Daddy's Girl was written in 2007 and completed in 2014.

The track is a collaboration over the internet with my lovely cousin Shikha who provided the vocals from Darjeeling on the basic track that I set in Bangalore. For her enthusiasm and dedication in making this work, I remain eternally grateful to Shikha.

-----------

DADDY’S GIRL

Daddy used to make everything alright
Daddy used to read to me late at night
Daddy used to kiss me and turn off the light
Now daddy’s holding me on a ride
At the carnival in town tonight

Go to sleep now little baby
Its  time to close your eyes
I will be here in the morning
When you open your eyes

Daddy used to pack my books every night
Daddy used to take  me to school in grey and white
Daddy used to wait on the other side
Now daddy’s watching me run and hide
With the boys I met on the other side

You’re growing up now little baby
The time is passing by
But the distance here between us
Everyday it gets so wide

Daddy used to say the boys aren’t alright
Daddy used to watch TV late at night
Daddy used to tell me I should study right
Now daddy’s waving me goodbye
And he’s taking the last train tonight

You’ve grown up now pretty baby
You’re catching someone’s eyes
I can tell that you’re changing
When you turn away your eyes

Daddy used to say I didn’t turn out right
Daddy used to say I’m not worth a fight
Daddy used to walk off alone into the night
Now Daddy’s walking me down the aisle
And he’s breaking down slowly inside

Daddy's Girl - featuring Shikha P

Until We Meet Again was written and composed in early 2014.

----------------------------------------

UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN

Sometimes you’re hot water
Sometimes you’re cold as ice
Sometimes you’re mean to me
Sometimes you’re just as nice
Sometimes you get wild
In all the ways that you can
And leave me standing here
Once again a solo man

So goodbye my love
We can part as friends
But that don’t change nothing
Not until the very end
So goodbye my love
I won’t be seeing you again
I guess this time its forever
Until we meet again

Sometimes you’re like summer
Sometimes you’re like fall
Sometimes you’re mid-winter
Sometimes like nothing at all
Sometimes you get better 
In matters such as rain
And leave me soaking wet
To deal with all the pain

So goodbye my love
We can part as friends
But that don’t change nothing
Not until the very end
So goodbye my love
I won’t be seeing you again
I guess this time its forever
Until we meet again






Until We Meet Again

Money For Something was written and composed in 2014.
-
MONEY FOR SOMETHING

Money for something
Got a deal going on
Don't drop no cards now baby
Hang on till the cash comes round

Don't you ask no questions
There was nothing in the bank
Just this cash in hand
And a gallon of diesel in the tank

Stay with me baby
We'll make it to the station
We'll take two one-way tickets
And run to the north of this nation

Baby got religion
Somewhere down the track
Bread and wine and prayers
Baby's never coming back

Once she caught me smoking
Down the church at night
Prayed I'd kick the habit
Before I tuned eighty five

People call em lucky
I say you make your own
There's no telling when it's over
When it comes from the seeds you've sown



Money For Something

Darjeeling On My Mind was written in December 2014 and is an ode to a town in the Himalayan mountain range.


DARJEELING ON MY MIND

She calls to me from a place so serene
She’s the prettiest sight I’ve ever seen
And I wonder how she remembers me
I thought I was just a memory
Cause I’m a long way from her
Longer than I’ve ever been

The winter sun plays hide and seek
Every morning on the mountain peaks
She takes me by the arm and then
We go walking down around the bend
We go down the riverside
Sparkling waters and clear blue skies

She never asked me where I’m bound
She always knew I’d come around
I never thought she’d understand 
As I made my way to the Motor Stand
We said our last goodbye
I never did see her cry

I had promised myself I’d never miss
I never thought I’d feel like this
Everytime I hear that sound
I think the train is finally coming round
It’s not some girl I left behind
I’ve got Darjeeling on my mind
She made my life so fine
Darjeeling on my mind
She treated me so kind
Darjeeling on my mind
I couldn’t leave her behind
Darjeeling on my mind


Darjeeling On My Mind

Leaving was written and composed in August 2015.

