1. |
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Coldest day in winter
We met at old Joe’s funeral
We were broken, broken for a while
You wore a long black coat
I was frozen in the aisle
‘Twas the coldest day in winter
My bones near fell apart
But it felt so warm and cosy
Round the cockles of my heart
Round the cockles of my heart
You asked how are you keeping
As we followed, followed in the snow
I said I’m keeping the best side out
Lets drink to poor old Joe
‘Twas the…
We sipped hot port and brandy
Wondered why, why our love had strayed
Our shopping bags fell drunk on the floor
I kissed your long brown hair
‘Twas the…
We laughed and sang the whole day through
And they played a tune for Joe
We dined out on fish and chips
And vowed to stray no more
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2. |
Like a wild thing
04:25
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LIKE A WILD THING
Farewell to the land where I grappled with stones
Farewell to the hills I got soaked to the bone
Farewell to the curlew the fox and the hair
To make a living I must sit at a chair
Farewell to the cows the spade and the slean
Farewell to the blackbird in search of the worm
Farewell to the thoughts of bees nests and hay
To make a living I must sit at a chair
Sit at a chair and stare at a screen
Yes sir No sir soon time for tea
I feel like a wild thing
Trapped in a snare
Farewell to sheep’s wool on barbed wire fences
To the blackthorn, the whitethorn, the frogs in the ditches
Farewell to my jumper that has the blue stain
I now wear a suit, I sit at a chair
Farewell to the sky the sun and the stars
To the rusty red roof on my grandfathers home
Farewell to my farm, farewell to my place
To make a living I must sit at a chair
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3. |
Aphrodite
02:54
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Aphrodite
Sweet Aphrodite,
Whose chariot was drawn by doves
Look with favour
On this pair of lovers
Who stare at your temple above
We come from the land
Of Oisin and Niamh Cinn Oir
Where Diarmuid lay
With Grainne fair, his own
On Cromleach beds of stone
We have our own God
He’s the maker of heaven and earth
He was poor
Not like your Greek Gods
They say he’s the God of love
Soon we’ll fly away
From this burning sun o’er the waves
On Mweelrea hills
The clouds will fill with grey
Oh sweet Aphrodite
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4. |
Black puddin music
03:39
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Black Puddin Music
He works in the paint shop
Mixing up the paints
Magnolia, buttermilk and grey
Talking to the ladies, talking ‘bout the shades
He can do it in his sleep at this stage
He lives with his mother,
Sister and brother
He has a record player in his room
Holding a hair brush
He looks in the mirror
As round him the ladies swoon
His favourite song is
“The girl from Ipanena”
But he doesn’t sing it,
All they want is black pudding music
and maybe some “diddley eye”
He’s a fairly good chanter
He likes the crooners
He prefers Andy to Hank
But Bossanova beats
Don’t go too well at weddings
And he’s got a loan in the bank
He’s been to far away places
Like New York and Vegas
But he’s never left his room
He knows his dream world
Is the real world
Only dreamers can sing “Blue Moon.
His favourite song…
When he walks up the hill
He’s already in Brazil
He’s moving to a different beat
Sandpaper and fillers,
Varnish and vinyls
Are million of miles away
He plays in a trio
For the last twenty Years
Now they have a drum machine
When he takes down the gear
He has a few beers
And he hums his way back into his dreams
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5. |
Sometimes
02:37
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Sometimes
Sometimes,
When the cruelest winter blows
The little lambs survive the snows
And the raging storm blows safely o’er
And things go right for once
Sometimes,
Man is kind to man
That’s when he does us proud
When he sees beyond his own four walls
And helps his neighbours out
Sometimes
When all around is noise
And you think you have no choice
You listen to a quieter voice
That draws you softly home
Sometimes
When your life is upside down
Your boat has ran aground
A mighty wave will lift you up and
And set you softly down
Sometimes,
The world spins at the right speed
And I’m at the same speed too
My head and heart are holding hands
And I’m back in love with you.
