All lyrics written by Adam Beattie

SONGS OF ONE HUNDRED YEARS (2012)

1. A Song Of One Hundred Years

Hold me high and send me low

For it is time for me to go

And in my eyes you’ll see no tears

For I have lived one hundred years

Before you throw the ropes below

And fan the soil from head to toe

I’ll turn my tongue, be balladeer

And sing a song of one hundred years

I was born when horses pulled the plough

And marriage held by but a vow

A beggar’s hand assumed sincere

Much has changed these hundred years

An early age, behind the mule

An equal grip on books in school

A mighty fleet I’d commandeer

To sail me through one hundred year

So hold me high and send me low

For it is time for me to go

And in my eyes you’ll see no tears

For I have lived one hundred years

I took my boat on the stormy sea

Never I’d dreamt of one like thee

On a nearby shore you did appear

To sail me through one hundred years

A daughter’s care, a quarter share

The loyal son, I had a pair

My every word they would revere

To make me proud for a hundred years

Hold me high and send me low

For it is time for me to go

And in my eyes you’ll see no tears

For I have lived one hundred years

Brides and grooms and baby booms

A sea of smiles splashed through the room

And through the years, be it smile or tears

I’d hold dear all hundred years

I’ll hold you all deep in my heart

Fondly filling every part

And as I watch you disappear

I’ll recall all hundred years

Hold me high and send me low

For it is time for me to go

And in my eyes you’ll see no tears

For I have lived one hundred years

And as I watch you disappear

Sing a song of one hundred years

2. All I Know

For all I see

A hand misplaced, a tear will fall

For all I see

A man disgraced will not stand tall

The baby cries, the mother learns

The wind will blow, the tree will bend

For all I see

The sun it shines, the world turns

For all I have

A gift is blank without a smile

For all I have

I’ll miss the train and walk the mile

The more mistakes the more one learns

The more that’s lost, the more one earns

For all I have

Things break, money burns

For all I feel

I walk the ground, an insect dies

For all I feel

I wave the flag, a bomber flies

When it cools, the pressure drops

When it gets hot it will pop

For all I feel

Bones break, hearts stop

For all I know

The top is the bottom, and the bottom is the top

3. There’s No View Like Bennachie

I grew up on the east coast

Where it falls flat to the sea

From the beaches of Banff

To the firth at Dundee

I never saw the delights

Up with the Dee and the Spey

But I stayed where they sleep

From the Don down to the Tay

Oh how I longed to leave

Over the hills and the seas

To be a man of the world

And find a true love for me

So when I left my home,

I’d just laugh at their plea, that

“There is no view like Bennachie”

I came home once a year

When bright lights filled the trees

On a carpet of ice

And a sharp winter breeze

And the bars all spilt out

And the faces looked old

Far more than their years

And hit hard by the cold

Oh how I longed to leave

Back to the life I had weaved

I feared I might be forgot

So I rushed back to see

And as the train pulled away

I’d look back in the grey

I couldn’t agree

“There is no view like Bennachie”

And so the years came like waves

On the mortal tide

An old me dies

and a young one cries

Bales roll in the fields

Leaves peel from the trees

And the seeds are all dealt out by the breeze

Oh how I longed to stay

Wished for just one more day

To be someone’s very first

or very last to see

And now it pains me to part

And with a weight in my heart

I can see

“There is no view like Bennachie”

And now it pains me to part

And with a weight in my heart

I can agree

“There is no view like Bennachie”

