1. |
Rowing
02:42
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Rowing
F Dm Am
Blissful sun after cold monsoon rains
Dm Am
The pool sparkles as I glide
Gm F C
A soft wind rustles the trees on the main
Gm C Bb Dm
A yellow bird flits by the water’s side
C Dm
My arms become oars, sweeping me along
Dmaj7 Am/D Bm
The lapping sound brings back memories of the Isle of Wight
C G F
Rowing our dinghy on the Yar all summer long
Bb C Dm
Warm days when my heart still burned bright
And in this moment I can forget my troubles
Just listen to that gentle calming sound
The past and the future just burst like bubbles
While I float in the present, in the moment spellbound
F
Row Row Row your boat, gently down the stream
F C F
Merrily merrily merrily merrily, life is but a dream
Dmaj7: xx067x
Am/D: xx0555
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2. |
In my Bath
03:08
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In My Bath
A G
It's cold and dark outside
Dmaj7 A9
But in my temple I'm at peace
A Em7
Poundland bubbles, an ashtray at my side
Dmaj7 Em
and ambient music to soothe me
G Bm7
An orchid and sandalwood candle glows
D-A-G-A
I'm sipping coffee from antique china
Em D-A
The water's hot, the lights are low
Em G-A
and I'm drifting off to a land that's kinder
than this place of sorrows and hurt
So far from my Penang home
Desperately wishing I was back with her
not at this sad house all alone
As the water cools I want to flee
with the bathwater down the drain
washed out to sea away to the East
and never be wrecked on this shore again
TJD 24/11/19
A: x076xx
G: 3x54xx
Dmaj7: xx067x
A9: x0245x
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3. |
My Precious One
02:02
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My Precious One
A1 A2
We hugged and said goodbye
Em F
You called me your precious one
C Em
Perhaps the first time in 50 years
Am D
As though I was your only son
F Am - G
and this would be the final time
F Em
We would ever kiss and part
Am D
Without arrangements down the line
C - G F
The breaking of your ancient heart
You, the axis around which we all spin
Taken for granted as always there
But now old and broken, with nothing in
but memories, love and your precious care
TJD 30/11/19
A1: x099xx
A2: x077xx
Em: 0x54xx
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4. |
Cathedral
02:04
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Cathedral
Dm C
8 am in the Epiphany chapel
Asus4 A
Winter sunlight streams through
Dm C
The Burne-Jones Adoration of the Magi
A7 Dm
While I sit in silence in the empty pew
Dm A7
Earth, water light and stone
Dm C
Fill my senses as my quiet mind
F - C Dm
Ponders a thousand years of this holy throne
A7 Dm
And renders worthless my sad life
To sit, to be, with no agenda
No plans and nothing to achieve
Maybe the only useful things I do today
A7 Dm - C Dm
Before I return to self, restlessness and greed
TJD 3/12/19
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5. |
For Oshi
03:16
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For Oshi
What can I say, grandfather to grandson
From a beach many miles away?
Gazing at a photo which my son passed on
Since I never yet held you to this day
Being one half Darling is a blessing and a curse
You will find as you unravel your genes
We have saints and scoundrels, professors and nurses
Scottish, English, Thai and Chinese
May you have brains, but not think too much,
Kindness but not be a people-pleaser
Strength, but tempered with a gentle touch
Marcus Aurelius rather than Julius Caesar
Act like a Buddhist but pray like a Christian
Maild in speech, honest and temperate
Never be a hypocrite or try too hard to be first in
Every race, accepting your fate
Don’t cling to the past or worry about the future
Just live every day as it comes
Care for your mind and let it stay pure
Free from ill-will, resentments and qualms
Dear Oshi, may you live happy and long
With the love of your family by your side
May your journey be an endless love song
You sweet and wondrous child.
TJD 6/11/19
Chords:
Dm Am
F C Dm
F C Dm C
Dm Am G
Bb C Dm C
Dm C A7
Bb C Dm C
A7 Dm G
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6. |
Somewhere over Bengal
04:05
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Somewhere Over Bengal
Am7
Two hours to KL and four to Penang
Am7
What future awaits me there?