LEAVING
That’s the door
But you don’t need to walk out anymore
Not like the way you used to before
That’s the bed
Where our little one lay her head
While we argued and left things unsaid
And all the reasons that you had for leaving
They won’t matter now
And the stories you had her believing
She’ll remember them now
So say, say what you will
Do what you want
Break it again
Or give, give it away
Take it all back
Make up again
Cause the one that you kept leaving out
Is the one that’s leaving you now

That’s the rain
Falling down on the window pane
While we’re waiting for the lights to change
And the future that was written on that paper
It won’t happen now
She’s fast asleep in the back with her head turned
She won’t wake up now
So say, say what you will
Do what you want
Break it again
Or give, give it away
Take it all back
Make up again
Cause the one that you kept leaving out
Is the one that’s leaving you now


Leaving

A Little Sunshine was written in August 2015 and recorded in November 2015.
-----------------
A LITTLE SUNSHINE

Lately there's been nothing on but this song
Playing on the radio all week long
It seems like we should be heading south
To somewhere people just keep dreaming about
Everybody needs a little sunshine
Maybe get out there, have a good time
And leave all your troubles behind
Who knows what's waiting, what you may find

Oh love
There's magic where the ocean meets the land
There's freedom written on every grain of sand
There's gold in the sunset for those who understand
Its where I want to go walking hand in hand
Oooh Oooh Oooh Oooh
Oooh oooh Oooh Oooh

If you want to know it's not that far
Just follow the signs and bring your guitar
And see there's a sparkle in every eye
Singing songs around the campfire every night

Oh love
There's magic where the ocean meets the land
There's freedom written on every grain of sand
There's gold in the sunset for those who understand
Its where I want to go walking hand in hand
Oooh Oooh Oooh Oooh
Oooh oooh Oooh Oooh
Oooh oooh Oooh Oooh Oooh oooh Oooh Oooh Oooh



A Little Sunshine

Stolen Car was written in February 2015 and is inspired by the songs of Bruce Springsteen.
---------------------
STOLEN CAR

We were out at night on the highway in a stolen car
Didn’t know where we were headed
Didn’t think it’d be that far
When the signs came up she said, ‘Baby take it slow’
We were miles and miles from anywhere
There was nowhere else to go

We had held up a station up the road
And made out with some cash
When we stopped to pick up the papers
The news had travelled fast
And she said we ought to disappear
Get away for a while
But by then the distance between us
Had grown a thousand miles

Didn’t think it was over
Didn’t think we had missed the bus
Didn’t think we’d make it across the border
Didn’t think it’d leave us in the dust
Didn’t think it would happen
Happen to us

Between the sound of the engine and the wheels
Burning up the miles
She said she had never reached a point 
Where it’s lonely all the time
Sometimes she thinks of the days
When it was easier to forgive
And she finds herself wondering how
She ended up like this

We had run out of conversation
There was nothing left to say
So I pulled over to the side of the highway
And I said, ‘Goodnight, Babe’
And between the lights of the oncoming cars
And the breaking of the dawn
I felt the empty seat beside me
I knew she had gone

Didn’t think it was over
Didn’t think we had missed the bus
Didn’t think we’d make it across the border
Didn’t think it’d leave us in the dust
Didn’t think it would happen
Happen to us



Stolen Car

THE LAST TIME WE WERE HERE

Many moons not long ago
Before the strangers came ashore
We’d dance in circles around the fire
O Way O Way O Way O
Where the eagle flies the open skies
This land was ours to roam
With the Great Spirit by our side
O Way O Way O Way O

Way O Way O Way O
O Way O Way O Way O Wah
We’re strangers in our own land
O Way O Way O Way O

Now we walk the streets of broken glass
In the midnight of the sun
Broken circle days are done
O Way O Way O Way O
Soon to the Great Spirit in the sky
My brothers will return
They burned the grass we walked upon
O Way O Way O Way O

Way O Way O Way O
O Way O Way O Way O Wah
We’re strangers in our own land
O Way O Way O Way O

Soon the songs will sing about
The last time we were here
Maybe dance around the fire
O Way O Way O Way O

The Last Time We Were Here

THE ONE EYED SHERIFF AND THE MONKEY MAN

I was too drunk to see him behind
My head twice its size with amphetamine
Hundred dollar bills and a year’s supply
And a chicken in the boot from down Copper Mine

Twenty years up and down the county line
The Sheriff’s been doing a little overtime
Chasing every monkey man down the line
Chasing every one though he’s half blind

You see I can’t make this up baby
I swear it ain’t no lie
But I ain’t getting into no backseat baby
Not for any free ride

