Playlist Al Stewart

al stewart - the year of the cat

On a morning from a Bogart movie
In a country where they turn back time
You go strolling through the crowd like Peter Lorre
Contemplating a crime
She comes out of the sun in a silk dress running
Like a watercolour in the rain
Don't bother asking for explanations
She'll just tell you that she came
In the year of the cat

She doesn't give you time for questions
As she locks up your arm in hers
And you follow 'till your sense of which direction
Completely disappears
By the blue tiled walls near the market stalls
There's a hidden door she leads you to
These days, she says, I feel my life
Just like a river running through
The year of the cat

Well, she looks at you so cooly
And her eyes shine like the moon in the sea
She comes in incense and patchouli
So you take her, to find what's waiting inside
The year of the cat

Well, morning comes and you're still with her
And the bus and the tourists are gone
And you've thrown away the choice and lost your ticket
So you have to stay on
But the drum-beat strains of the night remain
In the rhythm of the new-born day
You know sometimes you're bound to leave her
But for now you're going to stay
In the year of the cat

al stewart - where are they now

Where Are They Now

I sent my crack divisions through the early morning mist
When they fell on your positions you were powerless to resist
Encircling and probing for the weakness in your line
By night you were surrounded; your territory mine
I called for your surrender; this you swore you would not do
So I stormed the very fortress, you thought could shelter you
I held you then upon your knees and turned to give my thanks
To the regiments assembled in their ranks

CHORUS
Where are they now?
Where are they now?

I raised you to your feet, with your hand inside my own
We set off upon a journey, each together, each alone
In the days that followed oh our lives did overlap
I learned the contours of your body like the roads upon a map
You sweetened every evening, I savoured every day
Just when I was certain it would always be this way
You slipped beyond the reach of my outstretched fingertips
With all the kisses we'd placed upon your lips

CHORUS

Oh close. You're close
Someone, come shine a light
Oh near. So near
But just out of sight

I went in search of alchemy to resurrect the dead
Sent my spies to fathom out the secrets in your head
They said they heard your laughter
Spinning through the summer night
In the company of strangers
And your eyes were wild and bright
Though I grew reclusive and my days became withdrawn
I held the banner of our love, now tattered and forlorn
And swore that it would one day fly above us once again
To do this, I had my reasons then

CHORUS

Close. You're close
Once again, come shine a light
Oh near. So near
But just out of sight

Perhaps there are some passions that are tempered by the years
You reach accomodation, the intensity recedes
Some of this occurred to me the time I saw you last
Your face familiar in a way. Your voice out of the past
Every gamut of emotion shared from tenderness to rage
Fell away between us in the turning of that page
It seemed like only yesterday we swore that we'd be true
Two innocents believing that they knew

al stewart - a long way down from stephanie

Maid, truly I see now it must be a long way down
And with love's bud shorn
Now must all dalliance hither crumble and wither [1]
Oh strange, methought it strange
Thou couldst deprive me of my crown [2]
And my freedom that thou cast upon me as
Litter bears fruit of bitter strain [3]

And I would go forsooth to the dragon's tooth [4]
If thus a chance were gained
To resurrect that part of your wanton heart
To whose grave my own is chained

And hold, ere thou dost go
Were not thy moments gilded too
And in honesty didst thou not measure for measure
Countenance pleasure
Cold were't thou so cold
This in thy mind be frozen too

And will not Spring be reborn
But might the sun thaw the frost here
That all be not lost herein

And I would rather, Zounds! [5]
It were hell's own hounds
Whose foul breath upon my face
Did portent my doom, than to bear the gloom
Of a world stripped of thy grace

And so in truth I know
Yes it will be a long way down
And if go thou must, ere we should meet accidental
Prithee be gentle [6]
And though distant now
Perchance the hand of time may soothe
And though lost at six, if I should live to be seven [7]
I might forget Stephanie

Notes:

[1] Dalliance: staying around, wasting time
[2] The words 'thou' and 'thee' in this song are the equivalent of current French 'tu' and German 'du' - the familiar form of address which has now died out in English in favour of the universal 'you.'
[3]The album cover has 'litter' although 'linden' seems to be heard on the record. Linden is an old word a tree of family Tiliaceae, e.g. the lime or basswood, although 'litter' does rhyme with and contrast with 'bitter.'
[4] Forsooth: truly, or in truth (Old English)
[5] Zounds: "God's wounds!" - old expletive
[6] Prithee: pray thee = please.
[7] The payoff: at the end of the song we discover that this is a junior school romance...

al stewart - carol

Sometimes it seems unimaginable
That you were every any other way
With your white rose face and your orphan clothes,
Embroidered jeans and silver chains
You're a well known face in all the hang-out places
Where the lost souls congregate
And you sit all night, but you talk too fast
And I don't know what you're trying to say.

