This is a playlist made up of songs I wrote before those on the release of my first vocal album 'Escape the Tedium'

Vocal tracks

Cosmic Waves

Flow

I Can Feel It

There’s a feeling deep inside
I can feel it growing
It’s a feeling I can’t hide
I can’t stop it showing

It only happens when I’m with you
You’re the only reason
I hope you can feel it too
Each and every season

Since the day I first met you
You’ve set my heart beating
I think you feel that way too
And that you’re not cheating

It’s growing stronger every day
It’s growing stronger in every way

Think that I am falling in love with you
Think that I am falling in love with you
Yes I am, the feeling’s getting stronger
Yes I am, the feeling’s getting stronger

Yeh yeh yeh I can feel it
Yeh yeh yeh can you feel it

There’s a feeling deep inside
I can feel it growing
It’s a feeling I can’t hide
I can’t stop it showing

You and I are meant to be 
I can really feel it
If you feel the same as me 
It’s the time to show it

Can’t be sure how you feel
You need to tell me
That you love me just as much 
Please don’t undersell me

It’s growing stronger every day
It’s growing stronger in every way

Think that I am falling in love with you
Think that I am falling in love with youou
Yes I am, the feeling’s getting stronger
Yes I am, the feeling’s getting stronger

Yeh yeh yeh I can feel it
Yeh yeh yeh can you feel it
Yeh yeh yeh I can feel it
Yeh yeh yeh can you feel it
Yeh yeh yeh I can feel it
Yeh yeh yeh can you feel it
Yeh yeh yeh I can feel it
Yeh yeh yeh can you feel it
Yeh yeh yeh I can feel it
Yeh yeh yeh can you feel it
Yeh yeh yeh I can feel it
Yeh yeh yeh can you feel it
Yeh yeh yeh I can feel it
Yeh yeh yeh can you feel it

Lyrics by Phil Hawker

I Can Feel It

Back Then

by Phil Hawker

Back then we were much younger
Had more time on our hands
So much life to discover
Our lives not yet mapped out
Back then 
Back then

Life was so much simpler then
Masters of our destiny
All our future left before us
What would we do with the rest of our lives?

Have we done what we hoped to?
Have we lived our best lives?
Or do you yearn for those times
Everything still to come?
Back then
Back then

We were so naïve back then
So much to experience
Equal happiness and sadness
Grief and joy, despair and hope

Would old friends still be with us?
Would new friends appear?
Would we be blessed with children?
Would death and loss haunt us?
Yet to come
Yet to come

Now we are so much older
Little time is now left
Still new things to discover
But we’ve lived our best lives
Our best lives 
Our best lives

Back Then

A positive song about forging your own way in life

Lyrics by Phil Hawker:

Together We Will Shine

(Verse 1)
In the shadows of the night, we will find a way,
Through the storms our tenacity will not give way,
Every tear that we have cried has made us strong inside,
We’ll treat each heartache and each wound as a source of pride

(Chorus)
When the seeds of doubt begin to call,
We’ll stand tall as giants, we won't fall,
In the depths of our hearts, we’ll carry the flame,
Every challenge we face, we'll conquer all

(Verse 2)
We will make it through the strife,
Guided by our courage,
Hand in hand, we’ll embrace this life,
United by our hopes and our fears.
When the world feels heavy, we won’t bend,
The steepest hill we’ll ascend,
With love as our armour, our spirits will ignite,
Together we will shine, like the stars in the night.
Together we will shine, like the stars in the night.

Together We Will Shine

A happy, bouncy song!

Life Can be a Sunny Tune

Woke up this morning with the sun upon my face,
Jumped out of bed and made a coffee which sank without a trace
The world outside was calling me to walk down to the sea
I happily obliged, because it’s so great to be so free.

As I strolled along the beach I could hear the crashing waves
While nature'd painted colours that just took my breath away. 
On into the town, where I met up with my friends. 
Happiness and laughter was spinning all around.

Oh, life is good, like a melody we find,
Dancing on the iphone, leaving worries way behind.
In the laughter and the love we can make up our own songs
When the rhythm's good it seems to right so many wrongs!

