Lyrics

Songs from the forthcoming album

"Real, Here and Now"

Rainbow and the Whale

Along the Whitby Strand

The Gibbous Moon

In Real Terms

Dance Between the Raindrops

The Mirror

The Men from Mexico

Just Seventeen

Autumn

The Last Remaining Tree

Rainbow and the Whale, © John Drakes 2021

"In the Bible, the great flood cleansed the earth of all man's evil. A rainbow was sent to remind us it would never happen again. But we don't listen. Discarded fishing nets entangle thousands of sea creatures every year. The rainbow is watching, and waiting."

1.	A rainbow came to follow me I did wonder why There's something that you need to see I heard the rainbow cry
2.	In colours there are promises Sunshine after rain That it would never come to this again
3.	There before my very eyes The rainbow danced for me From the dark and gloomy skies He dived into the sea
4.	He dived to where down in the deep No light had shone before And he began to weep for what he saw
Chorus:	He said, time after time, I have watched you fail But are you sorry, sorry for the whale?
5.	At first he thought she was asleep In quiet and sweet repose But drowned in tangled nets will keep Your eyes forever closed
6.	No more to sing her song of love That haunting melody For she'll never leave the bottom of the sea
Chorus:	He said, time after time, I have watched you fail But are you sorry, sorry for the whale?
Bridge:	Then the heavens opened A voice came from The Lord My promise never broken But you, oh you have broken yours!
7.	In angry clouds storms are made As rainbow reappears I see his colours slowly fade Stained by rainbow tears
8.	For this is how it all began And this is how it ends As waters rise above the land again
Chorus:	He said, time after time, I have watched you fail But are you sorry, sorry for the whale? He said, time after time, I have watched you fail But are you sorry, sorry for the whale?

Along the Whitby Strand, © John Drakes 2018

"An old fashioned love story. A couple walk along the beach, holding hands, very much in love and planning for a life together. Up on the promenade an old couple watch them and smile, thinking back to the days when they too walked
... Along the Whitby Strand."

1.	We walk along the Whitby Strand Laughing, loving, holding hands Sandy toes and tangled hair A kiss in salty air
2.	We'll write our names when tides recede Near lapping waves and sighing seas Pebble pen and paper sand Lovers making plans
Chorus:	Sea breeze and salt water Out along the Strand Followed by our footprints In the sand
3.	They watch us shamelessly embrace With wrinkled grins and sun browned face The old ones with their knowing smiles Remembering awhile
4.	Serenaded by the sea We wander far and aimlessly Time has flown, the hours go by Beneath a seagull sky
Chorus:	Sea breeze and salt water Out along the Strand Followed by our footprints In the sand
5.	When darkness falls and day is done I'll lie with you ‘till morning comes One day we'll walk with wedding bands Along the Whitby Strand One day we'll walk with wedding bands Along the Whitby Strand
Chorus:	Sea breeze and salt water Out along the Strand Followed by our footprints In the sand One day we'll walk with wedding bands Along the Whitby Strand

The Gibbous Moon, © John Drakes 2017

"A true story. I know this little boy well. It turned out all right for him in the end. No need to explain. It is all in the song. Sadly, all too many people can relate to this story."

1.	Johnny hated daylight How he hated day He longed for the night to come And take the day away
2.	Gone was his childhood His God given right Mother and father Bicker and fight
Chorus:	Underneath the stars Morning comes too soon Walking round for hours Beneath the moon, the gibbous moon
3.	Down the narrow lanes He'd wander in the dark Out where badgers shuffle Out where foxes bark
4.	Whispers in the wind Small voice on the breeze There he poured his heart out Talking to the trees
Chorus:	Underneath the stars Morning comes too soon Walking round for hours Beneath the moon, the gibbous moon
Bridge:	They talked about his state of mind Said he was disturbed Why he was the way he was Saying not a word Disappearing in the dark Dark too dark to see It cannot be to do with them They argued bitterly
5.	Away from all the fighting Shouting and the tears Talk of separation Wasted married years
6.	Lies and then more lies Acrimonious rows Affairs and accusations Broken wedding vows
Chorus:	Underneath the stars Morning comes too soon Walking round for hours Beneath the moon, the gibbous moon

In Real Terms, ©John Drakes 2024

"Homelessness should not exist in a caring society. This song was written for Paul, an old man who sleeps in a supermarket doorway."

