A day to watch the world go by – you’re basking in the sunshine
But you can see things are not quite as you had thought
When you look around now you can notice things are different
People are not quite as nice when they’re wrapped up in a busy working day

Seeing how impatient many are, it’s quite revealing
And there seems to be no remedy for this poor citizenship
Scary self-reflection of the years you spent amongst them
But now you’ve found redemption in a time-rich reinvention of yourself

Time no longer runs away
The days feel like they’re long enough
Time has now become your friend
It’s all so weird – it used to be such a fight – now ‘if’ has become ‘when’

Suddenly a light bulb moment hits you in the face
Remembrance of how your time would waste away
You’re playing with a fiery theme – it doesn’t make for pleasant thinking
But you’re feeling liberated in your newly-found existence happily

Time no longer runs away
The days feel like they’re long enough
Time has now become your friend
It’s all so weird – it used to be such a fight – now ‘if’ has become ‘when’

How many times do I lie awake
With things lingering on my mind?
There won’t always be a pattern
Or a logical cause to define

In the dead of night
The hours slowly drift away
Then in the darkness our love finds a way
To send me calmly to another day

I’m feeling so much better when I think about you
Now my troubles slip away
It feels so much better when I think about you
Now I’ve reached another day

Why do I lie & worry?
It’s something I can’t explain
Sometimes it last for hours
And sometimes it gives me pain

But when you’re in my mind
My anxious feelings slip away
And when we get it right
This loneliness I can allay

I’m feeling so much better when I think about you
Now my worries slip away
It feels so much better when I think about you
Now I’ve reached another day

How many times do we lie awake
With things lingering on our minds?
There won’t always be a pattern
Or a logical cause to define

In the dead of night
The hours slowly drift away
Then in the darkness love can find a way
To send us calmly to another day

We feel so much better when we think about our love
Our worries slip away
It feels so much better when we think about our love
We reach another day

You’re making all the news
Your broken rules are clear for all to see
Weakly justified
With arrogance & hypocrisy

With heroes all around
People of immense integrity
The injustice of it all
Lies told free of anxiety
Like a book, don’t think we can’t read you
You’re transparent

Self-prepared support
And shocking governmental puppetry
With no hint of remorse
You’ve reached new depths of toxicity

See the heroes all around
Heart-warming displays of bravery
The injustice of it all
Souls lost alone in a human tragedy
Like a book, don’t think we can’t read you
Your judgement was so wrong

Sometimes when our love seems far away
The discord weighs so heavily on the day
Emptiness surrounds me & I can’t think what to say
And I wonder how I’ll get by when you’re gone

Sometimes when my mojo’s hard to find
The discord weighs so heavily on my mind
The world goes on around me & I’m feeling left behind
And I wonder how I’ll get by when you’re gone

I try to make it go away
Sleep through to another day
But I’m too tight to let it go
I’m fighting an inner foe
And it just stays firmly in my way
But I know it’ll blow over & we’ll still love each other
I want to make it go away
It feels too high a price to pay
I’m all twisted up inside
Can’t see that all is well outside
So I tell myself to try another way
And when it blows over, we’ll still love each other

Then night falls like a curtain
Candles & incense help to change the mood
And we’re sitting around in a meditative state
Music & movies help to change the mood

It’s been a really cool ride along the way…

Sometimes when our love seems far away
The discord weighs so heavily on the day
Emptiness surrounds me & I’m lost for what to say
And I wonder if I’ll get by when you’re gone

Living in a time warp
Thinking that it’s all ok
Not caring about how they feel
And it was never ok & you do it every year

Under the illusion of charity
You should feel ashamed
It’s pathetic to regard as entertainment
Putting your hands where they’re clearly not wanted

Using your inflated status
To pursue a cheap endeavour
Harassment & exploitation
Feeling entitled by your wealth & power

Your egos & delusions are laughable
Let’s hope they expose your names
Then your people would see you for who you really are
What a bunch of sad, misogynistic arseholes

Living in a time warp
Knowing that it isn’t ok
You can imagine how they feel
Yet you turn a blind eye & you do it every year

Under the illusion of charity
You should feel ashamed
It’s pathetic to regard as entertainment
Putting your hands where they’re really not wanted

There is no escaping – there are two sides to every story
Better than to avoid it – ignorance leaves us no way out
Re-learning it warts & all will help us understand
Why the world is the way that it is now – the good & the bad

A time for reflection – stories are told to make the victors seem right
Now it’s time for a challenge – to realise some unpleasant truths
Learning with a critical eye will help us understand
Why the world isn’t quite as it should be – but the future lies in our hands

Through a new lens, the land’s been divided by violence & greed
Wealth earned & territories gained by unsavoury means
To re-write a more balanced story, told in a way like never before
To re-set the historical record – a more rational way to question the law
Can help things to calm down – anger is only fuelling the fire
Accepting what has gone & turning towards a long-felt desire
Turning towards a fairer world – of social equality
Help things to calm down – anger is only fuelling the fire
Accepting what has gone & turning towards a long-felt desire
Turning towards a fairer world

Hold your nerve, don’t lose belief, a better world’s not out of reach
If the powers that be resolve to teach the past through a new lens
Brace yourself & don’t give up the fight – don’t lose belief in what you know is right

