(B.W. Davies MCPS/PRS)

Every professional performer has his share of large and small audiences. Whether playing to one person or ten thousand people (I have experience of both!), the most important thing to me is my audience. This song is a "thank you" to every person who ever gives me their time and my opportunity to sing for them. (Kirkcaldy, Fife. February, 1992)

I've sung my songs for crowds
And I've sung for only me
Sung my songs for fortunes
And I've sung them all for free
I've been so many places
I never thought I'd be
But being here's what matters to me now.

I am a travelling troubadour
And need to have you hear
The songs I sing, they bring together
Tales from far and near
I've got myself some music
To last a whole life through
And it's good to be here sharing some with you.

And now, I see you here with me
And how I need your company
You let me see that life is good
And I've got a job to do
You've opened up the world for me
And I wanna share it with you.

I've songs that tell of travel
Some that tell of home
Songs of sharing company
Or being all alone
Let's find a special song for you
The least that I can do
For it's good to have you here to see me through
And now...

I wanna share it with you
Let me share it with you.

Copyright ©1992 Bruce W. Davies. All international rights reserved.

(B.W. Davies M.C.P.S.)

Dedicated to my sons and fathers and sons everywhere. (Kilconquhar, September, 1996)

A young boy holds his father's hand
His eyes are tired and red,
As he gazes on the hero
Who tucks him into bed.
"My friends were all amazed
When they heard you play guitar,
They'd never seen one like it,
They think that you're a star".

"And what did you learn in school this week?"
The father asks his son
"Oh, just the usual,
But football was good fun,
And we're gonna have an outing,
We're going to the zoo,
But I can't wait 'til I'm older
'Cause when I grow up,
I wanna be like you".

And the father thinks of what he's done
And what his young son sees.
Missed chances and misguided moves
And flawed priorities.
And wishes he could throw away
His clinical, cynical view
And be the boy he used to be
When his world was fresh and new.

The circle's never ending,
Young boys become old men.
The young think to the future,
The old remember "when..."

And the father holds the young boy's hand,
His eyes are tired and red
As he gazes on the sleepy face,
Tucked warm and snug in bed.
Don't wish your life away, son,
Enjoy all you can do,
And the father holds his son, and thinks,
"When I grow up,
I wanna be like you."

Copyright ©1996-2003 Bruce W. Davies. All international rights reserved.

(B.W. Davies M.C.P.S.)

Sometimes songs are about people or events. This one is inspired by lots of people and lots of events I have been fortunate enough to have known and learned from. (Glenrothes, Fife. February 1996)

Well he looked kind of old, with nothin' to say
But he listened and watched as the world passed his way
And I often would see him as he sat on his own
But he never looked lonely, 'though always alone

And I felt kind of strange, watchin' him sip his tea
And I sensed he knew somethin' that was missin' in me
So I searched for the courage to just say "Hello"
And he smiled and said "Son, there's somethin' you need to know".
And he said...

Chorus
Life begins when you open your eyes
As you start every day, as the sun splits the skies
When you open your heart and you let your love flow
You can touch people you don't even know and life begins
Life begins.

He said, "I had a job, I once had a wife,
A house and some kids, a reason for life
But time took them all, I was down for a while
But not down and out, that's not my style.

For I've seen many people much worse off than me
Caught up in the "rat-race," no way to break free
So I grasp every day as though it was my last
And I look to the future and bury the past."
And he said...

Chorus...
Many years have passed on since my friend passed away
But I'll never forget him and what he had to say
And I'm glad I took time to just say "hello"
For, without his words, I never would know
That...

Chorus...
Coda

When you open your heart and you let your love flow
You can touch people you don't even know and life begins
Life begins.

(B.W. Davies MCPS/PRS)

The first song I wrote in the USA during the first of many tours (Burlingame, CA, USA. March 1995)

I'm sittin' in Santa Somethin'
Californian red in my hand
Looking out on a beautiful ocean
But I know you'll understand
When I speak of the contradiction
Gyrating in my brain
When I say that I'm blessed to be here
But wishin' I was home again
When I say that I'm blessed to be here
But wishin' I was home again

My friends are the best I'll ever find
If I looked for a million miles
We've talked and shared so many things
And smiles so many smile
But when I called you on the phone last night
As you rose to start your day
My soul was right there with you
Six thousand miles away

But I'm sittin' in Santa Somethin'...

