Have you ever heard the theory of ruins? A design for more than life, extending past the fall Gratefully crumbling into legend What’s left behind never-endingI have seen the burden laid on the human race Everything is beautiful when considered in its prime Eternity’s placed into our human hearts No-one can fathom the path to the end of timeWhen I’m taken by the flames What will I leave behind? How many souls will I have touched? That’s what stands the test of timeThe theory of ruins The theory of ruinsThe days of kings have long since ended The heart that fed besides a broken mocking hand Look upon my works you mighty and despair Two legs of stone standing in the sandWhen I’m taken by the flames What will I leave behind? How many souls will I have touched? That’s what stands the test of timeThe theory of ruins The theory of ruins

I've been travelling for many a year Never had a place to call my own Friends come and go but the road stays the same There's a comfort and safety in being aloneThe earth is my pillow, the wind is my song I pass through prairie and canyon Sun burns by day, night is the time The moon's my light and companionBut I'm tired so tired My bones they ache and I'm turning to dust But I'm tired so tired My soul won't stop walking, but my body mustMet a lady at a watering hole Her heart was wild and free So we settled down and I worked at a ranch She said there's a comfort and safety in being with meHair gold as fields of corn, eyes brown as the soil Proud and strong as a cherrybark tree Her love as wide as the dusty planes She became the world to meBut I'm tired so tired The vista's staying still, with the same old sky But I'm tired so tired My feet are getting restless, no matter what I tryBut I'm tired so tired Highway stretched before me horizon full of haze But I'm tired so tired Heading south, three hundred miles, dry wind fills my days

It's true I am a traveller Of plains across these lands And of my mind-forged turrets I've tread 'cross boundless sandsYou know I've touched such beauty No other eyes have seen Such sights would shame and humble Those hanging gardens greenI've held apart with bravery The fiercest lion's jaw I've known the love of strangers But somehow wanted moreI've fought for countless victories I've shouldered heavy loads Such feats would strip the honour from That ancient guard of RhodesLooking back across these memories They all fail the simplest test Out of all these marvels It was you I loved the bestTrust me I've had struggles I've felt the masters whip With the beating sun burning my back Lord knows I didn’t quitI've tasted of the sting of death Destruction in its wake I've seen the mausoleum of old And I know that I can't breakLooking back across these memories They all fail the simplest test Out of all these marvels It was you I loved the bestI’ve experienced dreadful power I take it in my stride I heard the rise and fall of Zeus And watched as his love criedI’ve been a witness of the light I'm basking in the glow Never broken like that ancient house Through me, from Him it flowsLooking back across these memories They all fail the simplest test Out of all these marvels It was you I loved the bestI’ll admit I had ambitions Crafted temples with my toil Your words, your deeds are fruitless What I have, you can't spoilLooking back across these memories They all fail the simplest test Out of all these marvels It was you I loved the best

Like most things in life, I can hide it away Or show it off proudly, the scar of the day Like most things in life, it’s hard to explain Geri is swinging from a fine silver chainYou can’t shame me - I don’t want to know You can’t scare me - I’ve known worse than you You can’t take me – I don’t want to go Cos I’ve got the heart of a wolfLike most things in life, it started off small My body’s rebellions started the fall Like most things in life, the end isn’t clear The journey is far, but each step is nearYou can’t shame me - I don’t want to know You can’t scare me - I’ve known worse than you You can’t take me – I refuse to go Cos I’ve got the heart of a wolf

Black Dog is coming for me Blood red eyes and teeth like a knife Feel his breath on the back of my neck Been stalking me all the days of my lifeI see a movement from the corner of my eye But nothing’s there when I turn The smell of fuel is rising high Come on now, gonna watch you burn Watch you burnBlack Dog is coming for me Dragging his chain, haunting my nights Pinned in a corner, he won’t let me leave Snarls and howls, he claws and he bitesAs the days go on I’m starting to see His bark is worse than his bite It’s fear and dread that’s clouding my mind He may be strong but I’ll put up a fightAs the flames lick higher the fog recedes My pulse slows and my mind begins to clear I look around me with glistening eyes I begin to realise Black Dog was me

