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Lyrics

Naomi

Age has made her frail
I'm scared to take her in my arms
But there's an understanding now
And a peace behind the eyes
And age is for complaining
But you won't here much from me
Growing old with Naomi.
 Now I recall the first time
I took her in my arms
And times I was unfaithful
She said, “no future in the past”,
So we don't talk about it
She keeps a gentle edge on me
And I don't mind growing old with Naomi.
 She wasn't all I wanted
But she's all I'll ever need
Oh, a rich man always wants for more
And I was rich indeed
A rich man and a poor fool
Yet it turned out right for me
How lucky can you get?
Growing old with Naomi.
 The kids today, they think that they've
Discovered everything
But me and her, well we done it all
Without a wedding ring
Sometimes things remind us
And she's smiling back at me
It ain't hard growing old with Naomi.
 She wasn't all I wanted
But she's all I'll ever need
Oh, a rich man and a poor fool
And I was rich indeed
I never thought her beautiful
But I do now, cos I see
I'm getting wiser
Growing old with Naomi.
 Oh, the place is kind of quiet now
The kids have all left home
We'd like to see more of them
But we're grateful when they come
And in the quietness afterwards
She comes and sits by me
Make me feel like a man
Growing old with Naomi

Tequila Sunset

Takes a glass of Tequila to raise up my spirits
When I get down I'm drinking them two at a time
'Til I swear that I feel like a poor drowning sailor
Salt on my lips and my tongue tastes of lime.

Tequila sunset, Tijuana sunrise
Let's put the light back in each other's eyes
And maybe tomorrow if the wheels can roll
We can take the road down south, babe, Get to Mexico.

I don't wanna hear any sad stories
Hurt glances in mirrors joined in direct lines
I bought her a drink and we made an agreement
“Don't tell me your sad story and I won't tell you mine.”
 Tequila sunset, Tijuana sunrise
Let's put the light back in each other's eyes
And maybe tomorrow if the wheels can roll
Then take the road down south babe Get to Mexico.

Whatever we say it is just the booze talking
Skinny dogs howl at a Mexico moon
Kids wear no shoes, dusty streets full of dreams
Aim for the dance floor and maybe they'll play a slow tune
 Oh Tequila sunset, Tijuana sunrise
Turquoise and silver stars hung in the skies
And maybe tomorrow the wheels can roll
We can take the road down south babe Get to Mexico
 We will take the road down south,

Get to Mexico.

Weather the Storm

So you're finally over it now
You thought you wouldn't make it
But I knew that you would somehow
I guess I knew you could make it in the end
It's good just having you round again my old friend.

You weather the storm,
You weather the storm.
You weather the storm,
And you come up
Smiling in the end

So you're over all the disappointments now
You thought you wouldn't make it
But I knew you would somehow.
Maybe it still hurts to think of bad times that you spent
But it's over and you're back again my old friend

Chorus

Into every life well a little rain must fall
And for sure it poured down on you
An umbrella is no good in a hurricane
But just like the sun
In the end you come shining through

Chorus

So you see it's getting better now
You look a little beat up and battered
But we all do anyhow
When the break is mended it can be stronger than before
Don't go round butting doors or punching walls.

Chorus

You weather the storm,
You weather the storm.
You weather the storm,
And you come up
Smiling in the end

River Rising

Oh the river is rising
And I know that the moon is high
And it ain’t surprising that with you, babe, so am I.
Cos babe, you know I don’t believe
That stars can make it right.
But you be the moon and I’ll be river
And we can rise high tonight
Let’s roll down to the sea
Let’s roll down to the sea.

The world is turning
And the moon is spinning round
I feel like I’m flying
But I’m still here on the ground
Oh babe, you don’t have to believe
That stars can make it right
But you be the moon, and I’ll be river
And we can rise high tonight.
Let’s roll down to the sea
Let’s get lost at sea.

River rising and moon is high.
River rising and moon is high
Like you and I.

Oh, the river is rising
And I know that the moon is high
And it ain’t surprising that with you babe, so am I.
Oh, babe, you don’t have to believe
That stars can make it right
But you be the moon and I’ll be river
And we can rise high tonight
Let’s roll down to the sea
Let’s get lost at sea
You and me.

