In view of the many problems I have been facing accessing "blogger", and my lack of technical know how (in order to avoid conspiracy theories), I have moved my pages to wordpress which so far I can access freely.
To those of you still willing to share my ramblings, enclosed are the links.
http://forabetterlebanon.wordpress.com/
http://mywarthroughmusic.wordpress.com/
http://riplebanon.wordpress.com/
Until I find a solution to whatever it is that is forbidding my access to blogger, and in order to keep on rambling; I seek your indulgence and ask you to follow the links above.
Thanking you in advance for your understsanding.
Marillionlb
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Holiday Inn 1975
One of the first signs that Lebanon was doomed and that the war would outlast the many cease fires, was the savage destruction of the heart of Beirut (what is now known as "down town").
The Holiday Inn hotel was newly built with high hopes and aspirations; but they were short lived. Although relatively young, I remember the big sign on the side of the hotel advertising the only movie that ever played in the the hotel theater. For the life of me (or maybe it was denial on my part) I can not recall if it was "the great Waltz" or "the last Waltz" . I decided that it was the latter,maybe because Dylan and the Band accompanied me through the years of war; so I leave it up to you to correct me.
Meanwhile and at the risk of being wrong, I will share yet another part of me with you via the follwing from the band, which remind me of the Holiday Inn hotel, and the those who decided to jump from its high floors in order to escape torture on the hand s of the "mourabitoun".
And funnily enough it was not only the first, but the last waltz this hotel played in it's movie theatre, and it sure was the "Last waltz" a dozen of martyrs even danced whilst falling down to their deaths.
"They say ev'rything can be replaced,
Yet ev'ry distance is not near.
So I remember ev'ry face
Of ev'ry man who put me here.
I see my light come shining
From the west unto the east.
Any day now, any day now,
I shall be released.
They say ev'ry man needs protection,
They say ev'ry man must fall.
Yet I swear I see my reflection
Some place so high above this wall.
I see my light come shining
From the west unto the east.
Any day now, any day now,
I shall be released.
Standing next to me in this lonely crowd,
Is a man who swears he's not to blame.
All day long I hear him shout so loud,
Crying out that he was framed.
I see my light come shining
From the west unto the east.
Any day now, any day now,
I shall be released."
The Holiday Inn hotel was newly built with high hopes and aspirations; but they were short lived. Although relatively young, I remember the big sign on the side of the hotel advertising the only movie that ever played in the the hotel theater. For the life of me (or maybe it was denial on my part) I can not recall if it was "the great Waltz" or "the last Waltz" . I decided that it was the latter,maybe because Dylan and the Band accompanied me through the years of war; so I leave it up to you to correct me.
Meanwhile and at the risk of being wrong, I will share yet another part of me with you via the follwing from the band, which remind me of the Holiday Inn hotel, and the those who decided to jump from its high floors in order to escape torture on the hand s of the "mourabitoun".
And funnily enough it was not only the first, but the last waltz this hotel played in it's movie theatre, and it sure was the "Last waltz" a dozen of martyrs even danced whilst falling down to their deaths.
"They say ev'rything can be replaced,
Yet ev'ry distance is not near.
So I remember ev'ry face
Of ev'ry man who put me here.
I see my light come shining
From the west unto the east.
Any day now, any day now,
I shall be released.
They say ev'ry man needs protection,
They say ev'ry man must fall.
Yet I swear I see my reflection
Some place so high above this wall.
I see my light come shining
From the west unto the east.
Any day now, any day now,
I shall be released.
Standing next to me in this lonely crowd,
Is a man who swears he's not to blame.
All day long I hear him shout so loud,
Crying out that he was framed.
I see my light come shining
From the west unto the east.
Any day now, any day now,
I shall be released."
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Migration
In view of the many problems I have been facing accessing "blogger", and my lack of technical know how (in order to avoid conspiracy theories), I have moved my pages to wordpress which so far I can access freely.