Sheriff pulled me up over onto the side
“License and ID, son, you’re pretty high
What’s the matter son, can’t you look me in the eye?
Looks like your boot’s got something to hide”

I never thought I’d see a chicken fly
And head straight for the Sheriff’s better eye
Next thing I knew he was running blind
And a passing truck pulled him under its side

You see I can’t make this up baby
I swear it ain’t no lie
But I ain’t getting into no backseat baby
Not for any free ride

---------------------------------
Written and recorded in June 2019

The One Eyed Sheriff And The Monkey Man

WHO KNOWS WHERE WE ARE

Who knows where we are
And who knows where we are
Where we’ll go from here
Where we’ll end up

I don’t know if this is ever going to feel right
I don’t know if we’ll ever get another chance to feel this alive
Sometimes when I close my eyes
I feel like someone else inside
Looks into this heart of mine
And wishes we had never said goodbye

Who knows where we are
And who knows where we are
Where we’ll go from here
Where we’ll end up

Maybe we were too young to read each other’s minds
Maybe we never looked back to see the road we left behind
I guess we couldn’t see the signs
I guess we had something else in mind
Guess the moment passed us by
In the story of our lives

Who knows where we are
And who knows where we are
Where we’ll go from here
Where we’ll end up

Who Knows Where We Are

HOLD THE LIGHT

Jane’s still waiting for him tonight
By the porch light
Its been so long
Since he’s been gone
But no one’s really coming back home

Lynn’s been holding on too long
With her baby in her arms
Thinking that he’ll change someday
But every day
He goes the other way

And everyone who used to say
There’s gonna be a better day have lied
So who’s gonna pay the bills or take the pills
To get through this life
Hold the light
Hold the light

Mary still works there every night
Down the riverside
Even though there’s nothing there
Back in her room
Her sister still needs care

And everyone who used to say
There’s gonna be a better day have lied
So who’s gonna pay the bills or take the pills
To get through this life
Hold the light
Hold the light
Oh my my
Hold the light

Kim still wakes with a fright
In the middle of the night
Wondering why they left her there
There’s no one home
The walls are bare

And everyone who used to say
There’s gonna be a better day have lied
So who’s gonna pay the bills or take the pills
To get through this life
Hold the light
Hold the light
Oh my my
Hold the light

Hold The Light

EVERYBODY'LL GO AWAY

Who's gonna say
The things you never said
So say it anyway
Cause the time won't wait
And it won't matter anyway
Everybody'll go away

Who's gonna go
To the place you never thought 
You needed to go
To know the path you're on
Is the one that's holding you back
It's time to get off the beaten track

Who's gonna learn 
The things you've said and seen
There'll always come a time
When darkness comes 
You'll be candle in the night
A candle shining bright

Until your work is done
Until your time it comes 
You shine on everyone
Shine with the light that's strong
On all the ones you know
Till the angels carry you home
Till the angels carry you home
Till the angels carry you home

------

Thanks, Z.
https://soundcloud.com/zubair-sher-singh-kalsia

Everybody'll Go Away - featuring Zubair SSK

ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE

Late at night
When the kids are out like little lights
She's online
Trying to find a ticket to another life
Once she thought she could hold it together
Now she can't wait to fly
There's got to be something better out there
Better than this life

You see her late at night
Wondering when she missed her ride
No she won't be denied
A chance to make things right

Cause she's another one of those who couldn't get it right
She's another one of those who thought she saw the light
Married someone on the rebound just to prove she was right
But it's hard to disguise
She's locked inside

She's another one of those who wanted more in life
And she thought it'd be romantic just to be a wife
She thought she'd be living something of a bohemian life
When she opened her eyes
She was locked inside

She decides
She's going to make it on the outside
Cause she could die in here
Ten years is too long sometimes
She can see somebody on the line
Always pointing to another broken sign
She hopes her angels won't mind
She hopes her angels won't mind


Cause she's another one of those who couldn't get it right
She's another one of those who thought she saw the light
Married someone on the rebound just to prove she was right
But it's hard to disguise
She's locked inside

She's another one of those who wanted more in life
And she thought it'd be romantic just to be a wife
She thought she'd be living something of a bohemian life
When she opened her eyes
She was locked inside

Another One Of Those

ARE YOU COOL NOW

Are you cool now
Still kind of feels a little strange
Do you want take some time
Before we talk again