Don’t let this opportunity slip away – don’t fuel the anger, don’t you look away
It’s your duty, don’t you walk away – just listen to what the people have to say
Right now…

Hold your nerve, don’t lose belief, a better world’s not out of reach
If the powers that be resolve to teach our past through a new lens

Taking a look around now
I think I must be dreaming
Living in the way I want to
The years I’ve worked for this

Taking a look outside now
The river tells a story
I’m listening to the way it’s babbling
As it flows on to the sea
Life’s what you make it…

I’m flying, flying off on another magic night
Climbing, climbing up to unprecedented heights
Love takes me higher
Living in the way I want to
The years I’ve worked for this
Life’s what you make it…

Taking a look around now
It feels like we are dreaming
Living in the way we want to
The years we’ve worked for this

Looking around our world
At times it seems surreal
So many picture memories
To portray our lucky deal
Life’s what we made it…

We’re flying, flying off on another magic night
Climbing, climbing up to unprecedented heights
Love takes us higher
Living in the way we want to
The years we’ve worked for this
Life’s what we made it – with some luck along the way

All around the world there hangs a question
To all with friends & family around them
To everybody blessed with creature comforts
Can we try & be more humanitarian?

We’ll see if we will learn that lonely lives deserve a moment to be recognised
We’ll see if we can step away from our own lives

Now it feels we’ve reached a crossroad
A chance to see that selfishness runs far & wide
A need for us to show far more compassion
But can we cast self-centredness aside?

We’ll see if we can learn that poverty deserves a moment to be recognised
We’ll see if we can mend our ways in time

All songs by David Younger

All instruments played by David Younger

Recorded and produced by David Younger & Maxim Vuolo
Photos by Joy

Thank yous: Joy, Maxim, Andrew Pigram, Chris Wang, Mac, Steve Bryant,
Gibson, Rickenbacker, Martin, Washburn, Roland, Cubase

© and ℗ 2021 David Younger. All rights reserved.

About Time – The therapeutic happiness of having more time in retirement

Think About Love – Anxiety & love as its antidote

Hypocrisy & Heroes – Disappointment at political figures getting caught out breaking the COVID lockdown rules

When You’re Gone – Relationship discord and fear of loneliness…with late night relaxation as a partial antidote

The Illusion Of Charity – Disgust at the revelations regarding London’s annual “Presidents Club Charity Dinner”, especially those regular attendees who have harassed & exploited female catering staff

Through A New Lens – Following protests in the UK during 2020 relating to our imperial past, racism & social inequality, a thought that re-designing the way we teach & learn history could help to create better understanding of the way the world is & a more conciliatory climate within which to rectify social injustices

Life’s What We Made It – Joy & I have a great life – we feel very lucky…and we also made some of our own luck

Question – A big opportunity for greater compassion & better citizenship post Coronavirus

So now this is real – your head’s in the clouds and the trouble’s beginning to surface
It’s no joke – with your head in the clouds we are starting to fear the outcome
Stand down – with your head in the clouds there’ll be dangerous consequences

So this is for real – your head’s in the clouds and you’re fuelling the racial tension
Who’d have thought such divisive ideas could fuel the hearts of so many ordinary people?
Stand down – with your head in the clouds a mob mentality is emerging
Stand down – with your head in the clouds you’re breathing negative fire into simple-minded people

A dangerous man with a dangerous playset
This could cost the world so many lives
Leading the free world as an apprentice
The ultimate horror reality TV…what a nightmare it could be

What’s really disturbing to see is how easily people seem to lose their decency
Yes they’re frustrated with DC – but that’s no excuse to turn a blind eye to bigotry
It’s divisive – a road to civil uprisings

You’re not qualified for Commander-In-Chief
Your delusion could cost the world so many lives
You leading the people is scary to vision
We’d like to imagine you hearing the words “You’re Fired!” – ‘cause your rhetoric’s tired

What is really disturbing to me is how so many follow someone removed from reality
It feels like reversing to me – a sad return to such unpleasant history
It’s divisive – the fuel for violent uprisings

Stand down…

So now this is real – your head’s in the clouds and the trouble’s beginning to surface
It’s no joke – with your head in the clouds we are fearing that the worst could happen
Stand down – with your head in the clouds you’re unfit to lead the people
Stand down – with your head in the clouds you’re breathing negative fire into ordinary people

Sometimes you push towards a place you’d like to be
Planning for a day you know that you may never see
Can you feel the pressure that you put yourself under?

Sometimes you push towards a future that’s too far
Inflated aspirations send you chasing distant stars
And you are getting deeper in debt, which you might just live to regret?

Just open your eyes to see what you have right now
Don’t look down and don’t be so blind
Just be here and now and look what you have
‘cause only you can show yourself this powerful sight

Sometimes you’re striving for a future far away
Ambition may be good but don’t miss what you have today
Can you find a balance to save you from a lifelong sentence?

