In 1983, aged 36, I left John Dankworth and Cleo Laine to join the avant garde vocal group Electric Phoenix. In a conscious decision I renounced both jazz and pop
songs and devoted myself exclusively to contemporary classical music. Success in this field ensued: my works were widely performed, I was a 'published composer' (and a recorded one) and I became Head of the Composition Faculty at Trinity College of Music in
London. Kerry still occasionally sent me lyrics but I
never set them, or wished to.
Then in 2002 I got ill with the debilitating disease ME,
a watershed in my life (or perhaps evidence of one). As I began to recover, growing my beard, I started feeling the urge
to play jazz again, and to sing our songs. At my 60th birthday concert in 2006 at the Almeida Theatre in London I made my comeback debut, performing four of them. Then came the One Man Show, with Crabbe-Runswick material
once more at the centre of the repertoire.
It could only now be a matter of time before new songs began to emerge. Darker than erstwhile, perhaps... Here are the three we've penned so far.
Big Black Car
1
she lit a candle
knelt and prayed
what a sinful scandal
unholy miss moley godawful mess you made
she loved you dear
she needed your care
so you stole her soul
her breath her hair well the Devil don't do such bad hey you up there are you glad?
well
rock me in the cradle of the grave
tell me now who you gonna save
tell me now who you gonna save?
you wanted her
on your side
ok you won
but the Devil never done
such a mean mucky mad mudslide
rock me in the cradle of the grave
tell me now who you gonna save
tell me now who you gonna save?
2
wait by the gate in the garden where we played in neverland's evergreen everglade
wind chimes don't mind till the breeze shake'em down then they ring & they sing till they shine in the crown of the seas
& the deer on the grass in the park were so clear now their fear throws a spark as I wander past
with filigree & chanterelle cantaloupe & carousel fantasies bills to pay ecstasies day by day by day
fire & ice
grace & glory
can't happen twice
end of story
& the next door saxophone sobs and soars down a deaf dumb
dead numb
telephone
call & respond stones in a pond we got along, that's all foolish & fond respond & call
falling hair
morphine booze
blood on the sheets
low down blues
canticles & hymns of praise now your church chorales are just cabarets
oh the blood bread & wine & the deep bass line
3
well hellfire halleluia, Johnny I hardly knew ya well Lizzie I hardly knew ya, oh Jesus I hardly knew ya Matthew Mark Luke & John Peter Paul and that other one yeah Jesus I hardly knew ya
with your, with your, with your hellfire halleluia
& the Buddha with his golden cup & Mohammed on the mountain top & the Seven Wise Virgins & John the Revalator sing wham bam ma'am see you later alligator
well hellfire halleluia, Johnny I hardly knew ya well Lizzie I hardly knew ya, oh Jesus I hardly knew ya Matthew Mark Luke & John
Peter Paul and that other fuckin' one
oh Jesus I hardly knew ya
with your, with your, with your hellfire halleluia
& I'm singin'
Jah Jehovah Sutra Surah
Father Rabbi Imam Mullah
lookin' straight and hard right through ya
gonna shoot and shake and sue ya
do, jew ya, chew ya, screw ya
with your stone-cold halleluia
with your hellfire halleluia
your stone-cold halleluia
your shiva halleluia
shivvahin' halleluia halleluia Johnny I hardly knew ya
well Jesus I hardly knew ya
Christ, I hardly knew her...
4
now the big black car
& the boogie men see the flowers get laid & the prayers get prayed & the words get said & the tears get shed to the priest's amen & they burn a star now the big black car
forgiveness Lord don't come with time just an eye for an eye & the tooth of crime tearin' all the stars from the sky cos the preacher man told me a lie
& the big black car
& the boogie men see the flowers get laid & the prayers get prayed & the words get said & the tears get shed to the priest's amen & they burn a star now the big black car
father mother sister brother hold my lover's hand till the trees don't stand & the winter run into the summer sun & the night bow down to the light
& the big black car
& the boogie men see the flowers get laid & the prayers get prayed & the words get said & the tears get shed to the priest's amen
& they burn a star
& they burn a star
people stay in rooms
it isn't safe outside
no time to cut and run
no place to run and hide
babe stay in the womb
your amniotic tide
man get in the tomb
that old formaldehyde
it's ugly in the streets
& crazy in the bars
you're warm between the sheets
& lost beneath the stars
the squad cars crouch and slow
the cops are getting high
the odds are running low
& choppers cut the sky
the army's revving trucks
& circling their tanks
they call the people fucks
and they are not
firing blanks
the dogs are on the prowl
they're running scared in packs
they bite their balls and howl
and they don't know the facts
the leaders in their lairs
take secretaries down
there's bleeders in the squares
& drunkards in the pound
& drunkards in the pound
& rumours flying round
as darkness shrouds the town
& curfews kill the sound
the temperature is up
the traffic lights are down
the cops are in their cups
the smoke is burning brown
the kids've all grown old
they won't get home tonight
they're off their skulls on speed
their crystal meth
is shining bright
the speakers spit & spark from steel transmission towers & crackle cross the park every hour, on the hour
(saying)
PEOPLE STAY IN ROOMS IT ISN'T SAFE OUTSIDE NO TIME TO CUT AND RUN NO PLACE TO RUN AND HIDE
Composed 2010.
Daryl, vocals, piccolo bass guitar, sequenced backing.
Sequenced at Coiano, Italy (Big Black Car) and The DReam Room, London (all tracks) 2009-2011.
Live recordings and mixing at The DReam Room, 2010-11.
All these compositions and recordings
are covered by
copyright.