Episode 1 Singer-Songwriters at the BBC

Tim Buckley's roots are in blues, country and folk music.

His songs have a plaintive, poetic quality reflecting these roots.

Here is Tim Buckley, with Lee Underwood on guitar,

Danny Thompson on bass,

and Kurt Collins on conga drums.

The song, which is composed by Tim Buckley,

is called I'm Coming Home Again.

# It's a happy time inside my mind

# When a melody does find a rhyme

# Says to me, I'm comin' home to stay

# Oh, comin' home to stay

# Now it's just the same old story

# Something about love for glory

# A nickel and a dime a dozen fame

# Oh, it's such a shame

# The way they'll use your name

# It's only mine to sing a song

# Hoping that you'll cross along my way

# Before we have to move along

# Oh, have to move along

# We'll be back some day

# It's a happy time inside my mind

# When a melody does find a rhyme

# Says to me, I'm comin' home to stay

# Oh, comin' home to stay

# I'm comin' home to stay

# So sleep late now, my lady friend

# Let the morning breeze blow through your hair

# Sleep late, my lady friend

# Let the morning sun warm your bed

# Sleep late, my lady friend. #

# I love you in the morning

# Our kisses deep and warm

# Your hair upon the pillow

# Like a sleepy golden storm

# Yes, many loved before us

# I know we are not new

# In city and in forest

# They smile like me and you

# But now it's come to distances

# And both of us must try

# Your eyes are soft with sorrow

# Hey, that's no way to say goodbye

# I'm not looking for another

# As I wander in my time

# Walk me to the corner

# Our steps will always rhyme

# You know my love goes with you

# As your love stays with me

# It's just a way of changing

# Like the shoreline and the sea

# But let's not talk of love or chains

# And things we can't untie

# Your eyes are soft with sorrow,

# Hey, that's no way to say goodbye

# I loved you in the morning

# Our kisses deep and warm

# Your hair upon the pillow

# Like a sleepy golden storm

# Yes, many loved before us

# I know that we are not new

# In city and in forest

# They smile like me and you

# But let's not talk of love or chains

# And things we can't untie

# Your eyes are soft with sorrow

# Hey, that's no way to say goodbye

# Goodbye. #

# It's not time to make a change

# Just relax, take it easy.

# You're still young That's your fault

# There's so much you have to know

# Find a girl, settle down

# If you want you can marry

# Look at me, I am old, but I'm happy

# I was once like you are now And I know that it's not easy

# To be calm when you've found something going on

# But take your time, think a lot

# Why, think of everything you've got

# For you will still be here tomorrow But your dreams may not

# How can I try to explain?

# When I do he turns away again

# It's always been the same Same old story

# From the moment I could talk I was ordered to listen

# Now there's a way And I know that I have to go away

# I know I have to go

# It's not time to make a change

# Just sit down, take it slowly

# You're still young That's your fault

# There's so much you have to go through

# Find a girl, settle down

# If you want you can marry

# Look at me I am old, but I'm happy

# All the times that I cried

# Keeping all the things I knew inside

# It's hard But it's harder to ignore it

# If they were right, I'd agree

# But it's them, they know, not me

# Now there's a way and I know that I have to go away

# I know I have to go. #

# They stood upon the deck

# As the ship went out to sea

# The wind it took the sails

# And left the land a memory

# All upon the shore For to wonder why the sailor goes

# All to close their eyes

# And wonder what the sailor knows

# That is you to they

# That is how they think you are

# Never on the land

# But sailing by the north star

# That is you to they

# That is how they think you are

# Never on the land

# But gone to find the north star

# To the tower and to the ravens

# And the tale which hopes they'll never leave

# What if they should go?

# We always dread to think of them

# I wonder if they flew one day

# And no-one ever knew they'd gone

# To circle over ships at sea

# Claiming yet another son

# That is you to me

# That is where I think you are

# Never on the land

# But gone to find the north star. #

# A long, long time ago

# I can still remember how that music used to make me smile

# And I knew if I had my chance

# That I could make those people dance

# Maybe they'd be happy for a while

# But February made me shiver

# With every paper I'd deliver

# Bad news on the doorstep

# I couldn't take one more step

# I can't remember if I cried

# When I read about his widowed bride

# But something touched me deep inside

# The day the music died

# So, bye-bye, Miss American Pie

# Drove my Chevy to the levee But the levee was dry

# Them good old boys Were drinkin' whiskey and rye

# Singin' "This'll be the day that I die

# "This'll be the day that I die"

# Did you write the book of love?

# And do you have faith in God above

# If the Bible tells you so?

# Do you believe in rock'n'roll?

# Can music save your mortal soul?

# And can you teach me how to dance real slow?

# Well, I know that you're in love with him

# Cos I saw you dancin' in the gym

# You both kicked off your shoes

# Man, I dig those rhythm and blues

# I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck

# With a pink carnation and a pick-up truck

# But I knew I was out of luck

# The day the music died... #

Here we go!

# I started singing

# Bye-bye, Miss American Pie

# Drove my Chevy to the levee But the levee was dry

# Them good old boys Were drinkin' whiskey and rye

# Singin' "This'll be the day that I die

# "This'll be the day that I die"

# Now for ten years We've been on our own

# And moss grows fat on a rollin' stone

# But that's not how it used to be

# When the jester sang for the king and queen

# In a coat he borrowed from James Dean

# And a voice that came from you and me

# Oh, and while the king was looking down

# The jester stole his thorny crown

# The courtroom was adjourned No verdict was returned

# And while Lenin read a book on Marx

# A quartet practised in the park

# And we sang dirges in the dark

# The day the music died

# We were singing

# Bye-bye, Miss American Pie

# Drove my Chevy to the levee But the levee was dry

# Them good old boys Were drinkin' whiskey and rye

# Singin' "This'll be the day that I die

"This'll be the day that I die"

