Poorville (2020-05)

Tracks

01: I Can’t Wait To Do It Again
02: Poorville
03: Talk You Down
04: Borderline
05: Coffee In The Morning
06: I Hope I See That Day
07: I Get Up In The Morning
08: The Rules Don’t Apply
09: Bonnie Britannia
10: Tell The Tale
11: Dreaming
12: The World Is A Beautiful Place

I finished recording this collection of songs as the Covid-19 lockdown was getting under way in the UK.
As this situation develops, I can’t help but reflect that government by toffs rarely seems to be of much
benefit to the general public. I wonder why we persist in voting them into office? Beats me…

I Can’t Wait To Do It Again

A song for hedge fund managers and City bankers. They’re always ready for another crack at the
big score… ?regardless of the consequences. The architects of austerity…

Poorville

I wrote this after watching that fabulous 2017 trainwreck of a TV interview with Theresa May and
her husband Philip (an investment relationship manager… see previous song) where they explained
that she ran the country while he took out the bins. Yeah, right…

Talk You Down

A somewhat oblique look at the Brexit process. My favourite vox pop from the time was the lady who
told a TV interviewer that she voted Leave because she was fed up of all the football on TV. Nothing like an
informed electorate, eh?

Borderline

I pity the poor immigrant… they’ll get nowhere here. It costs a small fortune to navigate the immigration
procedures in the UK. Believe me, I know… There’s no shortage of “Borderline” songs… here’s mine.
Perhaps my most jaw-dropping encounter with bureaucracy (and I’ve had quite a few…) was the
interview with a Home Office official who couldn’t read a bank statement. Theresa May’s greatest
achievement? Getting her successor as Home Secretary (Amber Rudd) to take the rap for Windrush
and the “hostile environment”… genius!

Coffee In The Morning

According to Mind (UK mental health charity), “approximately 1 in 4 people in the UK will experience a
mental health problem each year”. Chances are we all know somebody who struggles on a daily basis…
I wrote “Coffee In The Morning” for those folks.

I Hope I See That Day

Relentless optimism in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Works for me…

I Get Up In The Morning

An estimated 320,000 people are homeless in the UK, according to the latest research by Shelter.
This equates to one in every 201 Brits and was an increase of four per cent on the previous year’s number.
I’m not quite sure how so many people can be “invisible” but apparently they are… I wrote “I Get Up In The
Morning” after seeing a rough sleeper being harassed in the centre of Manchester a while back. I’m
pleased that Mayor Andy Burnham has made the reduction of homelessness a central issue for his time in
office… it’s not going to be an easy job. On the positive side, the Manchester Evening News
recently reported that Tameside was the most effective borough in the UK when it came to helping rough
sleepers off the streets.?Not often that Tameside gets kudos…

The Rules Don’t Apply

There are always people who march to a different drum, aren’t there? On the one hand, that’s
where creativity and innovation originate… hooray! On the other hand, it can also breed a “do as I say,
not as I do” attitude into a privileged few. Maybe I’m missing something?

Bonnie Britannia

I remember watching TV reports of the death and funeral of Princess Diana in 1997. I was living in the
States by then and was on holiday in Florida at the time… I found it hard to reconcile the way that the
British seemed to be handling the news to the country that I had emigrated from only 5 years earlier. It
all seemed very alien to me… I’ve been a permanent resident of the USA for almost thirty years now but
I spend a lot of time back in the UK these days… and it’s a much changed country from the one I left all
those years ago. I found the division and anger following the Brexit vote truly shocking… I wasn’t eligible
to vote… so I wrote this song instead. That’ll show ’em…

Tell The Tale

Apparently, life expectancy in the UK is around nine years less for those living in poverty. I wonder
how much those folks want to stick around to they can enjoy another nine years of poverty? Answers on a
postcard, please.

