1. |
The Spice Trader
04:58
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THE SPICE TRADER
My name is William Kempthorne; fine spices are my trade;
and I ply that trade on a merchantman, and the seven seas I’ve sailed.
I’ve carved the waves of the Persian Gulf; I’ve skimmed the Sunda Strait; but I never dreamed, as I plied my trade, that a spice would seal my fate.
Well, I’ve chased the sun and been drunk on rum in the brothels of Beijing; bought sandalwood and cardamom for the price of a diamond ring. And I’ve shared my spoils with the Ottoman Turk and the Arab drovers, too; and I’ve lain my head on a harlot’s bed in the house of a Syrian Jew.
It was a warm night in the middle of spring when I sailed into her world; and I caught sight of her cinnamon skin as her silken dress unfurled in the warm wind; and the moon was high as it glistened on the shore. I could taste the sweat on the back of her neck and it thrilled me to the core.
I said, “Come with me and we’ll sail the sea all the way to Plymouth Sound; and you’ll be my bride; by the morning tide in marriage we’ll be bound.” So we settled down in a country town where she served my bed and board, and she gave delight to my body and soul and I gave thanks to the Lord.
And then one day, having been away, I returned to find her gone; but I tracked her down to London town, in bed with a minister’s son. So I took my knife and I stabbed him twice and I watched his life-blood flow. Then I kissed her once, while I slit her throat, just because I loved her so.
So here I sit in Newgate gaol, but tomorrow I’ll be free, when they take me hence to that tricorn fence they called the Tyburn Tree. And as I draw my dying breath and contemplate my sin, my final sight, as the noose pulls tight, will be her salty, cinnamon skin.
c. Tony Hazzard
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2. |
Loving On The Run
04:34
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LOVING ON THE RUN
I heard some people say “Love lasts forever”,
but wiser folk maintain it can't be done.
The latter live their lives like desperadoes,
and choose to take their loving on the run.
They know that permanence is just illusion:
a trick of time that blinds you like the sun;
a sleight of hand that adds to life's confusion,
unless you take your loving on the run.
So give me a smile: though sorrow comes with parting,
it's the only truth when all is said and done;
and each sad end means something new is starting
for an optimistic lover on the run.
I met a girl from Milner, Colorado;
a Rocky Mountain maiden full of fire.
She stole my heart and shot it through with rainbows
and multi-coloured arrows of desire.
And then she said: “The time has come for leaving;
we’ve had our fun and it’s time for me to go;
but breaking up is not a time for grieving;
and that’s a truth that you will come to know.”
“So give me a smile: though sorrow comes with parting,
it's the only truth when all is said and done,
and each sad end means something new is starting
for an optimistic lover on the run.”
c Tony Hazzard
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3. |
Journey's End
04:01
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JOURNEY’S END
I’ve got fly suicides on the windscreen;
Empty bottles of wine on the floor.
I’ve got gas in the tank; I’ve got cash in my bank account
Keeping the wolf from the door.
I’ve got a Martin guitar sleeping on the back seat,
And a song flying round in my head;
And I’m doing my best, ‘cos I’m heading out west,
Trying to find my journey’s end;
Trying to find my journey’s end.
Well, I’ve travelled the length of this country:
I’ve been north; I’ve been south; I’ve been east.
I’ve been down in the depths; I’ve been up in the clouds,
Happy doing my piece.
I’ve said “hello” and “goodbye” to a good many folk,
And there’s some that I’m proud to call friends;
But I’m doing my best ‘cos ‘m heading out west,
Trying to find my journey’s end;
Trying to find my journey’s end.
So if you find yourself travelling up country,
Seeing friends that I knew long ago,
Well, buy them a drink, and tell ‘em I think of them:
Tell ’em that I said “hello”.
Say I’m living out west where the sea air is sweet;
That they’re welcome to visit their friend.
Say I did what was best when I headed out west,
‘Cos I found my journey’s end;
I found my journey’s end.
c Tony Hazzard
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4. |
Angela Finkleman's Eyes
03:40
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ANGELA FINKLEMAN'S EYES
Angela Finkleman twinkled her eyes. At first
I was surprised, then it soon became clear.
We were eleven then, and I was in heaven when
Angela F kissed me in my ear.
Now Angela's kisses, though quite delicious,
became a recurring theme in my life:
A frisson of passion was worth all the cash in
the world, but it harboured a double edged knife.
Ah ah, those jet-black Jewish eyes!
I'll not see their like again.
Ah ah, a lesson in disguise
That I'll be learning till the very end.
Christmas was party time: jelly and pantomime,
back in the fifties, those innocent years.
Angela, party dress, sensual sweet caress, when
Angela F kissed me in my ear.
Now she's nearing seventy with grandchildren at her knee,
hair turning white now - isn't life strange?
That girl's long departed, but I'm not downhearted, 'cos
one thing's for certain: the eyes never change.
Ah, ah, those jet-black Jewish eyes!
I'll not see their like again.
Ah ah, a lesson in disguise
That I'll be learning till the very end.
c Tony Hazzard
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5. |
Shipping Lanes
03:17
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Shipping Lanes
She drives a pick-up truck; he sails a boat.
He keeps a weather eye; she makes a note
of all the times he leaves her to sail the sea,
and how she longs for company.
She tends her garden in the winter time;
he steers a southern course for warmer climes;
eyes on horizon as his compass points the way,
his marriage in total disarray.
She wants to stay; he wants to leave and sail away.
