Daryl Runswick and Kerry Lee Crabbe

Songs Volume 1

Dazzle Music DZ 6001

[ 1 ] The Cigarette Flip

The first thing I noticed about her was the cigarette flip.

She took a cigarette out of a packet

& tossed it in the air

it looped the loop and landed lightly on her lower lip –

I thought, show-off

who needs you

– one hand on her hip

while the other drew an arc in the dark

& a flame flickered out of her fist

& fire and tobacco kissed

in a blue-yellow mist.

She gave a slow smile.

I liked her profile.

She had a tough way of taking tobacco off the tip of her tongue –

kind of spit-pick-flick.

I thought,

too many late-night movies in her formative years,

obviously –

she's Paramount-fixated, a Warner-Brothers mother, a clear-cut case of MGM OD,

Bogart and Bacall coming out of both ears.

So –

I said, You know how to whistle, don't ya?

And she said,

Oh...

Sure. You just put your lips together and blow.

[ 2 ] The Least You Can Do*

Let's sit down by the first and talk awhile.

I like the way you look, I like your style.

Take a tip or two from a worldly-weary man;

The least you can do is the best you can.

Let's go out in the street and walk awhile –

Keep count of all the people who can smile;

And let the fingers of your other hand hold mine.

The least that a star like you can do is shine.

And now it's night let's go to bed and love awhile.

Now let our lips bewitch our hands beguile.

Let's not pretend we mean a word we say –

We're not supposed to be here anyway.

So let our time be brief, out parting light,

And all our dreams fold back into the night.

The best times are the ones you didn't plan.

The least you can do is the best you can.

*This is the final version of this lyric. On the 1982 recording, some lines are slightly different.

[ 3 ] Blue Funk

I'm mad, I'm blind

uncouth, unkind

I think I'm changing my mind

I think I'll go and get drunk –

I'm in a blue funk.

I thought it might be nice

well, I should've thought twice

before I hit thin ice

now I'm half-way sunk –

I'm in a blue funk.

I wonder what she'd say

if I changed the day

should I run away

should I pack a trunk?

I'm in a blue funk.

It seems I have to swear

to worship, love and care

oh, what the hell do I wear?

I think the whole thing's junk –

I'm in a blue funk.

And should I warn her I

feel in the mood to cry

and certain parts of my

anatomy have shrunk?

– I'm in a blue funk.

But when I think of you

I guess I'll see it through

'cos I don't want to flunk –

goodbye blue funk...

and hullo, gorgeous chunk

of tried and true

super-glue

you know I'm stuck on you

through and through

you know I feel brand new.

(Ooh, blue funk!)

I'm in a blue funk...

[ 4 ] Spring

Chill

is the winter as it creeps away

slow

are the buds that break the clay

hard

is the naked earth to walk upon

sharp

is the bitter light of day

but

Spring

is another chance for everything

spring

in all your silks & fine array

spring

I can't resist you so I'll kiss you –

I know the kind of tricks you play

on hearts like mine –

lead me to the summer wine.

and

June

full of lazy days and lemonade

noon

seagulls wheel across the foam

soon

as summer burns you it'll start to fade

moon

knows the harvest must come home

and

Fall

is the time to gather in & bind

small

are the chances that remain

gall

in the taste of tears that sting & blind

all

you can do is curse the rain

but

Spring

is another chance for everything

spring

in all your silks & fine array

spring

I can't resist you so I'll kiss you –

I know the kind of tricks you play

on hearts like mine –

lead me to the summer wine.

[ 5 ] So Long Gone

I can't recall

when you were here

all looks so small

lost in a tear

I can't recall

so long gone I can't remember

Was it a dream

brief as a day

why does it seem

so far away

was it dream?

