POETRY


Last piano (for Leonard Cohen)
You’ve played your last piano,
You’ve picked your last guitar
You gave your life to poetry
To find out who you are
You expressed the loneliness
Behind the brave facade
Gave comfort to the comfortless
Whose lives were bruised and hard
You’ve played your last piano
You’ve picked your last guitar
You showed the world your poetry
Your pimples and your scars
You expressed the loneliness
Of pushing things too far
But I loved your sense of humour
And the way you raised the bar
Your love of words and women
Your befuddled Shangri-la
As you embraced the mystery
That grows each fragile star
You’ve played your last piano
You’ve picked your last guitar


Be good to yourself
Be good to yourself, be good to yourself, be to yourself, be good
Be good to yourself, be good to yourself, be to yourself, be good
Cos sometimes you’re falling right down in hole
Be good to yourself, be good to yourself
And sometimes you’re spinning right our of control
Be good to yourself, be good to yourself
Sometimes you’re derailed on the gravy train
Sometimes a player in a crazy game
Well look out, the ref’ll come and take your name
So be good to yourself, be good to yourself, be to yourself, be good
Ha!, Be good to yourself, be good to yourself, be to yourself, be good
Then sometimes you’re moving on a path that heals
Be good to yourself, be good to yourself
And sometimes you collide with someone who feels
Be good to yourself, be good to yourself
Sometimes you stop cos there’s a traffic light
Sometimes you wrong when you wanna be right
And sometimes it’s safer keeping out of sight
Be good to yourself, be good to yourself, be to yourself, be good
Ha! Be good to yourself, be good to yourself, be to yourself, be good
Then sometimes I wonder who the hell I am
Be good to yourself, be good to yourself
Well sometimes I’m nothing but a door that slams
Be good to yourself, be good to yourself
And sometimes a monkey locked up in a zoo
And sometimes a telephone ringing for you
And sometimes I really haven’t got a clue
So be good to yourself, be good to yourself, be to yourself, be good
Cos sometimes you’re falling right down in hole
Be good to yourself, be good to yourself
And sometimes you’re spinning right our of control
Be good to yourself, be good to yourself
Sometimes you’re derailed on the gravy train
Sometimes a player in a crazy game
Well look out the ref’ll come and take your name
So be good to yourself, be good to yourself, be to yourself, be good
Ha! Be good to yourself, be good to yourself, be to yourself, be good
Huh! Be good to yourself, be good to yourself, be to yourself, be good
Be good to yourself, be good to yourself, be good to your self…….be…………good












Measured disgrace
The moment I saw you I knew you’d be gone
Lost to my touch if I tried to hold on
There’s miles of indifference if put to your face
I stare at your beauty and measured disgrace
Close to each other and we’re gliding back
Into those pictures, those feelings we had
To feel you so near me but so far away
Brings a knocking of bells, of our wedding day
Now we’re cold in the winter and summer the same
Hoelessly thinking why is it we came
And we can’t find the words to let go of the pain
So we slip into silence – we’re in it again
We’re in it again
Nakedness beckons but no-one’s at home
My manhood just hangs there like a mass of foam
My love oh my love how could it come to this
The two of us naked, we don’t even kiss
Now the fire in the stove that lights the room
And gives out some heat not a moment too soon
As the meat for our dinner is up on the shelf
As raw as our hearts as they reach, they reach somewhere else
Now we’re cold in the winter and summer the same
Hoelessly thinking why is it we came
And we can’t find the words to let go of the pain
So we slip into silence – we’re in it again
We’re in it again
Write a poem
When you’re sick to the teeth of the way things are going
Write a poem, write a poem, write a poem
When your mask keeps on slipping and your fear keeps on showing
When you’re stood on the precipice ready to jump
When you’ve come down to earth with a fucking great bump
When your soul is on fire but you can’t man the pump
Write a poem, write a poem, write a poem
And when you’re trapped in a war zone, make like Wilfred Owen
Write a poem, write a poem, write a poem
When you feel like a car crash where the wreckage needs towing
Write a poem, write a poem, write a poem
When your name is cowboy whos’ been dragged through the mud
When there’s a price on your head and a boot full of studs
When the crowd will go wild for the spill of your blood
Write a poem, write a poem, write a poem
Ah go on write a poem, you know it makes sense
Go on write a poem, there’s no need for pretence
Go on write a poem, give me something intense
You can claim that you did it in self-defence
Write a poem, write a poem, write a poem
Ah go on, write a poem, write a poem
And when the nightmares are real but the real’s not worth knowing
Write a poem, write a poem, write a poem
Cos there may be some hope yet, well look at Leonard Cohen
Write a poem, write a poem, write a poem
When you’re facing the world in the chains of defeat
When suddenly doubt walks each pavement, each street
When the world’s on your shoulder and not at your feet
Write a poem, write a poem, write a poem
Ah go write a poem, you know it makes sense
Go on write a poem, there’s no need for pretence
Go on write a poem, give me something intense
You can claim that you did it in self-defence
Write a poem, write a poem, write a poem
Ah go on, write a poem, write a poem
My Shadow Walks In Front of Me
My shadow walks in front of me, and then it walks behind
Merging with the shadows and then messing up my mind
The dark inside erupts and leaves a puff of smoke
Wakes me in the night and gives me such a poke
Wakes me in the night and gives me such a poke
Merciless reminders of a frozen point of view
Open up my mouth and say a big fuck you
To each every shadow living in my way
Puts me on my knees and drives me half insane
Puts me on my knees and drives me half insane
Standing on the diving board I walk and then I leap
Feeling superficial but I get in deep
Leap amongst the shadows where the fishes leap
And shoals and shoals of memory that you can be
And shoals and shoals of memory that you can be
My shadow walks in front of me, and then it walks behind
Merging with the shadows and then messing up my mind
The dark inside erupts and leaves a puff of smoke
Wakes me in the night and gives me such a poke
Wakes me in the night and gives me such a poke
My shadow walks in front of me, and then it walks behind
Merging with the shadows and then messing up my mind
Merging with the shadows
Of a different time
Well they’re no longer mine
My shadow walks in front of me and then it walks behind
Merging with the shadows and then messing up my mind
Merging with the shadows from a different time
Merging with the shadows, they’re no longer mine
I take a different line
I’m paying off my fine
From a different time
And they’re no longer mine
My shadow walks in front of me and then it walks behind
My shadow walks in front of me and then it walks …. Behind



















