Get all 10 Dave Gibb releases available on Bandcamp and save 25%.
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1. |
Privateer
04:19
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Privateer
(Dave Gibb PRS\MCPS)
We ran molasses from Jamaica to the coast of Caroline
That we traded for tobacco then we headed home again
But any ship low in the water that we’d meet along the way
We would take with fire and murder, leave her burning in our wake
The poor souls who went down with her would cry and scream in fear
They would call to us for mercy but they’d find no mercy here
The colours on our main mast show allegiance to the King
But the colours in our heart show we respect no living thing
A white skull over crossed bones on a flag as black as Hades in the night
We made the port of Bristol; well they ask no questions there
Our goods were sold for profit giving every man his share
Which we then gave to the taverns and the gamblers and the whores
Before we staggered up the gangway to head to sea once more
The merchants of this city like to think they’re civilised
But peel away the attitude and take a look inside
You’ll see the Devil’s mark upon the heart and soul and brain
Of every merchant who takes profit from the blood of other men
A white skull over crossed bones on a flag as black as Hades in the night
So we headed down to Africa with metal goods to trade
For a cargo of Angolans doomed to end their days as slaves
We would sail them o’er the ocean; we would sail them into Hell
And those who lived would reach Jamaica for the auctioneers to sell
But the profits went to London and the homes of honest men
Who believe that God is English and will always care for them
So they go to church each Sunday to sing praises to his name
But the Devil sits beside them knowing fine their souls are stained
With a white skull over crossed bones on a flag as black as Hades in the night
We ran Molasses from Jamaica to the coast of Caroline
That we traded for tobacco and we’d head home one more time
Our gold would swell the coffers of those rich and famous men
Who sit in London’s guildhalls – merchants, dukes, the king
Sitting proud beneath the banners made of gold and silver thread
Bought with slavery and murder and the souls of countless dead
But still we sail the ocean, sail it time and time again
Beneath colours that condemn us in the eyes of honest men
A white skull over crossed bones on a flag as black as Hades in the night
A white skull over crossed bones on a flag as black as Hades in the night
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2. |
The Dissy
03:20
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The Dissy
(Dave Gibb PRS\MCPS)
Its dark and its cold and the rain falls in whispers
On the leaves on the trees that are lit by the moon
With your hands in your pockets you sniff and you shiver
And wait for his footsteps that can’t come too soon
You watched the sun setting and you saw the moon rising
Each second an hour and each hour filled with shame
But you won’t let it show and you pray you’re disguising
The tears that are falling in time with the rain
I'm wondering why you don’t just pack up and go home
Instead of nursing your pain
For far too long you’ve been standing all alone
In the cold and the dark and the rain
You hold yourself close as a shiver runs through you
And your breath shrouds your face like a midwinter mist
Your eyes search in vain through the shadows around you
You’ve waited so long for a moment you missed
I'm wondering why you don’t just pack up and go home
Instead of nursing your pain
For far too long you’ve been standing all alone
In the cold and the dark and the rain
Its dark and its cold and the rain falls in whispers
On the leaves on the trees that are lit by the moon
With your hands in your pockets you sniff and you shiver
And wait for his footsteps that can’t come too soon
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3. |
The Standing Stones
04:27
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The Standing Stones
(Dave Gibb PRS\MCPS)
I'll stand alone by the standing stones
I'll steal the light of the moon
I know in time, if the night stays fine,
She'll call to see me soon
I'll wait all night long if it takes that long
I'll wait till break of day
And I know I'll see, 'cause she called to me,
The lady clad in grey
Tales she'll tell of men who fell
And men she'd barely known
Who took a stand at her command
And faced the night alone
And every one had watched the sun
Sink slowly on its way
And as darkness came they called the name
Of the lady clad in grey
I've heard it said that some men prayed
I've heard that some men cried
And some they say just ran away
While some lay down and died
But come the dawn each man was gone
No sign of him remained
And another soul had joined the stones
For the lady clad in grey
I'll stand alone by the standing stones
I'll steal the light of the moon
I know in time, if the night stays fine,
She'll call to see me soon
And then I'll see what has to be
The price that must be paid
To stand in line till the end of time
For the lady clad in grey
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4. |
The Horizontal
03:04
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The Horizontal
(Dave Gibb PRS\MCPS)
I play the music easy I play the music slow
I let the music take me where the music wants to go
I know that I'm heart lazy
But that's fine by me
I wake up in the morning and the night's all gone
So I laze around all day until bedtime comes
I know that I'm heart Lazy
But that's fine by me
If you ever need to find me I'll be lying on my back
Flicking through the channels on T.V.