So long gone I can't remember

Oh so long gone

burned out like a dying ember

When you were here

holding me tight

holding me near

night after night

when you were here

so long gone I can't remember

There in the mist

far as I know

two lovers kissed

surely it's so

there in the mist

so long gone I can't remember

Oh so long gone

burned out like a dying ember

Love passed up by

like a parade

dreams have to die

memories fade

love passed us by

so long gone I can't remember

Music and sine

sun through the rain

see how they shine

spin round your brain

music and wine

so long gone I can't remember

Oh so long gone

burned out like a dying ember

[ 6 ] Caroline

Her hair is like a river

running races through the dark

her eyes are like black diamonds

her laughter like a spark

her hands they swoop and flutter

like the wings upon a lark

the rings upon her fingers shine

like the white teeth of a shark

Caroline

I sit inside her wicker chair and swing

I smile and I don't understand a thing

not a solitary thing

Her face is a madonna's

she smiles just like a cat

her arms are hugged around her

and she runs to puppy-fat

her speaking is hypnotic

like the low buzz of a gnat

she moves across the floor to me

she slithers like a rat

Caroline

I try to find my wine and turn away

I cannot find a single word to say

seems it isn't my day

Caroline, Caroline

if you were mine

every night would be okay

but every day you'd steal away

the sunshine

If only she would let me stay

the man I used to be

before I climbed her stairway

and drank her china tea

but her eyes are throwing chains of light

and captivating me

it's late and I must get away

oh woman set me free

Caroline

I stand and walk the miles toward her door

I just can't stand her witchcraft any more

what am I waiting for

Caroline, Caroline

if you were mine

every night would be okay

but every day you'd steal away

the sunshine

She's blazing like a furnace

she is turning into dust

the angle of her head betrays

the anger in her lust

the handle of her door won't turn

although I know it must

she takes my life into her hands

she turns me out without a crust

Caroline

I'll never visit Caroline again

I leave her to her beauty and her pain

and walk home in the rain

[ 7 ] King Of Cool

Well I'm remembering the very first time I heard the boogie-woogie

Going back a bit, you better believe it I was still at school

I was so darn small my nose nearly hit the keyboard

And I thought the piano player was the tops, he was the King of Cool

Well I've got to tell you now he was just another music teacher

And as the years rolled by well none of us learned a thing

Cos there was only one thing he could do that'd really reach yer

That old left-hand lope that made a jingle-jangle melody swing

There ain't nothing like a boogie

nothing like a boogie-woogie

Nothing like a boogie

nothing boogie jive

There ain't nothing like a boogie

nothing like a groovy boogie-woogie

Nothing like a boogie to keep a man alive

Yeah I'm remembering his hands racing up and down the tinkling ivories

And one foot hit the pedals and the other one kicked to stool

For me it was the door to everything that happened after

And the man he was the most, he was the tops, he was the King of Cool

[ 8 ] First Time Around

First time around

in for a penny and in for a pound

I was lost, I was loved and I was found

first time around

First time around

you lifted a finger, I knew I was bound

I was sunk, I was sailing, I was drowned

first time around

Young love

learns to walk and tries to run

learns to fall when summer's done

first time around

And the castle's in the air

all vanish with a sigh

the eyes that saw them there

now see a cloud-filled sky

First time around

never returns once the leaves touch the ground

though you sweep all the gold into a mound

first time around

Young love

found in secret, lost in tearas

the minutes last for years and years

first time around

And the snowflakes on your hands

they simply melt away

the snowman never stands

and first love blows away

First time around

the sound of your voice was a heavenly sound

I don't know that my feet once touched the ground

first time around.

[ 9 ] Move

Don't get hung up on the details

Don't worry 'bout the end

You'll be all right till the lights fails

And even the dark maybe is a godsend

You've got nothin' to prove –

If the spirit moves you,

Move.

Every bad day brings on a better day

Don't stop to look behind

Do what you would've done anyway

Whatever it is, you know I won't mind

You've got nothin' to prove –

And if the spirit moves you,

Move.

I know it isn't easy

Every minute of the day

You know I'll always be here

So long as you want to stay

But you've got nothin' to prove –

If the spirit moves you,

Move.

And don't get hung up on the details

Don't worry 'bout the end

We'll be all right till the light fails

And even the dark may be a godsend

You've got nothing at all to prove –

So if the spirit moves you,

You only have to move.

[ 10 ] Wish You Were Here*

Having a lovely time

Wish you were here

The sea is surprisingly warm

For the time of year

The foam is so white

And the waves are a beautiful blue

And at night the illum-

inations are beautiful too

And the place where we stay

Has a B-E-A-utiful view –

But hey-hey-hey-hey

Oo-oo-oo-oo

I do miss you

(So bad – I do miss you)

Having a lovely time

And I would like to stay

The food is amazingly good

For the prices you pay

The people are nice

And the icecream-man is a scream

And a ride with you

Through the tunnel of love

Would be a dream

Come true

Today

Hey-hey-hey-hey

Oo-oo-oo-oo

I do miss you

Having a lovely time

And I wish you were here

There's so much to do

There's a zoo

And a show on the pier

But it's when I'm alone

That I want to run home

To you dear

And try as I might

I can't be bright

So I'm writing this card

On the promenade

With the sea in the air

And the wind in my hair –

I'm so alone

Want to run home

I do miss you

(So bad – I do miss you)

* This is the final version of the lyric. In the 1982 recording two lines are slightly different.