1. |
Better Days
02:35
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In my better days
I thought my better days
Somewhere far away
Or just around the corner
But since you went away
All my better days
Have disappeared into yesterday
And I can’t see tomorrow
Everybody told me,
Don’t take her for granted
You’re leaving empty handed
If you let her go
Everybody told me
You never do better
You’re certain to regret it
(E-run)
In my better days
I thought my better days
Somewhere far away
Or just around the corner
If I could find a way
To live like my better days
I’d be happy here today
These are the better days
Remember, the better days
Don’t wait for better days
E-run: E, E7, A, C
verse: G/G6, D/D+9, Dm, E7/4
Middle/end: Amaj7, Dmaj7, B11, F#m
Amaj7, Dmaj7, B11, E-run
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2. |
Grace
03:29
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7.15: Grace walks past the window
Uniform in a linen bag
Car parked on the corner
Where the yellow lines are faded
She should have a space
after all these years
But since when did Grace get any favours?
11.20: see her outside, smoking
Telephone in a leather cover
Held up to her ear
Horizontally
To hear the latest outrage
She doesn’t try to speak
Since when did anybody hear?
Remember their names
For the people who pay us
They call you carers
But don’t get ideas
Wheel them through
But remember who's paying who
15.15: She tells Mrs Anderson
That’s a quarter past three
In old money, love
You can call me Grace
If it helps you to remember
If you want me,
I’m the one that no one’s thinking of
17.30: Grace walks past the window
Still wearing her uniform.
It;s past washing vclean
Old Mrs Anderson
Won’t last another night
She’s asked them to sit with her
No one knows what she means
You can’t tell the company
And there's no union
And anyway
That's not what a union is for
Wheel them through
And remember who’s paying who
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3. |
Lines on Paper
02:08
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04:13 exactly and I’m sharpening my Staedtler 110-4H graphite pencil
In the dark
Tracing all the outlines, in preparation for global domination
Time to make my mark
Redrawing borders
Issuing orders
Entente cordiale goes the way of my 4H…
Pencil lines on the paper
Beggar my neighbour
Murder as an art
As a labour of love
Sitting in the metro, rockets are falling
every day the ones who got away are calling
Saying ‘we’re all in this together, aren’t we?’
Sitting in the war room, looking at screens
Watching the progress of the war machine
See the beauty, experience the flavour
The reality of lines on paper
A labour of love
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4. |
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Who digs the potholes in Edinburgh’s roads?
So you’re bound to burst a tyre, however slow you go.
Who replaced the seagulls with pigeons and crows?
Who made ice cream hurt your children’s teeth?
Who made the migraine from which there’s no relief?
Who made the clouds that made it rain on Leith?
I’m Carstairs Reid, the evil third Proclaimer
I sold my soul so my brothers could get famous
They used me up, spat me out, left me here to fend
For myself. Now I’m bent on taking my revenge
When you walked 500 miles, because your girlfriend told you to
And you walked 500 more, who put the stone in your shoe?
You fell down at her door because your feet were killing you.
Who made the poor man carry such a heavy load?
Who made the barren land where no seeds can be sowed?
Who cheered when Hearts won 3-0 at Easter Road?
(Twice in three weeks)
I’m Carstairs Reid…
Craig and Charlie, they’ve got harmony
They’ve got each other’s backs
Being me is so lonely.
Even my voice is double tracked.
When we were kids, our parents bought a guitar and tambourine
And two pairs of glasses - You know what that means
They’re your favourites aren’t they, mother! What about me???
(Mummy, why are you looking at me like that?)
If you think I’m bad, you should see our brother Cavendish
I’m just evil; he’s positively fiendish.
He threw my R away; now everyone thinks I’m English.
I’m Carstairs Reid…
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5. |
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If you wake up in the morning with the blues
And you don’t know what’s bothering you
It sounds as if you need a lift
Take a tip from Huey ‘Piano’ Smith
Get on board the sea cruise
You’re guaranteed to catch the boogie woogie flu
If you don’t know what that means
Huey will take you down to New Orleans
Hey oh, gooba gooba
Smiling just like a porcelain Buddha
Look up into the sky
Don’t you just know it, that’s a butterfly
Let’s not pretend it’s fair
When a man gets robbed of his rightful share
He said: ‘I tell you, my heart hurts,
But when you’re like me that’s the way it works.’
His left hand rolls like the sea
Horns are blowing as cool as a breeze
And the Clowns are singing the song
It feels so easy when you’re singing along
Gooba gooba, hey oh
Raise your hand and say ‘no’
Look up into the sky
Don’t you just know it, that’s a butterfly
It looked like too much to lose
If you found him down in Baton Rouge
He’d say: ‘God gave me the the gift.
Of being the one and only Huey ‘Piano’ Smith’
He gave it back to the Lord
When they gave all his money to Frankie Ford
He’d tell you, ‘that was a sign
I know what I’m missing and I feel fine.
I’ve given up rock and rolling
I was just a caterpillar crawling
Look up into the sky
Don’t you just know it, that’s a butterfly.’
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6. |
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When you're having one of those days
When nothing you do or say
Makes any difference
You feel impotent
Insignificant
In every possible way
You can't get your machines to work
Your windows are covered in dirt
Your shoes don't fit
There's nowhere to sit
Everything's shit
In every possible way
But if you're hearing this tune
And I'm singing it for you,
I hope it's enough
To know somebody loves you
As much as I do
When you've fought with all your might
And you've had enough of the fight
And it's always been
That they always win
But nine times out of ten
Plain as day, you were right
Whatever we do, it all ends the same
The wind and rain erode our names
No one's got a plan
No one understands
But let's walk hand in hand
In every possible way
If you're hearing this tune
And I'm singing it for you
And I hope it's enough
To know somebody loves you
As much as I do
And if you're somebody else
I can't be much help
But maybe there’s
someone somewhere
Singing a song for you
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7. |
Mussorgska
02:36
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instrumental
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8. |
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When Jesus came to build us a bookcase
I dusted the living room wall
I swept out the ash from the fireplace
And put bedsheets down on the floor
G, B7 / C7, G
G, B7 / C7, G
A call came down from Heaven
Saying, the lads’ll be there by eight
But when it got to nine, there was no sign
Jesus was late
C7, G / C7, D7, F#dim
Em, B7, G, A7 / F, G
I reminded myself this was Heaven
And made a three-bag pot of tea
But when the clock struck eleven
I shouted, Why have you forsaken me?
The rain outside was pounding
But I could hear voices above
Like an eternal choir abounding
In love
All I want is a quiet space
Somewhere to read my books in peace
A ray of light through a window
And a bookmark to save my place
Cm / Gm / Bb maj7 / Gdim / D7
Jesus arrived in a Transit
Wiped his sandals by the door,
Took a tape measure out of his pocket,
I said: ‘What do you need that for?
Aren’t you the Lord, Our Saviour?’
He said: ‘Never mind all of that.
Because once you’ve cut your timber
There’s no going back.’
When Jesus came to build us a bookcase
He left an invoice addressed to me
With a shining image of His face
And a money back guarantee
And a business card written in Hebrew
With a telephone number to call. It said:
Joseph and Son would love to hear from you
No job too small
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Horne's Demo Shop Edinburgh, UK
Under the counter at Horne's Gift Shop: recent songwriting demos and an archive of my time playing in other people's bands.
Thanks to all those concerned.
Dig here for deep cuts.
Proper releases are at jonhorne.bandcamp.com
... more
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