To those of you still willing to share my ramblings, enclosed are the links.
http://forabetterlebanon.wordpress.com/
http://mywarthroughmusic.wordpress.com/
http://riplebanon.wordpress.com/
Until I find a solution to whatever it is that is forbidding my access to blogger, and in order to keep on rambling; I seek your indulgence and ask you to follow the links above.
Thanking you in advance for your understanding.
Marillionlb
To those of you still willing to share my ramblings, enclosed are the links.
http://forabetterlebanon.wordpress.com/
http://mywarthroughmusic.wordpress.com/
http://riplebanon.wordpress.com/
Until I find a solution to whatever it is that is forbidding my access to blogger, and in order to keep on rambling; I seek your indulgence and ask you to follow the links above.
Thanking you in advance for your understanding.
Marillionlb
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Before I go to sleep !
Just for you!
The glow
Around your face
When you see
The lightning race
I know
I'm very near
And I can hear
The thunder
A woman
Of perplexity
A woman
For eternity
A woman
Of the land
A woman
For a man
I'm down
On my knees
And I'm saying
Please believe me
It's hard
To fall out
Of love
Completely
It's harder
To find a way
To come back
Discreetly
To speak
Of things anew
To weep
In quiet blue
Brocade upon your bed
Memories should fade
At least of you
A scepter
Of ice and fire
A specter
Of my desire
A girl-child
Of such loveliness
The woman
Of my emptiness
A woman
Of famed
Renown
A woman
Who kicks the clown
A woman
Of the land
A woman
For a man
The glow
Around your face
When you see
The lightning race
I know
I'm very near
And I can hear
The thunder
A woman
Of perplexity
A woman
For eternity
A woman
Of the land
A woman
For a man
I'm down
On my knees
And I'm saying
Please believe me
It's hard
To fall out
Of love
Completely
It's harder
To find a way
To come back
Discreetly
To speak
Of things anew
To weep
In quiet blue
Brocade upon your bed
Memories should fade
At least of you
A scepter
Of ice and fire
A specter
Of my desire
A girl-child
Of such loveliness
The woman
Of my emptiness
A woman
Of famed
Renown
A woman
Who kicks the clown
A woman
Of the land
A woman
For a man
The days of Bernie, when Elton was great.
Friends I remember, but a few I kept. One sticks to my mind especially, Mitri. Playing guitar and singing. One thing we could agree upon was (then) the two following songs that we both recorded on a loop on a Maxwell tape which played over and over again.
You're not a ship to carry my life
You are nailed to my love in many lonely nights
I've strayed from the cottages and found myself here
For I need your love your love protects my fears
And I wonder sometimes and I know I'm unkind
But I need you to turn to when I act so blind
And I need you to turn to when I lose control
You're my guardian angel who keeps out the cold
Did you paint your smile on, well I said I knew
That my reason for living was for loving you
We're related in feeling but you're high above
You're pure and you're gentle with the grace of a dove
Holy Moses I have been removed
I have seen the spectre he has been here too
Distant cousin from down the line
Brand of people who ain't my kind
Holy Moses I have been removed
Holy Moses I have been deceived
Now the wind has changed direction and I'll have to leave
Won't you please excuse my frankness but it's not my cup of tea
Holy Moses I have been deceived
I'm going back to the border
Where my affairs, my affairs ain't abused
I can't take any more bad water
I've been poisoned from my head down to my shoes
Holy Moses I have been deceived
Holy Moses let us live in peace
Let us strive to find a way to make all hatred cease
There's a man over there what's his colour I don't care
He's my brother let us live in peace
He's my brother let us live in peace
He's my brother let us live in peace
You're not a ship to carry my life
You are nailed to my love in many lonely nights
I've strayed from the cottages and found myself here
For I need your love your love protects my fears
And I wonder sometimes and I know I'm unkind
But I need you to turn to when I act so blind
And I need you to turn to when I lose control
You're my guardian angel who keeps out the cold
Did you paint your smile on, well I said I knew
That my reason for living was for loving you
We're related in feeling but you're high above
You're pure and you're gentle with the grace of a dove
Holy Moses I have been removed
I have seen the spectre he has been here too
Distant cousin from down the line
Brand of people who ain't my kind
Holy Moses I have been removed
Holy Moses I have been deceived
Now the wind has changed direction and I'll have to leave
Won't you please excuse my frankness but it's not my cup of tea
Holy Moses I have been deceived
I'm going back to the border
Where my affairs, my affairs ain't abused
I can't take any more bad water
I've been poisoned from my head down to my shoes
Holy Moses I have been deceived
Holy Moses let us live in peace
Let us strive to find a way to make all hatred cease
There's a man over there what's his colour I don't care
He's my brother let us live in peace
He's my brother let us live in peace
He's my brother let us live in peace
Days long gone, but not forgotten.
