Cool Rock

by Daniel Kelly – 2023

    G            C          D       G
Let me show you this cool rock I found,
    C            D        D7
It was sitting here just on the ground,
    Em         C    D        G
I snuck up on it without a sound,
    C        D         D7     G
I hope you like this rock I found.

Yesterday I heard a tune,
It reminded me of a crescent moon,
I hope I can sing it for you soon,
And you will like my little tune,

    C            G      C        G
For beauty is there for you to see,
    C   D      D7
In the air and under tree,
    Em         C    D        G
If you look for it, it’s sure to be,
    C        D         D7     G
Something that you can share with me. 

I heard a bird as I walked by,
He whistled sweetly in the sky,
Turned his head and caught my eye,
Such a colourful happy guy.

One morning I was feeling sad,
The world is sometimes awful bad,
But a little light can still be had,
If you look for magic, you can be glad

Cricket

by Daniel Kelly - 2023

G
Now let me tell a story,
           C          G
Of the bat and of the ball,
     C               G
Of twenty thousand hours,
     C                 D
Hitting up against the wall.

     C                    G
Of faith and truth and courage,
     C                    G
Played against the hardest odds,
           Em              G
in the local park on a Saturday,
     C    D      G
by some animated dogs.

Now Rusty is a Kelpie,
Named for his hair of red,
And he was mad for cricket,
At least that’s what was said.

He was up against some adults,
Who didn’t understand,
Rusty would grow up to be,
The best batsman in the land.

     C               G
Cause Rusty hits the bouncers,
     C               G
And Rusty copes with spin,
           Em              G
There’s not a paceman in your team,
     C               D
Can best the likes of him.
     C               G
Cause courage and persistence,
     Em                   D
Is what fuels the sportsman’s dream,
     C               G
What started in the backyard,
     C          D    G
Will end up on your screen.

With young Rusty at the crease,
The brothers Heeler did attack,
One with swing and one with spin,
But Rusty knocked ‘em flat,

They even tried a paceman,
But not could slow him down,
Rusty had learned the lessons,
From every bowler in town.

Loki

by Daniel Kelly – 2023

Am
At the centre of the tree,
           Em
Sits the god of destiny,
            C              D    Em
Threads of life for you and me, Loki

           Am
All the choices in a spool,
           Em
Wound together by his rule,
       D             C    Em
Divine power of the fool, Loki,

C    Em             G          D
Loki, Loki, the protector of the tree,
     Em              D    Em
Sacrificed for you and me, Loki.

Once only the god of tricks,
Now all time is in his fix,
He has woven fates sweet mix, Loki.

Cruel fate he could not stand,
Pruning lives was out of hand,
Now he’s built the promised land, Loki.

Chorus

Now until the end of time,
He will wrangle fate sublime,
All future yours and mine, Loki

So give thanks unto the king,
Who broke the sacred ring,
And let all destinies sing, Loki.

When Will the Moon be Bright

An English take on the 11th century poem by Su Shi

G                        C               D
It’s the ninth year in the reign of ShenZong,
      C                 G                 D
And tonight I have been drinking for so long,
      Em                C           D                 G
But I’ll put down my glass, and write a poem of the past,
      C           G           D
And remembering you my brother You

       C                D                 G
Oh the moon, how the moon she shines tonight,
      C                 Em          D     G
I’ll lay down in the river of her light, tonight

When will the moon be shining clear and bright?
With a wine glass in my hand I ask the night,
Do the seasons in the heavens, change just as they do down here,
I wonder if its Autumn for you there,

If I could ride the wind back home I’d fly,
Yet I dread those crystal towers in the sky
Far too cold for me, dancing with my shadow here I’ll be,
The heavens they are no place for a man

The moon she rises over my house of red,
Shining on the sleepless in their bed,
Through the ornate window pane, no sadness comes like rain
She always seems so full when I’m apart

A human life is joy and sorrow and loss and gain,
Just as the moon she waxes and she wanes,
We can live long in imperfection, just as its always been,
And share the moon, no matter where we are.

Song of the Lusty Argonian Maid

by Daniel Kelly 2023

     Am        C         G           Am
Oh why do you come to my chamber so late?
     C         G    Am
You pretty Argonian maid?
          Am        G         c         Am
The mistress she asked if the linen was straight,
Am             G        Am
Said the lusty Argonian Maid.

