Turn of the Tide - Lyrics & Stories
Bluenose Lives On
By Dave Curtis and John Hughes
Dave Curtis: backing vocal, acoustic guitar
John Hughes: lead vocal, bass
Kevin Evans: acoustic guitar, whistle, percussion
I wrote this song after an exhilarating afternoon sail on Bluenose II in late September out of her home port in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. I was with John, his wife Joanne, and three of their five daughters. I’ve been a fan of the Bluenose as long as I can remember. I have models, pictures and all kinds of representations of her, plus a piece of her hull. To actually go sailing on her was a dream come true. It was a beautiful day with a few clouds, and a nice breeze came up – enough to give her a good heel to the wind. I was in awe as she sliced the waves and made all the sounds you’d expect from a tall ship. This ship and her rich history has always evoked in me a sense of awe, excitement and drama, and I wrote this song to capture some of that.
Chorus
This ship she hails from Lunenburg
The pride of Nova Scotia, she sails the world
The heart and soul of Lunenburg
Live in every sail and grain of wood
They live on in the sails and the wood
They live on in the sails and the wood
They started them young, to the Grand Banks they went
And came home running deep with full holds
T’was full canvas above, the roar of water below
Put the race in their blood and their bones
A quick skipper they called him, pushed it right to the edge
They all knew him for carrying sail
When the races came on Lunenburg threw the glove
Angus Walters answered the call
And Bluenose was born to defend the fishermen’s pride
She was born in Nova Scotia to defy the American side
Well, Gloucester’s best could only watch in her wake
While Bluenose slashed water close hauled
The big black schooner out of Lunenburg
Beat them all though she grew tired and old
And her skipper could read her, he listened, she spoke to him
Songs of the sails and the wood
Her last race into history will n’er be forgotten
The trophy stays home now for good
But forgotten she was, in strange waters, all but her name
Now her memory lives on, in Bluenose II she rises again
She lies still as she patiently waits at the pier
The grace of her history wears well
And the tourists come down from the Company Store
To remember as she casts her spell
We back into the harbour as she turns about
And makes way for an afternoon sail
Her young crew heaves and hauls and the sails billow out
As she heels to the breeze on the bay
Bluenose II comes alive once again and her memory lives on
In the song of the sails and the wood, Bluenose lives on
Ocean Solace
By Dave Curtis
Dave Curtis: lead and backing vocals, acoustic guitar
John Hughes: backing vocals, bass
Kevin Evans: acoustic guitar, electric guitar, keyboard
Tom Roach: drums, cabasa
The Ocean Solace is proudly owned by my brother Pete and his wife Joanne, in British Columbia, Canada. A motor-sailer, you can sit in the captains chair, steer it with your feet and play guitar while watching the world pass slowly by. I wrote this while I was doing just that along coastal British Columbia, one of the most beautiful cruising areas of the world. Jody, a long-time friend of Pete and Joanne’s, would usually join us. Once you’ve tried cruising like this, you just want to keep doing it. It’s good for the soul. When we played this song live, sometimes I would say that in writing it, it kind of drifted in through the window as we were cruising. At this point John would usually comment that it was most likely from a passing boat.
I can steer the boat with my feet
I’m thinking to myself, life is sweet and I’m
Playing my guitar in the captain’s seat
The Ocean Solace, she can’t be beat
If a six knot cruise is what you seek, because
She may be slow but there’s no real need, for speed,
She’s the, Ocean Solace and her skipper is Pete.
She’s a 39 footer and she’s made of steel
A fixer-upper Pete got a good deal, she has
Two masts, three sails and a wooden wheel
He joined the Metal Boat Society, and
He’s as proud of her as he can be, she was
Built by a Dutchman with a good feel, for steel
She’s the, Ocean Solace, steel surreal.
