'HOUSE OF HEADS' - Roger D'Arcy

Side A

 

HOUSE OF HEADS 

I'll bury my head in Boney's books
Read the things he read
Climb the stairs and take a look
Inside the House of Heads.

There's no light in the window
The owners are long dead
There's things in there I need to know 
Hidden in the House of Heads

And The Mistral blows all damn year long
And it would steal away the stories
Which are cut into the stone
But every face gives up its secret
If you find yourself alone
In the House of Heads

A pale grey lady floated by
She passed and nothing more
Disbelieve and I'll deny
But I know what I saw

Just a shape that disappeared
The corner of my eye
Nothing bad or to be feared
You watched me turning white 

And we left that home many years ago
But every time I tell the story
It sends shivers up my spine
You were with the ones that saw me
But the feeling's only mine
In the House of Heads

I have no intention.           
Or wish to cause you harm
I just thought to mention 
To save you from alarm

And if you don't believe me now
They'll haunt you just the same
Ghosts don't know despair or hope
And ghosts don't know your name

And The Mistral blows all damn year long
And it would steal away the stories
Which are cut into the stone
But every face gives up its secret
If you find yourself alone
In the House of Heads


END

Words and music by Roger D'Arcy
Copyright Longsongs Music 2017

 

SOMETHING GOING WRONG

I have seen the disappointment in the face of a friend
And I failed to keep my promise and now I need to make amends

I have wiped away the tears from the eyes of one I love
But I failed to ease the sadness, sometimes love is not enough

I faced my demons, now my demons are gone
But my angels got together and they all went along
Lord, I don't mind being alone, sometimes it's better that way
But something's going wrong when your angels won't stay

Many times I have stumbled down the wrong and foolish track
I have failed to learn my lesson and it's too late for turning back

I faced my demons, now my demons are gone
But my angels got together and they all went along
Lord, I don't mind being alone, sometimes it's better that way
But something's going wrong when your angels won't stay

Now, the Devil was an angel once, guess it's easy to fall
And if I had a soul, I'd sell it just to see
If I could buy more time with you before that final call
Then the Devil could be a friend to me

I have tried to find the good side in nearly all that I can see
But I failed to see the darkness slowly creeping up on me

I faced my demons, now my demons are gone
But my angels got together and they all went along
Lord, I don't mind being alone, sometimes it's better that way
But something's going wrong when your angels won't stay


END

Words and music by Roger D'Arcy
Copyright Longsongs Music 2017

 


MICHAEL

Michael, you can come too
You've always known the way
This time, make it for you
There is no price to pay

And we'll curse those flat pack Matchbox minds
They could never know your dream
You can come too, you can come too

Kick down all of the doors
Open the windows wide
No one could have done more
There is no need to hide

And we'll curse those flat pack Matchbox minds
They could never know your dream
You can come too, you can come too

And if I had a pound for each wise word
You tossed into the wind
I'd be the richest man in the world

Michael, leave it behind
Nothing to hold you now
Who knows what you may find
Throw away all your doubts

And we'll curse those flat pack Matchbox minds
They could never know your dream
You can come too, you can come too


END

Words and music by Roger D'Arcy
Copyright Longsongs Music 2017

 

TIME FLIES

Time flies, the days all crash
There are no survivors here
Dreams die and hopes are dashed          
And the Captain cannot steer
 
And there's no little Black Box                    
To show you what went wrong
No crime scene investigators will explain
All the thousand shocks
Of a heartache's song

Hearts break and souls collide
As we try to play the game
Who'll take the losing side
Will the Captain take the blame

You may try your best
On an even field
But the odds are stacked against us from the start
There is no one left                           
And the game's not real

Ah, in a thousand years from now
Will anybody care
And in a million more
Will anyone be there

Recall and tell the tales
Of the one's who never came home
When all the ships have sailed
And the Captain's job is done

Names on faded charts 
Lost in dusty old books
Will a single tear remain and left to fall 
It'll break your heart
If you take a look


END

Words and music by Roger D'Arcy
Copyright Longsongs Music 2017
                                                                       

 

UNLIMITED TALK TIME

Spend too much time on the Internet
Got lots of friends I've never met.                    
Strangers trying to tell me stuff that I don't need to know
I want to get away but they don't want to let me go.      
Unlimited talk time and nothing to say
Unlimited talk time and nothing to say

I spend all day hung from my phone
I hang in crowds, I'm all alone
I'm texting shit to people standing just two feet away
They're shuffling with their heads down and they're getting in my way
Unlimited talk time and nothing to say
Unlimited talk time and nothing to say

Sat face to face where the food is fast
They don't look up, it's not made to last
Attention spans are short and getting shorter every day
I've got no time for books and shit, I've got my games to play
Unlimited talk time and nothing to say
Unlimited talk time and nothing to say

And so the world turns faster now
But I just want to know what all the rush is about

Nowhere to go, no dreams to dream
There's nothing more than what things seem
A future all wrapped up and handed to us on a plate
They made it bright and shiny now it's time for us to pay
Unlimited talk time and nothing to say
Unlimited talk time and nothing to say


END

Words and music by Roger D'Arcy
Copyright Longsongs Music 2017

 

Side B

 

TUMBLING

I've fucked up more than not
It gets easier with time              
To accept the shame

Or maybe I just forgot
That the failures were all mine
No one else to blame

Tumbling through my life on the dark side
Trying to cross the street to the sunshine

I'll admit to the lie
If you ever heard me say 
That drink had been no friend.  