Just open your eyes and see what you have right now
Don’t look down and don’t be so blind
Just be here and now and look what you have
‘cause only you can show yourself this powerful sight

Tuning in the right wave, finding there’s a way to a positive mindset
But tuning in the wrong wave’s an easy old mistake
Then you’re fighting to escape from a negative vibe
Have you spent a long time looking to the future instead of living today?
Down…won’t you come down to earth
Tuning in the right wave then tuning in the wrong wave – you’re mixing
your mindsets
Have you spent a long time looking for a place
Then finding you were there but still running away?
Down…won’t you come down to earth

Then you come down
When the light goes on you come down
With the light you come down to earth
Then you come down
The light goes on and you come down
You come down
With the light you come down
When the light goes on you come down to earth…

See what you have
All that you have right here and now
Look what you have
All that you have right here and now

How did backward thinkers take control?
Such alarmist pictures they want to paint
In history unrest is cyclical
So there’s hope for those with calm restraint

You want to build a better place?
Well look into the mirror – your delusion’s wiped away
Your sanity, your humanity
But there’s hope your path will not prevail

They’ll come to see the error of their ways
Democracy’s imperfect trait
Misguided older generations are setting the course
Towards out-dated nationalistic states

You want to build a better place?
Well if you look into the mirror – your blind vision’s wiped away
Your sanity, your humanity
Let’s hope your path will not prevail

You want to build a better place?
Well look into the mirror – your delusion’s wiped away
Your sanity, your humanity
Let’s hope your path will not prevail

How did backward thinking take control?
Watching on it gives me pain
This protest wave is polarising us
Let’s hope some sanity remains…

Sometimes it feels hard
Sometimes it feels like you’re fading away
Into the darkness at the back of your mind
But you tell yourself that you’ll come back again

Sometimes you feel scared
When something inside doesn’t feel quite right
Your confidence has deserted you
But you know in time that it’ll come back again

Don’t be afraid to fall down on your way
It’s calling time for you to find the strength to fight another day
Don’t let yourself fall if you run into a wall
Use it as a way to realise you’re human after all
…yes you’re human after all

Sometimes things seem a bit weird
You’re starting to feel very different inside
You’ve forgotten all the things that you can do so well
But you know that they will come back again

Don’t be afraid to fall down on your way
It’s calling time for you to find the strength to fight another day
Don’t let yourself fall if you run into a wall
Use it as a way to realise you’re human after all
…yes you’re human after all

Time will catch you up someday
You can say what you like – but you can’t erase it
And I want to say to you
That we see you run scared and you do deserve it
But all the time you run from the truth
The farther you’ll have to fall
It may not bother you now but they’ll catch you up soon
And then all our minds will rest

Time will catch you up someday
You can do what you like – but it’s all too late now
And I want to say to you
That we see that you know you’ve very clearly done wrong
But the more your tears divert from the truth
The harder that you will fall
It may not bother you now but they’ll find you out soon
And then all of us will rest

I know you’re sad about it and you wish you could reverse it – but you know you meant to do it
…and that’s what matters
It’s not the first time and it won’t be the last time that your lose your self control – you’re a sad prima donna
You need to think about the price she’s had to pay because you couldn’t let your anger blow over by morning
It isn’t right to think that you can just escape when you have taken someone’s life and then lied about it

Have you thought that confessing will help you to find inner peace?
Honesty could rest your soul or you’ll never feel truly at ease
Don’t you fear for vigilantes out there lying in wait?
To exact a form of justice that will seal you a similar fate
In time you’ll come to see that there is really nowhere to hide
Like the haunted way we sometimes feel on a cold, cold winter’s night…except for you it’s every night
Yes you’re going to feel it every night
You’ll be looking over your shoulder like a hunted African beast…every night
Yes you’re going to feel it every night

Time will catch you up someday
You can say what you like – but you can’t erase it
And I want to say to you
That we see you run scared and you do deserve it
But the more your tears divert from the truth
The harder that you will fall
It may not bother you now but they’ll find out soon
And then all our minds will rest

What were you were thinking of?
I want you to tell me
The people and the lives you robbed
I want you to show me…now

What is it you were trying to say?
I want you to tell me
Did you really think that was the way
To drive them into sympathy?

Why didn’t you think about what you were doing and how to get your message heard?
You were a pawn in the game and they used your simple mind
To commit their evil deeds

It didn’t seem to make much sense
What you were doing
Couldn’t you see their pretence?
It wasn’t worth pursuing

You didn’t think about what you were doing – it seemed that you were in another world
This killing is making a nonsense of the mantra you’re supposed to love

Why don’t you think of how Mohammed would feel about your cause?
I’m sure he’d shed a tear as this isn’t what his message was

You chose to pay the ultimate price
Was it really worth it?
This isn’t part of being nice
And it’s not what you were taught in school

Why don’t you think about all the love you’ve shared with your family
Then look and see what you’re doing it really makes no sense
And you’re going to end up dead
…but of course you’re already dead
…yes you’re already dead
…you’re already dead

Over time it knocked you right down – you just couldn’t find a release
You tried to stop it clouding your sight but you found it poisoned your mind and was stealing your peace
Something you had to write down – to capture your thoughts unequivocally

You were thinking about it all of the time – it seemed so clear that you’d lost your way
And it took you such a very long time to tell yourself to speak out and be heard
You’re feeling so much calmer inside – and the time has come to head for somewhere new

You’re starting to hit the right tone – on a journey of re-finding yourself
You’re heading where the mornings are brighter
You are turning everything right round – moving in a more confident way

Now you’re in the moment all of the time – your senses seem sharper every day
And you’ve waited for a very long time to make your move and escape the troubled herd
Maybe this is your karma – you’re now controlling your own destiny