So here’s to the moments, the happy and the sad
Every laugh and every tear, none of them are bad.
When the world gets tricky, just take a look around,
There is good in everything if it can be found

Oh, life is good, like a melody we find,
Dancing on the iphone, leaving worries way behind.
In the laughter and the love we can make up our own songs
When the rhythm's good it seems to right so many wrongs!

Life is good, life is good! 
Oh, life is oh so good!

So let the music play and let the laughter flow,
In this great adventure of life, there's so much love to show.
With every single step we take, every place where we alight,
Life can be a sunny tune, that dances with delight.

Vocals, lyrics and production by Phil Hawker.

Life Can be a Sunny Tune

Tedious Monotony

I’m sitting on a train, from my sea-side town,
On a freezing cold morning, with the sleet swirling round,
Another monotonous day I’m now facing.

I’m looking around at familiar faces,
Buried in their phones, Tony betting on the races,
Drawing close to London and the train is getting packed.

They’re squeezing down the aisles, it’s getting difficult breathing,
Open that window or I’m suffocating,
Been commuting 10 years, how much more can I take?

So I let myself dream - to escape this tedium,
To a tropical beach, thousands of miles out of reach,
As I relax in the warm breeze - pina colada if you would please,
Pineapple, coconut dream and lashings of ice, my secret vice.

Reality beckons at Victoria station,
An army of ants, the backbone of the nation,
Heading for the underground, so catch you later.

Squashed into a carriage, touch-tight degradation,
Feeling kind of faint so before the next station,
Hope I don’t need a defibrillator.

Work is such a drag, that it makes me feel mad,
Screens make me hazy, I’m going fuzzy-eyed,
Lunching in Green Park, in order to survive.

So I let myself dream - to escape this tedium,
To a tropical beach, thousands of miles out of reach,
As I relax in the warm breeze - pina colada if you would please,
Pineapple, coconut dream and lashings of ice, my secret vice.

Heading back home, it doesn’t feel so bad,
Relaxed, seaside bound, no longer feel sad,
Golf links looming, such pleasant scenery.

So I let myself dream - to escape this tedium,
Until tomorrow morning when it all begins again,
Maybe I need some virtual reality,
Something to escape this tedious monotony,
Tedious monotony

Music and vocals - Phil Hawker
Lyrics - Bobby Lincoln
Vocal Production - Nick Powling


Escape the Tedium

This relationship is going no further!

Check Out of Your Life

I have decided that I’m going my own way
I just can’t see a single reason I should stay
You’ve forced me out and I am never coming back
I’m gonna check out of your life

Do what you like
You can just try with all your might
Do what you like
I’m on my way

I’m gonna leave this place before it makes me stay
There’s nothing you can say that will have any sway
You’ve forced me out and I am never coming back
I’m gonna check out of your life

We had some good times
Yes, we had our good days.
A few of them
Too few of them
They’re not coming back
They’re all in the past
In the past 
In the past
In the past
In the past

Do what you like
To make me stay with you
Do what you like
I’m on my way

I’ve packed up all my stuff and thrown it in the car
I’m going home – I do not need an aide-memoir.
You’ve forced me out and I am never coming back
I’m gonna check out of your life

If I mess up then my new life will still be good
You didn’t know me well, you just misunderstood
You’ve forced me out and I am never coming back
I’m gonna check out of your life

Check out of your life
Check out of your life
Check out of your life
Check out of your life

Lyrics by Phil. Hawker


Check Out of Your Life

The lyrics are not quite as soppy as the track might sound!

I Love You

Although you never seem to listen to me 
You’re always immersed in watching TV 
Or reading books or using your phone,
I love you, love you.

Despite the fact that you never say 
That I please you in any way
And compliments are never paid,
I love you, love you.

How does it work 
That we’re such different types?
But, when we fill the air 
With unnecessary jibes,
Both of us just sit there 
And take it on the chin. 
Maybe we just realise 
We never need to win.

Even though you constantly lie
And I can never work out why,
Even though you won’t even try,
I love you, love you.

How does it work 
That we’re such different types?
But, when we fill the air 
With unnecessary jibes,
Both of us just sit there 
And take it on the chin. 
Maybe we just realise 
We never need to win.

Sometimes we should talk about 
Our annoying ways of
Testing things out,
Even though we carry on the roundabout,
I love you, love you.

