The Right Time

 

I picked the right time

To start again

I picked the right time

For me again

Some people say they talk to me

Say that love is blind

That worries me

 

And all I know

Is how I feel today

And how I feel

Feels like this wont go away

 

Cause I know what she wants

Something deep and blue

Something like a locket

Reminds her of you

And when she cries... Rains on you inside

 

I picked the right time to find my goals

I picked the right time to ease my soul

Some people say they talk to me

Say that love is blind

That worries me

 

The Goldfish Song

 

It dont matter much

If you over feed the goldfish

Cause I swear I dont care

When he looks at me that way

 

And my tabby cat has got so fat

He’s being fed by the neighbour

But I swear I dont care

If he has a heart attack

 

You know I try

You cook I fry

You tell me, I go

You say

You say

You say

All my love give it to you

Big box of roses

And all the thorns too

All my loving is causing me pain

Can’t seem to get use

To going half insane

And I say

Hold me babe

And I say

Hold me babe

And I say

Hold me babe till that break of day

 

It dont matter much

If you over feed the goldfish

Cause I swear I don’t care

When he looks at me that way

 

And my parakeet, went into heat

He flew off for a lover

But I swear I dont care

If he never flies back

 

You know I try

You cook I fry

You tell me, I go

You say

You say

You say

All my love give it to you

Big box of roses, all the thorns too

All my love is black and white

Can’t seem to get use

To stayin up at night

And I say

Hold me babe

And I say

Hold me babe

And I say

Hold me babe, till that break of day

 

Kings and Queens

 

Come a long long way

Since those days

Broke a few hearts they say

In those days

And here we are old friends

The king and queen back again

 

Cause we lived life

As fast as it could be, they say

Burning inside

With endless energy they say

And now at this post

There’s only you and me

The king and queen

Dancing out of step

But the king and queen are dancing yet

 

Now lets go and take a walk

Around the old place

The cafes, the parks, the bars

Even the home base

But everywhere I see

Vivid dreams, memories

 

Cause with hard times

We had to find a job

Watch sickening acts

Of fired up lynching mobs

And now at this post

There’s only you and me

The king and queen will

Wile away the night

Part our separate ways

By morning light

 

Goodbye Heartache

 

Mary was a girl

A girl with standards on her mind

Been out with several boys

Only lasted short period of time

Then came that boy

Not quite like you or me

Swept that girl right off her feet

Now she aint never goin to be the same

 

Good bye heartache

Hello love

You’d been so long away

I thought they had forgotten me above

Goodbye heartache

Hello love

You’d been so long away

I thought they had forgotten me above

 

And tonight had come

Were going to have a party

We’ll dance the night away

And laugh until the dawn

And tonight she’ll sing

Show everyone that ring

 

And she’ll be singing

Goodbye heartache

Hello love

Small Town Boy

 

Small town boy, love on his mind

Never knew what that love would find

Helpin out around the home

Dreamin of distant lands to roam

 

Just a young boy looking for some affection

Just a young boy hidin from the rain

But all he found

Streets of pain

Try to avoid it

All in vain

 

Out my window I see you

Out my window, Im feeling somewhat blue

Out my windows, only rain

But out my window I take in the view

 

Then that boy became a man

Took the music to different lands

Talked with men wise and true

Shed that skin he grew and grew

 

The Fisherman’s Tale

 

Haul up the anchor

We’re going to sea

The winds are a fairer

And there’s fish in them seas

No time to argue

No time to despair

Sure if we all work together

We’ll be first ones there

 

And as we sail from the port

You will see

Moonbeams, that dance

That dance on the sea

Just the moonbeams and me

Afloat on the sea

 

Now I am a fisherman

And a fisherman’s son

And I worked with my father

Until my father was done

He’d say never rich

Never poor will you be

For a fish on a Friday

Is a treat don’t you see

 

Haul those nets

Till your hearts burst

And we’ll sing

And we’ll thank god

For those fish in them seas

The fish in them seas

 

Now each time we set sail

There’s one fishing boat less

The finest of fishermen

Have been put to the test

And the next boat

That won’t sail

Will be belonging to me

And no more will I dance

With the moonbeams

Afloat on the sea

 