No one wants to say but you sense you’re on your way – you’re leaving now, you’re leaving now
You had to take a stand, now you’re feeling in command – yes you’re leaving now, you’re leaving now
All the pain is fading away and you’re looking for a way out
Yes you’re leaving now, you’re leaving now
No one’s in your way, you’re moving forward every day – and you’re leading now, you’re leading now
You’ve left it all behind and you’ve cleared your troubled mind – yes you’re leading now, you’re leading now
All the pain has faded away and you think you’ve found your way out
You’re leading now, yes you’re leading now

If they could see you now, they’d be wondering how you slipped away
I’ve got a feeling they’ll be finding out they’re on the losing side
If they could see you – you’re laughing all the way now
If they could see you – you’re starting on your way now…your escape is underway now
If they could see you now, they’d be thunderstruck at how you slipped away
I’ve got a feeling they’ll want to fight it out but you have had your say
If they could see you – you’re laughing all the way now
If they could see you – it seems you’ve won the day now…as you go off on your way now

You’ve found yourself a new dimension, a calmer new place in your mind
You’re somewhere where the mornings are brighter
Now you’re used to hitting the right tone – moving around in a confident way

Now you’re tempo’s upbeat all of the time – you appreciate every day
And although it’s been a hard uphill climb – what goes around seems to come around
Now that you have found inner peace – it seems good fortune can be of our own making

All songs by David Younger

All instruments played by David Younger

Produced by Maxim Vuolo & David Younger
Photos by Joy
Cover photo : ‘There & Then’ – Singapore 2016

Thank yous to: Joy, Daisy, Mac, Maxim, Andrew Pigram, Chris Wang, Bobby, Inky, Joanna Nolan, Romain, Steve Bryant, Gibson, Rickenbacker, Martin, Washburn, Roland, Steinberg

© & ℗ 2018 David Younger. All rights reserved.

www.davidyoungermusic.com

Head In The Clouds – A reaction of incredulity towards Trump winning the Republican presidential candidacy (prior to even greater incredulity at him becoming President)

Here & Now – Counsel to everyone chasing dreams & ambitions not to overlook (& instead pause to appreciate) the beauty of what they already have ‘here & now’

Hope – Comment on the increasing wave of nationalistic protest voting – and opportunistic politicians who are driving & exploiting it…and the hope that it (and they) will pass in time

Human – Reflection on the burden of anxiety endured by all of us at some point(s) or other – and re-assurance that there’s hope for us to be able to handle that burden

Nowhere To Hide – Message to Oscar Pistorius after his initial murder acquittal (& defence shenanigans) – with the expectation that he would struggle to shake off widespread condemnation (perhaps somewhat prophetic as he has finally been charged & sentenced appropriately)

Already Dead – Message to suicide bombers – and the sad realisation that it’s certain to fall on deaf ears

Calmer, Karma – Overcoming a professional difficulty through a concentrated effort to seek and finally reach a really positive state of mind

How long can you stand to live in this downtrodden land?
It’s time an escape to find and leave an ugly past behind
Another long day has passed – you wish that it had been your last
Hope seems far away – there seems to be no other way
Once again you wake up with a nagging feeling deep inside
There doesn’t seem to be a way around this – and there’s nowhere to hide
It’s gone on long enough and there’s no way out…

The blood that’s on their hands gives you strength to make amends
You know it isn’t right, the time has come to start the fight
And now you wake up with a very different feeling inside
There are those who know what they have done
– and now they know they’d better hide
It’s gone on long enough and now it’s payback…

It’s time to feel proud of what you’re doing again
– time to let your hopes become reality
And now is the time to dare to dream again
Hold it very tight and never let it go
– hold your fear inside and never let it show
Make a lot a noise – you want the world to know
What oppression there has been – it’s time to change this cruel regime
You have the power and the drive – and the passion

Now is the time to walk tall – throw away all your doubts
It isn’t a time to feel small – remember what your life’s about
– not a day for self- doubt
You’re dreaming in the way you used to do now
– you see yourself the way you used to do now

Early in the morning the light is just starting
– the spark of inspiration that will drive you forward
It’s energising and self-actualising your mind
– and now it feels as though there’s nothing to stop you
Slowly but surely you’re throwing your caution to the wind
– and then it’s gone in one defining moment
Passion and anger together they’re a powerful blend
– now you need to get the masses behind you

Too many memories, too many lives lost in the years of hopelessness
What a day to believe in yourself
You’re thinking in the way you used to do now
– moving in the way you used to do now

So many stories – so much toil and strife
– for years it’s torn your world apart  
Such cold injustice – so much loss of life
– it’s enough to break your heart
But it drives you on to right this wrong
There’ve been too many lives lost in the years of hopelessness
What a day to believe in yourself
You’re thinking in the way you used to do now
– moving in the way you used to do now

A new day is dawning, the fight is about to explode
– you brace yourself for a rush of raw adrenalin
It flows into your veins and drives you to fight your oppressor

