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2. |
Our Old Village
04:13
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Lessons learned as a child are strong and keep us tied and exemplify the life in our old village
When we worked in primrose fields, Dad would say, “Girls, I believe, If you give then you'll receive, in our old village”
Be a rainbow in the sky, be welcoming and kind as a sun shower in July, crossing over
Be the light that lights the way, when the darkness holds sway Don't forget from where you came: our old village
2
When we crossed the Irish sea, my sister and me brought a piece of Parkeel, to London City
We met girls from Cloonfad, lads from Moyne, and Ratra their jokes made us laugh, in London City
They were rainbows in the sky, they were welcoming and kind as a sun shower in July, crossing over
We helped each other out, when life kicked us about and left us full of doubt, in London City
3
My sister since has passed, but her love forever lasts in the heart and the soul, of our old village
When I'm sad and have to cry, I think of her close by And she comes to dry my eyes, from our old village
She's a rainbow in the sky, she is welcoming and kind as a sun shower in July, crossing over
I will book a seat one day, on a westbound aeroplane And catch a bus that leads, to my old village
4
I'll go once more to see, the primrose covered field
that inspired many dreams, in my old village
There's a rainbow in the sky, it's welcoming and kind, I can see it from the bus, that brings me homeward
As we leave the motorway, and get closer to the square my mind goes back in time when we were children
5
Mike Mulrenan, his wife Anne. Dan O'Hara “thank you, Ma'm” transport boxes, bread and jam, Bird's custard
Christmas Eve and fairy lights, midnight mass and Silent Night, snow falling featherlight on our old village
© 6.12.20 Jim Sharkey Jim Sharkey Music (Ascap)
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3. |
My Little Man
03:04
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MY LITTLE MAN
My little man has slept all that he can
He's crooning like Sinatra in the Blue Room
In a while he'll try to stand, he won't make it & demand
“Grandma and Grandpa wake up soon”
[Chorus]
And I hear him when he's breathing
when he's sleepin', when he's dreamin'
I hear him when he's happy and when he's sad
I have to be so careful, so mindful and aware
and get him back home safe to mom and dad
I'm like an old rag doll, I haven't slept at all
but surely, there was some point I did
It sounds like he's alright, let's lay here for a while
listening to the miracle he is
[Chorus]
And I hear him when he's breathing
when he's sleepin', when he's dreamin'
I hear him when he's happy and when he's sad
I have to be so careful, so mindful and aware
and get him back home safe to mom and dad
Bridge
When the weekend's all over
with his gear he goes back home
our house is like a ship in port
and the crew's all gone ashore
My little man has slept all that he can
and so begins another precious day
Crawling, falling, playing with the doggies and
dropping food "by accident" their way
[Chorus]
And I hear him when he's breathing
when he's sleepin', when he's dreamin'
I hear him when he's happy and when he's sad
I have to be so careful, so mindful and aware
and get him back home safe to mom and dad
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4. |
The Shop
03:41
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The Shop
The house is vacant now
and overrun with weeds
But long ago a shop was here
and it served the peoples' needs
It was small like a pantry
But staples stocked the shelves
I liked the man who ran it
He had traveled far they said
And he'd always tell a story
to brighten up your day
and when you left he'd go off
to milk his cows or save his hay
The little house, had no
electric light at all
oil lamps threw Rembrandt light
and shadows on the wall
That brought to mind his teenage dreams
and dancehalls long ago
in London where he went for work
at seventeen years old
When the girls wore rockabilly skirts
and the boys had duckbilled hair
I loved to hear him tell of all
the great excitement there
Freedom, fashion, music clubs
a wage and steady pay
“Things like that, we never had
in Tibohine,” he would say
Now they're company for long nights
they help me pass the time
Makin' stories from memories
lingering, in my mind
And I see a girl, with her eye on
a boy at the mineral bar
They'll be happily married next year
can't you see them going far?
