Embedded Files
Howl On is Bap's first album to be recorded in his native Northern Ireland, in the studios of genius guitarist Pete O'Hanlon. Hey Joe (track 6) features on guitar the legendary Henry McCullough – the only Irishman to play at Woodstock.
Lyrics
Lyrics
America
America
I can hear them talking
From a million miles
They talk like cowboys
And I close my eyes
And slip into a dream
I wish that I could see
America, America, America
I don’t like my voice
And my clothes don’t fit
And my gun belt hangs
On my skinny hips
And all I want to do
Is to be like you
America, America, America
This town’s in trouble
But up there somewhere
Heroes are returning
Safely to the earth
And falling back into
The place where dreams come true
America, America, America
Cold War Country Blues
Cold War Country Blues
They took Hank Williams to the moon
They took Hank Williams to the moon
Well it seems to me
Instead of world war three
They took Hank Williams to the moon
Elvis was a cold war soldier boy
Elvis was a cold war soldier boy
One dark American night he saw that Russian satellite
Elvis was a cold war soldier boy
You better get it right John Kennedy
You better get it right John Kennedy
Cos if you get it wrong they’re gonna drop the atom bomb
You better get it right John Kennedy
Jim Lovell steely eyed missile man
Jim Lovell steely eyed missile man
They sent him all that way
Still on Navy pay
Jim Lovell steely eyed missile man
They took Hank Williams to the moon
They took Hank Williams to the moon
Well it seems to me
Instead of world war three
They took Hank Williams to the moon
The Right Stuff
The Right Stuff
All them cowboys are old men
Longing for a mission once again
Gambling everything, boys we were fearless
Well we had the right stuff then
We were brothers bound together
Sharing every victory and pain
Never will there be such good companions
We’ll never see that right stuff again
So farewell, my friends
Till we meet again
In some bar where angels fear to tread
Some have already gone
But it won’t be long
Till we’re all together again
Time is such a strange arrangement
You think you have too much and then it’s gone
But I know this world will keep on turning
When you and me have slipped this mortal coil
So farewell, my friends
Till we meet again
In some bar where angels fear to tread
Some have already gone
But it won’t be long
Till we’re all together again
So farewell, my friends
Till we meet again
In some bar where angels fear to tread
Some have already gone
But it won’t be long
Till we’re all together again
And we’ll have that right stuff again
Irish Moon
Irish Moon
Here’s to my friend
That’s Michael Collins
An Irishman
I have no doubt
At the controls
He is a genius
And he likes a drink
And it’s my shout
Here’s to you
Once more round the Irish moon
The whole world
Is relying now on you
To bring the boys back home
and when you do
There’ll be a drink for you
Michael Collins
As you navigate
Through the starry night
All by yourself
On the old dark side
Do not forget
Young John McGee
He could not dream
Of the things you’ve seen
Here’s to you
Once more round the Irish moon
The whole world
Is relying now on you
To bring the boys back home
and when you do
There’ll be a drink for you
Michael Collins
The Blue One
The Blue One
Is anybody there
Are we all alone
With our grand ideas
In our broken home
Is anybody watching
As we roll along
This tiny speck of light
The blue one
Another day and night
Another revolution
And we live our lives
In the great illusion
Is anybody listening
As we sing our song
On this speck of light
The blue one
I know the future will
Happen without me
How long until
I run out of memory
Well I don’t have long
And I just got up
On this speck of light
The blue one....This tiny speck of light...
The blue one
Hey Joe
Hey Joe
Hey, Joe
Where you going with that gun in your hand?
Hey, Joe
Where you going with that gun in your hand?
I'm going to shoot my woman
Caught her messing with another man
I'm going to shoot my woman
Caught her messing with another man
Hey, Joe
I heard you shot that woman down
Hey, Joe
I heard you shot that woman down
Yes, I did,
Yes I did, I did, I did, I did
I shot her down
I shot her down, I shot her down
Caught her messing around
Downtown
Hey, Joe
Where you gonna run? (Where you gonna run?)
Hey, Joe
Where you gonna run, where you gonna hide?
