I sat and listened to Roy play this on Solstice Eve at Stonehenge in 1984. Although stoned (I was saving my tab of acid for Hawkwind later), I sang every line. Used to know this off by heart. Harper is a poet and a sage, who also plays guitar.
Sadly i was too young to go to Stonehenge in 1984 as I was 14 and still at school. Tired of my home town, I come from the north east of England, I first started hitchicking around England when i was 19. I got to Stonehenge in 1991. I know it was nothing like back in your days, but it was still a great experience. I dropped 2 really good E's, full of MDMA, not like the crap they were selling 10 years ago. I had a great experience and met a lot of good people who had been going there for years. Maybe i met some of you. I decided then to get myself a trailer and became what the tv and press called a "New Age Traveller". I hated that name. I started travelling around the south of England with a couple of friends and some other Travellers. Getting moved from site to site by the police. We were on a site just outside Tunbridge Wells in Kent with Spiral Tribe. We actually got evicted from Kent into Sussex by the Kent police. There was around 30 trailers. Nobody had insurance or tax which we pointed this out to the police but coz it suited them they decided to turn a blind eye and literally escorted us all out of Kent into the Sussex border where they turned around and left the Sussex police to deal with us. Had some great times. Met some great people. I will never forget Stonehenge 1991, standing on the A303 out of my head on good E's on the solstice with some really good and Interesting people.
Last saw Roy at the Adelphi in Liverpool, he always had a soft spot for us scousers. His hands were quite swollen with arthritis so he played rhythm while Nicky (my child) Harper played lead. It was just a thing of beauty, the love between them very clear....
I remember hearing this for the first time in the 70’s and being completely blown away. Pure genius and been a massive fan ever since. Got the same feeling when I heard Dogtown by Harry Chapin about the same time. Check it out if you’ve never heard it.
His mates are Page and Plant. Zep wrote a song about him. David Gilmour is also a friend and plays on a few songs and live appearances. Paul McCartney sang BV on One of Those Days... There are other musical luminaries involved in Roy's life, too. The brilliance of these performers is a strong indicator of just how highly regarded Roy is by the musical elite of his generation. Genius is a strong word to use, but Roy is certainly massively creative and influential. Along with John Peel and Lou Reed he is one of the three people most important in the development of my musical life. Let's hope the old cricketer stays at the crease for a good long while yet.
This is sending shivers right through me. I used to listen to this for hours and hours as a teenager. Had all his early LPs though no one I knew liked him. I'd forgotten how good he was. Thank you for posting such a clear version.
I guess we both knew the wrong people. My son travelled from Germany with his friends to see Roy in concert in London (just before GB left the EU). The best thing I ever did for my kids was to give them my Roy Harper LP's
Had the pleasure of seeing Roy in Liverpool this week and the highlight was this song, so glad i got to see him one last time. Whilst this is meant to be his last tour, he did joke that there might be a Final Tour pt 2. He was his magnificent self and heres hoping life treats him well and i get a chance to see him again, if not then this will live long in my memory.
For what it's worth, I saw Roy a few times from 69 to 72. One time was in Liverpool in a room at St Georges Hall. There may have been 25 people. I'm 70 years old and it seems like yesterday. As usual, he chatted, tuned his guitar, (a lot) and sung his brilliant songs in his stunning voice. He asked if anyone had some hash and we smoked together when he took a break. In those days it was a joint with tobacco and hash. Returning he sung among other things, McGooan's Blues and She's the One, which still is very emotional for me. Love the man.
I really hope he'll put one more tour... I'm too young and I discovered him only this year, my heart was totally broken when I learned he had his last tour already, I wish I could see him playing such a talented artist, there is no much like him nowadays sadly. I'd prefer to see 80 yo Roy over seeing some young tasteless chaps
Roy is great, I can't think of a way i could ever pay him back for how much his music has helped me in my life. So a simple thank you. I guess. He feels like family to me. Ive been a fan since i was just a kid. And this song is amazing.
I first saw him when I was at uni thought he was wonderful then , ironically met him years later and interviewed him as a journalist , lyrics will stay with me forever
I love the way that final section expresses the same sense of glorious release as the amazing final episode of The Prisoner, when Patrick McGoohan was forced to cut his series short when they wouldn't fund the rest, and crammed everything into one final surreal psychedelic mish-mash. We all got the political undertones of it back then, but Roy really got it - and converted it to music. Genius.
@@Mekchanoid It definitely was. I saw Harper play the song live in 1968, and he made an overt reference to the TV series, outraged (as we all were) that the channel had decided to cut the series after 16 episodes. I think McGoohan had planned it for 24, which is why the final 17th episode is such a kaleidoscope of semi-surreal imagery - going out with a bang!
@@Jonpriley Interesting. Do you think it could have sustained 24 episodes? I like the ones that give the show its story arc but even of the 16 I think there's maybe six essential ones and I can take or leave the rest. And whatever politics they were trying to smuggle in are at best out of date, at worst, close to the core of today's problems.