Cause there’s dredgers

And trawler’s so big

You can see

There’s dredging and trawling

And killing our seas

Killing our seas

 

And now I am grounded

With rent overdue

I fear for my family

For what more can I do

For being a fisherman

I know only one way

And what good is a fisherman

Who can’t earn his pay

 

And late at night

Down by the quay all alone

I’ll be a dancing

With the moonbeams on the sea

They come right up to the quay

And they’re dancing with me

 

Singing

Haul up the anchor

We’re going to sea

The winds are a fairer

And there’s fish in them seas

 

Angel

 

You know in my life

I’ve climbed me the highest mountain

And in the splendour of its glory

That’s where I did lie

 

You know in my life

I’ve dived me the deepest oceans

And in the cold and in the darkness

Thought I would die

 

And in my love life

I broke my heart into a thousand pieces

Hearing foolish words of lovers

In the morning light

 

And now I’ve fixed my heart

Right back from a thousand pieces

I’m go’nna give it right up to you

Without a fight

 

Cause now you’ve come along

And I will sing my song

Talking bout

My angel......angel rae

My angel......night and day

My angel......when I cry

My angel......when I die

 

And in the winter time

We’ll wrap up warm

And walk between the mountains

Gaze upon its beauty

From the valleys bellow

 

And in the sumertime

We’ll buy a boat

Sail us on the oceans

And to the cold and to the darkness

I won’t go

 

And when I’m old grey

I’ll sit me down, right beside my angel

And with my withered fingers

I’ll play this song

 

And when I die

I’m gonna be right there beside my angel

And to that mountain top and ocean deep

We’ll go along

 

Now that I’ve found you

Someone to see me through

Talking about

My angel......angel rae

My angel......night and day

My angel......when I cry

My angel......when I die

 

 

* Van Diemens Land

 

Whenever I go roaming

Get this kinda yearning

Go and see the land...Tasmania

 

A land once men were exiled

Across stormy seas they survived

And settled in this land

The wilderness grand

 

To start a brand new day

In a land far away

In Tasmania

 

From Richmond down to Bruny

Travel Strahan right up to Stanley

Wile the day away at Freycinet

 

Lake St Clair to Cradle Mountain

Sail the Derwent raft the Franklin\Lie where eagles fly at Federation Peak

 

A peaceful kind of life

No worries no strife

In Tasmania

 

Sighted by Abel Tasman

Named after VanDiemen

English shored at Risdon

Found a land of pleasant seasons

The land of Truganini

The fate of the Cataraqui

Music laughter and song

As you travel along

 

Like long ago in the steps of Tasman

I’ll set sail for that tranquil island

For there I know my heart

Will truly roam free

Amid the snow capped winter mountains

Ancient forests of Myrtle and Huon

And where rivers gently flow

To a crystal blue sea

 

A peaceful kind of life

No worries no strife

In Tasmania

 

Warm friendly smiles and

Starry night skies

In Tasmania

 

Love Song

 

Gaze in the mirror

Have a look at yourself

Same old face

Only older still

Look at all the perfumes

That comfort you

Over years & years

But still your on your own

 

Walk down the road

To that local cafe

Order a coffee

No need to pay

The man at the counter

He knows you so well

He winks to you now

You slowly turn away

 

And I know that your in love

With him

I could see it all over your face

When you cried to me, like

Times before

But you lie

The way that people do

And you cry

The way that only lovers do

But you’ll win again

 

You wake from your slumber

Its a quarter past eight

Oh my God I better hurry

Or else I’ll be late

The post has arrived

And awaiting for you

More bills to be paid

And a book that’s overdue

 

Driving to work

You get that feeling again

You pray to yourself

You wish it would end

You wonder why

After all of these years

Can a candle still burn

So bright and eep inside

 

So gaze in that mirror

For that very last time

Stare at all those perfumes

From lovers through time

There’s a knock on the door

And waiting for you

A bouquet of flowers

From a love, a love you thought was through

 