Chorus
Now he’s got, Ocean Solace in his soul
The ocean calls he’s coming home
To the turn of the tide he sets his goals
‘Cause he’s got, Ocean Solace in his soul
He’s got charts and tide books and cruising guides
He keeps a log book by his side, and
From the GPS you cannot hide
Fuel up, stock up, BYOB
Check the weather, at least that’s free, and
Good luck trying to find the CBC, for me
As the, Ocean Solace heads out to sea
Bridge
Jody and Joanne are the hands on deck,
Keeping skipper in check, and they
Remind us all why we are here
Some friends may come and some may go, but those
Old friends are like family
And the ties that bind we hold so dear, it’s so clear
Making passage down to Bellingham
Dropping anchor at Suchia Island, we
Saw the shooting stars and laughed all night long
Heading north of Desolation Sound
Rolling waves and bouncing all around, I see
Eagles and whales, man, life abounds, in Sounds
And I think, Ocean Solace is paradise found
Chorus 2x
I can steer the boat with my feet
Down to the Ocean
By Dave Curtis and John Hughes
Dave Curtis: backing vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica, banjo
John Hughes: lead vocal, bass
Kevin Evans: electric guitar
Tom Roach: drums
More than a hurtin' song, this is a beggin' song. It’s really the first song I had a hand in writing. It began as a banjo lick I’d been playing with for awhile. When John and I first began thinking about playing as a duo, I played this lick for him and he shot out the line “I don’t want you to leave me, I don’t want you to go.” That gave us the theme and the rest happened soon after.
I still recall the day I found you
Our love was full, our promise true
Love’s flower found our fertile ground here
We’ve come too far to be this blue
Chorus
I don’t want you to leave me
I don’t want you to go
Come with me down to the ocean
I need your love to give me hope
These two wheels I ride will take me
Far away from troubled times
And this road along the coastline
Still soothes and helps me to unwind
But I don’t want to leave your shelter
Without your love I can’t go on
I’d miss our walks in late September
I’d miss your smile your voice your song
So come with me down to the ocean
Hop on this bike and we’ll escape
The skyline waits the future beckons
These two wheels and I can’t wait
Aunt Abbey
By Max Woolaver
Dave Curtis: lead vocal, acoustic guitar
John Hughes: backing vocal, bass
J.P. Cormier: fiddle
Kevin Evans:
Aunt Abbey embodies the strength and grace of the quintessential Nova Scotian woman. Max is a dear friend I met in Brighton, Ontario when I wanted my oldest son to be baptized and I figured I’d better start attending the church where this would occur. Max was the priest. I soon discovered he is a gifted singer, songwriter and musician with a great sense of humour. We formed our first band, and that was when I started to play bass. I played with Max for about 12 years, including after he moved to Toronto, and he is still a constant source of inspiration to me. He played this song at most of our gigs.
I saw my mother’s sister, gazing out from her screen door
She was standing still like prayer, looking out on the Noel Shore.
Silent as a deer she stood there, strong and light, her hands were still
And her face was sweet attention, she inspired and always will
Chorus
Aunt Abbey, Aunt Abbey, Aunt Abbey will never die
Do thou lead me to the rock, that higher is than I
Psalms of David, the Church of Scotland, the metre’d psalter’s my gift to you
And the pages bear the burnished hue of gold, dated 1832
She shall be like a tree, that grows near planted by a river
Which in season bears its fruit, and her leaf it fadeth never
Her hair was silver her voice soft spoken, farm and field were in her stride
And her blood was Nova Scotian her heritage and pride
She was eldest of the sisters and I’m humbled was kin to me
She embodied the endless ages and the silence of the sea
I cannot think of the salt marshes or the cliffs of dark red clay
Without seeing Abbey standing gazing out from her doorway
She shall be like a tree, that grows near planted by a river
Which in season bears its fruit, and her leaf it fadeth never
Star of the County Down
Traditional, arranged by John Hughes & Dave Curtis
Dave Curtis: backing vocal, bass
John Hughes: lead vocal
Kevin Evans: acoustic and electric guitars, banjo, percussion, whistle
This is another song John has played for years and we both wanted to include it on the album.