From Clare to Here

There's four who share this room and we work hard for the crack
And sleeping late on Sundays I never get to Mass

It's a long way from Clare to here
It's a long, long way, it grows further by the day
It's a long way from Clare to here

When Friday comes around Terry's only into fighting
My ma would like a letter home but I'm too tired for writing

It's a long way from Clare to here
It's a long, long way, it grows further by the day
It's a long way from Clare to here

It almost breaks my heart when I think of Josephine
I told her I'd be coming home with my pockets full of green

It's a long way from Clare to here
It's a long, long way, it grows further by the day
It's a long way from Clare to here
And the only time I feel alright is when I'm into drinking
It sort of eases the pain of it and levels out my thinking

It's a long way from Clare to here
It's a long, long way, it grows further by the day
It's a long way from Clare to here

I sometimes hear a fiddle play or maybe it's a notion
I dream I see white horses dance upon that other ocean

It's a long way from Clare to here
It's a long, long way, it grows further by the day
It's a long way from Clare to here

Chairman and the Little Man

Little man work in the rice fields
Got a brother in the factory
Called the Chairman on the telephone line
Invited him around for tea,
For tea, for tea, for tea, he invited him around for tea.

“Why, thank you,” said the Chairman,
“But I’m much too busy you see.”
The little man said, “I work a 12 hour shift
Do you think you work harder than me?
Than me, than me, than me
Do you think you work harder than me?”

“You dumb peasant,” said the Chairman,
“I swear that it ain’t no lie
When I think of how hard I work for guys like you
I don’t know why I try, I try, I try, how I try,
But I don’t know why I try.”

“Don’t get me wrong,” said the little man,
“I’m very grateful you see
I ride to work on my new bicycle,
And my wife loves her sewing machine.
Machine, machine, machine,
And my wife loves her sewing machine.”

“Some other time,” said the little man
“Some other time maybe.”
The Chairman took the phone off the hook
Told his secretary “Make tea, make tea, make tea, make tea.”
Told his secretary “Make tea.”

Country Boys

I woke up this morning, I got booze on my breath
And around my brain from the night before
There’s a cigarette burned out upon the table
And a glass smashed out on the floor

Well I must have had a good time
Late last night
When I woke up this morning
I couldn’t face the daylight
Go and tell the country boys that I’m leaving
Getting out, getting back to the Country!

Who’s that fella sleeping
He’s in my favourite chair? It’s for sure
I never have seen him before.
Well where’s my lady?
And who was that who just went sliding
Out the back door?

Last night this joint was jumping
That girl, man she was really something
When she began to call me honey
So naturally I spent all my money
But I’m going back to the country
These city ways ain’t for me no more
And that’s for sure.
I’ll grow my beans and potatoes
And you don’t have to bar no windows
And lock up no doors.

Slow Burning Companion

Cigarette smoke, slow burning companion
Stuck between trains on a midnight station
Shadows stretched out in the cold pale light
The station feels just like home tonight.

Cigarette smoke, slow burning companion
I’m stuck between trains on a midnight station.

Now there was a time when we could talk
Over coffee in a furnished room
Sat on a bed up close to the wall
And sometimes we’d lay there
And not talk at all.

Cigarette smoke, slow burning companion
I’m stuck between trains on a midnight station.

Slowly things drifted into the bed
Out of the bottle and into the bed
And seldom we ever spoke face to face
Like living alone in half as much space

Cigarette smoke, slow burning companion
I’m stuck between trains on a midnight station.

Run to the country
Or hide in the town
Might as well take the up line as down
And no sense in fighting
The turn of the tide
The first train that comes is the train I will ride.

Cigarette smoke, slow burning companion
I’m stuck between trains on a midnight station.

Nightmares

My friend won’t tell me his bad dreams
He thinks that I would get scared
But he’s my friend and I can look into his eyes
And know that I’ve been there.
Would it help if I describe them
Cos I know what you’re going through?
Or would you need to see me shaking
To know that I’ve been there too?

Have you breathed upon the mirror?
Have you felt your pounding heart
When the dreams that love and let you go,
Woke you sweating in the dark?

Wave after wave breaks over you
You can drown on solid air
Voices echo far away
Over here, no over there.

So listen, listen to your nightmares
Riding on your fear
Wild eyed and screaming
And they do not know that your friend is near.
Oh do not, do not try and stop them
Or contain them whilst they last
Look deep into my eyes,
Dear friend, and know the day will pass.