1. |
A Better Man Than You
03:29
|
|||
A BETTER MAN THAN YOU
He's a better man than you will ever be
His heart is a lion his soul is free
He exudes the greatest triumph with the purest dignity
He's a better man than you will ever be
His voice is louder than yours will ever be
He says more in a moment than your whole life can achieve
He captures people's lives and hearts with words of great beauty
In a louder voice than yours will ever be
And if through trouble he should falter
I will be there to break his fall
I will be his comfort, his shelter from the storm
I will be his flower among them all
He's a stronger man than you will ever be
Fighting with such passion for all that he believes
Against prejudice, injustice, deceit and apathy
He's a stronger man than you will ever be
And if he's prone to break my heart sometimes
I know that he still cares for me
For I know he hides a deeper sensibility
He's a better man than you will ever be
He's a nobler man than you will ever be
Giving so much of himself with a natural selfless ease
And should disaster strike, he will face it gallantly
He's a nobler man than you will ever be
And if you doubt the measure of this man
You need look no further than me
For I am his and I know he's the one for me
He's a better man than you will ever be
He's a better man than you will ever be
He's a better man than you will ever be
(Gary Miller)
Copyright © 1998 Gary Miller / Whippet Records
|
||||
2. |
Side By Side
02:38
|
|||
SIDE BY SIDE
Mother close the curtains
Kiss me on the brow
Wish me "Good-night and God bless" before you go
Your eyes full of pride
For each little child
Where did it all go?
Where did it all go?
Blood on our noses
Blood on our knees
But flowing thicker than water in our veins
Fighting with each other
Then fighting for each other
Where did it all go?
Where did it all go?
Side by side we will fight
Belief our strength, truth our might
From despair our hope will rise
Stand or fall, side by side
Together we will survive
Instead of doubling our trouble
We can double our score
Turn our differences around
With a passion shared
Two is better than one
The battle still goes on
The battle still goes on
Stand or fall, side by side
Together we will survive
(Gary Miller)
Copyright © 1998 Gary Miller / Whippet Records
|
||||
3. |
My Ship
03:44
|
|||
MY SHIP
I left my friends and my family behind
Sailing away on a fast-rolling tide
No thoughts of a future or what I might find
On a wave of destruction through the passage of time
Blinkered, unguided with sails to the wind
Through the eye of a storm I drew my ship in
No thought to all hands on this voyage of the damned
Desperately seeking an unreachable land
For the ocean is deep and destructive
In my pride I thought I could conquer its soul
But my ship is now wrecked; I sailed out of my depth
Sinking into a bottomless hole
So many ships passed this wreckage of mine
I spared barely a glimpse I had barely the time
Lost to indifference, tragic and blind
I claimed each discovery as no other's but mine
'Though my ship sailed on glorious seas
I never caught more than a soft-flowing breeze
The once bright harbour lights have now faded to dim
It's time for my ship to come in
For the ocean is deep and destructive
In my pride I thought I could conquer its soul
But I forsook all I had, I must have been mad
No longer shipshape, I'm alone
I left my friends and my family behind
(Gary Miller)
Copyright © 1998 Gary Miller / Whippet Records
|
||||
4. |
Alice in Wonderland
03:20
|
|||
ALICE IN WONDERLAND
First she dries the dishes then she dries her eyes
'Though her tears could fill an ocean, her own river's running dry
She's moved to Dead End Street from Opportunity Rise
Where the spirits of dead dreams haunt the back lanes of her mind
Sometimes he shows affection in a way that makes her proud
But mostly he can't stand her; she's just a stupid cow
To one who doesn't love her or respect her anyhow
And cares nothing for their future just his own here and now
So come on now, get your head out of the sand
You're just like Alice dreaming of a wonderland
But yours could be reality if you just take a hand
Think positive! Think confidence! Think, "I am in command!"
Time is a prison time is our own Hell
Time is the destroyer; it's the fire in which we burn
And on this one-way ticket, which offers no return
Time never heals is something you will learn
And as time slips away, it seems such a crime
To see one so young growing old before their time
Life offers too few chances don't let them pass you by
For perhaps the greatest crime is never to have tried
So come on now, get your head out of the sand
You're just like Alice dreaming of a wonderland
But yours could be reality if you just take a hand
Think positive! Think confidence! Think, "I am in command!"
So come on now, get your head out of the sand
Don’t waste your whole life trapped in dreams of wonderland
The reality could be yours if you just make a stand
Think positive! Think confidence! Think, "I am in command!"