She wants a home; he wants his freedom.
He wants a life; she wants to be a loving wife.
He wants to sail across the shipping lanes to freedom.
There's oil and water in the mixing bowl,
a dark nigredo deep inside her soul;
a realisation and a painful lesson learned,
with almost all her bridges burned.
Now he's withdrawing from her day by day;
he's fitting out the boat to sail away
to far horizons and a new-found promised land,
while all she wants: to hold his hand...
She wants to stay; he wants to leave and sail away.
She wants a home; he wants his freedom.
He wants a life; she wants to be a loving wife.
He wants to sail across the shipping lanes to freedom.
c Tony Hazzard
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6. |
She's Not You
03:09
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She’s Not You
The weather’s fine; or so they tell me.
It’s Sunday morning out in the fields;
and in the church the bells are pealing
for all the people on their knees.
The sky is cloudless, but to me it looks like rain.
My hope are groundless: I know I won’t see you again;
and all the birds are singing out of tune;
and she’s to blame, ‘cos she’s not you.
Your smile was like a summer morning:
it brought refreshment to the mind.
Though all around me day is dawning,
I think that life can be unkind.
The sky is cloudless, but to me it looks like rain.
My hopes are groundless: I know I won’t see you again;
and all the birds are singing out of tune;
and she’s to blame, ‘cos she’s not you.
The clock strikes ten, and once again you’re on my mind.
The church bells ring and people sing.
The sky is cloudless, but to me it looks like rain.
My hope are groundless: I know I won’t see you again;
and all the birds are singing out of tune;
and she’s to blame, ‘cos she’s not you.
c Tony Hazzard
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7. |
Old Wave
03:21
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Old Wave
Some people like to travel; some people don’t.
Some people need to get away.
Some people rush around, while others won’t:
they live to fight another day.
Me, I like to take it easy and slow:
not for me an early grave.
I ease the tiller and my boat, she sails free,
sliding by on a slow, old wave.
Some folk are into fashion: they live in style:
they change their colours with the breeze.
They’re into glamour rock, or reggae for a while:
they’ve got the media’s disease.
Me, I like to take it easy and slow:
not for me an early grave.
I ease the tiller and my boat, she sails free,
sliding by on a slow, old wave.
c Tony Hazzard
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8. |
Seventy, Not Out
02:13
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Seventy, Not Out
Well I’m seventy, not out: I wanna sing and dance and shout.
I wanna rock’n’roll, writhe round a dancer’s pole till I’m all shagged out.
I wanna kiss those ruby lips: I mean the ones between your hips.
I wanna play ding-dong with you all night long
‘Cos I’m seventy, not out.
It’s been a long time getting here: it’s taken all of seventy years.
There’ve been ups and downs and smiles and frowns
And, of course, the occasional tears.
And I won’t say I’ve no regrets, ‘cos I ran up emotional debts;
But I tried my best, and with my genes I’m blessed,
‘Cos I’m seventy, not out.
Well I’ve played this game for a long, long time,
But I never quite learned the score.
Tried to keep a straight bat like they taught me to,
But the bowler came back with more.
And I nearly got caught, and I nearly got stumped;
I nearly ran out of time;
But then I fought back with all my might
And I knew that life was mine.
Well, I’m seventy, not out: not a clue what it’s all about;
Just wanna play guitar beneath the stars
And watch Ruby blow them out.
Then one sunny afternoon I’ll be sitting here singing this tune;
The Grim Reaper will come and say: “Hey, my son,
You scored eighty five and you’re out.”
But until that day I’ll continue to play,
‘Cos I’m seventy, not out.
c Tony Hazzard
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9. |
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I’ll Be Still In Love With You
Now, the world, it turns; people live and die;
and the stars are shining in their rightful places.
At the evening sun, and the morning dew,
I’ll be still in love with you.
As the years roll by, and our troubles too,
and we smooth the edges off life’s complications;
if we’re far apart, or together too,
I’ll be still in love with you.
And the rolling years make it plain to see
that I’m an ordinary man in many ways;
but the thought of you still possesses me,
and I wouldn’t want it any other way.
When we’re old and grey, and our children grown,
and the mark of time is written on our faces;
when the evening comes, and the night is new,
I’ll be still in love with you.
c Tony Hazzard
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10. |
Another Day For Me
02:54
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ANOTHER DAY FOR ME
Night falls; owl calls; and mist clings round my house walls.
Sleep’s descending; heaven’s sending
Another day for me.
Sky glows; and eyes doze; the sun is rising. God knows
How this world keeps spinning, bringing
Another day for me.
I remember moonlit nights, and scaling walls
To reach the heights of wonder;
And trying to plunder
The love you hid away from prying eyes,
Behind your enigmatic smiles,
Down all the years and ocean miles since then.
Child grows; and life goes; and old age creeps on tip toes,
Unrelenting, yet still presenting
Another day for me.
Heart aches; heartbreaks; this game of life has high stakes.
Aces high, with luck, might buy
Another day for me.
c. Tony Hazzard
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Tony Hazzard UK
This legendary songwriter wrote hits for Manfred Mann, The Hollies, The Tremeloes, Herman’s Hermits, Andy Williams, The
Yardbirds & Lulu. His song, ‘Fox On The Run’ has been recorded by all the major bluegrass artistes. He also sang backing vocals on three of Elton John’s albums: ‘Elton John’, ‘Tumbleweed Connection’ and ‘Honky Chateau’.
Altogether he has 62 tracks available on iTunes.
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