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1. |
Sweet Anne's Road
05:59
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SWEET ANNE'S ROAD
Written by Jim Sharkey
Kind friends my heart is broken I can no longer stand
Since my true love Joshua's gone to fight in Afghanistan
He left me here to mourn and weep to worry and forebode
To roam the fields round Copper Hill just off of Sweet Anne's Road
I met him at the high school football game he played for The Buffaloes
In all my life I ne'er did meet a boy so brash and bold
He said I had the sweetest smile of all the girls he'd known
And he walked me home to Copper Hill just off of Sweet Anne's Road
The day that he was leaving he smiled and with his hand
He touched my lips and gleaned a kiss to have at his command
And into his breast pocket he placed it soft and slow, saying
I'll never be too far now from my girl on Sweet Anne's Road
BRIDGE:
Like the waters that flow from our land down to Roanoke
Drop by drop he slipped away
As year after year they called his name
And he'd go back again
In the Helmand River Valley where the hardened poppies grow
He stepped upon an IED they said he never knew
They said he never felt a thing but how are they to know
The white pines they hang heavy now by the side of Sweet Anne's Road
BRIDGE:
Like the waters that flow from our land down to Roanoke
Drop by drop he slipped away
As year after year they called his name
And he'd go back again
Kind friends my heart is broken I can no longer stand
Since my true love Joshua went to fight in Afghanistan
He left me here to mourn and weep to worry and forebode
To roam the fields round Copper Hill just off of Sweet Anne's Road
Oh I roam the fields round Copper Hill just off of Sweet Anne's Road
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2. |
September
03:37
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SEPTEMBER
written by Jim Sharkey
I'll see you in September
when the leaves are turning on the trees
Your face will be one of splendor
Your soft voice so welcome and dear
Life grows cold here in New England
the wood fires glow and warm the nights
As the hummingbird and the woodcock leaves us
The first frost spikes the silent light
I watch the boats in Winter Harbor
The heaving waves and the weight of time
The lobster buoys bind their treasures
They swing and sway with the ocean tide
I'll see you in September
when the leaves are falling from the trees
Your face will be one of splendor
Your soft voice so welcome and dear
Oh, my daughter, I can summon
so many pictures from the years
The joy, and gladness, the love, the sadness
The pain of life and unsettled tears
But few of those pictures summoned
Can ever match my struggles now
Watching you drive south on Main Street
My spirit crumbles and tears fall down
I'll see you in September
You must go and find your way
I will loose the aging tethers
And replace them another day
I'll see you in September
The Downeaster travels your way
We'll go find an old-fashioned diner
And walk along the south shore bay
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3. |
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BLOW THE CANDLE OUT
(Traditional, music by Jim Sharkey)
It's of a young apprentice
Who went to court his dear
The moon was shining bright-e-ly,
And the stars were twinkling clear
There he went to his love's window
To ease her of her pain
She quickly rose to let him in
And went to bed again.
My father and my mother
In yonder room do lay
They're embracing one another
And so may you and I
They're embracing one another
Without a fear or doubt
Saying: Take me in your arms, my love,
And blow the candle out
My mother she'd be angry
If she should come to know
My father he'd be angry too,
To prove my overthrow
I would not forfeit five guineas now
That they should find me out
So take me in your arms, my love,
And blow the candle out.
O when your baby it is born
You may bounce it on your knee
And if it be a baby boy
Then name it after me
For when nine months are over
My apprenticeship is out
I'll return and do my duty
And blow the candle out.
Now six months they were over,
Six months and a day
He wrote his love a letter,
Sayin' he was going away
He wrote his love a letter,
Without a fear or doubt
That he would not return again
To blow the candle out.
Come all you pretty young girls
A warning take by me
And don't be quick to fall in love
With everyone you see
For when they're in their prenticeship
They'll swear their time is out
Then they'll leave you, as mine left me,
To blow the candle out.
At the end of this song Burt Mitchell played a variation of a beautiful tune called The Kerfunten, written by Hammy Hamilton. In addition to writing music Hammy makes flutes out of his shop in Macroom, County Cork. You can find out more info here at his website www.hamiltonflutes.com
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4. |
The Three Ravens
04:37
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THE THREE RAVENS
(Traditional with music by Jim Sharkey)
There were three Ravens sat on a tree
There were three Ravens sat on a tree
There were three Ravens sat on a tree
They were as black as they might be
The one of them said to his mate
Where shall we our breakfast take?
