Topic: Lyrics as poetry

[Cran]

When I was about half my age, I fancied myself as a songwriter 
Bob Dylan and Arlo Guthrie ... rolled into one 
Destined for fame and fortune 
  What did it matter that I only had one guitar lesson ...?
... from a mate...?
... who only had one guitar lesson...? 
I could dream! 
...and Paul Simon 
I have suffered for my art! >thinks< 'suffered for my Garfunkel?'  nah...
That was 1981...
in 1989, I wrote a song... and knew it, right at the moment I finished it, 'that was my last song'
No matter how I've tried, I've not written a song since... 
One of the comments I got, when I was brave (or foolhardy) enough to perform in front of an audience...
of my peers...
and some of the best songwriters and performers I've ever met...
and many of them made a living from it...
was "your songs are like poetry put to music" 
I was stunned! 
Poetry put to music? wow!
"yes," the beautiful, obviously intelligent, goddess said, "can't stand poetry!" 

Anyway, these are the words from my last song...

IF YOU HAD THE TIME
Words and music by Cran Herlihy 1989

You saw yourself early a miracle baby
The world had held its breath for you
You waited for fortune to come and collect you
You waited for fame to call for you
And so you sit
And stare at the sunset
Over the ocean
Dreaming of ships you might find
And how you could be someone
If you had the time

You were the star of your own real-life movie
The traumas and dramas you had to play through
And you waited in cafes for Roman Polanski
And Robert de Niro to call for you
And so you sit
And stare at the sunset
Over the ocean
Dreaming of ships you might find
And how you could be someone
If you had the time

You hunted for romance in all the wrong places
With all the wrong faces in all the wrong scenes
And in all of your travels you never found answers
To all of the questions that haunted your dreams
And so you sit
And stare at the sunset
Over the ocean
Dreaming of ships you might find
And how you could be someone
If you had the time

How many times have you waited at crossroads
For someone to come and show you the way?
And how many times did you listen to voices
That told you about the price you could pay?
And how many times did you
Sit by the ocean
And stare at the sunset
Dreaming of ships you might find
And how you could be someone
If you had the time?
And so you sit
And stare at the sunset
Over the ocean
Dreaming of ships you might find
And how you could be
Someone if you had the time
So you sit
And stare at the sunset
Over the ocean
So you sit
And stare at the sunset
So you sit...

Cran Herlihy (1989)

PS. the most common comment I got from that one? "That was me you were singing about!"
 

[piersdad]

even my mum in her stressfull times with 6 kids would sigh
"I wish my ship would come in."

i like it
here is one from my workshop

Each piece of wood has its ring
Over its surface my tools do sing
Each creation with plane and knife
Sings a tune as it comes to life
All my creations in this way
Has my love to  make its play

[dbackfan]

Ah ha.  Enjoyed your poem--call it Geppetto's Song!

[xelasnave]

A friend of mine is a "retired" musician. We dreamed years ago of a recording studio and that now exists and we (he) recorded his first band about 6 weeks ago.(I took photos of the session etc). He is firstly a guitar player but can play pretty well anything and writes songs. He said to me one day when I asked "how do you write a song?" "Well" he said "its really just poetry set to music."  Hope that makes you feel better about your work.
Alex

[Cran]

I have to say, Alex, I feel pretty good about my work... fame and fortune are never really what it's all about when you're writing something - it's just the buzz of seeing your thoughts in print; and having the greater buzz of someone else appreciating those thoughts; identifying with them... 
... but a little fame and fortune doesn't hurt 
I just found out APRA (Australian Performing Rights Association) were trying to track me down ... seems they are holding some royalties in my name ... 
I could be mistaken though; the first reply from my email to them asked about 3 songs I'd never heard of ... damn! 

In 2002, I started a project - a special concert in Adelaide involving Scala members and others (with proceeds going to Amnesty International) called 'WINTA!' ('War Is Not The Answer!' ... the sentiment expressed by many families of victims of 9/11) - anyway, it was not a huge turnout on the night, but thanks to Megan's PR, it did get the attention of ABC Radio Adelaide, and Phillip Satchell invited me to select 3 of the acts (and me) to join him on September 11 as part of a special memorial program the ABC were doing ... and we each had to perform one song live to air (and, I discovered later, on webcam) - the choices were fairly easy... the final selection included two songs which were written many years earlier (mine in 1987, and Kate's in 1989) but which were very relevant to what was happening; and two songs that were written because of 9/11...

as the 'spokesperson' for WINTA!, I had to be there for all of the performances, and be part of the discussions ... and play one of my own songs from the concert ... 

The feedback from the ABC and listeners was amazing ... not just for my song, but for all of them... but copyright being what it is, I can only post my lyrics here without chasing up permissions from the others.