CHORUS
Oh Carol, I think it's time for running for cover,
Believe me, you're everyone's and nobody's lover,
You've got a one-way ticket for all your yesterdays.

I know your daddy said he'd talk to you
But he never really found the time
And your TV mother with her cocktail eyes
Could never really reach your mind
So you fixed your star to a passing dream
And took a cocaine holiday
Now the years flow round you in a muddy stream
And you need another place to stay.

CHORUS

Reach down, silvery ship from the stars, I know you're there,
I know you'll understand me, you can take me anywhere,
I know you must be there...

Sometimes it seems impossible
That the game could get that rough
But the stage is set, the exit's barred
And the make-up won't come off
So you make your bow to the balcony,
You light another cigarette
and the lights grow dim ast the music starts
And it's easy to forget.

CHORUS

Reach down, silvery ship from the stars, I know you're there,
I know you'll understand me, you can take me anywhere,
I know you must be there....

al stewart - sand in your shoes

Sand In Your Shoes

You always were a city kid though you were country raised
And back in some forgotten time we shared the cold north days
But the simple life was not your style, and you just had to escape
So it's goodbye to my lady of the islands.

On Remembrance Day the bands all played, the bells pealed through the park
And you lay there by the "Do Not" signs, and shamed them with your spark
Now winter moans in old men's bones as the day falls into dark
So it's goodbye to my lady of the islands.

It was just like this behind the kisses you so soon swept away
I always knew that some day yo'd be bound to just get pulled away...

The summer sun beats on and on, the shops swim in the heat
And you're standing by the traffic signs with taxis at your feet
I know that in your city skin you're feeling more complete
So it's goodbye to my lady of the islands.

No I never got the letters that you said you'd send me
So it's goodbye to my lady of the islands.

al stewart - joe the georgian

Now I've got my payment
For the service that I gave
They've given me my ticket
To this place beyond the grave
I suppose it's kind of funny
I suppose it's kind of sad
Thinking back on all the times we had

But it's kind of hot and smoky
In this ante-room to Hell
And I won't make up a story
'Cause you know the truth so well
It's much too late to worry
That we never had a chance
And when Joe the Georgian gets here
We will dance, dance dance
When Joe the Georgian gets here
We will dance

We all set off together
On this sorry ship of state
When the captain took the fever
We were hijacked by the mate
And he steered us through the shadows
Upon an angry tide
And cast us one by one over the side

But it's kind of hot and smoky
In this ante-room to Hell
And I won't make up a story
'Cause you know the truth so well
It's much too late to worry
That we never had a chance
And when Joe the Georgian gets here
We will dance, dance dance
When Joe the Georgian gets here
We will dance

There's Kamenev, Zinoviev,
Bukharin and the rest
We're sharpening our pitchforks
And we're heating up the ends
We've got a few surprises
For the mate when he appears
I hope he likes the next few million years

And it's kind of hot and smoky
In this anteroom to Hell
And I won't make up a story
'Cause you know the truth so well
It's much too late to worry
That we never had a chance
And when Joe the Georgian gets here
We will dance, dance dance
When Joe the Georgian gets here
We will dance

al stewart - what s going on

What's Going On?

First time I saw you, you were Mr. Natural
You seemed so diffident, you hardly spoke at all
Now you come to me and you've got green streaks in your hair
You walk like Greta Garbo, but you talk like Yogi Bear
What's going on? What's going on?
I really don't believe what's going on; what's going on?

Anyone in the farmouse could have given you the news
You think you're in control but you're only being used
I know your head is in the sky and you're easy to deceive
But how you fell for this I really don't believe
What's going on? What's going on?
I really don't believe what's going on; what's going on?

All those rock 'n' roll star heroes you spend your time around
You may think you're one of them but you're 100,000 down
What are you going to do when the company calls its money in?
How'll you feel stuck out in the rain without a friend?
What's going on? What's going on?
I really don't believe what's going on; what's going on?

al stewart - broadway hotel

You told the man in the Broadway Hotel
Nothing was stranger than being yourself
And he replied, with a tear in his eye
Love was a rollaway
Just a cajole away
Mist on a summer's day
Nothing was clear
Love was a smile away
Just a defile away
I sought it every way
No-one came near.