@@Mekchanoid I'm pretty sure it was 24, although of course they were probably only in the script stage at that point. I suppose it might have been 20. Politics obviously date, but it was ahead of its time back then: the idea that one's own security services could be into dirty tricks and brainwashing just as much as one's enemies. Naturally, too, the quality of individual episodes varies, and visually most of it looks very dated today - including the acting, the often over-exaggerated paranoia. Arguably, with the internet and social media there's even more nefarious activities going on behind the scenes today, both politically and commercially. A similar series today would be far darker and more complex (the recent BBC drama series The Capture trod comparable ground, but felt oddly lightweight.)
@@Jonpriley It's left such a deep cultural imprint. I remember watching reruns on TV, perhaps in the 90s. There appear to be different accounts of the production which differ on episode numbers and I wonder if people wrongly assume there was a rush to write the ending because it's an easy way to explain the post-narrative writing style. In fact a new show called the Prisoner was made recently and had virtually no plot and dragged on mercilessly! While I love the Prisoner I prefer the realism (and grey banality) that LeCarre brought to portrayals of spying while the extraordinary French series The Bureau brings things into the 21st century. The Capture feels lightweight because it doesn't bother with characters - they seemed to have blown the budget on that room full of screens 😂
LYRICS: Nicky my child he stands there with the wind in his hair Wondering whether the water, the wind or the where I fear that someday he might ask me if mine is the blame And I've got no reply save to tell him it's all just a game And Heather and I lay together and I was in love She weighed up the gains and the losses and gave me the shove The fear of mankind's untogetherness pounds in my heart The deceit of my friends the betrayals of which I am part And oh, how the sea she roars with laughter And howls with the dancing wind To see my two feet standing here questioning And I'm just a social experiment tailored to size I've tried out the national machine and the welfare surprise I'm the rich man, the poor man, the peace man, the war man, the beast The festive consumer who ends up consumed in the feast And my five-eyed promoter is clutching two birds in the bush He's a thief he's as bad as the joker they're both in the rush He's telling me Ghandi was handy and Jeez sold his ring (Dunno who to, God maybe) "And everyone knows dat dis dough's gonna make me de king" And oh, how the sea she roars with laughter And howls with the dancing wind To see my two feet standing here questioning Meanwhile the ticket collectors are punching their holes Into your memories your journeys and into your souls Your life sentence starts and the judge hands you down a spare wig Saying: "Get out of that and goodbye old boy, have a good gig" And the town label-makers stare down with their gallery eyes And point with computer stained fingers each time you arise To the rules and the codes and the system that keeps them in chains Which is where they belong with no poems no love and no brains And oh, how the sea she roars with laughter And howls with the dancing wind To see my two feet standing there questioning Meanwhile the TV commercials are sweeping the day Brainwashing innocent kids into thinking their way The wet politicians and clergymen have much to say Defending desires of the sheep they are leading astray And Ma's favourite pop star is forcing a grin, he's a smash Obliging the soft-headed viewers to act just as flash The village TV hooks its victims on give away cash The addicts are numbers who serve to perpetuate trash And O how the sea she roars with laughter And howls with the dancing wind To see my stupid poetry shuffling And the bankers and tycoons and hoarders of money and art Full up with baubles and bibles and full of no heart Who travel first class on a pleasure excursion to fame Are the eyes that are guiding society's ludicrous aim And the village is making its Sunday collection in church The church wobbles 'twixt hell and heaven's crumbling perch Unnoticed the money box loudly endorses the shame As the world that Christ fought is supported by using his name And oh, how the sea she roars with laughter And howls with the dancing wind To see my stupid poetry burbling And the pin-striped sardine-cum-magician is packed in his train Censoring all of the censorship filling his brain He glares through his armour-plate vision and says "Hmm, insane" The prisoner is taking his shoes off to walk in the rain And the luminous green prima donna is sniffing the sky She daren't tread the earth that she's smelling her birth was too high Her bank balance castle is built on opinion and fear Which is all she allows within three hundred miles of her ear And O how the sea she roars with laughter And howls with the dancing wind To see my stupid poetry burbling And I've seen all your pedestal values your good and your bad If you really believe them your passing is going to be hard And I've thought through our thought and I know that its blind silly season Occurs when our reasoning is trying to fathom a reason And if you really know it's all a joke but you're just putting me on Well it's sure a good act that you've got 'cos you never let on But if all of that supersale overkill world is for real Well there's nowhere to go kid so you might as well start to freewheel And oh, how the sea she roars with laughter And howls with the dancing wind To see my two feet standing there burbling And I had this dream in here same time as standing awake These various visions rushed through as I giggled and quaked The distant guns thunder my end and I duck for a while Auntie Lily is handing me candy she chuckles I smile And our village is where I was born and it's where I will die And I'll never be able to leave