smart and stiff and clean
The old ones will always be on your mind
‘Cus that first love is denim steel
And that first love is learning how to feel
Fisherchild
As I walked out one summer’s morn on purpose to meet my bride
Twas there I saw a pretty maid, come rowing down the tide
“Good morning to you young fisherman” she cried “what’s brought you here”
I said “I am fishing for a lady gay right down the river clear”
So he’s boldly walked up to her there and kissed her both cheeks aside
And taken her by her lily white hand and rowed her down the tide
Now she’s down on bended knee crying “pray sir pardon me
For thinking you a fisherman who sails the briny sea”
He’s launched his boat up to the shore crying “mam your pardon is lent”
And in each other’s arms embraced until they gave consent
“Now go you to my father’s hall where married we will there be
And you shall have a fisherchild to row you on the sea”
Yes you shall have a fisherchild to row you on the sea
Jumping Waves
Waves crash onto the sand
And tidal forces are always at hand
I can’t stop them coming
And you, well you know there’s no sense in running
When you can jump when the wave rolls around
You can jump- lift your feet from the ground
You can rest for a while til maybe a smile can be found
And maybe no more waves will roll around
Some think the moon pulls her weight
Others think it’s only fate
But I can’t stop them rolling over
‘Cus you can strong and you can stand tall and there’s no way that wave will be bowling you over
If you jump when the wave rolls around
You can jump- lift your feet from the ground
You can rest for a while til maybe a smile can be found
And maybe no more waves will roll around
I know you think that you might fall but I’ve got no doubt
You can always take one more, and then get up from the floor
‘Cus the tide will go out
If you jump when the wave rolls around
You can jump- lift your feet from the ground
You can rest for a while til maybe a smile can be found
And maybe no more waves will roll around
And maybe no more waves will roll around
Shallow Brown
Fare thee well I’m bound to leave you, shallow shallow brown
And I pray it doesn’t grieve you, shallow shallow brown
I am bound to be a sailor, shallow shallow brown
Gonna ship on-board a whaler, shallow shallow brown
Gonna cross that stormy water, shallow shallow brown
Like a lamb unto the slaughter, shallow shallow brown
Fare thee well to old Virginia, shallow shallow brown
Fare thee well my Juliana, shallow shallow brown
Fare thee well my Juliana, shallow shallow brown
Follow Her Down
Come all you bold sailors where ‘er you may be
For now we will sing of your time on the sea
The fiercest for which no one would thank
Are hugging the poles like a cold icy blanket
Yo ho, follow her down
Yo ho, follow her down
Captain Diaz was the first of his kind
Searching the sea for a new land to find
Setting a course for the cape of good hope
The toughest of journeys the shortest of rope
Yo ho, follow her down
Yo ho, follow her down
500 years it would take to find land
Going one knot beyond the preceding man
Crunching as your boots stepped ashore
In search of a south they had ne’er seen before
Yo ho, follow her down
Yo ho, follow her down
When the ice melts oh how waves do entrance
The ripples of sunlight beginning to dance
Growing the green from deep in the blue
And cycles of cycles are bound to ensue
Yo ho, follow her down
Yo ho, follow her down
Jesuit Barrells
The candle burns through it all
The flame it grows bright and tall, bright and tall
And down below the saviour’s soldier
Crept in light and ever bolder, so much bolder
Thirty-six Jesuit barrels, it’s too late to turn and run
But thirteen modern men wont be at it again
They’ll blow this whole place to kingdom come
Two young guards sent on the rounds
Weren’t prepared for what they found
They took him down in chains and shackles
There was barely time for another battle
Several men fled on a whisper
But Catesby turned back into the fray
While James had found his plan he hadn’t found his man
So they lived to ride on for another day
They crept through behind the closed door
Through the shadows of the law, oh of the law
And on their heads lay a price,
Each brother bled for their Christ, oh for their Christ
Catesby led the march of the martyrs
Where every man was hanged for his crime
And they paid in blood to have their names in the mud
And their fight will fan the flames for all of time
Oh yes their fight will fan the flames for all of time.