Don’t keep a tally of what we do wrong.
You won’t get to change me because I’ll stay strong.
Luckily these arguments never last for long so
I love you, love you.

How does it work 
That we’re such different types?
But, when we fill the air 
With unnecessary jibes,
Both of us just sit there 
And take it on the chin. 
Maybe we just realise 
We never need to win.

In spite of all these things we omit
The spark of love still stays fully lit.
We keep on nurturing it bit by bit.
I love you, love you.

We’re both so strong we can navigate the road.
Our relationship will manage to hold.
It keeps getting better because, you see,
You love me, love me.

I love you and you love me.
Despite our differences we have to agree
I’m meant for you and you’re meant for me. 
I love you, you love me.

Lyrics by Phil Hawker

I Love You

I think this poor chap deserves a break and some happiness in his life!

Look at Me
    
In my life I’ve always done what I wanted to
Never weighing up the importance of a different view,
My life’s been full, I’ve travelled the globe,
And been my own man, it’s true,
But now I’m looking at my life wondering what it’s all come to?            
            
Never looked too far ahead, never had a plan,
Played life off the cuff, just didn’t give a damn,            
Played the field, like a ferris wheel,             
Another girl, revolving round,
Then passing through the door of my life,
Never sticking around.             
             
Look at me and you`ll see, I have lost all I had
Just my fading dreams and hopes, and the clothes on my aching back,
Fear and cowardice have left me 
Alone, without you.

Study my life right now, it’s just falling apart,
Nothing to hang on to, haven`t been that smart,
Is it true, just what they say,
You reap what you have sewn?
‘Cos my harvest’s looking pretty empty, I’ll have you know.

Look at me and you`ll see, I have lost all I had
Just my fading dreams and hopes, and the clothes on my aching back,
Fear and cowardice have left me 
Alone, without you.

I’m looking to the future now,
Need a more positive view.
I’ve had so many chances, now I know what I must do
Mustn’t waste my life away
I must make my dreams come true.
Gotta believe in myself for once and do what I have to do.

Lyrics by Bobby Lincoln


Look at Me

This is a reworking of one of my first ever tracks, with a complete change of backing and with added vocals.

One More Day 

One more day to write a different story
One more day to make it all OK
Not much time remaining before we
End up going on our separate ways  

It didn’t have to be like this
It didn’t have to be like this

You may say that you had no intention
Of making me feel that I was wrong
The only thing you didn’t mention 
Was you’d been cheating on me all along

Now’s your chance to redeem your actions
Give him up and say that you got it wrong
Now’s your time to write that different story
Now’s your time and you haven’t got long

Lyrics by Phil Hawker

One More Day

Superficial

As I drove through dusty country 
Trying to find my way back home
I was thinking of the future and
Whether I would stay alone.

I had met her in a bar 
And she had left me the next day
As she always did
But she left me wishing she could stay

Only met her for a few brief hours
Long enough to realise
Long enough to realise
That she was only superficial,
Clearly superficial
She was superficial

Despite all of my misgivings
I could not make her disappear 
And she occupied my mind
Even though she wasn’t there

She had made a big impression
With her laugh and with her looks
But I knew that I meant nothing to her
She had other hooks

Only met her for a few brief hours
Long enough to realise
Long enough to realise
That she was only superficial,
Merely superficial
She was superficial

I didn’t need her to be
My girlfriend or my wife
Artificial but hypnotic
And she’ll shred somebody’s life

So I carried on my journey
Tried to wipe her from my mind
I knew there were lots of 
better women I could find

But I couldn’t purge her memory
She had burrowed deep inside
She continued to distract me
And I knew my hands were tied

I didn’t need her to be
My girlfriend or my wife
Artificial and hypnotic
And she’ll shred somebody’s life 
x2

Lyrics by Phil Hawker



Superficial

Spinning Out of Control

The wheels are coming off, 
We are travelling at different speeds,
Me in my Ford, you in your Mercedes,
Can I adjust to your life in the fast lane?
Or will your acceleration, just cause me pain.
Don`t want to appear weak but I`m having trouble,
Losing sleep, counted so many sheep,
My senses are fragile, I’ve been having disturbing dreams,
Nothing is the same, or so it seems.

You`re in the fast lane,                          
And I`m in the inside lane,                            
Are we spinning out of control? 

