Strangers on a Train, written in October 2022. Simple demo with guitar and vocal.

Strangers On A Train

don't they know

misty monday morning
came by without warning this time
i believed in you
so what else is new?

i'm feeling so numb
it's over and done
how can the sun keep shining
how can mockingbirds sing
and take to the wing
don't they know?

i'll face each day without you
hardly think about you at all
only now and then
and here i go again
it could've been you

could've been me
could've been ancient history
but how can folk sing
how can they dance
don't they know?

when you've got those lovestruck blues
it's such a crying shame
heads they win and tails you lose
in this crazy game

feeling so numb
it's over and done
how can the sun keep shining
how can mockingbirds sing
and take to the wing
don't they know?

feeling so numb
it's over and done
how can the sun keep shining
how can mockingbirds sing
and take to the wing
don't they know?

it could've been you
could've been me
could've been ancient history
now how can folk dance
and keep holding hands
don't they know you're gone?



chris roberts 
4 december 2022

don't they know

stolen moments

talking in whispers like thieves in the night
we can't let our emotions be shown
we hide in the shadows
keep out of the light
till we can be sure we're alone

walking on tiptoes we don't make a sound 
sidle past doorways and walls
clandestine lovers
who can't be discovered
risking it all

we stay undercover 'cause

all i want is you right now
to lie by your side
with no feelings denied tonight
and if true love is a crime
i'll serve my time
for these stolen moments
are keeping this romance alive

time is a treasure more precious than gold 
we hold a fixed share in our hands
it can't be bought 
it can't be sold
and it flows through your fingers like sand

first we were strangers, then we were friends
as lovers and parents we've grown
now the children are sleeping
and so we are creeping
together alone

i can hear my heart beating 'cause

all i want is you right now
to lie by your side
with no feelings denied tonight
and if true love is a crime
i'll serve my time
for these stolen moments
are keeping this romance alive

alive
keep love alive
keep love alive


chris roberts | 2 january 2023

stolen moments (demo)

the keeper
music and lyrics by Linda Shear and Chris Roberts, 5 February 2023

you lit a candle 
to show me the way
and we laughed and we danced
we sang and we played
till you flew right into the heart of the flame 
knowing i couldn't follow you there
 
though my heart is still yearning to hold you
i would never hold you down 
turn around, i'm still here
can you hear me?

stronger and deeper
the keeper of the flame

time can't move backwards
it carries me on
the cold night takes flight
with the light of the dawn
and i'll never forget you
so you haven't gone
your candle is burning in my heart

though i know i'll miss you forever
i never want a cure
love endures, i'm still here
and you hear me

stronger and deeper
the keeper of the flame

the keeper

ophelia 
music and lyrics by chris roberts, february 2023

VERSE 1
when i was a boy i used to dream of a girl
a dream of a girl just like you
how was i to know that you were here in this world
would be my world when the dream came true

PRE-CHORUS 1
ain't joking, ain't smoking
want to tell you now
each day i love you more and more

CHORUS 1
ophelia , let's dance together till the night is through
o, ophelia, who knew that we could make it work
a boy like me and a girl like you

VERSE 2
i love to reach out to you when I open my eyes
open my eyes in the morning
love to feel your heart beat when I lie by your side
right by your side in the night

PRE-CHORUS 2
you're so faithful, it's disgraceful
and i'm here for you
i'll follow you wherever you go

CHORUS 3
ophelia, i always want to hear your point of view
o, ophelia, you show me how the world can be
for a boy like me and a girl like you

PRE-CHORUS 3
you're beguiling when you're smiling
and as we go on
our love will only grow and grow

CHORUS 3
ophelia, nobody could love me like you do
o, ophelia, we walk together hand in hand
a boy like me and a girl like you

ophelia - rough demo

cecilia payne

VERSE 1
she was born in the late victorian age
at the dawn of a century
when the boys got the breaks
and the girls had to take up domesticity
she raised her gaze up to the sky
and dreamed of the astral plane
cecilia payne
cecilia payne

VERSE 2
they welcomed her at cambridge
with a ceiling made of glass
so she took a chance on the ile de france
lit out for cambridge mass
where she scanned the farthest galaxies
and got to use her brain
cecilia payne
cecilia payne

CHORUS 1
and she learned the secrets
of the burning sun
until she found the answer
never seen by anyone
hydrogen and helium