And though blood will spill, it won’t break the spirit of rebellion
– the fight for freedom
As the world looks in from the outside, all open-mouthed
You find the tide is on your side – you’re feeling strong on the inside
Time catches up with the bad guys – they have fallen
– years of torture cast away into history
And now’s the time to claim your victory and to look to a brighter future
As you fought away on the inside, feeling alone,
you found the world was on your side
Now you’re feeling a strong sense of pride – and finally freedom’s yours…
You’re living in the way you want to do now
– breathing in the way you want to do now…

So many times you enacted your crimes
It didn’t seem to bother you at all
You knew it was wrong
But you didn’t try to stop yourselves

And now you’re staring at the wall – you thought celebrity was a licence to exploit them
‘Famous criminals’ – is the shameful way that you’ll all be remembered

Time and again we see the sorry scale of what you have done
So many lives have been destroyed and yet you show no regret
You seem so cold – the way it never touched your inner souls as you grew old
Only you will know – how you never tried to stop yourselves – perhaps you did but you failed

So now you’re staring at the wall – you thought celebrity was a licence to exploit them
‘Famous criminals’ – is the shameful way that you’ll all be remembered

So many things about your lives that I don’t want to know
So many things that you have done that I don’t want to hear about
How you can seem so calm in retrospect I don’t know
And now it’s come back to haunt you
And you must take the consequences you have earned yourselves
Yes it’s come back to haunt you
And you will never lose the shame it’s earned you I can only hope

So many things about your lives that no one wants to know
So many things that you have done that makes us sad to hear about
How you can you be so calm in retrospect we don’t know
And now it’s come back to haunt you
And you must take the consequences you have earned yourselves
Yes it’s come back to haunt you
And you will never lose the shame it’s earned you we can only hope

You’re staring at the wall – you thought celebrity was a licence to exploit them
‘Famous criminals’ – is the shameful way that you’ll all be remembered
You’re staring at the wall – you thought celebrity was a licence to exploit them
Spectacular your fall – but it’s no recompense for the ones who lost their innocence

You don’t like this form of love – and you have lots to say
You won’t accept the world has changed ‘cause it doesn’t fit your way
But your outdated view’s increasingly irrelevant

You see it as immoral life – or even a criminal game
They’re not out to kill or maim but you see them just the same
But your outdated view’s increasingly irrelevant
You say you’ve open minds but the truth is you’re intolerant
We watch and wonder if this ugly bigotry will ever end

Too many faces and too many places for this to be ignored
Now is the time for you to accept that not everyone buys God’s word
Your outdated view’s increasingly irrelevant
Too many faces and too many spaces – this culture change isn’t new
Now is the time that you must agree that respect is God’s word too
And you say you’ve open minds but the truth is you’re intolerant

Tell me, tell me – why can’t you see it’s only love
Try to see how there can be a way for you to rise above
And your outdated view’s increasingly irrelevant
Tell me, tell me – why can’t your thinking change?
It’s a shame to me that you can’t see that your mantra can’t sustain
And your outdated view’s increasingly irrelevant
You say you’ve open minds but the truth is you’re intolerant
We watch and wonder if this ugly bigotry will ever end

Your leaders try but they all fail to hide its transparency
But we’re supposed to respect diversity
It may be your good old fashioned values
But it’s hypocrisy…oh yeah

And your outdated view’s increasingly irrelevant
You say you’ve open minds but the truth is you’re intolerant
We watch and wonder if this ugly bigotry will ever end…

Washed away by the raging tide
Washed away…
So many died, so many lost their lives

Washed away by the terrible tide
Washed away…
There was nowhere to run, nowhere that they could hide

Then a wave of world attention, people wanting to help
And those on the take for themselves
Seeing was believing – and the horrible way  
That they were washed away…

Washed away by the raging tide
Washed away…
Lost on a deadly rollercoaster ride

They wasted time and toil in case it happened again
On a one in a million chance
And the leaders who were saying that their money would come
Before they walked away…

Washed away by the raging tide
Washed away…
So many died on a cruel roll of the dice

Swept away on a turn of the tide
Swept away…
They tried to escape but there simply wasn’t time

Now the world has long forgotten that this happened at all
And what became of those who survived?
All that we remember is the news at the time  
When they were washed away…

Unlock yourself now
Throw your troubles away
Unlock yourself now
There’s really nothing more you can do today
Surely looking upward and surely looking onward in time is a better way

Unlock yourself now
There’s nothing more you can do at this time
Unlock yourself now
Your worrying has no reason or rhyme
Surely looking upward and surely looking onward in time is a better way

Surely there’s a road, surely there’s a way
To take you away from here
Surely there is hope, surely there’s a break
So you can release your fear
Surely looking upward and surely looking onward in time is a better way
Yes it’s a better way…

It’s like a dancer on a stage as she’s nearing the edge
Self-belief will guide her and protect what she has worked for  
Though fate might turn against her, chance is surely with her
So just unlock yourself…

Surely there’s a road, surely there’s a way
To take you right out of here
Surely there is hope, surely there’s a break
To let you release your fear
Surely looking upward and surely looking onward in time is a better way
Yes it’s a better way…

Go back in time and take another chance
Go back in time – relive a fine romance
You promised me you’d always want me, you promised me you’d never leave me
You told me that you’d always need me, you told me that you’d always love me
Do you remember what it feels like?
Hold out your hand – I’ll take you for a ride
Hold out your hand – there’s no need to hide
Promise me you’ll always want me, promise me you’ll never leave me
Tell me that you’ll always need me, tell me that you’ll always love me
‘cause sometimes it feels like it maybe gone
Gone with the wind – I hope it isn’t gone with the wind