I'm going way down South
Yeah that's where I'm gonna go
I'm going way down South
Way down, way down to Mexico
(Oooh)
(Oooh)
Where you gonna run?
Where you gonna hide?
(Oooh)
Where you gonna run?
Where you gonna hide?
(Oooh)
Hey, Joe
(Oooh)
Hey, Joe!
Where you going with that gun?
Hey, Joe!
Where you going with that gun?
Hey, Joe!
Where you going with that gun?
Hey, Joe!
Hey, Joe!
Howl On
Howl On
Nothing is heavier
In the universe
Than the human heart
Still suffering
For an ancient sin
We all played our part
Nothing is stronger
In the universe
Than the human heart
Outside the gates
Trying to push our way in
Before it gets too dark
Howl on, Howl on
Till the pain is gone
Howl on, Howl on
Howl on
Nothing is lonelier
In the universe
Than the human heart
Left to ponder
A lifetime without love
Each time it falls apart
Howl on, Howl on
Till the pain is gone
Howl on, Howl on
Howl on
Nothing is greater
In the universe
Than the human heart
To rise above
The sorrowful earth
The agony and the hurt
Howl on, Howl on
Till the pain is gone
Howl on, Howl on
Howl on
Howl on, Howl on
Till the pain is gone
Howl on, Howl on
Howl on
Howl on, Howl on
Till the pain is gone
Howl on, Howl on
Howl on
....Howl on, Howl on, Howl on.
One of Those Days
One of Those Days
I should have seen it coming
But I can’t complain
I got plenty of everything
Specially the blame
I try to keep it positive
And see the cosmic plan
Cos I know in the scheme of things
I’m a lucky man
Oh now baby,
You know it’s just
One of those days
Feels like
Waiting for a train
That’s never coming back this way
If I had a chance
I’d do it all again
Put my hide on the line
And I’d ride that flame
It’s hard to come back down
From the thrill of the chase
I’m just sitting here
Staring into space
Oh now baby,
You know it’s just
One of those days
Feels like
Waiting for a train
That’s never coming back this way
Oh now baby,
You know it’s just
One of those days
Feels like
Waiting for a train
That’s never coming back this way
Brave Captain
Brave Captain
What will your ship bring back
Can you tell me brave captain
A treasure beyond all comprehension
What will you bring back brave captain
Did you tell your wife you love her
And that you will return one day for her
As you kissed her sweet lips
She knows you’re married to your ship
But she loves you anyway
Brave captain
Where are you now brave captain
Can you see how the world truly is
Shimmering and blue, lonesome like you
Where are you now brave captain
What will we do brave captain
If you do not return brave captain
We will fall down with grief
And get no relief
Until we send the next brave captain
Until we send another brave captain
The Heart of Universal Love
The Heart of Universal Love
In the dying ambers of a lonely distant star
That’s where I began
Well now, baby, here we are
Don’t worry about me,
Kiss my picture while I’m gone
Till I come back to the cool green hills of home
Back to the place where I belong
The heart of universal love
Way out here on this unforgiving world
We made our mark, and let our empire’s flag unfurl
And then I looked up and I saw
The heart of universal love
East of Eden, there is just one tale to tell
Of good and evil, and high heaven turned to Hell
With our free will, we have undone
The heart of universal love
Until redemption makes us one
With the heart of universal love
Last Adventure
Last Adventure
All the things I’ve seen, you can’t imagine
I know that I’ve had more than my share
But as surely as the sun will rise tomorrow
This is my last adventure
Everybody else followed the money
I thought I was lucky to be there
But now the game is up, and I am certain
This is my last adventure, this is my last adventure
Though I’m not sure just where I’m going
It’s fundamental truth we must explore
And if I make it back in one piece, darling
This is my last adventure, this is my last adventure
I looked out across the desolation
So beautiful, almost too much to bear
And as I walked upon it I was certain
This is my last adventure, this is my last adventure
And as I burn a hole through Heaven, darling
I know you’ll be waiting up somewhere
With your head in your hands, begging Jesus
That this is my last adventure, this is my last adventure
This is my last adventure, this is my last adventure
Ballad of Neil Armstrong
Ballad of Neil Armstrong
Goodnight, sweetheart
Wherever you may be
I wonder if you are
Watching over me
Can you put in a good word with God?