it whatever I try The ebb and the flow of the forces of life pass me by Which is all that I'll know from my birth to my last gasping sigh And oh, how the sea she roars with laughter And howls with the dancing wind To see the dying lying there obeying My age and my time The blood fire wine and rhyme That fills my dream reminds me of an atom in a bubble on a wave That held its breath for one sweet second then was popped and disappeared Into fruitful futility's meaningless meaning Meaningless meaning Under the toadstool, lover, down by the dream Everything flowing over rainbows downstream Silver the turning water, flying away I'll come to see you sooner, I'm on my way And there's a mirror that I'm looking straight through And I get it And there's a doorway that I'm ducking into To forget it But flashing just beyond the sky the shattering midnight gathers And reminding me behind my mind the earth quakes the sun flakes flutter Over the mountain fairground Candyfloss day Under the moonshine fountain I'm on my way Lemon tree blossom ladies Pouring my tea Afternoon blue sky breezes following me And there's a river that I'm making it with And I know it And I'm floating to I don't care where I just go it But flashing just beyond the sky the shattering midnight gathers And reminding me behind my mind the earth quakes the sun-flakes flutter Daffodil April petal hiding the game Forests of restless chessmen life is the same Tides in the sand sun lover watching us dream Covered in stars and clover rainbows downstream And the question in the great big underneath is forever And the fanfare that I'm forcing through my teeth answers "Never" But flashing just beyond the sky the shattering midnight gathers And reminding me behind my mind the earth quakes the sun flakes flutter The pumpkin coach and the rags approach and the wind is devouring the ashes
I first heard Roy on a Harvest label "sampler" LP in 1971 (I think) and the track on that disk was the amazing "Song of the ages" from the then current album "Flat Baroque and berserk" which I soon bought. Suitably impressed I then started buying his previous and then later his subsequent albums. I only saw him live on stage once in 1976 but religiously bought each of his new albums until 1983 when I admit to losing track of him after "Work of heart" when I moved from England to Australia. In pre-online merchandising, pre-Amazon, pre-online and streaming music days of yore it was vinyl or cassette or nothing. I also didn't have spare money to use on luxuries like entertainment. And Australia never really discovered Mr Harper so you didn't see the albums in shops. "McGoohan's Blues" got lodged in my head in '71 and has never left. Similarly I seldom go for long without having one of his astounding collection playing in my head as I burble along with him
Dave Lazzari I just wish I could go see him.... he’s still there playing.... Leeds town hall in the summer...meanwhile I’m in hospital Going ..... berserk lol 😂 Roy what a talented brilliant bloke .....😊✅
@@lovewavesdriftingforever I know how you feel. His last big tour coming up and I'm still in Australia 😣 I also don't have a recent version of McGoohans, just the original Folkjokeopus vinyl which while still in good nick isn't easily added to an MP3 player so I should go to his website and shell out 😁 Good luck with the hospital thing, hope it all goes well xx
Roy at his best.....brilliant......and less than 17k views. If anyone wishes to know where Al Stewart got his inspiration for "Roads To Moscow".....here it is.
Superb! I've not heard this for yonks, but it still sounds as great as ever. I spent ages learning to play this when I was young. The guitar chords aren't too bad, but memorising the lyrics was a nightmare.
@@mosaicubaby2278 Hi. Yes, I played by ear. The chords to the verses are A minor, then lift all your fingers off the fretboard to briefly play the open strings, then replace them in the A minor position, followed by D, back to A minor then D again. The chorus is G, A minor and D, I think, but I haven't got a guitar to hand to check my memory. But the best thing you can do is check out a guy here on YT. He's called Bad Speech and he's a wonderful guitarist and singer, who gives tutorials on how to play many of Roy's songs, including some of those with alternative tunings that aren't so easy to work out. Happy playing!
I've only just found this having known Stormcock, Jugula and a few other albums for 25+ years. The intro for this is so Davy Graham. That Clem Cattini plays on this is just great.
Thank you. All of the songs in my channel are 320k and encoded from original Cd's. I hope you like some of the other stuff too. FYI. I shared another Roy Harper song today.
I'm shocked. I never heard anyone to say so hard to this system how it could be stupid and suffocated by a sweet voice like that. His voice inspires so much freedom. Surely Dylan learned from him to sing dozens of verses without ever getting bored. Hymn to the carefree.
These lyrics are way beyond bob dylans capabilities....though i like bob very much....roy harper is in a different class. Sure...i think bob influenced roy a lot...but this is a classic case of the pupil outstripping his master.
I think Roy puts Dylan to shame. Here in the US, Dylan is one of the most revered humans in history. According to many, folk music begins and ends with Bob. I enjoy some of his songs, but for the life of me I have never understood the mass appeal. His poems and lyrics are decent, but he hasnt the ability to sing or perform...his voice is unbearable at times. Roy's words alone are fantastic, his voice is absolutely superb. Most Americans have never heard of him or his music, which is tragic. To me, there is no comparison between the two...Harper, in my humble opinion, is far more interesting, enlightening, and enjoyable.The first time I heard "The Same Old Rock", I was completely taken back by the beauty of that song and I still get goosebumps whenever I hear it. Hats off to Roy? Indeed!
