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Innocence and Menace

by Graham Summers

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1.
High Technology and the Lunatic Mind 05:00
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HIGH TECHNOLOGY AND THE LUNATIC MIND Dumped my intellectual baggage, I’m travelling light, Traded in my fruit fly mind for a cabbage white. East Enders on the telly singing Knees Up Eva Braun I got so pissed, I even missed the calm before the storm. That’s proof of the power to combine, high technology with a lunatic mind. Proof of the power to combine, high technology with a lunatic mind. Archimedes screaming at the top of his lungs, ‘For God’s sake you Vandals, don’t ruin my diagrams’. The Vandals have the upper hand, unhinged and unkind, To the profits of the Tech Prophets, all of the time. CHORUS The leader’s big parade’s now a victory march, Space age missiles, computers, they’re all out to launch. You turn to attention, to salute, to stand, And I walk on by with a bag in each hand. Keep me in a daydream, give me all the drugs you can, I can’t bear to see myself as I really am. Christmas is not the only time I turn on the lights, It helps to keep my spirits up through darkness and strife. CHORUS I say ‘you’re useless’, you say, ‘you need therapy’ When what I really need is out of your authority. I’m going to the history house, going to stay all night, Me I’m learning to complain, to prod, and push, and fight CHORUS (REPEATED ENDLESSLY)
2.
Fox 03:45
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FOX (LONG GONE, REAL GONE) INTRO Late night on the station, sky is midnight blue Transmitter’s on, I hear the songs coming through Rain is falling harder, hammering on the roof Squint my eyes, can’t tell lies from the truth Cool on the outside, dangerously thin The sky at night sees the fox closing in Daring to be forward, staring straight back Hunger drives his attack Transmitters on, midnight blue to black But he’s real gone, he’s long gone He’s real gone, he’s long gone INTRO Fazed by familiarity, nowhere seems quite right I must be wrong, they play this song every night Were so close to home now, at the end of the Roman road Fox’s eyes meet with mine and then he’s gone He’s real gone, he’s long gone Cool on the outside, dangerously thin The sky at night sees the fox closing in Daring to be forward, staring straight back Hunger drives his attack Transmitter’s on, midnight blue to black But he’s real gone, he’s long gone He’s real gone, he’s way gone, He’s real gone, he’s long gone He’s way gone ENDING
3.
You Saved My Life 02:39
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YOU SAVED MY LIFE Midnight in casualty, Saturday night, Slashed and unhinged, and high as a kite High above in the clouds in the darkest night sky Looking round for heavenly life Turn around, turn around, to the face that’s frantic It’s framed and frozen in green light You saved my life, you saved my life I read my stars today, said it was all for the best You would wear silk stockings under a wedding dress Not a sound from the plane but wind over wings Stars and moon going gliding by Little cloud, little breeze, don’t freeze, but fall You plucked the strings, and you pulled that cord And you saved my life, you saved my life You saved my life, saved my life
4.
The Right Thing To Do 04:27
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THE RIGHT THING TO DO What do you call that thing, that thing of yours that has no name? When you want me to touch and see, shame, shame, shame What’s the right thing to do, what’s the right thing to do? What’s the right thing to do, listen to you? If I speak out, friction burns at the heart of the matter If I call you out, you don’t listen to a word I say It’s not a film, it’s not an acting part, no camera, no record, no mark Only dreams inside of your heart But when dry earth shakes, and heartbeats flutter When elephants fight and play, it’s the grass, the grass that suffers Returning home from the Trojan war Kirk Douglas sailed past the Sirens singing Tie him, tie him, tie him to the mast, beeswax the ears of the crew It was the right thing to do, it was the right thing to do, It was the right thing to do, not listen to you Have cake and eat it, swim and not get wet, Starve and never be hungry, all lies we dream to forget But when dry earth shakes, and heartbeats flutter When elephants fight and play, it’s the grass, the grass that suffers
5.
Goodbye To All That 02:50
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GOODBYE TO ALL THAT The faces of her friends looked like she’s confessed to murder But wished they had the nerve to do the same Now Josephine’s old man has a rogue male aura It’s time to talk but they can’t face the pain Josephine no longer has sex with her husband It’s goodbye to all that and what used to be Josephine no longer has sex with her husband It’s goodbye to all that and what used to be I still feel affection she confides with a sigh, But it’s years since I felt real desire When she told him he said nothing, then fell into the distance Between the mantlepiece and the fire We have faith, we have love, we have no need for push and shove We have faith, we have love, we have no need for push and shove Josephine’s fantasies tease and torment her I won’t take a lover he tells his friends There’s a parrot on a perch going crazy in the back room Determined not to be the first to break or bend CHORUS We have faith, we have love, we have no need for push and shove We have faith, we have love, we have no need for push and shove The faces of her friends look like she’s confessed to murder But wished they had the nerve to do the same
6.
The Supermarket of Death 02:25
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THE SUPERMARKET OF DEATH My name is Michel Le Claire, and I own the supermarket of death This here is Sophie the cashier, the buttons on her till say Tombstone, flower heart, country cousin Snow White’s coffin, plush purple cord Wheel away mystery on trolleys from the car park It’s a public service, the supermarket of death We play ‘The Eternal Flames’ on a tape loop on the public address We have branches in Dijon, Lyon, and Paris, where the buttons on the till say Tombstone, flower heart, country cousin Snow White’s coffin, plush purple cord Wheel away mystery on trolleys from the car park It’s a public service, the supermarket of death. Matching everything we find is very popular Plastic flowers you don’t need to buy again Marble beds and double tombs at cash and carry prices It’s a public service, the supermarket of death My name is Michel Le Claire, and I own the supermarket of death Je m’appelle Michele Le Claire, je possed le supermarche du mort
