"Upwardly Mobile" album

UPWARDLY MOBILE album (2019)

The "Upwardly Mobile" album was launched in late 2019

As with Bills, its title stems from the fact that the majority of the songs have a common link. In this case it's with the words "up" and "down".

As usual they are a mix of serious and comic songs

LYRICS

1 Upwardly Mobile

©2018 Lol Moran

When I was a schoolboy I’d love to fly a kite
My first it was quite tiny, and not a pretty sight
My next it was a whopper with a hundred yards of cord
That tangled round my ankle so I ended up on board!

One day with my hang-glider, I jumped right off a hill
There’s nothing you can do that will give you such a thrill
And nothing you can do that will give you such a fright
As noticing your harness – has not been fastened right

Chorus

I’m upwardly mobile, it’s a wonder I’m alive
Upwardly mobile, I’m on life number five
I love flying in the air; make sure I wear brown underwear
(As) I’m upwardly mobile, with a tendency to dive

My biplane made its first flight back in nineteen thirty eight
It was quite lethargic and it really was a crate
Constructed out of timber, with yards of string and cloth
I soon learned you shouldn’t smoke inside a Tiger Moth

Next came my hot-air balloon with a logo on the side
It was big and clumsy and gave a bouncy ride
I used it shooting pigeons but very sad to say
Aiming high above you is not the safest way

Chorus

I’ve got lots of aircraft and one of them’s a jet
And it goes like a rocket so I’ve not dared fly it yet
I use my helicopter if I need a loaf of bread
But if I’m only buying fags, my jetpack does instead

But now I’m on my last legs, my end will soon be nigh
I hope my life’s been good enough when my time comes to die
That in the fires of hell – I will not be sent to fry
And instead I’ll be crashing into angels up on high

Chorus

2 Hamburg Down Below

©2018 Lol Moran

I often fly to Hamburg
A quick and easy flight
It’s less than ninety minutes
When Hamburg comes in sight

But every flight to Hamburg
Reminds me as we go
I’m following in my father’s wake
From many years ago

Chorus
   Following in his wake
   To Hamburg down below
   Taking the route my father took
   Seventy years ago

   Following in his wake
   To Hamburg, though I know
   I’m following in my father’s wake
   But with no flames below

He went with many others
And each time some would die
Each time he’d lose a friend or two
He hadn’t wished goodbye

Perhaps it was the carnage
Or the mates who’d not come back
But he would never talk about
His nights amongst the flak

Chorus

Bridge
   It is all so peaceful now, it’s hard to comprehend
   How so many took that route, on which they met their end

I may find fault with landings
If they are somewhat harsh
But they are nothing if you have to
Crash-land in a marsh

I may complain of turbulence
At fifty thousand feet
But that’s no problem as compared
To bulletholes in your seat

Chorus

3 Welcomed with Open Arms

©2018 Lol Moran

So you think you can come back tomorrow
Just as if you’d never walked out
We’d go on like nothing had happened
All would be forgotten, no doubt

Well you’ve got another think coming
It won’t be as simple as that
I know that I’d never trust you
So I’m just telling you that

Chorus:
   You won’t be welcomed with open arms
   What happened once could do so again
   You had your chance and you blew it
   Things could not be the same

So you think you could just bring your stuff back
And pick up with friends that you spurned
You’d be eating a shed-load of humble pie
(But) your bridges were already burned

Just let those sleeping dogs lie there
It would be better by far
We’ve moved on and the pain has gone
And I don’t want to feel it once more, for

Chorus

Bridge:
   Returning isn’t an option
   It only will end with more pain
   I thought I’d put it behind me
   But you’ve brought it all back again

So you think you can come back tomorrow
Just as if you’d never walked out
We’d go on like nothing had happened
All would be forgotten, no doubt

Well you’ve got another think coming
It won’t be as simple as that
I know that I’d never trust you
So I’m just telling you that

Chorus

4 Big Bertha

©2017 Lol Moran

Lickey was a problem; its railway line was steep
And trains would really struggle, as up it they would creep
And so the Midland Railway came up with an idea
(An) enormous locomotive – to push trains from the rear

She was built at Derby – just after the Great War
(The) biggest railway engine that her builders ever saw
(With) ten wheels powered by the largest boiler they could get
(She) could push trains up that bank, and without breaking sweat

Chorus

   (She) wasn’t fast but she was strong, and she could push trains all day long
   (For) years and years she’d chug along, would trusty old Big Bertha
   Never flash, not often clean, by passengers was rarely seen
   (But) she was a unique machine, was famous old Big Bertha

At the bottom of the hill Big Bertha – she would stand
Waiting to nip up the line and give each train a hand
A northbound train would stop – then she’d come up behind
And push it three miles to the top of Lickey’s famed incline