BRIDGE
And there I am at nineteen
looking for someone
She'll come to me at twenty
but she'll leave at twenty-one
“Love for some is restless”
he'd sigh and then he'd laugh,
“always on the move, bad cess!
like the night-time roving cat”
“I've heard advice and remedies
for love that goes away
But, really, time's the only cure
like they always say
The paraffin lamps would fade
and the shadows on the wall
disappeared, when conversation
turned to silence and that's all
Being young and assured
'cause time was on my side
I'd say goodnight to my old friend
and step into the night
Walking home, I'd dream about
a wage and steady pay
of freedom, fashion, music clubs
and the loves, to come my way
© 10.26.23 Jim Sharkey
Jim Sharkey Music (Ascap)
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5. |
Let's Vote On It
03:26
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You say the storm has moved through
you say the sky has turned blue
I say the clouds are hanging around
and they cast a metallic gray hue
CHORUS
Let's vote on it, let's settle this
Before we go walking and get ourselves wet
Let's vote on it, and I promise you this
Whatever the outcome you know I will honor it
I grew up on bacon and ham
Oatmeal, brown bread, and jam
You say they're alright but my parties I find
Go better with lobster and wine
CHORUS
Let's vote on it, let's settle this
Before we go dining with candlelights lit
Let's vote on it, and I promise you this
Whatever the outcome you know I will honor it
BRIDGE
We've been together almost 50 years
Hmmm, yes, my dear
And we still get along most of the time
If I said one hundred percent I'd be lyin'
Speaking of things that are said
I once heard you say that we met
At a music venue, well, that's half the truth
It was a juke joint in Montana, Butte.
CHORUS
Let's vote on it, let's settle this
Before we go walking and get ourselves wet
Let's vote on it, and I promise you this
Whatever the outcome you know I will honor it
© 05.15.21 Jim Sharkey,
Jim Sharkey Music (Ascap)
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6. |
Winslow Homer
05:02
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Paint me a picture Winslow Homer, not of men in blue or gray
Paint a picture of my true love on the rocky shore of Maine
I
See the marksmen on the picket, who load and fire rifle balls
At far off distant figures; that drop like stones when they fall
Paint me a picture Winslow Homer, not of men in blue or gray
Paint a picture of my true love on the rocky shore of Maine
II
Paint the moonlight on the water, paint her standing by the sea
and I'll pay you my last dollar, if you make her think of only me
Paint me a picture Winslow Homer, not of men in blue or gray
Paint a picture of my true love on the rocky shore of Maine
Bridge:
She lives Downeast in Deer Isle, she is so, tender, true, and kind
In my heart there is no other, I long to hold her one more time
Paint me a picture Mister Homer, not of men in blue or gray
Paint a picture of my true love on the rocky shore of Maine
III
Mothers look on the horizon, a fog bank's rolling in and driving
across the mainland and the islands, where nets are filled with silver prizes
IV
We are weathered, tired soldiers, we've been changed by this ordeal
I hope one day when it's over, I'll meet you in a different field and you can
Paint me a picture Winslow Homer, not of men in blue or gray
You'll paint a picture of my true love, and all that's beautiful again
© 11.01.23 Jim Sharkey,
Jim Sharkey Music (Ascap)
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7. |
Pass The Wheel
04:52
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You've always been blue
It's nothing new
I know she said she'd be true
But I know too
You've always been blue
For too many years
There's been too many tears
The strong and the weak, the proud
and the meek, dispossessed citizens
out on the streets
[Chorus:]
I wish I could change things,
and walk with you down a summer path
So much is out of reach in a world this fast
I put up my feet, get something to eat
be patient; wait and see,
I've done all the things that were asked of me
and Time's telling me to pass the wheel
won't you take it from here
We know it's not right, the left and the right
They like to fight, the left and the right
Hammer and tongs, from morning till night
things seldom improve, that's just the truth
In school books of old, it was foretold
The center can't hold, in a widening gyre,
anarchy's loosed, there's falcons and fires,
and violence unleashed, by pitiless beasts
[Chorus:]
I wish I could change things
and walk with you down a summer path
So much is out of reach in a world this fast
I put up my feet, get something to eat
be patient; wait and see,
I've done all the things that were asked of me
and Time's telling me to pass the wheel
won't you take it from here
Across a divide
I planted seeds far and wide
I got down on my knees,
days turned into weeks
Tending the earth's where I needed to be
I was as happy as a man like me
can ever be
I know I can change things,
walking down a summer path
So much is within my reach
in a world this vast
I put up my feet
get something to eat
be patient, and wait and see
I've done all the things that were asked of me
and the evening light shines beautifully
I could make it from here.