# Helter-skelter in a summer swelter

# The birds flew off with a fallout shelter

# Eight miles high and falling fast

# It landed foul on the grass

# The players tried for a forward pass

# With the jester on the sidelines in a cast

# Now the half-time air was sweet perfume

# While the sergeants played a marching tune

# We all got up to dance

# Oh, but we never got the chance

# Cos the players tried to take the field

# The marching band refused to yield

# Do you recall what was revealed

# The day the music died?

# Come on now We started singing

# Bye-bye, Miss American Pie

# Drove my Chevy to the levee But the levee was dry

# Them good old boys Were drinkin' whiskey and rye

# Singin' "This'll be the day that I die

# "This'll be the day that I die"

# Oh, we were all in one place

# A generation lost in space

# With no time left to start again

# So come on, Jack, be nimble Jack, be quick

# Jack Flash sat on a candlestick

# Cos fire is the devil's only friend

# Oh, and as I watched him on the stage

# My hands were clenched in fists of rage

# No angel born in hell

# Could break that Satan's spell

# And as the flames climbed high into the night

# To light the sacrificial rite

# I saw Satan laughing with delight

# The day the music died

# He was humming

# Bye-bye, Miss American Pie

# Drove my Chevy to the levee But the levee was dry

# Them good old boys Were drinkin' whiskey and rye

# Singin' "This'll be the day that I die

# "This'll be the day that I die"

# I met a girl who sang the blues

# And I asked her for some happy news

# But she just smiled and turned away

# And I went down to the sacred store

# Where I'd heard the music years before

# But the man there said the music wouldn't play

# In the streets the children screamed

# Lovers cried and the poets dreamed

# But not a word was spoken

# The church bells all were broken

# And the three men I admire most

# The Father, Son and the Holy Ghost

# Well, they caught the last train for the coast

# The day the music died

# And they were singin'

# Bye-bye, Miss American Pie

# I drove my Chevy to the levee

# But the levee was dry

# And them good old boys Were drinking whiskey and rye

# And singin' "This'll be the day that I die

# "This'll be the day that I die"

# They were singin'

# Bye-bye, Miss American Pie

# Drove my Chevy to the levee

# But the levee was dry

# Them good old boys

# Were drinking whiskey and rye

# And singin' "This'll be the day that I die." #

APPLAUSE

# Well, sometimes when

# I am feeling as big as the land

# With the velvet hill in the small of my back

# And my hands are playing the sand

# And my feet are swimming in all of our waters

# All of the rivers

# I'll give us to the ocean

# According to plan

# According to man

# Well, sometimes when

# I am feeling so grand

# And I become the world

# And the world becomes a man

# And my song becomes

# A part of the whole river

# I cry out to keep me

# Just the way I am

# According to plan

# Oh, there's a chance

# Peace will come

# In your life

# Please buy one

# Oh, there's a chance

# Peace will come

# In your life

# Please buy one

# For some time

# When we have reached the end

# With a velvet hill in the small of our backs

# And our hands are clutching the sand

# Will our blood become

# Part of our river

# All of the rivers are givers

# To the ocean According to plan

# According to man

# There's a chance

# Peace will come

# In your life

# Please buy one

# There's a chance

# Peace will come

# In your life

# Please buy one

# There's a chance

# Peace will come

# In your life

# Please buy one

# Oh, there's a chance

# Peace will come

# In your life

# Please buy one

# There's a chance

# Peace will come

# In my life

# Please