There's so many things to see and do
So much I wanna hear
So many things to share with you
If you were only near
And I know I'll be this way again
I can't leave this behind
But I cannot leave you either
So you'll be with me next time

But I'm sittin' in Santa Somethin'...

Copyright ©1995 Bruce W. Davies. All international rights reserved.

(B.W. Davies M.C.P.S.)

Written on Royal Deeside, enjoying some of the most inspiring and beautiful scenery in Scotland. What I saw seemed to make me ask questions and also offered some answers. (Ballater, March, 1997)

The mist's letting go of the mountain,
The summit has come into view.
I can see a path stretching before me,
And it leads to something new.

I know the way forward's important,
But what I leave behind is, too.
It's the lessons we learn from each dip and each turn
That help us find where we're going to.

The river is babbling by me,
Relentlessly running to sea.
Rocks and rushes and dams try to cage it,
But still the river is free.

It's like it knows its own destination,
You get the feeling it's been there before.
It has to twist and to turn, to freeze and then burn,
But it surely will reach the shore.

Oh, beautiful river, carry me,
Oh, beautiful river, carry me,
Oh, beautiful river, carry me,
Oh, beautiful river, carry me.

And when the path reaches the summit,
When the river touches the shore,
Is it the end or another beginning,
The start of something more?

No one promised the journey was easy,
As we travel to future from past,
But it's the strength that we gain from all the pleasure and pain
That sustains us until the last.

Oh, beautiful river, carry me,
Oh, beautiful river, carry me,
Oh, beautiful river, carry me,
Oh, beautiful river...
Oh, beautiful river, carry me,
Oh, beautiful river, carry me,
Oh, beautiful river, carry me,
Oh, beautiful river, carry me.

The mist's lettin' go of the mountain.

Copyright ©1997-2003 Bruce W. Davies. All international rights reserved.

(B.W. Davies M.C.P.S.)

Inspired by the story of friends from Virginia Beach, but known to any that have loved and lost and been almost too afraid to take a chance again. (Newark, DE & Baltimore, MD, U.S.A., 10th Nov. 1997)

I'm not sayin' that I love you
Or that I like the things you say
But I'd like to know you better
Each and every day.
I'm not sayin' that I need you
Or even that I care
But I'd really like to see you, everywhere.

We've had some good times
But we both have had a past
We've learned the hard way
That love sometimes doesn't last
So I'm not sayin' that I love you
Or even that I care
But I want to be beside you, everywhere.

I'm not sayin' that you're beautiful
Or that I like your smile
Or the way you hold me
Once in a while.
I'm not sayin' that I'd miss you
If some day you went away
But I know that I'd feel empty, every day.

We've had some good times
But we both have had a past
We've learned the hard way
That love sometimes doesn't last
So I'm not sayin' that I'd miss you
If some day you went away
But I know that I'd feel empty, every day.

We've learned the hard way
That love sometimes doesn't last
So I won't promise you forever
Forever ended once before
But if you're ready for some chances
For you, I'd chance to love once more.

Copyright ©1997-2003 Bruce W. Davies. All international rights reserved.

(B.W. Davies MCPS/PRS)

A "heart song" and the winner of the 1995 Edinburgh Folk Club Songwriting Competition. (Kingskettle, Fife. January/February, 1995)

I'd like to be the one to put the smile back on your face
I'd like to be the hand that puts your hair back in its place
I'd like to be the one who is forever on your mind
For you're all that I need to be on mine

I'd like to be the name you call whenever things go wrong
I want to hear your harmony in each and every song
I'd like you to be close enough to say you love me, too
For all I need to be beside is you

I wish these things for you, my love
But you're not to blind to see
That wishing everything for you
Is like a wish for me

I'd like to take you everywhere and share so many things
I want to see you happy with the things our loving brings
I'd like to give you more than I could ever even see
But don't ever hide yourself away from me

I wish these things for you, my love...

I'd like to see us old and gray and healthy all the while

I want to hear us laughing, I love to see you smile
And as long as there is sky above and water fills the sea
You know you'll get the very best from me

I wish these things for you, my love...

