Ollie the owl was a hoot
he lived in a mouldy old boot
He said Twit Twoo
my Mum lived in a shoe
and my Dad was a bit of a brute
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Category: creativity
Song Lyric Sunday 02/06/2019 – George Harrison, a great musician, and a gardener
Thank you to Jim Adams, who tirelessly hosts Song Lyric Sunday and gives us the chance to share lots of favourite, and some not so familiar, songs.
The theme for this week, Avenue /Boulevard /Drive /Lane /Road /Street, is all about thoroughfares, means of getting somewhere, or where we live, or work, and there are myriad songs to choose from.
If you fancy sharing one of your favourite songs you can find out how to participate, and also listen to all the great entries, here.
The song I’ve chosen, this week, is “Any Road” by George Harrison. It is the opening track to his posthumous album Brainwashed, written in 1988 during the making of a video for his 1987 album Cloud Nine. The song was released on 12 May 2003 as a single in the United Kingdom and peaked at #37 in the UK charts.
George successfully battled throat cancer in 1997; in 2001 he underwent surgery to remove a cancerous growth from one of his lungs, and radiotherapy for lung cancer which had metastasised to his brain. Once he realised it was an irreversible situation, he worked further on the album’s songs – in conjunction with his son, Dhani, and his old collaborator Jeff Lynne – until he was unable to do more. Harrison’s final work on the album was carried out at a recording studio in Switzerland shortly before his trip to the United States for cancer treatment. On 29 November 2001, Harrison died, leaving “Brainwashed” not quite finished, but with a guide to completing it in the hands of his son and Lynne.
I always loved George Harrison and felt he was not given the attention and kudos due to him. He was a fine musician, singer, lyricist, and a genuinely spiritual man.
He loved to commune with nature in his garden and once put the whole property up as collateral in order to fund the Monty Python comedy team’s movie Life of Brian after their original backers, EMI, pulled out at the last minute. As a huge fan of the Pythons, he simply wanted to get to see the film − something that his friend Eric Idle has often described as “the most expensive cinema ticket in movie history”.
Here is George Harrison with Any Road. I hope you enjoy it.
Lyrics:
Give me that plenty of that guitar
For I’ve been traveling on a boat and a plane
In a car on a bike with a bus and a train
Traveling there, traveling here
Everywhere in every gear
But, oh Lord, we pay the price
With the spin of the wheel with the roll of the dice
Ah yeah, you pay your fare
And if you don’t know where you’re going
Any road will take you there
And I’ve been traveling through the dirt and the grime
From the past to the future through the space and the time
Traveling deep beneath the waves
In watery grottoes and mountainous caves
But, oh Lord, we’ve got to fight
With the thoughts in the head with the dark and the light
No use to stop and stare
And if you don’t know where you’re going
Any road will take you there
You may not know where you came from
May not know who you are
May not have even wondered
How you got this far
I’ve been traveling on a wing and a prayer
By the skin of my teeth, by the breadth of a hair
Traveling where the four winds blow
With the sun on my face, in the ice and the snow
But, ooh wee, it’s a game
Sometimes you’re cool, sometimes you’re lame
Ah yeah, it’s somewhere
If you don’t know where you’re going
Any road will take you there
But, oh Lord, we pay the price
With the spin of the wheel with the roll of the dice
Ah yeah, you pay your fare
If you don’t know where you’re going
Any road will take you there
I keep traveling around the bend
There was no beginning, there is no end
It wasn’t born and never dies
There are no edges, there is no sides
Oh yeah, you just don’t win
It’s so far out, the way out is in
Bow to God and call him Sir
But if you don’t know where you’re going
Any road will take you there
And if you don’t know where you’re going
Any road will take you there
If you don’t know where you’re going
Any road will take you there
Writer George Harrison Producer George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Dhani Harrison
Other songs you may like:
The Long and Winding Road – Beatles
Dead End Street – Ray Davis and Amy McDonald
There is a very interesting account of the making of “Brainwashed” here:
At the time of recording George knew that he was dying. His stoicism and common sense attitude is amazing!
Who Paints The Sky? — Gloria Smud
Over at Gloria Smud, Debbie’s Dad has been busy, as usual, helping to paint some really glorious skies. Pop over and hear all about it. You will not be disappointed.
Who Paints The Sky? Who has the job of painting the sky, Who owns the ladders to reach up so high, Who knows which colourful palletes delight, Perpetual artwork designed to excite! A fracture appears at the breaking of dawn, A slither of pink cracks; the new day is born. A blank canvas waits for…
Song Lyric Sunday Theme for 14/04/2019 – Glitter Freeze
Thank you to Jim Adams, who hosts Song Lyric Sunday, and gives us the chance to share lots of favourite, and some not so familiar, songs.
The theme for this week is Freeze/Cold/Ice
If you fancy sharing one of your favourite songs you can find out how to participate, and also listen to all the great entries, here.
I’ve previously shared songs on SLS where I couldn’t find the lyrics. Never before have I offered a song by a group that doesn’t exist!