Near Banbridge town in the County Down one morning last July
Down a Boreen green came a sweet colleen and she smiled as she passed my by
She looked so sweet from her two bare feet to the sheen of her nut-brown hair
Such coaxing elf, sure I shook myself, for to see I was really there
Chorus
From Bantry Bay up to Derry Quay, Galway to Dublin town
No maid I’ve seen like my brown colleen that I met in the County Down
As she onward sped, sure I scratched my head and I looked with a feeling rare
And I says, says I, to a passer-by: Who’s the maid with the nut-brown hair?
He smiled at me and he says, says he: That’s the gem of Ireland’s crown
Young Rosie McCann from the banks of the Bann she’s the star of the County Down
Chorus
At the harvest fair she’ll be surely there, so I’ll dress in my Sunday clothes
With my shoes shone bright and my hat cocked right, for a smile from my nut-brown rose
No pipe I’ll smoke, no horse I’ll yoke, til my plough is a rust-coloured brown
Til a smiling bride by my own fireside, sits the star of the county Down
Sail Away
By Dave Curtis
Dave Curtis: lead vocal, acoustic guitar, harmonica
John Hughes: backing vocal, bass
Kevin Evans: electric guitar, mandolin, keyboard, percussion
Tom Roach: drums
I call this an escape song with your soul mate. Some folks might say that if it’s really an escape song you’d leave the soul mate on shore (and the soul mate might prefer that). But I’m more romantic than that. I wrote this because, as you can probably tell, I’m enamoured with the sea and the idea of sailing off into the sunset is an irresistible and universal theme.
The sky’s so blue out on the ocean
Breezes fair, sun is high
Dreams take flight out on the ocean
Horizons bare, no land in sight
Gentle swells, feel so right
Sail away
Love shines for miles out on the ocean
Wind in hair, skin so soft
She cradles me in her emotion
A quiet laugh, a tender touch
Spirits soar, she cares so much
Sail away
Bridge
All my memories of our love, are in the air
All the answers I long for, are everywhere
She’s all I could ask for
For her I am meant for
The wind’s in our sails and our destiny shared
Forever’s real out on the ocean
Timeless tales, ancient rhymes
Till the end of time, that’s our notion
She holds me close, the evening shines
Sunset’s glow stays all night
Sail away
Sail away
Sail away
Sometimes
By Dave Curtis
Dave Curtis: Backing vocal, acoustic guitar
John Hughes: lead vocal, bass
Kevin Evans: electric guitar, lead acoustic guitar, keyboard, percussion
Have you ever met someone who seems familiar somehow, almost as if you’ve known that person before? I wrote this on a long drive between Fredericton, New Brunswick, and Montreal. Just south of Edmundston, New Brunswick, there was a beautiful sunset and the lyrics and melody began to arrive pretty much at the same time. I also call it a ‘manifesting’ song. To create what you want you have to be true to yourself and put it out there. This was putting it out there. I’ve had a number of people tell me how much they love this song in particular.