Now you and I have got to stop and think about why we’re falling out
We’ve got to look and see it as a warning
Let’s take another chance to believe in love again
Relive a fine romance before we see the light falling
Before it’s gone – I hope it isn’t gone

Now you and I have got to stop and think about why we’re falling out
We’ve got to look and see it as a warning
If we take another chance to believe in love again
We’ll relive a fine romance and we’ll see a new light dawning

Won’t you take another chance with me
Think about all the places that we’ve been
Let’s take another chance to believe in ourselves again
Relive a fine romance before we see the light falling
Before it’s gone

Please just take another chance with me
Let’s think of places which we really want to see
If we take another chance to believe in ourselves again
We’ll relive a fine romance and we’ll see a new light dawning

I want it so much – so much

We’re here in time – we’ve taken on a chance
We’re here in time – reliving our romance
You promised me you’d always want me, you promised me you’d never leave me
Hold me now and say you need me, hold me now and say you love me
And somehow it feels like we’ve come back home…

Your mother looked right through them like she didn’t understand
But you saw a chance to save your brother from their evil hands
A brave act of resistance – for one so very young
Defiant preservation of your family had begun
A playtime place to hide became his secret saving grace
From where you vowed to free him – against time you’d have to race
Oh when you read it now – it’s so incredible to believe
Oh no it won’t go away – it’s a legacy they can’t retrieve
Cruel how they tore you apart – and it seemed to be without shame
Cruel how a nation could slip so easily into a prejudicial game…a shameful legacy

Time calling on your life as it used to be  
Light falling but shining through was your bravery
Cruel dawning – the moral of society was breaking down
In la belle the monster had reared its ugly head…innocents lay dead
Oh when you read it now – it’s so incredible to believe
Oh no it won’t go away – their shameful legacy

…and so they sent you on your way
But you vowed to escape and free your brother with the key
Determination won through and you finally showed them where
But the horror that awaited you was all too much to bear
Oh when you read it now – it’s so incredible to believe
Oh no it won’t go away – it’s a legacy they can’t retrieve
Cruel how they tore you apart – and it seemed to be without shame
Cruel how a nation could slip so easily into a prejudicial game…a shameful legacy

Light falling on not-forgotten history  
Recalling assisted murder by decree
Cruel dawning – the moral of society had broken down
In la belle the monster had reared its ugly head…innocents lay dead
Oh when you read it now – it’s so incredible to believe
Oh no it won’t go away – their shameful legacy…

Somewhere in your mind came the urge to wander
And you could no more live in this land
‘cause sorry’s not enough – no sorry’s not enough…

Somewhere in your mind came a spell you fell under
And you could no more live with yourself
‘cause sorry’s not enough – no sorry’s not enough…

All songs by David Younger
All instruments played by David Younger

Recorded and produced at Drakes Cottage by David Younger
Mastered by Xavier d’Arifat at Forward Mastering
Photos by Joy
Cover photo (‘Libya’) by National Post, Canada

Thank yous : Joy, Daisy, Mac, Andrew P, Romain, Chris W, Xavier, Steve Bryant, Gibson, Rickenbacker, Martin, Schecter, Roland

© and ℗ 2015 David Younger. All rights reserved.

Freedom – deposing of Gaddafi by Libyan rebels in 2011 (we flew through Tripoli to Ghana 24 hours before it all kicked off!) – and also representative of several similar cases of deposed dictatorships around that time

Staring At The Wall – exposure and prosecution of multiple celebrities in UK during 2013/14 for historical child abuse offences – I hope those still living are now spending time reflecting on their crimes as they stare at the wall in their prison cells

It’s Only Love – rebuke to homophobes everywhere and particularly inspired by extreme God-fearing Republican attitudes in the US – I’m once again to wearing my Spiritual Atheist ‘hat’ on this one

Washed Away – inspired by a visit to post-tsunami Sri Lanka in 2005

Unlock Yourself – anxiety and thoughts on a possible (simple) solution

Another Chance – challenges & romantic adventures of married life

Shameful Legacy – inspired by the film “Sarah’s Key” (based on the novel by Tatiana de Rosnay) & the shameful 1942 ‘Paris Roundup’

You’ll just walk away
Lies abound
I hope it makes you feel small

As you walk away
Bodies lie around
I hope it makes you feel small

You won’t cry
But I hope it makes you feel small
I know you won’t cry
But I hope it makes you feel small
Tell us it makes you feel small
Tell us it makes you feel small

When you’ve walked away
It’ll all die down
But it ought to make you feel small

You can just walk away
So many people down
It ought to make you feel small

You won’t cry
But I hope it makes you feel small
I know you won’t cry
But I hope it makes you feel small
Tell us it makes you feel small
Tell us it makes you feel small

Lying awake in the night – lying in pain
The two of you lying awake in your plight – knowing full well it’s insane
Not enough thought for the future then – it was so clearly about making your names
Not enough thought for those who would die – the price of infatuation with fame

Lying to the common men – lying under God’s wing
Your lying was such a coward’s way out – and saying you believed that you were ‘doing the right thing’
Spare more thought for the fallen men – misled heroes who died in your names
Spare more thought for the future now – and stop asking God to share the blame