I do like that album but it doesn't strike me as an obvious recommendation for Roy Harper fans. I'll go for this as an album for Harper fans. czcams.com/video/0va3F2PWBJc/video.html Hope you like it too.
There is certainly evidence that he supposedly recorded The Lord's Prayer in a single pass for the final take.... Not sure about anything from Folkjokeopus however
Before digital desks, one take was the norm. Mixing down to a master wasn't difficult but splicing accurately was a hell of a job. It was better to start again than try and synchronise different parts of the same voice or instrument. Before Dolby every pass of a tape would add to the tape hiss too. Salute the engineers of the day!
@@SuperAllanjames It's difficult, but people did amazing things in the analog era. Tons of Miles Davis recordings are comprised of edits, Glenn Gould's solo piano recordings were heavily edited in later life. It must have been hard work.
Not meaning to make fun of anyone - still going to say that this picture just makes me think somebody shopped a picture of Kurt Cobain from the unplugged concert at MTV 😀 Roy is an incredible experience! I was lucky enough to be able to see him live in London a few years ago - never got a chance to see Kurt, though, because I was just born when he died.
Not having old Roy got jabbed... Love old Roy.. Seen him live about 6 times.. A couple were probably one of the best gigs iv seen.. Its a shame as its the worst one I remember the most.. He was too drunk to remember the songs.. His playing was shocking.. So he smoked more spliffs that was frown to him and played even worse.. Lol... Sheffield uni x
beautiful lyrics....beautiful voice......he's a smash!!!
I sat and listened to Roy play this on Solstice Eve at Stonehenge in 1984. Although stoned (I was saving my tab of acid for Hawkwind later), I sang every line. Used to know this off by heart. Harper is a poet and a sage, who also plays guitar.
Still know it off by heart. 👍
I was there too! Good acid. I saw roy a couple of yrs ago in leeds on his last tour... great gig. He is like a fine wine.
Sadly i was too young to go to Stonehenge in 1984 as I was 14 and still at school. Tired of my home town, I come from the north east of England, I first started hitchicking around England when i was 19. I got to Stonehenge in 1991. I know it was nothing like back in your days, but it was still a great experience. I dropped 2 really good E's, full of MDMA, not like the crap they were selling 10 years ago. I had a great experience and met a lot of good people who had been going there for years. Maybe i met some of you. I decided then to get myself a trailer and became what the tv and press called a "New Age Traveller". I hated that name. I started travelling around the south of England with a couple of friends and some other Travellers. Getting moved from site to site by the police. We were on a site just outside Tunbridge Wells in Kent with Spiral Tribe. We actually got evicted from Kent into Sussex by the Kent police. There was around 30 trailers. Nobody had insurance or tax which we pointed this out to the police but coz it suited them they decided to turn a blind eye and literally escorted us all out of Kent into the Sussex border where they turned around and left the Sussex police to deal with us. Had some great times. Met some great people. I will never forget Stonehenge 1991, standing on the A303 out of my head on good E's on the solstice with some really good and Interesting people.
Me too
Next year it was the ozrick tentical,, and the battle
The fact that this video/song only has 773 'likes' has nothin to do with the fact that it is the third best song in the history of recorded music..!!
100% Peace from Canada 1985 I first heard Roy and I've never stopped.
The amount of talent to play and sing a song like this is incredible
Last saw Roy at the Adelphi in Liverpool, he always had a soft spot for us scousers. His hands were quite swollen with arthritis so he played rhythm while Nicky (my child) Harper played lead. It was just a thing of beauty, the love between them very clear....
A genius!! Nobody writes lyrics like this anymore!
50 years ago! Just immense! The albums Folkjokeopus and Flat, Baroque and Berserk were key inspirations for the young UK hippies.
The wonderful Roy Harper... amazing wordsmith who gains more respect every decade i listen to his incredible music.... Thanks allot Roy 😏🎶
Was digging through my old LP's and this jumped out. Hadn't heard it for decades but it's still brilliant. Thanks Roy.
One of the most over looked Greatest singer songwiter ever!!!!!!! His words are just amazing
As well as that voice!
Yes, and let's keep that to ourselves, shall we?
Don't want to agitate the Plebians, eh?
I remember hearing this for the first time in the 70’s and being completely blown away. Pure genius and been a massive fan ever since. Got the same feeling when I heard Dogtown by Harry Chapin about the same time. Check it out if you’ve never heard it.
