Raccoon Fiddler

Pop Classic Songs
(SIMON & GARFUNKEL)

THE BOXER

I am just a poor boy though my story's seldom told
I have squandered my resistance
For a pocket full of mumbles, such are promises
All lies and jest, still a man hears
what he wants to hear,
and disregards the rest

When I left my home and my family
I was no more than a boy
In the company of strangers,
In the quiet of a railway station, running scared,
Laying low, seeking out the poorer quarters
where the ragged people go
Looking for the places only they would know

Lai la lai, Lai la lai lai lai la lai,
Lai la lai, Lai la lai lai lai lai lai, la la la la lai

Asking only workmens wages I come looking for a job,
But I get no offers,
Just a come-on from the whores on seventh avenue,
I do declare there were times when I was so lonesome
I took some comfort there
Lai la lai
Then I'm laying out my winter clothes
and wishing I was gone
Where the New York city aren't bleeding me,
Leading me, going home.

In the clearing stands a boxer
and a fighter by his trade
and he carries the reminders
of every glove that laid him down
Or cut him till he cried out,
In his anger and his pain,
`I am leaving, I am leaving',
but the fighter still remains,

Lai la lai...

THE SOUNDS OF SILENCE

Hello darkness my old friend,
I've come to talk to you again,
Because a vision softly creeping
left its seeds while I was sleeping
And a vision
that was planted in my brain
still remains,
within the sounds of silence.

In restless dreams I walked alone,
narrow streets of cobblestone,
'Neath the halo of a pale street lamp
I turned my collar to the cold and damp,
when my eyes were stabbed
by the flash of neon light
that split the night
and touched the sounds of silence.

And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more.
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never share
and no one dare
disturb the sound of silence

`Fools' said I `You do not know,
Silence like a cancer grows.
Hear my words that I might teach you,
take my arms that I might reach you,'
but my words like silent rainbows fell
and echoed in the wells of silence.

And the people bowed and prayed
to the neon gods they'd made.
And the sign flashed out its warning
in the words that it was forming.
And the sign said `The words of the prophets
are written on the subway walls
and tenement halls'
and whispered in the sound of silence

EL CONDOR PASA

I'd rather be a sparrow than a snail
Yes I would, if I could
I surely would
I'd rather be a hammer than a nail
Yes I would, if I could
I surely would
Away, I'd rather sail away,
Like a swan that's here and gone
A man gets tied up to the ground
he gives the world the saddest sound

I'd rather be a forest than a street
Yes I would, if I could
I surely would
I'd rather feel the earth beneath my feet
Yes I would, if I could
I surely would

BLOWING IN THE WIND

How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man
How many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand
How many times must the cannon balls fly
Before they're forever banned
The answer my friend
Is blowing in the wind
The answer is blowing in the wind

How many times must a mountain exist
Before it's washed to the sea
How many years can some people exist
Before they;re allowed to be free
How many times can a man turn his head
Pretending he just doesn't see
The answer my friend
Is blowing in the wind
The answer is blowing in the wind

How many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky
How many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry
How many deaths will it till he knows
That too many people have died
The answer my friend
Is blowing in the wind
The answer is blowing in the wind

IMAGINE

Imagine there's no heaven
it's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
living for today,

Imagine there's no countries
it isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
living life in peace

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Cheering all the world

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us
And the world will live as one

LEAN ON ME

Sometimes in our lives
we all have pain
we all have sorrow
If, if we are wise
We know that there's
Always tomorrow

Lean on me
When you're not strong
I'll be your friend
I'll help you carry on
For it won't be long
till I'm gonna need
somebody to lean on

Please swallow your pride
If I have things
you need to borrow
for, no one can fill
those of your needs
that you won't let show

Lean on me...

You just call on me brother
When you need a hand
We all need somebody to lean on
I just might have a problem
that you'd understand
We all need somebody to lean on

Lean on me...

STAND BY ME

When the night has come
and the land is dark
And the moon is the only light I see,
No, I won't be afraid
No I won't be afraid
Just as long as you stand
Stand by me.

So darling, darling,
Stand by me
Oh stand by me,
Oh stand, stand by me,
stand by me

If the sky that we look upon
should crumble and fall
or the mountain
should crumble to the sea
I won't cry, I won't cry,
No I won't shed a tear
Just as long as you stand,
Stand by me

CLASSIC POP

LA BAMBA

Para bailar La Bamba, para bailar La Bamba
se necesita una poca de gracia, una poca de gracia
para mi para ti y'ariba y'ariba
Y'ariba y'ariba, por ti sere, por ti ere.

Yo no soy marinero, yo no soy marinero
Soy capitan, soy capitan
Bamba bamba...