Are you cool now
Could you show me a little sign
Or are you going to think it over one more time

You see I’ve been burning bridges 
And you’ve been building walls that you can’t climb
And neither of it is working
And none of this is going to save us anytime

Are you cool now 
Tell me if it’s one of those times
When the words get in the way of saying what’s on your mind

Are you cool now
Tell me are we are going to let it slide
Are we going to sell ourselves a compromise

I’m so tired of saying sorry
And sorry isn’t going to fix this anytime
And we’ll just keep on breaking
Unless we learn to bend and see the light

Are  you cool now
Still kind of feels a little strange
Do you want to take it from the top again

Are You Cool Now

DON’T LOOK BACK

They can say what they want
They can say what they think
But you’re going to see the light
Going to see it eventually

When you’re done with arguing
And you don’t have anything
Even less to say
You know you’re finished here

When you feel the waters rise
When the river gets too wide 
When the knot comes untied
When you cross the bridge to the side
You can tell everybody this is goodbye

So no matter where you are
Even if you turn
You can’t look back
Cause you’re finished here

So when the feeling in you dies
How will the rest of you survive

Don't Look Back

Ever since I first watched it as a teenager I was quite swept up by Summer of 42, a film about an adolescent rite of passage. And so I figured the best way to pay a homage to it was to write a song about it.

------
THE SONGS SHE SANG TO ME

And the songs she sang to me
They linger on in my memory
Everybody knows
That a song is more than a melody

I used to help her out
Every summer when school was out
At her place near the shore line
Where she sang the songs 
To fill her time

Her man he wasn’t around
She said he was in the service in the south
And though she never let on much
She missed the man
She missed his touch

And the songs she sang to me
They linger on in my memory
Everybody knows
That a song is more than a melody

On the day that the message arrived
It said her man never made it back alive
She fell on her bed
She broke down and cried
And she held me close
And I held her tight

Through the tears she turned around
And I could see her dress falling down
And her hands touch my face
And pull me down
From my state of grace

And the songs she sang to me
They linger on in my memory
Everybody knows
That a song is more than a melody

The Songs She Sang To Me

THE LAST TIME YOU HURT ME 

The last time you hurt me I was a child
You pushed it inside me while I just cried
Oh those days they never will end
And every time I have to pretend
That it’ll never happen again

The last time you hurt me I was a child
And in that house there was nowhere to hide
You made me stifle all of my yells
Not a soul there that I could tell
You made me so afraid to be myself

The last time you hurt me I was a child
When will I stop feeling so defiled
I don’t want to keep on feeling like this
But for this no forgiveness exists
I just take it one day at a time

The Last Time You Hurt Me

Since 1907 in the state of West Bengal in India, the Gorkhas have been demanding for separation from the state on the grounds that they are culturally, ethnically different from West Bengal . The demand took a violent turn in 1986, which led to the death of over 1200 people. This movement culminated with the formation of Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) in 1988. The DGHC administered the Darjeeling hills for 23 years with some degree of autonomy. 

LET’S LEAVE THIS TOWN

Let’s leave this town
Let’s leave it all behind
Let’s leave this place
Let’s leave all the dreams where they have died
On the streets where we paid the price
For a little justice in our lives
Behind the walls where our sisters cried
For the blood that never dried


This place isn’t what it used to be
All we have now are just memories
And just you and me
We’re the last of those who could never leave
Those who paid the hardest price
Wonder why they are still alive
Those who called it sacrifice
Sold the dream for a bed of lies

Let’s leave this town
Let’s leave it all behind
Let’s leave this place
Leave all the emptiness that’s in our lives
We can leave by the morning light
Walk the streets one last time
It’s hard to keep the dream alive
In a town we barely recognize

_____________________________

It took two years and pages upon pages of A4 sheets to write this song.
Recorded in December 2019.

Let's Leave This Town

UPDATE: I've moved my music to YouTube as Soundcloud has a limit on the number of uploads for a basic account. Please follow me on YouTube for new songs and lyric videos.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCb3_-rRdvD99BWany1JI0LQ/videos

I'm an animator and graphic designer who dabbles in a bit of songwriting on the side. I mostly play by ear because I can't read music, and my  recordings are almost entirely created through the guitar, harmonica, ukelele and a few loops. Thanks for stopping by and listening!

bluesforbobdylan

Popular tracks