In between Funky Town and Daddy cool I had Borrowed the LP entitled "Disco Boom" from my friend Phillipe. And when I deemed it appropriate, I relieved myself from my DJ duties and had my moment of glory with the one I thought at the time would be the mother of my 15 kids!
Heartache was to follow.
I listen to the falling rain play rhythms on my roof
takes me far away remembering a love song
Impossible for me to tell how many times I've tried
to describe to you the way I felt about you
Sometimes I felt that rock'n'roll no longer had no sense at all
the songs I used to sing never brought you closer
la,la,la,la baby I love you (X 3) oh I love you
I stopped beneath a falling star and wished I was a poet
Who’d express himself in beautiful confessions
I'd tell you how you cause me pain each time I stood before you
Betrayed by all the needs that burn inside me
Heartache was to follow.
I listen to the falling rain play rhythms on my roof
takes me far away remembering a love song
Impossible for me to tell how many times I've tried
to describe to you the way I felt about you
Sometimes I felt that rock'n'roll no longer had no sense at all
the songs I used to sing never brought you closer
la,la,la,la baby I love you (X 3) oh I love you
I stopped beneath a falling star and wished I was a poet
Who’d express himself in beautiful confessions
I'd tell you how you cause me pain each time I stood before you
Betrayed by all the needs that burn inside me
Monday, November 24, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Friday, November 21, 2008
A split from the crowd !
Yes Supertramp was popular, so were Pink Floyd in my troubled days; and the two Rogers decided to go their own way. Regardless of who made it bigger, both have provided me with some reprieve in my troubled youth.
Time is always on the run, we've only just begun, lovers in the wind
Life is all we have to share, you know we must take care
Lovers in the wind
There was a time, when it was hard to know
reaching out, reaching out for somewhere to go
There was a light born on the darkest day
but no one wants to know, and no one wants to try
Love is all I have to give, it's all I need to live, lovers in the wind
There was a time, when it was hard to know
reaching out, reaching out for somewhere to go
There was a light born on the darkest day
but no one wants to know, and no one wants to cry
Time is always on the run, we've only just begun, lovers in the wind.
Hello...you wanna cup of coffee?
I'm sorry, would you like a cup of coffee?
Ok you take cream and sugar?
In truck stops and hamburger joints
In Cadillac limousines
In the company of has-beens
And bent-backs and sleeping forms
On pavement steps
In libraries and railway stations
In books and banks
In the pages of history
In suicidal cavalry attacks
I recognise...
Myself in every stranger's eyes
And now from where I stand
Upon this hill I plundered from the pool
I look around, I search the skies
I shade my eyes, so nearly blind
And I see signs of half remembered days
I hear bells that chime in strange familiar ways
I recognise...
The hope you kindle in your eyes
It's oh so easy now
As we lie here in the dark
Nothing interferes it's obvious
How to beat the tears
That threaten to snuff out
The spark of our love
Take your pick, for I never could !
