1. |
Daffodils
06:09
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Daffodils
Like a lifted curse the Winter vanished
Onto the scene burst Spring; all grey and gloom were banished.
A rainbow spilt its colours in a puddle in the lane
And the daffodils danced bright and merry in the park again.
The radio announced the centenary of jazz today
How fitting for you on your own birthday
Your mother gently sang this music to you
As we all waited for the day you were born
Blossom buds awoke with a kiss of sunlight
Bright shimmering rays cast out the long dark night
The birds were singing triumphantly sweet and clear
And the daffodils shone like sunny stars proclaiming you were here.
The radio announced the centenary of jazz today
How fitting for you on your own birthday
Your mother gently sang this music to you
As we all waited for the day you were born
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2. |
Pollyanna
05:33
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Pollyanna
You once called me Pollyanna
You scoffed when I said I’d been inspired
You said; “Open your eyes and see reality,
It’s just a conspiracy!”
You once called me Pollyanna
You said; “Don’t be naïve,
Only suckers believe,
In time they’ll beat it out of you too.”
He said, “As for me,
I’m enlightened and free.
I’d take the red pill –
Who wants to be happy?”
You once called me Pollyanna
Who knows what’s truth or lie anyway?
Some say that ignorance is bliss
I’m not sure I buy into this
But I’d really believe the best
Believe they flew to the stars
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3. |
Family Tree
05:19
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Family Tree
Walking along the North Bank
I am arrested by an image in my mind’s eye.
A girl walks by her father’s side
Kicking leaves by Cleopatra’s Needle.
The footsteps of my former self
Once walked here
Beside a million other’s tread
Stories, histories.
Flash back, I wander through
A gallery of hanging pictures in my head
Scenes past and half-remembered
Cast shadows spark and fade.
I confront my aging in the faces
Of my friends
As our years unfold
Stories, histories.
The roots burrow deep
On this family tree.
Separated
By such small degrees
A corporeal connectivity.
Knots and frays dot the design
Tangled threads that intertwine
We are still kindred
You and I.
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4. |
Castles
05:30
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Castles
He painted the house a bright fuchsia pink
Planted peonies by the kitchen sink
He pinned butterflies around the eaves
A refuge from reality.
He decided not to go to work that day
To his cubicle sucking his life to grey
Gossip round the drinks machine, the small talk made him feel unclean
The slow decay of all his dreams.
No time, no time
Like grains of sand
Gushing through his open hands
Every turn revealed a wall
An acceptable excuse
To do nothing at all.
Drawn on the wall of his favourite café
A paradise picture of faraway
A golden orb fell into the blue
He fantasised of passing through.
He’d step out over the redbrick frame
And float across the sun-drenched plain
Shrouded by tranquillity, he’d wade into the silky deep,
And plunge into eternal sleep.
No time, no time
Like grains of sand
Gushing through his open hands
Every turn revealed a wall
An acceptable excuse
To do nothing at all.
What about your childhood dreams?
- You know the ones that really count?
Before age and common sense have thwarted
All the castles you were going to build.
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5. |
Dwell
03:25
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Dwell
She wrote a page in her diary
From the hour they began to breathe
As if the words printed on the page
Could turn back
Time flashed by like a blinking eye
Up, downs and by the bys
Her journal sought to preserve their
Memories tend to detensify
Yet sweeten as time goes by
You can’t hold on, hold on.
News predicted a hurricane
The children told her “Evacuate!”
She crossed the stateline to stay awhile
As the storm raged
On and on the water rose
The flood creeping up as it goes
They saw the photos on satellite
All was swept
Away went the things and the sentiment
By the loss she’d tried to prevent
Why can’t you hold on hold on?
There’s nothing you can do
Every day you’ll lose
And every day you’ll gain
Cos’ nothing stays the same
To dwell is bitter
Yet beautiful.
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6. |
One Minute In Manchester
05:31
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One Minute In Manchester
Beneath the no-name statue
The people stood
Silent,
Waiting
A blanket of bouquets and bears lay
Strewn at his feet
Tributes from those gathered
Together on the street
The sonorous clanging of bells
Signalled the minute everyone knew to be still,
Transfixed
All save the chirping of birds and camera clicks.
A while later, after the pause
There broke a ripple of applause
That ruptured into an irrepressible roar
Like the tide rushing through pebbles on the shore.
From the mass arose a plaintive cry:
A Mancunian song
Eager to sing unified
As one.
I heard you say;
“Don’t look back in rage.”
The cameras retract their gun-metal frames
They’ve captured faces without names
Although the crowd disperse and disappear
Their anthem forever echoes here.
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7. |
Boy
03:46
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Boy
A wild boy, a troublemaker
A hunted look fixed in his eye
He burns with anger red and blind
A rage that chokes him deep inside.
But when he plays he choses Bach
A soothing order in a life
That’s filled with turmoil and decay.
But when he plays his soul is free
To dream of things that he could be
And all the life that he could see.
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8. |
Mick Coady Says Hello
05:30
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9. |
Ice On The River
07:03
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Ice On The River
Ice on the river
Pastel pink sky
Bird song echoes
From a summer gone by.
Pale sun skating smoothly
By the brow of the lea
The wisp of wood smoke
From the pub on the quay
Salt and spindrift
Whipping the sea.
Ice on the river
Frost on the field
Cold tide lapping
‘Gainst the boards of the pier.
Grey mist rolling slowly
O’er the crest of the hill
Lays dew on the tussocks
Down by the mill
Everything is silent
Everything is still.
Ice on the river
Snow on the sea
Dark clouds blowing
Last leaves from the trees
Red rust on the boat hulls,
The anchors and chains.
Barnacles and lichens
Clothing their shame
Longing for a fair wind
To sail out again.
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10. |
Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
06:15
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Joy Ellis London, UK
Joy Ellis is a pianist, singer and composer based in London. She has toured all over the world playing jazz. Past gig highlights include Ronnie Scott’s, the London Jazz Festival, and No Black Tie Jazz Club in Kuala Lumpur. She was recently selected as one of fourteen emerging artists to work with Mercury-nominated singer ESKA on a composition residency in Manchester. ... more
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