Fairport Convention

[fox69]

"Staines Morris"

"Staines Morris"


Come ye young men, come along
With your music and your song
Bring your lasses in your hands
For 'tis that which love commands

Then to the maypole haste away
For 'tis now our holiday
'Tis the choice time of the year
For the violets now appear
Now the rose receives its birth
And the pretty primrose decks the earth

And when you well reckoned have
What kisses you your sweethearts gave
Take them all again and more
It will never make them poor
Then to the maypole haste away
For 'tis now our holiday

When you thus have spent your time
Till the day be past its prime
To your beds repair at night
And dream there of your day's delight
Then to the maypole haste away
For 'tis now our holiday

Come ye young men, come along
With your music and your song
Bring your lasses in your hands
For 'tis that which love commands

 

[fox69]

"Step By Step"

"Step By Step"


Just where the sea meets the sky
A place we always go
Clouds floating gracefully by
Over shades of aquamarine flow
Let those cares drift away
Bring some ease into your mind
Let this be here today
Step by step your hand in mine
Butterflies breeze through the fern
The wind is gentle in your hair
This is the calm our hearts yearn
Faith in this magic cliff top air
Let those cares drift away
Bring some ease into your mind
Let this be here today
Step by step your hand in mine
Then when the tide here has turned
Another place calls for us to share
We'll savour this moment and then
Carry the joy everywhere
Let those cares drift away
Bring some ease into your mind
Let this be here today
Step by step your hand in mine
Let those cares drift away
Bring some ease into your mind
Let this be here today
Step by step your hand in mine
Step by step your hand in mine

 

[fox69]

"Stranger To Himself"

"Stranger To Himself"


He was a stranger to himself
A spy in his own camp
And his money was his health
All thrown to the dust by his very own hand
Yet his beauty lingered still
Beyond the draining of the sand
But greener was the other side of the hill
Richer was the other man's land
But we loved him, loved him just like brothers would
We loved him, loved him like no others could
And she loved him, loved him like a lover should
Take good care of an aching heart
You never can replace it
You know you are the master of your heart
You'll realize that when you think it fit
Those orbs of blue are jading away
No laughter from them dances
Yet you're bound to remember this one day
Hazards are risks and risks are chances
You can run for cover, run for cover like a frightened hare
Till it's all over, all over and there's no one there
'Cause you daren't discover, daren't discover that we really care

 

[fox69]

"Sun Shade"

"Sun Shade"


Dying's not easy today
Trying but can't get away
Feel just the almost touch of her hand and the trees in her hair
Eyes float, the sun she saw only me in the sky
What could be higher than we
Wind grows cold in the trees
She cries so hard to please
My restless feet, the rain in the street, and her vanity fair
Sighs in the eyes of the boarding house lady who stares
Thinking I care
So it's a long dusty road
Feelings I shouldn't have showed
Follow me with a sweet heart when I'm ready to fade
Lights like these burn so bright, keep me out of my shade
Wish I could fade
Just see me fade
Just see me fade
Just see me fade
Just see me fade
Just see me fade
See me fade

 

[fox69]

"Suzanne"
(originally by Leonard Cohen)

"Suzanne"
(originally by Leonard Cohen)



Suzanne takes you down to a place near the river
You can hear the boats go by
You can spend the night forever
And you know that she's half crazy
But that's why you want to be there
And she feeds you tea and oranges
That come all the way from China
And just when you want to tell her
That you have no love to give her
Then she gets you on her wavelength
And she lets the river answer
That you've always been her lover
And you want to travel with her
And you want to travel blind
And you think that maybe you'll trust her
For she's touched your perfect body with her mind

And Jesus was a sailor
When He walked upon the water
And He spent a long time watching
From His lonely wooden tower
And when He knew for certain
Only drowning men could see Him
He said "All men shall be sailors then
Until the sea shall free them"
But He Himself was broken
Long before the sky would open
Forsaken, almost human
He sank beneath your wisdom like a stone
And you want to travel with Him
And you want to travel blind
And you think maybe you'll trust Him
For He's touched your perfect body with His mind

Suzanne takes you down to a place near the river
You can hear the boats go by
You can spend the night forever
And the sun pours down like honey
On our lady of the harbour
And she shows you where to look
Amid the garbage and the flowers
There are heroes in the seaweed
There are children in the morning
And they're leaning out for love
And they will lean that way forever
While Suzanne holds the mirror
And you want to travel with her
And you want to travel blind
And you think maybe you'll trust her
For you've touched her perfect body with your mind

 

[fox69]

"Tale In Hard Time"

"Tale In Hard Time"


Take the sun from my heart
Let me learn to despise
I'll show you another who cannot tell lies

The blind man can't see
Who demands to his eyes
I'll show you another who sings as he cries

I cannot be whole
As the beggar who sighs
I'll show you another who knows as he dies

 

[fox69]

"Talking About My Love"

"Talking About My Love"


Things come up and bring you mixed emotion
I'm talking about her, talking about her
Tossed around like a boat out on the ocean
I'm talking about my love

