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Richard Thompson : Front Parlour Ballads
2005

  1. Let It Blow
  2. For Whose Sake?
  3. Miss Patsy
  4. Old Thames Side
  5. How Does Your Garden Grow?
  6. My Soul, My Soul

  7. Cressida
  8. Row, Boys Row
  9. The Boys Of Mutton Street
    +1
  10. Precious One
  11. A Solitary Life
  12. Should I Betray?
  13. When We Were Boys At School

Let It Blow

Tuning: DADGBE (Drop D)
D
D/c#
He was a species on the verge of extinction
D/c
B7
She was an Air New Zealand hostess
Em
Em(maj7)
They were mystically joined, like Rawicz and Landauer
Em7
A
Like Pinky and Perky, like Porgy and Bess Oh he loved the pursuit and the romance But the details were more of a chore When the bride's veil lifted, his mind soon drifted At least that's what happened before
D
D/c#
Let it blow, let it snow
G/b
A
Let the mercury bubble and dive
Bb
F
Life's little traumas and courtroom dramas
Gm
A
Remind me I'm glad I'm alive Oh she loved the clinking of glasses When the toast was to nobles and princes In the conjugal nest she was seen at her best With her keen eye for curtains and chintzes She had all of the furniture ordered By the time they were naming the date And her mother came speeding from distant Dunedin To help with the flowers and cake Let it blow... At the Chapel of Partial Remembrance The ushers went into a seizure Mr Bacchus, they said, should we stand on our heads Would sackcloth and ashes displease you? And they honeymooned down in Ibiza Where the sun and the nightlife were hot As she lay on the sand, he said, isn't it grand? I bring all of my wives to this spot Let it blow... A life of volcanic activity Left him nothing to spout but hot air A long interruption since his last eruption Was disguised by sheer devil-may-care But some charm and some skill and manoeuvre Had him rising to meet the occasion And for once, they found bliss, but news of their tryst Got to Fleet Street, and caused a sensation Let it blow... The Press was baying for blood now They gave them a week at the most We were all glad to see it reach weeks two and three But the fourth week, the whole thing was toast And she dragged her tail back to New Zealand With threats of High Court and revenge Meanwhile his eye did stray to the ample bustier Of a novelty dancer from Penge Let it blow...

For Whose Sake?

A
D
E
A
D
E
For whose sake, for whose sake
F#m
Bm
C
Did I deliver sighs of love and vows forever
A
D
E
A
D
E
For whose sake, for whose sake
F#m
Bm
Am
Did I learn real from true?
Am
B/a
Am
B/a
Fast times, what a scene you left behind
Am
B/a
Am
B/a
Skins shed and bitter morsels said
C
G
Dm
C
G
And now you shine your little star
Dm
C
G
And did you come so far
Dm
C
G
Are you who you think you are? For whose sake, for whose sake Did I endeavour, pledge myself forever For whose sake, for whose sake
F#m
Bm
F#m
Bm
I know your signs and I know your lines
A
A/f#
A/e
But I don't know you
A
A/f#
A/e
I don't know you
A
A/f#
A/e
I don't know you

Miss Patsy

Tuning: DADGBE (Drop D)
D
My dearest Miss Patsy, I'm writing to say
G
That I'm sorry to not be in touch
D
It's been quite a parade, but my thoughts never strayed
G
A
Too far, or too long, or too much
A
D
A
D
Miss Patsy, forgive all the choices I made
Em
D
G
I've been fighting shadows on the wrong crusade
A
D
A
D
Looking for ghosts in a penny arcade
G
A
Miss Patsy, no more will I roam
Em
C
D
Miss Patsy, won't you carry me home They held me to ransom back there in the foothills And nobody stumped up a bean Not Swifty, nor Eddie, came up with the ready It can make you think people plain mean I've been hanging out with some virtuous people They emptied my bank account twice They gave me self-confidence, even some clothes And a truck-load of love and advice When they gave out the cyanide pills with a wink And said, Wait for the word, any day now, we think I knew it was time to pull back from the brink Miss Patsy, no more will I roam Miss Patsy, won't you carry me home Miss Patsy, I looked at myself in the mirror Decided I needed some work Got me a nose job, a shave and a haircut To drive all them ladies berserk But the arm round my waist was a man in dark blue He said, ain't you him? We've been looking for you Now I'm sharing a cell with a holy kung fu Miss Patsy, no more will I roam Miss Patsy, won't you carry me home

