LARK'S TONGUES IN ASPIC (1973)   
 
EXILES
(Richard Palmer-James).

Now...in this faraway land
Strange...that the palms of my hands
Should be damp with expectancy
Spring... and the air's turning mild
City lights... and the glimpse of a child
Of the alleyway infantry
Friends... do they know what I mean
Rain... and the gathering green
Of an afternoon out-of-town
But Lord I had to go
My trail was laid too slow behind me 
To face the call of fame
Or make a drunkard's name for me
Though now this other life 
Has brought a different understanding 
And from these endless days 
Shall come a broader sympathy 
And though I count the hours 
To be alone's injury... 
My home... was a place near the sand 
Cliffs... and a military band
Blew an air of normality 

BOOK OF SATURDAY
(Richard Palmer-James).

If I only could deceive you 
Forgetting the game
Every time I try to leave you 
You laught just the same
'Cause my wheels never touch the road
And the jumble of lies we told 
Just returns to my back to weigh me down...
We lay cards upon the table 
The backs of our hands 
And I swear I like your people 
The boys in the band 
Reminiscences gone astray 
Coming back to enjoy the fray 
In a tangle of night and daylight sounds... 
All completeness in the morning 
Asleep on your side 
I'll be waking up the crewmen
Banana-boat ride
She responds like a limousine 
Brought alive on the silent screen 
To the shuddering breath of yesterday... 
There's the succour of the needy 
Incredible scenes 
I'll believe you in the future 
Your life and death dreams 
As the cavalry of despair
Takes a stand in the lady's hair 
For the favour of making sweet sixteen... 
You make my life and times 
A book of bluesy Saturdays 
And I have to choose...
 
EASY MONEY
(Richard Palmer-James).

Your admirers on the street 
Gotta hoot and stamp their feet 
In the heat from your physique 
As you twinkle by in moccasin sneakers
And I thought my heart would break 
When you doubled up the stake 
With your fingers all a shake 
You could never teel a winner from a snake 
But you always make money 
Easy money 
With your figure and your face 
Strutting out at every race 
Throw a glass around the place 
Show the colour of your crimson suspenders
We would take the money home
Sit around the family throne
My old dog could chew his bone 
For two weeks we could appease the Almighty 
Easy money
Got no truck with the la-di-da 
Keep my bread in an old fruit jar 
Drive you out in a motor-car 
Getting fat on your lucky star just making 
Easy money 



  STARLESS AND BIBLE BLACK (1974)   

THE NIGHT WATCH
(Richard Palmer-James).

Shine, shine, the light of good works shine
The watch before the city gates depicted in their prime
That golden light all grimy now
Three hundred years have passed 
The worthy Captain and his squad of troopers standing fast.
The artist knew their faces well
The husbands of his lady friends
His creditors and councilors 
In armour bright, the merchant men 
Official moments of the guild
In poses keen from bygone days
The city fathers frozen there 
Upon with canvas dark with age
The smell of paint, a flask of wine 
And turn those faces all to me 
The blunderbuss and halbert-shaft
And Dutch respectability. 
They make their entrance one by one 
Defenders of that way of life 
The redbrick home, the bourgeoisie
Guitar lessons for the wife.
So many years we suffered here 
Our country racked with Spanish wars
Now comes a chance to find ourselves 
And quiet reigns behind our doors
We think about posterity again. 
And so the pride of little men 
The burghers good and true 
Still living through the painter's hands
Request you all to understand. 

LAMENT
(Richard Palmer-James).

I guess I tried to show you how 
I'd take the crowd with my guitar 
And business men would clap their hands
And clip another fat cigar 
And publishers would spread the news
And print my music far and wide 
And all the kids who played the blues 
Would learn my licks with a bottle neck slide. 
But now it seems to the bubble's burst 
Although you know there was a time 
When love gathered in my head
With poetry in every line 
And strong men strove to hold the doors 
While with my friends I passed that age 
When people stomped on dirty floors 
Before I trod the rock'n'roll stage. 
I'll thank the man who's on the 'phone
And if he has the time to spend 
The problem I'll explain once more 
And indicate a sum to lend 
That ten percent is now a joke 
Maybe thirty, even thirty-five 
I'll say my daddy's had a stroke 
He'd have one now, if he only was alive. 
I like the way you look at me 
You're laughing too down there inside 
I took my chance and you took yours 
You crewed my ship, we missed the tide 
I like the way the music goes 
There's a few good guys who can play it right 
I like the way it moves my toes 
Just say when you want to go and dance all night...

THE GREAT DECEIVER 
(Richard Palmer-James).

Health-food faggot with a bartered bride 
Likes to comb his hair with a dipper ride 
Once had a friend with a cloven foot 
Once he called the tune in a chequered suit.
Great Deceiver 
In the door on the floor in a paper bag 
There's a shoe-shine boy with a gin-shop slag
She raised him up and she called him son 
And she canonised the ground that he walked upon. 
Great Deceiver 
Cigarettes, ice cream, figurines of the Virgin Mary 
Cigarettes, ice cream, figurines of the Virgin Mary 
Cigarettes. ice cream, cadillacs, blue jeans. 
In the night he's a star in the Milky Way 
He's a man of the world by the light of day 
A golden smile and a proposition 
And the breath of God smells of sweet sedition. 
Great Deceiver 
Sing hymns make love get high fall dead 
He'll bring his perfume to your bed 
He'll charm your life 'til the cold winds blow 
Then he'll sell your dreams to a picture show. 
Cigarettes, ice cream, figurines of the Virgin Mary 
Cadillacs, blue jeans, dixieland playing on the ferry
Cadillacs, blue jeans, drop a glass full of antique sherry.




 RED  (1974)   


FALLEN ANGEL
(Richard Palmer-James).

Tears of joy at the birth of the brother
Never alone from that time 
Sixteen years through knife fights and danger 
Strangely why his life and not me 
West side skyline crying
Fallen angel dying 
Risk a life to make a dime 
Lifetimes spent on the streets of a city 
Make us the people we are 
Switchblade strings in one tenth of a moment 
Better get back to the car 
Snow white side streets of cold N.Y.C.
Stained with his blood it all went wrong 
Sick and tired blue wicked and wild
God only knows for how long 
Fallen... angel... Fallen... angel 
West side skyline crying 
For an angel dying 
Life expiring in the city 
Fallen angel... 

ONE MORE RED NIGHTMARE
(Richard Palmer-James).

Pan American nightmare 
Ten thousand feet fun-fair
Convinced that I don't care
It's safe as houses I swear
I was just sitting musing 
The virtues of cruising 
When altitude dropping 
My ears started popping 
One more red nightmare 
Sweet beginning to pour down 
My neck as I turn round 
I heard fortune shouting
Just get off of this outing 
A farewell swan song 
See you know how turbulence can be 
The stewardess made me (*)
One more red nightmare 
Reality stirred me
My angel had heard me 
The prayer had been answered 
A reprieve has been granted 
The dream was now broken
Though rudely awoken 
Really safe and sound 
Asleep on the Greyhound 
One more red nightmare 

STARLESS
(Richard Palmer-James).

Sundown dazzling day
Gold through my eyes 
But my eyes turn within 
Only see 
Starless and bible black 
Ice blue silver sky 
Fades into grey 
To a grey hope that oh 
Years to be 
Starless and bible black
Old friend charity 
Cruel twisted smile 
And the smile signals emptiness
For me 
Starless and bible black