Making Music with Bob (23)

Making Music with Bob

1

Suze was an angel

That had fallen from the sky

And latched onto a minstrel

Without understanding why

As they explored a territory

As strange as anywhere

Bob Dylan knew this lady

Was an answer to a prayer

Suze, Suze, Suze

Since they took her far away

It is hard to find performers

To fight greed and disarray

Despite Dylan still playing

Like a farmer making hay

And preaching revolution

From a rocking-chair today

2

Suze was an angel

Out to find a better way

To the neo liberal model

Called greed and disarray

Her period spent with Dylan

Was a precious time for sure

That Bob turned into music

That is worthy of our awe

Suze, Suze, Suze

Since they took her far away

It is hard to find performers

To fight greed and disarray

Despite Dylan still playing

Like a farmer making hay

And preaching revolution

From a rocking-chair today

3

Suze was an angel

Helping Bob to attain

A compass in his music

That the rest copy in vein

Their period spent together

Shone a torch onto the sham

When a nation called America

Tried to destroy North Vietnam

Suze, Suze, Suze

Since they took her far away

It is hard to find performers

To fight greed and disarray

Despite Dylan still playing

Like a farmer making hay

And preaching revolution

From a rocking-chair today

4

Suze was an angel

Without any wings to see

Like the water of a fountain

Or mighty mountain left to be

She spoke of the good in others

To speak badly would be wrong

And inspired Bob Dylan often

To write an awesome song

Suze, Suze, Suze

Since they took her far away

It is hard to find performers

To fight greed and disarray

Despite Dylan still playing

Like a farmer making hay

And preaching revolution

From a rocking-chair today

While peering into the distance

For the vessel that took Suze away

The End

© Frankie Spiritu

Stranger at the Door (22)

Stranger at the Door

1

Hey Suzie, will you take me

I’m on top of life today

Admittedly for a while

The alcohol held sway

Not that I can remember

With the liquor in my blood

Resulting in my thinking

Being as clear as mud

I am right behind you Suzie; you will save the world for sure

From the culture of consumption and its appetite for war

With your followers of fifty plus a stranger at the door

Let’s begin the revolution if we can evade the law

Instructed by the wealthy to persecute the poor

Supported by the corporates rotten to the core

2

Oh Suzie, will you take me

I am on the mend today

My life wasn’t working

Before discovering AA

It feels good to be sober

I don’t wake up with a head

To remind me of the alcohol

A short distance from my bed

I am right behind you Suzie; you will save the world for sure

From the culture of consumption and its appetite for war

With your followers of fifty plus a stranger at the door

Let’s begin the revolution if we can evade the law

Instructed by the wealthy to persecute the poor

Supported by the corporates rotten to the core

3

Oh Suzie, will you take me

I’ve entered a new phase

And now feel a lot better

Than my alcoholic days

Once my mind recovers

From a decade of abuse

You will find a new person

On the wagon you can use

I am right behind you Suzie; you will save the world for sure

From the culture of consumption and its appetite for war

With your followers of fifty plus a stranger at the door

Let’s begin the revolution if we can evade the law

Instructed by the wealthy to persecute the poor

Supported by the corporates rotten to the core

4

Oh Suzie, will you take me

I would love to join the crew

You can call me on my phone

If you decide that I might do

Please believe me when I say

You have nothing much to lose

And that I will do my best

To be worthy of the rest

In your fabulous quest

With the AA as my weapon and not booze

I am right behind you Suzie; you will save the world for sure

From the culture of consumption and its appetite for war

With your followers of fifty plus a stranger at the door

Let’s begin the revolution if we can evade the law

Instructed by the wealthy to persecute the poor

Supported by the corporates rotten to the core

The End

© Frankie Spiritu

Just like a Rolling Stone (21)