buy one

# For some time when

# We have reached the end

# With the velvet hill in the small of the back

# And our hands are clutching the sand

# Will our blood become

# A part of the river

# All of the rivers are givers

# To the ocean According to plan

# According to man

# There's a chance peace will come

# In your life

# Please buy one

# There's a chance

# Peace will come

# In your life

# Please buy one

# There's a chance

# Peace will come

# In your life

# Please buy one

# There's a chance

# Peace will come

# In your life

# Please buy one

# There's a chance

# Peace will come

# In your life

# Please buy one. #

APPLAUSE

# Well, I don't know why I came here tonight

# I got the feeling that something ain't right

# I'm so scared in case I'll fall off my chair

# And I'm wondering how I'll get down the stairs

# Clowns to the left of me Jokers to the right

# Here I am

# Stuck in the middle with you

# Yes, I'm stuck in the middle with you

# And I'm wondering what it is I should do

# It's so hard to keep this smile from my face

# Losing control Yeah, I'm all over the place

# Clowns to the left of me Jokers to the right

# Here I am

# Stuck in the middle with you

# Well, you started off with nothing

# And you're proud that you're a self-made man

# And your family all come callin'

# Slap you on the back and say

# "Please

# "Please"

# Trying to make some sense of it all

# But I can see it makes no sense at all

# Is it cool to go to sleep on the floor?

# Well, I don't think I can take anymore

# Clowns to the left of me Jokers to the right

# Here I am

# Stuck in the middle with you

# And you started out with nothin'

# And you're proud that you're a self-made man

# And your friends They all come callin'

# Slap you on the back and say

# "Please

# "Please"

# And I don't know why I came here tonight

# I got the feeling that something ain't right

# I'm so scared in case I fall off my chair

# And I'm wonderin' how I'll get down the stairs

# Clowns to the left of me Jokers to the right

# Here I am

# Stuck in the middle with you

# Yes, I'm stuck in the middle with you

# Stuck in the middle with you

# Stuck in the middle with you. #

APPLAUSE

APPLAUSE

# Just before our love got lost she said

# "I am as constant as a northern star"

# And I said

# "Constantly in the darkness Where's that at?

# "If you want me I'll be in the bar"

# On the back of a cartoon coaster

# In the blue TV screen light

# I drew a map of Canada

# Oh, Canada

# With your face sketched on it twice

# Oh, you're in my blood Like holy wine

# You taste so bitter

# And so sweet

# Oh, I could drink a case of you, darlin'

# And I would

# Still be on my feet

# I would still be on my feet

# Oh, I am a lonely painter

# I live in a box of paints

# I'm frightened by the devil

# And I'm drawn to those ones that ain't afraid

# I remember that time that you told me

# You said, "Love is touching souls"

# Surely you touched mine

# Cos part of you pours out of me

# In these lines from time to time

# Oh, you are in my blood Like holy wine

# You're so bitter

# And so sweet

# Oh, I could drink a case of you, darlin'

# And I would still be on my feet

# Oh, I would still be on my feet

# I met a woman

# She had a mouth like yours

# She knew your life

# She knew your devils and your deeds

# And she said

# "Go to him

# "Stay with him if you can

# "But be prepared to bleed"

# Oh, you are in my blood Like holy wine

# You're so bitter, baby

# You're bitter but you're sweet

# Oh, I could drink a case of you, darlin'

# Still, I'd be on my feet

# I would still be on my feet

# Mmm. #

SHE HUMS

APPLAUSE

Rab Noakes was a member of Stealers Wheel for a while,

following which, he put out an album on A&M.