So I'd like to be the one to put the smile back on your face
I'd like to be the hand that puts your hair back in its place
I'd like to be the one who is forever on your mind
For you're all that I need to be on mine

You're all that I need

Copyright ©1995 Bruce W. Davies. All international rights reserved.

(B.W. Davies, A.M. Davies - MCPS/PRS and H.J. Andrews - Haska Music)

Out of the mouths of babes.or twenty-seven five-year-old children! (Fife. May 1995)

I must be getting older
I've got zig zaggy skin
My feet are getting colder
I can't keep my heat in
My hair is turning curly
And a funny shade of blue
But don't you sit there laughing kid
It'll happen soon to you

My joints are getting creaky
I sleep ten hours a day
People are so cliquey
And I can't hear what they say
If I don't write my lists down
I haven't got a clue
But don't you sit there laughing kid
It'll happen soon to you

You might lose youth and beauty and elasticity
But your world is so much wider when your bus trips are for free!

I know I should be somewhere
But I can't recall the place
And I'd get there if I could see
My hand before my face
But without my glasses
I can't find the map I drew
Don't you sit there laughing kid
It'll happen soon to you

I thought I'd lose my memory but I haven't lost it yet...

My heart beats a shaky shuffle time
My hands are shaky, too
My teeth are rattling in a glass
Like they never used to do
Old age is creaking up on me
I've a different point of view
Don't you sit there laughing kid
It'll happen soon to you

Yes old age is creaking up on me
But every stage is new
Don't you sit there laughing kid
It'll happen soon to you

Extra middle eight (Unrecorded)
You've time to take up walking, to do your garden, too
But, what you used to do all day, takes all day to do

Copyright ©1995 Bruce W. Davies. All international rights reserved.

(B.W. Davies M.C.P.S.)

One of my most popular "our songs". (Ballater, Aberdeenshire. May 1995)

I know it won't be easy for life can be so tough
But you and I will both get by, if we can care enough
And you know I'm with you always, in everything you do
And no matter what life deals us, for me, the best is you.

There are times we cannot see it, but there's a road that lies out there
Call it fate, or faith, or destiny, it's a road for us to share
It's a path into the future, where everything is new
And no matter where it leads us, for me, the best is you.

It's hard to cling to where we've been but it's worse to let it go
But time moves on, it won't turn back and it's time for us to grow

It's time for taking chances, to stand out on your own
Do things you've never done before, sow seeds you've never sown
And you know I'm with you always, in everything you do
And no matter what life makes us, for me, the best is you.

Time moves on, it won't turn back and it's time for us to grow

I know it won't be easy for life can be so tough
But you and I will both get by, if we can care enough
On the path into the future, where everything is new
And no matter where it leads us, for me, the best is you.

No matter what life deals us, for me, the best is you.

The best is you.

Copyright ©1997-2003 Bruce W. Davies. All international rights reserved.

(B.W. Davies M.C.P.S.)

Written for a friend whose world seemed to be falling apart. These words have been as much of an encouragement to me over the years as they have been to anyone else.
(Rutherglen, Glasgow. Summer, 1981)

If you're losin' yourself and all that you own
And you're feelin' inside, you're always alone
Don't stop believin', don't stop receivin'
From your Lord, from your Lord.

When your world's in a mess and you've done your best
You don't know where to turn, your inside is burnin'
Don't stop believin', don't stop receivin'
From your Lord, from your Lord.

Like a big ship, it's tiny in an ocean
Like a mountain, it's small against the sky
God's love is big enough to find you
And His love for you will never, ever die

If your trouble are large and you can't face them all
There's an answer for you, He will hear when you call
Don't stop believin', don't stop receivin'
From your Lord, from your Lord.

Like a big ship, it's tiny in an ocean
Like a mountain, it's small against the sky
God's love is big enough to find you
And His love for you will never, ever die

When you're losin' yourself and all you possess
Just open your heart, He's ready to bless
You need His blessing, you need His guiding hand
Need His love, take his love.

Copyright ©1997-2003 Bruce W. Davies. All international rights reserved.

