Get all 10 Dave Gibb releases available on Bandcamp and save 25%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Feeling Good.....Looking Better, Speed Of The Plough, Story Song, Galena, Motherload, Goldscaur, Avalon, Giggles, and 2 more.
1. |
When The Harvest Is In
04:16
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When The Harvest Is In
(©Dave Gibb 2015 PRS/MCPS)
She waves him goodbye as she fights back the tears
She'll be left on her own through the best of the year
Spring through to autumn he'll work on the land
For the migrant must work where there's work to be had
He'll work for the gangers - he'll sweat for his pay
Breaking his back for them day after day
Sowing and reaping and clearing the ditch
A poor man at work in the land of the rich
But she knows that he'll come back to her
When autumn's at an end
When the days grow short and the nights are cold
And winter's closing in
They'll keep each other warm again
When the Harvest is in
Spring through to autumn she misses her man
But she gets on with living as best as she can
She counts all the days until he's back again
She counts all the days till the harvest is in
But she knows .....
But she knows .....
But she knows that he'll come back to her
When autumn's at an end
She knows that he will keep her warm
At least until the spring
Then she'll sleep alone again
Till the harvest is in
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2. |
The Busker
03:50
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The Busker
(©Dave Gibb 2015 PRS/MCPS)
Every Sunday morning
You will find her at the corner in the rain
Playing her guitar
And singing songs of love and poverty and pain
Staring into nowhere
She goes through her three song repertoire again
She doesn't strive for meaning
She doesn't care to reason or explain
She doesn't play for pennies
But if they're thrown she'll take them just the same
Staring into nowhere
She goes through her three song repertoire again
Staring into nowhere
She goes through her three song repertoire again
Sure enough next Sunday
You will find her at the corner in the rain
Still playing her guitar
And singing songs of love and poverty and pain
Staring into nowhere
She goes through her three song repertoire again
Staring into nowhere
She goes through her three song repertoire again
Singing into nowhere
She sings into the emptiness again
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3. |
Heading Home Alone
04:26
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Heading Home Alone
(©Dave Gibb 2015 PRS/MCPS)
I'd been too long at the bar drinking there on my own
When my head and legs decided it was time to go home
They very gently dropped the hint I shouldn't drink any more
So I let go of the bar and made my way to the door
I opened that door to get away from the place
When the cold, cold wind hit me right in the face
It knocked me back a little but I wouldn't be beat
I staggered and I stumbled but I stayed on my feat
I put my shoulder to the wheel - metaphorically like
And I headed through the doorway out into the night
I made a bee line for the corner in a roundabout way
If I could just reach that lamp post I knew I'd be safe
But the cold and the dark and the glow from the light
My head started spinning like a fairground ride
I thought to be on the safe side I'd better lie down
And hold on tight to that cold, cold ground
How on earth have I landed here
I only went out for a couple of beers
Yet here I am on the cold wet grass alone
Flat on my back staring up at the sky
With the thousand yard stare streaming out of my eyes
Determined I will somehow make it home
It could've been the whisky - I was pouring it in
Or it could've been the brandy or the vodka or the gin
But I don't think it was the booze - it was that last cigarette
That nicotine had a disastrous effect
People shook their head as they were passing me by
I could feel the disgust pouring out of their eyes
A little bit of pity would've not been amiss
Instead they just sneered at me lying there pissed
How on earth have I landed here
I only went out for a couple of beers
Yet here I am on the cold wet grass alone
Flat on my back staring up at the sky
With the thousand yard stare streaming out of my eyes
Determined I will somehow make it home
Heading home alone
I'd not been lying long just ten minutes or more
When a memory kicked in that said you've been here before
In the days of your youth before you had any brains
Now you're supposedly mature but here you're doing it again
Then the shame filtered through me I was wishing I'd died
I swear if I'd been sober I'd have broke down and cried
But a pleasant little thought invades the corner of my mind
At least there's no Princess Mitzy this time
How on earth have I landed here
I only went out for a couple of beers
Yet here I am on the cold wet grass alone
Flat on my back staring up at the sky
With the thousand yard stare streaming out of my eyes
Determined I will somehow make it home
Heading home alone
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4. |
For Faith
04:05
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For Faith
(©Dave Gibb 2015 PRS/MCPS)
And so you're here at last
Now tell the world hello
How will your future pass
Only time will tell
Time and time alone
Oh, the dreams you'll dream
All the sights you'll see
This whole world is yours
All that you can do
All you can be
One day you'll see
And if you'll take advice
From this old soul
All life can give
Take it all
Don't let go
Its all before you now
The good, the bad, the heart wrung tears
My wish for you is happiness
But whatever life will hold
It all starts here
Bright and clear
And if you'll take advice
From this old soul
All life can give
Take it all
Don't let go
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5. |
Where I'm Meant To Be
04:25
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Where I'm Meant To Be
(©Dave Gibb 2015 PRS/MCPS)
Here on the mountain side I'll land
Here I will rest my wings
Here all the world will hear my cry
I am free
They're all below me now
Looking up at me
They tried to hold me down
But this is who I am
Its what I am
Its where I'm meant to be
See how they stare in wonder now
As there to the earth they're bound
Oh how they tried to cage my dreams
But Now I'm free
They're all below me....
