Monday Morning Blues
Louisiana Sunrise was written after a long drive from St Cloud Florida, up to New Orleans through the beautiful bayous and the swamplands of the Mississippi. Early morning sunrise, sunny days, blue skies, the open road, beautiful sunsets and good company.
Monday Morning Blues is about the rat-race of daily toil, and the working people caught up in it. It recognises the beggar and the busker and the plight of homeless people of our cities, and the hard lives they live and the struggle of their existence.
Ghetto Child, a child born into the ghetto, who strives in the face of adversity, and reaches out to grasp the unattainable. She never gives up hope or gives in to negativity, although the road is long and very hard. I admire her qualities and her perseverance.
Unconditional Love is a really catchy fun song, which was a joy to sing and to record. The song is about one partner taking advantage of the other, saying; "You always put conditions on my love. You should love me unconditionally".
Patrick My Mother's elder brother Patrick moved from a small Orkney island of Westray to the city of Edinburgh to find work. As a young fisherman with a family to support, times were hard for them, and he had to find a way to supplement his family income. Patrick took up boxing, which was popular in Edinburgh at the time, and this helped to pay the bills for a while. One night my Uncle Patrick was struck by a blow to the head, from which he never recovered. He subsequently died from his injuries.
Darkness of the Night Years ago, when I first started taking an interest in the opposite sex, there were no discos or formal dances in the country areas where I lived, and so a local farmer would allow his hayloft to be used for a barn dance. There was no real seating there, apart from hay-bales, and I well remember the boys standing over on one side of the barn and the girls on the other, with roughly twenty feet of terrifying space separating us. I recollect walking across the floor towards a girl, brimming with confidence, however, halfway across the floor my confidence would take a nosedive, and by the time I had reached the girl, I had become a bumbling idiot. Those twenty feet of floor had a lot to answer for.
Christmas in Kissimmee My first Christmas away from home was in the sunshine state of Kissimmee Florida . Now I hear you saying, l would love to spend Christmas in the sun. However, I really missed the simple things of life, sitting round a cosy log fire, and watching the snow glistening on the trees. Most of all I miss being away from my family at Christmas.
Island Of Wolves We have ancient stories and legends in the Highlands . ' Island of Wolves ' is one of the oldest stories. Centuries ago, the Black Isle was covered in thick impenetrable forest, and with dense undergrowth, and was the breeding place for wolves. Packs of them would attack children and animals in local villages and on the outskirts of towns. In order to rid the Isle of wolves, the villagers and townspeople had to burn and clear the under-growth. This song tells the story of a child taken by the wolves.
Daddy Sold Me When marriages or relationships break down, the outcome is not always pretty. This is a very sad song about self-fulfillment and greed. It tells about a man who bartered away his daughter in order to keep both his mistress, and his material wealth.
Tell Me Why Give compassion instead of anger; give hope instead of despair, and most of all preserve and cherish the gift of life.
Hawaiian Nights Aloha. I spent a month in Hawaii , which has to be one of the most beautiful places on Earth. I think of it as my very own friendly and laid back paradise; Sun, sand, and surf, happy people, fine food, and so much more I wrote two songs while. I was in Hawaii , 'Seasons' which was on my first album and 'Hawaiian Nights which is on this, my latest.
Harvest Moon I grew up in a remote croft in the Highlands, and harvest time held fond and cherished memories for me. It was a time for fun and for celebration, but it also held a paganistic and mysterious side. Some frosty nights I would walk through the fields, just looking up at the night sky and watching the stars sparkle. The harvest moon was bright and shining down over the countryside, and I just wanted to reach out my hand and touch it. I kept the idea of " Harvest Moon" in my head for years, before sitting down with my friend in Florida , thousands of miles from my homeland.
It took us only five minutes to write this meaningful song. What more could I ask for, sitting on the porch playing my guitar in good company, watching the sun go down.