Think positive! Think confidence! Think, "I am in command!"
Think positive! Think confidence! Think, "I am in command!"
(Gary Miller)
Copyright © 1998 Gary Miller / Whippet Records
|
||||
5. |
Song For Ewan
03:35
|
|||
SONG FOR EWAN
Hello precious one, so small and frail
May you grow to be strong and may your strength never fail
'Though you enter a world of sorrow and pain
May you find peace and may wisdom be your reign
Go forward with laughter and joy in your heart
Be positive in everything you do
Always believe in what you seek to achieve
And I will believe in you
This whole world is yours to paint and explore
May your colours be vibrant, may your canvas be broad
May each path you choose be sure and bold
May the secrets of the universe be yours to unfold
May your journey be exciting, may you reach for the stars
May all your dreams come true
Should you walk on Mars or through war-torn lands
May your aim always be true
The love I feel is deep and real
It's pouring down on you
My heart is on my sleeve for all to see
As I sing this song for you
But hush for now, may your life bring joy
And may you find happiness too
And when I am blessed with a child of my own
May he or she be beautiful like you
(Gary Miller)
Copyright © 1998 Gary Miller / Whippet Records
|
||||
6. |
||||
THE MAN WHO SOLD HIS TOWN
I stood and watched the last boat leaving here for the last time
Alone among my townsfolk without a tear in my eye
As the weeping sky took pity on the souls I'd left to bleed
For all life was my victim in my battle to succeed
Like a young tree seeking rich soil uprooting from a barren land
I went seeking greener pastures in the city far away
With profit as my master I returned with the gift of death
For one man's final chapter is another's opening page
I never shed a tear for my family torn apart
My proud father disowned me, my poor mother broke her heart
And my brother swore he'd kill me if I crossed his path again
When I turned my back on all I knew I left without a friend
So where do I go from here? Where does my life now stand?
Where are all the choices I once held at my command?
Now I've become the victim of this selfishness and greed
Heed this broken mind in the weak hands you now see
The brass band fading out of sight and out of sound at last
Blows a final farewell fanfare to my present and my past
And then I know that they have marched like ghosts across my grave
Lamenting something dead in me to which I can put no name (*)
I stood by my beliefs as they tore my town apart
No stranger to indifference with no sleeve to place my heart
But now I've come to realise just where my heart does lie
A traitor to my conscience as well as my own kind
Now I find there's no one else can clear the shadow from my name
No one else can share my sorrow or the burden of my shame
Or know my mental anguish or shoulder any of my blame
When guilt is the safety valve which so selfishly I claim
[* Additional verse not used on recording]
(Gary Miller)
Copyright © 1998 Gary Miller / Whippet Records
|
||||
7. |
Going To The Mine
04:44
|
|||
GOING TO THE MINE
Into the smoky morning
And I'm trudging down the line
Past the dirty tanky engine
Going to the mine
Rows of pit folks' houses
Like regiments in time
Taste the gritty daylight
When you're going to the mine
Whistle of the buzzer
Time to rise and shine
How I long for Sunday
When I'm going to the mine
Falling snow around us
Turning into grime
Down the coaly track-way
When you're going to the mine
Flying birds and freedom
But I must serve me time
One day I'll be flying too
From going to the mine
Falling down the shaft
And I'm leaving the sun behind
Born to be a human mole
Going to the mine
Into the smoky morning
And I'm trudging down the line
Past the dirty tanky engine
Going to the mine
(Johnny Handle)
Copyright © Johnny Handle
|
||||
8. |
What I Could Have Been
04:13
|
|||
WHAT I COULD HAVE BEEN
Here's to the glorious failure, here's to the great unknown
To another wasted burnt-out case, washed up and alone
The circus has departed leaving one more sad old clown
One more night goes by; one more drink goes down, down, down
In this small-minded town
You need the courage of your dreams
I never stopped believing I would make it to the top
With a single-minded tunnel vision no one else could stop
One day I rocked it with the best of them
Every backslapper come backstabber seemed to know me then
Maybe because I was ahead of my time or because I never compromised
All I'd sacrificed came to nothing in the end
Going, going, going, gone
Now all I've got left are my songs
My memories and my unfulfilled dreams
Of what I could have been
And how my workmates love my stories
Of rock 'n' rollers bound for glory
Now I'm bound for the building site
My leathers and good looks departed
For tatty jeans and a hairy arse
And how my sad mates love my stories
But it’s just a piss-head's faded glories
Now I'm bound for the bar again
As they laugh at me behind their pints
And mock me when I'm out of sight
(I never liked them that much anyway!)