Dreaming

Verse 1: Dementia
Verse 2: In the UK, men are three times as likely to die by suicide than women (The Samaritans)
Verse 3: More relentless optimism…

The World Is A Beautiful Place

The Earth has survived at least five ice ages… so it will most likely come through whatever humanity
chucks?at it. Chances are that humans will eventually manage to wipe themselves out, though… we’ve
certainly been giving it our best shot! I sense that we’re finally waking up to the fact that it’s not really
about saving the planet… it’s actually about saving ourselves. Been nice knowing y’all!

Credits

Singing and playing by CG
Songs written by CG
Published by Gregsongs, administered by BMG Rights Management, UK
Recorded and mixed at Gregsonics, Saddleworth, UK by CG
Produced by Clive Gregson
Mastered by Andy Seward
Design by Amelia Sanders
Photographs by Sara Porter

Thanks

Paul Adshead, All at BMG, Lorraine Carpenter, Missy Feeley, Ged Green, Andy Murray, Stuart Palmer,
All at John Pearse Strings, Sara Porter, Amelia Sanders, Andy Seward, John Stirling

Lyrics

I CAN?T WAIT TO DO IT AGAIN

I shuffled millions like shuffling cards, every working day,
It?s a living but it?s not so hard, once you find a way,
I paid no mind to all those voices, I had a certain style,
I let the losers make their choices, while I made my pile?

I can?t wait to do it again, I can?t wait, no,
I can?t wait to do it again, I can?t wait, no?

I traded dreams for a place in Dubai, I grabbed a villa in Spain,
Cashed them in at an all time high, I was feeling no pain,
It?s all down to the fundamentals, you learn to ride your luck,
While you?re living in party central, you don?t give a fuck?

I can?t wait to do it again, I can?t wait, no,
I can?t wait to do it again, I can?t wait, no?

You can talk about your Great Depression, the crash of twenty-oh-eight,
Boom and bust, world wide recession but let?s get it straight,
One man?s down is another?s man?s up, opportunity,
The milk of kindness is a bitter cup, what?s in it for me??

I can?t wait to do it again, I can?t wait, no,
I can?t wait to do it again, I can?t wait, no..

I can?t wait to do it again, I can?t wait, no,
I can?t wait to do it again, I can?t wait, no?

I can?t wait to do it again, I can?t wait, no,
I can?t wait to do it again, I can?t wait, no?

POORVILLE

Nobody lives in Poorville,
Nobody lives in Poorville,
Nobody lives in Poorville,
We?re all just getting by?

The work went down the river,
The work went down the river,
The work went down the river,
It?s never coming back?

There?s always talk of something,
There?s always talk of something,
There?s always talk of something,
But nothing ever sticks?

We?re all in this together,
We?re all in this together,
We?re all in this together,
Every man for himself?

Nobody lives in Poorville,
Nobody lives in Poorville,
Nobody lives in Poorville,
We?re all just getting by,
We?re all just getting by,
We?re all just getting by…

TALK YOU DOWN

These days I can barely tell the bad stuff from the good,
And I still hear, see, taste, touch, smell, don?t let me be misunderstood,
There?s sickness everywhere I turn, a curse upon this town,
And we?re all out here on the ledge, I?m not about to talk you down?

It?s a surefire hopeless cause, never any doubt,
Whatever serves to spook the horse, there?s a lot of it about,
There?s panic spreading through this land, rumours running round,
And we?re all out here on the ledge, I?m not about to talk you down?

Faithless fate and destiny kept us all afloat,
But a restless wind and a raging sea has us by the throat,
The lifeboat is shot full of holes, it?s either sink or drown,
And we?re all out here on the ledge, I?m not about to talk you down?

And the new Grim Reaper?s dressed to kill, high heels and red lip gloss,
If we never see the bill, how can we count the cost?
Mother Earth goes on her way, forever spinning round,
And we?re all out here on the ledge, I?m not about to talk you down?