You asked the man for a room with a view
Nothing was said as he stared at his shoe
Then he replied as he gave you the key
Love was a rollaway
Just an unfold away
That's all there is to say
No-one came near.

Alone in your room you hide
as the night rolls by
In the street outside
And you feel over the words he said
Till they turn to rain all around your head.

You're seeking a hideaway
Where the light of day
Doesn't touch your face
And a door-sign keeps the world away
Behind the shades
Of your silent day.

You made your home in the Broadway Hotel
Room service came at the push of a bell
And the man said as he put down the tray
Love was a stealaway
Just a reveal away
I tried to find a way
Nothing was clear
Then as he turned away
You asked the man to stay
He was there all the day
No-one came near.

al stewart - genie on a table top

I went floating down the
Street one day
With a song playing in my mind
Hopping and bopping like a ricochet
Bad news was hard to find
There was a hint of syncopation
Coming from the sidewalk
And the street
There was a glint of scintillation
Hanging over everyone
You'd meet
And it makes me feel okay
Like a big yellow tractor
Going mowing through a field of hay
Like a genie on a table top
Surfing through the month of May

I saw a world in the window of
A knick knack shop
And I tossed it in the air
A girl went by with a forget-me-not
And she wore it in her hair
There was a peak of pixillation
And I never noticed it before
There was a jump of jubilation
And it seemed to promise more and more
And it makes me feel okay
Like a big yellow tractor going
Mowing through a field of hay
Like a genie on a table top
Surfing through the month of May

Oh she loves me and she loves me better
Than I've ever loved myself
She knows me and she loves me better
Now I want nobody else

Percolating through the noonday sun
With wings upon my shoes
I was jumping about in front of everyone
No dignity to lose
There was a rush of animation
Bubbling about inside my soul
There was a rin-tin-tabulation coming
It was so hard to control
And it makes me feel okay
Like a pig with a bucket full of
Truffles in a French cafe
Like Louis Armstrong playing
Trumpet on the judgment day
Like a flying boat captain with
An amethyst lake below
Like a winner of a marathon
Rolling in a field of snow
Like a figure skating gigolo
Looking for a heart to steal
Like a simulated orgasm suddenly becoming real
Like a big yellow tractor going
Bowling through a field of hay
Like a genie on a table top
Surfing through the month of may

al stewart - roads to moscow

Roads to Moscow

They crossed over the border the hour before dawn
Moving in lines through the day
Most of our planes were destroyed on the ground where they lay
Waiting for orders we held in the wood - word from the front never came
By evening the sound of the gunfire was miles away

Ah, softly we move through the shadows, slip away through the trees
Crossing their lines in the mists in the fields on our hands and our knees
And all that I ever was able to see
The fire in the air glowing red silhouetting the smoke on the breeze

All summer they drove us back through the Ukraine
Smolensk and Viasma soon fell
By autumn we stood with our backs to the town of Orel
Closer and closer to Moscow they came - riding the wind like a bell
General Guderian stands at the crest of the hill

Winter brought with her the rains, oceans of mud filled the roads
Gluing the tracks of their tanks to the ground while the sky filled with snow
And all that I ever was able to see
The fire in the air glowing red silhouetting the snow on the breeze

In the footsteps of Napoleon the shadow figures stagger through the winter
Falling back before the gates of Moscow,
Standing in the wings like an avenger
And far away behind their lines the partisans are stirring in the forest
Coming unexpectedly upon their outposts, growing like a promise
You'll never know, you'll never know
Which way to turn, which way to look, you'll never see us
As we're stealing through the blackness of the night,
You'll never know, you'll never hear us
And the evening sings in a voice of amber, the dawn is surely coming
The morning roads leads to Stalingrad, and the sky is softly humming

Two broken Tigers on fire in the night flicker their souls to the wind
We wait in the lines for the final approach to begin
It's been almost four years that I've carried a gun
At home it will almost be spring
The flames of the Tigers are lighting the road to Berlin

Ah, quickly we move through the ruins that bow to the ground
The old men and children they send out to face us, they can't slow us down
And all that I ever was able to see
The eyes of the city are opening now it's the end of the dream

I'm coming home, I'm coming home,
Now you can taste it in the wind, the war is over
And I listen to the clicking of the train wheels as we roll across the border
And now they ask me of the time
When I was caught behind their lines and taken prisoner
"They only held me for a day, a lucky break", I say;
They turn and listen closer
I'll never know, I'll never know
Why I was taken from the line and all the others
To board a special train and journey deep into the heart of holy Russia
And it's cold and damp in the transit camp, and the air is still and sullen
And the pale sun of October whispers the snow will soon be coming
And I wonder when I'll be home again and the morning answers "Never"
And the evening sighs and the steely Russian skies go on forever

al stewart - cafe society

Late at night,
when reality's failed and nothing is prevailing but the wind,
I come to you.