As I sail my ship into the void
Starlight, starlight
Guide me along
Across this dark ocean
We must sail on
There is no below or above
As I sail my ship into the void
Faster than a bullet
Silent as a church
A cathedral of light
So far from earth
And all the dreams of a boy
As I sail my ship into the void
As I sail my ship into the void
About the songs
About the songs
The opening song on the album, "America" reflects on Bap's childhood memories dreaming of all things American and when cowboys and the astronauts of the Apollo 11 spacecraft were his heroes.
"Cold War Country Blues" name checks more of Kennedy's boyhood heroes, Hank Williams, Elvis Presley, John F. Kennedy and Apollo 8 astronaut Jim Lovell.
The song "Brave Captain" is dedicated to the Apollo 8 crew; and on "The Heart of Universal Love" Bap imagines the earth as seen from the view of an astronaut standing on the moon and looking up at the illuminated planet in the darkness of space.
"The Right Stuff" is a song inspired by and dedicated to the Apollo astronauts. (The Right Stuff would later be re-recorded for The Sailor's Revenge at the request of Mark Knopfler)
"The Ballad of Neil Armstrong" celebrates Apollo 11's mission commander Neil Armstrong and the song "Irish Moon" is Kennedy's ode to another of the three astronauts, Michael Collins, who piloted the spacecraft as the other two astronauts landed on the moon.
"The Blue One" is named for the Earth's image as seen on a photo taken by Voyager 1.
The Inspiration (Bap's own words)
The Inspiration (Bap's own words)
I was a seven year old Belfast cowboy trying to stay awake in the early hours of July 20 1969 for the first footsteps on the moon. When I woke up they were on their way home. One month later it was already old news as Jimi Hendrix brought Woodstock to a close with Hey Joe - and the freaky decade so full of promise staggered into a troubled 1970 with a massive hangover.
Nearly 40 years later I began to write some songs that grew into the lunar voyages/1969 inspired album that has come to be known as ‘Howl On’. And all because of a book called Moon Dust, that I devoured by the light of a log fire DVD at the start of a strange lonesome year in London. The Apollo missions and the 60’s were suddenly fresh, wonderful, insane and large as life to me, a man now in his forties - slightly older than the crew of Apollo 11 when they landed on the Sea of Tranquility.
What had become of these men and what had they experienced? How could such a momentous event be reduced to an MTV logo? I was lonely and crazy for love and becoming obsessed by the whole saga. I watched every documentary I could find on the subject and inevitably there was Jimi somewhere in the soundtrack - a reminder of the far out counter culture backdrop of the space race and the Cold War.
And so it was that I immersed myself in the lives of the chosen few who went up there and didn’t care if they never came back. I was in love with America as a child and when I finally got to New York in 1989 as a professional musician I wasn’t disappointed. I’d forgotten all about cowboy suits and spacemen by then, enthralled by the 24 hour bars beside Port Authority.
Gradually America wore me down and I fell out of love with the best and worst of everything. But now maybe things are changing. As a new spirit began to filter over in early 2009 I recorded my own take on Hey Joe during the ‘Howl On’ sessions. Furthermore in a cosmic coincidence I managed to get the legendary Henry McCullough, the only Irishman who performed at Woodstock, to play guitar on my version of the Hendrix classic.
And so now I’m starting to feel that good times are ahead and inspiration is flowing again, not just in me but in the world. The feeling that anything is possible if we just put our minds to it.
We went to the moon didn’t we? All of us.
Bap Kennedy, 2009
Reviews
Reviews
* * * * Daily Mirror
* * * * Hot Press
* * * * The List
"Bap Kennedy at his best" - Maverick
"Warm and nostalgic, with an edge" - Mojo
"One of Irish music's best-kept secrets" - Music OMH
"beautiful. Check it out." - Irish News
"A thing of rare beauty ... impossible not to fall in love with" - BBC’s Ralph Mclean
"An understated, unusual and thoughtful collection" - The Irish Times
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