Countryman (2017) 

Album Notes and Lyrics

Album Front

Album Back

This time I decided to do a less eclectic album and focus on one genre. I’ve always enjoyed Country music and have been performing mainstream Country songs and gigs and festivals and so decided to do “Countryman”. Innocuous though the title may be, it is actually also a play on words, for Sikh gentlemen in Malaysia often address each other as “Countryman”…a reference to origins in the old country, India, and also to many of the original Sikh settlers in Malaysia living in the countryside living off  livestock (cows).

The album does not just do “safe” Country, some of the songs push the boundaries and venture in Country-Blues and Country-Rock, and there is an “alternative” element as well.

Many of the songs are very popular during my shows, but I am most proud of a track which incorporates many voices from many of my online friends, as well as the odd person who was at a gig I was testing out the song in before doing the studio recordings. This song is “Many Fires In Many Souls”…the song notes will explain in more detail. 

Click on the buttons below to see the Song Lyrics.

01 They Don't Know Me In Nashville

I live in a small town. Kulim. Most Malaysians won’t even know it exists. Yet I dream of making music that’s heard all over the world. Folks here tell me it will never happen and that I should set my sights more realistically. But still, I dream stubbornly on.

02 Are You Going To Hold Me Tonight

Jest. A bit of uptempo fun with some innuendo-laden lyrics.

03 Wild Horses Driving Me Away

Peace of mind is difficult. Every time you get into a comfortable zone something comes along, a new stress, a new strain. Sometimes it feels like there’s just no respite. Those mental wild horses just keep driving you insane. Or is it just me? LOL.

04 I Got A Fire In My Soul

Passion. That’s what drives me. Life is pointless if you don’t have something worth living for. It may be a silly thing like making music, but as long as you have that fire burning in you, your life is worth living.  This song would get re-recorded along with many friend’s voices and re-emerge as Song 15 (Many Fires In Many Souls).

05 Let's Just Say

Relationships. They get complicated. Especially when people have pre-expectations and view their partners from others’ judgemental perspectives. Most relationships break down before they ever really start because each is trying to change the other instead of accepting who they are.

06 All I Can Send You Is Love

A difficult song. Trying to console someone who has experienced the loss of a loved one , what can one say or do to provide any meaningful comfort? There are no words, just the oft-repeated mumbled condolences. I’m hopeless in such situations. Even trying to put lyrics to this song I felt inadequate.

07 My Dog Is My Very Best Friend

If you have a dog, this song is self-explanatory. If you don’t, you wont really understand 🙂

08 Up And Down

A ballad with a touch of the Blues in a Rhumba groove masquerading as a Country song. Certified Insane 🙂

09 Sweet Memories Are Calling Me Home

A nostalgia piece, yearning for a childhood world long gone. This song features the amazing keyboards skills of Leonard Selva.

10 Where Were You Last Night

A typical sad country song, which when played live invariably ends up with terribly naughty lyrics 🙂

11 Things A Man Will Never Learn

About men and their foolishness. They never learn…

12 Footstomper

(Instrumental). Country meets Rock meets Blues meets Raggy. 14-bar verses meet 12-bar choruses as the band is told to let it rip…everyone takes a solo!

12-B So Many Roads

The “art” track. Multi-layered for your listening confusion…as a musician sings a song (a legit new song I wrote), the talkative guy (he was also in my 2nd album for one track) holds a Malaysian-English conversation with another person who only speaks in gibberish-ish words. Friends of my late brother Harjit will also recognize the “gibberish” as his most popular laughter-inducing sayings.

14 That's Life

Welcome to the real world. You struggle. All friendships are fake. Everyone wants you to fall so they can take your place.But that’s Life, you just take it as it comes along, no need to get too excited about it, just watch your back and get along with it.

15 Many Fires In Many Souls

I figured most people would never get into a music album,so why not offer folks a chance to put their voices into a recorded song. Trust me, I said. Oh No, everyone replied we know you. But a few brave souls took the risk….