And now, with a change of label,

there's a new LP called Red Pump Special

and you'll see how nice it is by the two songs he's doing for us tonight.

The first is called Branch,

so, accompanied by Mark Griffiths and Peter Watkins,

-IN SCOTTISH ACCENT:

-a hell-oo to Rab Noakes.

# It's getting quiet in the forest

# Sittin' singing the same old chorus

# Give me a sign

# Draw me a line

# And show me a branch away from here

# Oh, I think I'll stuff my cases

# Take a look at some other places

# I've got something to find

# I've got something in mind

# I need a branch away from here

# D'you ever get the feelin'

# That you're going round in circles

# And you can't seem to get off the ground

# I can't taste the milk for the cheese

# And I can't see the wood for the trees

# Think I'll see what it's like

# Back on the road in the night

# I'm gonna branch away from here

# D'you ever get the feelin'

# That you're goin' round in circles

# And you can't seem to get off the ground

# It's gettin' quiet in the forest

# Sittin' singing the same old chorus

# Give me a sign

# Draw me a line

# Show me a branch away from here

# I need a branch away from here

# And I'm going to branch away from here. #

LAUGHTER

Could you...

Can you, finally, Paul, because we're running out of time,

can you give us...

a little snatch of something?

To remember you by.

All right.

Let's see. I know, the tune that you were asking me before,

I'll sing that for you.

You were talking about Homeward Bound,

which I wrote in the north of England.

-That'd go down well, wouldn't it?

