Very much a work in progress. I had a fairly complete set of words but no tune. Then I started playing about with a looper I bought some months ago but had never made use of, and realized that the chords I was improvising over would fit the words.
This version is experimenting with a tentative arrangement:
And this version is an attempt to formalize the tune, but it’s not quite there yet. Still, I have a poor memory for tunes and I needed something to refer back to after I forgot it overnight. (Yes, I did forget it overnight…)
The Jailer (Harley)
The train will soon be leaving
And the man says ‘all aboard’
But you never leave the platform
And you never cut the cord
Most days you think of leaving
But he’ll always talk you round
His words will talk you into silence
And his arms will hold you down
You need so much to leave him
But there’s no one you can phone
There’s no ticket in your pocket
And you’ve no money of your own
Sometimes he tells you that you’re stupid
Sometimes he tells you that you’re ill
You dream of breaking free
And yet you don’t believe you will
He knows just where you are
Every moment of the day
He hears the thoughts inside your head
He owns the very words you say
He says that you’re his lover
And that’s all you’ll ever be
But you know he’s your jailer
And he’ll never set you free
Sometimes he’ll loosen your shackles
But you’re locked inside his head
And you’ve never found the way
To leave his arms or leave his bed
There’s nowhere you can go
And there’s nothing you can say
Because he knows you’ll never leave him
And that’s exactly why you stay
[break]
The train will soon be leaving
And the man says ‘all aboard’
But you never leave the platform
And you never cut the cord
Most days you think of leaving
But he’ll always talk you round
His words will talk you into silence
And his arms will hold you down
You need so much to leave him
But there’s no one you can phone
There’s no ticket in your pocket
And you’ve no money of your own
(All rights reserved)
Wheal Alice Music 