Sometimes in the sky
I see my lover’s eyes
In the orange glow of the eventide
Beneath a painter’s moon
And sometimes late at night
With stars an awesome sight
I know her gentle love
Will find me soon
Sometimes when she smiles
Her light shines from her eyes
You feel her love surround you
A kindness with no end
And sometimes when she cries
The hurt will never die
For children yet unborn
Must wait again
Chorus
Oh my lady
My sweet and gentle lady
I feel you in my heart
I see you in my dreams
Where are you my lady
My one my only lady
Will we meet again
And remember who we’ve been
Sometimes when she sings
A chord inside me rings
A familiar feeling rises
A faded memory
And sometimes when she moves
Her graceful dancer’s groove
Reminds me of our past
That’s meant to be
Chorus
We’ll meet again
And remember who we’ve been
Whiskey and Tobacca
By John Allen, arr. by John Hughes & Dave Curtis
Dave Curtis: backing vocal, double bass
John Hughes: lead vocal, acoustic guitar
J.P. Cormier: banjo, mandolin
Kevin Evans: lead acoustic guitar, percussion
Tom Roach: drums
Smuggling isn’t really this much fun …is it? John Allen is a long time friend of John Hughes, and now a friend of mine too. He plays in a wonderful band out of Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia, called “Midlife Crisis”, and is a great song writer. John Hughes plays the song a particular way on the guitar and when I heard him doing it I starting slapping the bass and we came up with this arrangement, which is quite different than the way John Allen performs it. When we played the song this way in Mahone Bay’s Mug and Anchor Pub, John Allen was in the audience. Someone told him it was his song we were playing. He replied “not so far it isn’t!” I think he likes it though. I had always played this song on the electric bass but at the recording session in Halifax it didn’t quite work the way I was used to doing it and we didn’t finish the bass part. I added the double bass afterwards in Brighton, Ontario. Kudos to Kevin and in particular to Michael Hayes, our assistant recording engineer on the project, for making everything fit together.
Chorus
Whiskey and Tobacco, and umpteen barrels of gin
Silk and spice and no excise
And boy how the money rolled in
I was born in the town of Yarmouth
Where I had my first smell of the sea
Watching waves crashing down on the rocks below
And sitting on my daddy’s knee
Looking at the boats that come and go
In the day and in the middle of the night
When I couldn’t sleep I had to peep
And oh what a wonderful sight
After years and years of watching
My daddy sort of hinted to me
That the fishing really wasn’t all that good
And a smuggler I should be
So that very next night he took me down
To a cave in the middle of a cove
And there at the back hidden under a sack
Were treasures in a treasure cove
Now many a night has come and gone
And the perils have been many for me
Flirting with the shadows of the excise men
While keeping my respect for the sea
Hoping that the fishing will be my life
But knowing that it never can be
‘cause the catch at night is twice as bright
and quotas mean nothing to me – I’ve got
Sam Hall
Traditional, arranged by John Hughes & Dave Curtis
Dave Curtis: backing vocal
John Hughes: lead vocal
John used to sing his daughters to sleep with this song (with age-appropriate modifications of course). It was always interesting to watch an audience when we performed this song in pubs. It seemed to us that everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to watch and listen and the whole place got really quiet.
Oh me name it is Sam Hall, chimney sweep, chimney sweep
Oh me name it is Sam Hall, chimney sweep.
Oh me name it is Sam Hall, and I’ve robbed both great and small
And me neck will pay for all, when I die, when I die
And me neck will pay for all, when I die
I have twenty pounds in store, that’s not all, that’s not all
I have twenty pounds in store, that’s not all
I have twenty pounds in store, and I’ll rob for twenty more
For the rich must help the poor, so must I, so must I
For the rich must help the poor, so must I
Oh they took me to Cootehill, in a cart, in a cart
Oh they took me to Cootehill, in a cart
Oh they took me to Cootehill, where I stopped to make me will
Saying the best of friends must part, so must I, so must I
Saying the best of friends must part, so must I
Up the ladder I did grope, that’s no joke, that’s no joke
Up the ladder I did grope, that’s no joke
Up the ladder I did grope, and the hangman pulled the rope
And ne’er a word I spoke, tumbling down, tumbling down
And ne’er a word I spoke, tumbling down
Oh me name it is Sam Hall, chimney sweep, chimney sweep
Oh me name it is Sam Hall, chimney sweep.
Oh me name it is Sam Hall, and I hate ya’s one and all
You’re a bunch of mockers all, damn your eyes, damn your eyes
You’re a bunch of mockers all, damn your eyes
Johnny Todd
Traditional, arranged by John Hughes & Dave Curtis
Dave Curtis: backing vocals, bass
John Hughes: lead vocal, acoustic guitar
J.P. Cormier: fiddle
Kevin Evans: acoustic guitar, banjo, whistle, percussion.