Down in yonder green field
There lies a slain knight under a shield
His hounds they lie down at his feet
His hounds so well there master keep
His bitter hawks fly swift and sly
There's no fowl there to him come nigh
Down there comes a fallow doe
As great with young as she might go
She stoops and lifts up his bloody head
To kiss his wounds that were so red
She got him up upon her back
And carried him to the earthen lake
She buried him before the prime
And died herself before evening time
God send every gentleman
God send every gentleman
God send every gentleman
Such hawks, such hounds, and partisan
There were three ravens sat on a tree
There were three ravens sat on a tree
The one of them said to his mate
Where shall we our breakfast take
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5. |
Venus De Milo, 1820
03:42
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VENUS DE MILO, 1820
(Written by Lisal Kayati Roberts, music by Jim Sharkey)
She knew her own beauty
long before it was discovered by ordinary men
Their fingernails dirtied with years
of tending to their own animals
and the earth they slouched against
They were heard telling small excited stories
About the only God they understood
She was found broken
and still with dignity
They brushed the fine, dark soil
from an unworried brow
And lifted her away from her hiding
She looks at us gently now
even and knowing
She has kept company with Gods
and sometimes, men.
Heaven is a subtle place
and Venus she has always appeared brightly
A small sun in our dark familiar nights.
It isn't meanness
in her self-absorbed posture
It's surely a kind of sadness
any of us might remember
knowing your arms will never
embrace the light again
She knew her own beauty
long before it was discovered by ordinary men
Their fingernails dirtied with years
of tending to their own animals
and the earth they slouched against
They were heard telling small excited stories
About the only God they understood
Heaven is a subtle place
Heaven is a subtle place
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6. |
Fair Maid In The Garden
03:51
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THE FAIR MAID IN THE GARDEN
(Traditional; with additional words and music by Jim Sharkey)
A pretty fair maid in the garden
A journeyed soldier passing by
He did stop and he addressed her
“Pretty miss, won't you marry me”
“No, kind sir, a man of honor
A man of honor you may be
Would you impose upon a lady
Who to you a bride can't be?”
“Cause I have a sweetheart cross the ocean
He has been gone for ten long years,
And if he's dead I hope he's happy
Or in some battle being slain.”
“And if he is to some girl married
I'll love the girl that married him.
If it's her he needs to make him happy
What do I care? Good luck to them.”
The soldier reached into his pocket and
Took out the ring she'd given him
So long ago in the self same garden
When he swore to return again
Straight up she le'pt before him
He picked her up into his arms
And gave her kisses one, two, three, and wondered
“If I'd 'ae stayed gone ten more years,
Would you still be here to marry me?”
“Oh! no, kind sir a man of honor
A man of honor you surely be
Would you impose upon a lady
A single life through my tender years?”
That'd be asking too much of me
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7. |
House of Cards
05:09
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THE HOUSE OF CARDS
(written by Jim Sharkey)
It's Saturday morning, the sun's heating up
The coffee pot over the market square
I'm thinking of times that had long been forgotten
And watching the vendors unloading their wares
There's little blue candles, stained glass and instruments
Birdhouses, produce, jewelry, and soap
There's handbuilt stoneware from down in Floyd County
"How much for the vase, will you take twenty-five?"
There's honey from Bedford, from Grandin there's sweet bread
Baked by a man, a nice fellow he seems
He's asking the passers-by, if they would like to try
A sample or two of his cranberry cakes
You used to bake the children's birthday cakes
German chocolate, red velvet and more
Now the children are gone away and so are the recipes
I'm having a hard time; as time passes on
CHORUS:
And the house of cards has been torn and tumbled down
Swept from the foundations by a hurricane wind
I was wrong from the start, I was wrong from the get-go
I was wrong to assume that I'd be first to part
Being alone was an unwelcome notion
A vague and dismissive uncertainty
So I never thought much, no more than a young child
Safeguarded and sheltered by its family
Down on the Greenway by the wandering river
I'll walk till my troubles have drifted away
And when they're long gone I'll stop and look round
To gaze on the life so sweetly we shared
CHORUS:
And the house of cards has been torn and tumbled down
Swept from the foundations by a hurricane wind
I was wrong from the start, I was wrong from the get-go
I was wrong to assume that I'd be first to part
BRIDGE: If there was one thing I could do
If there was one thing I could say
I'd say please stay at home and don't go out today
It's Saturday evening, the mountains around town
Are closing their eyes to drift into sleep
A Norfolk Southern bound for the coal mine
Slips out of the station a promise to keep
The young folks gather down on Salem Avenue
In tap rooms and taverns, rest'rants and bars
You always said it's nice to see youngsters
Enjoying their lives wherever they are
BRIDGE: If there was one thing I could do
If there was one thing I could say
I'd say please stay at home and don't go out today.