Just like a Rolling Stone

1

I wandered through the aisles of an over-crowded hall

The entrance fee had left me with nothing to spend at all

With my jeans a cause for pity and my hair a tangled mess

I appeared to be a beatnik living under some duress

In the world that I had entered I was clearly down at heel

With no money left for drinking or to buy myself a meal

Well at least Joan Baez was there and about to play

Plus hopefully Bob Dylan, the new hero of the day

Chorus

Bob planned to go electric since paying folk his dues

He discarded Woody Guthrie after trying on his shoes

The folk crowd would be hit hard by the awful news

Bob Dylan played just like a Rolling Stone

2

Joan Baez looked amazing as she slipped onto the stage

She sang like a soprano and I loved the way she played

She was on a higher level to the street life I knew best

It was like she was an angel giving Paradise a rest

And then I noticed Dylan growing impatient I think

With no one to amuse him or to pay for his next drink

I was told about his Fender from a person in the know

And that Dylan was preparing to give rock music a go

Chorus

Bob planned to go electric since paying folk his dues

He discarded Woody Guthrie after trying on his shoes

The folk crowd would be hit hard by the awful news

Bob Dylan played just like a Rolling Stone

3

In accord with her nature, Joan invited Bob to play

His guitar was really battered like a thing to give away

He did not mention his Fender he was now playing a lot

With a band of desperadoes that supposedly were hot

When Joan Baez mentioned protest, Bob Dylan opted out

Despite children still dying in the Vietnam War no doubt

Joan was disappointed; she expected more from Bob

Before his sad conversion, Dylan was her heart-throb

Chorus

Bob planned to go electric since paying folk his dues

He discarded Woody Guthrie after trying on his shoes

The folk crowd would be hit hard by the awful news

Bob Dylan played just like a Rolling Stone

4

A little while later it was time to leave this hall

The show was now over; it was not a midnight ball

I stumbled through a time warp that aged me somehow

Joan Baez came soon after and Bob Dylan with a growl

There was some disappointment Bob failed to save the world

From the culture of destruction and the usual corporate crowd

The folk mob blamed Bob’s Fender for his conversion to “rock”

Yet the load was just too heavy for one member of the flock

Chorus

Bob planned to go electric since paying folk his dues

He discarded Woody Guthrie after trying on his shoes

The folk crowd would be hit hard by the awful news

Bob Dylan played just like a Rolling Stone

The End

© Frankie Spiritu

Destination Cuba (20)

Destination Cuba

A killer drone once destroyed a building close to me

Okay I’m not a Christian, why would I ever be

When many a Christian country is the source of misery

What happens at destination Cuba?

I haven’t made a bomb for years, these days peace is my scene

I’m just a simple shepherd now, married and a has-been

My children fear a drone attack, or something in-between

What happens at destination Cuba?

I know about rendition, they can take you in your sleep

And send you to be tortured by some evil looking creep

Hoping for a confession or knowledge on the cheap

What happens at destination Cuba?

Pray tell me how America fell victim to such might

These days I am a shepherd, I have given up the fight

I’m devoted to my family, yet we cannot sleep at night

What happens at destination Cuba?

There is no judge and jury when they launch a killer drone

Primed with crazy explosives aiming to blow up some home

Or else they choose rendition, they will not leave you alone

What happens at destination Cuba?

When my body has been buried and my family have moved on

And an angel has decided who is right and who is wrong

I am hoping a folk singer will not need to sing this song

What happens at destination Cuba?

The End

 © Frankie Spiritu

Building Jerusalem (19)

Building Jerusalem

Folk hang around the vacant streets; what are they waiting for?

The pavements do not care about the famished and the poor

If you don’t have any money then forget about the store

Jerusalem cannot be built on greed

The rubbish bins are rummaged through to put food on a plate

While families join a dreadful queue for food that’s out of date

And hungry beggars buy bread instead of substances of late

Jerusalem cannot be built on greed

The working class need decent jobs; a thing that many lack

The trade unions have been dispatched after state attack

With longer working hours and less money or the sack

Jerusalem cannot be built on greed

House prices are increasing while the homeless numbers rise

With cardboard to protect them from the dragon of the skies

Even though it’s city thugs where the greatest danger lies

Jerusalem cannot be built on greed

What happened to the decades when we shared what we had?

Before the corporate people argued greed was not so bad

Followed by the men in suits promoting this mad fad

Jerusalem cannot be built on greed

Our leaders have no values with the wealthy much the same

Depriving innocent people is the real purpose of this game

Although naturally it’s the victims that receive the blame  

Jerusalem cannot be built on greed

And so they call this progress meaning progress for the rich

While Mother Nature deteriorates like a vast polluted ditch

And greed receives a grooming worthy of a poodle bitch

What say we build Jerusalem on need?

