Adam Turk: Characters

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Story Behind the Song

please click on each song to reveal the lyrics and the story behind each song

Lyrics

Hello

I'm the Flying Viking

And I come in peace

Viking, Viking, Viking

Peace, Peace, Peace

Flying, Flying, Flying

repeating

Rag and Bone Man

Going down the road

Reminds me of Steptoe and son

Harold!

Oh, Harold!

Horse and cart

Not much else

Until the rattles of the bell

The cockney shout

For all those rag and bone things

Chorus

Rag and Bone Man

Walking down the road

Leading his horse and cart

Hey! Mr Rag and Bone Man

Give me a goldfish

Or a penny

Cos' that's what they used to do

Even before my mother was born

Cos' that's what they used to do

Even before my mother was born

Rag and Bone Man

Give me something

For my rag and bone things

Chorus

Rag and Bone Man

Walking down the road

Leading his horse and cart

Rag and Bone Man

Walking down the road

Leading his horse and cart

I said a Rag and Bone Man

You got your rag and bone things

You got your horse to pull your cart

You've got your Rag and Bone beard

It makes you fairly old

But cool as well

Alright Man!

You've got your Rag and Bone hat

It puts a gentleman's touch on you

It's a myth, that you have holes in his clothes

But the Rag and Bone Man I sing about

Has holes in his clothes

If he didn't he wouldn't be

The Rag and Bone Man I created

I said a Rag Bone, Rag Man

Rag Bone, Rag Man

Rag and Bone Man!

I said a Rag and Bone Man

Alright Man!

Yeah, Yeah!

That's the Rag and Bone Man

I said a Rag Bone, Rag Man

Rag, Rag, Rag Bone

I said a Rag Bone, Rag Man

Alright, that's the Rag and Bone Man

That's the Rag and Bone Man

Oh Yeah!

That's the Rag and Bone Man

Alright

Oh Yeah

Rag and Bone Man

Wait for me!

Hold up, wait for me!

Ten thousand screams

Of the Indian Chiefs

For I am not a white man

You see, before you

Within this skin

I will live, 'til I die

Then I'll fly amongst the eagles

And dance, with the sacred spirits

I am Laughing Cloud

Named by my Indian father

I entertain my people

Joking, Hoaxing, and dancing round the fire

At night around the camp

Using the fires, to light up around us

Using my hands

To make silhouetted animals, shapes, and spirits

Against the backdrop of the night

Telling stories

'Til it's time, to go to sleep

Rustle of horses

Coming towards us

Be quiet, stand still

Our fellow warriors

Have seen the White man

After the talk with the Indian Chieftain

Battle will begin tomorrow

The dawn awakes, all the animals

The women and children, are moved to safety

We will defend our Land

But first the Ritual of the Warrior Dance

Must commence

The Battle is about to begin

Is everybody in

Charge of the Cavalry

Charge of us, the Warriors

General Cluster and his henchmen

Came for violence

Cavalry charge after cavalry charge

They went down, dusted, and dead

Standing in a large circle

Warrior Brother, shoulder to shoulder

In the middle

General Cluster, sitting on his horse

Foam and white chalk salt sweat

Covering the horse's skin

In for the Kill!

General Clusters, scalp

Now our Tribe, will be safe

From this evil White man

After the Battle

Wind rushes

Through the short grass

Ten thousand, Indian spirits

Screaming as the sunset comes

I saw, a White man survivor

From the corner, of my eagle-hawk eye

White man

I see your eyes, can't comprehend the madness

You didn't think battle was like this

No dignity, to either side

Come join us

I see you, through your eyes

You've still got life

Not like General Cluster and his allies

Come, Come, Come

Young spirit of the White mans body

I wanna be a Folk Popstar

I wanna sing my songs

On Top of the Pops

I wanna wear the groovy suits

The cameras rolling and the spotlights on

Chorus

Folk Popstar

Top of the Pops

Folk Popstar

Groovy suits

I wanna tour the countries acoustic clubs

Do the festivals too!

Become a famous Folk Popstar

Be chauffeur driven in the Cadillac limos

Be kissed by all the fancy girls

Folk Popstar

I wanna look good

Have a nice shiny acoustic guitar

Strapped round my neck

Singing laments, sonnets, and fairy-tale love songs

Chorus

Folk Popstar

Top of the Pops

Folk Popstar

I wanna be organic

Man!

Wanna tour the world

Be chauffeur driven in the Cadillac limos

Be mobbed by all the fancy girls

Folk Popstar wanna be cool

Folk Popstar I don't wanna be just a fade

Folk Popstar

I wanna be organic

Man!