My two feet still stand here questioning.
most overlooked artist. genius Roy Harper.
not overlooked...just ancient ! lol
But still a genius
His mates are Page and Plant. Zep wrote a song about him. David Gilmour is also a friend and plays on a few songs and live appearances. Paul McCartney sang BV on One of Those Days... There are other musical luminaries involved in Roy's life, too. The brilliance of these performers is a strong indicator of just how highly regarded Roy is by the musical elite of his generation. Genius is a strong word to use, but Roy is certainly massively creative and influential. Along with John Peel and Lou Reed he is one of the three people most important in the development of my musical life. Let's hope the old cricketer stays at the crease for a good long while yet.
This is sending shivers right through me. I used to listen to this for hours and hours as a teenager. Had all his early LPs though no one I knew liked him. I'd forgotten how good he was. Thank you for posting such a clear version.
YW Sue
Me too - Roy is unique, none better ✌🏻🎶🎸
I guess we both knew the wrong people. My son travelled from Germany with his friends to see Roy in concert in London (just before GB left the EU). The best thing I ever did for my kids was to give them my Roy Harper LP's
This song really takes me back to those wonderful days
Had the pleasure of seeing Roy in Liverpool this week and the highlight was this song, so glad i got to see him one last time.
Whilst this is meant to be his last tour, he did joke that there might be a Final Tour pt 2.
He was his magnificent self and heres hoping life treats him well and i get a chance to see him again, if not then this will live long in my memory.
As relevant today as it was in 69
Saw him in march.leeds. He is like a fine old wine . Twas stunning.
For what it's worth, I saw Roy a few times from 69 to 72. One time was in Liverpool in a room at St Georges Hall. There may have been 25 people. I'm 70 years old and it seems like yesterday. As usual, he chatted, tuned his guitar, (a lot) and sung his brilliant songs in his stunning voice. He asked if anyone had some hash and we smoked together when he took a break. In those days it was a joint with tobacco and hash. Returning he sung among other things, McGooan's Blues and She's the One, which still is very emotional for me. Love the man.
I saw him in Birmingham on the same tour. He's a genuinely incredible man.
I really hope he'll put one more tour... I'm too young and I discovered him only this year, my heart was totally broken when I learned he had his last tour already, I wish I could see him playing such a talented artist, there is no much like him nowadays sadly. I'd prefer to see 80 yo Roy over seeing some young tasteless chaps
Roy is great, I can't think of a way i could ever pay him back for how much his music has helped me in my life. So a simple thank you. I guess. He feels like family to me. Ive been a fan since i was just a kid. And this song is amazing.
So agree ! I've seen loads of Roy gigs and they always felt like family to me. It was such a privilege when he did this song !
Brilliant track,such a talented chap is Our Roy!.
I first saw him when I was at uni thought he was wonderful then , ironically met him years later and interviewed him as a journalist , lyrics will stay with me forever
Wonderful memories flood back from 70's. He is a always stirs feelings and emotions, so I will continue to listen as age robs me of them.
I love the way that final section expresses the same sense of glorious release as the amazing final episode of The Prisoner, when Patrick McGoohan was forced to cut his series short when they wouldn't fund the rest, and crammed everything into one final surreal psychedelic mish-mash. We all got the political undertones of it back then, but Roy really got it - and converted it to music. Genius.
Wow, you've rekindled my faith that this might, in some way, actually be connected to The Prisoner.
@@Mekchanoid It definitely was. I saw Harper play the song live in 1968, and he made an overt reference to the TV series, outraged (as we all were) that the channel had decided to cut the series after 16 episodes. I think McGoohan had planned it for 24, which is why the final 17th episode is such a kaleidoscope of semi-surreal imagery - going out with a bang!
@@Jonpriley Interesting. Do you think it could have sustained 24 episodes? I like the ones that give the show its story arc but even of the 16 I think there's maybe six essential ones and I can take or leave the rest. And whatever politics they were trying to smuggle in are at best out of date, at worst, close to the core of today's problems.
@@Mekchanoid I'm pretty sure it was 24, although of course they were probably only in the script stage at that point. I suppose it might have been 20. Politics obviously date, but it was ahead of its time back then: the idea that one's own security services could be into dirty tricks and brainwashing just as much as one's enemies. Naturally, too, the quality of individual episodes varies, and visually most of it looks very dated today - including the acting, the often over-exaggerated paranoia. Arguably, with the internet and social media there's even more nefarious activities going on behind the scenes today, both politically and commercially. A similar series today would be far darker and more complex (the recent BBC drama series The Capture trod comparable ground, but felt oddly lightweight.)