You`re in the fast lane,                          
And I`m in the inside lane,                            
Are we spinning out of control?          

Please, won`t you tell me, tell me what`s wrong,
Tell me please, what is going on…

Until now, we have rarely been apart,
Always shared secrets - of the heart
Memories traced back, over so many years,
Almost joined at the hip, through the laughter and tears

You`re in the fast lane,                          
And I`m in the inside lane,                            
Are we spinning out of control?

Vocals and music - Phil Hawker
Lyrics - Bobby Lincoln

Spinning Out of Control

A little song about being far away from someone you love

Far, Far Away

No Longer Afraid

She’d suffered from others throughout her short life 
Because she was different in kind 
Taunted and ridiculed day after day
By far lesser people maligned

Long instrumental – no lyrics

She’d always been friendless and always alone 
No one to make her feel whole
Her mind infiltrated a dangerous zone 
No more would she be so afraid

Left behind by everyone
Left behind
Left behind by everyone
Left

Desperate, she walked into the cold sea
Her body submerged by the waves
Her hopes and her dreams had faded away
But she was no longer afraid

Left behind by everyone
Left behind
Left behind by everyone
Left

The waves stole the breath from her struggling lungs 
Until lifeless and stiffened she lay
Her terrors and anguish were vanquished at last
And she was no longer afraid

Left behind by everyone
Left behind
Left behind by everyone
Left

Lyrics by Phil Hawker


She Was No Longer Afraid


Comparing the past and the present ...

Back Then

Back when we were much younger
Had more time on our hands
So much life to discover
Our lives not yet mapped out

Back then, back then
Back then so long ago
Back then, back then 
Back then so long ago

Life was so much simpler 
Masters of our destiny
All our future before us
What would we do in our lives

Back then, back then
Back then so long ago
Back then, back then 
Back then so long ago

Would old friends still be with us
Would new friends appear
Would we be blessed with children
Would death and loss haunt us

Yet to come, yet to come 
Yet to come, yet to come

Have we done what we hoped to?
Have we lived our best lives?
Or do you yearn for those times
Everything still to come?

Now we are so much older
Little time is now left
Still new things to discover
But we’ve lived our best lives

Ba-a-a-ack then, back then
Ba-a-a-ack then, back then

Would old friends still be with us
Would new friends appear
Would we be blessed with children
Would death and loss haunt us

Yet to come, yet to come 
Yet to come, yet to come 

We were so-o-o naïve back then
So much to experience back then 
So much grief, so much joy since then 

Lyrics by Phil Hawker


Back Then So Long Ago

Clouds of Your Love

Make Sure

Just make sure you’re there
And that you are really coming with me
And that you have everything
There is nothing you haven’t brought along
For us to leave
For us both to leave
This place where we both have lived so long
And which
Has so many good memories
So many happy times for us
But it’s time for us to leave
On a new adventure
For a new future for us
Now we must say goodbye

Just make sure you’re there
For us to go
Don’t leave me waiting hopefully
On my own

You left me before
You just abandoned me 
Remember how broken I was 
You said you would never
Do the same again
There were reasons why
You felt you 
Could not leave with me
But now
Things are much more positive
Things are so much more hopeful now
And I’m sure you’ll come this time
For a happy new future
In the country we chose for us
Setting off on our new life

Just make sure that you don’t let me down
Just make sure that you don’t let me down
Just make sure

Lyrics by Phil Hawker


Just Make Sure

An exploration of rhythm and instrumentation with a simple lyric

I've Been Stuck in a Dream

What would we do if we could live forever?

Live Forever

None of us can live forever
We don’t lead immortal lives
But our actions and endeavours
Can endure when we depart
Kindness, thoughtfulness and empathy
Are the base from which we should start

If we all could live forever
Would we exist in harmony?
Would we banish pain and suffering
How much greed would there still be?
Would there still be wars and anguish
Or would we be envy free?

If the world went on for ever
Would we yearn to be set free
Not to have to keep on living 
For all of eternity?
Would we all help mankind’s mission 
To be based on peace and love.

One thing that I know forever
Is that I want to be with you

We have lived through joy and wonder
Trouble and pain we have come through

And our children carry forward. 
All the good things we have won

If we truly could live forever
I’d spend the rest of my life with you

Lyrics by Phil Hawker


Live Forever

This is a couple of early tracks superimposed and slightly altered.