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8. |
Green Grows the Laurels
03:11
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GREEN GROWS THE LAUREL
(Traditional)
Green grows the laurel and soft falls the dew
Sad was my heart when I parted from you
And in our next meeting I hope you'll prove true
Never change the green laurel for the violets so blue
I once had a sweetheart but now she is gone
She's gone and she's left me I'm here all alone
And since she has left me content I must be
I know she loves someone far better than me
I wrote her a letter so loving and kind
She wrote me another with sharp bitter lines
Saying, Keep your love letters and I will keep mine
And you write to your love and I'll write to mine
She passed by my window both early and late
And the looks that she gave me would make your heart ache
The looks that she gave me ten thousand would kill
Wherever she wanders she'll be my love still
I once was as happy as the red blushing rose
But now I'm as pale as the lily that grows
Like the tree in the garden with its beauty all gone
Can't you see what I've come to from the loving of one
REPEAT FIRST VERSE
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9. |
Man Without A Country
04:36
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MAN WITHOUT A COUNTRY
written by Jim Sharkey
My hands are trembling, behind my back
And the mind's recalling the times we had
At home in Sligo, in Toorlestran
Walking with Delia, holdin' her sweet hand
Words were spoken, promises made
I loved her dearly, we were going to wed
But the blight set in, by forty-five
The potatoes rotted, poisoned overnight
Fair play is the name of the game
But the rules keep changing Nothing stays the same
I'm on the bottom with no place to go
A man without a country looking for a home
I buried Delia in 'forty-six
She died of fever and politics
I sailed from Galway and said goodbye
To the land I loved, it was never mine
It's the land of landlords and middlemen
The rack-renting agents that divide the land
There's work here in Boston or way out west
Where the Mississippi Riverboats never rest
Fair play is the name of the game
But the rules keep changing
Nothing stays the same
I'm on the bottom, there's only one place to go
For a man without a country looking for a home oh
There wasn't much in Boston, or in NewYork town
Plenty of servitude and slander going round
I joined the army, to march out west
And crossed the Rio Grande, into Mexico we pressed
How I got here, I'll never know
A sense of justice or injustice, I don't know
Six-hundred Irishmen joined with Mexico
And fought with John Reilly looking for a home
At Cerra Gordo and Buena Vista too
We fought Scott's army with a fire they never knew
But at Churubusco, with cannon and shell
And the "Mississippi Rifle" balls they blew us all to hell
Fair play is the name of the game
I'll not ask forgiveness that'll never change
To die a traitor I'll never do, The right and the wrong of it all
I'll leave that up to you
So spring the trapdoor, I'm not afraid
My heart is aching, you'll take that away
My eyes are covered, but I see clearly now
My life's meant nothing, it never did somehow
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10. |
The Campaign Song
05:28
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THE CAMPAIGN SONG
(written by Jim Sharkey)
Hiddle ee ey il doodle dum diddly eye dil day
What's this your name is?
Ah! Hiddle ee ey il doodle dum diddly eye dil day
What's this your name is?
Milo is it? God! I don't know you at all, Milo.
But it's no problem, come in we'll get you fixed up
When the polls come out and you're way down south
And you think it's time to be baling out
Then call me
My name is John
I can write a song
To boost your campaign
Throughout the county
I'm known throughout the music biz
I've loads of hits, I'm a wonder kid
it's no biggie at all but/ listen here
When you're in a race, it helps to place yourself above the pack with a catchy ditty - For example,
I Like Ike; Tippecanoe and Tyler Too; The Ode to the Georgia Farmer; The Sidewalks of New York; Hello Lyndon; Happy Day's Are Here Again, it's a Beautiful Day, you're Welcome to the Cabaret
Now you can't play any song you like
'cause they'll tell ya / go on and take a hike / you can't use it
Wasn't Ronald Reagan Born in the USA but “The Boss” didn't like the way he played; he refused him!
And Neil didn't like how “The Donald” rocked, rocking in the leather chair, Rocking in the Free World
So, he called him up and he said “Hey, Buck, Lanigan's Ball is available, give that a whirl instead".
Hiddle ee ey il doodle dum diddly eye dil day
What's this your name is?