@@Jonpriley It's left such a deep cultural imprint. I remember watching reruns on TV, perhaps in the 90s. There appear to be different accounts of the production which differ on episode numbers and I wonder if people wrongly assume there was a rush to write the ending because it's an easy way to explain the post-narrative writing style. In fact a new show called the Prisoner was made recently and had virtually no plot and dragged on mercilessly! While I love the Prisoner I prefer the realism (and grey banality) that LeCarre brought to portrayals of spying while the extraordinary French series The Bureau brings things into the 21st century. The Capture feels lightweight because it doesn't bother with characters - they seemed to have blown the budget on that room full of screens 😂
An honest genius in my eyes
LYRICS:
Nicky my child he stands there with the wind in his hair
Wondering whether the water, the wind or the where
I fear that someday he might ask me if mine is the blame
And I've got no reply save to tell him it's all just a game
And Heather and I lay together and I was in love
She weighed up the gains and the losses and gave me the shove
The fear of mankind's untogetherness pounds in my heart
The deceit of my friends the betrayals of which I am part
And oh, how the sea she roars with laughter
And howls with the dancing wind
To see my two feet standing here questioning
And I'm just a social experiment tailored to size
I've tried out the national machine and the welfare surprise
I'm the rich man, the poor man, the peace man, the war man, the beast
The festive consumer who ends up consumed in the feast
And my five-eyed promoter is clutching two birds in the bush
He's a thief he's as bad as the joker they're both in the rush
He's telling me Ghandi was handy and Jeez sold his ring
(Dunno who to, God maybe)
"And everyone knows dat dis dough's gonna make me de king"
And oh, how the sea she roars with laughter
And howls with the dancing wind
To see my two feet standing here questioning
Meanwhile the ticket collectors are punching their holes
Into your memories your journeys and into your souls
Your life sentence starts and the judge hands you down a spare wig
Saying: "Get out of that and goodbye old boy, have a good gig"
And the town label-makers stare down with their gallery eyes
And point with computer stained fingers each time you arise
To the rules and the codes and the system that keeps them in chains
Which is where they belong with no poems no love and no brains
And oh, how the sea she roars with laughter
And howls with the dancing wind
To see my two feet standing there questioning
Meanwhile the TV commercials are sweeping the day
Brainwashing innocent kids into thinking their way
The wet politicians and clergymen have much to say
Defending desires of the sheep they are leading astray
And Ma's favourite pop star is forcing a grin, he's a smash
Obliging the soft-headed viewers to act just as flash
The village TV hooks its victims on give away cash
The addicts are numbers who serve to perpetuate trash
And O how the sea she roars with laughter
And howls with the dancing wind
To see my stupid poetry shuffling
And the bankers and tycoons and hoarders of money and art
Full up with baubles and bibles and full of no heart
Who travel first class on a pleasure excursion to fame
Are the eyes that are guiding society's ludicrous aim
And the village is making its Sunday collection in church
The church wobbles 'twixt hell and heaven's crumbling perch
Unnoticed the money box loudly endorses the shame
As the world that Christ fought is supported by using his name
And oh, how the sea she roars with laughter
And howls with the dancing wind
To see my stupid poetry burbling
And the pin-striped sardine-cum-magician is packed in his train
Censoring all of the censorship filling his brain
He glares through his armour-plate vision and says "Hmm, insane"
The prisoner is taking his shoes off to walk in the rain
And the luminous green prima donna is sniffing the sky
She daren't tread the earth that she's smelling her birth was too high
Her bank balance castle is built on opinion and fear
Which is all she allows within three hundred miles of her ear
And O how the sea she roars with laughter
And howls with the dancing wind
To see my stupid poetry burbling
And I've seen all your pedestal values your good and your bad
If you really believe them your passing is going to be hard
And I've thought through our thought and I know that its blind silly season
Occurs when our reasoning is trying to fathom a reason
And if you really know it's all a joke but you're just putting me on
Well it's sure a good act that you've got 'cos you never let on
But if all of that supersale overkill world is for real
Well there's nowhere to go kid so you might as well start to freewheel
And oh, how the sea she roars with laughter
And howls with the dancing wind
To see my two feet standing there burbling
And I had this dream in here same time as standing awake
These various visions rushed through as I giggled and quaked
The distant guns thunder my end and I duck for a while
Auntie Lily is handing me candy she chuckles I smile
And our village is where I was born and it's where I will die
And I'll never be able to leave it whatever I try
The ebb and the flow of the forces of life pass me by
Which is all that I'll know from my birth to my last gasping sigh
And oh, how the sea she roars with laughter
And howls with the dancing wind
To see the dying lying there obeying
My age and my time
The blood fire wine and rhyme
That fills my dream reminds me of an atom in a bubble on a wave
That held its breath for one sweet second then was popped and disappeared
Into fruitful futility's meaningless meaning
Meaningless meaning
Under the toadstool, lover, down by the dream
Everything flowing over rainbows downstream
Silver the turning water, flying away
I'll come to see you sooner, I'm on my way
And there's a mirror that I'm looking straight through
And I get it
And there's a doorway that I'm ducking into
To forget it
But flashing just beyond the sky the shattering midnight gathers
And reminding me behind my mind the earth quakes the sun flakes flutter
Over the mountain fairground
Candyfloss day
Under the moonshine fountain
I'm on my way
Lemon tree blossom ladies
Pouring my tea
Afternoon blue sky breezes following me
And there's a river that I'm making it with
And I know it
And I'm floating to I don't care where
I just go it
But flashing just beyond the sky the shattering midnight gathers
And reminding me behind my mind the earth quakes the sun-flakes flutter
Daffodil April petal hiding the game
Forests of restless chessmen life is the same
Tides in the sand sun lover watching us dream
Covered in stars and clover rainbows downstream
And the question in the great big underneath is forever
And the fanfare that I'm forcing through my teeth answers "Never"
But flashing just beyond the sky the shattering midnight gathers
And reminding me behind my mind the earth quakes the sun flakes flutter
The pumpkin coach and the rags approach and the wind is devouring the ashes
I listen to this every few days, reminds me of where and who I am... :-)
Suha Önder thank you very much for your time this is what matters music and freedom..... To be....