When it comes to you, I’m like an open book My mind is not my own When it comes to you, there’s not a word I’ve said You haven’t already knownSo I’ll keep on running Till I know my own heart And I’ll keep on running Till I get back to the startWhen it comes to you, you’re like that locked-up gate In the fence at the end of the park When it comes to you, I can feel something else Hidden deep in the darkAnd I’ll keep on wondering As I go with the flow And I’ll keep on wondering If you even knowWhen it comes to you, at the end of the day It’s got to be your own choice When it comes to you, the decision is yours What to hide, and what to voiceAnd I’ll keep on loving If you hide it away And I’ll keep on loving If you open that gate

I lied last night in the rain And you cried last night all the same If I could do it all again I’d lie through my teeth and be damned You would have gone away all the same But these things happen when you don’t have a plan So I lied last night in the rainI gave you my coat and you gave me a smile A brief flash of triumph, like you’d passed a trial Hunching my shoulders, shirt stuck to my back Trying not to shiver, soaked to the skin But you made me laugh, you always had the knack Of summing up my life in that crooked grin So I gave you my coat and you gave me a smileYou broke open a kit-kat and gave me a half As you ate yours in one mouthful, I started to laugh That platform for a second became a shrine To what we’d once had, and what might still be The chocolate was blessed, our bread and wine A show of faith, we believed in you and me So I lied last night in the rain

Hello old friend Feels like coming home Hello old friend Like stepping in out of the rain Hello old friendYou were there for me when I needed you Soothed my heart and took away my [E] pain Gave me a reason to live and a purpose once again You were there for me, my friendHello old friend You gave me wings to fly Hello old friend Then you took away the sky Hello old friendYou were there for me when I needed you Soothed my heart and took away my pain Gave me a reason to live and a purpose once again You were there for me, my friendHello old friend Feels like coming home Hello old friend Like stepping in out of the rain Hello old friend

The TV is blaring out God knows what It’s all just colours and shapes to me Static on the radio seems to make more sense Hisses and crackles but it seems to be freeIt’s something to do, chain-smoking through the haze Hacking away, but light up the same Another shot of whiskey from a paper cup Memories fail, but the feelings remain Pass the bottle across – one more roundThe cylinder spins and the bullet goes round Pick up the gun, the future’s unknown and can wait No-one lives forever - we’re all on death row This game it just gives control back to my fate The chamber moves on – one more roundHiding the fear, step into the ring The dance begins, brutal but still full of grace Knocked down in the first, get back up and take a deep breath Your opponent’s yourself, not the man that you face Redemption awaits - one more round

Living in the shadow of the shipyard Stevie’s living day by day The ships have left and the hours are gone Gonna have to find another wayHis family knows it’s a matter of time Before he has to up and leave He promises them that they’ll be all right Just got to sit tight and believeThe steel and the rust Faith and trustHe hugs them in turn while the bus waits on Farewells by the side of the road He smiles as he speaks to his eldest child You’re the man of the house now sonThe road and the dust Faith and trustAfter fifteen long years of letters He always imagined her smile As the paycheck arrives and the bills are paid This love isn’t weakened by the milesHe sends them tickets to join him at last The paper is marked by tears Time changes people, but they stay the same A family after all these yearsThe steel and the rust Faith and trust

The siren’s call Sweet and sad A windless calm The salt taste of the seaSoon be there my love loose these chains Sun blinding bright Mirror on the seaYou’re my journey’s end Ocean Muse Lighthouse to my soul o' these earthy chainsIt was never about the singer, I was drawn by the song I’ll die a happy man If I never escape these bonds

I’ve had enough walking out that door I’ve had enough Ain’t gonna work for you no moreAin’t no compromise Work our fingers right down to the bone We’re dropping like flies There’s no more blood in the stoneI’m a highly-skilled professional man And I can’t work in this here environment When you take away the pride in my work A craftsman becomes a labourerAnd yes I’ve got a life outside of here I work damn hard when I get home too When I leave on time you sneer But I work for my family, not youApparently I’m an asset to the team But to me that says it all You think that you own me, but I don’t belong to you I’m my own man, not at your beck and call

Breaking a hole in the ice Shielding my eyes from the sun Suspended tween heaven and hell Only thinking of what’s to comeSlipping into cold dark waters Sun snuffed out like a lamp The only sound is my breathing The only view a dim beam of lightNever leave a friend behind Never leave a friend behind It’s the codeThe tension begins to grow I’ll soon be with you my friend Riding back through the gates of hell 74 fathoms belowSlipping into cold dark waters Sun snuffed out like a lamp The only sound is my breathing The only view a dim beam of lightNever leave a friend behind Never leave a friend behind It’s the code