Old Thames Side

Tuning: DADGBE (Drop D)
Capo:
III
D
A
F#m
G
As I was a-walking down by old Thames side
D
/f#
G
A
Well my foot and my heart seemed to falter
D
A
F#m
G
For there you were standing by Custom House Landing
Am
G/b
D
(
G/b
D
) Like Venus risen out of the water
D
G/b
D
G
And they'll say it's because I'm a fool in love
D
/f#
G
A
That I swear there's no beauty before you
D
A
F#m
G
But those that deny will think that I lie
Am
G/b
D
(
G/b
D
) Well those are the ones never saw you Oh there never was anyone perfect as you As you stood there and smiled to greet me And I looked for a phrase to capture your ways But that's a task will always defeat me And they'll say it's because I'm a fool in love That I swear there's no beauty before you But those that deny or think that I lie Well those are the ones never saw you If the lady's for turning then London's for burning Let's drink to the streets we were born in We'll dine and we'll dance ourselves into a trance Till the night fades into the morning And they'll say it's because I'm a fool in love That I swear there's no beauty before you But those that deny or think that I lie Well those are the ones never saw you

How Does Your Garden Grow?

You and your big ideas Taking your time with me Faithful as I faltered Steady as I stumbled A lifeline tossed in a boiling sea Whose dream was that To parcel up my soul and pass the hat? That's not a style that suits you much You lack that tender touch That brings them back for more Drove your old man out the door When you tried it on before You and your big ideas And now the scars don't show How Does Your Garden Grow?

My Soul, My Soul

My Soul My Soul My Soul My Soul My Soul My Soul My Soul My Soul My Soul She's never going to shake it up She's never going to shake it up She's never going to shake it up She'll never be satisfied She's never going to eye me right She's never going to eye me right She's never going to eye me right The way I want to be eyed The way she crimps her curls The way she calls that hog The way she sips her tea The way she smokes that log The way she bangs the wall The way she walks the dog I showed her my invitation I showed her my invitation I showed her my invitation If she didn't go and scratch me off She gave me my party favours She gave me my party favours She gave me my party favours But nothing was sweet enough Haven't I flip you A thousand times or more Haven't I flip you A thousand times or more Haven't I flip you A thousand times or more My Soul My Soul My Soul She's never going to shake it up She's never going to shake it up She's never going to shake it up She'll never be satisfied She's never going to eye me right She's never going to eye me right She's never going to eye me right The way I want to be eyed

Cressida

Love that holds its breath for fear Of scaring love away I rush my lines I care too deeply Oh, will she keep me For idle games I stare into I stare into The dying flames I raise my eyes to see her there Shining in a daydream I raise my eyes I see too much I know her touch What her touch would mean I stare into I stare into The dying flames

Row, Boys Row

Feel that sting across your back and row, boys, row Don't wait for the whip to crack and row, boys, row Is it wise to be moaning when the Captain comes? Tip your hat and get grinning though you're worn to the gums Is it wise to be needy in the land of the free? Is it wise to be bleeding in a shark-filled sea? Seven years of bad luck Should have read the small print Save my soul, save my soul I'm chained below, chained below Carving sailors' little keepsakes Out of teeth and nails and driftwood Got to keep the old ship moving Ploughing through the Sea of Cortez Living skeletons for neighbours Hear the bosun beat the drum and row, boys, row Slavery till Kingdom Come and row, boys, row Is it wise to be asking for a morsel more When you see what they done to him what asked before? Is it wise to be kneeling with your arse poking free? Is it wise to be bleeding in a shark-filled sea? Is it wise to be moaning when the Captain comes? Tip your hat and get grinning though you're worn to the gums Is it wise to be needy in the land of the free? Is it wise to be bleeding in a shark-filled sea?

The Boys Of Mutton Street

Capo:
V
Tuning: CGDGBE
The chorus is played twice after each verse
G
C
Strolling down on Mutton Street, the moon is peeping through
G
Old wives say, "Young Man, you'd better watch your P's and Q's"
G
C
But life is good on Mutton Street, if you know the why and where
G
Romping on the bombsites, there's magic everywhere
G
We're the boys of Mutton Street Mutton Street, Mutton Street We're the boys of Mutton Street
C
D
G
We give no ground We came upon those Burley boys, they were shaking like a leaf We had our stones and dusters, we were armed right to the teeth We fired a friendly volley and we only maimed a few And quick as greasy lightning they disappeared from view Now Bonfire Night, it was a sight, the bonfire how it blazed It nearly set the street alight, so they called the Fire Brigade The Fire Brigade got busy but we cut the hoses clean And suddenly the Mutton Boys were nowhere to be seen Alky on the corner, shell-shocked fusilier Tip him a little drink, he'll get you cigarettes and beer Thomas Tapling Senior got soda-pop and news Scott and son's got toys for boys, but they push their Christian views