(B.W. Davies/A.M. Davies MCPS/PRS)

Everyone grows, everyone changes. It's learning to cope with growth and change in a relationship that is important. (Kingskettle, Fife. May-August, 1997)

You've given me the strength to be "me"
And I can't take all the credit but you've learned to be "you"
But whatever happened to the "us" we used to be
Or at least the "us" I thought we could be?

We met and fell a long time ago
And, through the ups and downs, we let each other grow
We sang the same song but we found our separate keys
Sometimes solo, sometimes harmonies.

But whatever happened to the "you" I knew
Whatever happened to the flowers that grew
Whatever happened to the "us" we used to be
Whatever happened to you and me?

Sometimes I don't know if it's good or it's bad
But what we have is not like the feelin' we had
We learned to grow and to be all we can be
And you believed in us when I couldn't believe in me.

But whatever happened to the "you" I knew...

Life was good the way that it was
Life is good the way that it is
It's just different...

But whatever happened to the "you" I knew...

Copyright ©1997 Bruce W. Davies. All international rights reserved.

(B.W. Davies M.C.P.S.)

Yet another song about the internal conflict known to so many performers. It's nice to be "on the road" but it's even nicer to get back home again. (Glenrothes, 1985 and Kingskettle, 1997)

My 'plane is nearly due
And I'm wishin' I was there with you
Sittin' down by an open fire,
Watchin' flames getting' higher and higher and higher.
And when I'm far away,
I love to 'phone and hear you say
That you're missin' me ev'ry day,
You can't wait 'til I'm home to stay,
To stay.

CHORUS
And oh I love to be on the road again
Singin' my songs, seein' my friends,
Learnin' what's around the bend.
But still, I have the feelin'
Long before each trip is through,
That I wish I was on the road with you.

We've been drivin' through sun and rain,
Feelin' tired but feelin' no pain,
Trav'lin' from town to town
Movin' ourselves around and around and around.
But the face I want to see
Is in the place I want to be
I'll be home in a little while,
I can't wait 'til I see your smile
What a beautiful smile

CHORUS
And oh I love to be on the road again...

And in the winter evenin's
Your love can keep me warm.
And when I'm close beside you
I'm safe from any storm

Repeat verse one

CHORUS
And oh I love to be on the road again...

I wish I was on the road with you.

Copyright ©1997-2003 Bruce W. Davies. All international rights reserved.

(B.W. Davies MCPS/PRS)

While listening to the famous Adagio from Albinoni's Organ Concerto, the story of this song played in my mind like a movie. I took notes, which eventually became a lyric. (Ballater Aberdeenshire. October 1995)

He wanders alone, in the park
By the bench where she stroked his hair
He's with her; she's not there
Only the memory
Locked in his mind, lost in his mind
Only the memory
Locked in his mind, a love for all time
A love for all time

Past trimmed, tidy lawns, neat flowers in rows
The yellows of spring
Or summer, who knows?
But she knew their names
And their seasons to bloom, seasons to bloom
But she knew their names
And their seasons to bloom, but like a flower
Vanished too soon

And onto the bridge, over waters asleep
Past the gap in the fence
And the willows that weep
He sees, hand in hand
A young man and wife, husband and wife,
He sees, hand in hand
The husband and wife and smiles and remembers
His reason for life

So he wanders alone, in the park
By the bench where she stroked his hair
He's with her; she's not there
Only the memory
Locked in his mind, lost in his mind
Only the memory
Safe in his mind, a love for all time
His love for all time

Copyright ©1995 Bruce W. Davies. All international rights reserved.

(B.W. Davies MCPS/PRS)

Inspired by a friend's story, but really an amalgam of many people's situations. Not the easiest lyric to listen to, but probably my best to date. (Kingskettle, Fife. March, 1995)

I'm flattered you can talk to me
I'm just sad you feel the need to
There's no way I could have guessed
What's going on in your mind
You say you're getting worried
'bout the feelings you've been feeling
You know you really love him
But have other thoughts inside

But maybe he needs you
Maybe he's searching for the things he knew
Maybe he's looking for the love
You both knew at the start
Maybe he feels like you
Afraid and wond'ring what to do
He's looking for the reason
He first gave you his heart

And you wish that he would hold you
When he comes home late at night
But he's tired and soon ready
To turn out the light
So you give him space to breath
And you get on with your life
Make plans for calling on the kids
You're a mother and a wife

But maybe he needs "you"...