7.
Peter the Rock 03:47
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PETER THE ROCK Peter the rock just rolled right over, capitulated and cried Tired of his dream and his eternal hunger His soul’s never satisfied And he looks so ill, sick in the head as well, Some mother’s pride and joy, her little boy. He’s on a rocket to Mars or someplace uncertain I’m too scared to ask where or why The moon he sees you know is green and purple It’s a rotten peach hanging in the sky But it’s nine o’clock, the sun is bright, I’m already late for work Peter the rock bounds across the grass, fixes my eyes and he stares close and hard What a relief he says, I’m glad you understand, It’s no good playing in a dull brass band. Does your conductor think he’s in the Albert Hall? He’s in the park, no one’s listening at all, no one’s listening at all Six o’ clock, Elon Musk is on the news Announcing a plan to colonise the moon That man, he’s clearly out of his tree He can’t live in the same sick paradise as me and Peter Peter the rock (repeat to end)
8.
Like Robert Wyatt 02:31
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LIKE ROBERT WYATT Have you ever tried to sing like Robert Wyatt in the bath? No of course not it would sound absurd And make the neighbour’s dogs all bark Ruth is stranger than Richard, hope is stranger than both, Robert and me in harmony’s a dream Sounds like my fingers are down my throat Sounds like my fingers are down my throat My soup tin’s just been sick into a saucepan But it’s non- stick, it’s ok Soup song’s tasty not a bit like plastic But the bills still have to be paid. Ruth is stranger than Richard, hope is stranger than both, The bills and me in harmony’s a dream Sounds like my fingers are down my throat Sounds like my fingers are down my throat
9.
Chickens 02:59
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CHICKENS The chickens are scratching, there’s something hatching, at the bottom of the yard Maybe a plan to escape, make a clean break, Or maybe planning not to work so hard Look out here comes the master, better move a little faster, Or he might just wring your neck It’s a chicken’s life for sure, nothing less, nothing more Eggspectation an order to peck Dolly and Harry, Ada and Tom, Ken and Margaret’s where I come from That’s not forgetting Charlie and Emily, Florence, Ivy, William, and John The chickens are scratching, there’s something hatching, at the bottom of the yard Maybe a plan to escape, make a clean break, Or maybe planning not to work so hard It ruffles my feathers to see other fellows Happy go lucky and smug Safe in the knowledge its always some others Who always have forelocks to tug Dolly and Harry, Ada and Tom, Ken and Margaret’s where I come from That’s not forgetting Charlie and Emily, Florence, Ivy, William, and John
10.
The Ballad of the Left Handed Right Hand Man 02:50
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THE BALLAD OF THE LEFT HANDED RIGHT HAND MAN Forty days and nights in the wilderness, surely that’s the cure for sadness, Only the lonely know what forever is, stardust and moondust beams It’s an undiscovered wonder of the world, mouths open wide, sounds never heard, contemplation, time to be alone, somewhere, someone’s taking blood out of a stone This is the ballad of the left handed right hand man He makes me nervous, I think I understand why He’s vaguely Viking, I’m watching for shifting sands and tide This is the ballad of the left handed right hand man, and that’s fine There may be sunshine, there may be rain One thing’s for certain, we’ll never be the same again This is the ballad of the left handed right hand man
11.
Holding On 02:29
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HOLDING ON I suppose I could lie or refuse to take sides But there’s no place to hide in a marriage Holding on, holding on, Holding on hard and savage Holding on, holding on And waving out of the carriage As I ride down the Mall nothing bothers me now I have endless ways how to take courage Holding on, holding on, Holding on hard and savage Holding on , holding on And waving out of the carriage
12.
Lost 03:19
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LOST I’m in the best of health I can tell Top of the morning to yourself Nothing can stop me I’m so high There’s fluffy white clouds and sun in the sky Peace and love is all around Nigel Farage is six feet underground But what would I ever do if life ran away from you? I would be lost my dear old friend There’s no shame in Shane Shameless being your friend He’ll always be there to the bitter end But nothing can stop me I’m so high There’s fluffy white clouds and sun in the sky Peace and love is all around Jacob Rees Mogg’s six feet underground But what would I ever do if life ran away from you? I would be lost my dear old friend
13.
My Divorce 03:19
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MY DIVORCE Putting up shelves, doing the shopping Hiring a dress isn’t that shocking? Shaving my legs bikini waxing Watching the soaps it’s so relaxing It winds me up until I’m hyperventilating It brings me down like broken central heating springs to life there’s hope eternal maybe tomorrow my divorce will be final a listed building listing over pushing up daisies I’m in clover death becomes me it’s adventure take my hand not my temperature Lord above I’m in China In a limousine and right behind you Gaining fast, taking over It’s time to ask exactly who’s the driver And so my life is near complete Though I’ve no use for God, heresy is also sweet High above the clouds all on my todd Lost in reverie I’m a lucky sod But it winds me up until I’m hyperventilating It brings me down like broken central heating springs to life there’s hope eternal maybe tomorrow my divorce will be final

