1. |
Road to Mandalay
04:00
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By the old Pagoda, looking eastward to the sea,
There's a Burma girl sitting, she's a-thinking of me;
For the wind is in the palm-trees, the temple-bells they say:
"Come you back, come you back to Mandalay."
Her petticoat was yellow, her little cap was green,
And her name was Supi-yaw-lat -- just the same as Theebaw's Queen,
I saw her first a-smokin' a whackin' white cheroot,
And wasting Christian kisses on an heathen idol's foot.
Blooming idol made of mud, what they call the Great God Budd --
Plucky lot she cared for idols, when I kissed her where she stood.
On the road to Mandalay, where the flying fishes play,
And the dawn comes up like thunder, out of China across the Bay.
solo - verse/bridge
But that's all shoved behind me -- long ago and far away,
And there ain't no buses running from the Bank to Mandalay;
And I'm learning here in London what the ten-year soldier tells:
"If you've heard the East a-calling, you won't ever heed naught else."
I am sick of wasting leather on these gritty paving stones,
And the blasted English drizzle wakes the fever in my bones;
Though I walk with fifty housemaids out of Chelsea to the Strand,
And they talk a lot of loving, but what do they understand?
Beefy face and grubby hand -- Lord, what do they understand?
I've a neater, sweeter maiden, in a cleaner, greener land!
Ship me somewhere east of Suez, where the best are like the worst,
Where there ain't no Ten Commandments and a man can raise a thirst;
For the temple-bells are calling, it's there that I would be,
By the old Moulmein Pagoda, looking lazy at the sea;
On the road to Mandalay, where the flying fishes play,
And the dawn comes up like thunder, out of China across the Bay.
Out of China across the Bay.
Out of China across the Bay,
Out of China across the Bay.
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2. |
AI Is Not My Passion
04:43
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AI in not my passion
Intelligent machines are hot, but not my fashion
I like genes and little white mice
Things that breathe and have feelings, that nice
It entices me.
AI is not the answer
Although it’s true it may come through
And help us find a cure for cancer
It’s just a dangerous tool
And one that can cause so much strife
We’re better off to put our emphasis on life
On life
AI, or life and messy DNA
Diversity is more than okay
Life may seem in disarray
But babies beat out robots any day.
History, you’re asking me, I say it matters
Forget the past you’ll find out fast
It’s all collapsed, the future’s left in tatters,
In tatters,
Inheritance, genetic code, the color of your eyes
Is really history foretold, go forth and fertilize
Fertilize.
The world is changing
Changing so fast
The status quo
It will not last
There in the palm of your hand
Is the fate of humankind
The good news as I understand it
Is that fate is still undefined.
AI is not my passion
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3. |
Copyright
03:11
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Copyright (Is For The Living)
This is a tune from john Coltrane
Based on a 12-bar blues refrain
With a famous five-note phrase
Perfection comes in simple ways
And it always will remain
The genius of Coltrane.
I've added lyrics to his song
Plus a new beat, a bit more strong
That doesn't mean I claim it as my own
The provenance is certainly well known
And it always will remain
The genius of Coltrane.
Do I have to ask to make this track
Or throw it out if they don't get back
What legal status should there be
In this digital century
To sing this doesn't mean that I disdain
The rights of John Coltrane.
Copyright is for the living
No royalties for the dead.
Copyright was meant as encouragement
To give authors income supplement
Convince them to do another one
That's not an option now for John
Coltrane would be forgiving
Cos copyright is for the living
Copyright is for the living
No royalties for the dead.
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4. |
The Motive
03:19
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The Motive
I am sending a message, no recipient named
It's just for you
About online surveillance and at whom it is aimed
What is your view?
The easy assumption is surveillance is evil
But I'm not sure
Anonymous trawling for data retrieval
Feels less than pure.
Your message is received, we're glad you asked
This impacts on the way we live
But the issue isn't monitoring, oh no
it's all about the motive.
The motive, that's what I'm thinking
Where does this go
I see a black hole, I feel we are sinking
But what would I know.
And hey, what's the deal in Beijing and Caracas
Things there seem less than fine
Is it more nefarious or just like us
Big Brother of mine?
You make a valid point, there are places
Where things are not so easy to forgive
Our view is there are differences
Our advice is to focus on the motive.
If it's about the motive, then show me
How to tell good from bad
With the benefit of ignorance behind me
This is driving me mad
All I want is protection
Now that privacy's gone
Never alone, but always lonely
From now on.
If you were making a movie on the end of the world
Why not start here
An impossible problem
The future unfurled
A future I fear
There's no need to be glum, it's not that bad
The chances are nobody cares what you have to give.
But surveillance now is for all time
Just figure out the motive.
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5. |
A Cuppa Tea
03:32
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A lump or two of sugar, a little drop of milk
Stir it all together, tastes as smooth as silk
There's nothing like a cuppa tea
When you're lonely or you're all at sea
Life isn't such a tragedy
Just make yourself a cuppa tea.
They say that it's addictive, I don't like that idea at all
If they keep on raising prices, I'll have to go through withdrawal.
There's nothing like a cuppa tea, to build up your energy
Ask your doctor what's the remedy, he'll tell you it's a cuppa tea.
Indian or Ceylonese, or good old Chinese char
One thing about a cuppa tea, you always know where you are.
If you're suffering from poverty, Refugee or amputee
Don't wait around for charity, Just make yourself a cuppa tea.
There's nothing like a cuppa tea, to banish the monotony
Pretend you've won the lottery, go on -- have another cuppa tea.
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6. |
Lanterns
03:38
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The possible end of an empire
Far away from here
The sun is descending, behind the hills
But the wine is still warm and clear.
Big pieces moving on the chessboard
May impact on me some day
For now It's all beyond me,
I'm heading out to dine and play.
The rustle of silk as the girls make way
Semi-circled fans in their hands, they sway
The lanterns light the way.
I'm off to consult with the Muses
An idle and arguable game
No matter the tricks revealed by the sticks
Things seem to work out much the same.
Floating in a sea of incense,
Espying the outlines of fate
If they're coming, why not come quickly,
The Muses say be patient and wait.
The rustle of silk as the monks make way
Counting out the beads in their hands, they sway
The lanterns light the way.
I've always worked hard to avoid reality
I've succeeded for so long but it's catching up with me.
We dine on an elegant houseboat
Moored just a skip from the shore
I remember the moment distinctly
Because I will see it no more.
The warmth of the evening entices,
I make my excuses and leave
The forecourt is covered with blossoms,
Fragile and fallen, they grieve.
The rustle of silk as the girls make way
Semi-circled fans in their hands, they sway
The lanterns light the way.
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7. |
Green So Green
03:02
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There’s a green, a green
A green so green
It’s the greenest green
I’ve ever seen
The paddy fields
The paddy fields
It’s a green, a green
It’s a green so green
It’s the greenest green
I’ve ever seen
It’s in the paddy fields
It moves, it grooves
Excites, delights
It’s life, a knife
So green it bites
The paddy fields
There’s a sun, the sun
It’s the sun, our sun
It’s beaming down on everyone
And the paddy fields
The paddy fields
It’s a green, a green
It’s a scene so green
Cos the sun beats down
Makes the green so green
In the paddy fields.
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8. |
Turn Out The Light
06:12
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Graham Earnshaw China
Graham Earnshaw is a businessman, writer & musician and publisher of Earnshaw Books. He has recorded a number of albums of his own songs, of which there are many. He fronted the best rock band in China 1979-1984, helped revive live music in Shanghai’s in the mid-1990s, and continues to write and perform whenever anyone will let him. He plays the guitar, the harmonica and the fool. ... more
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