I'll spread my wings and I'll take to flight
Let the thermals take me higher
So high that they can't hear me sing
As the sun beats off my golden wings
I'll twist and turn and let them see
As I glory in their jealousy
That they'll never know how good it feels
To be this free
They're all below me....
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6. |
And Sweet Red Wine
03:50
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7. |
Remember
05:31
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Remember
(©Dave Gibb 2015 PRS/MCPS)
When duty called we all enrolled
As was expected of us
They cheered us on as we marched along
The excitement drove us onwards
With both hands we grabbed the chance
To taste some fame and glory
To do what's right we rushed to fight
For god and king and country
But how we cried on that first night
As war came out to greet us
All hell rained down and death came round
And settled in between us
There he stayed despite our prayers
To feed our fear and terror
And as time passed we learned at last
He would stay with us forever
Then came the time when along the line
We prepared to do our duty
The whistles blew and each man knew
It was time for death or glory
Then up we stood and through the mud
We marched and died together
And as each man fell - well that glimpse of hell
Will stay with me forever
What was it for - that bloody war
What justified the slaughter
And did passing years dry all the tears
Of the mothers, wives and daughters
Who in their grief found no relief
From the leaders of the nation
Who to their shame would accept no blame
For a vanished generation
I think again of that band of men
How the light of life shone from them
How side by side they laughed and cried
As the horror grew around them
I Watched them die and I saw them lie
Their light gone out forever
And from the past I hear them ask
For our sake please remember.
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8. |
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St. James Infirmary Blues
(Trad. Arr Dave Gibb ©Dave Gibb 2015 PRS/MCPS)
I was down at old Joe's bar room
At the corner by the square
They were serving drinks as usual
And the usual crowd was there
On my left stood Big Joe McKennedy
And his eyes were bloodshot red
As he looked at the gang around him
These are the very words that he said
I went down to St. James Infirmary
To see my baby there
Stretched out on a long white table
So young, so cold, so fair
Seventeen coal black horses
Hitched to a rubber tied hag
Seven girls going down to the graveyard
Only six of them coming back
Let her be, let her be god bless her
Where ever she may be
She could search this whole world over
She'll never find another man like me
When I die just bury me
In a tall high Texan hat
Place a twenty dollar gold piece on my watch chain
So the lord knows I died standing pat
I want six crap shooters as my pall bearers
And a chorus girl to sing a song
Place a jazz band on my hearse wagon
To raise hell as we roll along
Well now you've heard my story
I'll take another shot of booze
And if anyone should ask you
I've got the St. James Infirmary Blues
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9. |
Sunny Days
04:18
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Sunny Days
(©Dave Gibb 2015 PRS/MCPS)
Let's find a place where the sun will always shine
I'm tired of all this rain and windy weather
Let's find a place where its sunny all the time
We'll while away through sunny days together
We'll while away through sunny days forever
Somebody told me that the skies above are blue
Well I wouldn't know because I've never seen them
And even if I had I really don't know what I'd do
And anyway I don't think I believe them
You cannot see the skies of blue because of all the clouds
Clouds that are always dark and grey
At least that's what I've heard although I really have my doubts
Because you cannot see the clouds for all the rain
Let's find a place....
I remember we'd a summer once a long, long time ago
Sometime in the dark and distant past
And every now and then we get a break from rain I know
But you know that it is never going to last
Every year we change our clocks to British summertime
An oxymoron if I ever heard one
I think they only do it to play havoc with our mind
To confuse us into thinking that we've had one
Let's find a place....
I'm tired of playing golf in puddles when its raining all the time
This wind and rain just makes you feel so sad
I don't know why the weather gods are always so unkind
We must've really pissed them off and made them mad
To step into the day where its dry and bright and warm
And the sky's as blue as bluest skies can get
Where the rain is just a memory that is fading out of sight
And your clothes are only damp because of sweat
Let's find a place....
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10. |
A Song Not Called
04:44
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A Song Not Called......
(©Dave Gibb 2015 PRS/MCPS)
I don't know where you've run to
And I don't care what you'll do
But all the pain this world can gather
I would gladly give to you
I can't say that I'll forgive you
And I doubt that I'll forget
But if there's any justice left in this world
I pray you'll get yours yet.
In the middle of a burning desert
At the bottom of a raging sea
On a snow capped mountain in the bowels of hell
You will never escape from me
I would give up my freedom to find you
I would surrender my vices and sin
I would burn to ashes everything I have owned
If that's the price I've to pay to win
Look at what you've left behind you
What your legacy will be
A divided world that rewards the thieves
And pays homage to their greed
Look at what you've left behind you
A heartless place at best
Where the more you've got - then more you'll get
And to hell with all the rest
I am the pain you left behind you
I am the tears you never shed
I am the poor lost soul who's had to pay the price
For all the things you've done and said
You could have tried to break me easy
You could have tried to soothe my pain
You could have tried to leave me just a pittance of pride
But my time will come again
Look at what.......
