Billy Bragg – Full English Brexit

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Billy sympathetically puts himself in the shoes of a Brexiteer and summarises some of the feelings and reasons that led up to the vote to leave Europe.

“Full English Brexit”

My neighbours don’t drink at the local
Or have kippers for breakfast like me
The food that they eat smells disgusting
They’d rather drink coffee than teaIt’s true that their kids are respectful
They gave me their seat on the bus
But it’s just that there’s so many of them
That I fear what will become of usI’m not racist, all I want is
To make things how they used to be
But change is strange and
Nobody’s listening to me

I cheered when our side won the Cold War
Spread freedom and peace all around
Now there’s folks speaking Russian in Tesco’s
It’s a shame the wall had to come down

I know some are fleeing from war zones
To keep their young children from harm
But my parents stayed put through the Blitz years
And me? I was sent to a farm

Yeah the sun shines, but sometimes
I don’t feel like this is my country
But to say so? Oh no
I never get no sympathy

Once we ruled over an empire
So it feels like some kind of defeat
To comply with rules drawn up by strangers
And measure in metres not feet

We don’t want to go but by Jingo
If we can’t be in charge, then we must
But don’t be offended, dear neighbour
It’s not you: this is all about us

But it’s alright, alright
I think I’ve found a remedy
Yes it’s alright, gonna be alright
It’s a full English Brexit for me

Roy Harper – Desert Island – A delightful Song about the Plunder of the Planet

Posted on by Opher
The beauty of the song belies the message. The planet is beautiful and we are plundering it.
The planet becoming the hostess
Instead of the meal
Air fire water earth you were paradise
I’m sorry about me

Desert Island

Roy Harper

1
1

Desert Island

Gonna paint my room like a desert island
With yellow sand and blue lagoon
Invite you all to come and live there
One afternoon
It’ll be when no-one’s looking
More likely that not
We’ll close the door and turn the sky up
Find a good spot
Air fire water earth you were paradise
I’m sorry about me
I was under impression
That you were free and easy
Gonna paint my room like a desert island
With clear skies and rising swell
Leave the clowns on the jaded horizon
In Wall Streets of Hell
I must say goodbye to the blindfold
And pursue the ideal
The planet becoming the hostess
Instead of the meal
Air fire water earth you were paradise
I’m sorry about me
I was under impression
That you were free and easy
(To plunder)

All You Need Is – Roy Harper – A Song About Women’s Lib!

Posted on by Opher
I think this is a song that is a reaction to the Beatles – All You Need is Love. Roy was never going to come out with sentiments like that. It would have been too simplistic and naff.
I first wrote out the lyrics for this song with Roy when we were doing his lyric book. It took a lot of doing. They are not too clear to make out on that 1968 CBS album – a lot clearer on the CD that came out a lot later. It is amazing how you can now just go on line and all the lyrics are there at your finger tips.
I’d always thought the song was about an acid trip he’d taken with Mocy, his first wife (not too much of a leap given the opening lines) but Roy denied that and said that the song was the result of one of those deep, late-night conversations.
Whatever. I still think there are shades of acid about it.
It was a song that I loved. It was a pop at the shallowness of the culture. Everyone dressed up to kill with their latest hairstyle, trendy clothes drunkenly out on the pull.
Every time I see a gaggle of girls out around town wearing next to nothing, with their incredibly short dresses, tottering around on high heels squealing and giggling, clutching at each other drunkenly, I think about this song. Nothing changes.
There’s a made infinite universe out there. There’s a life to be lived. There are a million questions to be answered and a million things to absorb and experience.
All you need is…………..
But then nothing really matters in the everything surrounding us.
All You Need Is

This song is by Roy Harper and appears on the album Come Out Fighting Ghengis Smith (1968).

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I gave my love a daisy
A third eye in my mind
We turned the crazy day around
To see what we could find
And went onto a journey
Reflecting us so deep and wide
That we could see the other side
Of knowing nothing matters
In the everything surrounding us
Surrounding everything itself
Surrounding

I saw my love gaze into
A swelling sea of life
She turned onto my shoulder
And terribly she cried
Until her eyes were closing
And asked me if she really was
A woman like the rest because
The rest she saw as empty vessels
Looking ripe and dressed to kill
But really very far away from
Freedom

She sobbed and put her head down
And walked into the night
Saying that she was as wrong as any
And that the rest were right
That they were proper women
Existing in a stupid mess of
Vegetable thoughtlessness
Made up as if to please the men
But making life a drag for them
Rejecting all communication
Giggling

I put my arm around her
And told her from my heart
That she was of a new world
Of which they weren’t a part
And told her not to bother
For she was free, as free as me
To do the things she wanted to
With more respectability
Than all the shallow painted faces
Twittering into emptiness
Together

Pretty woman walking down the street how can you
Expect to be loved with so much selfish arrogance?