Eyes of a Child
words and music by Cran Herlihy November 1987

Last night I had a dream, I saw an old man
He held the world in his old hands
He felt its heartbeat and made it mine
He stilled the waters and turned back time
And in my dream I saw this old man
Standing on a road in some strange land
And the old man, he just smiled
He showed me life through the eyes of a child

I saw the birth of the universe when time began
I saw the woman who gave birth to the first young man
I saw a million machines of every shape and size
I saw the stars that were scattered through the empty skies
And the old man, he just smiled
He showed me life through the eyes of a child

I saw an endless line of people standing hand in hand
I saw a river choked with dust, I saw the Promised Land
I saw a couple making love in some quiet park
I saw the growing clouds of fire when the sky went dark
I saw a nation praise the glory of a blazing gun
I saw a city that was hidden from the naked sun
And the old man, he just smiled
He showed me life through the eyes of a child

I saw a tree in flames rising from a sea of mud
I saw a torn and twisted flower in a field of blood
I saw a frightened girl crying near the Temple gate
I saw a man act in love, I saw another hate
I saw the slaughter of the forest, I saw the vanished herds
I saw the secrets of the past, I saw forbidden words
And the old man, he just smiled
He showed me life through the eyes of a child

I saw a man who was hated for the colour of his skin
I saw them marching for peace, I saw the war begin
I saw an old woman laugh, I saw an strong man cry
I saw a young man who lived, I saw thousands die
I saw an innocent young man, he was nailed to a tree
I saw that young man again and saw that he was me
And the old man, he just smiled
He showed me life through the eyes of a child

Last night I had a dream, I saw a young girl
And in her tiny hand, I saw a young world
She was primal, yeah she was wild
I saw her eyes, they were the eyes of a child

[piersdad]

gosh that lovely thanks for sharing
wish i could write as well as that
printed it out for the wife to look at( she cant walk to the computor)
piers38 has just added a new skin called

chat bubbles and it is really cool so try it next time you are on

[Cran]

"chat bubbles, huh?"  OK, I'll have a look...
Eyes of a Child was a real landmark for me; in some ways it was a collection of media images I'd grown up with... it was also a synthesis of many of my earlier political songs ... but it was also the only song I wrote that anyone can perform, because the lyrics are spoken not sung and the strength of performance is then in the life and passion of the spoken voice and in the almost choral quality of the music.
I've still got to get the software sorted out on this new computer... it turns out I've lost the use of my whole Office Suite (Word, Excel, Publisher, etc), and have to track down the original disks and re-instal the whole thing. I also have to transfer (or re-download) my sound file software... ah yes, Bill Gates' Revenge! and cut-price computer systems... 
Oh, APRA replied... and the royalties are for one of my songs... 
It's called The ballad of Daniel Lee or more commonly Daniel Lee; it is my only real 'folk song' - I wrote it in one day (in about 1986) to impress a woman whom I'd just met, and she was running a folk club... 
I guess it worked... she went on to become my ex-wife...
The song won a couple of awards over the years. 
Trevor Dand (TC) heard me perform it at the South Australian Folk Festival in 1987 (in Goolwa) where it came second in the Songwriters' Event (not bad, I thought, for a first timer) - his band Kelly's Revenge included it in 4 albums (it became their most requested song) and countless concerts around the world. I've had that weird (but wonderful) buzz of walking down a street in the Barossa Valley and hearing my song over the radio/PA speakers.
I guess if I knew something about music, I might have captured that sort of magic more often in my songs. Or, maybe I should have tried to impress more women?
Somewhere, there is a pic of me about to do an encore performance of Daniel Lee at the Kapunda Celtic Festival (where it won the Songwriters' Event) in about 1996 - I can't remember if I posted here or at UT, so I'll post it again... 

- this is also the image I put on the cover of my demo CD (You Asked For It!) - a compilation of various live and studio performances of my own songs (which roughly equates to my most requested songs)
I don't seem to have the lyrics on file (...strange...  ) so, I'll have to sit down a bit later and type them up again, and post them next time if you like...?
 

[piersdad]

wow that would be a buzz to hear you song sung
i vaguely remember the song years ago
love to get the lyrics on here
i always get a buzz if i get into the local paper or tv.
once got my picture in the geo magazine in switzerland and daughter in law brought it and when she got home opened the pages to see her father inlaw grinning at her
the kaption was
creativity from kaos

[Cran]

  might not be such a buzz once you've heard me sing... 
Especially as the only recording I have of Daniel Lee is the original 'winners' recording from 1987 which was very rushed and performed by a very nervous newcomer (me) ... and the first version by Kelly's Revenge (on a cassette tape) ...
the best recording I have of Eyes of a Child is the ABC recording, solo and live to air...
both are on the demo CD ... I'll see if the new computer will let me upload them...
Re 'chat bubbles' - I tried it, and it almost works for me... but I would want to tweak the colours a little, and the avatars end up next to the following post ... I'd want to have them closer to the top of the message ... so now I'm test-driving Themis by Bloc... I like it so far 

[xelasnave]