Moving's too much effort getting vertical's too hard
The horizontal's fine by me
I've got dishes in the kitchen I've got washing on the floor
And I haven't touched a Hoover in seven weeks or more
I know that I'm heart lazy
But that's fine by me
If you ever need to find me I'll be lying on my back
Flicking through the channels on T.V.
Moving's too much effort getting vertical's too hard
The horizontal's fine by me
I don't know what it is that drives my poor wee wife insane
But when I'm tired of doing nothing I do nothing else again
I know that I'm heart lazy
But that's fine by me
I said - let's try a new position our sex life's become a bore
She said - right you can do the ironing while I lie there and snore
I know that I'm heart lazy
But that's fine by me
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5. |
The Black Lady
05:01
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The Black Lady
(Dave Gibb PRS\MCPS)
A Larkhall ghost story.
In the middle of the nineteenth century a member of the local aristocracy went out to Southern Africa to do his bit for the Empire. One of the pieces of plunder he brought back with him was his very own dusky maiden who, according to local legend, was murdered by him soon after she arrived. Her soul is said to haunt the nearby Avon Gorge.
I lived my life as we'd always lived since time began to flow
As a child my mother taught me all a woman needs to know
To help her find her way through life, raise daughters if she can
So the knowledge she passed on to me can be passed along again
If I'd looked into my future I never would have believed
What it held in store for me
'Cause here I am where I'm always cold
So cold and so alone
And I'm doomed to walk this darkness
Till my soul goes sailing home
Then this white man came to us with a sparkling blue eyed smile
A grandee of the Empire with aristocratic style
He told us tales of foreign lands and his home across the sea
And I remember how he stole my heart when he turned his smile on me
He promised all the Earth to me if I'd let him take me home
Like a fool I followed on
So here I am where I'm always cold
So cold and so alone
And I'm doomed to walk this darkness
Till my soul goes sailing home
He brought me here to this Avon Gorge and his mansion on the hill
But he kept me in the background far away from his social world
I can still recall the fear when he called on me that night
He came to me in darkness and he took away my life
He dragged me down below the stairs of that mansion on the hill
And its there I'm lying still
And there I lie where I'm always cold
So cold and so alone
And I'm doomed to walk this darkness
Till my soul goes sailing home
Still I walk this Avon Gorge with the river and the trees
The children they all run in fear but the grown-ups don't believe
But I'll walk this place till time runs dry; I'll suffer all the pain
Till justice comes to curse his grave and wreaks vengeance on his name
And only then I'll sail away where the sun can warm my soul
And I'll rest in piece at home
But still I'm here where I'm always cold
So cold and so alone
And I'm doomed to walk this darkness
Till my soul goes sailing home
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6. |
The Jerking Dance
04:12
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The Jerking Dance
(Dave Gibb PRS\MCPS)
The hangman's rope's around my neck there's no more life before me
I'm destined for the Pearly Gates or the fire's of Hell below
The trap door opens - down I'll go and I'll do that jerking dance sir
And who will shed a tear for me? The Devil take your answer
The hangman will not meet my eyes he does not know my name sir
His heart's as black as the hood he wears to try and hide his shame
But should the Lord decide it's to the fires of Hell I'm bound sir
I know I'll meet that hangman there I swear I'll hunt him down
Now I die, I can't believe I'm standing here
Now I die, will this really be the end of me?
Down, down, down……..
All my hopes and all my dreams
All the things I thought I'd see
All my childhood fantasies
And all I hoped that I could be
The futures that I've carried in my head for years and years
Have all come to nothing now I'm here
The priest beside me is praying for my soul and its salvation
But all my life he's threatened me with Hell and its damnation
Still he has the nerve to stand and pray me on my way sir
I'll meet him down in Hell an' all and we'll see who's praying there
Now I die, I can't believe I'm standing here
Now I die, will this really be the end of me?
Down, down, down……..