Pretty woman your nose in the air, how can you
Expect me to love you knowing so much about you?

Why do you always have to receive love first?
Why are you unable to give some without being asked?

All you need is
All you need
Is all
You
Need is all
You need
Is

Run Run Rudolf – Chuck Berry – The Best Christmas Single Ever!!!

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“Run Rudolph Run”

Out of all the reindeers you know you’re the mastermind
Run, run Rudolph, Randolph ain’t too far behind
Run, run Rudolph, Santa’s got to make it to town
Santa make him hurry, tell him he can take the freeway down
Run, run Rudolph ’cause I’m reelin’ like a merry-go-round

Said Santa to a boy child “What have you been longing for?”
“All I want for Christmas is a Rock and Roll electric guitar”
And then away went Rudolph a whizzing like a shooting star
Run, run Rudolph, Santa’s got to make it to town, come on
Santa make him hurry, tell him he can take the freeway down
Run, run Rudolph, reeling like a merry-go-round

Said Santa to a girl child “What would please you most to get?”
“A little baby doll that can cry, sleep, drink and wet”
And then away went Rudolph a whizzing like a Saber jet
Run, run Rudolph, Santa’s got to make it to town
Santa make him hurry, tell him he can take the freeway down
Run, run Rudolph ’cause I’m reelin’ like a merry-go-round

My Books – The Story So Far.

Posted on by Opher

The 59th book – A Sci-Fi novel, is already congealing in my head. It will need to ferment for some time yet. I am far too busy to begin on that.

So far my writing career has spanned 46 years and produced 57 books. Unfortunately not all of them are brilliant and not all of them are digital. A number still languish in typewritten documents in desperate need of a good edit and retype. If only I had more time.

The Books I have Written Up to Now.

Sci-Fi novels
1.      Pornographic Syndromes

2.      Destination self

3.      Hallucination

4.      Nosedive

5.      Green

6.      Intergalactic Rockstar – Star turn

7.      Ebola in Eden

8.   Zero to infinity

9.   Reality dreams Vol 1

10. October 14th is too far

11. Trapdoor

12. Journey into time

13. Sorting the Future

14. The Gordian Fetish
Fiction – Avant Garde Novels
15.  City Angels

16.  Goofin’ with the cosmic freaks

17.  53 & imploding

18.  Reflections from a ditch

19.  Farther from the sun

20.  The universe – a users guide

21.  The apartment

22.  Torture

23. Bodies in a Window

24. Danny’s Story
Antitheist
25.  Antitheists Bible

26.  Book of Ginny

27.  Antitheists dictionary
Non-fiction – Poetry and Art
28.  Diary of a 60s freak

29.  Poetry Vol 1 – Prose and Cons

30.  Poetry Vol 2 – Vice and Verse

31. Poetry Vol 3 – Rhyme and Reason

32. Poetry Vol 4 –

33. Poetry Vol 5 –

34. Poetry Vol 6 – Codas, Cadence and Clues

35. Poetry Vol 7

36. Poetry Vol 8 – Poems for Hard Times

37. My Art & Outpourings

 
Rock Music
38.  Rock Strata Vol 1

39.  Rock Strata Vol 2

40.  Rock Strata Vol 3

41.  Rock Strata Vol 4

42.  Rock Streams

43.  Rockin my life away

44.  Roy Harper Vol 1

45.  Roy Harper Vol 2

46.  Roy Harper Vol 3

47.  Roy Harper Vol 4

48.  Roy Harper Biog

49.  Under the covers

50.  In Search of Captain Beefheart

51.  537 Essential Rock Albums pt 1

52.  Ruminating on Roy Harper

53.  Nick Harper the Wilderness Years

54.  Tribute to Rock Geniuses Vol 1

55. The Blues Muse
Education
56.  Coordinated science multiskill practicals

57.  Coordinated science practicals

58.  Headship – a passion for education

Of these I will select a dozen of the best to revamp and relaunch.

Wish me luck.

 

 

Stuck for a Christmas Present? Why not give something cheap, unique and really interesting?