The End

© Frankie Spiritu

The End of Folk Music (18)

The End of Folk Music (18)

1

My fans from way back booed at me

As loudly as they could

Believing that rock music

Would never be much good

“Play folk

Play folk

Play folk again”

Desperate to lose their bets

Against my electric Fender

As cool as something gets

Chorus

Folk music was alright at first

The songs I played by rote

But if you want a string of hits

Then you must rock the boat

With amplified instruments

To boost each single note

2

Joan Baez was clearly horrified

Loud music made her sad

When rockers partied through the night

She thought that this was bad

“Play folk

Play folk

Play folk again”

She said as she dumped me

Too late to save my affair

With wonderful Suze

Chorus

Folk music was alright at first

The songs I played by rote

But if you want a string of hits

Then you must rock the boat

With amplified instruments

To boost each single note

3

Paul Nelson could not quite believe

I would go down this track

Since borrowing his records

He still dreamed of getting back

“Play folk

Play folk

Play folk again

What’s more you are a thief”

Yet he couldn’t play himself

This was not part of his brief

Chorus

Folk music was alright at first

The songs I played by rote

But if you want a string of hits

Then you must rock the boat

With amplified instruments

To boost each single note

4

Pete Seeger searched for an axe

Or so the rumour spread

He told John Cohen angrily

Loud music hurt his head

“Play folk

Play folk

Play folk again”

His disc was scratched to bits

My only sin was to change tack

With an amp to boost each track

Which in turn gave me a stack

Of wonderful chart hits!

Chorus

Folk music was alright at first

The songs I played by rote

But if you want a string of hits

Then you must rock the boat

With amplified instruments

To boost each single note

Plus a decent backing group

That grabs you by the throat

In the cruel world of music

You can either sink or float

And so I played a Fender

Brutal and not remote

The End

© Frankie Espirit

Passion and Virtue with Emily Bronte (17)

Passion and Virtue with Emily Bronte

1

When Emily Bronte travels through time

Surprise of surprises, she’s still in her prime

With her beauty and passion a rare treat today

In an age when good standards fail to hold sway

She’s certainly a lady that’s of the old school

And will never roll over like some modern fool

That makes the mistake of wanting to look cool

And be nothing like Grannie with her knitting wool

Chorus

Oh Emily Bronte, had I realised she was here

I would have taken her out for a meal and a beer

And then for an encore with the lights turned on dim

I’d have shared my one virtue to the sound of a hymn

2

When Emily Bronte appears on the scene

She’s pretty and young and not a has-been

With her beauty and charm remaining intact

In the absence of make-up as a matter of fact

With this kind of lady it has to be said

Virtue is respected and so regularly fed

With tears and a florin spared for the poor

And a mug of hot tea for the lad at the door

Chorus

Oh Emily Bronte, had I realised she was here

I would have taken her out for a meal and a beer

And then for an encore with the lights turned on dim

I’d have shared my one virtue to the sound of a hymn

3

When Emily Bronte appears on the stage

Despite having been born in a previous age

She surely will notice the low standards today

And decide on reflection she will soon go away

What have we done to the standards we had?

To dump them so cheaply, we must have mad

Poor Emily Bronte has now returned to her time

Disillusioned with progress while still in her prime

Chorus

Oh Emily Bronte, had I realised she was here

I would have taken her out for a meal and a beer

And then for an encore with the lights turned on dim

I’d have shared my one virtue to the sound of a hymn

And if she once mentioned this new age appeared grim

I would have thanked Emily Bronte for going out on a limb

With no mention of the mess I might have left Miss Bronte in

In the knowledge that time travel will have taken away my sin

The End

© Frankie Spiritu

Soon to be famous: Jane Austen (16)

Soon to be famous: Jane Austen

1

I have met a special lady with a talent fine and rare

With a genius for fiction that is way beyond compare

Her name is Miss Jane Austen; she’s just 21 years old

With a gift that is so precious it stands out like it was gold

She is currently un-published, but with time on her side

That could easily be ruined if she becomes a fool’s bride

But if Jane continues writing she will certainly reach the top

With a book bearing her name found in every good book shop

Chorus

Jane Austen is a writer

With the wisdom of Plato

One day she will be famous -

She deserves to be you know

Jane understands how ethics

Lead the way to a good act

She’s a wonderful creator

Beyond compare in fact

2

I have read some of her fiction in a manuscript of old

She creates moral dilemmas for her characters to solve

The challenge is compelling; yet within the grasp of those

With a fraction of the virtues she has scattered in her prose

I suppose this makes Jane Austen the wisest of the lot

To have this deep knowledge of her characters and plot

Just to capture every weakness as it plays its rotten hand

And the virtuous solutions to the problems life has planned

Chorus

Jane Austen is a writer

With the wisdom of Plato

One day she will be famous -

She deserves to be you know

Jane understands how ethics

Lead the way to a good act

She’s a wonderful creator

Beyond compare in fact

The End

© Frankie Spiritu