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6. |
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When I pointed to the stars
And you said I think it’s Mars
And I thought that guns were toys
And Santa’s second name was Clause
Oh Draiodoir Dubh
Oh Draiodoir Dubh
I was a boy,
But I was growing
I lost the magic in the knowing
Fourteen stations in the chapel
Candles shimmering on the wall
Eyes of Jesus always on me
And the mystery of it all
Oh Draiodoir …
At Halloween when witches walked
Apples hanging on a thread
I saw a face in a burning flame
In the wind I heard your name
Oh Draiodoir …
On Bonfire nights with music playing
Old men dancing on the grass
The moon and sun shone out together
Dogs mewed and cats did bark
Oh Draiodoir …
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7. |
The Mountainy Man
04:34
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The Mountainy Man
He was his own worst enemy
He fought with himself
When life it was going good
He’d turn it inside out
He had his own outlook on life
It wasn’t always right
Sean nos mixed with alcohol
Bruce Springstein and Tom Waits
The mountainy man
The wild man
He never wears a coat
His huge hands round the glass
When he climbs on top the mountain
He can see for miles and miles
The wind blows his tousled hair
He was so young and wild
Sometimes he was beautiful
In the bogs on heathery days
Or when his dog would not go home
He’d love him all the same
The mountainy man …
Sometimes he gets angry
At life and its cruel ways
He’ll curse and swear at fools in town
Playing their foolish games
But he’s not out for changing
He’s sticking to his guns
The battle is inside his head
The war is in his soul
Sometimes love comes down the hill
When he allows it in
And he prays to God or something
And the mountains are at peace
The mountainy man …
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8. |
Cul an Ti
03:01
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A poem by Sean O Riordan
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9. |
The country man
03:24
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The Country Man
The country man is happy
With the dew on top of his boots
And the stems of last years thistles
Crunching beneath his steps
The country man is happy
He can jump over the gate
He can kneel down and smell primroses
He is not minding his clothes
The man loves the land
The land is in his hands
The country man is happy
When he walks through the clayey gap
And wonders which one of his ewes
Designed the crooked track
The country man is happy
When he can sharpen a scythe
He can shelter beneath a whitethorn
Time out to read the sky
The country man is happy
Lambs race round by the walls
The smell of whins in his nostrils
A bucket of spuds in the hall
The country man is happy
The soil is in his bones
He can vault over the mearing drain
Using his spade as a pole
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10. |
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A woman sitting in a café
She’s not happy she’s not sad
With a cigarette in her hand
And a beer glass on a mat
It’s the woman sitting in the dark café
There’s no room at the table
Although there’s room for three
Her parasol’s on one stool
And the other ones not free
It’s the woman sitting in the dark cafe
Her eyes are turned aside
She is looking straight ahead
Her arms are folded
She has feathers in her head
It’s the woman sitting in the dark café
In the background two empty chairs
Every thing everything looks green
There are pictures on the wall
She has nothing up her sleeve
It’s the woman sitting in the dark café
She sits there with her cigarette
All tucked up in green
The moment lasts forever
On a wall in Amsterdam
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11. |
Kitonga
03:36
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Kitonga
Hey Kitonga Mwanzia from Kenya
I hear your favourite game’s football
I have your photo hanging on my wall
Does that make any sense to you at all?
How’s the weather out there in Kenya?
They say it never rains but pours
Do the blue birds sqwaak and herons scatter
When you run barefoot through the swamps to school?
I can’t hear birds when my stomach’s empty
I can’t see beauty when the crops are ruined
I can only hear my brother crying
I see my family search for food
Is the sun glistening on Flamingo waters?
Can you hear lions and leopards roar?
Does your mother wear a hundred neckbands?
Does your father hunt with an ivory bow?
Can you see the snow on top of Mount Kenya?
Did you ever dance to a Swahilli band?
Did you ever run through a herd of zebra ?
Or see an ostrich with head in the sand?
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Tony Reidy
Tony Reidy is from Co Mayo Ireland
His songs have been played on RTE Radio1,TG4 RnaG,
BBC
Radio
Music press quotes,
“enormous talent as a songwriter.”
Aidan O Hara…. Irish Music magazine
“A powerful Questioning voice for the ordinary man….Colin Irwin.. fRoots
“His keen compassionate eye for human frailty …His songs have a pungently poetic sense of place”….
Jon Lusk … BBC Music Magazine.
... more
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