You can't kill us all

Cos' we're united

In the community we live in today

It doesn't matter what you believe in

As long as it's not hate

It doesn't matter what religion you follow

Chorus

Well, you can't kill us all

Cos' we're united

In the community and in spirit

You make your bombs

Carry your guns

In small bags

To hide your sick intentions

To harm and to kill

These mad people

Wanna kill mankind

I know these people will not succeed

We've got to stop these mad people

Otherwise, they will do us in

Then all of a sudden

The hate sets in

Some people are so glued up in hate

Look what happened to the Jews in Germany

Muslims in Bosnia

People being stopped and persecuted in believing in their faiths

So, the Nazis lit the fuse

Hate a waste of points of views

Chorus

Well, you can't kill us all

We are united

In the community and in spirit

It's a psychopathic mental thing

That leads people to kill

Using excuses, that their benefiting the rest of mankind

These psychopaths are afraid of some people

And only doing the hating and killing

For their own gains

Your narrow-minded views

No education, no point of views

That's how you want us to be

Useless so you can boss us all

You can't kill us all

Spoken at the end

One day the knees of the people hating and killing will buckle

You will be tearful, asking for mercy

While kneeling in front of the good people of this world

Cos' you can't kill us all

I'm just a guy

With my cool glasses on

My guitar strapped over my shoulder

Sitting on the balcony floor

I'm a laidback guy

A real cool cat

With a smile on my face

The atmosphere is cool and easy

I feel great

Chorus

I'm a laidback kind of dude

I'm looking at you

I'm free and easy

To get on with

I'm a laidback kind of dude

I'm looking at you

I'm free and easy

To get on with

You either love me

Or hate me

Loathe me

Or crave for me

Hey, take your pick

Baby

I walk down the road

With my cool blue suit on

Dazzling the eyes

Of the people walking by

Especially the girls

Chorus

I'm a laidback kind of dude

I'm looking at you

I'm free and easy

To get on with

I'm listening to the groovy tunes

To soothe my laidback mood

Cos' I'm a real laidback guy

I'm a real cool cat

With a smile on my face

The atmosphere is cool and easy

I feel great

Let's listen to the laidback tune

There's a soldier on every hill

There's a grave in every field

There are soldiers waiting for orders

To go in for the kill

The troops move in

For slaughter of the men

While the army caved in

The bombs came down

The bullets rain in

Through some of the brave soldiers

Chorus

I salute you

The Glorious Dead

You gave your life

So, I can live

Innocent and young

The graves they fell in

Such a waste

Of talented young men

So sad it shouldn't happen again

The smoke of gun powder mist

Hovering over the field

Some men crying of the fear of death

Some men limping, been hit by the gun

Some men are ready for the grave's

Litter in the muddy trenches

The soldier's eating their food

In the squalor, in the mud and worms eating the Glorious Dead

Chorus

I salute you

The Glorious Dead

You gave your life

So, I can live

Letters not yet sent

To the loves and mother's

Of the amassed men

Adds to the litter in the trenches

That covers the Glorious Dead

The silence hovers in

That night brings in

Cries of doubt

Hollow through the rat ridden night

Of soldiers regretting

They came for the feast at the picnic

Warfare Poem

The Glorious Dead

I salute you all

Made the ultimate sacrifice

So, others could live in freedom and peace

Liberated those who were slaves

Of the evil and crazy minds

Of those days

We shall never forget

We will always respect you all

We hope all wars will be history

Not in the future

Ahem

I wanna be a modern folk

Without smoking the dope

I wanna be modern and cool

If you know what I mean

I wanna wear

All those trendy clothes

Meet other people, in those trendy bars

Don't smoke those cigarettes

Don't drink much alcohol

I don't touch the dope in this world

I just wanna be a modern folk

All nice and clean

Instead of eating my brain

Or grilling my toes

Walking down the street

Wearing those trendy clothes

Chorus

I wanna be a modern folk

Without smoking the dope

I wanna be a modern folk

Without smoking the dope

Sometimes I feel like a fashion victim

I feel like my heart is empty and sad

Or gunshot burns to my head

Like drying my hair with a flame torch

Sometimes when I get out of the bath

I feel naked and bare

Is it to be a modern folk?