1.	In this city of nightmares and dreams He's looking at the news on a TV screen And stares into a world beyond his means
2.	His old grey coat lets in the snow But the newsman said "Inflation's low And you're better off in real terms You're better off in real terms, don't you know"
Chorus:	But in real terms he's hungry And in real terms he feels the cold In real terms he's so angry No one wants his story to be told
3.	A haunted face in the window pane A bitter wind that bears his name And every day is just the same
4.	Night comes down, it's time to go He shivers and it's five below But "you're better off in real terms You're better off in real terms, don't you know"
Chorus:	But in real terms he's hungry And in real terms he feels the cold In real terms he's so angry No one wants his story to be told
5.	He stumbles down the street alone To the doorway he calls his home And a waiting bed of paving stones
6.	Somewhere he hears a radio The news is good, "Inflation's low And you're better off in real terms You're better off in real terms, don't you know"
Chorus:	But in real terms he's hungry And in real terms he feels the cold In real terms he's so angry No one wants his story to be told
7.	No one gives a damn or a care Surrounded by misery, trapped by despair He turns his eyes from those who stare
8.	He's under a paper covered in snow But the headlines read "Inflation's low And you're better off in real terms You're better off in real terms, don't you know"
Chorus:	But in real terms he's hungry And in real terms he feels the cold In real terms he's so angry No one wants his story to be told

Dance Between the Raindrops, © John Drakes 2001

"Small problems in relationships are like raindrops. You can dance between them. But when the raindrops gang up, they become a storm. To avoid this emotional storm you have to run. You may not be able to be with someone, but can still love them for the rest of your life."

1.	Though I can't be near you You're always on my mind Not a day goes I don't wonder What I left behind
2.	The journey that was broken Reasons I don't know But I just couldn't stay I had to go
Chorus:	So dance between the raindrops But run before the storm These words I give with all my love To keep you safe from harm
3.	Down in disillusion Deeper by the day The storm that brings confusion Made me lose my way
4.	So my heart is calling And I am lost in tears That I will never know The stolen years
Chorus:	So dance between the raindrops But run before the storm These words I give with all my love To keep you safe from harm
Bridge:	Still that empty feeling Haunts me from afar Time can be for healing But I wonder where you are I wonder where you are Where you are
5.	Lessons learned in losing A heavy price we pay Love was made for bruising It's always been that way
6.	So the days are passing And I cannot pretend That this broken heart Will ever mend
Chorus:	So dance between the raindrops But run before the storm These words I give with all my love To keep you safe from harm

The Mirror, © John Drakes 2021

"I stopped to look in the mirror one time and found myself watching the face staring back at me. In it I could see all the joys and sorrows, the hopes and dreams of a life well lived. It was like seeing an old friend, in the face of a stranger."

1.	Here I am This is me I am all All that I can be
2.	Still the same But changing times Can be seen Between the lines, in the mirror
3.	Long ago I recall I was young I knew it all
4.	Not for me This growing old So far away We were told, is the mirror
Chorus:	The touch of grey you see on me, don't you know it means A pocketful of memories and I'm running out of dreams
5.	And I know For I am here Looking back Back through all the years
6.	Moving on With measured pace Brought me here To this place, in the mirror
Chorus:	The touch of grey you see on me, don't you know it means A pocketful of memories and I'm running out of dreams
Bridge:	Joy and sorrow Hope, despair Friends I've made Love I've shared Written in the face that stares at me
7.	With these eyes I have seen With this mind I have dreamed
8.	And with this heart I will give To this life I have lived, in the mirror
Chorus:	The touch of grey you see on me, don't you know it means A pocketful of memories and I'm running out of dreams

The Men from Mexico, © John Drakes 2023

" A true story and one of the most moving experiences of my life. I joined a small group visiting the site of the famous 1972 Andes plane crash. A team of young rugby players and family and friends from Uruguay were stranded for 72 days without proper clothing or food at 12,500 feet in the high Andes mountains.
16 survived and 29 bodies are buried on the mountain. Each summer it is possible to go by horseback to the grave and memorial.
Six young Mexicans and a priest were in the group and invited me to join a Mass for the Dead. It was deeply moving and, though I did not understand a word, the tears were soon rolling down my face. The love for each other first comes from finding it inside ourselves"