If I could, I’d come And fall down at your feet My voice tearing as I speak Please don’t go away from here Without me knowing why You did what you did to yourself To meCould it be that you just need a friend Could I be the help in the end?I make my choice Feet rooted in place Afraid to go But scared as hell to stay Please don’t go away from here Before I make my stand Is it a choice if I’m frozen in place? Or just fate?You can do anything you want If you’re willing to pay the price But think it through Before you roll the diceThe rules you make Come from your deepest past Just one mistake Was never meant to last

Cia annsom fidbeime fiachaib bacth? Briugid caille, coll eidnech. Dire ndaro Bunbeim beithe, baegal fernae fube sailech, dluind airriu aithgein anog sciath, sceo draigin dringid co fedo forball forball ratho, raited aine acht a ndilse do flaithib Ni bie fidnemid, fiachaib secht n-airech ara teora bu, inna bunbeim bis Dire ndaroTranslation:What are the most oppressive cases of tree-cutting for which fools are fined? The hospitallers of the forest, the ivied hazel. The penalty for the oak, the trunk-cutting of the birch, the peril of the alder, the undermining of the willow, declare restitution for them, the maiming of the hawthorn and of the blackthorn; Its restitution extends to the undergrowth of the wood, the undergrowth of fern, of bog-myrtle, of reeds, save that these are free to lords. You shall not cut a sacred tree and escape with fines for the seven noble trees on account of the fine of three cows that is fixed for cutting its stem. The penalty for the oak

Standing strong amidst the rubble A miracle, surviving unscathed On the cracked marble, dusty but mostly intact Forgotten alone on the stageA tangle of cables, twisted metal and broken lamps Hang down like spilled entrails. Scarlet seats, torn and littered with crumbled plasterboard But a treasure remainsIt might not build a house It can’t bring loved ones back But 10 days can give you hope With music’s rebellion I won’t be defined As just a survivorRestored and renewed, though often in darkness A splash of colour in a black and grey land A new generation begins to learn to play Hidden away from the eyes of GodIt might not build a house It can’t bring loved ones back But 10 days can give you hope With music’s rebellion I won’t be defined As just a survivor

Highway stretched before me Horizon full of haze Heading south, three hundred miles Dry wind fills my days My feet’ll keep on walking Till someplace feels like home I will roam I will roam I will roamA wooden cross behind me Marks a fellow travellin’ man Couldn’t spare the time to dig too deep In the baking sand For the desperate pull, the gravity I’ll mourn him when I can I will roam I will roam I will roamMy soul is filled with longing Mixed with deepest dread Twards heaven or hell I drift on My boots are filled with lead Redemption or damnation I know not where I head I will roam I will roam I will roam

It’s a funny old world With the games you used to play You seemed to give up more than you ever gave in You’d dress up, and make up, then you’d shoot to kill Aiming low for maximum pain It’s a funny old worldIt’s a funny old world Stumbling home in driving rain You conquered a heart, but gave up your own all the same Lipstick smeared and hair untied, like a flower underfoot Sun’s coming up but the world’s going down It’s a funny old world

The '42 stretches out under my wheels There’s no turning off or changing your path – just driving on I dread to see those hills come out of the mist And if I slow down, slow down it don’t make no difference Just makes the wait unbearably longLooking back there’s a privilege in sharing the pain A strange kind of beauty as the cards all fold All pretence burns away, leaving what’s real behind Unable to speak, but able to be, I find It soon becomes clear that blood is thicker than gold

We landed on the moon in July of ‘69 We come in peace for all mankind How long and dark a journey seems before the day is through Small steps can be the start of something newLooking out over a long-dead scene A beautiful desolation of unknowns Yet the very fact that we are here to see such empty wastes Is surely bringing life to these dry bonesSome say we shouldn’t waste our time Reaching for the stars First fix the mess we’re living in, Keep your feet upon the groundBut I say living without a dream Isn’t really life at all, And striving in and of itself Is a goal that means much more.

Their hearts are with us, boys Their hearts are here Ours are their day-thoughts Their night-dreams so dear Wherever our good ship The wild gales may blow Their hearts are with us, boys Wherever we goTheir last look we treasure Their last laughs and tears The last sobs and whispers We heard from our dears Half a world from them We're tossing I know But their hearts are with us, boys Wherever we go.