Going, going, going gone
Now all I've got left is this song
The memories and the unfulfilled dreams
Of what I could have been
Now I hate this fucking business after all its done to me
But it’s in my blood now and for another crack at it I'd give anything
And 'though people say to me "It was never meant to be
So keep your feet still Geordie Hinny"
They'll never drive those bonnie dreams away
For I'll keep up the hope, I'll keep writing songs
'Though no-one might hear them to me they're so strong
They'll tell of my life and the things that I've seen
And serve to remind me of what I could have been
(Gary Miller)
Copyright © 1998 Gary Miller / Whippet Records
|
||||
9. |
Car Boot Sale
03:40
|
|||
CAR BOOT SALE
I went to the car boot sale
At the racecourse one fine June
I had nothing else better to do
On a boring afternoon
There were cars and stalls and people obsessed
As far as the eye could see
But there wasn't a fucking horse in sight
At the sale of the century
Oh me lads, you should've seen them gannin'
Millin' around like flies 'round shite
With no real sense of plannin'
Hagglin' and fussin', hustlin' and bustlin'
In search of the Holy Grail
Some folks' rubbish is other folks' gold
At the car boot sale
There were people arriving while others were leaving
A lot of them pushing prams
I hope the ones that had just been bought
Were the unoccupied ones
Amidst the clamour you could hear a man cry
"Everything fifty pence!"
But you wouldn't have bothered to look in his box
If you had any sense
There were second-hand clocks and watches
With a history to tell
They might have been worth a fortune
If they told the time as well
Broken toys, torn books, scratched records
Electrical goods of every degree
Finding they don't work when you get home
Is your only guarantee
There was Mister Softee ice cream
Next to a burger van from Hell
In a cone or a tub with monkey's blood
Next to people with no sense of smell
I was trying to find one of those
Backward-facing baseball caps
'Cos no matter how hard I've looked
I've only seen forward ones in the shops
So if you're bored or depressed
With the National Lottery
Come along for a grand day out
With the shell-suit family
Grab a piece of the action
Of this latest national craze
Rogues by the score amid bargains galore
At your local car boot sale
Oh me lads, you should've seen them gannin'
Millin' around like flies round shite
With no real sense of plannin'
Hagglin' and fussin', hustlin' and bustlin'
In search of the Holy Grail
You might find it for a couple of quid
At the car boot sale
Gary Miller)
Copyright © 1998 Gary Miller / Whippet Records
|
||||
10. |
Wherever You Go
04:04
|
|||
WHEREVER YOU GO
Tell me what you're thinking, open your heart
Let me into your world
Those magnificent mansions buried deep in your mind
Hold treasures so precious don't lock them inside
I can recall every moment we've shared
When we walked on the beach in the cool night air
When you taught me the names of the stars in the sky
And sparked an unending fire in my life
But time is precious and life is too short
One shot at happiness may be all that is ours
So grab it, treasure it, never let go
And keep it with you wherever you go
And I will be with you wherever you go
Don't hate me for taking up your precious time
Or spend it as though living's a crime
If I owned all your dreams I would give them to you
For I love you
But time is precious and life is too short
A gift we must learn to appreciate more
So grab it, treasure it, never let go
And keep it with you wherever you go
And I will be with you wherever you go
(Gary Miller)
Copyright © 1998 Gary Miller / Whippet Records
|
||||
11. |
Brothers In Arms Again
03:56
|
|||
BROTHERS IN ARMS AGAIN
You came to me with cap in hand
While kid gloves were on mine
I worked all the hours God sent me
While you wasted my time
But my best was never good enough for you
I could never do right for doing wrong
And now you want me to apologise
For all the bad things that you've done
When one man digs for buried treasure
There's always another man standing close by
Waiting to step in to take the glory
Waiting to pluck out the other man's eyes
Its a fact of life those who stand idle
May find success when it isn't even theirs
While those who break their guts
And hearts while others profit
Find life doesn't always deal fair shares
So hold those feelings close to your heart
Keep those devils in
For when the saints go marching in
Who will count your sins
Or bang the bitter aching drum
You've hammered on in vain
While I must hang my head in shame
Until we are brothers in arms again
Some people might say that I'm bitter
To them I say "What do you know?"