Well, last one left, turn out the lights, shut down the life support,
It?s the final happy hour, here in the last resort,
One more celebration, break out the cocktail gowns,
Cos we?re all out here on the ledge, I?m not about to talk you down,
Talk you down, talk you down, yeah, talk you down?

BORDERLINE

It?s a mark made on a map,
It?s a faded warning sign,
It is words stamped in a book,
It rules the world, borderline?

I was born where the rain falls hard,
She stole across the Great Divide,
The ways of love drift through the air,
They recognise no borderline?

We can?t have what they won?t give,
Living in these troubled times,
Love is seldom all you need,
Either side the borderline?

And every hour of every day,
Someone?s dreams die on the vine,
When it comes to living free,
Maybe we?re all borderline,
When it comes to living free,
Maybe we?re all borderline?

COFFEE IN THE MORNING

She drinks coffee in the morning, she sleeps in the afternoon,
Wearing the suit that she was born in on the second day of June,
And every day?s another hill to climb, still it helps to pass the time,
When night comes around, Sally lay down?

She drinks coffee in the morning, she drags herself to work,
Daydreams about a lover who doesn?t treat her like a jerk,
And every day?s another hill to climb, still it helps to pass the time,
When night comes around, Sally lay down?

She drinks coffee in the morning, ????????sometimes it does the trick,
Sometimes it stirs her just enough to call in sick,
And every day?s another hill to climb, still it helps to pass the time,
When night comes around, Sally lay down,
When night comes around, Sally lay down?

I HOPE I SEE THAT DAY

Who knows, the time may come when peace breaks out,
I hope I see that day, I hope see that day?

Who knows, there?ll be food enough for every mouth,
I hope I see that day, I hope I see that day?

Cos when that day arrives and I believe it will,
There?ll be no more kings and generals, there?ll be no call to kill?

Who knows, there?ll be a roof over every head,
I hope I see that day, I hope I see that day?

And when that day arrives and I believe it must,
All the citadels and palaces will crumble into dust?

And when that day arrives, I believe that dream,
Everyone on earth will sing and dance, imagine that scene?

Who knows, the time may come when peace breaks out,
I hope I see that day, I hope see that day,
I hope I see that day, I hope I see that day,
I hope I see that day, I hope I see that day?

I GET UP IN THE MORNING

Hey, I get up in the morning,
Been sleeping in a doorway for such a long, long time,
Hey, they wake me with a warning,
I?d better get a move on, I?m a human crime?

Hey, I carry everything I own,
I have to keep it with me everywhere I go,
Hey, does it ever stop raining?
Will I always be hungry, is it always this cold??

Here in this neighbourhood, I don?t fit in,
I?m like a piece of trash blown in on the wind?

Hey, I?ve got a rat faced dog,
I take him everywhere on a piece of string,
Hey, I call him Boris, he eats my money,
I treat him like a king?

Here in this neighbourhood, people pass me by,
But every now and then, one looks me in the eye??

Hey, they wake me with a warning,
I?d better get a move on, I?m a human crime?
Hey, I get up in the morning,
Been sleeping in a doorway for such a long, long time,
Such a long, long time, for such a long, long time?

THE RULES DON?T APPLY

A man walks through the early evening crowd,
He takes a seat at one end of the bar,
Though no-one hears him say a word out loud,
He gets just what he wants then takes a car,
And no, I can?t explain, I don?t know the reason why,
But if you come from easy street, the rules don?t apply?

The car rolls down a busy narrow street,
The crowd takes one step back then stands aside,
Darkness falls, the homeless people meet,
They try to talk the light back to their eyes,
And no, I can?t explain, I don?t know the reason why,
But if you come from easy street, the rules don?t apply?

When eyes of blue meet with clouds of gray,
Technicolour tears begin to fall,
It?s always been exactly the same way,
And someone never fails to make the call,
And no, I can?t explain, I don?t know the reason why,
But if you come from easy street, the rules don?t apply?