THE HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN

There is a house in New Orleans
they call the Rising Sun
It's been the ruin of many a poor girl,
oh God I know I'm one

Go tell your baby sister
not to do what I have done
Shun that house in New Orleans
they call the Rising Sun

If I had listened to what my mama said,
I had been at home today
Being so young and foolish, poor boy,
let a rambler lead me astray

My mother she's a tailor
She sewed those new blue jeans
My sweetheart he's a gambler
Oh Lord, down in New Orleans

Well the only thing a gambler needs
Is a suitcase and a trunk
And the only time he's satisfied
Is when he's on a run

Fills his glasses to the brim
and passes them around
The only pleasure he gets out of life
is rambling from town to town.

HOTEL CALIFORNIA

On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair
Warm smell of colitas rising up through the air
Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light
My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim
Had to stop for the night

There she stood in the doorway,
I heard the mission bell,
And I was thinking to myself,
This could be heaven or this could be hell
Then she lit up a candle and she showed me the way,
There were voices down the corridor,
thought I heard them say:

Welcome to the Hotel California,
Such a lovely place, such a lovely face
Plenty of room at the Hotel California
Any time of year, you can find her here

Her mind is Tiffany-twisted,
She got the Mercedez Benz
She got a lot of pretty pretty boys
That she calls friends
How they dance in the courtyard,
sweet summer sweat,
Some dance to remember, some dance to forget

So I called up the Captain: Please bring me some wine
He said we haven't had that spirit here since 1969
And still those voices were calling from far away
Wake you up in the middle of the night
Just to hear them say:

Welcome to the Hotel California,
such a lovely place, such a lovely face
They're living up in the Hotel California
What a nice surprise, bring your alibis,

Mirrors on the ceiling, pink champagne on ice,
She said `We are just prisoners here
of our own device'.
And in the master's chambers
they gathered for the beast
They stab it with their steely knives
but they just can't kill the beast

Last thing I remember I was running for the door
Had to find the passage back to the place I was before
`Relax' said the doorman,
`We are programmed to receive,
You can check out any time you like
but you can never leave...'

OB-LA-DI OB-LA-DA

Desmond takes a trolley to the jewellery store
Buys a twenty carat golden ring
Takes it back to Molly, waiting at the door,
and as he gives it to her she begins to sing

Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da, life goes on bra
La la how the life goes on (x2)

In a couple of years they have built
a home sweet home
With a couple of kids running in the yard
of Desmond and Molly Jones

Happy ever after in the market place
Desmond lets the children lend a hand
Molly stays at home and does her pretty face
and in the evening she's a singer with the band

BAD MOON RISING

I see a bad moon rising
I see trouble on the way
I see earthquakes and lightnin'
I see bad times on the way

Don't go round tonight
It's bound to take your life
There's a bad moon on the rise

I hear hurricanes blowing
I know the end is coming soon
I fear rivers overflowing
I hear the voice of rage and ruin

Don't go round tonight...

Hope you got your things together
Hope you are quite prepared to die
Look's like we're in for nasty weather
One eye is taken for an eye

Don't go round tonight...

LEAVING ON A JET PLANE

All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go
I'm standing here outside your door
I hate to wake you up to say goodbye.
The dawn is breaking, it's early morn,
the taxi's waiting,
he's blowing his horn
Already I'm so lonesome I could die

So kiss me and smile for me
Tell me that you'll wait for me
Hold me like you'll never let me go
I'm leaving on a jet plane
Don't know when I'll be back again
Oh baby, I hate to go.

There's so many times I've let you down
There's so many times I've played around
I tell you now they don't mean a thing
Every place I go, I thing of you,
Every song I sing, I sing for you
When I come back I'll wear your wedding ring

So kiss me and smile for me...

Now the time has come to leave you
One more time, let me kiss you
Close your eyes, and I'll be on my way
Dream about the days to come
when I won't have to leave you alone,
About the times I won't have to say

So kiss me an smile for me...

YESTERDAY

Yesterday
All my troubles seemed so far away
Now it looks as if they're here to stay
Oh I believe in yesterday

Suddenly,
I'm not half the man I used to be
There's a shadow hanging over me,
oh yesterday came suddenly

Why she had to go, I don't know,
she wouldn't say.
I said something wrong,
now I long for yesterday

Yesterday
Love was such an easy game to play
Now I lead a place to hide away
Oh I believe in yesterday

LET IT BE

When I find myself in times of trouble,
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom, Let it be
And in my hour of darkness,
she is standing right in front of me
Speaking words of wisdom, Let it be

Let it be, let it be,
Let it be, let it be,
Speaking words of wisdom, Let it be

And when the broken hearted people
Living in the world agree
There will be an answer, Let it be,
For they may be parted,
There is still a chance that they will see,
There will be an answer, Let it be

BYE BYE LOVE

There goes my baby, with someone new
She sure looks happy, I sure am blue.
She was my baby, till he stepped in
Goodbye to romance that might have been

Bye bye love, Bye bye happiness
Hello loneliness, I think I'm gonna cry
Bye bye love, Bye bye sweet caress
Hello emptiness, I feel like I could die
Bye bye my love bye bye.

I'm through with romance, I'm through with love
I'm through with counting the stars above
And here's the reason that I'm so free
My loving baby is through with me

Bye bye love...