LYRICS

GOTTA BELIEVE 
You gotta believe when your heart is on the floor 
You gotta believe when you can't go on anymore 
Gotta think quick when your world is on the brink 
And draw quick, or it‘s over in a blink 
My enemies were lined up on the ridge 
And it was still a day before I‘d reach the bridge 
So I turned my steed around and I leapt the great divide 
I lost my gold, I lost my pride 
but I made it on to the other side 
And when I came round I was lying in the dust 
Didn‘t know which way to go and all my plans were lost 
That night I dreamt of Jane, I was mad to let her go 
I headed back to the East to tell her that I loved her so 
After a year or so, I was about to abandon my quest 
I‘d searched from high to low and from East to West 
In the canyon below, a rider caught my eye 
I just knew it was Jane, 'cos even a mile away 
her looks could never lie 
I tumbled down the canyon side, I was battered and bruised 
Fell into her way, I was trampled under the hooves 
Jane looked down at me, and I told her what I‘d dreamt 
She said, that‘s the strangest thing I ever heard 
But I gotta believe that it makes sense

LUPE'S THEME
I'd stay out of trouble 
But that would be in vain 
I killed a man last night 
He had it coming his way 
Out here's a game of bloody 
and deadly tag 
If they take it 
They won't ever give it back

LEAVE THE LIGHT ON 
I‘m just a dog who‘s lost his way 
I‘m down at heel 
I‘m just a dog who‘s had his day 
Forgotten how to feel 
So please leave the light on for me

WOULDN'T CHANGE 
Look at the afternoon 
The air is thick and black 
No time to lose 
No time turning back 
And I wouldn't change a single thing 
Which was good because 
I couldn't change a single thing

ENGINE ON 
I'm in the heat and my engine's on 
Shifting boulders and building dams in the sun 
I need a break to Babylon 
Need escape to the city in the sands 
She's in the pool, is this sufficiently cool 
Shades for UV and for VU 
How do you like the view 
It's Greek to me, it's a siren's song 
It seems to be something that you've known all along 
They're calling you to where you are bound 
Some are tied to the mast, and others drowned 
It's not paradise but it will do for the night 
For a moth to the light, good spot for a sybarite 
In the pool, there's no fishing as a rule 
And the catch of the day appears to be you 
When the sun sets, the desert gives up her breath 
When the night comes, escape a fate worse than death 
Try your luck to forget, make up what you lack 
What choice did you ever have 
And you ache for her like a phantom limb 
You're reeled in, it's not a sin 
It's a feeling you can't put your finger on 
When you're in the heat and your engine's on

THE REVENANT
When she left I had the blues 
But it's better now I'm on the move 
All those years of endless rain 
I'm out of the grey 
I'm on the plains, in golden hues 
What a state you left me in 
In the bottom of a ditch 
Broke my heart, broke my legs 
Left for dead with a kick in the head 
But I'm coming back now from the edge 
I'm not over yet, not quite spent 
I'm the Revenant 
When she left, I had the blues 
But it's better now I'm on the move 
All those days of endless rain, I'm out of the grey 
I'm on the plains, with golden views 
Times were bleak, and people could be quite malevolent 
But I'm on my way, I'm on my feet I'm The Revenant

ALWAYS SEEKING 
Always seeking, never reaching 
Keeps turning, like the seasons 
Always seeking, never reaching 
Ever flowing, like a river 
Always seeking, never reaching 
Ebb and flowing, like an ocean

TRACK NOTES

01) CANYON (00:49)

02) GOTTA BELIEVE (4:19) 
I'm partial to some heavy rock now and again so enjoyed writing this. In the studio, John Etheridge put aside his boutique Jazz amp and plugged his guitar into the studio's Marshall. The solo sounds like molten lava dripping off the fretboard, lovely. Kate Kurdyak is singing backing vocals. 

03) FOUR COACHES (2:36) 
An early dawn attack, encircled in the mist. 

04) LUPE'S THEME feat. Kate Kurdyak (2:15) 
The album artwork was illustrated by the fantastic Anthony Macbain (Grand Theft Auto etc), who shared some of my musical tastes and finally had a slot.  As the character Anthony created turned out to be female, it seemed to call for some female influence on the album. I remembered Vox Rea, a Canadian noir pop band I'd come across in 2020, led by Kate Kurdyak whose work I really loved, and who I thought would be perfect. 

05) PARNELL'S LAST STAND (1:06) 
When Kenny Jones, the engineer, was mixing 'Four Coaches', I thought Marc Parnell's tribal percussion isolated sounded brilliant. So 'Parnell's Last Stand' comes from 'Four Coaches'.

06) LEAVE THE LIGHT ON (3:22) 
This is a character piece, about a grizzled old dog. I recorded it with Davide Mantovani on double bass and Steve Waterman on trumpet.  I liked the woody sound of the acoustic instruments against the bright brass.  I first played with Steve Waterman in 2018 - he plays the terrific solo on 'Give Me Your Horse'. 

07) LODDER'S LURCH  (1:20) 
I mentioned to Steve Lodder that it would be nice to have a saloon piano interlude on the album. Something like this? he asked as he improvised something. Yes siree! Steve's first takes are invariably superb.

08) KILLING TIME (2:38) 
I was after another 'Jazziachi' trumpet piece, something light and sunny. This has the same line-up as 'Leave The Light On'. 

09) WOULDN'T CHANGE (3:00) 
This track is the original demo I sent the musicians before we went into the studio. I'd meant to try some other ideas but in the end kept the original as it caught the right vibe.

10) ENGINE ON (3:30) 
There was a lot of to-ing and fro-ing about including this track on the album.  It's more modern, but seems to tie in with the general mood of the album. Plus I'm from London not El Paso and I wanted to balance it out a bit.  And I like guitar riffs. 

11) THE CROSSING (MAIN THEME) (2:38) 
This piece started life as a song but ended up as two instrumentals, this version as a Western Theme starting on the main melody.  I've written the lyrics so I'll possibly record the song with the right singer one day. 

12) THE REVENANT feat. John Etheridge (4:56) 
I liked the idea of a revenant as someone coming back from a doomed relationship and it tied in with the album's cowboy noir mood. I chose this track as the album's first single partly as I love the solos - first by Steve on a Rhodes and then two absolute blinders by John on lead guitar. 

13) THE CROSSING (PIANO) feat. Steve Lodder (3:48) 
I heard Steve playing the original song solo on an upright piano and he commented he could play it all day. It sounded terrific and as perfect an expression of the song as any. 

14) ALWAYS SEEKING (ALBUM VERSION) (3:00) 
Well there were other versions but I was struggling with the Morricone choir and this one seemed to capture something natural.
 

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