Black Eyed Susan
Black Eyed Susan is, of course, a common name for Rudbeckia.
                                              
They call her Black Eyed Susan, you need to keep clear
You need to keep out of her way
She'll put you in danger then she'll disappear
She'll make you madder day by day
Black eyed Susan, she'll take you for a ride 
Take my advice, go and hide

Black Eyed Susan that’s her name
She'll get your head in a spin
She'll draw you into her dangerous game
She'll drive you crazy, get under your skin
Take my advice, hear what I say
Keep your distance, stay out of her way

With Black eyed Susan you're heading for a bruising 
She’s going to drive you insane
Black Eyed Susan, she's not quite human
She’s going to addle your brain

It'll mess with your head if you listen to her
She'll lead you a merry dance
Take my advice, you need to take care
She'll cut you down with a glance
You’ll think she’ll bring joy but she'll bring you pain
She’ll pretend to be sunshine but turn out to be rain

With Black eyed Susan you're heading for a bruising
She’s going to drive you insane
Black Eyed Susan, she's not quite human
She’s going to addle your brain

She'll drive you mad will Black Eyed Susan
You’d better hear what I say
She'll mess with your thoughts and cause confusion
It’ll get worse day by day
Every day she’ll fill you with dread
Black Eyed Susan she’ll mess with your head


Tom Spring
Born Thomas Winter in Fownhope, Herefordshire (where we used to live), as Tom Spring he became the bare knuckle boxing champion of England in 1823.

Tom Spring who once was Winter became champion of his sport
When twice he beat Jack Langan – one fifty rounds were fought
Champion of all England, well known throughout the land
His speed and skill had won for him, despite his fragile hands

Tom Spring, King of the Ring … Tom Spring, King of the Ring … Tom Spring

He was born in Fownhope in Herefordshire, Thomas Winter was his name
He started work as a butcher's boy but he was bound for fame
His father taught him how to fight and to strengthen his weak hands
And said if he learned to defend himself he’d be champion of the land

The Duke of Norfolk heard of him and thought he'd beat the best
At Holme Lacy he got Tom to fight to entertain his guests
Tom Cribb saw him fight at Mordiford and took him under his wing
And got him to move to London to train for the boxing ring

Tom Spring, King of the Ring … Tom Spring, King of the Ring … Tom Spring

From sparring to the boxing ring his fighting skills were taught
With Tom Cribb as his manager 11 bouts were fought
They called him “the Light Tapper” as he danced around the ring
He only lost one of his fights – the champion Tom Spring

Tom retired to Herefordshire the place where he was born
He became an innkeeper when the Booth Hall became his home
When a few years had passed by back to London he went
as landlord of the Castle Inn where the rest of his life was spent

Tom Spring, King of the Ring … Tom Spring, King of the Ring … Tom Spring

Then one hundred years later as memories began to fade
Close to where Tom was born a memorial was made
“For Spring and for cider” they cried for Fownhope's son
who took on the best of England 'til the championship was won

Now if you are in Fownhope, you should go there when you can,
Be sure to see St. Mary's church and visit the Green Man
And try to see the memorial and read the tribute to Tom Spring
Fownhope's famous Tom Winter – king of the ring

Tom Spring, King of the Ring … Tom Spring, King of the Ring … Tom Spring



Goldfish Bowl
I don’t know where the title came from - but it came to me first and the rest of the lyrics just happened.

Here I am in my goldfish bowl, looking at you looking at me
Looking at me in my goldfish bowl I wonder what you see
Do you see a man who’s made the most of his life and is living comfortably
Do you see a man who’s fit and well, as healthy as can be

Do you see a man with a smile on his face enjoying life easily
Do you see a man with calm on his face whose life is worry free
Do you see a man who’s content with his lot enjoys creativity
On top of all life’s problems and free of anxiety

Here I am in my goldfish bowl
On the inside looking out
Here in my goldfish bowl
Wondering what this song is about

Here I am in my goldfish bowl wondering what the future may hold
Will I be more cautious or will I be more bold
Should I look for adventure or should I play things safe
Should I trust in judgment or should I trust in faith

Here I am in my goldfish bowl
On the inside looking out
Here in my goldfish bowl
Wondering what this song is about

I’m sitting here in my goldfish bowl, looking at you looking at me
Looking at me in my goldfish bowl I wonder what you see
Do you see happy, do you see sad, do you see fettered or free
Or do you just see a Liverpool lad, do you just see me?