Colne River Chorus
Every Friday when the week is wearing thin
A group of players take the stage
The Colne River with its tune invites them in
To join the chorus for a page
But the players bow their heads when one of their number is gone
The Colne River dims its lights while the chorus sing this song
He’s taken away
He’s taken away
Every Tuesday in that blue and velvet room
Selected players will return
To dance, make merry to his rock and roll tune
Until it’s someone else’s turn
But the players hush their tones as the family dons black
The Colne River room is silent with what it lacks
He’s taken away
He’s taken away
One voice from the chorus is gone too soon
But the players strike a chord to remember how he played
The Colne River holds him now, so we’ll sing while he’s laid
He’s taken away
He’s taken away
Berries
All but the evergreen shed their skin with the snow
Dancing orbs litter our scene, for all England has ceased to grow
I wonder all day long how you stay so strong
The holly and ivy weather the storm
When nature is lifeless and dead- the berries live on
Silver maple and cottonwood, winter’s frost couldn’t abide
But holly and ivy, steadfast they stood. While all England was tucked up inside
I wonder all day long how you stay so strong
The holly and ivy weather the storm
When nature is lifeless and dead- the berries live on
Safe and sound ‘neath flickering flames we imitate the way that they glow
Hung around socks with embroidered names, for all England they put on a show
I wonder all day long how you stay so strong
The holly and ivy weather the storm
When nature is lifeless and dead- the berries live on
Twankidillo
Here’s to the life of the jolly blacksmith, the best of all fellows
The man at the anvil and the boy blows the bellows
For he makes his bright hammer to rise and fall
For the old cole, the young cole, the oldest cole of all
Twankidillo, dillo dillo dillo dillo dilllo
And a pair of green pipes made from the green willow
Here’s to the life of the pretty girls, the ones that I love best
For they carry fire deep within their breasts
For they make my bright hammer to rise and fall
For the old cole, the young cole, the oldest cole of all
Twankidillo, dillo dillo dillo dillo dilllo
And a pair of green pipes made from the green willow
If a gentleman he calls his horse for to shoe
No he won’t make deliance with one pot or two
For he pays our bright hammer to rise and to fall
For the old cole, the young cole, the oldest cole of all
Twankidillo, dillo dillo dillo dillo dilllo
And a pair of green pipes made from the green willow
Here’s to the life of royalty, our sovereign the queen
And all the royal family that there has ever been
For she makes our bright hammer to rise and to fall
For the old cole, the young cole, the oldest cole of all
Twankidillo, dillo dillo dillo dillo dilllo
And a pair of green pipes made from the green willow
Nana Was A Suffragette
You never knew my nana, she died four years ago
She lived in that old folks home in Moss-side you know
I would go on Sundays, sometimes took the kids
I was always so proud of what she did
Nana was a suffragette, almost the last alive
Nana was a suffragette at over ninety-five
She sang votes for women, it’s just the beginning
You aint seen anything yet, ‘cus nana was a suffragette
When I was young I carried this old photo of my Nan
Tackling a worker from a Clarion van
You’d never think it of her, she was always frail and ill
But on that day she emptied all the women from the mill
Nana was a suffragette, only five feet tall
Nana was a suffragette even took on city hall
She sang votes for women, it’s just the beginning
You aint seen anything yet, ‘cus nana was a suffragette
The proudest day in Nana’s life was when the vote was won
The paper’s said it’s over but Nan had just begun
Her women’s committee went on to better things
To tackle the union and their wedding rings
Nana was a suffragette, never thought to fail
Nana was a suffragette, even spent the night in jail
She sang votes for women, it’s just the beginning
You aint seen anything yet, ‘cus nana was a suffragette
Now I am standing with a college degree
And my kids have more options than Nana could foresee
But if you think we’re satisfied then take a look around
There’s lots of angry women who won’t let Nana down
Nana was a suffragette, it’s as if she’s still alive
Nana was a suffragette and their voices will survive
She sang votes for women, it’s just the beginning
You aint seen anything yet, you aint seen anything yet
You aint seen anything yet, ‘cus nana was a suffragette
She sang votes for women, it’s just the beginning
You aint seen anything yet, ‘cus nana was a suffragette
Blind Beggar's Daughter
There was young beggar and he lost his sight
He had but one daughter, most beautiful bright
“Can I seek my fortune, dear father” said she
And favour was granted to pretty Betsy
She’s set off for London as I’ve heard her say
Arrived in the Bloomfield the very same day
And when she came upon there unto my Lord’s house
So handsomely admired was pretty Betsy
Oh, she had not been long there but one knew her name
He was a young Lord, a-courting her came
“Your pockets I will be lined with jewels” said he
“If you will but love me, my pretty Betsy”
“Im all for to do it, I am willing” said she
“You must first ask the father of pretty Betsy
My father is every day to be seen
He’s called the blind beggar of Bethlem Green”
“If you’re a blind beggar’s daughter you won’t do for me
A blind beggar’s daughter my lady can’t be
A blind beggar’s daughter my lady shan’t be”
So scornfully turned from his pretty Betsy
Then up spoke a young squire with riches enough
If she’s a blind beggar’s daughter, she’ll never the worse
The he’s dropped all his guineas right there on the ground
Dropped til he’s dropped ten thousand pounds
Dear honoured father I’ve dropped all my store
Dropped all my riches, I can’t drop no more
Just grant me your daughter, she’s all that I need
And I will be married to pretty Betsy
Billy and Betsy to church they did go
Billy and Betsy they cut a fine show
Most beautiful creature that e’er I’ve seen
Was the blind beggar’s daughter of Bethlem Green
She was the blind beggar’s daughter of Bethlem Green
Musician's Fear
Some fear death will catch them in a moment when they’re looking away
Some fear their lives will be snatched just like a sunrise seizes the day
But I wont be scared when it’s time to go
And I’m sure that I will know
There’s not a song in the nib of my pen or a lyric I never did send
Or a song in my heart or a tune that I started again
I’m happy going in the comfort of knowing that I left my best song behind
Maybe it’s true that I’m scared of things like taxes and my student debt
But if a bus came and ran me over tomorrow I wouldn’t forget
The words that I wrote on the back of this ticket today
‘Cus I know that they could be better someday
Like the song in the nib of my pen or the lyric I never did send
Or the song in my heart that’s the tune that I started again
I’m happy going in the comfort of knowing that I left my best song behind
I will take his hand and follow his path
‘Cus I know I wont give a fig if I’ve given my last
Song in the nib of my pen or the lyric I dared to send
Or the song in my heart that’s the tune that I finished again
I’m happy passing leaving one thing worth lasting
I’m happy going in the comfort of knowing that I left my best song behind