about

INNOCENCE AND MENACE: ABOUT THIS ALBUM
Dave Soden, a Leicester guitarist friend, planted the seed for the title of this album ages ago. He told me that he thought a common element of many of my songs was that the lyrics combined innocence and menace in equal measures, with music that matches. I had to agree.
The cover photo featuring a young urban fox was taken by my son Ben one late summer night in his ground floor East London flat. You could say it was a lucky accident, but as the old saying goes, ‘chance favours the prepared mind’. Thanks very much Ben.
Thanks to Jeremy Rider, who appears on lead guitar on ‘High Technology and the Lunatic Mind’. Thanks also to Sue Dorey for everything else that made it possible for anyone who finds it to hear this album.
To anyone who has heard me play at Leicester’s various acoustic pub sessions, I hope you like these solo recordings. Thanks to anyone and everyone else who might also listen to and enjoy them.
If they whet your appetite for more, there is more almost ready to go. As a firm believer in recycling and conservation of ideas, the follow up release will be called ‘More Innocence and Menace’.

credits

released August 28, 2023

All songs written and played by Graham Summers, apart from High Technology and the Lunatic Mind written and performed with Jeremy Rider.
Cover photo: Ben Summers.
Cover artwork: Sue Dorey

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Graham Summers Leicester, UK

Bands: Deep Freeze Mice, Yeah Yeah Noh, Jewellers Eye
Bought drum kit Sept 78. 1st band gig Nov 78. Then band's writer advised "If you don't like my songs, you'd better write your own". Wrote 1st songs in 82. Began to perform my 'no obvious genre but clearly not folk songs' in 84. Since 88 have recorded & performed my songs with Jewellers Eye. I now release solo recordings. Hope you like them. ... more

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