MUSIC

This super-fresh feelgood little number was spawned from a chain of discussions with my good friends Ralph Johnstone and Matt Rodd. It’s a rolling work in progress. a song about freedom and celebration, and about all the 'valuable positives' we can take from this momentous shared experience of lockdowns and loneliness. We remain hopeful that our sacrifices as a community can stand as a lasting lesson to us all, about what's possible when you place the needs of the many over those of the few and always look forward to celebrating the victories, however small they might be. Our love and thoughts go out to those in need across all borders and waters. *Note: At the time we wrote 'Please give us some friggin' leaders who truly care', we were rueing the lack of empathy and emotional intelligence that seems to pervade many of our current crop of leaders. Since then, of course, we've had a heartening election result across the Pacific - and the arrival of two leaders who genuinely seem to embody the empathy and social justice needed to heal our wounded world. Viva Joe and Kamala! Rolling On The Tide Lyrics by Tom Williams and Ralph Johnstone Arranged, performed and recorded by Tom C.C.Bones Feel I’m bursting at the seams To get back out and catch my dreams Throw me a single golden ray of hope Seize the gauntlet, chase the sun Let’s play together everyone We should cherish all the good things we have done Now take your time and reimagine Where we could wind up if all goes well. Reflect in awe at ourselves in the future How we helped each other through this wretched spell And let’s go, sky high with elation Stay one for all while we ride As it should be. living with a human connection Days are endless, nights are long We’ve got to be strong Rolling on the tide. Hey, hey, hey. Collaborate, let’s activate Refuse to bow to others’ hate Please give us some friggin’ leaders who truly care We know we’ve learned to look again And lift our hearts to others’ pain To touch the Earth ‘neath Mother Nature’s glare Now take your time and reimagine Where we could wind up if all goes well. Reflect in awe at ourselves in the future If we help each other, only time will tell So let’s go, sky high with elation Stay all for one while we ride As it should be. living with a human connection This enemy has made us one A better new wave is set to come. Rolling on the tide. Hey, hey, hey. Unlock the children. Set them free Reunite with loving family Let’s excavate the chasms of our past A new configuration looms No opportunity’s too soon Come on we’ll make these vital moments last Now let’s go, sky high with elation Stay one for all while we ride As it should be. living with a human connection Days are endless, nights are long, we’ve got to be strong And let’s go, sky high with elation Stand all for one while we ride As it should be better than we ever remember Don’t bite the apple, spare the cost Don’t ever count yourself as lost. Rolling on the tide Hey, hey, hey. Rolling on the tide. Hey, hey, hey. Equity, empathy, humanity That’s all you really need right there

This original song came together ridiculously quickly about 15 years ago now. From a musical noodling that needed some lyrics, I asked my sister Briony to send me some words. As soon as she did, I managed to fuse these two ideas together in no more than an hour, just playing around at home with my guitar one lonely afternoon. The song has been a regular inclusion in live sets of Cousin Leonard around the world ever since. ‘That’s Me’ is ultimately about celebrating our imaginations. THAT'S ME By Cousin Leonard Lyrics by Briony Williams and Tom Williams Pushing with that evil laugh Saying yes should be saying no Who are you when you are not Thinking straight Now here I go out to space Where nothing is too hard And the world is my oyster That’s me when I’m in disguise Keeping myself company And all you have will never turn out bad The mad, fun pictures in your head Dancing with hip-hugging big, flared pants Don’t give a rats’ who sees you play Putting feathers in your hair Snorting shot to fend off sleep Where do you go when you blink? Do you think at all that nothing is too hard And the world is your oyster? Well that’s me when I’m in disguise Keeping myself company And all you have will never turn out bad The mad, fun pictures in your head If I could sing like Sinead and dance like Madonna And fight like the villain in a Tarantino flick. That’s me when I’m in disguise Just keeping myself company ‘Cause all you have will never turn out bad The mad, fun pictures in your head That’s me when I’m in disguise Just keeping myself company And all you have will never turn out bad The mad, fun pictures in your head That’s me When I’m in disguise That’s me With these mad, fun pictures in my head

Here’s a gentle thigh-slapping rendition of a 19th century American gospel song, that first came to my attention on the soundtrack of ‘O Brother, Where Art Thou?’. I ran out of time this week to add some double bass, a choir and the rest of the heavenly horns. Perhaps they’ll be included in the next incarnation. Anywho, hope it tickles your fancy. Angel Band By Williams Bradbury and Jefferson Hascall with additional lyrics by Tom Williams Arranged, performed and recorded by Tom C.C.Bones My latest sun is sinking fast My race is nearly run My strongest trials now are past My triumph has begun Oh, come, angel band Come and around me stand Bear me away on your snow white wings To my immortal home Oh bear me away on your snow white wings To my immortal home With nothing but love in our hearts to bring Embrace now one and all Deliver us freely from our sins Rejoice in heaven's call Oh, come, angel band Come and around me stand Bear me away on your snow white wings To my immortal home Oh bear me away on your snow white wings To my immortal home Now purge my longing soul to him Who bled and died for me oh holy one alight yours wings That bring me to victory Oh, come, angel band Come and around me stand Bear me away on your snow white wings To my immortal home Oh bear me away on your snow white wings To my immortal home

As far as songwriting goes, I wrote this one relatively quickly almost 18 years ago now, for the Cousin Leonard album ‘Under One Sun’. I have never performed it on piano, so, I thought I would give that a go here, just for something different. This is a song about hope and an unerring