Travelling Tinker Man and Other Rhymes

by David Essex

  Lancelot, Queen Guinevere, meet King Arthur for a beer.

  Join the Gold Rush way out west, play football with Georgie Best,

  Imagination is transportation, taking you to another location;

  Use it well and do be wise, imagination opens eyes.

  Meet me then in Babylon, imagination can’t be wrong.

  R.S.V.P.

  I don’t like parties, functions and dos,

  There is a bit too much posturing, too much who’s who.

  I don’t really drink and I’d rather not dance,

  I’d give it a miss if I get the chance.

  When they lay the red carpet, RSVP,

  Saying come, have fun, it won’t be for me.

  I don’t do networking, or pressing the flesh,

  Here with my family is what I love best.

  Perhaps if I’d done it and did play that game,

  I’d have been an insider, with contacts and names.

  Folk in high places, doing favours for me,

  But why sell your soul, when sunsets are free?

  What is the point of talking hot air?

  It seems a bit desperate, that’s why I’m not there.

  At the end of the day, I prefer dignity,

  So all that I need is my family.

  If I could

  If I could love you forever,

  If I could love you every day,

  If I could take your hand, would you understand

  And let me show you the way?

  If we could dance this dance forever,

  If we could laugh without a word,

  If I give you my life, will you be my wife,

  Or is that too absurd?

  But oh, we could have a lark, a lark,

  Picnicking in the park, the park.

  On Saturday night, if you feel all right,

  We’ll go to the pictures when it’s dark.

  If I were a plumber, would you love me?

  If you were a waitress, I’d love you.

  Could you picture us on a Number Nine bus?

  To Canning Town we two, just me and you.

  Yes, we could walk our ways together,

  Or we could raise a family.

  When I come home from work, I’ll change me shirt,

  And we’ll sit by the fireside for tea,

  Just you and me.

  Be happy

  The sun came out today, did you notice?

  Through the tears you cried, did you notice?

  The birds were singing in the summer breeze,

  The flowers were visited by the honey bees;

  The smell of summer filled the air,

  Did you notice that, did you even care?

  You say it’s a black day, with your eyes filled with tears;

  But just look around you at everything here.

  It’s a wonderful place, why don’t you see?

  In the garden of England, beneath the oak tree,

  You could count your blessings, instead of your tears,

  You could give me a smile and forget all your fears.

  Let’s walk through the meadow and down to the stream,

  Where the swans pass us by, so regal, serene.

  Live for today, live life, have fun,

  Because all too soon your tomorrows won’t come.

  Don’t leave with regrets, live your life to the full;

  Just give me a smile, be happy, that’s all.

  Providence

  A rash of stabbings, time after time,

  There in my shadow, walking behind.

  A free spirit that burns, with so much to give,

  An Italian child, live and let live.

  All the memories remembered, from time after time,

  As you walked so softly, so softly behind.

  Creative and clever, gifted and bright,

  Sweet mother of two and a dreamer at night.

  A thinker by day, with tales to invent,

  Papers not read, letters not sent.

  Life in a bubble, away from the world,

  Still searching and looking, a restless wild girl.

  And what times we had, in a castle of our own,

  The castle still stands, but the children have flown.

  The sausages were pricked, we travelled so far,

  As you played your licks on so many guitars.

  I still love your songs, both clever and true.

  And I suppose, when I remember, I still love you.

  Milk and honey

  I’m sitting on the Underground, underneath my London town,

  A carriage packed, a sardine can; weird that I’m the Englishman,

  While foreign tongues loudly wag, in clothes that come from old Baghdad.

  Multi-cultural, one and all, have some jumped over the China Wall?

  This is London, the place to be, from Canning Town to Battersea.

  Every nation, colour and creed, if you cut me, Johnny, do I not bleed?

  So many people, it makes you think; if more come here, we may well sink.

  Drowned and sunk by a foreign weight, by people from another state.

  It’s good for Britain, yes indeed, to have so many mouths to feed,

  To have nowhere for folks to live, amazing how we give and give.

  Ivory-towered politicians, thank you for your kind permission

  To let me in and keep me here; I love the taste of English beer.

  Benefits for one and all, the NHS at beck and call,

  A land of milk, a land of honey, a place for me to make some money

  To send back to my family, somewhere over land and sea.

  Excuse me mate, excuse me please, the next stop is the one for me.

  Mother nature

  Listen to that thunder roar, electric fingers reach out to earth,

  Shocking and lightening the night.

  Dogs cower under kitchen tables, as cats scream in panic and fright.

  If they only knew, it’s only God, God up there in heaven,

  Moving his furniture here and there.

  Don’t be worried, don’t be scared;

  Unless you’re a golfer, or a tree in a field,

  There’s no need to worry, I doubt you’ll be killed.