Dm7
The green hills and the sounds on the jalan
Am7
Waves lapping on the pearly shore
Em7 Dm7 - Am7
People who say they love me
C - G Dm7
And can't wait for my return
C - G Bb
But seem to look at me with eyes
Am7 Em7
blinded by delusion if they could only learn
My desperate need for affection
Stronger than a barrel of wine
Keeping my hooked to my addiction
Looking to fill the void inside
My roots just fill me with dread
and a desperate need to escape
To return to a life as one living but dead
would be worse than the cold landscape
F G Am7
So I'll take the future as it lies
C G Am
lie low walk slow and try not to think
Fmaj7 C - G
Let God decide if I live or die
Am7 Dm7 Am7
If my body can swim or sink
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7. |
Ditchling
03:04
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Ditchling
B/E B
The squirrel is gazing at me
A B
It's asking me with piercing eyes
E B A B
When will you return to this place
C#m
to sit with your mother?
E B
In an hour I will be gone
F#m C#m
and may never return except
E B A B
to pack boxes of memories
C#m
And wish I had done more
F#m E
than play scrabble and do crosswords
B A
and to get beyond convention
B F#m
To look into her eyes as a
C#m B
Son to his Mother;
E D C#m D
To say 'I Love You' and 'Thank-you for a life of care'
F#m E D
And a debt that can never be repaid
TJD 18/10/19
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8. |
The Anger and the Pity
04:33
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The Anger and the Pity
A G9 F#m G
Eyeball to eyeball, chest to chest
D A Em G
Each standing his own ground
A G9 F#m G
Boundaries crossed not knowing what's best
D A Em G
To step back or stick with the strength I've found
Cmaj7 Fmaj7 Em G
Parting shots as each returns to his corner
Fmaj7 G Am
Detente resumed, back to the trenches
C G F Em
I'm wondering what happened to my Dharma
Am Em Am D
And deep inside I'm feeling wretched
Later I'm standing outside an Inn
Where he tried for a job and failed
Suddenly my heart takes the full weight of his suffering
And I want to hold him close and safe
My boy, my child my precious son
Who I love more than I do my own life
Free us from the madness of the sins we've done
Am Em Am Em Am Em D
Bring this family back from the darkness to the light
TJD
27/11/19
A: x0x220
G9: 3x020x
F#m: 2x022x
G: 32000x
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9. |
Life Comes First
04:39
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Life Comes First
C G
I play cards for money, tho' I ain't short of cash,
Dm Am
And I drive my car like a broncin' bull, tho' I ain't in no rush
C G
Folks say to me I live my life too fast,
Dm Am
So I give them my reply, Just enjoy it while it lasts
Chorus:
G Am
I ain't hungry so thank God I'm greedy,
G Am Em
I can drink all night tho' I ain't got no thirst,
Am Em
Life comes first,
Am G Am
Just enjoy it while it lasts
Lovers say I treat them, not as a lover should,
Cos' I don't hang around too long before I'm off again for good
Folks say to me that I expect too much
So I give them my reply, I still ain't had enough
Chorus
Verse Instrumental
Chorus
When I reach my final resting place, in some old cemet'ry,
Let it not be said of me that life passed me by,
When folks say of me I lived my life too fast,
I'll sit right up and say to them this party ain't my last
Chorus
Chorus
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10. |
The Hangers
03:16
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The Hangers
G Bm
Park at Steep Church
C D
Boots still muddy from the day before
Em G
Cross a water-logged football pitch
Am7 G - D
Through Northfield wood to the pasture below
G D
Past the waterfall up through Ashford Chace
Am7 G - D
Sun streaming through December skies
Em G - Am7
Climbing Shoulder of Mutton straight as a dice
G Am7-D
To the Thomas memorial then further up on high
To Cockshot Lane, along the ridge
Past beech and yew gazing south to Harting Down
Then down through Oakshott across a bridge
To the sodden valley and Cheesecombe Farm
Past donkeys and sheep to Hawkley Inn
The pub with the moose over the fire
Lime and soda and local pork scratchings
Glad to rest out of the river's quagmire
Em D
Back down the hill then up a steep lane
C Bm
Sunk deep in the ground from centuries of oxcarts
Am G - D
Sliding on the clay, panting with the strain
Em D
The wind in the trees, and the beating of our hearts
Pause at Cobbett's View to look towards Selbourne
Then gently down through Wheatham Hill
An avenue of ash takes us back tired and worn
To Mill Lane then down through pine, further still
Steep Marsh, The Moors, water everywhere
Stately homes, horses and brand-new Range Rovers
Stop in the graveyard, a headstone for a chair
Hips aching, feet soaking, the long trek over
TJD 11/12/19
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11. |
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How Can I Break This Heart?
Em Bm A Em
I know that there’s no hope
Em Bm A
And this aint going anywhere
Em D G D
But how can I turn my back
C Em
On someone so sweet and fair
Em D C G
How can I break this heart
Am G D
That was given for no return
Em D C G
Yeh how Can I break This heart
F C
When push comes to shove
G Dm
And I’m crying to the heavens above
C G D
How can I break this heart?