Well, there’s a first time for everything because Gorillaz are a British virtual band created in 1998 by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett. The band primarily consists of four animated members: 2-D(lead vocals, keyboards, melodica), Murdoc Niccals (bass guitar), Noodle (guitars, occasionally keyboards and vocals), and Russel Hobbs (drums and percussion). Their fictional universe is explored through music videos, interviews, and other short cartoons. In reality, Albarn is the only permanent musical contributor, and often collaborates with other musicians.
In March 2001, Gorillaz played their first show at the Scala in London before embarking on a UK tour later that summer, with one date in Paris and two in Japan. During this tour the live band played behind a giant projector screen which covered the whole stage, on which was projected various visuals and images created by Hewlett. After taking a short break over the holidays, the tour resumed with a North American leg in February 2002
The song I’ve chosen, released in 2010, features Mark E. Smith of the Fall, and includes some Morse code at the beginning. After Mark asks “Where’s North from ‘ere”, the code answers “ Plastic Beach” which is the name of the album.
Apparently, Mark wanted to do his part facing north and asked ‘Where’s North from ‘ere?’ They left the words in!
Like ‘Punk’ on the first album, and ‘White Light’ on ‘Demon Days’, this is the album’s rawkus section of chaos. Every album’s got to have one.“ – band member Murdoc Niccals in an interview with NME
The song is Glitter Freeze – I hope you enjoy it.
There are very few lyrics, and, unless you want to analyse them in detail, they probably are purely incidental.
[Intro : Mark E. Smith]
Where’s North from here?
[Morse code for Plastic Beach]
[Interlude : Mark E. Smith]
It was
The glitter freeze
Doctor F
Listen
You wouldn’t credit
Or believe this
Aha ha ha
Ship him far!
Here are a couple of alternative recordings:
Wednesday weirdness — National Library Week edition — bluebird of bitterness
Something no serious reader should be without.
via Wednesday weirdness — National Library Week edition — bluebird of bitterness
Introducing — Gloria Smud
Debbie Jones lives in llangullno, in Wales, and has this lovely blog under the fantastically clever title of Gloria Smud. You’ll see why, and how, it got to be named thus if you have a wander round her blog. You will not be disappointed.
Debbie has been writing for quite some time, but blogging for only a short time. She will, I’m sure, become very successful with lots of avid readers. Here is your chance to read her fantastic poetry and see, and hear about her little bit of paradise.
A Magical Palace Lay me down on a blanket of white, Where tears are frozen and eyes shut tight. Feeling the tingle from cool, crisp sheets, Drifting down, silently, piece by piece. A magical palace, where earth blends with sky, And freezing stars glisten, remotely, on high. A calming, clear bitterness, fashioned from ice, Where…
Twittering Tales #129 – 26 March 2019
It’s time again, for Kat Myrman’s wonderful challenge, to write a story, inspired by her picture prompt, in 280 characters or fewer.
Here is this week’s prompt and my contribution.
Check out all the fabulously creative entries here and, if you’ve never had a go, why not try a story of your own? You may surprise yourself!
Photo by Tony Dinh at Unsplash.com
It was a huge turnout for the inaugural “Invisible Hot Air Balloon Convention.”
The baskets had to be in the form of bird cages, but otherwise there were no restrictions. Balloons could be any shape and size, and colour.
Everyone was ecstatic.
Me, I just couldn’t see the attraction!
(279 characters)
Twittering Tale #127 – 12 March 2019
It’s time again, for Kat Myrman’s wonderful challenge, to write a story, inspired by her picture prompt, in 280 characters or fewer.
Here is this week’s prompt and my contribution.
Check out all the fabulously creative entries here and, if you’ve never had a go, why not try a story of your own? You may surprise yourself!
Photo by Pexel2013 at Pixabay.com
Jake remembered sitting in the Manhattan bar.
He remembered talking to the gorgeous brunette, whose name he discovered was Mitsuko.
He remembered calling her Mitsy, which was easier, especially after the 4th bourbon.
What he couldn’t work out was how the hell he ended up in Japan!
(278 characters)
Twittering Tales #124 – 19 February 2019
It’s time again, for Kat Myrman’s wonderful challenge, to write a story, inspired by her picture prompt, in 280 characters or fewer.
Here is this week’s prompt and my contribution.
Check out all the fabulously creative entries here and, if you’ve never had a go, why not try a story of your own? You may surprise yourself!
Photo by Gavilla @ Pixabay.com
Anthony was not told where his transplanted arm had come from.
He would have loved to know so that he could thank the family of the donor.
He was happy with his new limb, but there were a couple of things that irked him.
The worst of these was the constant urge to give Nazi salutes!
(280 characters)
With apologies to Doctor Strangelove!
Twittering Tales #122 – 5 February 2019 – It starts with one word…
It’s time again, for Kat Myrman’s wonderful challenge, to write a story, inspired by her picture prompt, in 280 characters or fewer.
Here is this week’s prompt and my contribution.
Check out all the fabulously creative entries here and, if you’ve never had a go, why not try a story of your own? You may surprise yourself!
It starts with one word bt can’t contine mch frther becase this keyboard is tterly seless.
Jst how can I seflly se it?
Have yo not heard? Some stpid person called Trmp has decided to ban one of the letters!
He says it is nconstittional, and shold not be sed.
It’s jst pre rbbish.
Fck!
(279 characters)