All my hopes and all my dreams
All the things I thought I'd see
All my childhood fantasies
And all I hoped that I could be
The futures that I've carried in my head for years and years
Have all come to nothing now I'm here
Those of you who've come to watch this murder by the law sirs
A curse upon your wife and weans - a curse upon you all
The trap door opens - down I'll go and I'll do that jerking dance sir
And who will shed a tear for me? The Devil take your answer
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7. |
Wings
07:05
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Wings
(Dave Gibb PRS\MCPS)
I watch the dreams and wonder why they always pass me by
All the promises they'd whisper, I knew they lied
But I’d catch a glimpse of freedom or I’d catch a glimpse of light
But any time I tried to reach them they’d always leave me far behind
But if I’d wings upon my shoulders
If I had heaven in my eyes
I’d leave this world behind me
And I would fly
I’d let the dream world take me
Where it wanted me to go
And the world would watch in wonder
Far below
Games I thought I’d play forever or forever and a day
Like the strength I took for granted, they slipped away
Did I ever stand among them? The clever and the strong
All those memories I guarded perhaps I held them far too long
If I had wings upon my shoulders
If I had heaven in my eyes
I’d leave this world behind me
And I would fly
I’d let the dream world take me
Where it wanted me to go
And the world would watch in wonder
Far below
We thought that time was ours for taking believed our days would never end
And I’d sell my soul to be there once again
But time’s a hard, hard master and he must always have his way
We’re trapped between the past and future and he lets us know that’s where we’ll stay
If I had wings upon my shoulders
If I had heaven in my eyes
I’d leave this world behind me
And I would fly
I’d let the dream world take me
Where it wanted me to go
And the world would watch in wonder
Far below
This world must take me as it finds me at least that always been my claim
But with or without me it keeps turning just the same
So are the dreams now gone forever? do only memories remain?
Well I’ll just watch a while and wonder if dreams will pass this way again
But if I’d wings upon my shoulders
If I had heaven in my eyes
I’d leave this world behind me
And I would fly
I’d let the dream world take me
Where it wanted me to go
And the world would watch in wonder
Far below
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8. |
Better Life Next Time
04:04
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Better Life Next Time
(Dave Gibb PRS\MCPS)
A song about re-incarnation and what I may or may not have been in previous lives….not all of which were necessarily human.
The first life I remember was a long, long time ago
Somewhere up the Yangtsee in a place called Shanty-Po
I wisnae born a king or queen, that's not for the likes of me
I was born the humble carrier of the pots of royal pee
Well someone had to do it that's just the way it was
After all away back then who'd heard of a royal flush
I'd take it to the quayside and I'd pour it all away
Now you know that's how the yellow river got its name
And when I died I marched up to the boss and I said - this isnae fair
He said - remember who you're talking to or I'll send you back for mair
Then he shrugged in his omnipotence and smiled and said - that's fine
We'll see if we can find you a better life next time
I must have made a boo-boo but what it was I'll never know
But in my next life I came back a gelded water buffalo
And to be fair it wisnae all bad just wallowing in mud
Producing lots of methane and chewing on the cud
But I thought this is the limit, it isnae very nice
No sex and knowing someday I'd be served on a plate with rice
But there's no point in complaining they don't care how bullocks feel
When the only fun we get in life is fertilising fields
And when I died I marched up to the boss and I said - this isnae fair
He said - remember who you're talking to or I'll send you back for mair
Then he shrugged in his omnipotence and smiled and said - that's fine
We'll see if we can find you a better life next time
In my time I've been a rat with piles, I've been a seasick whale
An albatross with vertigo and a teller of tall tales
A python with lumbago and a spider with bad knees
And a facetious politician with a nasty wee disease
A bloody politician? Oh c'mon this isnae right
A merchant of the patter who's always talking rubbish
I've been a rodent once before and this was much the same
But unlike politicians rats don't kill and eat their ain
And when I died I marched up to the boss and I said - this isnae fair
He said - remember who you're talking to or I'll send you back for mair
Then he shrugged in his omnipotence and smiled and said - that's fine
We'll see if we can find you a better life next time
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9. |
Stalingrad
04:49
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Stalingrad
(Dave Gibb PRS\MCPS)
The cold wind's always chilled his bones at least that's how it seems
To the man who finds hard to tell the nightmare from the dreams
Frozen earth below his feet, a cold sun overhead
Just another front line soldier in the city of the dead
Proud to be a warrior he conquered lands with ease