I hope when death comes stealing
He comes stealing hard and slow
I hope your final pain lasts a thousand years
Before he deigns to let you go
And on your day of judgement
As you look into his face
Who knows? Maybe then you'll hang your head in shame
At all the lives you've laid to waste
Look at what....
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11. |
Wedding Day Song
04:17
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Wedding Day Song
(©Dave Gibb 2015 PRS/MCPS)
We held each other's hand
The centre of a storm
Just two kids who stood and wondered at it all
Faces drifted into view
Some we knew and loved
But some I swear we had never seen at all
And so this day had come
We stood there baffled, dazed and stunned
And faced it all with starry eyes
A married life begun
We took our first few wary steps
Into a brand new way of life
Still we faced it all
And the promises we made that day still hold
Just us against the world
We faced it all
We headed out into the world
Impatient for it all
Tired of waiting for this new life to begin
Confusing plans with dreams
If plans are what they were
When if truth be told we just floated on the wind
Still we faced it all
And the promises we made that day still hold
Just us against the world
We face it all
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12. |
Cells
04:35
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Cells
(Words R. Kipling: Music Dave Gibb. ©Dave Gibb 2015 PRS/MCPS)
I've a head like a concertina: I've a tongue like a button-stick:
I've a mouth like an old potato, and I'm more than a little sick,
But I've had my fun o' the Corp'ral's Guard: I've made the cinders fly,
And I'm here in the Clink for a thundering drink
and blacking the Corporal's eye.
I started o' canteen porter, I finished o' canteen beer,
But a dose o' gin that a mate slipped in, it was that that brought me here.
'Twas that and an extry double Guard that rubbed my nose in the dirt;
But I fell away with the Corp'ral's stock
and the best of the Corp'ral's shirt.
With a second-hand overcoat under my head,
And a beautiful view of the yard,
Yes, it's pack-drill for me and a fortnight's C.B.
For "drunk and resisting the Guard!"
Mad drunk and resisting the Guard --
'Strewth, but I socked it them hard!
So it's pack-drill for me and a fortnight's C.B.
For "drunk and resisting the Guard."
I left my cap in a public-house, my boots in the public road,
And Lord knows where, and I don't care, my belt and my tunic goed;
They'll stop my pay, they'll cut away the stripes I used to wear,
But I left my mark on the Corp'ral's face, and I think he'll keep it there!
With a second-hand overcoat....
My wife she cries on the barrack-gate, my kid in the barrack-yard,
It ain't that I mind the Ord'ly room -- it's that that cuts so hard.
I'll take my oath before them both that I will sure abstain,
But as soon as I'm in with a mate and gin, I know I'll do it again
With a second-hand overcoat....
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13. |
Motherload
06:31
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Motherload
(©Dave Gibb 2015 PRS/MCPS)
There was nothing in my future but to sweat blood in a mine
Digging for galena and to die before my time
There must be something better in this life for me and mine
So I decided I should go
I sailed across the ocean for the first and only time
To hunt the gold
When I disembarked they warned me but you laugh at what you're told
You think you know what lies ahead so you pack your gear and go
Soon there's nothing left in life but icy winds and snow
You're frightened and alone
So I push on through the agonies of a world turned icy white
Then somewhere in the distance there's a glimmer of a light
Never in my life have I seen such a welcome sight
Man its almost worth the cold
To think that I'll be sleeping somewhere warm and dry tonight
As I head along the road to the motherload
Sitting in a hovel they've a nerve to call a bar
With snow up to the eaves and lots of young men playing cards
Then a loser starts to growl 'cause he's too drunk to win a hand
And he decides to growl at me
And when your brain's been dulled by liquor you just have to make a stand
That's the way it has to be
In that kind of situation time is never on your side
But fear and pride and alcohol all help me to decide
And there's no sign of intelligence behind that loser's eyes
So I decide to strike the blow - and down he goes
Then he's huddled in a corner with his head held in his hands
I think of what I have become - ashamed of what I am
But way out here you quickly learn to hit first or be damned
You have to fight your fights alone
And to survive you have to keep your conscience hidden in your hand
One more step along the road to the motherload
Tomorrow I'll head off again - well I knew I wouldn't stay
I'll chase the only dream I've left and try to find a way
To silence all those daemons who now haunt me night and day
And won't leave my head alone
There are times I've called out to the lord to take me from this pain
But still they drive me on
I've set my eyes on wonders men were never meant to see
And I sometime think that they were made by nature just for me
But I have to hurry by them 'cause the dream won't let me be
It controls My very soul
I suppose a dream is only ever there to be pursued
And should I ever find it then god knows what I would do
They say that if you catch your dream then all the world is yours
Yours and yours alone
And that success will lead to happiness but I doubt if that is true
But god knows I'll give my all for the motherload
There was nothing in my future but to sweat blood in a mine
Digging for galena and to die before my time
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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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