Get Up and Play

This is an updated version of my very short track based on Julia Donaldson's poem.

The poem is taken from 'Crazy Mayonnaisy Mum', first published 2004 by Macmillan Children’s Books, an imprint of Macmillan Publishers International Limited. Text copyright © Julia Donaldson 2004

The full words are:

I opened a book and in I strode
Now nobody can find me.
I’ve left my chair, my house, my road,
My town and my world behind me.
I’m wearing the cloak, I’ve slipped on the ring,
I’ve swallowed the magic potion.
I’ve fought with a dragon, dined with a king
And dived in a bottomless ocean.
I opened a book and made some friends.
I shared their tears and laughter
And followed their road with its bumps and bends
To the happily ever after.
I finished my book and out I came.
The cloak can no longer hide me.
My chair and my house are just the same,
But I have a book inside me.

A Book Inside Me

Some Way or Another

Some way or another 
We’ll get back together
And we’ll be stronger
Than before

I don’t quite know how or
Where we went wrong
And neither of us 
Wanted it to end

Someday, somehow, somewhere, who knows when
Some way or another

Some day quite soon 
We will find a new tune
For how we both get
Together

We’ll stop our mistakes
Whatever it takes
And this time we’ll be 
So much stronger

You and I will be 
Back together
And this time we’ll never
Leave one another
It’s written in the stars
So let’s make the future ours 

Who knows 
What the future might hold
But we’ll make sure 
We’re together

It’s going to be tough
And the path will be rough
But we’ll be fine
We’re meant to be together

You and I will be 
Back together
And this time we’ll never
Leave one another
It’s written in the stars
So let’s make the future ours 

Someday, somehow, somewhere, who knows when
Some way or another

Lyrics by Phil Hawker


Some Way or Another

This is a reworking of a song I wrote a couple of years ago. 

Lonely Times

I’m still dreamin’, still believin’
I’m still believin’

I’m still dreamin’, still believin’
I’m still believin’

Can’t go on without you
Can’t go on without you
Can’t go on without you
Can’t go on without you

Lonely times, lonely times
I just can’t survive anymore
Now you’re gone, now you’re gone
You’re gone from me

Lonely times, lonely times
My life’s never gonna be the same
Now you’re not here
Now you’re not here
You’re gone from me

My life’s changed for ever 
And you’re never coming back

My life’s changed for ever 
And you’re never coming back

Lonely times, lonely times
Lonely times, lonely times

I’m still dreamin’, still believin’
I’m still believin’

Can’t go on without you
Can’t go on without you
Can’t go on without you
Can’t go on without you

Lonely times, 
I just can’t survive anymore
Lonely times, lonely times
You’re gone from me

Lonely times
My life’s never gonna be the same
Now you’re not here
Now you’re not here
You’re gone from me

Lonely times, lonely times
I just can’t survive anymore
Lonely times, lonely times
You’re gone from me

Lonely times, 
My life’s never gonna be the same
Now you’re not here
Now you’re not here
You’re gone from me
You’re gone

Lyrics by Phil Hawker


Lonely Times

This is a song about the state of the planet politically and environmentally and has arisen from the sheer horror I feel at seeing the values of my whole life turned on their head.


The Change is Coming

We’re living in a world that’s teetering on the edge,
Deluded politicians who cannot keep a pledge, 
Genocide is happening while the media turns away,
And billionaires obsess about their profits and their pay.

Children are murdered and countries are destroyed
But it doesn’t seem to bother people – nobody’s annoyed.
Hide it all away, because it doesn’t concern me.
I’ll look at something funny whilst I have a cup of tea.

Smoke from the bombings rises through the air
Voices of the dying are ignored everywhere
Western countries pay for weapons and for bombs
To make sure it can happen.   