She lifted her tail as she smoothed down the bed,
That pretty Argonian maid,
Lord Colto gave way to the thoughts in his head,
Of that lusty Argonian Maid.

Oh would you please tarry and polish my spear?
He said to the pretty young maid,
Your spear is too rough for my soft hands I fear,
Said the lusty Argonian Maid,

With a teaspoon of oil, we’ll make the rough smooth,
He said to the Argonian Maid,
So she stroked her soft hands over every groove,
In that spear, the Argonian Maid,

Before your depart, would you see to my dough,
You pretty Argonian maid,
With a kneed of your hands, I’m sure it will grow,
You lusty Argonian maid,

She worked at the dough, in her soft hands it rose,
That Argonian flower of a maid,
When Crantius reached out to untie the clothes,
Of the lusty Argonian Maid,

She squealed as she drove the smooth spear through his heart,
That pretty Argonian maid,
She squealed as she drove the smooth spear through his heart,
That pretty Argonian maid,

So gentles and lords beware of your hands,
Around pretty Argonian Maids,
Or you’ll find there is only so much they will stand,
Those lusty Argonian maids.

A Place in the Fire

Words by Daniel Kelly 2023

TTTO: A Place in the Choir by Bill Staines

G
All god’s creatures got a place in the fire,
D                       G
Some on the grill and some in the fryer,
     C                  G
Or roasted whole on great log pyre,
    D             G
Serve them up on a plate, a bowl,
Or anything you got now.

     G                  D
The big mouth Bass he feeds on the bottom,
                                  G
Catch him with a pole and a line if you got’em,
C                      G
Reeling him in can be hard to do,
     D                  G
Then cook him up in a big fish stew,

Fry those sausages up in the middle,
Pork and chicken and beef on the griddle,
Turn ‘em quick so they don’t burn,
That red meat helps us all to learn,

Listen to the pop and crackle of the bacon,
Such a fine breakfast feast we’re makin’
Pour some oil on everything,
Never eat your greens,

Cookin, in the night time, cookin in the day,
Cookin those critters every way,
Basted, roasted, grilled and fried,
From their innards to their hide.

Love of the Page

by Daniel Kelly – 2023

G
Give me the love of the page,
  C        Am       G             D
Tell the story of the dragon and mage,
G                      Bm       C
Teach my to fly, with a fancy so free,
     C           D    G
And no one will ever cage me.

Here in the pages I’ll be,
Free from the pain of the life around me,
I’m taller and faster and wiser by far,
I can reach for and catch every star.

A story is always your friend,
Will invite you inside, keep you safe till the end,
Through tears and through laughter, triumph and fear,
Reach for me I will be here,

Whether from the library or store,
Passed down the family like hard gotten lore,
The book is a world, where adventure’s alive,
It’s on books that a young mind can thrive,

So teach me to read and to learn,
To fire the mind, for knowledge to yearn,
Give me the key that unlocks every door,
There’s fantastic new magic in store,

Barbie Built a Bomb

by Daniel Kelly - 2023

C               G          C
Barbie lived in her dream house,
     F               C
Just caring for her man,
     F                    C
She’d cook and clean and preen for him,
F              G
Like every woman can,
     F                    C
She knew her place, and did her part,
     F          C
As every woman must,
     F               C
But then one day a tremor came,
     F       G       C
That blew it all to dust.

Barbie had a little time,
At the end of her day,
She saw a flyer on the street,
For the college down the way,
A little education,
Does every woman good,
Particle physics seemed to be the thing,
That Barbie understood,

She learnt about plutonium,
And how chain reactions ran,
She had a certain aptitude,
As good as any man,
And with a few things round the house,
And more in Ken’s garage,
She built a working prototype,
A nuclear decoupage,

F    C      G      C
Yes Barbie built a bomb,
     F      G        C
A Nuclear flippn’ a bomb,
F
Full of two thousand years,
     C
Of repressed rage,
     F      G      C
Yes Barbie built a bomb.

Barbie started reading,
She expanded her mind,
She left the world of servitude,
And the male gaze behind,

She interviewed Clementine Ford,
She now quotes Germaine Greer,
She blew up the local football club,
And bought Budweiser Beer,

Chorus

It’s thanks to Oppenheimer,
The Barbie found the way,
To eradicate her problems,
Just like the USA,

She now works as a lawyer,
And a doctor on the side,
And when women decide go to Mars,
She’ll be on that ride.