John has played this song for years. It’s not one you hear very often, and this is a very nice arrangement.
Johnny Todd was to the ocean
For to sail across the sea
And he’s left his own dear Jeannie
Weeping on the Greenock Quay
Chorus:
You weep no more my own dear Jeannie
Pack your bairn upon your knee
And I’ll return and we’ll be married
Down upon the Greenock Quay
Johnny’s off in search of riches
For Australia he is bound
He’s handsome in his canvas breeches
For to sail the world around
Many’s a winter night she’s waited
For a ship to turn the Quay
Friends all tell her she’s forsaken
But she still can hear him say
Then one morning bright and early
In the springtime of the year
She spied a sail out on the water
Bringing Johnny to her dear
I Told You So (On the Other Side)
By Dave Curtis
Dave Curtis: lead vocal, acoustic guitar
John Hughes: backing vocal, bass
Kevin Evans: whistle, keyboard, mandolin
If there really is a next life, probably the last thing you want to hear when you get there is someone saying this to you. But it would be fun. The inspiration for this song is a conversation I’ve had over the years with a dear friend who is reluctant to believe in an afterlife, and would rather not believe in UFOs. About the afterlife, I said to her one day that I was going to say “I told you so” when I see her on the other side. Shortly after that, on a long drive, it became this song. Kevin’s introduction is brilliant, a word I use frequently to describe his work on this project. He did most of his instrumental parts at Liam Clancy’s studio in Ireland, and I went over for a week to have some input into the mix. I was upstairs when I heard the beginning of this song. It was beautiful but I didn’t think anything of it – I thought Kevin was taking a break and playing some other music from somewhere else. I was astonished and delighted to hear the opening chords of the song and I realized he had done this as an introduction. I bought the same kind of whistle he used and when I play the song live I do my best to play the introduction to set the mood for the song.
I’m going to say I told you so
On the other side
We’ll laugh and love and dance around
As if we’d never died
Don’t look surprised at paradise
Just heave a happy sigh
When, I say to you, I told you so
On the other side
Chorus
I told you so
I told you so
Will be music to your ears
Cause that’s when you will realize
There’s more than just what’s here
You seem so sure there’s nothing there
It’s lights out and goodnight
But that defies all logic dear
And surely can’t be right
I don’t suppose those UFOs
Will help me change your mind
So we’ll have to go and visit them
On the other side
I can’t believe the world we see
Is only luck and chance
The beauty and design that’s there
Is just pure elegance
And energy can’t be destroyed
Einstein is on my side, so
You’ll see the ones you’ve loved before
On the other side
And I’m going to say I told you so
On the other side
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Early Morning Rain
By Gordon Lightfoot
Dave Curtis: backing vocals, bass
John Hughes: lead vocal, acoustic guitar
J.P. Cormier: lead acoustic guitar
Kevin Evans: banjo, keyboard
Tom Roach: drums
I have an Elvis Presley album of Canadian songs, including this one. I’ve always loved Elvis’ version of it. This version is based on a combination of Elvis’, one done by the New Folk Trio, and our own interpretation.