Sophie. My darling. She was a pup when I was recording my 1st album. She was unwell and I wrote this piece for her. She died before it was completed. It was very difficult finishing this.

01 They Don’t Know Me In Nashville

I don’t come from any place you might have been before
I don’t come from any place you might recall as having seen
In a movie or a book, for it’s a little place
Not the kind of place you would know.

They don’t know me in Nashville,
They don’t know me anywhere at all
I’m just a small town boy with silly dreams
And I dream of it all and more, much more,
And maybe some day out in Nashville
They’ll be singing, singing all my songs

*****
Every place I’ve been I’ve just been there drifting
Every place I’ve seen I just drifted there by chance
And my songs they come drifting from my soul
Yes my songs hey come drifting from my soul.
*****

You don’t set your sights too high in Smallsville
You don’t climb mountains at all.
The hills are just too far away
And there’s tales of them being too tall
But still, you dream of what if and of what might be
And you start singing, and climbing them mountains all.

02 Are You Going To Hold Me Tonight

Are you going to hold me tonight
Or do have to sleep all alone
I didn’t mean to start a fight
Are you going to hold me tonight

Are you going to hold me
Are you going to hold me tonight
Or will I have to lie wide awake
Are you going to hold me tonight
Are you going to hold me
Are you going to hold me to night
I can’t sleep when I’m alone
Are you going to hold me tonight

You look so pretty when you sulk
But please don’t do it tonight
This here bed is getting cold
Come on over and hold me tight

I said I’m sorry and it’s true
I didn’t mean to anger you
All I said was that’s a pretty dress
Just too bad it wasn’t on you

03 Wild Horses Driving Me Away

Wild Horses driving me, Wild Horses driving me
Wild Horses driving me away
They won’t let me stay, they won’t let me stay
They won’t let me stay

Wild Horses driving me, Wild Horses driving me
Wild Horses driving me away

Every time I settle down I dread I’ll hear that distant sound
Of hooves that are pounding and shaking up the ground
They won’t leave me alone, they won’t leave me alone
Wild horses wont leave me alone

It’s something I have done, something I have done
Those Wild horses will come for me
For something I have done.
There’s nowhere to hide, there’s nowhere to hide
There’s nowhere to hide

Wild horses (will come for me) Wild horses (will come for me)
Wild horses (will come for me)Time and time again

04 I Got A Fire In My Soul

If you look at me will you tell me what you see
Do you see a river running cold.
If you look at me I am sure that you can see
See the fire burning in my soul.
I got a fire, I got a fire, I got a fire burning in my soul.
You need some Fire, you need some Fire
You need some Fire burning in your soul.

When you face your day can you tell me how you feel
Do you feel you’re sinking in a hole?
When you face your day can you tell me how you feel
Are you lost, your life just a role?

Now every time you do anything that you do
Do you do just because you have to
Yes every time you do anything that you do
Do you do but you don’t really want to

Fire, Fire, Fire burning in your soul

05 Let’s Just Say

Let’s just say we were playing a little game
And you came to me
Not for what I might be but for what I am.

And for a little while we put aside
What anyone else might say
And we take each other just for what we are
Just for what we are.

Looking at each other through everybody’s eyes.
Worrying about everybody’s words.
Let’s just say, just for once we give ourselves
Give ourselves, give ourselves a chance.

Let’s just say, you and I we ask ourselves in all honesty
If we were meant to be as a You and I or as a We

06 All I Can Send You Is Love

I see a dear friend, head low, crying.
Mourning for the loved one he’s lost forever today
I want to soothe him, give him some comfort
But words just fail me, what, oh what can I say
I feel your heartache, but can’t stop your grieving.
All I can send you is Love

All I can send you is Love. All I can send you is Love
Nothing I do, nothing I say can make things better
It’s a sad wind that blows today
I feel your heartache, but can’t stop your grieving
All I can send you is Love

In a field that is quiet now, alone he is standing.
Wondering what the past has for him today
Sunshine will never mean blossoms again
A touch of golden sparkle passes unnoticed his way
I know you’re reminiscing in your sad and lonely way
But all I can send you is Love

07 My Dog Is My Very Best Friend

My dog is my very best friend, My dog is my very best friend
He may chew all my shoes, dig holes in my lawn
My dog is my very best friend

If you’ve ever had a dog then you’ll know what I mean
Dogs are truly special, ( Our dogs can sometimes drive us nuts)
Their love is to be seen
They only see the good in us, they’re blind to our faults
Dogs are our buddies, our very very best Friends.