At the Window

by Daniel Kelly – 2012

G          C          G
Standing at the window of your life
C          D               G
Looking out as far as I can see
C          D         
Each day brings a new scene
Em              C
different from that last
C               D         G
Unfolding like a flower in the sun

G               C
When the window first was opened,
G          C
I never left you side,
Em              C
Each breath and laugh a wonder,
G (D)
To behold

Soon I had to share the window,
With others in your life
Watching on to see your
Life begin

Chorus

Now I come to the window,
Every moment I can spare,
But there’s so many windows that need
watching.

First steps, first words and
Birthdays, seem to flicker Past the pane
If only I could hold
Them in suspension.             

Chorus

Now when I come to the window,
I seldom catch your eye, there is books
And teachers friends and complications

Soon you’ll be staring, at windows of your own,
I hope you’ll still 
Have time to visit at my widow.  

Chorus

One day the glass will crack and fall,
All stained with time and waste,
But I’ll still be here looking into the distance

How much time we have before the pane
Is never really known,
So we must treasure
every moment at the window.      

Chorus

Saucer Sources

by Daniel Kelly – 2023 (to the 12 bar blues)

The aliens are out there,
Mulder told us years ago,
But those faceless men in power,
Don’t want you or me to know.
Now Grusch has blown the whistle,
And the truth’s about to Land,
US is building super weapons,
It’s all part of their plan.

Little green men in their saucers,
Now disclosed by inside sources,
They’ve been lacing all our sauces,
Those little green men in their saucers.
The Roswell crash was actual,
Suppressed by men in black with satchels,
Conspiracies are all now factual,
Illuminati hides the facts y’all.

The cover up it has been heinous,
All that probing of the anus,
Abduction stories will be famous,
Not sure I believe but can you blame us?
It’s time for Scully to return,
Or the evidence will burn,
If we truly aren’t alone,
Then we have a lot to learn.

Even Heelers Get the Blues

by Daniel Kelly – 2023

  Em           D
I woke up feeling good today,
     Em        D     Em
Well at least feeling okay,
     G                  D
But to tell the truth, I’ve been feeling down,
C         G        D
And it just won’t go away,
     C             D
But I’ve got two girls depend on me,
     Em                  C    D
And I love my wife it’s true,
          C G D          Em
But even heelers, get the blues.

Last week we took a holiday,
To get away from it all,
But those troubles bundled up inside,
Just like a rubber ball,
I tried to throw them in the sea,
But they rolled right back on through,

I need to get out to the gym,
But I just don’t have the time,
And all those tasty cookies,
Are sure filling my waistline,
I want a life of happiness,
But none of us get to choose,

I’ve bought myself some vitamins,
To take the pain away,
Or give my back some youthful joy,
I’m not sure what to say,
I think I need to ask for help,
That’s what I’m going to do

Party of Four

by Daniel Kelly – 2023

Em                               D           Em
I’ll sing to you a song about adventures of four,
Em                                  Am         D
The bard was once a harper, but he isn’t any more,
Em                                C             G
The sorcerer is second rate, but he can raise the dead,
       Em                           D                Em
And then there’s a barbarian, who’s good at bashing heads,

       C        G
Hi Ho Ho, a questing we will go,
       Am                                E7
We do not fear the monsters, that are lurking down below,
      C             G
Hi Ho Ho, a questing we will go,
        Am                 G                                       
We’ll take the loot, and then we’ll scoot,
D              Em
back to the tavern oh     

And then we met a druid who could turn into a bear,
Or was it partly owl as well, we really didn’t care,
She brought into our party, something that we sorely lacked,
Some stealth and speed, and extra muscle for when we were attacked.

Our barbarian has issues with the man she left behind,
She raised the bards young daughter, while he was getting blind,
Now were fighting a red wizard, she seems a friendly sort,
Especially when enslaving souls and shooting fireballs for sport,

Xenk’s not in our party, he is just an NPC,
A Paladin with far too many skills and piety,
He’s got a lot of quibbles, so he won’t hang out with thieves,
But we’ll make use of his handy sword, at least until he leaves

And now we’re in the tavern, and the quest is at an end,
Drinking pints of ale, and laughing with our friends,
I’m not sure there’ll be another quest, all depends on the take,
And whether John and Jonathon have another film to make.

