this blog contains lyrics, poems, words and songs written by me, jonny scott blair. all the content is copyright jonny scott blair and the words just convey meanings and feelings from life on this planet...
whilst touring new york in 2007, i visited the gruesome spot of 9.11, the twin towers, ground zero, the world trade centre, WTC site. it was a very sombre sad moving experience indeed. i put pen to paper almost immediately. you dont need me to tell you what the song is about.
written - 12.07.2007
about - 11.09.2001
lyrics -
what slow kamikaze in a fire to burn us out? you see the empire state so silent all your staten island lost was a crowd so open armed you saw the empire state building
so your central park so green you cant recycle if only 5th avenue was 5th and this rockafeller has rocked so out of time your subways are numbers, so you can count
all the bodies in this world you've never found out why there's no need to even try park place sunday wtc site
this smell reminds us in everyday we lose you crossed the brooklyn bridge and this museum you think its rotterdam anywhere all you can drink tonight
your circle line is a boat and no way from a to b your city always asleep we photograph French statues you claim to be your own so green i'm northern irish jade with envy
all the trains to grand central are never full up to my eyes in baseball or world trade centre wtc site and i walk away wtc site
i wrote this song in 2001 on my first trip to canada, but in fact the idea behind the song is one of the earliest memories in life i have. that is because when i was a child, i once had a dream where i walked on stepping stones to canada, from northern ireland. in reality there is no way that it can be done, as there are no stepping stones across the atlantic ocean, but i still love the idea, a dream like wisdom where it can be possible. just imagine it - walking on stepping stones to canada. then in 2001 i actually went to canada and was quite amazed by the three places i'd visited - toronto, niagara and winnipeg. walking through canada, the song came instantly and i was surprised that it totally turned out the way i wanted. written - 2001
idea formed - 1984 ish
what its about - walking all the way to canada on stepping stones
lyrics -
you might not believe me every photo shows my face the first volcanic iceberg the last developed state
on a bridge half underwater on a sky bound submarine
i may have been dreaming but i know i walked on stepping stones to canada
this place is amazing every image is for real another photo for my memory another smile in my year
walking late downtown toronto in the night club marathon
my eyes don't deceive me because i know i walked on stepping stones to canada
god's sky above me almost makes me feel at home belfast's hidden beauty shadowed on toronto's wall
walking late night time niagara in the night club marathon
you might not believe me but i know i walked on stepping stones to canada
this song is one of my favourites. i wrote it in 2004 in bournemouth just on the way to my job working by the beach, with the sun beating down and my thoughts of a fun free world, this song came instantly and worked its way into my head. i changed the title a lot, even called it "bournemouth song" and "sun beats" before realising the song itself takes us higher...
written - summer 2004
where - bournemouth
on collection - only me (2004) and twenty five yer havin a laugh (2005)
lyrics -
SUN beats down DOWN down on me every THOUSAND miles i go love love LOVE don't come for FREE that's ALL you'll need to know
rain BEATS down down down on ME every THOUSAND miles i go guns guns GUNS come shoot him down pretty GRAVES all in a row
these days take me higher higher her higher her her higher in the sun higher in the rain higher in the fun higher in the pain
rain beats DOWN down down on me every thousand MILES i go world WORLD world sleeps peacefully waiting for a wind to BLOW
time ticks TICKS ticks by so fast every thousand miles i GO memories won't EVER last that's all you need to know
these days take me higher higher her higher her her higher in the sun higher in the rain higher in the fun higher in the pain
this song is a negative for sure, something when everything goes wrong in life and you have to convince yourself that its not your fault and really....nothing is falling apart.
written - 2001 ish
about - title suggests
lyrics -
defeat is catching up on me i feel i've lost the drive of youth my ups are equalled by my downs my lies dont ever hide the truth
the days are leaving me behind there are no hills left to climb
nothing's falling apart something's bound to go wrong every candle I light ends up going out every sky I see falls down on me
again i'm stripped of all belief and almost dragged into defeat my lows are equalled by my highs my truth dont ever hide my lies
the keys are opening no doors there are no rules any more
nothing's falling apart something's bound to go wrong every candle I light ends up going out every sky I see falls down on me
nothing's falling apart something's bound to go wrong every candle I light ends up going out every sky I see falls down on me
this song i found again recently, i wrote it about my Mum and the time i spent away from her. we always worry of losing someone close to us and this was a fear. that was 5 years agao and for the first time i've re-assessed the lyrics and i can't quite fathom them. it was written in bournemouth in 2004, for a compilation called "room card only."
written - 4th july 2004
compilation - room card only (track 3)
about - mum, muriel blair scottne
lyrics -
a cold breeze of god's air has left me unaware the more i spend away i never count the days on every street i walk i'm sinking in the lough though my dreams may be impressive i admit they're all so selfish
but now i realise i didn't have a clue and i'm praying i'm far from losing you
i should have seen it coming why was i clock watching? whenever my phone rings it could be anything? each knock on my door i hope's a salesman it was you who brought me up only your tea fills my cup
i should have known its not all good news that's why i hope i'm far from losing you
written walking home in the cold from a night club in bangor, northern ireland, year 2000. everywhere was iced up and so dead. in fact there was no sign of life...i only found out later there was already a song called ghost town by the specials.
written - winter 2000
lyrics -
each cloud that lands on my shoulder sure scares the hell out of me each day i'm not getting older it sure scares the hell out of me
footsteps in the dark surround an empty heart shadows fall upon a hidden wall nobody waits around in search of the ghost town
each sky is dark and unfriendly it sure scares the shit out of me each ghost endeavours to find me it sure scares the hell out of me
lamposts in the wind defend a devil from within noises fade until the silence waits nobody hangs around in search of the ghost town
subject matter - can be about love, defeat, the end of something, a football match or a cheesecake, favourite line is "when grown men are forced to cry, you know that its game over..."