  I love the thunder, it reminds me again,

  Where would we be without life-giving rain?

  The wind and the rain on the window pane, the rainbow full of hope,

  The power, the glory, mountains kissing the skies,

  Mysterious moon and her dancing stars, the soaring eagle that flies.

  Wonders of the world, cloaked in your four seasons,

  The miracle of life, blessed by early spring,

  In winter all seemed dead, but now all lives again.

  I hope you forgive the footprint we make,

  The knives we stick in you.

  Your majesty reigns in spite of mankind,

  Mother nature knows no end;

  Thank you, Mother, for being a friend.

  Today is my birthday

  Today is my birthday; hip hip hooray! Not just another Wednesday, but a special day.

  The day that I turned up; today I arrived – thanks Mum and Dad for giving me life.

  I am so glad I chose you and glad you chose me, to enter this world and join your family.

  Did both of you wonder what I would become? Thanks again, Dad, thanks again, Mum.

  Your selfless love, the sacrifice, the effort you made, just to make it all nice,

  The bruises and cuts, the tears and the smiles, the freedom you gave me, mile upon mile.

  Age is a number, I’ve heard people say; my number keeps rising, but that’s still OK.

  In my mind I’m much younger, about twenty-three. Strange how this birthday is older than me.

  Of course when you’re younger, your birthdays are big,

  But as you get older, you don’t give a fig.

  But thanks for the cards and the fab presents, too,

  At the end of the
day, Mum, it was all down to you.

  Wales

  There is snow on the mountain, here in North Wales,

  In the land of the dragon, under Milk Wood tales.

  There is a welcome in the hillsides, as the miners’ choirs sing.

  In the valleys and the village, a kestrel takes wing.

  A land of their fathers, Thomas and Jones,

  A land of great beauty, the Welsh people’s home,

  Where Myfanwy was born, where Myfanwy once played,

  In the streams and the farmland, in the soft, sun-kissed day.

  The union of rugby, the pride of the team,

  The sheep in the fields, the stone walls between,

  The daffodils that dance in the springtime breeze,

  As the lambs run and play, their sheepdogs to tease.

  My favourite teacher was Welsh, Mr Lloyd;

  He taught me English when I was a boy,

  With big bushy eyebrows and a voice like a song,

  He inspired and guided, when I got things wrong.

  Perhaps in your school life you met someone like him,

  A teacher that gave life to the curriculum.

  He spoke English and Welsh, a mystery to me,

  But I remember that panad means a nice cup of tea.

  It’s a wonderful country, just next to my own,

  With wonderful people that call Wales home.

  Imperial wizard

  Free the people, don’t make them wait; pity the people, don’t make a mistake.

  Let go your press men, undo your press gangs,

  Hold up your head high, make one honest stand.

  Because you know what they want and you’re here for the grace of God;

  You send your generals to the front; any uprising will succumb to your gun.

  You took free speech from the people that spoke.

  Hungary is hungry, the people are broke.

  Imperial wizard, salt mine king,

  What kind of state of mind must your state be in?

  Because you know what they want and you’re here for the grace of God,

  You send your generals to the front; any uprising will succumb to your gun.

  Too many people don’t feel like they’re free;

  Your high ideals look the lowest to me.

  Open a window, let the sun shine on in,

  There’s more to living than killing, killing.

  Sonny Rae

  A boy I know called Sonny Rae, he came home today;

  With his sparkling eyes, he lit the room, little Sonny Rae.

  Heaven-sent, angel boy, where will your journey end?

  On land or sea, remember me, I’ll always be your friend.

  And if I miss your big success, enjoy it just the same,

  Thank you for coming, little man, Sonny Rae by name.

  You were worth the wait, you really were, your mummy loves you loads.

  She will be there to walk with you, to walk your future roads.

  You smile that smile, Sonny shine, dream your dreams away,

  As we watch you grow, in a summer field, rolling in the hay.

  Your first step, your first word, those days we will remember.

  Your first goal, your gentle soul, snowmen in December,

  Pirate, cowboy, soldier, too, by the dying camp fire ember.

  Let us run your race, let us fly your flag, shining special one.

  Tell us who you are, keep us in your heart, that beats just like a drum.

  When you look like that, I have to say, you look just like your mum.

  Hearts turn to stone

  Feel the spirit in the sky,

  Touch the mountains so high,

  See the woman, see the man,

  Watch them working on the land.

  Watch the river roll to the sea,

  Sing your song, boys,

  We are free.

  We’re a long way from home,

  Watching hearts turn into stone.

  See the birds fly on the wing,

  Not a sound now,

  They don’t sing.

  Watch the faces passing by,

  See the anger in their eyes,

  Watching hearts turn into stone.