VERSE 3
well they said she was mistaken
for more than twenty years
but there was no complaint
from the patron saint of the music of the spheres
and when history is written
everyone will know her name
cecilia payne
cecilia payne

CHORUS 2
because she learned the secrets
of the burning sun
until she found the answer
never seen by anyone
hydrogen and helium

VERSE 4

she was born in the late victorian age
at the dawn of a century
when the boys got the breaks
and the girls had to take up domesticity
and when her story's written
everyone will sing her name
cecilia payne
cecilia payne...

hydrogen and helium


words and music © 2023 chris roberts and elaine mahon. all rights reserved.

cecilia payne

home is where the heart breaks

music and lyrics by linda shear and chris roberts, (c) 2023

hey alex, can you come out to play
down where they paved the dirt road
we'll win back our marbles from ronny and jay
and toss the dodge ball at those crows
i lifted a quarter for candy and soda
let's run before my mom wakes
keep out of sight till the moon shines bright
'cause home is where the heart breaks
home is where the heart breaks

out on the street there are dangers
for those who are small and alone
they tell us to watch out for strangers
'til momma and daddy come home
they say monsters lurk in the shadows
creatures crawl from the lake
but nobody knows what's behind the front door
'cause home is where the heart breaks
home is where the heart breaks

tomorrow, we'll hop a freight train
ride to the ocean in style
with hobos, drifters, card sharps and grifters
'til we've gone 500 miles
we'll light a camp fire in the mountain
to keep out spiders and snakes
but we won't be scared of wolves and bears
'cause home is where the heart breaks
home is where the heart breaks 

lavender blue, lavender green
don't need a king, don't need a queen
lavender green, lavender blue
just me and you

maybe we'll grow old together
one day have kids of our own
our wounds will heal and the scars reveal
we made it out and moved on
we'll follow a pathway of kindness
though i know we'll make mistakes
at the close of the day, we'll no longer say
home is where the heart breaks 
home is where the heart breaks

we'll follow a pathway of kindness (lavender green)
though we'll make many mistakes (lavender blue)
at the close of the day, no-one will say
home is where the heart breaks
home is where the heart breaks

home is where the heart breaks

tears don't lie

VERSE 1
penny for your thoughts
penny for your feelings too
we can open up our hearts
share what's on our minds

VERSE 2
our words fly through the air
they float and dance like butterflies
circling round the truthful flame
that only burns their wings

CHORUS 1
mysterious emotions
more than words can describe
but when i say i love you
it's clear these tears don't lie

VERSE 3
i could write a song
you could paint a picture
as honest as the dawn
and tender as the night

CHORUS 2
and if you want to know my soul
take a look in my eyes
'cause when i say i love you
it's clear these tears don't lie 

CHORUS 1 REPEAT
mysterious emotions
more than words can describe
but when i say i love you
it's clear these tears don't lie

OUTRO
it's clear these tears don't lie
it's clear these tears don't lie


chris roberts 29 august 2023

tears don't lie

nomansland

there's a place beyond this lonely junkyard
a quiet space where trees grow strong and tall
and we can be there soon if you will take my hand
and walk with me to nomansland

birds will sing and the air is cool as morning
the scent of lime and woodsmoke on the breeze
and even though it's not what we had planned
come fly with me to nomansland

love is no valentine's card
with hearts and flowers, bells and ribbons
love is not easy, it's hard some days
love is a light in the dark
it only takes a spark
to turn your heart
into a burning flame

no more war, and the guns have fallen silent
can you hear a fiddle start to play
so close your eyes and listen to the band
and dance with me in nomansland

close your eyes and listen to the band
in nomansland

nomansland

nomansland (worktape)

to a magpie
words and music chris roberts 2024

magpie, magpie
tell me what you're thinking
looking in through my window
as the dawn is breaking
were you watching the stars
venus and mars
shining so far away from here
and what do you see
when you look at me
do you think we could fly away

magpie, magpie
when i look in your eyes
though i know we're not the same
we belong to one tribe
when i lost my way
in the wind and the rain   
you broke the chains that tied me down
you saw me alone
and carried me home
and promised we'd fly away

one for sorrow 
two for joy 
three’s a girl 
four’s a boy 
five for silver 
six for gold
seven secrets untold

we’re two of a kind 
partners in crime
do i sound like a rhyming dictionary
prisoners of time
losing our minds
waiting to fly away

Chris Roberts music

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