The North England Blues
This is the case of the north England blues
About the things you might have and the things you might lose
The life that I’ve lived no one can deny
Make a hard Herod weep or a cruel Nero cry
The story begins at Kellingley mine
The overman stopped us at quarter to nine
Clear out your lockers, the pit is to close!
The cause of our hardship he would not disclose
This is the case of the north England blues
This is the case of the north England blues
Shafted by Maggie, bulldozed by Blair
Thrown to the wolves in a pit of despair
With our useless skills the jobs were none
No means to provide for my wife and my son
No work at my age in the grocery store
My wife couldn’t bear me at home any more
After three years of struggle she finally left
Cold nights alone. Abandoned. Bereft
This is the case of the north England blues
This is the case of the north England blues
My boy was expelled for a fight or two
He got into drugs cos there was nothing to do
His future’s bleak now they locked him away
He won’t let me visit to see if he’s okay
So what should you make of the north England blues?
It’s not up to me, they’re your thoughts to choose
I don’t mean to alarm or intend to confuse
But this was the case of the north England blues
Pairs in Nature
Observe how the loyal Moon
Arcs across the sky
Enchanting seas in rhythmic turn
Like lovers passing by
Of all the pairs in nature
The clearest one to see
Is I should be with you my love
And you should be with me
See the leafy sycamore
Pass unto the breeze
Her seed to carry life along
A hearty friend to trees
Of all the pairs in nature
The clearest one to see
Is I should be with you my love
And you should be with me
Watch how the lowly poet
Wields his potent pen
Carving figures, crafting tales
Time and time again
Of all the pairs in nature
The clearest one to see
Is I should be with you my love
And you should be with me
With Your Love
I stumbled through the desert
With longing in my eyes
The flora scorched and withered
No clouds to grace the sky
But with your love they’ll live once again
With your love they’ll never have to die
With your love
I walked into the valley
Beyond the darkened abyss
There we danced upon the pasture
Together joined in bliss
And with your love I’m happy as we are
With your love I want to stay like this
With your love
Then came the crashing tempest
That tossed us to and fro
I whispered through the thunder
I’ll never let you go
And though our time will soon be over
With your love I’ve this to say
That I would fight a thousand armies
Just to spend with you another day
With your love
With your love
The Puppet Master
I tell you whom to worship
What fancy things to buy
The life I say you need I have for sale
Maneuvering the airwaves
To perpetuate my lie
My plots and schemes to rule you cannot fail
I am the puppet master
No one can ever know
That I am the puppet master
And I run the show
I threw the last election
I gently rigged the votes
The president has thanked me but he’ll know
He’s mine to do my bidding
As I hand him fists of notes
He’s here to make my ageless empire grow
I am the puppet master
No one can ever know
That I am the puppet master
And I run the show
I deal with the oilman
It’s a tricky, slicky field
He’ll keep pumping whilst my dollars fill his sack
And though the planet burns like hellfire
The truth remains concealed
Sure as chalk is white and coal is black
I am the puppet master
No one can ever know
That I am the puppet master
And I run the show
I own the guilty gunsmith
Your brother fights my war
I’ve money hedged on both the battling sides
Sell rifles to the richest
Keep down the peasant poor
Reveling as humanity divides
I am the puppet master
No one can ever know
That I am the puppet master
And I run the show
A few selected lyrics by Ryan Fox
Forget About Tomorrow For Today
I wish for you tomorrow the brightest diamond ever found
But all I have today are these cobbles on the ground
So tread gently as you walk
I laid our dreams in every block
Won’t you forget about tomorrow for today?
I wish for you tomorrow the finest wines: red, white and pink
But all I have today is this water here to drink
Sip carefully while you do
It’s brimming with my love for you
Won’t you forget about tomorrow for today?
I wish for you tomorrow the whitest robes from heaven high
But all I have today are these rags in which I’ll die
You can take all that I wear
Since my love for you is bare
Won’t you forget about tomorrow for today?
The Ballad of the Wailing Siren
Should you sail near the Isle of Capri
There three winged maidens most fair you’ll see
One of them, Parthenope
Her song the sweetest of the three
But truth be told that Siren’s tale
Is one of how true love can fail
Enticing sailors with tuneful bait
She fell for one and spared his fate
His name was Athos, the Commodore
He let her board his Man Of War
Their budding love for one another grew
As they sailed the ocean blue
One mate grew thirsty for their blissful life
He coveted the Siren for his wife
So took her captive on Pharos Isle
The Commodore came through in style
But northern winds swept through the docks
And the Man Of War crashed on to the rocks
Parthenope clung to an oar
She could not save the Commodore
With splintered heart the Siren wept
And since that day she has not slept
Returned to Caprian shores
There she wails for her Athos forever more
Mother Mary
The Sun comes up on Hanoi, beats through the stifling air
To illuminate St Josephs’ amid the bustling square
The people wail and squabble for reasons they don’t know
But one statue in the transept understands their timeless woe
Mother Mary help me, guide me by your grace
Mother Mary soothe me by the radiance of your face
I ask not much be granted as I kiss your sacred feet
But help me find the answer that I might find my peace
Phuong the weary widow sobs an epic flood
Her son succumbed to gambling, his debtors smelling blood
And in her crinkled hand she clasps a coin or two
Gifting her last hope to the guardian of the true
Mother Mary help me, guide me by your grace
Mother Mary soothe me by the radiance of your face
I ask not much be granted as I kiss your sacred feet
But help me find the answer that I might find my peace
Well-dressed An is thirty, she owns the jewellery store
Her mother sick and housebound, an ailment from the war
The doctor has no potion to ease the pain inside
Now come before St Mary to desperately confide
Mother Mary help me, guide me by your grace
Mother Mary soothe me by the radiance of your face
I ask not much be granted as I kiss your sacred feet
But help me find the answer that I might find my peace
Tuyen comes from Sapa, a family on the way
Her husband works the tour boats in pretty Halong Bay
The money pays too little for three meals every day
As she leaned in to the statue I thought I heard her say
Mother Mary help me, guide me by your grace
Mother Mary soothe me by the radiance of your face
I ask not much be granted as I kiss your sacred feet
But help me find the answer that I might find my peace