I only know I'm feeling tired now
I only know I'm growing old
From propping up the deep dark tunnels
Of your crumbling mind
But 'though my mental back is broken
Mine will heal in time
So hold those feelings close to your heart
Keep those devils in
For when the saints go marching in
Who will count your sins
Or bang the bitter aching drum
You've hammered on in vain
While I must hang my head in shame
Until we are brothers in arms again
Until we are brothers in arms again
Until we are brothers in arms again
(Gary Miller)
Copyright © 1998 Gary Miller / Whippet Records
|
||||
12. |
Positive Steps
02:01
|
|||
13. |
||||
LEAVE HER JOHNNY, LEAVE HER
I thought I heard the old man say
Leave her Johnny leave her
It's a long hard pull to the next payday
And it's time for us to leave her
Leave her Johnny leave her
Leave her Johnny leave her
Now the voyage is done and the winds don't blow
And it's time for us to leave her
Oh the skipper was bad but the mate was worse
Leave her Johnny leave her
He'd blow you down with a spike and a curse
And it's time for us to leave her
It's pull you lubbers or you'll get no pay
Leave her Johnny leave her
Pull you lubbers and then belay
And it's time for us to leave her
(Trad. arr. The Whisky Priests)
Copyright © 1998 Gary Miller / Glenn Miller / Whippet Records
|
||||
14. |
||||
ALICE IN WONDERLAND
First she dries the dishes then she dries her eyes
'Though her tears could fill an ocean, her own river's running dry
She's moved to Dead End Street from Opportunity Rise
Where the spirits of dead dreams haunt the back lanes of her mind
Sometimes he shows affection in a way that makes her proud
But mostly he can't stand her; she's just a stupid cow
To one who doesn't love her or respect her anyhow
And cares nothing for their future just his own here and now
So come on now, get your head out of the sand
You're just like Alice dreaming of a wonderland
But yours could be reality if you just take a hand
Think positive! Think confidence! Think, "I am in command!"
Time is a prison time is our own Hell
Time is the destroyer; it's the fire in which we burn
And on this one-way ticket, which offers no return
Time never heals is something you will learn
And as time slips away, it seems such a crime
To see one so young growing old before their time
Life offers too few chances don't let them pass you by
For perhaps the greatest crime is never to have tried
So come on now, get your head out of the sand
You're just like Alice dreaming of a wonderland
But yours could be reality if you just take a hand
Think positive! Think confidence! Think, "I am in command!"
So come on now, get your head out of the sand
Don’t waste your whole life trapped in dreams of wonderland
The reality could be yours if you just make a stand
Think positive! Think confidence! Think, "I am in command!"
Think positive! Think confidence! Think, "I am in command!"
Think positive! Think confidence! Think, "I am in command!"
(Gary Miller)
Copyright © 1998 Gary Miller / Whippet Records
|
||||
15. |
||||
FULL CIRCLE
In the great days of steam
I was the toast of the town
My brand new paintwork gleamed
As people flocked from miles around
To see to touch to wave to cheer
A newborn child of engineers
And the hearts of my two thousand horses beat
To the rhythm of their tiny lives
I rolled and sped and hissed and with pride
An iron beast of burden
I tore through the veins and guts of the land
Supplying mineral wealth
Fed by a fireman’s lonely hand
With the passion of a thousand suns
My kisses scorched his bursting lungs
Like a lover’s heart my fires were stoked
By rough hands touched with tenderness
As I held him in my warm caress
I became a river supplying endless streams
To valleys and mountains red and gold and green
To fortune to fame to romance and to dreams
I was privy to their secrets and their schemes
As their lives touched me
And I fed the hungry engines of war
With the finest crop in England’s store
An ocean of tears drowned the platform roar
Through emotions never felt so deep before
I fell to the diesel age
Time and progress conquered me
Withdrawn and derelict
Nature laid cruel hands on me
She turned my once bright coat to rust
As my memory faded into dust
Some small affection I could claim
As a nest for lovebirds I became
Or a secret den for children’s games
Rescued and restored by loving hands
In my former glory I now stand
My paint gleams once more people flock again in awe
To celebrate to see to touch to talk
Of one reborn
(Gary Miller)
|
Gary Miller Durham, UK
Gary Miller first rose to international prominence with folk-punk/rock pioneers The Whisky Priests (1985-2002), founded with his twin brother Glenn - “the Joe Strummer and Mick Jones of Folk Music". He now performs as a solo artist and with his new band 'Gary Miller's Big Picture' whose debut album is coming soon. ... more
Streaming and Download help
Gary Miller recommends:
If you like Think Positive!, you may also like:
Bandcamp Daily your guide to the world of Bandcamp