Mañana
Take things easy - if you can.

You can leave it 'til tomorrow or just add it to your list
If you feel the pressure, just try to resist
There’s no need for you to rush at it today
You can use the time you've saved to rest or play

Mañana will do, Mañana's OK
Mañana will bring another day
Mañana for you, mañana for me
Whatever it brings we can wait and see

No need to worry if you're going to be late
At your stage in life you can procrastinate
Tomorrow's soon enough, it can wait for you
Or perhaps the day after, maybe that will do

Mañana will do, Mañana's OK
Mañana will bring another day
Mañana for you, mañana for me
Whatever it brings we can wait and see

If it's not urgent there's no need for a date
There's time to ponder, just contemplate
Have a day doing nothing, enjoy being in a rut
Don’t exert yourself, no need to bust a gut

Mañana will do, Mañana's OK
Mañana will bring another day
Mañana for you, mañana for me
Whatever it brings we can wait and see

Leave it 'till tomorrow, you can think about it then
Then when you get there you can leave it once again
No one's going to notice but even if they know
All you have to do is tell them where to go

Mañana will do, Mañana's OK
Mañana will bring another day
Mañana for you, mañana for me
Whatever it brings we can wait and see

Whatever needs doing it surely can keep
So roll over in bed and go back to sleep
Ignore it and maybe it will disappear
Then wake up, relax and drink some beer

Mañana will do, Mañana's OK
Mañana will bring another day
Mañana for you, mañana for me
Whatever it brings we can wait and see


Happy Blues
Several years ago Dave Ormandy challenged me to write a happy blues. This is it.
                 
I need to moan, l need to groan
I love a good whinge down the telephone
I love to talk about my aches and pains
And I like it when someone else complains
I like to drown my sorrows in booze
I love a good sulk and I love the blues

I like to bitch and complain I'm not rich
I love it when things go with a hitch
I like to have a good bellyache
And complain just for complaining’s sake
I like to back a horse and watch it lose
Then I can carp away and enjoy the blues

Now I can sleep the night, I can see the light
My problems go away without a fight
People want to help me, not get in my way
And they don't want to argue with what I say
I've started to do the things that I choose
Now there's not so much chance to enjoy the blues

Things are looking bright, a better future's in sight
Suddenly it seems that things are going right
There are no big problems that I can see
And I can't hear anyone complaining at me
Now I can't decide what course to choose
I've got the 'what do I do now that I'm happy?' Blues


I Don’t Like Dancing
I’m sorry, I just don’t - although I do like watching Irish dancing, morris dancing etc.

You may not like other people’s habits
You may not like skinning rabbits
You may not like me riding my bike
And I don’t like dancing

Some people don’t like their coffee strong
and I don’t suppose they’ll like this song
So why should they think that I’m so wrong
When I say I don’t like dancing

Some people won’t eat fruit that’s over-ripe
Some won’t eat a plate of tripe
So why is it fair for you to gripe
When I say I don’t like dancing

I don’t like dancing
Unless it’s for the purpose of romancing
I don’t like dancing, you know it’s true
I don’t want to dance with you

You may not like going out in the rain
Or drinking spirits distilled from grain
So why do you think it’s OK to complain
When I say I don’t like dancing

You may like to dance to funk and soul
Or to Elvis Presley singing King Creole
But that doesn’t mean you have to cajole
me into joining you dancing

I don’t like dancing
Although I know some find it life enhancing
I don’t like dancing, you know it’s true
I don’t want to dance with you

I don’t want to dance, I don’t want to dance, I don’t want to dance with you


You Never Can Tell
Inspired by a comment by Jules following a football match between England and The Netherlands.