Time to speak up
The change is coming 

Icebergs melt and forests burn 
Ordinary people don’t seem to be concerned
Peaceful protestors are locked in jail
And the climate change deniers are allowed to prevail

Fossil fuel companies see their profits soar 
 They’ll be left without a planet 
If they just ignore
What’s happening to the earth
As they mine it to the core
There won’t be a habitable planet anymore

USA and Europe have lost their way 
Many failing countries have become the prey
Of a controlling regime which lies and deceives
And nobody acknowledges the web that it weaves  

This is our world 
This is our world

AI now is taking over
Who knows where its path is going
Relentless in its march to power
Mankind can’t control its growing 

Everybody needs to know that
We’re living through dangerous and scary times
We all need to react, now’s the time to act
If we want our children to have a planet

So it’s time to rise up
The change is coming
Let the world know that we must save our planet

Raise our voices
Make them clear 
This is not a world we want to disappear

Don’t let the money-mongers win
Their corruption is the reason for the mess we’re in

All the killing and the dying has to end 
Before it’s civilisation’s end

It’s time to speak up
The change is coming

It’s time to speak up (Time to rise up)
The change is coming

Lyrics by Phil Hawker

This is Our World

Dusty Road

I’m walking along with my spirits high,
Hoping it’s not too late,
To tell you how I really feel,

I`ve travelled this road many times before,
Thinking you’d be there for me,
However long I`d been away.

As I walk, my head is filled with doubts,
Unclear, uncertain as to what lies ahead for us,

I`ve back-packed along this dusty road, so many times,
But do I really know you as well as
Every twist and turn of this dusty road?

I am walking along with my head held not so high,
Thinking I may have left it far, far too late.
Dusty road, I`ve walked along you many a mile,
My aching feet leading me ever closer,
Show me the way dusty road

I’ll walk the pebbled path to her welcoming door,
Guide me through trepidation and fear,
To my precious lover`s heart.

As I walk, my head is filled with doubts,
Unclear, uncertain from your message, as to what lies ahead for us,

I`ve back-packed along this dusty road so many times,
But do I really know you as well as
Every twist and every turn of this dusty road?

Dusty road, I’ve left you behind, never to tread you again,
Pledging to stay with my love for ever,
If she will consent to have me.
She is now in my arms, away from that dusty road,
I`m safe knowing that she still loves me,
And trusts in me to stay forever.

Lyrics by Bobby Lincoln

Dusty Road

When someone you love moves a very long way ...

Bittersweet

You have moved across the world
So far away
Though I love you still
You’re not coming back

I’m so proud of all you’ve done
So far away
With a loving family
You’re there to stay

I have got such mixed up feelings
They are just so bittersweet
I’ve got such mixed up feelings
They are just so bittersweet
I’m so proud and yet I miss you
It’s just all so bittersweet
Only when we’re back together 
Is it not so bittersweet

Though I love where you live
And the life you lead
I can’t help 
Missing you
You’re so far away

You have moved across the world
So far away
Though I love you still
You’re not returning
So far away

It’s bittersweet

Lyrics by Phil Hawker


Bittersweet

This is a track which actually came from playing around with Suno AI. The background vocals are from the AI but moved to different places and the lyrics and tune were based on the first musical phrase in the AI. They were then extensively reworked and developed. The piece aims to give a feeling for the timeless and repetitive nature of the theme.

Here are the lyrics:

Timeless Towers

Far away, rising through the clouds
A timeless castle stands and shrouds 
Its walls of mist and ice-made stone 
As it shines and glitters, caught inside a dream
An ethereal paradise (paradise) home

In this castle high where the clouds don’t break 
And the timeless towers rise above a lake
The clocks have all stopped but the hours still seem 
To be endlessly caught inside a dream 
In a loop of time the towers stand 

The great hall rings with a thousand echoes
Like an old rehearsal call 
The curtains sway but are never drawn together 
And yesterday is trapped like a shimmering feather

Every day is like déjà vu 
For the ghosts who repeat their limited moves
In a castle floating in the air
Time repeats and nobody’s aware 

Round and round the story spins 

The mirror cracks but soon will mend
Sunset won’t lead to this day’s end
The moves will repeat just as before
The players unaware
Of time’s great flaw

Round and round the story spins 

It is a place where time stands still,
Where memories simply refill
And every day repeats the score 	
Which came the day before

Round and round the story spins 

A castle standing in the clouds, 
Which rises alone in time and space
Its towers high above the sky
And they cannot be approached

Round and round the story spins 

Round and round the story spins
Where it stops it begins again 

Round and round the story spins 
(Round and round the story spins
Where it stops it begins again 
Timeless towers and skies of colour
A perfect day that stalls and stalls)
Round and round the story spins 

Time repeats and nobody’s aware
In the timeless tower
In the castle standing in the air

Lyrics by Phil Hawker, with one or two sections taken from Suno AI


Timeless Towers

Originally this track was an instrumental I wrote for my friend, Bobby Lincoln, so that he could  add some vocals. That version appears on the album 'Behind the Facade' by Lincoln-Hawker. This is my own version of the song.