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Stuck for a Christmas Present? Why not give something cheap, unique and really interesting?

The Christmas present to suit all tastes – an Opher Book!

It fills the gap.

They look great!!

Reasonably priced

Absorbing

And supporting an excellent cause (my writing!)

Utterly unique

Interesting

Your friends and relatives, loved ones and enemies will all be amazed!

There’s one for every occasion!

 

All my books are available here:

In the UK

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Opher-Goodwin/e/B00MSHUX6Y/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1511709996&sr=1-2-ent

In the USA

https://www.amazon.com/Opher%20Goodwin/e/B00MSHUX6Y/ref=la_B00MSHUX6Y_pg_2?rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_82%3AB00MSHUX6Y&page=2&sort=author-pages-popularity-rank&ie=UTF8&qid=1511710617

In the rest of the world via your regional Amazon store.

Thank you for buying an Opher book.

If I may be allowed to make a few suggestions:

If you like Sci-fi

a. Ebola in the Garden of Eden

b. Green

If you like Rock Music

a. The Blues Muse

b. In Search of Captain Beefheart

If you are concerned about the Environment

a. Anthropocene Apocalypse

If you are interested in Art

a. Opher’s Art and Outpourings.

If you are interested in Education

a. A Passion for Education – the story of a Headteacher

Or maybe you want some poetry, antitheist books, experimental novels or Beat/Alternative novels. There’s plenty of choice.

Thanks for stopping by and looking.

A big thank you to all those who have been reading my books under the free Kindle scheme and to those who have either bought digital versions for their electronic readers or paperback versions.

If you have enjoyed your read please leave a review on Amazon. It all helps.

A Reinvention of Self.

Posted on by Opher

For the past decade I have been amusing myself with my writing. I have been writing new books like mad, writing up my old books, and generally having fun self-publishing all the books that have been in my head for forty years.

I have written in excess of 50 books and have published some 40. I’m quite proud of that. They say everyone has a book in them. Seemingly I had in excess of 50.

I have used my art and photography as the cover-work.

Presently I have 4 books written awaiting redrafting or lay-outs:

Ruminating on Roy Harper

Nick Harper – The Wilderness Years

Bodies From a Window

The Gordian Fetish.

But I am at a crossroads and in need of some re-evaluation.

Cheryl kindly told me that she thought the Artwork did not help. My wife told me that I had too many books in too many genres and it was off-putting. She thought my presentation and blog was not professional enough.

I think they are right.

So I am having a relaunch of myself as a writer.

I am setting up separate blogs for my Sci-Fi, Religion and Rock Music. I am changing my name and writing under a pseudonym for each genre. I will take my best books, review them in depth, change the cover, change the name and relaunch them. I want a serious presentation to reflect the seriousness of my work.

We’ll see how this goes.

In the meantime – thank you for buying my books. Please leave a review if you have enjoyed reading them.

I will be glad to hear your thoughts and answer your questions.

I will keep you informed.

We are Thinking with our Glands – Poem

Posted on by Opher

We are Thinking with our Glands

 

Speaking with chemicals and not electricity

Creates a morass of thought

In which to wade.

Stances selected subliminally

Create allegiance to tribal stance

And not renegade.

We select the facts

To fit the answers

We desire to hear.

And reject all opposition

Out of accentuated fear.

All we can be certain of

Is that the truth

Rarely does appear.

For allowing our glands to rule

Is not a good idea.

It open us to control

From those who pull the strings.

Who know exactly how to push the buttons.

The feed in the manicured ‘facts’

To reinforce the message

For which we are the gluttons.

We cannot discern truth with chemicals

We must apply electricity

Then wading through the fake news

Is a path of more simplicity

For division is the devil’s trade

And the friend of the politician

While cooperation is our strength

When making our decisions.