From the flatlands of the Volga to the towering Pyrenees
The uniform that radiated fear now hangs in shreds
As he huddles in the ruins of this city of the dead
Fear has wiped away the pride that once shone from his face
He no longer fights for honour or the glory of his race
He just wants to see tomorrow - he just wants to travel back
Along the road of evil from Berlin to Stalingrad
Hiding in the ruins seeking shelter where they can
The soldiers of the revolution wait to take their chance
To hammer the invaders with all the power of revenge
And deal with those who dared to take this city of the dead
Beaten far too often this is where they'll make their stand
Today's the day they'll pay for all the blood that's soaked the land
To justify the sacrifices - bring this to an end
Ensuring none will live to leave this city of the dead
Frozen bodies pointing to the heavens lie around
While evil fights with evil over every inch of ground
But its time to turn the tables now its time to pay them back
For every fallen soul that marks the road to Stalingrad
We'll find them in the ruins - everywhere they've taken hold
We'll tear their bodies limb from limb - destroy their very souls
And hound them every step they take as they go crawling back
And countless dead will pave the road that leads from Stalingrad
And countless dead will pave the road that leads from Stalingrad
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10. |
Lullaby
03:18
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Lullaby
(Dave Gibb PRS\MCPS)
See what tomorrow will bring
Will you learn how to fly
See what life's like on the wing
If only you would try
And then will you sing my lullaby
Where will the trade winds carry you
Will you visit distant lands
And will you fly away from me
Into another's arms
And there will you sing my lullaby
And when you tire of distant shores
Will you fly back to me
And will you take me in your arms
And set me at my ease
And promise you will sing my lullaby
And promise you will sing my lullaby
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11. |
The Bureaucrat Song
04:12
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The Bureaucrat song
(Dave Gibb PRS\MCPS)
In my office there's a nice wee desk and a swivel chair and all
And all my framed diplomas and degrees are on the wall
Every day I move my papers from the in-tray to the out
That's what being a bureaucrat's about
Outside my door my secretary hammers on her keys
And from nine to five she's paid to keep the world away from me
She know's to make the minions wait and keep the peasants out
That's what being a bureaucrat's about
When there's papers to be shuffled
Or there's memo's to be done
Or you need someone to sit around
With their finger up their bum
Then I'm the man you're looking for
I'm a bureaucrat
And I can crat my bureaus with the best
There are steering groups and user groups and committees of all types
And tentative investigatory meetings and the like
Where we ponder things and discuss things and pass the biscuits round
That what being a bureaucrat's about
And when the chairman starts the meeting then we inwardly rejoice
Cause there's nothing we like better than the sound of our own voice
We talk of this and we talk of that as we pour the coffees out
That's what being a bureaucrat's about
When there's papers to be shuffled
Or there's memo's to be done
Or you need someone to sit around
With their finger up their bum
Then I'm the man you're looking for
I'm a bureaucrat
And I can crat my bureaus with the best
I see procrastination as my most important tool
But I'll save that till tomorrow I don't use it as a rule
I've no time for work I've got to write all next week's meetings out
That what being a bureaucrat's about
Procedures must be followed
"I's" dotted and "T's" crossed
Cause if thing ain't done in triplcate
Surely everything is lost
And I know there's people waiting
For me to get things done
But I'm to busy sitting here
With my finger up my bum
And to remove it first you have to form
A digit placement forum
And figure out how, when and where
The budget's coming from
Because digitary extraction
Does not occur for free
And the man who holds the purse strings
Is a bureaucrat like me
So ensuring there is never a chance
Of my finger being pulled out
That's what being a bureaucrat's about
When there's papers to be shuffled
Or there's memo's to be done
Or you need someone to sit around
With their finger up their bum
Then I'm the man you're looking for
I'm a bureaucrat
And I can crat my bureaus with the best
I can crat my bureaus with the best
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12. |
45
05:16
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45
(Dave Gibb PRS\MCPS)
Sometime back in forty five
I thought about what I'd been told
I swallowed each and every lie
Every word they said - I believed it all
We found them starved behind the wire
Behind the wire we watched them fall
Broken souls with sunken eyes
And when they died we buried them all
And those who had escaped the flames
We fed and sent them on their way
Out into the world alone
Their heads hung heavy with memories
We found the culprits and hung them high
And thought that this must be the end
We'd stared into the pits of hell
And never thought we'd ever see its like again
But it goes on and on….