The Old Oak Tree

I don’t know a lot but I can see                                          
That the world’s gone mad officially                                                    
The government’s there to set the rules                                     
Not to crack open wine, treat us all like fools 
Hypocritically
                          
I gotta admit I don’t much care                                                          
As long as people keep out of my long dark hair                                      
The sun is out I’m relaxed and free,
Gonna sip my beer under the old oak tree 
                                       
Old oak tree, old oak tree		     
Bet you could tell me a tale or two,                                              
Perched as you are strategically high on the top of the hill                                                      
You shed your leaves deciduously                                                     
Not bothered by the rain or the winter freeze                                        
Hope you don’t mind if I shelter under you for a while                                                                
From the heat of the summer sun.
                        
Movin’ forward ain’t easy for me                                              
Lazin’ with no cares under the old oak tree                                             
Gotta descend from this peaceful haven                                     
Join the rat race 
Not the life I’m cravin’  
That’s for sure

Old oak tree, old oak tree		     
Bet you could tell me a tale or two                                              
Perched as you are strategically high on the top of the hill                                                                                                                                                                                                
Been struggling to cope with the pace of life                                  
Added to my worries gone and got me a wife                                   
Let me share some precious time with you                                       
Away from the panic and away from the strife
                     
Back on the treadmill earning some cash                                                     
Got a wife to support after the wedding bash                                            
Casting my mind to that time gone by                                      
Back to that old oak tree and the warmth of the summer sun                                     

Trouble free under that old oak tree in the sun 
That summer sun,                         
Old oak tree
Old oak tree                                       
Where my worries were just a distant memory

Memory


Music, vocals and production by Phil Hawker
Lyrics by Bobby Lincoln


The Old Oak Tree

This was the title instrumental track on my second album, which featured all instrumentals. Daryl Greenway recorded a lovely vocal version with different lyrics, which you can hear on my Collaborations playlist. This is a new version, with completely new lyrics.

Mellow Heart

Her gentle kindness
Makes everyone love her
Considerate and thoughtful 
Like no other
She calms each situation 
With which she’s dealing
Prioritises people
And their feelings

She has a mellow heart
Which is compassionate and clear
And makes the most destructive feelings
Want to disappea-ea-ear

So we complement each other
Everything is good

Mellow heart

That’s why she is the one
I fell in love with 
That’s why she is the one
To spend my life with 
I know whatever worries 
We may go through
She’ll act as my protection 
And we’ll flow through

She has a mellow heart
Which is compassionate and clear
And makes the most destructive feelings
Want to disappea-ea-ea-ear

So we complement each other
Everything is good

Mellow heart
Mellow heart

That’s why she is the one
I fell in love with 
That’s why she is the one
To spend my life with

Lyrics by Phil Hawker


Mellow Heart

I have been a teacher for most of my life. This is a very short poem I wrote some time ago, which I have set to music. 

Young Minds

So many lives were touched
I hope that what I brought them benefited them 
Helped prepare them for life’s journey 

Yet it was such a brief moment in the eternity of time
That I was allowed in
To their impressionable minds

So many memories
Of good and bad moments
Battling against an ever-changing invasion 
Of others
Who needed my attention
At the same time 
As those young minds and spirits 
were being encouraged to fly

Some of them still hold to those moments 
And store them 
As happy memories 

For some a seed was sown

And for that
I am eternally grateful

Young Minds

Down To the Wire
        
You know I’ve loved you
And would have loved you to the very end
I’ve taken no notice of you
With your so-called friend.
I ignored the pain you caused
You put our love on pause
Broke all the rules
                                                                               
You’ve taken our love
Right down to the wire.            
Tensions couldn’t get
Any tighter or any higher
                
You’ve gone and put out our fire
Dampened all desire
Taken our love to the wire
        
‘Cos you’re a mean operator 
Manipulator 
Man-eater 
Spit you out later        
Cold-hearted woman
You’ve taken our love down to the wire
 
You tried out every move, 
To disrupt my thinking and mood.
Invented tricks of your own
Made the chequered board your planning zone.
  