You rise from the chair

And you quickly get dressed

and you hurry along

To that bouquets address

Knock on the door

And waiting for you

That love, the love you thought was through

 

And I knew that you were still in love with him

I could see it all over your face

When you cried to me like times before

But you lie

The way that people do

And you cry

The way that only lovers do

But you’ll win again

 

When You Go Away

 

When you go away

Will you talk to me

When you pack your bags

Will you comfort me

When I’m all alone

I’ll sit and stare

At the ragged hills

In the winters air

 

Cause loves a hold on me

Made me so blind I can’t see

Make me strong

Do now wrong

Cause loves ahold on me

 

And when the winter sun falls

I’ll climb a mountain

Into its warmth I’ll crawl

And when the rays strike your land

You’ll feel the warmth of my hand

And the together we will be

 

And when he brings me home

To that mountain top

He will lay me down

 

 

 

 

When You Go Away cont...

 

And my heart will stop

The rain will fall

Wash away my tears

The wind will blow

Blow away my fears

And the snow will fall, cover me

Preserve this love for eternity

 

Swans

 

Drive to the plane

I reach out and touch you

The warmth of your hand

Reminds me again

The time it has come

And now I must leave you

Pain in my heart

Are you feeling the same

 

So why can we not be together

Why must we always be apart

Like swans on a lake

Always together

That fly far away

Never to part

 

Climbing the steps

And boarding the plane

I look at the people

Are they feeling the same

Have they left someone dear

And close to their hearts

Are they feeling the anguish

Of being apart

 

From my car window

I take in the view

The trees seem more stooped

Since I last passed through

 

The grass is more grey

The hedgerows more bare

Are they trying to say

That they also care

 

+ The Ballad of Malcolm Keno

 

On a hot South African night

In a township out of sight

To a woman ragged and torn

Malcolm Keno he was born

 

And his father was so proud

To the heavens shouts aloud

Thank you Jesus for the boy

Hear the village sing the joys

 

And all night they sing

Songs of freedom

And all night they cry

Freedom, Emancipation

Around the embers of the fire

Malcolm Keno sleeps tonight

 

With his mother he would sow

To the markets they would go

With his father he would plough

Tend the goats milk the cows

 

And in the evening they would pray

For better times to come their way

And in bed to candle light

Malcolm Keno reads and writes

 

And all night he reads stories of freedom

Martin Luther King, Malcolm X Abraham Lincoln

And as the candle slowly dies

Malcolm Keno weeps and cries

 

...in his heart he knows

He would fly the ghetto

Find a better way of life

Not hiding in shadows

And in his heart he knew

He would leave the ghetto

To a better way of life

From Soweto...from Soweto

 

Then one night he stole away

Destination America

He caught a bus down to the Cape

Found a ship and stowed away

 

No one knows the end of the tale

If he made it if he failed

One sure thing from the start

Malcolm burns within my heart

 

And as the ship set sail

He sang songs of freedom

And as the ship set sail

Sang songs of liberation

As the ship set sail for America

 

Oh La Mosa Losa Lo

Oh La Mosa Losa

Oh La Mosa Losa Lo

Oh La Mosa Losa

 

 

+ Malcolm Keno - Winner - Unisong Merit Award California

 

*  Van Diemens Land - Winner - Peoples Choice Award Georgetown Folk Festival Tasmania

 

All songs written by Conn O’Neill ©

 

Special thanks to:

 

My wife Liesel & all my family & friends.

Stuart at Red Planet Studios, Hobart.

Enda at Ambervale Studios Nth. Ireland.

Thomas at Bedrock Studios, Hobart.

 

The Musicians:

 

Finbar Magee - 2nd Acoustic Guitar, Vanessa Douglas - Mandolin/Vocals, Ivan James - Cello (TSO). Brian Owens - Flute, Rob Hewer - Electric Guitar, Peter Reid - Bass, Neil Readett - Drums, Rob Jones - Harmonica, Ray Ward - Bass, Tom Dunlop - Mandolin, Julian Oates - Digeridoo. Stephen (&Lizzy) Bourke, co-writers of Van Diemens Land. Graphic Design - Wally. Rosie Flockhart for all her hard work.