Time is always on the run, we've only just begun, lovers in the wind
Life is all we have to share, you know we must take care
Lovers in the wind
There was a time, when it was hard to know
reaching out, reaching out for somewhere to go
There was a light born on the darkest day
but no one wants to know, and no one wants to try
Love is all I have to give, it's all I need to live, lovers in the wind
There was a time, when it was hard to know
reaching out, reaching out for somewhere to go
There was a light born on the darkest day
but no one wants to know, and no one wants to cry
Time is always on the run, we've only just begun, lovers in the wind.
Hello...you wanna cup of coffee?
I'm sorry, would you like a cup of coffee?
Ok you take cream and sugar?
In truck stops and hamburger joints
In Cadillac limousines
In the company of has-beens
And bent-backs and sleeping forms
On pavement steps
In libraries and railway stations
In books and banks
In the pages of history
In suicidal cavalry attacks
I recognise...
Myself in every stranger's eyes
And now from where I stand
Upon this hill I plundered from the pool
I look around, I search the skies
I shade my eyes, so nearly blind
And I see signs of half remembered days
I hear bells that chime in strange familiar ways
I recognise...
The hope you kindle in your eyes
It's oh so easy now
As we lie here in the dark
Nothing interferes it's obvious
How to beat the tears
That threaten to snuff out
The spark of our love
Take your pick, for I never could !
Monday, November 17, 2008
Préface ou prémonition ?
C'est un trou de verdure où chante une rivière,
Accrochant follement aux herbes des haillons
D'argent ; où le soleil, de la montagne fière,
Luit : c'est un petit val qui mousse de rayons.
Un soldat jeune, bouche ouverte, tête nue,
Et la nuque baignant dans le frais cresson bleu,
Dort ; il est étendu dans l'herbe, sous la nue,
Pâle dans son lit vert où la lumière pleut.
Les pieds dans les glaïeuls, il dort. Souriant comme
Sourirait un enfant malade, il fait un somme :
Nature, berce-le chaudement : il a froid.
Les parfums ne font pas frissonner sa narine ;
Il dort dans le soleil, la main sur sa poitrine,
Tranquille. Il a deux trous rouges au côté droit.
Le deserteur : Serge Reggiani
Monsieur le Président
Je vous fais une lettre
Que vous lirez peut-être
Si vous avez le temps
Je viens de recevoir
Mes papiers militaires
Pour partir à la guerre
Avant mercredi soir
Monsieur le Président
Je ne veux pas la faire
Je ne suis pas sur terre
Pour tuer des pauvres gens
C'est pas pour vous fâcher
Il faut que je vous dise
Ma décision est prise
Je m'en vais déserter
Depuis que je suis né
J'ai vu mourir mon père
J'ai vu partir mes frères
Et pleurer mes enfants
Ma mère a tant souffert
Elle est dedans sa tombe
Et se moque des bombes
Et se moque des vers
Quand j'étais prisonnier
On m'a volé ma femme
On m'a volé mon âme
Et tout mon cher passé
Demain de bon matin
Je fermerai ma porte
Au nez des années mortes
J'irai sur les chemins
Je mendierai ma vie
Sur les routes de France
De Bretagne en Provence
Et je dirai aux gens:
Refusez d'obéir
Refusez de la faire
N'allez pas à la guerre
Refusez de partir
S'il faut donner son sang
Allez donner le vôtre
Vous êtes bon apôtre
Monsieur le Président
Si vous me poursuivez
Prévenez vos gendarmes
Que je n'aurai pas d'armes
Et qu'ils pourront tirer
Accrochant follement aux herbes des haillons
D'argent ; où le soleil, de la montagne fière,
Luit : c'est un petit val qui mousse de rayons.
Un soldat jeune, bouche ouverte, tête nue,
Et la nuque baignant dans le frais cresson bleu,
Dort ; il est étendu dans l'herbe, sous la nue,
Pâle dans son lit vert où la lumière pleut.