The call comes in, gets hung up in a queue,
The on hold music drags as time goes by,
Then everything slows down while some notes, they turn blue,
Some notes fill the air, some don?t even try,
And no, I can?t explain, I don?t know the reason why,
But if you come from easy street, the rules don?t apply?

I try so hard to seldom toe the line,
I?m marching out of step as best I can,
To err is human, to fail is so divine,
What did you expect, I?m still a man,
And no, I can?t explain, I don?t know the reason why,
But if you come from easy street, the rules don?t apply,
If you come from easy street, the rules don?t apply?

BONNIE BRITANNIA

Bonnie Britannia, oh what have you done?
Gave up on the stars, sold off the sun,
Now all you have left is the sweat of your brow,
What are you going to do now??

Bonnie Britannia, is it not the truth,
Your house has no walls, no floors and no roof,
Your spirit has followed the way of all flesh,
What are you going to do next??

Time passes by, year after year,
Look down from your throne, see we?re still here?

Bonnie Britannia, isn?t it the case,
When poor people plead, you turn away,
But when millionaires pilfer, you turn on the charm,
Do you still see no cause for alarm??

Time passes by, year after year,
Look down from your throne, yes, we?re still here?

Bonnie Britannia, the rot has set in,
How I long for a day when life?s losers win,
There?s a wind of change blowing through the streets of your towns,
What are you going to do now??
What are you going to do now??

TELL THE TALE

Climb the walls, walk the floor,
Bills pile up behind the door,
The weak will fall, the strong prevail,
Live long enough to tell the tale?

People stop, people stare,
The thought police are everywhere,
You buy your food at a car boot sale,
Live long enough to tell the tale?

It?s a life you didn?t choose,
It?s a life you can?t refuse?

All your hopes and all your dreams,
Flashed up on a tiny screen,
The perfect plan, how can it fail?
Live long enough to tell the tale?

It?s your life, right till the end,
It?s your life, your one true friend?

Climb the walls, walk the floor,
Bills pile up behind the door,
The weak will fall, the strong prevail,
Live long enough to tell the tale,
Live long enough to tell the tale,
Long enough? to tell the tale? tell the tale?

DREAMING

She?s leaning out the window of a German car in flight,
Waving to an imaginary crowd,
And as the streets of someplace else slip slowly out of sight,
No-one says a single word out loud,
She?s dreaming, dreaming, dreaming,
She?s dreaming, dreaming, dreaming?

He?s counting up the friends he?s lost on the fingers of both hands,
If only he could keep it down to ten,
There?s always one too many faces that he failed to understand,
Is it too late to turn back and start again?
He?s dreaming, dreaming, dreaming,
He?s dreaming, dreaming, dreaming?

Imagine if this world we live in, beautiful and raw,
Magnificence on a monumental scale,
Was never torn apart by famine, cruelty and war,
I can?t believe this world was built to fail,
I?m dreaming, dreaming, dreaming,
I?m dreaming, dreaming, dreaming,
I?m dreaming, dreaming, dreaming,
I?m dreaming, dreaming, dreaming?

THE WORLD IS A BEAUTIFUL PLACE

I don?t care where my neighbours come from,
I just hope that it?s not straight from hell,
If it?s hunger and fear that?s driven them here,
I offer my hand, wish them well?

I don?t mind if they don?t look like me,
It?s OK if they don?t speak my tongue,
Somehow, some way, if we learn to agree,
Can?t we all just get along??

The world is a beautiful place, a vision in velvet and blue,
No matter what we do to blow it away, we?re only passing through?

Life can be rough, bumps in the road,
Should we hang tough or share the load??

For as surely as night follows day,
We are all destined for dust,
But while we?re still walking this earth on our way,
Let?s do whatever we must?

The world is a beautiful place, a vision in velvet and blue,
No matter what we do to blow it away, we?re only passing through?

The world is a beautiful place, a vision in velvet and blue,
No matter what we do to blow it away, we?re only passing through,
We?re only passing through, yeah, we?re only passing through,
We?re only passing through?