Ah! Hiddle ee ey il doodle dum diddly eye dil day
You'll go on to greatness, but there's just one thing we have to do!
Sit down Milo, we'll have to change your name
before you run for “vacansay” / on the school board
We'll call you “Moe”, off you go
tell me now, when asked / do you know /
What your name is?
My name is MOE, that's right! Moe Morells
It's more electable don't you think? Than Milo Morells.
Here's the chorus now:
WE WANT MOE! moe! Moe! moe!
WE WANT MOE! moe! o! o!
Moe Health Care; moe Time Off;
moe Marijuana;
moe Minimum Wage;
moe Overtime; more Infrastructure Spending
moe Schools; mo Teachers;
moe Decent Jobs, moe Equality, these are all the good features
Oh! We want Moe! Moe! Moe! Moe!
We want Moe! Moe! Moe! Moe!
No more debt. NO MOE! (Chorus response)
No more private, profit-making prisons. NO MOE! (Chorus response)
No more global warming; NO MOE! (Chorus response)
No more pollution: NO MOE! (Chorus response)
No mo super pacs; NO MOE! (Chorus response)
Ah! Hiddle ee ey il doodle dum hiddly eye dil do! What's this his name is? Ah! Hiddle ee ey il doodle dum hiddly eye dil do! What's this his name is?
His name is MOE! MOE! MOE! MOE!
His name is MOE! MOE! MOE! MOE!
Moe walls
up along the Atlantic
and from Lubec, Maine all the way to Seattle
and south to San Diego
to Brownsville and Key Largo
We have to stop those immigrants that have been coming here for over
Well, they've been coming here for over 400 years! I know that much
... and they're takin' over the place!
We want Mo! Woe Wo o! Woe oh oh!
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11. |
I Saw From The Beach
04:04
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I SAW FROM THE BEACH
(Poem by Thomas Moore. Music by Jim Sharkey)
I saw from the beach, when the morning was shining,
A bark o'er the waters move gloriously on;
I came when the sun o'er that beach was declining,
The bark was still there, but the waters were gone.
And such is the fate of our life's early promise,
So passing the spring-tide of joy we have known;
Each wave that we danced on at morning ebbs from us,
And leaves us, at eve, on the bleak shore alone.
Ne'er tell me of glories, serenely adorning
The close of our day, the calm eve of our night
Give me back, give me back the wild freshness of morning
Her clouds and her tears are worth evening's best light
Oh, who would not welcome that moment's returning
When passion first waked a new life through his frame,
And his soul, like the wood that grows precious in burning,
Gave out all its sweets to love's exquisite flame.
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12. |
Adieu To Belashanny
04:36
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ADIEU TO BELASHANNY
(Poem by William Allingham, Music by Jim Sharkey)
Adieu to Belashanny! where I was bred and born;
Go where I may, I'll think of you, as sure as night and morn.
The kindly spot, the friendly town, where every one is known,
And not a face in all the place but partly seems my own;
There's not a house or window, there's not a field or hill,
But, east or west, in foreign lands, I recollect them still.
I leave my warm heart with you, tho' my back I'm forced to turn
Adieu to Belashanny, and the winding banks of Erne!
No more on pleasant evenings we'll saunter down the Mall,
When the trout is rising to the fly, the salmon to the fall.
The boat comes straining on her net, and heavily she creeps,
Cast off, cast off - she feels the oars, and to her berth she sweeps;
Now fore and aft keep hauling, and gathering up the clew.
Till a silver wave of salmon rolls in among the crew.
Then they may sit, with pipes a-lit, and many a joke and 'yarn'
Adieu to Belashanny; and the winding banks of Erne!
The thrush will call through Camlin groves the live- long summer day;
The waters run by mossy cliff, and banks with wild flowers gay;
The girls will bring their work and sing beneath a twisted thorn,
Or stray with sweethearts down the path among the growing corn;
Along the river-side they go, where I have often been,
O never shall I see again the days that I have seen!
A thousand chances are to one I never may return
Adieu to Belashanny, and the winding banks of Erne!
If ever I'm a money'd man, I mean, please God, to cast
My golden anchor in the place where youthful years were pass'd;
Though heads that now are black and brown must meanwhile gather gray,
New faces rise by every hearth, and old ones drop away
Yet dearer still that Irish hill than all the world beside;
It's home, sweet home, where'er I roam, through lands and waters wide.
And if fortune does allow me, I surely will return
To my native Belashanny, and the winding banks of Erne.
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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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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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