Out of sight,
like a fugitive trailing across a barren land, you let me in,
you always do.

My reason is caught by a sudden gust
of lateral thought that sweeps me
far beyond,
it's the opium of the night.

And the ocean of words
that we throw in the air
grows more absurd
and nobody seems to care,
it's a refugee's respite.
Cafe Society.

Late at night,
while the city lies sleeping and solitude is keeping me awake,
I think of you.

Dim your lights,
oh, I want to sink deep in that river of oblivion you make,
I need it, too.

Let me check-in my mind
with my coat at the door,
'cause I want to go flying
where I've never been before,
some inviting [some 3-syllable thing that ryhmes with "ravine"].

If the hand that you hold
in the dead of the night
is a little too cold,
the body seems just right,
it's a [some 5-syllable thing that also rhymes with "ravine"].
Cafe Society.

al stewart - indian summer

Indian summer, the shops are shuttered and the crowds are gone
The souvenir sellers are moving on
Like summer lovers
Indian summer
The earth is cracked beneath the midday sun
You've dragged your shadow round these streets too long
There is no cover
Come stay, we'll live gazebo lives
And let the world outside pass us by
Right here in our Arabian Nights
Until the Northern Lights cross the sky
There is no other
Indian summer, the storm that drove you here is far behind
What keeps you waiting on this beach tonight
It's long been over
Come stay, we'll live gazebo lives
And let the world outside pass us by
Right here in our Arabian Nights
Until the Northern Lights cross the sky
There is no other
Come stay
Right here

al stewart - antarctica

Long before I ever saw
The frost upon your face
I was haunted by your beauty
And it drew me to this place
I felt the chill of mystery
With one foot on your shore
And then and there resolved to go
Where no man had before

CHORUS
Maybe I was snowblind
But it seemed the wind spoke true
And I believed its stories then
As dreamers sometimes do
In Antarctica
In Antarctica

Who knows what the powers may be
That cause a man to go
Mindless of the dangers
Out across the virgin snow
Seduced by this ambition
I easily forget
The hopeless quest of Shackleton
The dreamlike death of Scott

CHORUS

Maybe I was snowblind
Perhaps it sapped my will
But something of my innocence
Is wandering there still
In Antarctica
In Antarctica
In Antarctica
In Antarctica

al stewart - ghostly horses of the plains

We opened the door
To see the coming of the trains
Across this land of plenty
We suddenly saw
The ghostly horses of the plains
Their saddles empty
Struck to stone beneath the moon
These figures still remain
Steal your chances someday soon
You may not pass this way
Again

al stewart - lindy comes to town

Lindy flew his plane across the dark Atlantic
Put her down near Paris and the crowds went frantic
They raced across the field, to touch the wings and wheels
And reach inside the cockpit just to see if he was real

Back in New York City people watched and waited
The news came down the wire and they celebrated
And in that time so brief, it was everyone's belief
That the world had grown no bigger than a pocket handkerchief

When Lindy comes to town and all the bands are playing
When Lindy comes to town and all the flags are waving
Mr Coolidge he will say, it's a public holiday
You can see them ride down Wall Street in a tickertape parade

I want to be there in that crown upon that bright, bright morning
And I can tell the world I saw a new day dawning
With my baby by my side in among that human tide
I want to be right there when Lindy comes to town

Every day is better than the one before it
If I see a raincloud then I'll just ignore it
Everbody says it'll get much better yet
It's 1927 and my whole life lies ahead

Gonna get myself a car and find a place to park it
Get a little cash and put it in the market
And on my wedding day I will turn around and say
There never was a better time than this one anyway

When Lindy comes to town and all the bands are playing
When Lindy comes to town and all the flags are waving
Mr Coolidge he will say, it's a public holiday
You can see them ride down Wall Street in a tickertape parade

I want to be there in that crown upon that bright, bright morning
And I can tell the world I saw a new day dawning
With my baby by my side in among that human tide
I want to be right there when Lindy comes to town

al stewart