I hope it makes you feel small
But you won’t cry
I hope it makes you feel small
But you won’t cry…

How can you sleep at night?
To be a leader isn’t right
Think it out – for once in a lifetime

You wouldn’t listen to their pleas
Now the institution’s on its knees
Walk away – just for once in a lifetime

I hope that you can feel the heat
While so many worship at your feet
Do what’s right – for once in a lifetime

Maybe your future’s void
But people’s lives have been destroyed
Don’t live a lie – just for once in a lifetime

It seems clear to me – it’s wrong if you walk free
Where does it go from here?
Now it’s all come to light, there’s no point in a fight
So where do you go from here?
Time has found you out – there’s nothing more to talk about

Why not listen to the world around you?
Face up to the truth that’s found you
Where do you go from here?

Won’t you listen to the public outcry?
The time has come for us to bid you ‘goodbye’
Where do you go from here?

Hiding secrets and in denial, in other words a criminal
Raise your hand – for once in a lifetime

You won’t accept the way we are, clinging onto out of date dogma
Apologise – just for once in a lifetime

Lying to the world, concealing the truth
Hiding crime away is crime itself
To lead the faithful clones you need to set the tone
But it seems that you don’t practice what you preach

Why not listen to the world around you?
Face up to the truth that’s found you
Where do you go from here?

Won’t you listen to the public outcry?
The time has come for us to bid you ‘goodbye’
Where do you go from here?

So much emotion all around us
We were scared our love would slip away
Tell me that it never left you
Tell me that it never went away
Hey…hold me now…don’t go away
Tell me now…the storm has gone away

Too much emotion to handle
I was scared our love would slip away
Now it feels it never left me
Now it feels it never went away
Hey…hold me now…don’t go away
Tell me now…the storm has gone away

Sometimes face it, that’s the way that it goes
We’re all asunder
Spinning around like a mole underground
I’m in darkness
Negative thoughts taking over
Too many signposts telling me it’s over
Maybe somehow it’ll all blow over
Looking around it seems like there is nowhere to run
So we stick it out again….we stick it out

Red lights, warning signs
Nobody knows where this will end up
Spinning around like moles underground
We’re in darkness
Negative thoughts taking over
Too many signposts telling us it’s over
Maybe somehow it’ll all blow over
Looking around it seems like we have nowhere to run
So we stick it out again….we stick it out

It’s not too late now
Too many problems to count
But it’s not too late now
Too many problems to count

Seize the day and let your soul out
Don’t forget what freedom is when you’re drowning in the waves
of your self-doubt
Tell yourself to let your thoughts fl ow
Don’t accept that what you hear will show you the direction you should go
See what people really do – it might surprise you
See through who people really are – it might disappoint you

Over time, the red mist will clear
Over time, the power of reflection is here – it can happen
Over time, perspective is a great healer – if you let it happen –
so slow down…

Seize the day and raise your own alarm
Don’t accept that non-belief will shield you from a life of inner calm
Tune in to what you really believe – you might be enlightened
Tune up to fight for what is right – it might surprise you

Over time, the red mist will clear
Over time, the power of reflection is here – it can happen
Over time, perspective is a great healer – if you let it happen

Intuitive arousal sparks a challenging idea
It may be that forgiving has a cost to those who fear
Belief in higher powers fights a wave of evidence
But the conscience is no hypocrite and won’t leave you on the fence
Moving on is time-bound and it’s not just hollow words
In an apparent state of peace they sit there
They must be troubled deep inside but they sit there
There must be nagging doubts as they sit there…
about the big man in the clouds
Avoiding the debate looks like insanity – be honest with yourselves…

Over time, the red mist will clear
Over time, the power of reflection is here – it can happen
Over time, perspective is a great healer – if you let it happen

Wondering around in the dead of the night
Your mind doesn’t seem right
You can’t believe it – your trust was betrayed
You know it’s not right…not right
Then you’re slipping away – there’s comfort in planning what to say
Thinking is a therapy game
And when the daylight comes you’re alright – when the daylight comes
it’s alright

You’re wondering aloud in the heat of the night
It’s not a nice sound or sight
You can’t believe that your trust was betrayed
And you know it’s not right…not right
But then you’re drifting away – there’s peace in planning what to say
Thinking’s your therapy game
And when the daylight comes you’re alright – yes the daylight comes and
it’s alright

Over time, the red mist will clear
Over time, the power of reflection is here – it can happen
Over time, perspective is a great healer – if you let it happen

I wake up in the morning and I wonder where I am
Last night is a distant haze but I just don’t give a damn
This is how I like to feel – when my mind is free to find
Ways around the things that played for too long on my mind

Somewhere – there’s a balance to find
Somewhere – there is peace of mind
But I can’t find it…I just can’t find it

I’m feeling alive – in this mindset I can thrive
The way that I feel right now – I want to change my life
So I won’t be overcome by the trouble and strife

Somewhere – there’s a balance to find
Somewhere – there is peace of mind
But we can’t find it…we just can’t find it

When we wake up in the morning and we’re still laughing
Laughing about our lives
When we don’t care what we do then we are living
Living in the way that we like