I first heard Roy on a Harvest label "sampler" LP in 1971 (I think) and the track on that disk was the amazing "Song of the ages" from the then current album "Flat Baroque and berserk" which I soon bought.
Suitably impressed I then started buying his previous and then later his subsequent albums. I only saw him live on stage once in 1976 but religiously bought each of his new albums until 1983 when I admit to losing track of him after "Work of heart" when I moved from England to Australia. In pre-online merchandising, pre-Amazon, pre-online and streaming music days of yore it was vinyl or cassette or nothing. I also didn't have spare money to use on luxuries like entertainment. And Australia never really discovered Mr Harper so you didn't see the albums in shops.
"McGoohan's Blues" got lodged in my head in '71 and has never left. Similarly I seldom go for long without having one of his astounding collection playing in my head as I burble along with him
Dave Lazzari
I just wish I could go see him.... he’s still there playing.... Leeds town hall in the summer...meanwhile I’m in hospital
Going ..... berserk lol 😂 Roy what a talented brilliant bloke .....😊✅
@@lovewavesdriftingforever
I know how you feel. His last big tour coming up and I'm still in Australia 😣
I also don't have a recent version of McGoohans, just the original Folkjokeopus vinyl which while still in good nick isn't easily added to an MP3 player so I should go to his website and shell out 😁
Good luck with the hospital thing, hope it all goes well xx
Happy birthday
love this song and the game. Been listening to Roy since 1973. Too bad he never made it over here in Montreal....
Genuine genius ❤️
I had this on vinyl, never realised that it's 18 minutes long. Brilliant song, right up to ' and the wind is devouring the ashes '
Roy at his best.....brilliant......and less than 17k views.
If anyone wishes to know where Al Stewart got his inspiration for "Roads To Moscow".....here it is.
beautiful song
Saw hin live at the local uni in 71 bought the album 72
Thank you so much for this HQ rendition of a brilliant songwriter's interpretation of the best TV series ever made (fact not opinion)
.
Roy at his best...
Génio musical. Passados tantos anos ainda "bate" e de que maneira!
Very very good still like one of those days in England live better
Brilliant Roy thank you you’re legend...
Thank you 💕🐝💨💨💨💨
that 14 min drop-in caught me completely by surprise. Sounds f*ckin' rad. Reminds me of parts in highway 61.
The world that Christ fought is supported by using His name - what a line! What a song! Millenials despair, you can offer nothing like this.
Fantastic ! Roy is a genius.
Yeah. That's the same line created stood out to me. Timeless.
Allright ROY
Out sane!
the song I want for my funeral super sized overkilled poems for those who can use their ears for what they are build to be.
This song is my childhood, youth, and the future of what I have become. A prophecy that became a truth.
Im seeing him in leeds tomoro . ! His words are just as valid now maybe even more so.
Superb! I've not heard this for yonks, but it still sounds as great as ever. I spent ages learning to play this when I was young. The guitar chords aren't too bad, but memorising the lyrics was a nightmare.
did you play by ear? It's hard to find any RH's music sheets, do you mind sharing chords for his song please?
@@mosaicubaby2278 Hi. Yes, I played by ear. The chords to the verses are A minor, then lift all your fingers off the fretboard to briefly play the open strings, then replace them in the A minor position, followed by D, back to A minor then D again. The chorus is G, A minor and D, I think, but I haven't got a guitar to hand to check my memory. But the best thing you can do is check out a guy here on YT. He's called Bad Speech and he's a wonderful guitarist and singer, who gives tutorials on how to play many of Roy's songs, including some of those with alternative tunings that aren't so easy to work out. Happy playing!
@@markstevens8571 thanks a lot I'll give it a try! :)
!st time I've heard this. Very, very good.
Love it when Clem Cattini and Nicky Hopkins come in!
I've only just found this having known Stormcock, Jugula and a few other albums for 25+ years. The intro for this is so Davy Graham. That Clem Cattini plays on this is just great.
Insanely great bridge.
Superb
Was concerned 2700 views but . . . Suha . . . brill ... great quality . . . . " and house with the wind..." takes 40 years off me
Thank you. All of the songs in my channel are 320k and encoded from original Cd's. I hope you like some of the other stuff too. FYI. I shared another Roy Harper song today.
Get the vinyl get real.