© 11.29.23 Jim Sharkey
Jim Sharkey Music (Ascap)
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10. |
Trouble
03:10
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TROUBLE
Trouble is on the way
Trouble is on the way
he has a bag full of sadness
But I know, it's gonna be okay
'Cause I will rock, and I will roll
I believe in my soul
that I will roll with the punches
when the sky comes down
in bunches on my head
Trouble arrived today
Trouble arrived today
he left a bag full of sadness
But I know we're gonna be okay
We will buckle and we will bend
We will lean in, to the wind
we will roll with the punches
when the sky comes down
in bunches on our head
Bridge:
I’m not shipwrecked out at sea
those sharks are dolphins leading me
on the shore my friends are all around
standing up and never standin' down
Trouble has gone away
trouble has gone away
he's beaten now and on the run
and a brand new day has just begun
We have rocked and we have rolled
I believe in my soul
We can roll with the punches
when the sky comes down
in bunches on our heads
©3.24.20 Jim Sharkey,
Jim Sharkey Music (Ascap)
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11. |
My Dog, Henry
03:34
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MY DOG, HENRY
Gather round beneath the tree, I'll tell you of my dog, Henry
He's the love of my life, some folks say that ain't right, wooo hoo
Henry's head is in the clouds, he knows nothing about the Dow
He knows nothin' of politics, ignorance is Henry's bliss, wooo hoo
Chorus
Dogs are big, dogs are small, some dogs have no wherewithal
Henry thinks he's 10 feet tall, he's livelier than a ping pong ball
When Henry has that sad old face, I know well he's misbehaved
Henry lies around all day, feeling worthless and ashamed, wooo hoo
But one kind word and Henry's back, the crazy little crackerjack
Counterclockwise, spinning now, tongue's a-danglin' from his mouth, wooo hoo
Chorus
Dogs are big, dogs are small, some dogs have no wherewithal
Henry thinks he's 10 feet tall, he's livelier than a ping pong ball
If I could beg like Henry begs, perched upon my two back legs
I'd be down there at your feet, so forlorn and doggone sweet, wooo hoo
If I could sleep like Henry sleeps, I would drop off like a leaf
and dream about your pies and rolls, an' your, Sunday dinners in my bowl, wooo hoo
Chorus
Dogs are big, dogs are small, some dogs have no wherewithal
Henry thinks he's 10 feet tall, he's livelier than a ping pong ball
If I could love like Henry loves, I'd be happy as a turtle dove
I'd write a note to give to you in hopes you'd say I love you too, woo hoo
Chorus
Dogs are big, dogs are small, some dogs have no wherewithal
Henry thinks he's 10 feet tall, he's livelier than a ping pong ball
Gather round beneath the tree, and listen to my dog, Henry
howlin'/ at the moon in June, wishing/ you'd come back soon
©10.11.19 Jim Sharkey,
Jim Sharkey Music (Ascap)
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12. |
Eleanor & Violet
03:28
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Seven colors a rainbow makes
seven colors is all it takes
red and orange, yellow and green
blue and indigo, but Violet's always been
Chorus:
the color most dear to me, it's the color of kings and queens
it isn't purple and it's not quite blue, it's the name of my best friend too
Red is beautiful it paints the rose, orange in the fireside glows
Yellow is the corn that stands, in jackets of green across the land
Chorus:
But Violet's most dear to me, it's the color of kings and queens
it isn't purple and it's not quite blue, it's the name of my best friend too
Blue is beautiful like Grandpa's eyes , faithful as the clear blue sky
indigo's a deep, deep blue, out of the stratosphere on the way to the moon
Chorus:
But Violet's most dear to me, it's the color of kings and queens
it isn't purple and it's not quite blue, it's the name of my best friend too
Chorus:
But Violet's most dear to me, it's the color of kings and queens
it isn't purple and it's not quite blue, it's the name of my best friend too
Repeat First Verse:
Seven colors a rainbow makes, seven colors is all it takes
red and orange, yellow and green
blue and indigo, Violet and me
© 03.01.20 Jim Sharkey,
