Really moving song Mark. Brilliant lyrics. 👏

Hawk Or Dove

Written when I had just turned 15 (1982). I had forgotten about it but someone found a tape of me singing it back then. I then purchased a  MacBook in 2020 and decided to record it as a learning exercise/demofor using GarageBand. Naive and simple, but an innocent song for challenging times.
Lyrics:

John the fisherman 

They call me John the fisherman 
And I can be seen every day
Working and risking my life as a fisherman 
Sailing out on the waves

I live in a cottage on a cliff, 
I never move far from the sea
I live on fish and homegrown peas
And sleep with a bible close to me

The only things I respect in my world
Are god and the sea 
For they both have claimed the lives of many who meant so much to me
(I say) I never fall in love any more
I’ve been hurt too many times
 (I tell them) I know all loves pitfalls 
I’ll leave that game to the fools! 

They call me John the fisherman 
They say that I’m so hard to please
I disagree with war and many policies 
And dislike people who criticise me

All my friends and family have long since gone
And I’m left with memories 
Some say I’m mad because I talk to myself 
It’s only because I’m lonely 

I wish I had someone to love
Someone to share my life
Someone to talk to on the cold winter nights
And cheer me as I grow old
I wish that I had grandchildren 
Who would smile and sit on my knee
I’d tell them stories of my life and would love them dearly 

They call me John the fisherman and I can be seen every day
Working and risking my life as a fisherman 
Sailing out on the waves

(Hymn to the sea) 
The sea provides but takes away 
It’s power demands respect
Our care and love are ours to give
To guard and to protect 

Our thoughts and prayers are offered up
For those at risk each day 
To feed us all, may they be safe
Working on the waves

James Whiteman 1981 Copyright 
 (Hymn to the sea James Whiteman 2020) Copyright

John the Fisherman

This is about a white shell washed up on a beach....or is it?

Time If Only

Dad was a navy man
Back in the war
His whole life was shaped
By the things that he saw

A strong man a bright man
So often reserved
He’d explode on a short fuse
When I got on his nerves

Just now and then
He’d tell me stories
Of places he’d been to
Things that he’d seen
“Have I told you the one about?”
His opening line
But I barely listened
In my teens at the time

I left home at eighteen
And rarely went back
Frustrated relations
The generation gap

He died in the nineties
We could have done more
But so much of both of us
Was shaped by the war

Now I’m much older
Those stories are gone
Most of them sailed away
But a few still live on

Take me to Freetown
Take me to Stornaway
Take me to Malta and “Gib”
Those stories are gone now
But some of them stuck
Sail me past islands
Called Rhum, Eigg and Muck

© Mark Spruce 07/04/2023

Rhum, Eigg and Muck

Ladies and gentlemen, gather 'round the sonic hearth, for we're about to embark on a musical expedition that will tantalize your auditory senses and transport you to a realm where sound becomes a time machine. This is more than just a track; it's a sonic journey through the ages, a gastronomic feast for the ears.

Our melody is a guitar-based masterpiece, a siren's call that beckons you into the unknown. Picture not one, but two guitars, their parts doubling and intertwining like old lovers meeting after a long separation. It's a dance of strings that paints intricate patterns across your mind.

But here's where it gets truly mesmerizing – angular harmonic ideas that twist and turn like a serpent through the musical landscape. The harmonies defy convention, leading you down a labyrinthine path of sonic exploration. Your ears won't believe what they're hearing.

And then, the deep bass arrives, a rumbling undercurrent that resonates within your very core. It's the heartbeat of this composition, a primal force that anchors you to the ancient soil of the Sierra Norte here in Mexico.

Ah, but we're not done yet. The piano steps in, its keys a portal to nostalgia. It weaves a melancholic tale that tugs at your heartstrings, like the echoes of a long-lost memory.

Now, let's talk about the feel of the ancients. This isn't just music; it's a spiritual journey. It's as if the ghosts of the Sierra Norte have found a way to communicate through sound. Close your eyes, and you can almost see them, the indigenous people who once roamed these lands, leaving their indelible mark on the very air we breathe.

As the notes swirl and dance, you'll find yourself ensnared in elusions of psychedelic experiences, like a shamanic ritual conducted by ancient gods, their names long forgotten but their presence still lingering in the hidden corners of our minds.