StormCock was Jimmy Pages all time favourite album
Nearly fifty years on ....CD is not the same the remix Is cold
Awesome go and see him on his tour in March while you can, it will feature this track.
Ah, but he is! And has!
I’ve got no reply but it’s all just a gamer …. So true…. First heard this upstairs the red cow Cambridge early 1970s… where are you now maggie?
didn't know until recently he sang have a cigar on pink floyds wish you were here.thats why I looked him up
Indeed "Hats off to Harper (Roy)" ;)
Immenso
I'm shocked. I never heard anyone to say so hard to this system how it could be stupid and suffocated by a sweet voice like that. His voice inspires so much freedom. Surely Dylan learned from him to sing dozens of verses without ever getting bored. Hymn to the carefree.
Dylan learned from him? I'd say it's the other way around ;)
These two ways can stay togheter.
These lyrics are way beyond bob dylans capabilities....though i like bob very much....roy harper is in a different class. Sure...i think bob influenced roy a lot...but this is a classic case of the pupil outstripping his master.
fun fact, they were born just over a few weeks apart
I think Roy puts Dylan to shame. Here in the US, Dylan is one of the most revered humans in history. According to many, folk music begins and ends with Bob. I enjoy some of his songs, but for the life of me I have never understood the mass appeal. His poems and lyrics are decent, but he hasnt the ability to sing or perform...his voice is unbearable at times.
Roy's words alone are fantastic, his voice is absolutely superb.
Most Americans have never heard of him or his music, which is tragic.
To me, there is no comparison between the two...Harper, in my humble opinion, is far more interesting, enlightening, and enjoyable.The first time I heard "The Same Old Rock", I was completely taken back by the beauty of that song and I still get goosebumps whenever I hear it.
Hats off to Roy? Indeed!
Excersizin some control :)
Naughty dog !
Dang, when that piano comes in...
That just my head off. Wow
no one's better
The best kept secret
No sé que chingados dice, pero le doy su like 👍
Lol
But high time.
fantastic folk. alex. ukraine.
Xxxx
mojo brought me here.....other overlooked artists nic jones "penguin eggs"
I do like that album but it doesn't strike me as an obvious recommendation for Roy Harper fans.
I'll go for this as an album for Harper fans.
czcams.com/video/0va3F2PWBJc/video.html
Hope you like it too.
While closer to the folk tradition, Penguin Eggs is certainly a wonderful record.
HÜYÄ!
Goin to see this legend again in march !!!
Me too(Leeds)
Where at?
@@tracystafford7494 Leeds town hall
Me too ..leeds .
Me too....Palladium a change from Les Cousins....
Just wondering blues
Hmm. Insane.
...learn, people...learn...
Saturn return!!! If anyone out there knows what I'm talking about, get in touch. I'm awaiting awareness!!!
Don’t know if this is true but I think this was recorded in one take.
It certainly sounds like it to me.
There is certainly evidence that he supposedly recorded The Lord's Prayer in a single pass for the final take.... Not sure about anything from Folkjokeopus however
Quite likely. I heard him sing the whole thing live in 1968.
Before digital desks, one take was the norm. Mixing down to a master wasn't difficult but splicing accurately was a hell of a job. It was better to start again than try and synchronise different parts of the same voice or instrument. Before Dolby every pass of a tape would add to the tape hiss too. Salute the engineers of the day!
@@SuperAllanjames It's difficult, but people did amazing things in the analog era. Tons of Miles Davis recordings are comprised of edits, Glenn Gould's solo piano recordings were heavily edited in later life. It must have been hard work.
Questioning I think the time is now to ask a question. Start with why are we being controlled in such a way
the backing comes in late.amazing effect
Beware of Rover.
I think not.
I think not.
Yes. Rover is getter bigger, rolling over us all.
Not meaning to make fun of anyone - still going to say that this picture just makes me think somebody shopped a picture of Kurt Cobain from the unplugged concert at MTV 😀
Roy is an incredible experience!
I was lucky enough to be able to see him live in London a few years ago - never got a chance to see Kurt, though, because I was just born when he died.
om.om
Staff stuff
Otherwise but blues
Guitar great though know.blues jeffie
i really had to come to lancashire uk to play the guitar to you. na kein wunder dass du dich in berlin schon geärgert hast. good but no blues,
:D
WHY?
Blew
Not having old Roy got jabbed...
Love old Roy.. Seen him live about 6 times.. A couple were probably one of the best gigs iv seen.. Its a shame as its the worst one I remember the most.. He was too drunk to remember the songs.. His playing was shocking.. So he smoked more spliffs that was frown to him and played even worse.. Lol... Sheffield uni x
Johny du?
More poignant now, perhaps, than it ever was... If you think about it.
He should release his cd s
www.royharper.co.uk/shop.html
Time to catch up Mike, this guy's music is phenomenal and timeless too
The book explaining his lyrics is also in his shop - it is also full of interesting photos from his life.