Princess Leia

by Daniel Kelly – 2023

G                         Em
You were born amidst the turmoil,
C                 G
As a great evil emerged,
Em                    Bm
Your father became a monster,
     C                D
The Empire began it’s purge,

Taken from your twin brother,
On the day your mother died,
Force by fate and circumstance,
On Alderan to hide.

May the force be with your Leia,
May your blaster fire true,
May you shine your light above,
The weaker men surrounding you,
May you find a peaceful solace,
From the pain and hurt and loss,
For it was you that saved the galaxy,
Despite all that it cost,

You were always a rebel,
From when first you held a gun,
You learnt the language of the droids,
And to live life on the run,
But also you were a princess,
As you mother was a queen,
The finest bravest warrior,
The galaxy has seen.

What could have been if Yoda,
Had trained you on dagoba,
Instead of the needy, whiny Luke,
With the force you’d have gone far,
Ut you settled for a nerf herder,
And bore a broken son,
I cant forgive George Lucas,
For the evil he has done.

Bushman’s Ballad

by Daniel Kelly 2023

     Am                 C         G
Working the wood in the old high country,
F            C        G          Am
Axe, Froe, Adze, Cross-Saw and Maul
Am                       C         G
Seeking the heart of the ancient timber,
     C      G        Em       Am
Break her back and watch her fall.

Search for the tree amidst the forest,
Straight in trunk and timber sound,
Cut the scarf and saw the back through,
Hear the crack and she comes down.

Strip the bark now, best be hasty,
Bush worked timber’s best done green,
Load it on the cart and homewards,
Time to build a slab hut dream,

Mark the post and strip the sapwood,
Cut with axe to black string line,
Work the broadaxe square and smooth like,
Post will stand till the end of time.

The froe cuts slabs, when maul she hammers,
Split two inches with the grain,
Square with broad axe sides all even,
Chamfer to keep out the rain,

Cut the grove in post with auger,
Chisel, maul and lots of care,
Drop the slabs in, walls are rising,
To keep out the winter air.

Ballad of Abraham Weeks

by Daniel Kelly – 2023

          Em   G        D    Em
I was a working man in London town,
          C         G    D              Em
But the call it came to fight for the crown,
Em             C         D            G
For a roguish empire, I’d no wish to die,
     Em        G      D     Em
So I fled to Dublin, by and by.

Now the rebels they had Easter plans,
In 1916 when it all began,
I threw in my lot, with James Connolly,
A Worker of the World like me,

     G               D
It’s not my war, it’s not my land,
        Em       D       C         D
But in freedom’s name, I’ll take a stand,
     Em     G       D         G
And if by chance, I’m doomed to fall,
     Am             G         D
I am proud to have answered the call,
      Am            D         G
I am proud to have answered the call,

On Monday morn, I took the oath,
Of the Citizen’s Army, at the Post,
A Jew amongst Protestants, Catholics to,
Fighting for a country new.

Then England rained the fire down,
They shelled us to hell in Dublin town,
There was death by every street and wall,
Those heroes who answered freedoms call,

But the sacrifice of Woman and Man,
Sparked the nations heart again,
For an Ireland free, from the tyrant’s blade,
Is the legacy these heroes made

Triumph of the Witch

by Daniel Kelly - 2023

    Em           G
Oh Lucy I can’t sleep tonight,
         D                G
There’s something on my mind,
    C            G
I feel as if the world is slowly,
    C        D
Starting to unwind,

      G
A dreadful thing is hanging there,
    C            G
Just beyond my sight,
    C                G
Come out with me and let us see,
         D                G
What trouble brews this night.

Aslan, he steals away from camp,
Beneath the moon aglow,
We’ll follow him a short way off,
To see where he does go,

Oh children why do you follow me,
This thing I must do alone,
But I’d be glad of your company,
Until a little from the stone,

Do rest your hands upon my mane,
And walk with me as I go,
My heart is heavy on this night,
With all the things I know,

About the path before me,
And the paths I leave behind,
The way ahead is darkness,
Before the light we find,

Here you must stop and leave me,
And keep well out of sight,
They anointed him with kisses,
And wept tears on the night,

And the things they saw thereafter,
I shall not further tell,
But it was Lucy and brave Susan,
Who watched the king who fell,

Turning the Law Wheel

     G               Em
Now Lucy found a book within the
  C             D
House of the magician,
     G               Em
A magic book with spells and charms to
     C    D
fix any condition.
     G               Em
And Bastian read the book he stole,
          C          D
After attic stairs ascending,
     G          Em
The story of Fantasia,
           C          D      G
Which, it seems, was never ending.