1.	In the Cordillera, one December night Came the men from Mexico, in the fading light Far had they travelled to honour those who died Buried oh so long ago on the mountainside
2.	Standing by the doorway I watched the Mass begin Someone took my arm and welcomed me within Padre and the pilgrims, solemn words and signs His body and His blood, the wafer and the wine
Chorus:	All that I am, is all I can be When I find the love inside of me
Bridge:	Silent were the mountains Bright the stars above I bowed my head in prayer And felt the power of love
3.	So Holy was the worship, tears began to roll Joined in rivers down my face, filled my very soul I cried for all the mothers, the fathers and the friends The sisters and the brothers, I cried for all of them
4.	Then the Father blessed me, hand upon my head A stranger to the words, but I knew what he had said And they put their arms around me, those men from Mexico How we cried and how we cried, how the tears did flow
Chorus:	All that I am, is all I can be When I find the love inside of me
Bridge:	Silent were the mountains Bright the stars above I bowed my head in prayer And felt the power of love
5.	Something moved within me, on that Andes night And I will be forever, bathed in love and light
Chorus:	All that I am, is all I can be When I find the love inside of me When I find the love inside of me

Just Seventeen, © John Drakes 2016

"A young boy, just turned seventeen, in the trenches during World War 1. I tried to imagine the horror of what he had to endure. Then, through a veil of tears, I wrote this."

1.	Somewhere in the fields of France I cannot tell you where I lied about my age So I could say that I was there To fight for King and Country As only soldiers can Maybe to be a hero Or just to be a man
Chorus:	And I am just seventeen, you know, I am just seventeen
2.	The dreadful din of battle Shells above me whine The pounding of the heavy guns But we must hold the line Death is all around me I hear the whistle blast The lads are going over Is it time at last?
Chorus:	And I am just seventeen, you know, I am just seventeen
Bridge:	Johnny took a rifle round Out upon the killing ground Tangled in the wire that held him Helpless where he lay He saw his life before him And he heard the Angels calling The dead cried out their warning As his soul was whisked away
Chorus:	And I am just seventeen, you know, I am just seventeen
3.	There are no words that can describe The things that I have seen The horrors of the battlefield The dying and the screams Mortars and the land mines Bodies blown apart Numbing all my senses Tearing at my heart
Chorus:	And I am just seventeen, you know, I am just seventeen
4.	If indeed I do survive The bullets and the bombs The dirty stinking trenches The gas that rolls along I will ask the question Cannot war be banned? And why the age of innocence Died in No Man's Land
Chorus:	And I am just seventeen, you know, I am just seventeen

Autumn, © John Drakes 2016

"The soft muted colours of Autumn remind us of the sweet melancholy of the season.
So to Nature's palette I have added the colour blue"

1.	The wild geese are leaving Ever South they fly Skeined in vee formation Through cooling autumn skies
2.	Loud in ululation Plaintive is their cry Follow one another On whispered wings and sighs
Chorus:	And I have come to know what is true The colour of autumn is blue
3.	The journey long together Silver by her side Through the stormy oceans And on the ripping tide
4.	Drawn by scented rivers To the spawning grounds On salmon redds and gravel beds In ecstasy they drown
Chorus:	And I have come to know what is true The colour of autumn is blue
Bridge:	Blue like the green leaves Yellowed into brown Soft as falling tears Gentle on the ground Blue like the green leaves Cinnamon and Gold Withered into autumn Wintered into old
5.	The dying days of summer Time for moving on Swallows and the martins Symphonied in song
6.	Lined abreast for leaving Africa they're bound And empty skies will echo The silence of their sound
Chorus:	And I have come to know what is true The colour of autumn is blue

The Last Remaining Tree, © John Drakes 2017

"A bleak look into the future. We seem to have so little regard for nature and our planet.
Ever increasing human population, greed and indifference may make this come true.
In the song I see a wonderful old oak tree, maybe a thousand years old.
What are his feelings, his memories, or the stories he could tell?
He will have stood through storm and tempest. Through battles and wars.
His future now as uncertain as ours."

1.	Some had seen it coming In vain they prophesied On bended knees they pleaded On bended knees they cried But by the deaf condemned And the blind that had decreed We'd gaze upon the last remaining tree
2.	People came to wonder People came to stare Some they stood in silence Others in despair They hung their heads in sorrow The shame was plain to see Weeping for the last remaining tree
Chorus:	Still the mighty branches sweep low and wide And still a mighty heart beats deep inside
3.	He hears the sound of children Laughter and their cries Games they played around him Beneath the summer skies Echoes that remain Just a distant memory Lost within the last remaining tree
4.	Climb among the branches High on high they go Breathless from the danger Above the world below Dizzy from the daring But daring to be free Cradled by the last remaining tree
Chorus:	Still the mighty branches sweep low and wide And still a mighty heart beats deep inside
5.	But sadness moves within him Sap begins to flow Winter turns to springtime Sunshine melts the snow And soon his autumn leaves Will be tears we cannot see Falling from the last remaining tree
Chorus:	Still the mighty branches sweep low and wide And still a mighty heart beats deep inside