Some civil war in ninety five
I think about what I've been told
I swallowed each and every lie
Every word they said - I believed it all
On the TV screen we watched them starve
On the TV screen we watched them fall
Poor souls standing petrified
When they were butchered they buried them all
And it goes on and on….
From the Khmer Rouge in paradise
To Balkan thugs in uniform
Kristalnacht and yellow stars
That century of madness has seen them all
That century of tears and shame
That stains the very soul of man
Can now lose itself in history
Stand aside, let time goes marching on again
And it goes on and on….
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13. |
Cold, Cold Night
04:22
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Cold, Cold Night
(Dave Gibb PRS\MCPS)
It was a cold, cold night or so I'm told
His heart beat hard but his dreams were old
He would stand as the lonely stand
And the moonlight died as if at his command
For far too long he's held his tears
Lived hard on his dreams - fed too long on his fears
But he would wait until the time felt right
So he could whisper her name into the sweet black night
And the night stayed cold and time rolled on
The moonlight died and the moment's gone
His sorrow breaks as the shadows grow
And he thinks on the pain that troubles his soul
And in his heart he dreams of light
If he could whisper her name he would chase the night
And the night stayed cold and time rolled on
The moonlight died and the moment's gone
And the night stayed cold and time rolled on
The moonlight died and the moment's gone
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14. |
The Mercenary Song
04:16
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Mercenary Song
(Dave Gibb PRS\MCPS)
My sword's for sale to any man
A soldier's life's the only life I've known
I'll fight for good, I'll fight for bad
I'll fight for any cause except my own
And I accept that I will die in pain
I accept I'll never set my eyes on home
There was nothing left back there for us
So we headed off to war with swords held high
But war will always take its toll
And one by one I watched my people die
And I can see no rhyme or reason
As to who is left for dead and who survives
The fields of France and Holland have absorbed the dead
Growing fertile, rich and green
And the forests of the Ardennes
Stand in mute disgust at horrors they have seen
I've been fighting for a thousand years
So horror doesn't mean a thing to me
We headed to the south and East
Anywhere men pay for blood with gold
Down through the plains of Germany
Across the Rhine where Caesars feared to go
This burning flame of greed will lead us
Places only fear and terror know
For thirty years we've won and lost
For thirty years we've gambled in life's game
But when they say its souls they're fighting for
It's no big thing to take a life away
Prince or courtier, serf or peasant
When they're dying everybody looks the same
Prince or courtier, serf or peasant
When they're dying everybody looks the same
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15. |
The Goodbye Song
04:16
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Goodbye song
(Dave Gibb PRS\MCPS)
I've been travelling this road too long and it's played havoc with my mind
Walking through the seasons and they haven't all been kind
Winter winds have chilled my bones and the Summer sun's been fierce
Each day I look for shelter and tonight I found it here
We may not meet tomorrow but we'll meet again someday
And the songs we sang together we will surely sing again
We'll sing beneath the lamplight where the wine and songs flow free
And memories of this evening will always stay with me
In every storm you'll find a port, a haven from the winds
Where a man can take his ease in the company of friends
Friends he knows who'll gather round to help him fight the pain
And help him to forget he'll have to face the night again
We may not meet tomorrow but we'll meet again someday
And the songs we sang together we will surely sing again
We'll sing beneath the lamplight where the wine and songs flow free
And memories of this evening will always stay with me
We may not meet tomorrow but we'll meet again someday
And the songs we sang together we will surely sing again
We'll sing beneath the lamplight where the wine and songs flow free
And memories of this evening will always stay with me
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Dave Gibb Wanlockhead, UK
Left Handed, Balding, Post Menopausal, Songwriting Folky from Scotland’s Highest
Village.
A singer of songs and a teller of tales from the hills of Dumfries & Galloway who happily fingerpicks his way through life’s travails.
Songs funny or sad, happy or grim, meaningful or meaningless played fast or slow (sometimes both at the same time)…….He likes a giggle.
... more
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