You have to pay taxes that is certain
And one day you’ll face the final curtain
But you won’t know if it’s heaven or hell
‘Cos like in football you never can tell

You can stand in a crowd and make a din
You can sing and hope your team will win
You can blow a horn or ring a bell
But in football you never can tell

What’s going to happen today?
What’s going to come my way
Will it different or the same
You never can tell – like in the beautiful game

With some things in life you can be sure
The rich stay rich the poor stay poor
The throw of a dice may go well
But like with football you can never can tell

Days can be happy or sad
Life can be calm, can be mad
You can be lively or stay in your shell
Like in football you never can tell

What’s going to happen today?
What’s going to come my way
Will it different or the same
You never can tell – like in the beautiful game

You can spend your time being bored
You can hide your light and be ignored
Or be bright and have everyone under you spell
Like in football you never can tell

Start your day with a frown or a grin
Will your team lose or win
Things can go badly or well
Like in football you never can tell

What’s going to happen today?
What’s going to come my way
Will it different or the same
You never can tell – like in the beautiful game




Water Into Beer
Also inspired by Jules during a visit of ex-Xerox colleagues to York.

I've heard talk that in the city of York there’s a pub for each day of the year
So wherever you walk in the city of York you’ll be sure to find a beer
You could try a pub crawl to visit them all, a long way away or quite near
The large and the small, the low and the tall - you can do it if you persevere

Where does the water come from that’s used to make our beer
Does it come from a river or a spring that’s crystal clear
Or does it come from distant hills stored in a man-made lake
Then flow through pipes to the brewery that wonderful drink to make

What happens to the water that’s used to make my brew
Is it mixed with fine ingredients in a bubbling foaming stew
Or is it just some magic that comes down from above
that somehow changes water into the drink we love

Here’s a pint for you and a pint for me and one for him over there
And now we raise our glasses in a toast that we can share
To the man who gives us happiness and gives us our good cheer
Here’s a toast to the very first man who made water into beer

What does the beer do, the beer I love to drink
Does it dull my brain or does it help me think
Does it make me lively and want to make a noise
Or does it make me calm when I’m drinking with the boys

Does it give me energy or make me want to sleep
Does it make me miserable and make me want to weep
Does it make me timid or make me have no fear
Or does it just make me a happy soul, sitting and drinking beer

Here’s a pint for you and a pint for me and one for him over there
And now we raise our glasses in a toast that we can share
To the man who gives us happiness and gives us our good cheer
Here’s a toast to the very first man who made water into beer

So that’s what happens when water turns to beer
It makes you good, it makes you bad it can make you feel quite queer
It can make you feel morose, it can make worries disappear
But Whatever it does I know I’m going to keep on drinking beer

Here’s a pint for you and a pint for me and one for him over there
And now we raise our glasses in a toast that we can share
To the man who gives us happiness and gives us our good cheer
Here’s a toast to the very first man who made water into beer

So as we leave the city of York to go our different ways
We can remember the pubs we drank beer in during those few days
We visited just a few of the pubs that make up all the days of a year
And they remind us to raise a cheer
To that pioneer
The very first man who made water into beer



Pooper Scooper
I saw a Pooper Scooper in B&Q which is where the idea cam from. I find it hard to believe dog owners behave like this.

Pooper scooper, put it in your black bag
hang it from the branch of a tree
for everyone to see
It could be there for eternity

No need to bother ‘cos someone will collect it
and put it in a bin for you
your little bag of poo
Surely something you should do

Hey hey you you don’t leave that bag of poo poo
What on earth are you thinking?
Hey hey you you take it home with you you
Don’t just leave it there stinking

Can you explain why you didn’t take it with you
But left it for someone else to collect
Is it too much to expect
For you to show a little respect

Please will you tell me how you can imagine
it’s OK for you to blight
our parks with little bags of shite
Do you really think it’s all right

Hey hey you you don’t leave that bag of poo poo
What on earth are you thinking?
Hey hey you you take it home with you you
Don’t just leave it there stinking

If you think about what you are doing
You must realise it’s absurd
to leave a bag of turd
Don’t you feel at all perturbed

Why do you think that after your walk
You can leave a bag of crap
in its plastic wrap
I reckon you deserve a slap

Hey hey you you don’t leave that bag of poo poo
What on earth are you thinking?
Hey hey you you take it home with you you
Don’t just leave it there stinking

Don’t you think it’s rather antisocial
To leave it hanging around
On a tree or on the ground
Just waiting to be found

Now while I was just out a-walking
Guess what I have seen
All looking nice and clean
Instead of black bags they’re now green



On My Own
The idea for this came from a song by Jules. Although I do sometimes sit on my own in a pub I don’t feel lonely.