  America

  It seems to be the fashion now, to knock America,

  Malign, dismiss, for a quick french kiss, the banner and the star.

  A world policeman I suppose we need, so where would we be without

  A hamburger, a nice hot dog, from the land of the holloa and shout?

  Oh Disneyland, Mickey Mouse, Obama and a drone,

  Brave and free, look down on me, in my humble home.

  Americans are nice, I think, though some folk think they’re loud,

  Naive perhaps, and insular, living in a cloud;

  Big of heart, generous and childlike in their ways,

  But a valuable friend up to the end, so I reckon that’s okay.

  Americana, cinerama, Hollywood movie treats,

  Baseball and American football – you don’t play with your feet.

  Jitterbug, jive and Chubby’s twist came from those distant shores.

  Where would we be without R & B and those Seven Eleven stores?

  Our cousins, the American family, hip hopping across the Atlantic sea,

  Where the sky is big, the cars are too, where a pot of gold waits for you.

  From every corner of the world, the people came to better themselves,

  To be a part of the American dream, to be the cat that got the cream.

  Life, like a movie, yes for some, immigrants – and still they come

  To the open arms of a brand new land, where castles can be made of sand.

  Stardust

  Ah, look what they’ve done to the Rock ’n’ Roll clown,

  Ah, Rock ’n’ Roll clown is down on the ground.

  Well, he used to high fly, but he crashed out the sky;

  In the stardust ring, a Rock ’n’ Roll king is down.

  Roll on up, won’t you come and take a look at me, ah

  Come on, stand in line, just one at a time, see me,

  See my painted-on grin, as I stand up to sing.

  In the stardust ring, a Rock ’n’ Roll king is down.

  But he’s the leader of the band, a lonely man;

  Do you want to take his hand, you know you can.

  Yes, I used to fly high, but I crashed out the sky.

  In the stardust ring, the Rock ’n’ Roll king is down,

  In the stardust ring, the Rock ’n’ Roll king is down.

  The sprite

  Wandering through a green Celtic land,

  Where dragons roar and mountains still stand,

  Where Dylan and Thomas walk under Milk Wood,

  Where folk from the north are not understood

  By Anglo neighbours that live in the east,

  Where a princess calmed a troubled beast.

  Who could have known their hearts would entwine

  As the snow fell so deep, in the winter of time?

  Guarded and troubled, she, fearing the worst,

  The beast so mighty, the love affair cursed;

  To give him her heart, but at what cost?

  To carry her off, lonely and lost,

  Make her his own, the beast of the east,

  A kind word from the princess, some compassion at least.

  But destiny woke, the savage beast calmed,

  Like the smile of a child, cradled safe in your arms.

  Time can stand still, time can fly by,

  Beauty, they say, is all in the eye,

  The eye of the beholder, the eye of the soul.

  She looked into his eyes, the beast bowed his head;

  Always your friend, the beast gently said.

  She reached for his hand and at last saw the man;

  A man, not a beast and so it began,

  Two hearts locked together, in a green Celtic land.

  Verity

  Birthday girl,
my treasure, my love,

  A gift from heaven, a gift from above.

  A star that shines in this life of mine,

  Born this very day.

  My daughter, a mother now, wise and strong,

  With love and beauty, you carry on.

  I remember you as a babe in my arms,

  Your smile, your tears, held safe from harm;

  Just you and I, in Piglet’s room,

  As the light shone bright from that winter moon.

  I knew you were special, yes I knew back then,

  As you smiled in my eyes, my special friend.

  Back in that winter of seventy-two,

  Alone in that room, just me and you.

  As a little girl growing, so pretty in pink,

  So many times I stop and I think

  How empty my life would be without you,

  Your love and your laughter, helping me through.

  Thank you for choosing me as your dad,

  Thank you for all the good times we’ve had.

  As the years pass by, my love remains strong,

  Forever, my love, on and on,

  Through the twists and the turns,

  Through the ups and the downs,

  I’ll always be with you, always around,

  To help to protect, to whisper to you,

  This love is forever, this love is so true.

  My Verity, remember me, you are the friend

  To whom the shadows of far years extend.

  Whether by your side or far away,

  In my heart you will always stay.

  Heart beats like a drum

  Are we lost in time and space?

  Do we know just where we’re going?

  Are we standing on the outside looking in?

  And of all the love I’ve known,

  There is only just your heartbeat

  That moves with the rhythm of my own.

  And oh, my heart beats like a drum,

  Crashing like a cymbal, burning like the sun.

  Did you ever think that we

  Could stand so close together?

  It’s surprising what you can do if you try;

  You understand so well, you seem to know me better,

  Better than in fact I know myself.

  And oh, my heart beats like a drum,