(She’d) go back to her siding till the next train came along
Each day she did this mundane task – and did it for so long
(She’d) only travel three miles up then three miles back again
(But) all those trips they added up and so she faced her end

Chorus

(In) nineteen fifty six old Bertha’s final push took place
After close on forty years she couldn’t make the pace
(But) finding her replacement was a long, drawn-out affair
Until a huge goods engine got old Bertha’s job down there

(But) soon the diesels came along and steam trains they were gone
Diesels had the power – to do it on their own
(No) banking engine’s needed now to push them up that hill
(But) sixty years on, old Big Bertha, she’s remembered still

Chorus

5 Climbing up the Eiffel Tower

©2019 Lol Moran

Climbing up the Eiffel Tower, some folk think it’s mad
Up the stairs, not on a rope, but some think that’s as bad
It’s much cheaper than the lift – a healthy thing to do
(Well), ok, if you’re fit it is, if not, the lift’s for you

Climbing up the Eiffel Tower, up la Tour Eiffel
Yes you get a stunning view, but it’s as hard as hell
If you climb up the Eiffel Tower
Whether in snow, or sun or shower
You’ll be breathless for an hour
(Which) you’ll remember well

They will charge you four quid just to let you take the stairs
(And) if you’re struggling then you’ll find you’ll look in vain for chairs
(If) you’d prefer to use the lift a tenner you will pay
(But) on foot is much quicker as you’ll queue for half the day

(The) office of old Gustave Eiffel, it was at the top
(And) every day he’d climb the stairs until they made him stop
(His) legs had got quite muscular, they’d make his trousers split
(When) he would shock the ladies by displaying quite a ‹‹bite››

Chorus

Climb up to the first stage, just four hundred steps above
(Then) take a breath, enjoy a view that countless millions love
(The) next stage is the same again; there’s booze and loos up there
(You can) drink and then recycle it, all high up in the air

(But) if you have a skinful up the tower, please take care
Co-ordination’s needed when you’re coming down from there
(A) stumble on the staircase could well mean your leg might break
Forty flights (on a) stretcher is a journey not to make

Chorus

6 Vapour Trails

©2018 Lol Moran

A sunny day, no clouds in sight
A vapour trail, it catches the light
Heading west, far from the ground
I see no plane I hear no sound

I wonder where it’s travelling to
Maybe New York or Peru
Hundreds wasting one whole day
To get to somewhere far away

Chorus:
   Vapour trails, so pure and white
   Record the path of people’s flight
   And what we see as they pass by
   Is like their footprint in the sky

   Vapour trails grow wide and blend
   And fade to nothing in the end
   (As) they are but a fleeting trace
   (Of the) CO2 which takes their place

A cloudy day, no patch of blue
No vapour trails are now in view
Nothing to show that way up high
The planes with vapour trails still fly

Though we can’t see them they are there
Polluting all our precious air
They’ll take us where we want today
For a price our kids will have to pay

Chorus

A sunny day, no clouds in sight
A vapour trail, it catches the light
Heading west, far from the ground
I see no plane I hear no sound

I wonder where it’s travelling from
Is it Paris or Hong Kong?
Some of us, like some up there
Know the cost but just don’t care

Chorus

7 Bulldog Spirit

©2018 Lol Moran

Spain sent the Armada. For England it set sail
Their force it was so massive, they knew they couldn’t fail
But the bulldog spirit, was one thing they forgot
Francis Drake he had it, the Spaniards they did not

   Show some bulldog spirit, when your back’s against the wall
   Winners are determined, it’s losers that will fall
   Keep on trying ‘til the end and not a minute less
   Without bulldog spirit, you’ll never find success

The Emperor Napoleon had thought he was the best
And Wellington’s upstart army would hardly be a
But their bulldog spirit, it proved old Boney wrong
Napoleon met his Waterloo. His warring days were gone

Chorus

The Germans came in sixty-six in search of the World Cup
Being the best in Europe, their confidence was up
They thought that all they had to do was turn up on the day
But lacking bulldog spirit, their cup was snatched away.