But don't be fooled, for there's a hint of the creepy, a shadowy figure that lurks just out of sight. It's the yin to the composition's yang, a reminder that even in the most awe-inspiring moments, there is a touch of darkness.

This composition is a testament to the Sierra Norte, a place where every tree tells a story, and every rock whispers the secrets of time. It's inspired by the walks in these woods, the people who call this place home, and the ancient souls who once walked this hallowed ground.

So, my friends, prepare to be transported to a world where music becomes a portal to history, where the past and present collide in a symphony of emotions. It's a feast for the ears, a journey for the soul, and an experience you won't soon forget. Bon appétit, or should I say, buen provecho! 🎸🌲🎶 

#SonicExpedition #SierraNorteSoundscapes #MusicalFeast #AncientWhispers

Ancient Harmonic Sueño

Kingsdown is a little seaside village on the Kent coast, UK.

Julian Sims's Album

Kingsdown

Full album available at https://mattsteady.com

Presence

Sunrise

Blue Train

Blue Train - demo

This is a really personal one. It was written during a very stressful period in 2021. I came home, had a little too much whisky, wrote the lyrics and then wrote and recorded the backing in one night. I then forgot all about it!!I found the file the other morning and decided to finish the melody and record the vocals. It’s not easy listening but I wanted to express how I felt at that time. Some of my songs on here are personal and some are stories etc. I wanted to show one with real, pure emotion. As ever, best with headphones. There is a longish instrumental intro and then the vocals. It’s about the life spark being smothered by stress. 
Life is better now! 

Lyrics 

Unfocused and Gone

I know it’s missing
it feels hollow and spare
It was alive once, eager to act
Urgent and hungry, for attention and contact 
There was surging desire and constant demand
Oh I miss what I was, and what I am I can’t stand!

I’ve no joy in films and tv, all dead to me
Work doubt my skills, love holds no thrills
It’s just complaints and jibes, angry and snide
No sleep, no calm, just fear and alarm

And then here you are, you smile and I know
That hope starts to build, my confidence grows
But I’ve nothing at all, what can I do
I’ve no spark or desire, or excitement for you 

Unfocused and gone

And will a renaissance come?
Or will it go on and on? 
Unfocused and gone 

James Whiteman copyright jan 2021

Unfocused and Gone

Just a bit of disco rock. Thanks to Dick for extra guitars

Spacejunk

This is the second collaboration I’ve worked on with the very talented Mark Spruce (Original Spruce).  

This is a folk song exploring the boundaries between this world and the spiritual world and tells the tale of an encounter with a Robin in a churchyard. 

Lyrics by Mark Spruce
Music & performance by James Whiteman. 

Best with headphones. Hope you enjoy it. 

Take care

James 

Lyrics:

Sky light Grey 

I stood in the church yard
Cold winters day
My back to the beach tree
Sky light grey

On the branch above me
Cock robin perched 
He sang then stared intently 
I returned his gaze

He repeated his song
And looked again
I smiled and nodded
Like we were friends 

I turned so slowly
As he moved to another branch
Eyeball to eyeball 
Repeat performance 

We both stood still
Locked in our game
He moved on once more
To repeat his refrain

I turned one eighty
When he landed behind me
My smile got wider
My heart got lighter
Watching each other
I'm absorbing this experience 

Then he came closer
We had circled the tree
A mystical moment 
This bird and me

You said your father
Would return
In the spirit of a robin
Watching over us one day

As I stood in that churchyard
Lost in that moment
I felt your father 
Came back to say

I'm here, I'm still here
I will always be here


Mark Spruce copyright Feb 2024

Further info:
The first collaboration is on the Original Spruce site called ‘Old Brock’ (music and performance Mark Spruce: lyrics James Whiteman).

Sky Light Grey (Collaboration James Whiteman & Original Spruce)

UK based Singer/Songwriter/Composer from Nottinghamshire
Contact at wigglebobkin@yahoo.com
Album https://spruce1.bandcamp.com/follow_me
Instrumental: https://soundcloud.com/instrumentalspruce
YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXah9yiUx8Iy63yAldSUkAg?view_as=subscriber

Rhum, Eigg and Muck

Original Spruce

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