My dog has a melodious voice, my dog has a melodious voice
When it’s late in the night and the neighbours want to sleep
My dog he will sing them lullabies.

My dog likes my brand new car, my dog likes my brand new car
When I’ve given it a wash and got it sparkling clean
My dog he will perfume every wheel.

My dog likes to read the daily news. My dog likes to read the daily news
When the morning papers arrive my dog is first to grab them
He won’t miss a single page.

My dog’s water bowl is always kept clean
Every day I fill his bowl with fresh clean water
Then my dog goes and drinks from the drain

08 Up and Down

You’re going Up, I’m going Down
You’re going In , I’m going Out
You’re in the Clouds, I’m on the Ground
You’re going Up, I’m going Down

I’ve been trying for ages to turn things around
But all I’ve been doing is pulling you down
Now it’s time to face things square in the eye
Call it like it is, and we know why

There’s a pretty picture hanging on the Wall
Of a bird that’s flying up in the sky
You don’t see happy birds on the ground
Call it like it is, happy birds are those that fly

One day if I’m lucky I’ll find another bird
And maybe by then I too would Fly
But knowing what I am I wouldn’t hold my breath
Call it like it is, I never was made for the sky

09 Sweet Memories Are Calling Me Home

Sweet memories are calling me home
It’s been too long, been too long, since I’ve been home
Yes those sweet memories are calling me home
To think that I once thought happy days would follow me
Everywhere, anywhere.

I’ve travelled the world , chased rainbows everywhere.
Everywhere.
But what can I say, I lost those happy days
And now these memories are calling me home.

Sweet memories of a place where life was good
When enough was enoughand simple was best
And everybody shared.
Sweet memories of friends who were friends
Through happy and sad, good times and bad,
And you knew they really cared.

10 Where Were You Last Night

Where were you, last night, where were you
Where were you, last night, where were you
Where were you, last night, where were you
Where were you, last night, where were you.

This time the hurting is really bad,
I never knew I could feel so sad
It’s not the empty house, it’s not this quiet home
It’s the heartache of being so alone.

I came home last night, feeling kind of blue
I’d had a hard day and I needed you
But all that met me was a door left ajar
Where were you baby, where were you.

I’ve messed up so many times, hurting you so
I’ve been a fool I know
And you’ve run out of reasons for hanging on
And now it’s finally come the time for letting go.

11 Things A Man Will Never Learn

Every time I walk away I tell myself I’ll never, never return
But here I am outside your door once again,
I guess there’s some things a man will never learn.

Oh there’s always some things, There’s always some things
A man will never learn.

You took me to the cleaners with your sorry tales
And perfumed letters.
While I cast aside all reason and put on my shiniest armour
And when I caught on to your lies you fed me sweeter.

Every day another lie but I wanted to be lieve
And so I believed them all
Every lie a sweeter lie but I could not, would not see
And so I believed them all

You led me to a land of make-believe
And it was filled with wonders I’d never seen before
And soon that stardust was real to me
And I couldn’t bring myself to leave
For where I came from had lost its color.

14 That’s Life

Everybody wants to see you, Everybody wants to see you fall
So you better watch your step
‘Cos they’re happier the harder you fall
.
That’s Life, That’s Life. That’s Life, That’s Life.
You don’t push it you don’t shove it
You just take it or you leave it that’s Life
.
Everyday you push yourself, Everyday you push yourself Harder
Yes you’re struggling struggling struggling
But it’s never ever getting any better
.
Folks will try to hurt you, Folks will try to hurt you everytime
If you don’t watch your back
You’ll be hearing them cheering as you fall