Chorus

Bridge:
   Don’t give up without a fight,
   Don’t lie down and take it
   (Don’t) concede when you know you’re right,
   Be bold and you will make it

Chorus

Chorus

8 Days Come and Go

©2018 Lol Moran

Street lights are shining, the day light declining
The moon can just faintly be seen
The glow fades away at the end of the day
That bright day ahead has now been

Chorus:
   The days come and go. At first they go slow
   But speed up the more that are gone
   There’s lots we must do before our time’s through
   When we’ll only in memories live on

We’ll never get stronger, some bits work no longer
(For a) bus we may no longer run
(But we’ll) be pleased at least, to be still not deceased
And more so when we see the sun

Chorus

The road’s end may beckon, more soon than we reckon
Our days are all numbered from birth
We cannot replace it; let’s hope we don’t waste it
That short time we have on this earth

Chorus

Bridge:
   For life it is fleeting, it’s here, then it’s gone
   Three score years maybe, but our time’s not long
   There’s so much to do, and there’s not long to do it
   Wasting one day would be wrong

Street lights are shining, the day light declining
The moon can just faintly be seen
The glow fades away at the end of the day
And one more bright day has now been

Chorus

   There’s lots we must do before our time’s through
   When we’ll only in memories live on

9 Wilbur and Orville

©2019 Lol Moran

Wilbur and Orville lived in Ohio
Loved things mechanical, they’d tinker all night
Their bicycle factory made them their money
But their real interest was cracking powered flight

Many had tried it but none had succeeded
They’d launch their contraptions which crashed straight away
And often they’d perish as they’d not thought through it
If you can’t control it, a price you’ll have pay

Chorus:

   Wilbur and Orville, Wilbur and Orville
   Taking it steady unlike some before
   Wilbur and Orville, Wilbur and Orville
   – They changed the world by just being safe and sure

Wilbur and Orville were cautious and thorough
Adrenaline rushes were not their cup of tea
(They) learned everything that they could from their peers
And did their tests in the strong winds near the sea

They’d try out their theories by building some models
Fly them on string to see how they’d compare
Then tweak or build new ones for several summers
Before they would risk their lives up in the air

Chorus

Their bicycle knowledge and factory resources
Enabled the building of a plane that could fly
And it had two engines and a tail at the front end
So if the plane crashed there was less chance to die

They took it to Kittyhawk where they succeeded
They flew it, they steered it, they landed again
They took turns to fly it no-one could deny it
A new age had dawned thanks to these dogged men

Chorus

10 One Extra Storey

©2018 Lol Moran

I have bought a building - so I can knock it down
It’s in a prime location, in the centre of the town
And there I’ll build a new one, and rake in lots of dough
By simply making sure that I do not build it too low

The council are quite wary - of new-builds that are tall
In a conservation zone - in a tourist town and all
So to get permission for my plans I must take care
I need to be quite patient or I won’t get anywhere

Chorus:
   Just one extra storey, just one level more
   Just a little higher - than what was there before
   With sympathetic brickwork and sensitive décor
   All colour-matched, with a roof that’s thatched, above the thirteenth floor

First off I’ll submit a plan that simply can’t succeed
With garish walls and finishes and more floors than I need
The press will then expose it and objections will flood in
Plan A will be rejected so plan B will then begin

So I’ll submit a new plan, which still will fail, I’m sure
But won’t be quite as awful as the one that came before
Objections will be fewer; less interest from the press
The council still won’t like it, but they’ll hate it somewhat less

Chorus

But finally I’ll triumph when I wear the council down
To approve my stylish building which will so enhance the town
A building that will fit in - and will not jar at all
Well, other than the floor or two which make it extra tall

I’ll knock my building down and build the new one on the site
And it won’t look too bad although some folks won’t like the height
But thoughts of what it might have been will sugar-coat the pill
I’ll then snap up the one next door, and build one higher still

Chorus

11 High as a Kite

©2019 Lol Moran

I went high as a kite when I saw you
High as a kite when we met
Was over the moon when we spoke in that room
That evening I’ll never forget

And we talked there for hours and hours
Not noticing time passing by
Was this love at first sight; I was feeling so right
And my soul it was starting to fly

Chorus:
   High as a kite, high as a kite
   All my senses they’d taken flight
   High as a kite, up there in the sky
   In all the world there were just you and I

   High as a kite way up in the blue
   You had sent me crazy for you
   High as a kite far up in the air
   I was soaring way, way up there

It was by chance that I found you
I’d intended to go home once more
An early night beckoned but I’d never reckoned
On seeing you come in the door

I’d never seen anyone like you
My jaw must have dropped like a stone
(And) when you said hello I knew I wouldn’t go
And I’d not have to stay on my own

Chorus

[Bridge:]

   High as a kite, high as a kite
   You are nothing but a delight
   High as a kite, high as a kite
   You have brought me into the light

Chorus

12 Sir William Gray

©2019 Lol Moran

My name it is Sir William Gray, the first mayor of this town
I’ve sat here for a century In my mayoral gown
Looking out at what remains Of the bustling town I knew
Where no-one now knows what I was, or when, or even who

Chorus:

   I sit here in Church Square, once the centre of the town
   And passers-by don’t notice me as they walk up or down
   It’s only dogs and seagulls that pay me any heed
   And that’s to leave their calling cards. Fame, it fades indeed