Jack O’Kent was a working man His hands as hard as stone He dug and sowed in the borderlands And brought his harvest home He worked alone and had no wife No child or next of kin The gossip raged but the truth be told They were scared of himFor when he went to church one day For to confess his sin He told the priest in confidence He heard the devil speak to himNow Jack was cursed for on his land A mighty river lay To get his wares to market meant A trip of half a day Five times he started off to build A bridge of wood and stone But the very next day he would wake to find The bridge had tumbled downIn angst he cried and raised his hands I’d give anything for luck And sure enough the devil spoke A bargain had been struck “In return for this help of mine There is a price to pay The first soul that does cross the bridge Is mine to his dying day”Much stronger than he was before He worked into the night The stones seemed light as feathers With his demon-aided might And in one night the bridge was built And at the break of day It stood there solid as a rock Come what may“Come walk across” the devil cried “and check if it is strong” But Jack O’Kent was a canny lad And wouldn’t be led alongHe whistled to a local stray Enticed him with a bone The sorry mutt did race across When the juicy bone was thrown The thunder clapped and the lightning struck The devil howled in rage Jack just stood and laughed aloud As the poor dog paid his wageNow Jack O’Kent was a working man He laboured with a grin But still he works and lives alone Because the devil spoke to him

Bear with me a moment As I tell my dated tale I may seem so ‘normal’ but it’s just a wretched spell.My eyes looking forward, Or soaring through the clouds But not on a screen, no I’m checkin’ life for brand new sounds.I have a passion for pine cones, and laughter for free. Conversing and dancing, That’s the life for me. The wind in my hair To block out the roar of the pessimistic nonsense, modern life’s a bore.Find me in the crowd, With a smile on my face. With my hands in the air Singing and lovin’ this place.If you trip and fall, crashing to your knee. I’ll reach out my hand And show you how to be free.I’ll start with a smile and, an understanding ear. I’ll take all your blues babe, Every worry, every fear. Now life’s looking up since I changed the frequency. No pessimistic nonsense, In anything I see.

The sun shines brighter when you hear a tune A melody that sears the soul Memory of harmonies is a glimpse of hope The chords fade but the echos remainWhen I see your eyes those sad, sad eyes And the fog that surrounds your head I want to pick up my guitar And sing to you and play for you and sing for you As long as it takes for the sun to break throughCut me open You’ll find a beating drum Bleeding rhythms Sustained by ever-changing chords and harmonicsJust close your eyes and lose yourself Reach your hands up to the sky It’ll never judge, it’ll never hurt, always constant The chords fade but the echos remain

The blackbirds came at dusk and they roosted in the cane raised such a ruckus that it shook my windowpane And I’m covered up in dirt and I stink of kerosene and no matter what I do I can’t get cleanLast thing i remember was your footsteps in the hall whisky in your voice and a shotgun on the wall now there’s shadows in the shadows, there’s trouble in the cane and there’s things you do that you just can’t explainUneasy lies the head – unfaithful is the heart ungrateful and unlucky and untrue And no one saw me coming, and no one saw me go Only the blackbirds and youCome harvest in the cane fields the sky turns black with smoke so I took our father’s gun and a heavy piece of rope and I left you lying there like rotten fruit upon the ground and I lit a torch and I burned the whole thing downUneasy lies the head – unfaithful is the heart ungrateful and unlucky and untrue And no one saw me coming, and no one saw me go Only the blackbirds and youOur father was a farmer he planted fields of cane he planted seeds of evil and we harvested the shame Oh but I’m the last one standing there’s no one left to tell and when it’s my time I’ll see you both in hell

Isn't it just like me to make a joke out of tragedy all I needed was some time I'm not living in the past I thought I'd try to make you laugh that's one thing i can do and do it well well I wish I could I was just passing through your neighborhood but you don't seem too amused I just thought I'd stop and say I was thinking about you today and you were right I see you in the morning sun in the flight of the blue heron I see you in the evening sky and I see you in my dream this song was easy to write it just came to me last night it only took me fifteen years now isn't it just like me to make a joke out of tragedy all I needed was some time

Hey I know what you want from me I've given all that I can give You believe what you believe But I think I need my soul to liveYou say you don't want to tie me down So what's with all these ropes and chains I know the deal I've been downtown And I know to come in out of the rainEasy on me Take it easy on me nowI've always had a wondering eye I guess it was just passed on down to me The price I pay is pretty high To see this world the way I seeSo I'm a flying out the window now Riding on the setting sun I'm getting back behind the plough And I'll work until my work is done