Now this book is a special one,
With wisdom for the ages,
The secrets of the universe,
Revealed within the pages,
An essential read for clerics,
Wizards, bards and mages,
And the reason that the CCP,
Keeps good people in cages.

The Bible is a relic,
Of days from long ago,
When it comes to naming authors,
We really just don’t know,
Not many folks have read it,
But lots of them say so,
It’s a sequel to the Torah,
And we all know how they go.

There is only so much time you have,
In life for which to read,
Unless you are Hermione,
With a time-turner’s magic speed,   
So consider reading this book,
It will sure be worth your while,
If you have ever sat and wondered,
At life, its joys and trials.

A book that’s given freely,
to all of humankind,
That teaches truth and tolerance,
and kindness of the mind.

Top Hat on Lake George

by Daniel Kelly 2023

     G                        D      G
Lake George is just lovely at this time of year,
           C               Am         G               D
And there’s nothing like sailing to bring you some cheer,
     G                      D             G
I set out Friday morning the weather was fine,
     C          G            D        G
The sun and the water, and feeling sublime,

          C          D               G       C
Now I’m stranded on George in my Top Hat and tails,
           C         D              G          Em  
The wind blows me in circles though fluttering sail,
     G          C          G          C
I’ve only one oar, so I just turn around,
     G             D            G
I hope that real soon I’ll be found.

I don’t have a sailboat, but I did have a sheet,
Tied to a broom-handle, my ship is complete,
But the thing I forgot, as I set out that day,
Is a boat that can’t tack will go only one way.

Now darkness has fallen, the wind starts to rise,
The rough lake’s night water comes over the sides,
What’s that I see flashing, far off on the shore,
After SES rescue I’ll be on TV for sure,

The Frog and the Scorpion

by Daniel Kelly 2023

     G
Help me cross the river,
     C               G
Said the scorpion to the frog,
     C               G
It won’t take but a minute,
           Am             D
You’ll be back upon your log.

     C            G
Why would anyone help you,
     C            G
The frog boldly replied,
     C               G
We all know you’re a killer,
     C          D    G
I’m not giving you a ride.

Listen said the scorpion,
You’ve got the story wrong,
I’m not a ruthless murderer,
And the river’s wide and long.

I’m not much of a swimmer,
And you can swim so well,
Give me a ride this one time,
And I’ll promise not to tell.

The frog he listened carefully,
To the scorpions sorry plea,
Was he really such a monster,
How could that possibly be,

I’ll let you ride upon my back,
If you promise not to sting,
If you do that, you’ll doom us both,
T’would be a foolish thing.

The scorpion climbed upon the frog,
He swam out from the bank,
But when they reached the middle,
Deep in the stinger sank,

You’ve killed us both yelled out the frog,
You vicious crazy fiend,
You promised me you wouldn’t,
Why did I help someone in need,

A scorpion’s a scorpion,
No matter what is said,
All creatures live their nature,
Be sure to use your head,

Some folks will tell you anything,
To get what they think they need,
Even if it kills you,
That’s the nature of their greed.

Farming the Rage

A Parody by Daniel Kelly and Paula L ( base on Home on the Range)

D                          G    Gm
Oh give me a meme, the American dream,
     D               E7         A7
that the punters will all click away,
     D                    G          Gm
Where never is heard, even one honest word,
     D               A7         D
And the anger is on full display.

  D        A7     D
Farm, farming the rage,
Where the fear and uncertainty play,
Where seldom is found, any argument sound,
And the balance was long thrown away.

How often at night, in the glowing screen’s light,
On the book of the face, or the ‘gram,
You’ll shout and you’ll frown, at the lies I have grown,
It’s basically money for jam.

Oh that is my brand, the blight of the land,
Any thing that will capture your goat,
At Karen and Chad, I’ll make you feel mad,
It’s hatred that sure floats my boat.

You wish that I'd leave, No more cause you to grieve
At the violence and death I effect.
For the horrors I cause, and the corrupted laws
It's the world I am trying to wreck.