 

Opher 18.12.2017

 

 

 

 

 

My Favourite Protest Songs – The Beatles – Piggies

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This is a song about the evils of capitalism. The Beatles were surrounded with them all trying to get on the gravy train and get their snouts in the trough.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?source=hp&ei=u8gpWqfROMzTwQKDprawCg&q=Youtube+Beatles+Piggies&oq=Youtube+Beatles+Piggies&gs_l=psy-ab.3..0j0i22i10i30k1.4100.16923.0.18136.23.23.0.0.0.0.511.3933.0j17j0j1j2j1.21.0….0…1.1.64.psy-ab..2.21.3916…0i131k1j0i22i30k1.0.6eG3R2xR4u0

“Piggies”

Have you seen the little piggies
Crawling in the dirt?
And for all the little piggies
Life is getting worse
Always having dirt to play around inHave you seen the bigger piggies
In their starched white shirts?
You will find the bigger piggies
Stirring up the dirt
Always have clean shirts to play around in

In their styes with all their backing
They don’t care what goes on around
In their eyes there’s something lacking
What they need’s a damn good whacking

Everywhere there’s lots of piggies
Living piggy lives
You can see them out for dinner
With their piggy wives
Clutching forks and knives to eat their bacon

(One more time…)”Piggies”

Have you seen the little piggies
Crawling in the dirt?
And for all the little piggies
Life is getting worse
Always having dirt to play around in

Have you seen the bigger piggies
In their starched white shirts?
You will find the bigger piggies
Stirring up the dirt
Always have clean shirts to play around in

In their styes with all their backing
They don’t care what goes on around
In their eyes there’s something lacking
What they need’s a damn good whacking

Everywhere there’s lots of piggies
Living piggy lives
You can see them out for dinner
With their piggy wives
Clutching forks and knives to eat their bacon

(One more time…)

My Favourite Protest Songs – Frank Zappa – Plastic People

Posted on by Opher

Within the satire and craziness is a real commentary aimed at the sterility of the plastic, conforming universe created by mankind.

“Plastic People”

Ladies & Gentelmen . . . the PRESIDENT of the UNITED STATES!

Fella Americans . . .
DOOT, DOOT, DOOT . . . DOOT . . .
He’s been sick.
DOO-OO-OOT . . . DOOT! DOOT!
(Teet-Teet . . . Teet-Teet . . . Teet-Teet . . . Teet-Teet-Teet)
And I think his wife is gonna bring him some chicken soup.
DOOT, DOOT (Teet-Teet)

Plastic people
Oh baby, now . . .
You’re such a drag

(I know it’s hard to defend an unpopular policy every once in a while . . . )

Plastic people
Oh baby, now
You’re such a drag

(And there’s this guy from the CIA and he’s creeping around Laurel Canyon . . . )

A fine little girl
She waits for me
She’s as plastic
As she can be
She paints her face
With plastic goo
And wrecks her hair
With some shampoo

Plastic people
Oh baby, now
You’re such a drag

(I dunno . . . sometimes I just get tired of ya, honey . . . it’s – Ah – your hair spray . . . or something.)

Plastic people
Oh baby!
You’re such a drag

(I hear the sound of marching feet . . . down Sunset Blvd. to Crescent Heights, and there, at Pandora’s Box, we are confronted with . . . a vast quantity of PLASTIC PEOPLE.)

Take a day
And walk around
Watch the nazis
Run your town
Then go home
And check yourself
You think we’re singing
‘Bout someone else . . . but you’re

Plastic people!
(Woooooooooooooooooooh!)
Oh baby, now . . .
You’re such a drag

Ooo-Ooo-Ooo Ooo-Ooo-Ooo Ooo-Ooo-Ooo Ooooooooh!

Me see a neon
Moon above
I searched for years
I found no love
I’m sure that love
Will never be
A product of
Plasticity
A product of
Plasticity
A product of
Plasticity:

[FZ:]
PLASTIC! PLASTIC PEOPLE!
PLA-HA-HA-HA-HA . . .
PLASTIC . . . PEOPLE
PLASTIC PEOPLE . . . OO-OOOH OO-OOH . . .
PLASTIC . . .
A prune is a vegetable . . . no, a prune is not a vegetable. Cabbage is a vegetable . . . makes it O.K. PLASTIC PEOPLE . . . PLASTIC PEOPLE, PLASTIC PEOPLE!
Ooo-Hoo-Hoo . . . Ooo-ooh-ooh-ooh Hoo-Hoo
Ooh-ooh Ooh-Hoo-Hoo-Hoo

[Ray:]
You are. Your foot. Your hair. Your nose. Your arms. You eat. Youc suck. You love. You are. Your being is . . . you’re PLASTIC . . . PEOPLE . . . BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH . . . plastic pepples . . . [?]
You drive. You live in. You dream about . . . you think only of . . . you eat . . . you are . . . pepples . . . plastic . . . plastic pepples . . .
Purple prancing. Plastic people. Every pepples . . .

Peep-peep Pee-pee-pee-pee-pee-pee-pee-pee-peep!