It’s like a prison – some of the time
I just can’t seem to find a way to escape things I don’t like
Too much at stake and not enough time
Waves of doubt just wash away what we want it to be like

Somewhere – there’s a balance to find
Somewhere – so life won’t leave you behind
But we can’t find it…we just can’t find it

When we wake up in the morning and we’re still laughing
Laughing about our lives
When we don’t care what we do then we are living
Living in the way that we like

Living…in the way that we like…

Don’t you look away from the other side of the world
It’s all too easy just to focus somewhere else
When I see the plight of others far away
It seems so different from what we see every day
It’s a world away
But it just makes me sad to say…

Holding back the tears
I think of all the lives that slip away…every day
I’m holding back the tears
I can’t believe their lives just slip away
What a price to pay

Don’t you look away from a world in such ill-health
You make your allegiances – then you fritter all the wealth
When I realise that it’s much the same for me
I feel so different from the man I’d like to be
We need to take a stand
If everybody gave up something we could offer a helping hand
But I’m way up in the clouds again
And I’m not the first to see
There are lots of selfless people out there
Who’ve failed to make us see…
That we’re a world away
And we just don’t have the time of day…

Holding back the tears
I think of all the lives that slip away…every day
I’m holding back the tears
I can’t believe their lives just slip away
What a price to pay

Watching on the TV, once again it’s in your face
There really seems to be no hope for this desperate dying race
Then your mind is taking over, it doesn’t matter what they say
Your conscience fades and the pain is gone
And then later on you write this song
It’s a world away from ours…

Holding back the tears
I think of all the lives that slip away…every day
I’m holding back the tears
I can’t believe their lives just slip away
What a price to pay

Too many wrongs – it’s not right
I’m not alone
Too many wrongs – it’s not right
Cry out loud
Too many wrongs – it’s not right
Cry out
Too many wrongs…

I’m feeling sensitive
I just can’t take the way these people live
Failing, failing to follow their own rules
Entrapping and misguiding vulnerable souls

You’re not listening to me
You’re just not listening to me
But I hope you’ll be happy
When you look around you’re on your own now
You’ve got the control you’ve been craving

Won’t you listen to me
Please just listen to me
I hope you’ll live happily
When you look around you’re on your own now
But we’re here in case you need us – just waiting

Won’t you look at yourself in the mirror
All this new information and you don’t even reconsider
Don’t you say you act selflessly
Your leader would castigate your hypocrisy
Is it arrogance or naivety?
This doctrine offloads responsibility

So much hatred and suffering in the world
Don’t you think about the cause of it all
Self-deluding preaching of right from wrong
Dangerous belief that you’re not alone
You can’t see what you’re doing will reap
Your self-righteousness is too deep

Ever-present self-assurance makes a dangerous fool
Offloading mistakes when being humble would do
Preaching out your shallow conforming way
Believing that avoiding is forgiving you say
You won’t see what you’re doing will reap
Your self-righteousness is too deep

Too many wrongs – it’s not right
I’m not alone
Too many wrongs – it’s not right
Cry out loud
Too many wrongs – it’s not right
Cry out
Too many wrongs…

You’re not listening to me
You’re just not listening to me
But I hope you’ll be happy

Won’t you listen to me
Please just listen to me
I hope you’ll live happily

All Songs By David Younger

All instruments played by David Younger

Recorded and produced at Drakes Cottage by David Younger
Mastered by Xavier d’Arifat at Forward Mastering
Photos by Joy

Thank yous to: Joy & Daisy (for support, encouragement and patience), Mac (for overwhelmingly enthusiastic support), Andrew P (for listening to numerous prototypes), Romain (for jamming and ‘musical approval’), Xavier, Steve Bryant, Joe Butler, Alex Lifeson, David Gilmour, Francis Dunnery & Steve Hackett (for guitar inspiration), Rush, Genesis & Neal Morse (for musical inspiration), Bush, Blair, The Pope & others (for lyrical inspiration), Joey the cat, Drakes Cottage

© & ℗ 2014 David Younger. All rights reserved.

Feel Small – rebuke to Tony Blair and George W Bush for their ‘illegal’ invasion of Iraq in 2003 (primary focus on Blair from perspective of a disappointed British citizen)

Once In A Lifetime – rebuke to former Pope Benedict – not a bad person per se, but guilty of withholding his knowledge of extensive historical child abuse within the Catholic Church

It’s Not Too Late – challenges of love and married life with a hopeful outlook

Therapy Game – reluctance to accept Christian mantra of unconditional forgiveness – my strong belief is that people should not feel ‘pressurised’ to forgive, as it sometimes requires a passage of time to get over (and/or forgive) situations where we feel someone has ‘wronged’ us – I believe this is a better route to inner peace – I’m wearing my Spiritual Atheist ‘hat’ on this one

Living – an aspirational attitude to life that I sometimes manage to achieve (but perhaps not as often as I would like)

A World Away – following a trip to post-Tsunami Sri Lanka in 2005, I was overcome by the sad realisation that of course, in Africa and other 3rd world areas, people are dying from famine and disease every day

Entrapment – a very difficult parental experience, whereby an evangelical Christian family felt/assumed they held a superior moral right over us and chose to ignore our pleas for them not to get involved in a difficult family situation – more wearing of my Spiritual Atheist ‘hat’ on this one