David Harley Words & Music

One of my earliest songs, written in the late 60s (though it’s been through a few changes since then: haven’t we all?)

backup:

There’ll never be a better time for starting something new
I’m spending too much time alone, brooding over you
But nothing comes that easy, and I’ve got so insecure
Since the angel I was slowly learning how to trust is surely finding
Strange ways of turning long-time dreams into nightmares after all

The sun will rise and fall and the night will win again
So I’m promised with no guarantee of stars
And in my street-lit room I will sing some different tune
To the futile rusting chords of my guitar

The beggar-clown will weep as he tiptoes through my sleep
If he knows, he will not tell me where you are
In his hand he holds a candle I reach out to pluck its blossom
And it lies between the strings of my guitar

This may well be the first song I ever wrote that I can still remember all through, though it’s changed a lot since 1969. It contains some of the original lines, but the tune has changed completely.

This demo is an interpretation of a song I learned many years ago from Michael Cooney by way of banjo player Merrion Wood. Oddly enough, Bert Jansch also recorded a slightly similar ‘Weeping Willow Blues’, and both used 12-string for their recordings. Just to be awkward, I play it slide. :)

The ‘Sometimes I think you’re too sweet to die…’ verse is also associated with Rabbit Brown’s ‘James Alley Blues’, widely known through Judy Roderick’s rewrite ‘Born in the Country’.

David Harley
Small Blue-Green World

This demo track is to all intents and purposes a reinterpretation of a rewrite by Judy Roderick of James Alley Blues, by Richard ‘Rabbit’ Brown. She recorded it on her 2nd album, the rather wonderful ‘Woman Blue‘, in 1965. The version here is mostly the same lyrically but adjusted slightly for a male singer. In addition, rather than repeat her first verse at the end as Judy did, I’ve used a similar but not identical verse from James Alley Blues as my last verse.

The lyrics of a version by Robin Greenstein are very similar to Judy Roderick’s, but include another verse from James Alley Blues. Oddly enough, I have a version of  ‘Corinna’ that includes (more or less) the same verse.

I may well add some instruments to this version at some point. I’m also thinking about recording something closer to Rabbit Brown’s version, with a significantly different arrangement. The original has appeared on many anthologies and I also found it on YouTube here.

David Harley
Small Blue-Green World