I’m here in a bar, no one else here
Sitting on my own drinking beer
Remembering things that have happened to me
And thinking about how it could have been

People come and people go
Some drink quick and some drink slow
Some are strangers and some I know
But no one comes over to say hello

Just sitting here drinking, sitting here thinking, sitting alone in a bar

Drinking beer, thinking about the past
When life was slow, when life was fast
Remembering good times and things that went wrong
Drinking beer and writing this song

Here I am deep in thought
Thinking of hopes that came to naught
Remembering battles that I have fought
With another beer that I’ve just bought

Just sitting here drinking, sitting here thinking, sitting alone in a bar

Here I am thumbing my phone
I know that it’s really time to go home
But I decide I’m going to stay here
With a glass of whisky and another beer
Drinking to remember, drinking to forget
But I’ve not forgotten all the bad times yet

I should go home, get myself off to  bed
Try to sleep, get these thoughts from my head
Forget things done, words that were said
Get rid of the feelings of worry and dread

Just sitting here drinking, sitting here thinking, sitting alone in a bar


I Love A Good Curry
I do.

I love a good curry I do I do, I love a good curry, don’t you?
A special night out or a regular treat, curry is what I like to eat
I reckon a curry is hard to beat, I love a good curry I do

I love a good curry I do I do, I love a good curry, don’t you?
A chicken Madras or a vindaloo, accompanied by a sag aloo
Washed down with a pint of Cobra or two, I love a good curry I do

What could be better than a curry and rice when you’re out on a night on the town
Papadums and pickles to start would be nice and Cobra to wash it all down

I love a good curry I do I do, I love a good curry, don’t you?
I like to have a jalfrezi, maybe a bhuna or a biryani
Washed down with a pint of Cobra or three, I love a good curry I do

I love a good curry I do I do, I love a good curry, don’t you?
A starter made in a clay tandoor, and then a special from Bangalore
Washed down with a pint of Cobra or four, I love a good curry I do

What could be better than a curry and rice when you’re out on a night on the town
Papadums and pickles to start would be nice and Cobra to wash it all down

I love a good curry I do
I love a good curry I do
I love a good curry I do


I’m A Mug
I am.

I’m a mug I’m a mug I’m an M U G
If you want something done you can always ask me
If it’s not impossible I’ll give it a go
I’m a man who struggles to say no

I'm a mug I'm a mug I'm an M U G
I'm a yes man as you can see
I may say maybe if I'm not sure
But I won’t just say no and close the door

If you need some help, have no fear
If there something you need, I’ll be here
You can depend on me

I’m a mug I’m a mug I’m an M U G
If you need to talk here I’ll be
I’ll always be a shoulder to cry on
I’ve got an ear you can rely on

I’m a mug I’m a mug I’m an M U G
I’ll try to help you courteously
If you need answers, I’ll do the research
I won’t leave you in the lurch

If you’ve got a problem I expect you know
You can always try me as I won’t say no
If I can help then I'm your man

I’m a mug I’m a mug I’m an M U G
I’m not afraid of responsibility
If you want something done you can always try here
As I’m quite likely to volunteer

I’m a mug I’m a mug I’m an M U G
I’ll give you my opinion honestly
You can ask me quick, you can ask me slow
But it very unlikely that I’ll say no


13  Magic
Made in 2013 following Owen’s magic tricks at Jan’s 65th birthday party.

Going On
This is the seventh of these CDs - the songs on it were written and recorded during the years since the last one was made in 2020, maybe some before that. The final recordings and adjustments and mixing were completed in February 2025.

All tracks were recorded at home in Bartestree using a 4 track digital recorder, the final mixes being transferred to a PC for recording onto CD-Rs.

I’d like to thank the people and places that inspired the songs.