Les pieds dans les glaïeuls, il dort. Souriant comme
Sourirait un enfant malade, il fait un somme :
Nature, berce-le chaudement : il a froid.
Les parfums ne font pas frissonner sa narine ;
Il dort dans le soleil, la main sur sa poitrine,
Tranquille. Il a deux trous rouges au côté droit.
Le deserteur : Serge Reggiani
Monsieur le Président
Je vous fais une lettre
Que vous lirez peut-être
Si vous avez le temps
Je viens de recevoir
Mes papiers militaires
Pour partir à la guerre
Avant mercredi soir
Monsieur le Président
Je ne veux pas la faire
Je ne suis pas sur terre
Pour tuer des pauvres gens
C'est pas pour vous fâcher
Il faut que je vous dise
Ma décision est prise
Je m'en vais déserter
Depuis que je suis né
J'ai vu mourir mon père
J'ai vu partir mes frères
Et pleurer mes enfants
Ma mère a tant souffert
Elle est dedans sa tombe
Et se moque des bombes
Et se moque des vers
Quand j'étais prisonnier
On m'a volé ma femme
On m'a volé mon âme
Et tout mon cher passé
Demain de bon matin
Je fermerai ma porte
Au nez des années mortes
J'irai sur les chemins
Je mendierai ma vie
Sur les routes de France
De Bretagne en Provence
Et je dirai aux gens:
Refusez d'obéir
Refusez de la faire
N'allez pas à la guerre
Refusez de partir
S'il faut donner son sang
Allez donner le vôtre
Vous êtes bon apôtre
Monsieur le Président
Si vous me poursuivez
Prévenez vos gendarmes
Que je n'aurai pas d'armes
Et qu'ils pourront tirer
Deliver your children
No hidden meanings or bitterness intended,a simple song with an "upbeat" that reminds me that I must have been one the few who did not idolized the beatles. Solos from John, Paul and George were my cup of tea !
Well, the rain was a-failin'
And the ground turned to mud
I was watching all the people
Running from the flood
So i started to pray
Though i ain't no prayin' man
For the lord to come a helpin'
Knowing he'd understand
Deliver your children to the good good life
Give'em peace and shelter and a fork and knife
Shine a light in the morning and a light at night
And if a thing goes wrong you'd better make it right
Well, i had me a woman
She was good and clean
She spent all day with the washing machine
But when it come to lovin'
She was never around
She was out getting dirty
All over town
Chorus
Well, i was low on money
And my truck broke down
I was on my way to the lost and found
So i took it to a dealer
I said make it run
Well, i ain't got no money
But i got me a gun
I said you robbed me before
So i'm robbing you back
And if it don't put you straight
It'll put you on the right track
Well, i ain't no devil and i ain't no saint
But i can tell a dealer by the colour of his paint
Chorus
If you want good eggs
You gotta feed that hen
And if you wanna hear some more
Well, i'll sing it again
Well, the rain was a-failin'
And the ground turned to mud
I was watching all the people
Running from the flood
So i started to pray
Though i ain't no prayin' man
For the lord to come a helpin'
Knowing he'd understand
Deliver your children to the good good life
Give'em peace and shelter and a fork and knife
Shine a light in the morning and a light at night
And if a thing goes wrong you'd better make it right
Well, i had me a woman
She was good and clean
She spent all day with the washing machine
But when it come to lovin'
She was never around
She was out getting dirty
All over town
Chorus
Well, i was low on money
And my truck broke down
I was on my way to the lost and found
So i took it to a dealer
I said make it run
Well, i ain't got no money
But i got me a gun
I said you robbed me before
So i'm robbing you back
And if it don't put you straight
It'll put you on the right track
Well, i ain't no devil and i ain't no saint
But i can tell a dealer by the colour of his paint
Chorus
If you want good eggs
You gotta feed that hen
And if you wanna hear some more
Well, i'll sing it again
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)