Jim Sharkey Music (Ascap)
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13. |
Vitruvian Man
04:16
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Stretch out your arms as far as you can
like Leonardo's Vitruvian Man
represent the span
where great warriors stand
watching over you
Stretch out your arms
as far as you can
like the sunlight
on Spanish sand
Little mystery girl
with auburn curls
slip into the world
CHORUS:
I took a walk on The Avenue
and blooming Asters there I picked for you
I brought them home and filled the room
with delicate petals of pink and blue
like an artist would do, like an artist would do
All the beauty in the world I want for you
Stretch out your arms
as far as you can
to the moment
a fisherman
casts upon a lake
for tender paints
of blues and grays
CHORUS:
We'll take a walk on The Avenue
where blooming Asters there I'll pick for you
We'll bring them home and fill the room
with delicate petals of pink and blue
like an artist would do
like I know you would do
All the beauty in the world's inside of you
Art Work Referred to:
Vitruvian Man – Leonardo
Girl on the Beach – Sorolla
The Avenue – Monet
Asters, 1880 – Monet
Moonlight, Wood Island Light - Homer
Fisherman In A Boat In The Reeds - Aris Knikker
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14. |
You Became My Girl
03:03
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The sky is blue
The clouds are gray
The sun comes up
in the same ol' way; everyday
That's the way my world turned
Until you, became my girl
II
It was strange
the feelings came
My mind swirled, round and round,
and round all day; everyday
Right was left, flat was curled
You turned me, into a dizzy girl
III
I like turtles
I love the sky
I fall asleep
with butterflies; on my mind
and I love you, that's the truth
it renders, all else moot
IV
Come and sit be
side me now
we have made a
precious vow
I felt your heart skip a beat
Or was it mine me oh my
it sure was sweet
V
The sky is blue
and the clouds are gray
The sun shows up
A different way, everyday
That's our world, merrily it twirls
Ever since you become my girl
Ever since you become my girl
© 01.05.24 Jim Sharkey,
Jim Sharkey Music (Ascap)
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15. |
Miss Ellison's Room
03:42
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I would really like to stay
But I must be going away
I will miss the times we had
All in all
All in all
All in all
it wasn't so bad
10 am Ms. Ellison's class
Hood off, darlin', pull up your mask
Write this down, learn it by heart
Love is where
I always start
Chorus:
Love is gentle, love is blind
Love is sometimes cruel and kind
Love is held, and often dropped
But love keeps going up to the top
So do your best, don't you let me down
You know I'll be askin' around
'bout you and you and you and you
Do your best
Do your best
Do your best
be kind and true
Chorus:
Love is gentle, love is blind
Love is sometimes cruel and kind
Love is held, and often dropped
But love keeps going up to the top
10 pm Ms. Ellison's room
The night-time enters, and the moon
lays a wreath of silvery bells
and all is well
and all is well
a new day's dawning
all is well
© 9.22.21 Jim Sharkey
Jim Sharkey Music (Ascap)
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Jim Sharkey Portland, Maine
Songwriter Jim Sharkey is an Irish and Americana folk musician. Jim grew up in County Roscommon, Ireland. He plays around the northeastern US. Jim's original songs blend Irish traditional ballad influences with contemporary issues.
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Dan is a great singer-songwriter. Lovely voice and evocative songs. Galway Lights was one of the first songs I heard of his. Beautiful.
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It's just fantastic. Then he comes out with "On The Move" to top this. Maybe he did but there's a point where topping something and achieving parity is enough and more than most achieve.
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I love this album. Nuala, a great musician, has a beautiful voice and Lovely Armoy is a lovely track to open the album with. I never tire of listening to it.
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