I started as a draper, with one shop in the town
Then as the business prospered, I started looking round
And got involved with shipping, it being a busy port
And that led on to building ships for the companies I had bought

Chorus

Returning to my roots I built my own department store
And that’s been straight ahead of me for a hundred years and more
Although that prestige business failed once no-one wore a hat
A shabby household bargain shop now fills its space with tat

Chorus

So here I sit, day in day out, and wonder what went wrong
That vibrant town of years ago has been poor for so long
Those in power ignore it, wish it would go away
And this town is in need of someone just like me today

Chorus

13 Couch Potato

©2016 L Moran

The wind is howling outside. It's nice and warm in here
The weather forecast's nasty, but I've got lots of beer
My next can, it is waiting, for me to pull that ring
I’m energy efficient, I’m the energy-saving king

Why pay a gym subscription? Why walk? Just use your car
If you've got a Sky box, then forget the cinema
Why go to supermarkets - just order food online
(They) deliver what you ordered ...well some of it, on time

Chorus:
   I’ve honed it to a fine art, I know how best it’s done
   I know the tricks to save me work and leave more time for fun
   It's comfy on the sofa, the telly's on all day
   Energy-saving matters, couch potatoes show the way

The beer at Tesco's almost free , much cheaper than the pub
And who needs grumpy landlords, or pricey Wetherspoon’s grub
A ready meal is not much fuss, wait for the bell to ping
To pierce the film is tedious (but) you can't have everything

There’s no need for washing up or using tableware
Your ready meal comes in a dish just eat it straight from there
And when you’re finished drop it in the black bag close at hand
With your throw-away cutlery – and your empty can

Chorus

And if you go to football, you could get cold and wet
But watch it from your sofa, and none of that you'll get
Of course it has its downside. The sofa won't last long
So go online to Argos and they'll bring one along

So when the wind is howling and the rain is lashing down
Remember I'm in comfort here while you are stuck in town
My next can, it is waiting, for me to pull that ring
I’m energy efficient, I’m the energy-saving king

Chorus

14 The Beauty of Nature

©2019 Lol Moran

Walking past cornfields down long winding lanes
Up gentle hillsides in light summer rains
Through woods in the springtime with bluebells all round
Or vast seas of daffodils cov’ring the ground

Chorus:
   The beauty of nature is there to be found
   To see it, to smell it, to hear its bright sound
   A beauty that many don’t notice at all
   They simply don’t see it and they don’t hear its call

The smell of wet grass and the sounds of the birds
The rust-l-ing leaves and the cows in their herds
The rich sounds of nature, the smells and the sights
They don’t cost a penny these simple delights

Chorus

You rarely see sparrows and never a thrush
Few butterflies these days will sit on a bush
The bee’s now uncommon and likewise the toad
There’s few hedgehogs left to be squashed on the road

Chorus

(But) the beauty of nature won’t always be there
To see, smell or hear it we need to take care
A beauty whose value to many is low
A million-year heritage, that we’re letting go

...A million-year heritage, that we’re letting go

15 Same Again?

©2019 Lol Moran

There’s music in the Alehouse, where real ale abounds
I’ll buy a round, talk with the lads, and listen to the sounds
In there it’s so convivial, in no time I will find
Towards a second pint of beer I soon will be inclined

I know that if I drink too much I’ll still be drunk by dawn
By accident I’ll show it if I sound the car’s loud horn
I’ve got to be up early in the morning, can’t be late
So I will take it easy and drink at a slower rate

Chorus:

   Same again, same again, you want another glass?
   Same again, same again, or would you rather pass?
   Same again, same again? Perhaps a half instead?
   OK I’ll have the same again, then go home to my bed

The music’s pretty good, and there is interesting chat
That woman is good looking but she’s got a silly hat
It’s nice here in the Alehouse, and the beer is rather fine
I’ve had two pints already so I’ll have to draw the line!

Things are getting lively now, one of the better nights
We’ve all been singing songs and we have put the world to rights
It’s time that I was going – an early night for me
If I remember rightly now, my beer-count stands at three

Chorus

This really is quite special, I’m having a great time
And now we’re singing harmony, our voices seem to chime
But I must be going soon it’s time I was away
So I’ll just drink what’s in my glass then I’ll be on my way

Now, is it four or five I’ve had? Or six or even more?
I should stop right here and now, sinch I’m not really sure
But it seems a pity - snce my pint’s not all gone (so)
Before I go off home to bed, I’ll knock it back in one

Chorus

   Shame again, shame again! Too late, I’ll get no more!
   Shame again, shame again! They want me out the door!
   Shame again, shame again! There’s one thing that’s for sure!
   If I had had the shame again, I’d be flat on the floor!

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