I was just a pawn in your complicated chess game   
Thought I’d broken your defence down 
But your checkmate left me
Nowhere else to go

There is no turning back for our love is lost now.       
No point in assessing the cost
Need to rebuild my self-esteem now
                                                    
I warned you not to cross the line
You just laughed, 
Said everything was fine
 
‘Cos you’re a mean operator 
Manipulator 
Man-eater 
Spit you out later.        
Cold-hearted woman
You’ve taken our love down to the wire.
           
You pushed the boundaries
Right down to the wire. 
Completely extinguished
What remained of our fire and desire,             
Only ashes now remain—a symbol of our pain
Only you can explain
                      
 ‘Cos you’re a mean operator 
Manipulator 
Man-eater 
Spit you out later       
Cold-hearted woman
You’ve taken it right down to the wire
   
Down to the wire
Down to the wire
Your checkmate 
Toppled me over the edge
Down to the wire

Lyrics by Bobby Lincoln, adapted by Phil Hawker

Down to the Wire

Well, if you'd told me I would be arranging a song to sing a duet with someone who doesn't exist I probably wouldn't have believed you. However, Suno came up with a really decent piece of music to some simple words I wrote a long time ago and, after a lot of adaptation and production, this is what I came up with.


Only You

Long before we met
Long before we came together
I imagined you 
I imagined you

And when we first met 
I knew we would be forever
All our life ahead
All our lives ahead

There was only you
I knew I Ioved only you and
There was never anybody else

Everywhere we went
I knew we should be together
Only you for me
Only me for you

Children joined our lives 
Two amazing gorgeous children
Both beautiful and kind

Though they made their lives 
In their own exciting places
They still stayed with us
They still stayed with us 

Now as we grow old
Only one thing’s clear
We were always meant to be in love


Through our lives we’ve known 
We should always be together
That’s how it should be
That’s how it has been.
Always 
(repeat at end)


Only You


This is another song with lyrics by Bobby Lincoln. Bobby recorded a version of this song for our joint album 'Behind the Facade'. I have tried to interpret the lyrics in a different way, with a more poignant voice over the bouncy background.

4-Leaf Clover
      
I couldn’t believe what I had seen
I couldn’t believe 
Wished it had been a dream     
I couldn’t believe you went behind my back     
I couldn’t believe you’d gone down that track
        
But I’d seen it with my very own eyes
Not something you could ever disguise
How could you have ever deceived me
Look me in the eye 
Do you feel guilty
Do you feel guilty

So is it over is it over is it over
Is there any way back
I’m sitting on the side of a hill trying to swallow this bitter pill
Is it over or should we start searching for a 4-leaf clover
A good luck charm to magic our problems away

Do you expect me to turn the other cheek
Ignore it in a jealous fit of pique
Take it all just lying down
What kind of man would still stick around stick around

So is it over is it over is it over
Is there any way back
I’m sitting on the side of a hill trying to swallow this bitter pill
Is it over or should we start searching for a 4-leaf clover
A good luck charm to magic our problems away

I guess it’s over yes it’s over
No point in searching for that 4-leaf clover
I now believe it
Whether drunk or whether sober

I guess it’s over yes it’s over
No point in searching for that 4-leaf clover
I now believe it
Whether drunk or whether sober

Lyrics by Bobby Lincoln


4-Leaf Clover

I use digital software, guitar and keyboards to produce my original music. I compose and edit using Logic Pro. Other people's vocals or collaborative vocals for any track are very welcome. 

I have always loved music. I learnt piano as a child and have dabbled with guitar without ever learning it ... until now! I have been in choirs most of my life but have not really delved into making music until the last few years. After initially playing around with Garage Band, I moved on to Logic Pro and that's how nearly all of my music has been produced. I love the interaction on Soundcloud and the comments from other musicians and composers are so helpful and supportive. Keep making music everyone!

If you like the artwork on many of these tracks, please visit www.summerlandsart.co.uk

Phil Hawker

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