And you know that all he does
He does for only you
But you feel on the sidelines
On hold, in a queue
And you're sure there's no one else
He needs to share his life
But you need for him to see your pain
And play "husband" to your "wife"

You've acted these rolls
Each and every day
To satisfy each other
But lost something on the way
And sometimes, you think you'll leave
For a better life out there
But it won't take fifteen years
To find the same story everywhere

Maybe he needs you
Maybe he's searching for the things he knew
Maybe he's looking for the love
You both knew at the start
Maybe he feels like you
Afraid and wond'ring what to do
He's looking for the reason
You'll always have his heart

Copyright ©1995 Bruce W. Davies. All international rights reserved.

(B.W. Davies MCPS/PRS)

We often wish that we could avoid painful "goodbyes". If that were possible, think of the wonderful "hellos" we'd miss and the dear friends and memories we would never know. (Ballater, July, 1997)

There's gonna be a time
And I know it's comin' soon
When reaching for your hand
Will be like reaching for the moon
You say you have to leave,
Not a thing can make you stay
But my thoughts will be there with you
When you're far, so far away

Because you touched me
(with your body and your mind)
You touched me
(with your love and acts of kindness)
You touched me and I'm thankful for this time
And the mem'ry of you when you go away.

You always meet good people
That's a thing I've heard you say
And you'll always meet good people
When your heart is on display And now you're heading home
Over all those weary miles
But I won't forget your laughter
And the love that fills your smiles

Because you touched me...

I've no right to act this way
But I wish that you could stay
Sometimes we don't know what we've got 'til it's gone
But I know what this is and I want it to go on

Touch me
With your body and your mind
With your love and acts of kindness
I'm thankful for this time
And the mem'ry of you when you go away

Copyright ©1997 Bruce W. Davies. All international rights reserved.

(B.W. Davies MCPS/PRS)

A James Taylor-ish "groove" that eventually found words and became a celebration. (Kingskettle, Fife. April 1996)

Why do I feel like I could touch the sky?
What makes me smile at strangers passing by?
What is this thing that makes me feel that I am
Lucky to be alive

Can lonely days be finally at an end?
Can it be that I have found a friend
To share my road through every curve and bend
And on whose love I can depend?

I'm in love; I want the world to know it
I'm in love; I want my smile to show it
I'm in love
Can't believe this thing called love

I never thought that I would see a day
When such a prize would ever come my way
But now you're here I'm gonna make you stay
I'm gonna love you come what may

I'm in love...

There was a time I tasted years
Of bitter heartache, wasted tears
But now it's time to hold you in my arms
To fold you in my arms

I'm in love...

Copyright ©1996 Bruce W. Davies. All international rights reserved.

(B.W. Davies MCPS/PRS)

While preparing for a visit to Lagos, Nigeria, I reflected on how lucky I am to be able to visit far-flung places and come home after a week or so. My thoughts then turned to the Highland Clearances in Scotland and potato famine in Ireland and those far less fortunate than me. Of course, forced exile like that couldn't happen these days... (Kingskettle, Fife. December 1995)

Got my tickets and passport, I'm on my way
Last injection yesterday
I'll be back in a week or two
But there's work I have to do
And I'm eager to see old friends I know
And places recalled from long ago
Who knows the new things I might find
But home is always on my mind
It's not paradise or a palace but its...

Home, and that's good enough for me
Home, and someone waits to see me comin'
Home, it's where I'd rather be
Home

It makes me think of how things used to be
For people forced across the sea
Away from all they knew before
To a foreign life on a foreign shore
Doubt and fear on every hand
They couldn't hope to understand
The future, they must try to find
With thoughts of home in heart and mind
Not paradise or a palace but...

Home, and that's good enough for me...

But it still goes on today
With dispossessed and disarray
I can choose to go or stay
It can't happen here...

She's got her tickets and passport she's on her way
To a place where she can work and play
She'll be home in a year or two
But work is what she has to do
She'll be eager to see old friend, I know
And places lost in long ago
When she returns, new things she'll find
But home is always on her mind
Not paradise or a palace but...

Home, and that's good enough for me...