Wow I have never met a paid songwriter.. thats cool I hear its the only way to make real money in the music business... I recon there has to be a market for shall I name it... Space Rock.. mmm Lyrics reflecting something in that dept scifi even.. I say  that cause the only song I play is the only song I have written and its called "Frigean Lovers" (a play on words of the scale used in the intro) but its theme is bit scifi. And the best thing about doing originals as opposed to covers is no one can do it your way and covers is a follow the leader trip.
I have been playing 3 string guitar e a & d cause no replacements for broken ones and wow is that the way to learn guitar. I recon I,m the hottest 3 string guitar player around. Standard and dropped d tunning (dropped d is very grunty) but you have to get creative to make it sound full.
alex

[Cran]

I'm not sure if it's the only way, Alex, or even the best way, but I'm convinced it's not guaranteed to be good money (or any money at all most times) ...

in any field, it seems, it requires the right balance of tenacity and passion and mostly, as the Ted Hawkins' song says... "you got to know somebody, who is somebody..."

... my income from music amounted to less than $200 per year; costs directly related to gaining that income closer to $2000 per year - if that's not a definition of a hobby... 

I've met quite a few who've made a 'living' from their music (writing, composing, recording and performing), and some who've made a very good 'living' ...

 and quite a few I consider to be brilliant at what they do 

... who have a 'regular' job or other income, just to pay for doing what they do brilliantly...   

"3-string guitar", huh?   

[piersdad]

3 stringes guitar.
customer came to me and he had no arms and asked me if i could invent a guitar he could play as befor he lodst his arms he was a good player.
well i devised a 8 string guitar that had 32 separate leversa that pressed straight across the neck and as each lever was pressed it gave a correct chord.
he gave me a $200 down payment for it and that was the cost of the materials.
he returned later when i had spent endless hours developing it and making 32 small steel levers with special pads that pressed the strings

it  was a great sucess and he asked to try it out at the local band that night so he took it saying that he had the money and would se me tomorrow.
tomorrow never come you know he just skipped town .
found out he was getting charitable grants from various charities to help him and his (h)armles plite and after a minimum of out going was pocketing the $2000 he recieved for the purpose of the grant.
we live and learn

[xelasnave]

and I bet he seemed an armless sort of a bloke
alex

[piersdad]

he had the cheek to use me as a referee to another person that was going to give him some pokies money and i set them straight so at least i got some  satisfaction by blowing his cover.

[Cran]

I was poking around in my (annoyingly truncated) lyrics files, I found the words to my most notorious parody... 

It Was Only Baked Beans
(to the tune of Only 19; with permission from John Schumann)
?Parody lyrics by Cran Herlihy 1984

  Mum and Dad and Dinny saw me running down the hall
And they were praying I’d reach the loo in time
Four weeks constipation and it was me who blew it all
And I was on and off the dunny all last night
And townsfolk stay upwind when they see me on the street
And this clipping from the paper said him, you shouldn’t meet
And there’s me in the outhouse with me face all long and green
God help me, it was only baked beans

Well I’ve travelled every highway, I know every truckies stop
From Perth to Sydney and the toilet walls by name (aside: Killjoy was here!)
The army kicked me out, you know, cause gas warfare’s been banned
And friends and foes were flattened just the same
And can you tell me, doctor, why I still can’t get to sleep?
And why I keep on smelling like the arse-end of a sheep?
And what’s this wind that comes and goes, can you tell me what it means.
God help me, it was only baked beans

On a camping trip last summer, it was Joe who met his end
He was standing right behind me when it came
Well, we stood up to stretch our legs from dinner on the beachfront*
But poor old Joe, he never was the same
When a mighty wind erupted, it was scorching trees for miles
And I’d stood up to ease the pressure on my aching piles
Then Joe screamed once and felt for where his legs should have been
God help me, we were eating baked beans

Well, I can still see Joey in the front bar of the local*
Where we used to knock back ten or more a day (aside: at lunchtime)
And I still see Joey flying headlong over sand dunes*
When that fart of mine had blown the guy away
Then someone yelled out ?What’s that?, and the bloke beside me swore
Cause when I let that fart go, it broke his lower jaw
And Frankie’s now in orbit, he shot up on stewed prunes
God help me, he won’t come down till June

And the Heinz instructions never mention straining, blood and tears
And I haven’t had a visitor for near on twenty years
And the family all wear gas masks; I’ve tried but I can’t seem
God help me, to give up baked beans

So can you tell me, doctor, why I still can’t get to sleep?
And why the Channel Seven chopper followed me last week (aside: that’s him, down there,
Australia’s Most Wanted environmental terrorist, wiped out an entire village* last week!)
And what’s this stain that’s in my shorts, can you tell me what it means?
God help me, it was only baked beans

http://users.adam.com.au/mormina/Cran%20Herlihy%20It%20was%20only%20baked%20beans.wma

*these can be altered to make it more relevant to location or event (eg, Maldon or festival)

- most of the lyrics I have on computer file at the moment seem to be from my "angry young man/ anti-war/ anti-establishment" phase ... most (like Eyes of a Child) still seem current (but then I wrote them to be 'timeless'...) ... interested?