I could sail around the seven seas
Never reach the shore
With my rudder set on an even keel
Ropes held tight and the danger real
Drifting sometimes away
It feel, I'm sure

Things come up and bring you mixed emotion
I'm talking about her, talking about her
Tossed around like a boat out on the ocean
I'm talking about my love

If you don't know how the day will end
There be troubles 'round the world
No one knows much about it
You can't say much about it
Sun or wind, hail or rain
Just bring us back to, still I pray

I could force ya home with an iron will
It's tempered through to blue
With a heavy hammer for my heart
Beating 'round those fiery sparks
Cooling all the while
As lovers do

Things come up and bring you mixed emotion
I'm talking about her, talking about her
Tossed around like a boat out on the ocean
I'm talking about my love

Things come up and bring you mixed emotion
I'm talking about her, talking about her
Tossed around like a boat out on the ocean
I'm talking about my love

Things come up... and bring you mixed emotion
I'm tossed around
When I'm talking about my love

 

[fox69]

"Tam Lin"

"Tam Lin"


I forbid you maidens all that wear gold in your hair
To travel to Carterhaugh for young Tam Lin is there
None that go by Carterhaugh but they leave him a pledge
Either their mantles of green or else their maidenhead
Janet tied her kirtle green a bit above her knee
And she's gone to Carterhaugh as fast as go can she
She'd not pulled a double rose, a rose but only two
When up then came young Tam Lin, says "Lady, pull no more"
"And why come you to Carterhaugh without command from me?"
"I'll come and go," young Janet said, "and ask no leave of thee"
Janet tied her kirtle green a bit above her knee
And she's gone to her father as fast as go can she
Well, up then spoke her father dear and he spoke meek and mild
"Oh, and alas, Janet," he said, "I think you go with child"
"Well, if that be so," Janet said, "myself shall bear the blame
There's not a knight in all your hall shall get the baby's name"
For if my love were an earthly knight as he is an elfin grey
I'd not change my own true love for any knight you have"
Janet tied her kirtle green a bit above her knee
And she's gone to Carterhaugh as fast as go can she
"Oh, tell to me, Tam Lin," she said, "why came you here to dwell?"
"The Queen of Faeries caught me when from my horse I fell
And at the end of seven years she pays a tithe to Hell
I so fair and full of flesh and feared it be myself
But tonight is Hallowe'en and the faerie folk ride
Those that would their true love win at Miles Cross they must bide
First let past the horses black and then let past the brown
Quickly run to the white steed and pull the rider down
For I'll ride on the white steed, the nearest to the town
For I was an earthly knight, they give me that renown
Oh, they will turn me in your arms to a newt or a snake
But hold me tight and fear not, I am your baby's father
And they will turn me in your arms into a lion bold
But hold me tight and fear not and you will love your child
And they will turn me in your arms into a naked knight
But cloak me in your mantle and keep me out of sight"
In the middle of the night she heard the bridle ring
She heeded what he did say and young Tam Lin did win
Then up spoke the Faerie Queen, an angry queen was she
Woe betide her ill-fard face, an ill death may she die
"Oh, had I known, Tam Lin," she said, "what this night I did see
I'd have looked him in the eyes and turned him to a tree"

 

[fox69]

"The Ballad Of Easy Rider"
(originally by Roger McGuinn)

"The Ballad Of Easy Rider"
(originally by Roger McGuinn)



The river flows, flows to the sea
Wherever that river goes that's where I want to be
Flow river flow, let your waters wash down
Take me from this road to some other town
All he wanted was just to be free
And that's the way it turned out to be
Flow, river flow, let your waters wash down
Take me from this road to some other town
Flow river go, past the shady tree
Flow river flow, flow to the sea
Flow river flow, flow to the sea
The river flows to the sea
Wherever that river goes that's where I want to be
Flow river flow, let your waters wash down
Take me from this road to some other town
All he wanted was just to be free
And that's the way it turned out to be
Flow, river flow, let your waters rush down
Take me from this road to some other town
Flow river go, past the shady tree
Flow river flow, flow to the sea
Flow river flow, flow to the sea

 

[fox69]

"The Banks Of Sweet Primroses"

"The Banks Of Sweet Primroses"


As I walked out on a midsummer's morning
For to view the fields and to take the air
Down by the banks of the sweet primroses
There I beheld a most love lie fair

Three short steps, I stepped up to her
Not knowing her as she passed me by
I stepped up to her, thinking for to view her
She appeared to be like some virtuous bride

I says "Fair maid, where are you going?
And what's the occasion of all your brief?
I will make you as happy as any lady
If you will grant to me one small relief"

"Stand off, stand off, you're a false deceiver
You are a false deceitful man, I know
'Tis you that has caused my poor heart to wander
And in your comfort lies no refrain"

So I'll go down to some lonesome valley
Where no man on earth shall there me find
Where the pretty little small birds do change their voices
And every moment blows blusterous wind

So come all young men who go a-sailing
Pray pay attention to what I say
For there's many a dark and a cloudy morning
Turns out to be a sunshiny day