Smoking the dope

Is better to be clean and boring

Far more interesting

Chorus

I wanna be a modern folk

Without smoking the dope

I wanna be a modern folk

Without smoking the dope

I'm sick and tired

Of all the lies

I just wanna know

If your alive inside

I'm travelling on this dope free road

But I don't know

Where it's going

Give me a compass

To navigate me

On to the right route

Chorus

I wanna be a modern folk

Without smoking the dope

I wanna be a modern folk

Without smoking the dope

Sitting in the living room

Seeing the trees

Being blown

By the wind

While the sun is beaming

On my face

Thinking of romance

With the music on

Giving me shivers

All up my shine

Inspiring me

To write the next line

The rain coming down hard

The flowers saying, "Save me"

Repeat

Sitting in the living room

Talking to friends

Having a cup of tea

Noticing the clouds

Moving fast

Past the window

That I'm looking through

In front of me

On a Sunday afternoon

Repeating

Introduction

"This is Platoon Alpha 55, we're under attack" Radio Man on the Battlefield

"What's your position Alpha 55?"

"Hamburger Hill, Hamburger Hill. Did you cover?"

"Yes, we copy Alpha 55"

I wanna see my Vietnam Buddy

I wanna get the mud

Out of his face

To see if he's alright

The bombs and guns

Lighting up the sky

Thoughts of fear

Deep in the jungle

Damn I would love to be

Back home in D.C. man

Where I could rock in the chair

Drinking cans of beer

Chorus

Gotta see if my Vietnam Buddy

Is okay

I hope he's still alive

The military is all we've got

The war sucks

I've seen soldiers

Go into shark frenzies

Of crying cos' death

Is knocking on their heads

Firing your machine gun

Bullets cutting through thin air

Cos' the Vietcong

Are so elusive

God damn

I've gotta get outta here!

Chorus

Gotta see if my Vietnam Buddy

Is okay

I hope he's still alive

More gun battles

More bombs exploding

Then the dust settles

My Vietnam Buddy

Is lying on the ground

I walked over to my Vietnam Buddy

Put him over my shoulder

Saying, "Hey Buddy, everything's gonna be alright"

I don't know if we're gonna get outta here alive!

Letter

Dear Mama,

I hope you got my postcard

A bit cheeky, but you know me

Hope your well

I hope the Vietnam War is over soon

Love from your son

Peace, Peace, Peace, Peace!

We want it!

The crowd said in an assertive voices

Cos' the people knew

That together they could impinge

To those who hold the guns

But the people wanted peace

Politicians didn't really care

When there term of government finishes

Protection was a prerequisite for them

Taking their jobs of power

Sides of houses

Is where free advertising is used

To paint in the words

Or pictures, the need for peace!

Flowers were used

As symbols of life and peace

Cos' the flowers were pretty

And came from the earth

Foot stamps, echoed through the corridors

Of buildings which protected

And housed

Government, past, present, and future

People are sick and tired

We only want Peace, Peace, Peace!

What do we what?

PEACE!

Oh Lord!

I don't want to kill no more

I see the Indian Chiefs

Their wives and children

Coming up the mountain

My hair is fair

As England

I'm no blue eyed blonde

I was born in England

In the mother land

I'm a cavalry boy

I'm nineteen years old

My palms full of sweat

The heat is burning my neck

My index finger is trigger happy mad

Oh Lord!

Come take my soul

I don't want to kill no more

My mind is thinking of grey o' death

Dear Lord

One more wish

Repent my sins

Please take my soul

From this bad place

Look at what we're doing

To the Native Indians

We're killing and throwing our souls to the earth's core

For disaster

What's the point of living?

My conscience is making me, feel old

I've dug my own grave

This is how the West was won

Dear Lord!

Come take my soul

I don't want to be apart

Of this killing world

This is how the West was won!

Repeat

A man walks in a bar

Orders Vodka, in a tumbler

Turns his head

To hear the voice of the waitress

Says, "I found her"

The bar closes

He took her to his room

He ain't gonna touch her

Or even love her

He needs her

Cos' his life depends on her

He explained his plan to her

Through the night

But not letting her know

He is blind

Otherwise, the game would be given away

In the morning

She drove them both

To the bank who boasts

About giving money away

He went in with a prewritten note

"Give me the money"

But please don't boast

Don't press the alarm button

Cos' he wants to enjoy the money

His bag was full

Of fresh, crisp paper notes

He ran got into the getaway car

She was putting her makeup on

She had to look good

If both of them were caught by the police

As she drove on the open road

The story began to unfold

After she drove passed the police blockade

"Look into my eyes" the blind man said

She was horrified, at what she saw

"Do you remember the bank robbery; you had done before?"