Everyone’s telling me to let go
To get out while I can
I’m turning into a demented wreck
But I still want to be her best man
Chorus
Bb C
I know its crazy
Dm C
And its bound to end in tears
Bb C Bb C
But I’m still hoping that one day maybe
Dm C Bb
I can put away all my fears
Chorus etc
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12. |
You Matter to Someone
05:33
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You Matter To Someone
Intro: G DΔ7 Am7 Em CΔ7 FΔ7 Em
G DΔ7 Am7 Em
Lay back in that rocking chair
CΔ7 FΔ7 Em
Drink a toast to your long years
G DΔ7 Am7 Em
Ask yourself what you achieved
CΔ7 FΔ7 Em
Then tell me I want to hear
F Am7
Will they say when you are gone
F Am7
How your actions set the scene
G# Fm
I know you’re looking tired now
D# C#
Your mind’s not what it used to be...but
Chorus
G# F# C# D#m7
You matter to someone
C# F# C#
Not just a footprint in a muddy pool
G# F# C# D#m7
Nor the ramblings of a forgotten fool
C# B A
You matter to someone
G DΔ7 Am7 Em CΔ7 FΔ7 Em
Your body may fall to dust
While your family tree winds its way
You might leave nothing behind
And your photos turn to grey
Maybe no-one will say your name
Or quote your words in whispered awe
Your clothes will go to jumble sales
But that won’t change what life is for
Chorus
Verse instrumental
Maybe no-one’ll sing your praise
Or hold séances to your lost soul
And the world will keep on turning
This is how all things go
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13. |
Year of the Rat
03:52
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Year of the Rat
G/A Am* G Am
Farewell to my friend the pig
Dm7 E7
Who’s taken me on a merry ride
F C G
A switchback of love and despair
Am G Dm7
To the tops of the green hills
E7 Am G Am
And the darkest depths I could bear
Bb C Dm7 Am
1960 was the year of the rat
Bb C Dm7
And the year that I was born
F C Dm7 A7
When I started life full of hope and joy
Bb C Dm7 Am Dm7 Am Dm7 Am
Unaware of the day ahead of the morn
The rat tricked the ox when he rode on his back
To be first at the Jade Emperor’s ball
Devious and resourceful to make up for his lack
Of honesty and decency common to all
But let this year not be gnawed by the past
And all my wrong turns on the road
May my whiskers seek out only what is right
And my long tail leave a trail of which I’m proud
TJD 3/1/20
G/A: x054xx
Am* x075xx
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14. |
Hat Yai
02:40
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Hat Yai
Am Am/D Am
I thought that Hat Yai meant ‘Big Beach’
B7 Am Em Dm
A sleepy fishing town by the sea
E7 Am
I got that wrong
I thought that the hotel would have a cafe and a pool
With gardens of jasmine and waters cool
I got that wrong too
F Fm
We have two hours of traditional nuad
E7 Am
Buy T-shirts, shoes and crap
Dm E7
But the hot busy streets trudged without a hat
Am G Am
Make us weary and needing a nap
We eat a mountain of seafood
All you can eat for 389
Its Chinese New Year - everyone’s in the mood
For firecrackers, Carlsberg and a good time
I thought Thailand would be better than Penang
With charm and beauty all around
I got that wrong
Now I’m back looking over the strait
Thinking about my choice to live here
I got that right
TJD
26/1/20
Am: x0755x
Am/D: x5755x
B7: x2120x
Em: xx200x
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15. |
Bat Soup
02:56
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Bat Soup
Em D Em
Eye of newt and toe of frog
Em D Em
In a Chinese market amid the howls
Em D Em
Of shaking cats and baying dogs
F#m Bm
Under greedy eyes of men so cruel
Wool of bat and tongue of dog
Will add spice to the infernal stew
And will make for a great travelog
Of the exotic cuisine enjoyed by a few
Adder’s fork and blind worm’s sting
Bring strength and power to your loins
But there is some bad karma coming
As you pay with silver coins
Lizard’s leg and howlet’s wing
Make complete your foul repast
In a week you’ll be choking and gasping
From the evil on the world you cast
F G Am G
For a charm of powerful trouble
Am G Am E7
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble
F G Am G
Double double toil and trouble
Am G Am
Fire burn and cauldron bubble
TJD 2/2/20
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Toby Darling Penang, Malaysia
Amateur enthusiast.
Feel free to do anything you want with these tracks, I am not interested in making money from music.
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