No point asking me why
What I'm doing here today
I've nothing to defend.                       

Tumbling through my life on the dark side
Trying to cross the street to the sunshine

And I feel I'm  just a pawn
In someone else's losing game

All my lies may be old
But I've learned to tell them well
Fool myself sometimes

Make them big, make them bold
They may send me straight to hell
Well, that suits me fine

Tumbling through my life on the dark side
Trying to cross the street to the sunshine


END

Words and music by Roger D'Arcy
Copyright Longsongs Music 2017

 

WHAT IS IT LIKE TO BE ME?

What is it like to be me?
Watching the world go by
And hoping I might catch it
If it comes around again

What do you think I can see?
Everything moves so slow
I feel like I've been waiting
For what seems a thousand years

And I've no need for fortune, I make do with what I find
And that might not be much but it's enough to fill my time

What did you think I would say
If it was up to me
I'd tell you to forget it
And come back another day

But I just don't believe a single word that I've been told 
And everything you've shown me seems made up from something old

Where do we go to from here
Everything's turned around
And we should reconsider
What it was we thought we knew

What if I see what you see
Where everything moves so fast
Blink and I might miss it
It's already out of view

Destiny is just the stuff that we cannot control
Maybe it's enough (we'd do best) to let the story just unfold

What is it like to be me?
Watching the world go by
And hoping I might catch it
If it comes around again


THE END

Words and music by Roger D'Arcy
Copyright Longsongs Music 2017

 

WHISTLE UP SOME ATMOSPHERE

Sing me a song with a tune
One with words that I can hear
With some sad story to make my baby cry
Whistle up some atmosphere

Strike up a rhythm I can dance to
So I can hold my baby near
Slow and easy with some soft shuffle 
Whistle up some atmosphere

Take good care of those well worn covers 
With all those memories inside
I don't mind those clicks, I don't mind those scratches
I don't mind keep changing sides
Whistle up some atmosphere

I've been trying to get back home again
To a time when things were clear
Some days I hear a song that takes me there
Whistle up some atmosphere

Take good care of those well worn covers 
With all those memories inside
I don't mind those clicks, I don't mind those scratches
I don't mind keep changing sides
Whistle up some atmosphere

Sing me a song with a tune
One with words that can hear
With some sad story to make my baby cry
Whistle up some atmosphere
Whistle up some atmosphere


END

Words and music by Roger D'Arcy
Copyright Longsongs Music 2017

 

A BILLION STARS

Well, I have washed up here
On this friendly shore 
And the tale goes on
If I still cling to one regret
It is only this
That you are gone.        

When I last saw your face
You were fighting still
For lost causes
And if I numbered one of those
Caught up in the flame 
That draws us

Like every drunk and lonely loser 
That ever wound up at your door
I need you to know

These days, know I am stronger 
And I would like to tell you more
Before I go

That I had failed to see
You were falling too
With broken wings
I should have caught you
Saved an angel
Given anything

For every soul that you have tried to heal
Or damaged heart you could not mend
No matter where they are

You will shine on through to guide them
Scattered in the hope you send
Like a billion stars
Like a billion stars

If we should meet again
Would you recognise
The man I am
And would you see yourself
Or just some stranger
In this tale of mine

And when the moment comes to save yourself
Take everything you need
Run fast and far

The light you leave will always show the way
For those who fall behind 
Like a billion stars


END

Words and music by Roger D'Arcy
Copyright Longsongs Music 2017

 

NEW YORK 1987

I have run around like a fool
Keeping busier than a bunch of bees
I have reached for the stars
Lain down crying on the ground

I have followed all the rules
Often made it up anyway I please
I have hidden drunk in bars
Thinking I could not be found

It makes no difference in the long run
Because we won't get saved by Sergeant Rock
And Nigel made his own plans a long, long time ago

If I could stay out of trouble
Keep my head hidden down safe and low
I could fnd some relief
When it all just gets too much

Or I could burst all the bubbles
Aim to raise hell 'til it's time to go
I could run away like a thief
If I did not raise enough

It makes no difference in the long run
Because we won't get saved by Sergeant Rock
And Nigel made his own plans a long, long time ago

La la la la
La la la la

When Tony the Bum said:
 "Follow me"
Off we marched in single file into the New York night
And Diane the Hooker said:
"Thanks for the drink boys but this ain't payin' the rent"
As she limped away gracelessly with our hearts 

There are still things that make me sad
To see true love tossed in the gutter
When old friends take an early fall
And there's nothing I can do

Life is filled up with good and bad
We hold on to the ones who matter
Try hard to forgive them all
But we're only passing through

It makes no difference in the long run
Because we won't get saved by Sergeant Rock
And Nigel made his own plans a long, long time ago

La la la la
La la la la


END

Words and music by Roger D'Arcy
Copyright Longsongs Music 2017