I wrote this after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, February 2022. I cannot believe, in the 21st century, such barbarism is allowed to continue .... but, has it EVER stopped?

The Day The Soldiers Came

Based, very loosely, on the novel "Across Five Aprils" which I read with my daughter in Ohio 2016.

Forever The Season For Killing

Recently, the 800 year old tree succumbed to Dutch Elm disease and old age...

The Old Wych Elm in Beauly

December 2024 Songt Title Challenge #43


Outside, the snow has turned to rain
Waves break along the harbour, along the harbour 
Bombs keep falling in Ukraine 
War rages on in Gaza, on in Gaza…

Towns are aglow with festive lights
Halls filled with choir’s singing, choir’s singing
Somewhere, they’re fighting for their lives 
Rise Up! - the bells are ringing, bells are ringing…

CH:	He’s fighting through the storm 
	She’s praying for the dawn
           How long can they hold on?

Here, at the closing of the year
A time for peace and understanding, understanding 
Worlds filled with prejudice and fear
Lives crushed with devastation, devastation…

These words are for those who don’t belong 
My wish for those in sorrow, those in sorrow 
Not just another Christmas Song
Grace for a new tomorrow, new tomorrow….

CH:	He’s fighting through the storm 
	She’s praying for the dawn
           How long can they hold on?

Bridge :	How can it be
		Mankind seems to disagree
		Wouldn’t it be 
		Better if we lived in harmony?
		
CH:    Instrumental

I know it’s all been said before 
Maybe I’m daydreaming, I’m daydreaming
That said, one thing is for sure
We have to keep believing, keep believing….


Another Christmas Song

In got the idea for this song after seeing this beer on the shelf in my local Aldi

Only Happy When It Rains

Inspired by a friend whose hubby is very ill and she focuses on small victories to make it through each day.

Life's Small Victories

A challenge to write a song titled "Nachtman"

Als de zon ondergaat in dit deel van de stad,
Als de kinderen moe zijn en gapen;
Onder de bloedrode maan wees voorzichtig waar je gaat,
Hier in het rijk van de nachtman.

Wanneer de kleuren vervagen bij het sterven van de dagen,
Duizend tinten grijs die donkerder worden;
En de vleermuizen vliegen op zoek naar hun eten,
In het schemergebied van de nachtman.

Ben je gek of ben je dom? Waarom ben je gekomen?
Angst en vrees worden waarheid in de maneschijn;
Het huis voelt ver weg - je verlangt naar de dag,
Waar de monsters die je kwellen nooit te zien zijn.

Maar, grafstenen staan alleen, het enige wat je kunt zien, 
Zijn de sluwe zwerfkatten of de vossen;
Als schaduwen bewegen en je ogen trucjes spelen,
Dit is de wereld van de nachtman.

Ben je gek of ben je dom? Een fout dat je zou komen?
Roem en fortuin zijn geen voorbereiding;
Je wenste dat je was gebleven, terwijl de doden nu herleven,
Is deze waanzin dan niets meer dan uw verbeelding

Als de zon ondergaat in dit deel van onze stad,
Als de kinderen dromen en slapen;
Er is altijd toverkracht in de duisternis van de nacht,
Hier, op de troon van de nachtman.

TRANSLATION

When the sun sets in this part of town,
When the children are tired and yawning;
Under the blood-red moon be careful where you go,
Here in the realm of the nightman.

When the colours fade as the days die,
A thousand shades of grey grow darker;
And the bats fly in search of their food,
In the twilight of the nightman.

Are you mad or are you stupid? Why have you come?
Terror and fear come alive in the moonlight;
The house feels far away - you long for the day,
Where the monsters that torment you are never seen.

But, gravestones stand alone, the only thing you can see,
Are the sly, stray cats or the foxes;
When shadows move and your eyes play tricks,
This is the world of the nightman.

Are you mad or are you stupid? A mistake that you would come? 
Fame and fortune are no preparation;
You wish you had stayed, while the dead now come back to life,
Is this madness is nothing more than your imagination

When the sun sets on this part of our city,
When the children dream and sleep;
There is always magic in the darkness of the night,
Here, on the throne of the nightman.

Nachtman

Written to celebrate South Africa's longest running music festival

The Soul of Splashy Fen

Harvest
Harvest
Harvest
It’s time for us to gather in the harvest.

The summer’s said goodbye, the autumn knows it can’t remain
Winter months are coming just as sure as clouds bring rain
Now’s the time to gather all the crops that we have grown
Giving thanks to Mother Nature for the kindness she has shown

Harvest
Harvest
Harvest
It’s time for us to gather in the harvest.

Fields will soon lie barren in the dreary, dismal sun
Every farmer’s sweet reward for all the work that has been done
Will inundate our pantries, warm our hearts when days are cold
Let’s celebrate the harvest that the seasons have foretold.

Harvest - warm us with your flame
Harvest - veggies, fruit and game
Harvest - let us all proclaim
It’s time for us to gather in the harvest.

Soon our homes will all be filled with every fruit of mankind’s labour
The farmland’s just reward will be the prize for friend and neighbour
We will sing a happy song when we have food upon our table
As we celebrate the harvest in the ways we are best able. 

Harvest - won’t you warm us with your flame
Harvest - give us veggies, fruit and game
Harvest - raise your voices to
A smorgasbord of flavour from the harvest
Harvest - won’t you warm us with your flame
Harvest - give us veggies, fruit and game
Harvest - raise your voices ‘cause
It’s time for us to gather in the harvest.


Harvest

Written on a songwriting retreat at Black Bay Studio, Kirkibost, Outer Hebrides November 25, 2025. 

Seashells and Debris

In April, 1937, during the Spanish Civil War, The German and Italian Air Forces, under orders from General Franco, unleashed the first ever aerial bombing raid on civilians on the small market town of Guernica (Gernika). It was market day and many people had come into town to buy food. Eighty years later, we are still bombing and killing innocent civilians in the name of "progress"...

Guernica

We are so cruel to one another on so many levels. We build walls, we separate families, we push people past the point where living becomes untenable. In situations like this, how can we expect people to act "normal"?

When a man loses all that he owns, when his loved ones are gone
In a storm tossed and blown, when he’s old and alone
Wishing he could go home - How Can A Man?

When day after day is the same, when it’s pouring with rain
His dreams washed down the drain, when there’s nothing but pain
In a world gone insane - How Can A Man?

How can a man face the future? How can a man even try?
When everything he once believed in, are nothing but tears in his eyes?

When a man can be falsely accused, as a child be abused
Be molested, misused, when love leaves him bruised
Unsure and confused - How Can A Man?

When fate, what lies in the stars, truth looked for in bars
Leaves him on the cold tar with invisible scars
When sympathy jars - How Can A Man?

How can a man be upstanding? How can he ever feel proud?
When the weight of all his fears on his shoulders leaves him battered and bowed?

When a man is thrown out, dispossessed, when he’s made to feel less
Than his absolute best, when he’s cursed and oppressed
With no means to protest - How Can A Man?

How Can A Man?

World travelled dabbler in songwriting and composing living in Scotland.

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