Songs of love, lust and obsession. Come to think of it, that probably accounts for my entire output.
All vocals and instruments by David A. Harley. Words and music for all songs by David A. Harley except ‘Quirks and Crotchets’, for which Alan Doyle wrote the tune, and ‘Back in the Day’, for which Alison Pittaway wrote the lyrics. Cover photograph by Jude Harley.
I had some things to say, but you took me by surprise
I can’t believe the words you said, or the look in your eyes
You don’t want me in your life, you said “Go and don’t come back”
You told me you don’t give a damn and I wish I’d said that
I thought that we could talk, but you beat me to the punch
I thought you were really something else, turns out you’re just out to lunch
You said “Don’t talk, just walk, don’t stand around, get off my back”
You said “I just don’t want to know” and I wish I’d said that
It’s too late to change your mind now your back’s against the wall
Now all I want from you is the chance to see you crawl
But I’ll take you at your word, and I never will look back
Turns out that I don’t give a damn – don’t you wish you’d said that?
A second song for which Alan Doyle provided a tune and added some words. 🙂 I think this will probably have a fairly synth-y feel when I’ve learned it properly, but while it obviously needs polishing, this will be the basic shape.
By Alan Doyle and David Harley
Backup:
The puppet master has turned his back
On the farewell appearance of the men in black
But he can’t stop thinking ’bout the shape he’s in
Heavy water seeping through his skin
Input/output all of the time There’s only white noise out there on the line
He’s got the moves, but he’s worn so thin
He tried to be polite, but they cut his strings
His voice is rusty and his chords are crude
His fingers are raw and his head is screwed
Input/output all of the time There’s only white noise out there on the line
White noise [white noise] in the air
White noise [white noise] everywhere
White noise [white noise] all around
White noise [white noise] the only sound
His skin is crawling, his resistance is low
There’s an overload building with nowhere to go
The feedback generates so much heat
He’s got to boost his signal out in the street
Input/output all of the time There’s only white noise out there on the line
This is a collaboration with Alan Doyle, who wrote the tune and tweaked my lyrics. 🙂
I’m planning to include a cleaner (I mean better recorded, not less obscene!) version of this on a forthcoming album called ‘Kitsch and Canoodle’, but this is probably most of the way there.
(backup)
Two lost souls living in a bedsit
Lying there back to back
She’s close to weeping, he pretends he’s sleeping
But he’s wondering what to pack
Someone needs to say ‘sorry’
But it seems that it won’t be him
They want to be happy, but they’d rather be right
So the chances of that are slim
Sometimes it’s OK just to let it all go And it really doesn’t matter who’s right Sometimes it’s OK just to let it all go And it really doesn’t matter who’s right
Two lost souls standing by the bus stop
Neither finding words to say
He’s packed up his troubles in his old rucksack
But no one’s smiling today
Someone needs to say ‘sorry’
But neither seems to want to know
They want to be happy, but they’d rather be right
Instead of flattening the bumps in the road
Sometimes it’s OK just to let it all go And it really doesn’t matter who’s right Sometimes it’s OK just to let it all go And it really doesn’t matter who’s right
Two old dears standing in the bus queue
Neither has a lot to say
He’s got the shopping and she’s got his arm
So it must have worked out OK
And they’ve learned to live with each other’s quirks and crotchets
And the angry words that quickly lose their bite
They wanted to be happy, and they want to be right
But they’ve learned to put the past behind
Sometimes it’s OK just to let it all go And it really doesn’t matter who’s right Sometimes it’s OK just to let it all go And it really doesn’t matter who’s right
It really doesn’t matter who’s right
