(a-wa) o kodwa u zo-nge li-sa namhlange
(a-wa a-wa) si-bona kwenze ka kanjani
(a-wa a-wa) amanto mbazane ayeza
.
She's a rich girl
She don't try to hide it
Diamonds on the soles of her shoes

He's a poor boy
Empty as a pocket
Empty as a pocket with nothing to lose

Sing ta na na
Ta na na na
She got diamonds on the soles of her shoes
She got diamonds on the soles of her shoes
Diamonds on the soles of her shoes
Diamonds on the soles of her shoes

People say she's crazy
She got diamonds on the soles of her shoes
Well that's one way to lose these
Walking blues
Diamonds on the soles of her shoes

She was physically forgotten
Then she slipped into my pocket
With my car keys
She said "You've taken me for granted
Because I please you
Wearing these diamonds. . ."

And I could say "Oo oo oo"
As if everybody knows
What I'm talking about
As if everybody would know
Exactly what I was talking about
Talking about diamonds on the soles of her shoes

She makes the sign of a teaspoon
He makes the sign of a wave
The poor boy changes clothes
And puts on after-shave
To compensate for his ordinary shoes

And she said "Honey, take me dancing"
But they ended up by sleeping
In a doorway
By the bodegas and the lights on
Upper Broadway
Wearing diamonds on the soles of their shoes

And I could say "Oo oo oo"
As if everybody here would know
What I was talking about
I mean everybody here would know exactly
What I was talking about
Talking about diamonds

People say I'm crazy
I got diamonds on the soles of my shoes
Well that's one way to lose
These walking blues
Diamonds on the soles of your shoes

PAUL SIMON

beep beep beep. . .

go the horns in the cars in the street
we walked away from the lover's leap
opposite directions, synchronised feet

wait wait wait wait wait wait wait
for the time it takes a heart to mend a break
how many moons are reflected in the lake


can you wait forever, if time is all it takes


despite all the warnings
I landed like a fallen star in your arms

beat beat beat beat beat beat beat

goes my heart on the side of my sleeve
whispering something I can hardly believe:
'let me take the lead, 'cos love is all we need'

can we wait for ever, if time is all it takes

SIMONE WHITE

Birds flying high you know how I feel
.
Sun in the sky you know how I feel

Reeds driftin on by you know how I feel
.

It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life
For me
.
And I'm feeling good

Fish in the sea you know how I feel
.
River running free you know how I feel
.
Blossom in the tree you know how I feel
.
Dragonfly out in the sun you know what I mean, don't you know
.
Butterflies all havin' fun you know what I mean
.

Sleep in peace when day is done
That's what I mean
And this old world is a new world
And a bold world
For me

Stars when you shine you know how I feel
.
Scent of the pine you know how I feel
.

Oh freedom is mine
And I know how I feel
.

NINA SIMONE

but Hallelujah
...

as written by LEONARD COHEN
as sung by JEFF BUCKLEY

so that just leaves us with the small matter*

of the tune for the day

which, quite naturally,
I'm sure you'll agree
has to be either this or this

take your pick!

(*but not anti-matter)

A gardener's daughter stopped me on my way,
On the day I was to wed
It is you who I wish to share my body with she said
We'll find a dry place under the sky with a flower for a bed
And for my joy I will give you a boy
With a moon and star on his head.

Her silver hair flowed in the air laying waves across the sun
Her hands were like the white sands, and her eyes had diamonds on.
We left the road and headed up to the top of the Whisper Wood
And we walked 'till we came to where the holy magnolia stood.
And there we laid cool in the shade singing songs and making love...
With the naked earth beneath us and the universe above.

The time was late my wedding wouldn't wait
I was sad but I had to go,
So while she was asleep I kissed her cheek for cheerio.

The wedding took place and people came from many miles around
There was plenty merriment, cider and wine abound
But out of all that I recall I remembered the girl I met
'Cause she had given me something that my hear could not forget.

A year had passed and everything was just as it was a year before...
As if was a year before...
Until the gift that someone left,
A basket by my door.

And in there lay the fairest little baby crying to be fed,
I got down on my knees and kissed the moon and star on his head.
As years went by the boy grew high and the village looked on in awe
They'd never seen anything like the boy with the moon and star before.
And people would ride from far and wide
Just to seek the word he spread
I'll tell you everything I've learned, and
Love is all...
he said.

.

CAT STEVENS

and no, I'm not going to launch into The First Cut Is The Deepest, cos it's not - the cuts just get deeper and deeper every time; nor Don't It Makes My Brown Eyes Blue, cos the colour of your eyes (well, mine at least) doesn't change according to the state of the heart; neither am I going to sing The Mighty Swedes (that's Abba, to the uninitiated) One Of Us Is Crying
..

altho the latter is tempting. . .

oh, who cares? here we go:
.

one of us

.

of course, one of my other fave Abba songs, is The Day Before You Came, altho I think Pulp's Something Changed expresses the sentiment better. . .

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 and, 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. And 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 'cause 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 pickup truck, but I knew I was out of luck the day the music died.
.

I started singin’,"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 and 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 Lennon read a book of Marx, the 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 and 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! 'Cause the players tried to take the field; the marching band refused to yield. Do you recall what was revealed the day the music died?

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 and singin’, "This’ll be the day that I die." This’ll be the day that I die.

Oh, and there 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 'cause 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 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 and 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. 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. And in the streets: the children screamed, the 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, they caught the last train for the coast the day the music died.

And they were singing, "Bye-bye, Miss American Pie." Drove my chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry. And 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.

They 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."

.
DON McLEAN