"Yes" she whispered

The suitcase you had left

On the dock near the shore

"After you had fled" he said

Blew up in his face

My eyes just fell out

"Bounced onto the suitcase" he added

"Stop the car!" he shouted

[Screech of the car wheels]

The blindman got out of the car

Said to the girl, "A timebomb is under your seat"

Blind Man's Revenge, Baby!

[Exploding car]

Oh! Brother Turk

He is the one

Our Brother as well as our friend

We look up to him

In our monastery

We call home

But when he thinks

He rules the roost

We gently bring him back to Earth

Oh! Brother Turk

He is the one

That everybody loves

He likes his gardening

That grows very well

The community is nice

Especially that we do help out

Also, in the garden

Oh! Brother Turk

He ain't so bad

[Laughing]

The name of the album Characters is about historical themes with people in these arenas and imagining what they did in such times and situations.

Behind each song

The Flying Viking

The beginning of the album starts with a magical character The Flying Viking, with furturistic sounds whizzing around to give the feeling of flying and depth into a spacious world.

Rag and Bone Man

Rag and Bone Man is from childhood memories and a British comedy in the 1960s/70s called Steptoe and Sons, which was about a father and son in a Rag and Bone business, which collects anything from old junk to furniture and makes money by selling them or going to scrap merchants. Another word is bric and brac was a common word to describe this trade in old junk and other things.

Native American Indian

The history of the United States of America and the many battles between the US Army, early American settlers and the Native American Indians or more commonly referred to as First Nation peoples of North America, is the basis and influence of this spoken world poem set to sound effects creating an audio scene for the listener.

Folk Popstar

You have the popstar, but with folk music it is generally more lowkey, so the song deals with the fact that a singer/songwriter, guitarist wants to make folk music and himself a popstar in this scene.

Can't Kill Us All

This is a powerful song dealing with genocide, as the opening of this song you can hear screams and gunfire slaughtering innocent people fleeing the violence.

But the song also sends a message to those that carry-out mass killings that one day you'll be brought to justice, whether on Earth, or in the next life.

Laidback Guy

Dealing with something more gentle and comforting about a man who has a laidback attitude towards other people and how he deals with life.

The Glorious Dead (Warfare Poem)

Many people have laid their lives on the line in the history of Mankind and none-more-so than in World War One and World War Two.

We owe it to those that went off to fight in the name of freedom and a better future for all of us that are alive today.

The Warfare Poem is spoken within the ending of the song, again using sound effects to create an audio environment.

Modern Folk

A person wanting to be cool and groovy in modern times, but without having to smoke or smoke dope or even drinking to be able to fit in with others and society. Is this possible? The song deals with these issues and questions, of what is acceptable.

Sunday Afternoon

This is going back to childhood memories when it was the summer months and going round to friends and relatives houses, with the windows open and enjoying the joyfulness and happiness of these summer occasions.

Vietnam Buddy

Well, unless you haven't done much history the Vietnam War cost 58,000 American servicemen and womens lives and hundreds of thousands more civilians lives during the conflict between North Vietnam and the United States.

This song pays homage to the American soldiers who fought and never returned home alive, to those that survived and those that survived but became damaged from the combat fighting, especially in the dense jungle.

In all wars everyone becomes affected and are victimised through the trauma of war and this song also reflects on this and remembers all that suffered in this brutal war.

Peace Poem

This track is a spoken vocal poem and it is a speaker who is addressing a mass rally crowd, and speaking about the need for peace and what every citizen wants.

Cavalry Boy

In the formation and early settlers in North America was the British Army and those that fled Great Britain, Ireland and Europe from mainly religious persecution.

This song is set on top of a mountain with a young English soldier who has become weary of fighting and killing and sings of his experiences throughout the song.

Blind Mans Revenge

This spoken word vocal song is in the vain of a film script plot and tells the story of how this man becames blind and the revenge he takes to get his form of justice.

Brother Turk

Set in a monastery and sung by monks about the boss monk Brother Turk. It is a lighthearted and comical sounding short track to end the album.

I used an electro acoustic Yamaha Guitar that has thicker strings for a more full bodied acoustic guitar sound, and on some tracks I plugged the guitar into my Zoom multi-effects box to get different sounds.

Fender P series guitar

Juno synthesizer for the spacey effects

Keyboard piano

The album was recorded on an early Apple Mac computer running a full version of Cubase 2.0, using an analogue full 24 track mixing desk.

Standard studio grade mircophones to record vocals and guitar and on some tracks they were recorded simultaneously.