Copyright ©1995 Bruce W. Davies. All international rights reserved.

(B.W. Davies MCPS/PRS)

I had been asked to sing at the Christmas Eve service for my Church and was was working in retail management at the time. I was so busy with the "business" of Christmas that I had lost sight of the real reason for the festivities... I even caught myself saying, "thank goodness it happens just once a year" (Glenrothes, Fife. December, 1983)

Fancy lights, busy streets, crowds everywhere
Christmas is coming and there's snow in the air
Party time, bells that chime, a time of good cheer
Thank goodness it happens just once a year

Is this your Christmas? Is this what you know?
A song for the season, tickets for the show
A sock full of presents, cans in the bin
And still no room at the inn.

If we could feel as Mary felt when she had God inside
Would we feel really humble, would we fill up with pride?
Well we can feel the way she did, He's inside us now
And waiting to grow if our hearts will allow.

So what is your Christmas? What do you know?
A song for the season, tickets for the show
A sock full of presents, cans in the bin
And still no room at the inn.

Can't you hear a voice calling, you've heard it before before.
Come in from the darkness to light evermore.
Take the message of Christmas, don't miss it again,
He's the way, the truth and the life for all men

Enjoy your Christmas, enjoy all you've got
But please don't forget to give Jesus a thought
It was cold in the stable, is He waiting there still?
Let Him into your Christmas if you will

So what is your Christmas, what will you know?
A song for the season, tickets for the show
A sock full of presents, cans in the bin
And still no room at the inn?

Copyright ©1983 Bruce W. Davies. All international rights reserved.

(B.W. Davies M.C.P.S.)

Written in various places over a long period of time. As I sing it I have visions of movies, some real and some imagined. I'm waiting for someone to write "the screenplay" (Various, 1996)

Another time, another place He might have had her for his own.
A different town, a different space
A million miles from home sweet home.
She's amazing, but apart
From everything he's ever known.
Another time, another place,
Another world.

If she'd been here, or he'd been there
It might have been a different scene,
But that's not the way things are
Or the way they've ever been.
They make their mem'ries,
All they have of all the things they've done and seen.
Another time, another place,
Another world.

If only she'd been the only one.
She's not the first but she's second to none.
When his thoughts start sounding like a song,
He figures something so right can't be wrong.

Another time, another place
He might have had her for his own.
A different town, a different space
A million miles from home sweet home.
She's amazing, but apart
From everything he's ever known.
Another time, another place,
Another world.

Another time, another place,
Another world,
Another dream.

Copyright ©1997-2003 Bruce W. Davies. All international rights reserved.

(B.W. Davies M.C.P.S.)

We all are on a journey. Wherever your journey is from or to, this song is for you. Thanks for making my job such a pleasant one. (Kingskettle and Edinburgh, 14th April, 1997)

Dear friend, though your journey is long,
May you find peace in the words of a song
Filled with love, filled with hope
For the best of tomorrows for you.
And if your way is filled with fear,
May you find strength from your time spent here
Filled with love, filled with hope
For the best of tomorrows for you.

A wish for tomorrow is the best I can give
For yesterday's gone, but tomorrow's to live
Filled with love, filled with hope
For the best of tomorrows for you.

And when we part, it's just for a while
Keep the music within you, let it help you to smile.
It's filled with love, filled with hope
For the best of tomorrows for you.
The best of tomorrows for you.

Copyright ©1997-2003 Bruce W. Davies. All international rights reserved.

(B.W. Davies MCPS/PRS)

An "our song" for many couples. (Carradale, Argyllshire. July 1987)

Oh, for a night at home
Oh, for a night together on our own
With the kids tucked up in bed
And precious peace instead
Oh, for a night
Just one peaceful night
What I'd give for a night at home

The years have been kind to us
Since you changed your name to mine
We've learned to face the hard times
Learned to taste the wine
We've shared love with our children
And love's grown between us, too
But photographs and phone calls
Can't take the place of you

Oh, for a night at home..

My business takes me places
I wish that you could see
Life would be so easy
If you were there with me
But life is not so simple
And there has to be some pain
In front of silver linings
There has to be some rain

Oh, for a night at home...

Copyright ©1987 Bruce W. Davies. All international rights reserved.