4. Days Of Blind Loving

I was doing just fine

Biding my time

Holding out for the life I was due

All was lacy and light

Had no feel for a fight

I thought my days of blind loving were through

She was young when I found her

Fighting freedoms that bound her

There was no place she called home

With no taste for routine

No place she’d past seen

Her days of blind love were long gone

I tried to take it all lightly

But my heart held on tightly

I felt all my foolish blood take command

Until a moment of bliss

Became an age I would miss

That moment where blind love felt so grand

I have been holding a light

To solitude by day and by night

So sure it would pay back in joy

The time it had taken

But it all settled down

I found the jewels to my crown

I’d arrived to where I thought I should be

With a woman so fair

Full of giving and care

From those days of blind love I could see

And from those days of blind love I was free

5. The Splendour Of It All

I try to remember

all the reasons why I left her

But all I can recall

is the splendour of it all

So I look back through the pages

that I wrote to mark the stages

Of the rise and fall of our empire

But all was lost in the fire

Leaving me without the words

They now seem so absurd

And all I can recall is the splendour of it all

So I tightly close my eyes and hope

That your image will arise

But it’s lost in lovers past

When you appear you never last

Leaving me without a picture

To take me back to when I left her

But all I can recall is the splendour of it all

I hold on to all these thoughts

In hope one day I won’t be caught

Pondering the paths I took

Unable to take another look

But to be content with all life’s choices

All regrets turn to rejoices

And you’ll take pleasure when you recall

The glorious splendour of it all

6. She’s A Stranger

She’s a stranger

She’s a danger to my health

And all the love we made

will be carried in a spade

that is used to dig our graves

She’s a stranger

She’s a danger to my health

And all the kisses we shared

They can’t hide the ones that we spared

The very last one leaves a tear

And all those days entwined

Leave all these nights unkind

A true love is hard to find

She’s a stranger

She’s a danger to my health

And all the love we made

will be carried in a spade

that is used to dig our graves

She’s a stranger

She’s a danger to my health

And any new flame

She won’t let you speak the name

Of the stranger that came before

And when you left me

You took the best part

You put me right back

Back to the start

She’s a stranger

She’s a danger to my health

And all the love we made

will be carried in a spade

that is used to dig our graves

to dig our graves

to dig our graves

7. Who Knows For Tomorrow

All we have is a bud, babe

Scared love wont grow

Who knows for tomorrow?

Another may say it aint so

Burrow into my bussom, baby

And cry tears in my hands

Who’ll bathe you tomorrow?

Another may be someone who can

Hold this cup, pull on the string

Or my heart will go to hell

Forgive me tomorrow

And the other whom you now know well

I opened my arms and you laughed

You opened your heart and I flew

Don’t change for tomorrow

Though another may be hoping you do

I led you down to the sea

Drew lines on your palms

Lept into the new day smiling

While the other held his head in his hands

Hold this cup, there’s truth in it

Forever keep the taste

Today will tell tomorrow, and

Another love wont go to waste

Today will tell tomorrow, and

Another love wont go to waste

8. They’ll Greet Me In Heaven

They’ll greet me in heaven

For my good work down here

When I get to the gates

I’ll here them cheer

“He was a good man.

He lived his life well”

And I’ll be ready

when they ring those bells

Can’t say that I believe

In such a man and such a place

No house and no doorway

No voice and no face

But I know that he’d greet me

For I’ve loved and I’ve lost

I’ve danced and I’ve sang

And I’ve paid all the costs

They’ll greet me in heaven

If god’s a good man

I said to the missionary

As she stopped me to say

“There’s a big change coming

If you don’t read and pray,

God’s fierce fist

Will cast you away”

And I said “Surely the man,

Of which you tell,

Won’t give a good man like me

Away to hell”

And surely he’d greet me

With a wink and a grin

For I did not believe

But neither did I sin

They’ll greet me in heaven

And I’m sure they will you too

For the gates wont just open

For those who knew

And no matter the judge

Or who’s God will prove true

Goodness is known

In the heart and right through

And they’ll greet you in heaven

And every day until then

For if man created God

Then God is in every man

9. I Fell In Love For Just A Minute

I fell in love for just a minute

Don’t know if I can get back in it

So I sent you on your way

To try me on another day

We walked each other down the darkened road

We said we’d marry in the corner shop

We banked upon our lucky stars

We fell in love for just a minute

I thought to gain a few more chances

To plough the field of new romances

But with the season at its tail

This harvest was bound to fail

I hope that in my final hour

Around me all true loves will shower me with kisses

and gladly sing it

“We fell in love for just a minute”

10. Cherry On The Cake

You’re the cherry on the cake

That’s taken years to bake

You came along to wake me just in time

But now I’m trundling along

With you my sweet song

Of words that both reason and rhyme

You’re the flag on the castle

Slowly carved from sand

You came along when the tide was high

Now the water is lapping

The walls are all cracking

But the flag is still flying and dry

You’re the cherry on the cake

That’s taken years to bake

I was just about to give in to solitude

But now I’m dancing again

I’m making new friends

Never thought I would be back in my prime

You’re the star atop the tree

The whole town can see

You’re the reason that they all come crowd around

And the children sit by me

Looking up with glee

They sing a sweet song and they warm the cool ground

You’re the cherry on the cake

That’s taken years to bake

You came along to wake me just in time

But now I’m trundling along

With you my sweet song

Of words that both reason and rhyme

You’ll be the earth that falls

Through six feet of dark walls

You’ll be the kind words that sound at my wake

And while there’s warmth in your breath

And the icing’s still fresh

Find your very own cherry on the cake