-APPLAUSE

# I'm sittin' in the railway station

# Got a ticket for my destination

# Mm-mm

# On a tour of one-night stands

# My suitcase and guitar in hand

# And every stop is neatly planned

# For a poet and a one-man band

# Homeward bound

# I wish I was homeward bound

# Home, where my thought's escapin'

# Home, where my music's playin'

# Home, where my love lies waitin' silently for me

# Every day's an endless stream

# Of cigarettes and magazines

# Mm-mm

# And each town looks the same to me

# The movies and the factories

# And every stranger's face I see

# Reminds me that I long to be Homeward bound

# Oh, and I wish I was

# Homeward bound

# Home, where my thought's escapin'

# Home, where my music's playin'

# Home, where my love lies waitin' silently for me

# Tonight I'll sing my songs again

# And I'll play the game and pretend

# Mm-mm

# But all my words come back to me

# In shades of mediocrity

# Like emptiness in harmony

# I need someone to comfort me

# Homeward bound

# I wish I was homeward bound

# Home, where my thought's escapin'

# Home, where my music's playin'

# Home, where my love lies waitin' silently for me

# Silently for me. #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

# What have I got to do to make you love me?

# What have I got to do to make you care?

# What do I say when lightning strikes me

# And I wake to find that you're not there?

# What have I got to do to make you want me?

# What have I got to do to be heard?

# What do I say when it's all over

# And sorry seems to be the hardest word?

# It's sad, so sad

# It's a sad, sad situation

# And it's getting more and more absurd

# It's sad, so sad

# Why can't we talk it over?

# Oh, it seems to me

# That sorry seems to be the hardest word

# It's sad, so sad

# It's a sad, sad situation

# And it's getting more and more absurd

# It's sad, so sad

# Why can't we talk it over?

# Oh, it seems to me

# That sorry seems to be the hardest word

# What do I do to make you love me?

# Oh, yeah What have I got to do to be heard?

# What do I do when lightning strikes me?

# What have I got to do?

# What have I got to do?

# And sorry seems to be the hardest word

# Woo-hoo

# Sorry seems to be the hardest word. #

APPLAUSE

# I could be a millionaire

# If I had the money

# I could own a mansion

# No, I don't think I'd like that

# But I might write a song that makes you laugh

# Now that would be funny

# And you could tell your friends in England

# You'd like that

# But now I've chosen aeroplanes and boats to come between us

# And a line or two on paper wouldn't go amiss

# How is Worcestershire?

# Is it still the same between us?

# Do you still use television to send you fast asleep?

# Can you last another week?

# Does the cistern still leak?

# Or have you found a man to mend it?

# And by the way how's your broken heart?

# Is that mended too?

# I miss you

# I miss you

# I really do

# I've been reading Browning Keats and William Wordsworth

# And they all seem to be saying the same thing for me

# Well, I like the words they use

# And I like the way they use them

# You know, Home Thoughts From Abroad is such a beautiful poem

# And I know how Robert Browning must have felt

# Cos I'm feeling the same way about you

# Wondering what you're doing And if you need some help

# Do I still occupy your mind?

# Am I being so unkind?

# Do you find it very lonely or have you found someone to laugh with?

# Oh, and by the way are you laughing now?

# Cos I'm not

# I miss you

# I miss you

# I really do

# I really do. #

APPLAUSE

# I can see clearly now

# The rain is gone

# I can see all obstacles in my way

# Gone are the dark clouds

# That had me blind

# It's gonna be a bright

# Bright, sunshiny day

# Oh, it's gonna be a bright

# Bright, sunshiny day

# I think I can make it now

# The pain is gone

# All of the bad feelings have disappeared

# Here is that rainbow I've been praying for

# It's gonna be a bright

# Bright, sunshiny day

# Look all around

# There's nothing but blue skies

# Look straight ahead

# Nothing but blue sky

# Oh, I can see clearly now

# The rain has gone

# I can see all obstacles in my way

# Gone are the dark clouds

# That had me blind

# It's gonna be a bright

# Bright, sunshiny day

# Oh, what a bright

# Bright, sunshiny day

# It's gonna be a bright

# Bright, sunshiny day. #

APPLAUSE

# Be my baby

# Be my baby

# Be my baby now

# Oh, be my baby

# Be my baby

# Be my baby now

# There's no-one in the world that's gonna harm you, baby

# Or lead you down the garden path

# With my own two loving arms all around you

# I don't know why I live at home

# No, I don't why I sleep alone

# I'm hoping you've no objection

# To being the object of my affection

# I could keep you warm

# With my own two loving arms all around you

# Be my baby

# We'll go crazy

# Dance by the light of the moon

# Be my baby

# And please this lady

# Please this lady soon

# When the moon's not bright

# And the stars aren't right

# The sky is making you blue

# Remember that only good could surround you

# I don't know why I live at home

# No, I don't know why I sleep alone

# I'm hoping you've no objection

# To being the object of my affection

# I could keep you warm

# With my own two loving arms all around you

# I don't know why I live at home

# No, I don't know why I sleep alone

# I'm hoping you've no objection

# To being the object of my affection

# I could keep you warm

# With my own two loving arms all around you

# Be my baby

# Be my baby

# Be my baby now

# Oh, be my baby

# Be my baby

# Be my baby

# Be my baby now

# Be my baby now

# Oh, be my baby now. #

This song did not get a lot of airplay.

It's called Rufus Is A Tit Man.

LAUGHTER

And I think that might have something to do with it.

The guys at the record station got it and went, "Oh, hey, that's nice!"

LAUGHTER

But it actually is a love song, it's not...

I don't consider it to be obscene in any way.

# Rufus is a tit man

# Sucking on his mamma's gland

# Sucking on the nipple

# It's sweeter than the Ripple wine

# Yes, it's sweeter than the wine

# You can tell by the way the boy burps

# It's gotta taste fine

# Marco Polo craved the spice and silk

# And Rufus craves the mamma's milk

# No moo-cow, no billy goat

# Is gonna get the baby's vote

# Come on, Mamma

# Come on and open up your shirt

# Yeah, you got the goods, mamma

# Give the little boy a squirt

LAUGHTER

# La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la

# La-la-la-la-la-la-la

# For my lungs and for my liver

# I do definitely fear

# I like to suck on cigarettes and drink the wine and the beer

# The doctor says I'm oral

# I believe it's true

# Oh, I believe it's true

# Yeah, son, you look so satisfied

# I envy you

# So put Rufus on the left one

# And put me right on the right

# And like Romulus and Remus

# We'll suck all night

# Come on, Mamma

# Come on, Mamma

# Come on and lactate awhile

# Yeah, look down on us, Mamma

# And flash us a Madonna smile. #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE