A solo fast clawpicking environmental song about the rush hour written in Coventry 1970 and was featured on Songs from the Coventry Underground - Gnome label 2007
The lyrics were put together from a kind of moody Blues - Day in the Life of concept album which I was writing for a Coventry band at the time. The project didn't come off but I recycled some of the lyrics for this song using an initial short poem Just before dawn to start it off. The lyrics were written at GEC Stoke Coventry in 1970 and later I set it to music while trying to learn Anji by Bert Jansch.
Just Before Dawn by Trev Teasdel
Breeze blowing through the trees,
Squirrels squatting on their knees
Breeze blowing through the trees,
Squirrels squatting on their knees
Trying not to freeze
In amongst the trees
Searching for acorns
Just before dawn - Just before Dawn
Just before Dawn - Just before dawn
And the wind blows free
of the ripples of the city
Just before dawn, just before dawn
Just before dawn, just before dawn.
Then silence vomits an almighty roar
A thousand vehicles and maybe more
Stampede the main arterial lanes
To face their daily stresses and strains
and engines sing to morning faces
bustling off to their work places.
Oh Oh City light - Oh oh City light.
Refresh your lungs in the morning smog
Find a patch of grass to walk your dog
Wander by in an urban dream
'long the banks of a traffic stream
Black birds nesting in the branches
of the local factories.
Oh oh City light - oh oh City light
Listen to cockcrow in the clock tower
announcing the arrival of another rush hour -
(another rush hour, another rush hour.)
Oh oh City light - Oh oh city light.