Precious One

Precious one, precious one Thought you stood so sweet upon your own two feet Precious one, precious one Thought there was no breeze could bring you to your knees But I was wrong, I was wrong Precious one, precious one Should have been a light to guide you through the night Precious one, precious one Wanted to believe you had no need to grieve But I was wrong, I was wrong I was wrong, I was wrong Should have wrapped my arms around you tight To say, I'm here What's done is done What's done is done Precious one, precious one Wish there was a tide to bring you me to your side Precious one, precious one Didn't want to run or leave it all undone Oh I was wrong, I was wrong Precious one, precious one Thought you stood so sweet upon your own two feet Precious one, precious one Thought there was no breeze could bring you to your knees But I was wrong, I was wrong

A Solitary Life

Tuning: DADGBE (Drop D)
D
Sometimes I long for the solitary life
G
Parents long gone, no kids, no wife
A
G
Sister somewhere in Australia
D
G
D
Never did keep in touch Sex no more than a "how do you do" With a copy of Penthouse in the loo Socially a bit of a failure Nice not to have to try too much
D
A solitary life
G
D
A life of small horizons
Em
C
G
D
Dull as the pewter skies over North West Eleven A solitary life A life of small horizons Dull as the gun-metal sky over North West Eleven A serious hobby in the garden shed Model trains, or soldiers in lead Join the suburban boffins of Britain Experts on trivial things And holidays in the Yorkshire Dales Or cycling tours of the North of Wales Unenvious of those flea-bitten On continental flings A solitary life A life of small horizons Dull as the pewter skies over North West Eleven Excitement comes by subtle means The satisfaction of routines Small revenges at the office Smug little victories You work on your pallor, complexion like paste Like the grey defeat on an inmate's face A life spent adding losses and profits Resigning by degrees A solitary life A life of small horizons Dull as the pewter skies over North West Eleven A solitary life A life of small horizons Dull as the gun-metal skies over North West Eleven And come to the end, sad and alone A steady, reliable tumour you've grown From selfish years, while all your peers Have stressfully jogged to health In life you were always quite numb And foggier now, you soon succumb In drab St. Bart's on the new bypass Death overcomes by stealth A solitary life A life of small horizons Dull as the pewter sky over North West Eleven A solitary life A life of small horizons Dull as the gun-metal sky over North West Eleven

Should I Betray?

Capo:
III
Am
Should I betray you to your spouse?
B7
The wife who waits back at the house
Gm
She doesn't know that you're a louse
Dm
That's not the man she wed She doesn't know the deals you make The throats you cut, the vows you break To buy up some old lady's stake Quick before she's dead
Bbm
She doesn't see your oily smarm
Fsus4
You pour on in the place of charm
Bb
When you've got some shop-girl by the arm
Fsus4
Steering her into bed That virgin forest you chopped down To build another ugly town I'll tell your wife you bribed them round To back your plan instead
Bbm
But perhaps she doesn't want to see
Fsus4
The heel that you turned out to be ??? That's why she'll take a gin or three ??? To drive doubts from her head While she's working hard enough With housework, kids, and all that stuff You're out there with some bit of fluff Cruising on the Med She thought the leopard's spots were paint She thought she'd turn you to a saint Kept hoping, though the hope grew faint That you were better bred Should I betray you to your spouse? The wife who waits back at the house She doesn't know that you're a louse That's not the man she wed

When We Were Boys At School

Tuning: DADGBE (Drop D)
Capo:
II
Am
Dm
E7
E7b9
E7
All he ever wanted to do was harm
Am
Dm
E7
E7b9
E7
All he ever wanted to be was cruel
Am
C
G
D
At twelve years old Fate marked his brow
Am
C
G
D/f#
And he said, I have a mission now
F6
Am(add9)/c
Em7
Em
But we laughed at his clothes
F6
Am(add9)/c
Em7
Em
And the blackheads round his nose
A
When we were boys at school Teachers spoke of Hannibal and Hector Nimrod and Nietzsche were more his fuel Swastikas and pentagrams Flourished from his tender hands But we watched in the rain As the bully beat him up again When we were boys at school
Cm
And he said, my camouflage will hide me
Fm/c
Cm
Fm/c
Cm
I'll be as grey as the world is grey
Dm
Down a thousand government corridors
Gm/d
Dm
Gm/d
Dm
Behind which one of a thousand doors
Em
Will I delegate and rule
Am/e
E
Am/e
E
Oh little boys at school
Am
Dm
E7
E7b9
E7
All he ever wanted to do was harm
Am
Dm
E7
E7b9
E7
All he ever wanted to be was cruel
G#m
B
F#
C#
And sometimes when the night is still
G#m
B
F#
C#
I can feel the gathering of his will
Am
C
G
D
I can feel him flex the strings of power
Am
C
G
D/f#
And grope to his appointed hour
F6
Am(add9)/c
Em7
Em
But we laughed at the dirt
F6
Am(add9)/c
Em7
Em
And the frayed cuffs on his shirt
Bbmaj7b5
/d
When we were boys at school