Cold December Night   

There’s a humming in the wires
There’s a silence on the land
All the hungry cold and tired
All the broken and the damned

Turn their thoughts towards a shelter
Turn their faces to the light
On a cold December night

There’s no distance between us
There’s no chasm to cross
We could be you, you have been us
It’s just the have and the have not

But we don’t need to be reminded
About the darkness in the light
On a cold December night 

All is quiet and all is still
The snow lies deep upon the hill
Footsteps falling without a sound
Guardian angels gone to ground

There’s a shape there in the hollows
There’s a creeping neon light
Day is done and darkness follows
On a cold December night

All is quiet and all is still
The snow lies deep upon the hill
Footsteps falling without a sound
Guardian angels gone to ground

Cold December Night

Capo 5

C                                               Am
Did you think we’d all be living in a castle on a hill
F                                                           C
That nobody would be old and poor, nobody would be ill
C                                                               Am
That we all would live in harmony, that we all would live In peace
F                                                  C
Nobody on the breadline and nobody on the streets

Am                           
There was no shining vision
F
There was no hand of fate
C
Just money speaking to money
G
Backhanders at the gate
There was no high commission
There was no grand decree
Just preservation of power
At the expense of you and me
                                                        C
When we gave them the keys to the kingdom

Do you sleep the sleep of the righteous, hand upon your heart
Do you wake up unmolested by the demons in the dark
Do you take your morning paper, absorbing all the hate
The nature of the monster and where it lies in wait

There was no holy order
No thunderbolt from above
Only fools taking over
Riding roughshod over love
and there’s no silver lining
To the dark clouds ahead
Just a gathering malice
And a shake of the head

And there is no nutrition
For the roots of the tree
And the fruits it is bearing
Are not for you and me
Because we’re feeding the dragon
And watching it grow
Could we not see it happen
How could we not know
                       
When we gave them the keys to the kingdom

So the money tree gets taller and it’s growing out of sight
But we’re standing in its shadow and it’s blocking out the light
So we keep on asking questions, culpability and cost
But the answers keep on changing and the evidence is lost

Now we’re building walls and borders to keep the wolves at bay
Well it only serves to keep us in, and keep us in our place
In our splendid isolation, we imagine we’re secure
But we’re standing in the corner of a room without a door

There was no shining vision
There was no hand of fate
Just money speaking to money
Backhanders at the gate
There was no high commission
There was no grand decree
Just preservation of power
At the expense of you and me
                       
When we gave them the keys to the kingdom

Keys To The Kingdom

Demo!

The Briar and the blade

C                                 Am
I am a well regarded maiden
          F                     Am
And my beauty is renowned
           Em                        Am
From harbour down to haven
            F                        G
All across the land and down
  C                                 Am
My sweetheart gave me roses
               F                   Am
From the briar in the glade
              Em                Am
And the question he proposes
          F                G          C
That his wife I shall be made
So smiling I did tell him
Of the joy that greets the thought
But my father and my mother
Their approval must be sought 
And please ask of my brother
Who protects me all my days
For he guards me like no other
His permission must be gained

===============================
F                                          C
Oh the rose is sweet and blooming
F                           G
On the briar in the glade
C                                    F
But is pruned and separated
            C           G     C
By the running of the blade

===============================

So in time my sweetheart found me
With a joy in his return
And the roses all around me
Shared my eagerness to learn
Of the blessings and the wedding
And the time approaching fast
But the question of my brother
No he had not thought to ask
But we did not regard the asking
As our wedding vows were made
And his countenance was masking
Bitter jealousy and rage
But he gave me a bloom of heather
And he gave me to a wreath
But as we walked along together 
My gaze he did not meet

===============================

Oh the rose is sweet and blooming 
On the briar in the glade
But is pruned and separated
By the running of a blade

===============================

Then my brother showed me roses
From the briar in the glade
But he pierced me with the briar
Then he ran me with his blade
And the bloom was red as roses
And the pain I dare not tell
For he ran me through the chambers
Where life and love do dwell
To my parents I wish roses
From the briar high above
To my brother I wish the gallows
For his murdering of love
So I will walk this earth no longer
And yet I am not afraid
For I know our love is stronger
Than the briar and the blade.

===============================

Oh the rose is sweet and blooming
On the briar in the glade
But is pruned and separated
By the running of a blade

===============================

To my sweetheart I will visit
By the roses in the glade
For I know our love is stronger
Than the briar and the blade.

The Briar and The Blade - 16:01:2019, 11.19

Demo!

Making mirrors   Capo 0

Intro G B C x2  

G                                            F#                          C
These days we’re taking the time, the time to reflect
G                                           F#                       C
We’re looking back to the harbours we have left
G                                     F#                           Am   D
Those golden days we think we remember well
G                                        F#                   C
We’re making mirrors to hold up to ourselves

We’re setting sail and we’re not sure what to expect
The map is blurred and the captain seems to have left
He’s got the money and there’s nothing on the shelf
We’re making mirrors to hold up to ourselves

                 Am                                  D
Now the cracks are beginning to show
                         G                             C
And we’re not sure who runs the show
                  Am                      D
It could be us but we don’t know
                   G
We don’t know
Now the waves are above the mast
And the land is approaching fast
And we can’t change what is past
When it’s past

We’re keeping watch for a lighthouse in the mist
We know some lights are false, but we don’t know which
Some of us are foes and some are friends
We’re making mirrors to hold up to ourselves

Now the stars are gone from the sky
And we dare not trust our eyes
What was truth must now be lies
Must now be lies
Now the waves are above the mast
And the land is approaching fast
And we can’t change what is past
When it’s past

These days we’re seeing the cause, and then the effect
We’re drawing lines on the chart, seeing how they connect
We’re seeing patterns but we don’t know if it helps
We’re making mirrors to hold up to ourselves

Making Mirrors

DEMO!

If I could find a way to reach you
If we could find a way to meet
I would gather up the mountains
And place them down at your feet
I would harness the oceans
Wear the stars upon my sleeve
And It’s a fanciful notion
But it’s all I believe
Now….


If I could straighten out the corners
And cast a light amongst the dark
Put all that beauty there before us
Banish darkness to the past
But I’m just a man that stands before you
If we could find a way to heal
I would do all of these things for you
Because it’s all I believe
Now


The light of the morning
The harbour of night
The warm rain pouring
Bathing in light
The silence of snowfall
The vastness above
The depth of my love
Now

Now

Now

The waters so warm
As they land on the shore
Can carry me home
From here to before
And I offer my trust
I will do what I must
For the warmth of your touch

And the light of the morning
The harbour of night
The warm rain pouring
Bathing in light
The silence of snowfall
The vastness above (The depth of my love)
Unknowable, hopeful
The depth of my love
Now

Now

Now

Pete Cunliffe