In the early morning rain
With a dollar in my hand
With an achin’ in my heart
And my pockets full of sand
I’m a long way from home
And I miss my loved ones so
In the early morning rain
With no place to go
Out on runway number nine
Big seven-o-seven set to go
But I’m stuck here in the grass
Where the cold wind blows
Now the liquor tasted good
And the women all were fast
Well there she goes my friend
Well she’s rollin’ down at last
Hear the mighty engines roar
See the silver bird on high
She’s away and westward bound
Far above the clouds she’ll fly
Where the mornin’ rain don’t fall
And the sun always shines
She’ll be flyin’ o’er my home
In about three hours time
This old airport’s got me down
It’s no earthly good to me
’cause I’m stuck here on the ground
As cold and drunk as I can be
You can’t jump a jet plane
Like you can a freight train
So I’d best be on my way
In the early morning rain
You can’t jump a jet plane
Like you can a freight train
So I’d best be on my way
In the early morning rain
Silver Sea
Steve Wainwright and Kevin Evans
Dave Curtis: backing vocal, acoustic guitar
John Hughes: lead vocal, bass
Kevin Evans: acoustic guitar, piano, banjo, percussion
A long time favourite of ours, this song evokes a certain wistfulness about life and the ocean. John and I have known Steve and Kevin since forever, way back to their days in the New Folk Trio with Eugene Byrne when they first arrived in Fredericton from the New England area. John and I both performed the song individually long before we got together as a duo. The song won international acclaim when it was written around 1982, and has been recorded by over 30 different artists including Johnny Cash who talked his way through it, and Stompin’ Tom Connors who I assume stomped his way through it.
Outside, the rain is softly falling
In the distance I can hear a foghorn sound
I pull the blankets just a little closer
My mind is on a ship that’s outward bound
Chorus
On a voyage through a memory
Sailing on a silver sea
The moon and stars above now brightly shine
The wind that fills the sails
Is a lullaby that tells a tale
Of all the things that I was glad to leave behind
The ocean has always been a part of me
I can feel the saltwater running through my veins
I think of all the places where my ship will take me
But the thought of your gentle whispers gives me strength
But when I rise and look out my little window
A wall of grey is right before my eyes
I can see a clock where time is slowly ticking
How I wish that I could make my life here fly
Listen to the Wind
By Dave Curtis
Dave Curtis: lead vocal, acoustic guitar, harmonica
John Hughes: backing vocal, bass
Kevin Evans: keyboard, electric guitar, banjo
Tom Roach: drums
I’ve believed for a long time that global warming is the single biggest issue of our time, and it just keeps getting bigger as our leaders continue to delay meaningful action. We the people need to take control of this issue and make sure our leaders do what they need to do. I wrote this song after the 2005 hurricanes Katrina and Rita, on a drive between Montreal and Brighton, Ontario.
Oceans are rising
People are dying
Leaders are lying
Survivors crying
Arctic is browning
Nations are drowning
Hurricanes sounding
Storm surge pounding
Chorus
Listen to the wind and feel the rain
You know it’s never gonna be the same
Something ‘bout a point of no return
Listen to your heart and feel the hope
You know we’ve got to heal the earth’s old soul
There’s nowhere else to turn
Weather is changing
Coasts rearranging
Wars are waging
Drivers raging
Temperature’s climbing
Forests declining
Wildlife trying
It’s no use whining
Our numbers are growing
Strains we’re showing
Chances we’re blowing
While oil keeps flowing
Who are we blaming
Science we’re shaming
Customers reigning
It’s us needs changing
Wild Mountain Thyme
Traditional, arranged by John Hughes & Dave Curtis
Dave Curtis: backing vocals, bass
John Hughes: lead vocal
Kevin Evans: acoustic guitars, whistle, keyboard, percussion
John and I have always loved this song. Kevin, as is his custom, does a brilliant job on the guitar work. We both had lumps in our throats as the guitar was being recorded.
Oh the Summer time is coming
And the trees are sweetly blooming
And the wild mountain thyme
Grows around the blooming heather
Will ye go lassie go........
And we'll all go together
To pick wild mountain thyme
All around the blooming heather
Will ye go lassie go
I will build my love a bower
By yon pure crystal fountain
And on it I will pile
All the flowers of the mountain
Will ye go lassie go............
I will range through the wild
And the deep purple heather
And return with our spoils
To the bower o’er the mountan
Will ye go lassie go………
If my true love she’ll not come
Then I’ll surely find another
To pick wild mountain thyme
All around the blooming heather
Will ye go lassie go...........
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