lyrics -
the dream has gone the spirits died gaze lonely at the sky don't spare a thought for those who ought to give a reason why
you didn't think it would end so soon you weren't really watching when you see the stars fading away you know that its game over
this lifes too short the lists too long you never get things done walking home through the rain you know you'll find the sun
you should've stopped to say goodbye the moments passed away when grown men are forced to cry you know that its game over
you didn't bid your fond farewells emotioned to your brim amidst the drama of defeat you almost missed game over
its like you lost a lifelong friend each era's curtain falls you didn't need to read the news to find out its game over
nobody knows me and the pain i'm going through days have passed me by without a smile even though i've tried to explain my world to you i chose to build my house on stoney ground
i look away into a faded sunset all alone like a garden knome i step across a barricaded culture educated demon headed
In 2003 my parents and my kid brother booked a holiday to spain, a place called st. miguel on the spanish east coast fairly close to alicante. i decided to join them and took 5 days off work and booked flights. on the last day, they got an early flight and i had a day to kill. i spent the entire day as a lonely tourist in alicante, where i wandered the streets and looked out of place. i had already sweated myself out on the trip walking through la zenia, valencia and various other random spanish towns. i got chatting to ladies in alicante none of whom spoke very good english, although the song in the end was inspired by florencia, an argentinian working in a city centre bar in alicante. as mtv played a video for oasis song "don't go away" i put pen to paper and wrote "spanish towns"
written - august 2003
about - valencia, alicante and any spanish town or city really
lyrics -
i've had too many dreams today that i can't get to sleep in spanish towns i don't belong i look so out of place
i had too much to drink today it didn't go to waste in spanish towns i'm losing all my northern irish taste
in the sun i have been drinking in the bars i have been thinking all these spanish towns remind me of the war
i think i caught the sun today the sweat was dripping down i'm the outcast you don't meet in every spanish town
i almost missed the bus today i couldn't read the signs my sense of humour less aware of sense in spanish towns
through the streets i have been walking to the locals i was talking all these spanish towns look lonely as they are
in the bars i have been drinking all the beers i have been sinking all the spanish girls are smitten by my charm
i had too much to drink today i had too much to drink my ulster heart was wide awake in spanish towns i think
in the sun i had been drinking in the bars i had been thinking all the spanish towns remind me of the war
As far as i recall this was the first time ever I put lyrics to music, and that was in late summer 1996. I only ever started to learn the guitar in 1996, my Dad always had one, but until Oasis came along, I was never compelled to pick it up and blast out a few tunes. So, "New Jersey Girls" is really my first ever song, and i still love it, because of the memory, the time, how easy it was to write and how basic it is. The song itself came about on a family holiday to Florida, USA in July 1996. It was my first ever time out of Europe, and although I had just turned 16, I still felt very young. While walking through Walt Disney World on my own one day, I joined a queue for something in one of the rides, soon my siste Cathy had joined me in the queue, and behind me were two very attractive girls. They looked about my age, one of them asked me something and that was it, I was talking away to them as the queue went down. I don't remember either of their names, but remember that both were so beautiful with gorgeous voices. As the queue went down they asked who I was with (except Cathy) and where I was from. I was with my family, but they had gone somewhere else with kid brother Daniel and when I said "Northern Ireland" they asked in total US accents "wow man, where is that?". Soon we had stopped talking, joined a ride separately and said our goodbyes. Cathy might remember the conversation actually. But then on a stroke of fate, later I was enjoying an ice cream and I met them both again...these days I'd have asked for a drink, a date, a phone number, probably add as friend on facebook. Back then, that was it though. My two lovely New Jersey Girls had come and gone into the night. Of course I never saw them again, but I wrote this song that night in the hotel room. If you're out there, my two New Jersey Girls...this one's for you!
written - florida, usa, july 1996 (guitar added august 1996)
about - two beautiful new jersey girls
lyrics -
i don't see them anymore and as the days go on i think of my new jersey girls and where have they gone
i've seen them twice but never since where are my new jersey girls? i need your comfort now
where are my new jersey girls? where are my new jersey girls? where are my new jersey girls? i need your comfort now
i only have my memories and as the days go by i long for my new jersey girls to fall from the sky
i hear them laugh i see them smile where are my new jersey girls? i'm running out of time
where are my new jersey girls? where are my new jersey girls? where are my new jersey girls? i need your comfort now
i owe this song to an old mate called chris ragg. chris used to live in londonderry, and i often visited him there, mainly in the year 2000. i spent some time on my own on days when chris was at work. during this time i scanned the walls and streets on both sides and enjoyed the place. it is northern ireland's second biggest city, both in size and population. it has a very interesting past and has sadly been caught up in the problems between protestants and catholics, but i wanted to portray a positive image, and i hope i achieved this. the song itself wasn't even meant to be typical of northern ireland, more a universal song on seeing and experiencing a new city and enjoying its vibrancy. i like the lines "the smiles on people's faces is a welcome sight" and "you might look like a stranger but you're not in danger."
written - march 2000
about - londonderry, northern ireland's second biggest city
lyrics -
no sky falls on me as far as i can see all roads seem to lead to prosperity
the bridge links the past to the present at last the smiles on people's faces is a welcome sight
and you might look like a stranger but you're not in danger walking through the fair londonderry air
all roads lead me home an overturned traffic cone all that's left of a terrorist war zone
and the river helps me send myself to sleep upon these walls they built a past unique
and you might feel you're an outcast cos you're not in belfast walking through the fair londonderry air
the smiles on people's faces is a welcome sight
and you might look like a stranger but you're not in danger walking through the fair londonderry air
this lyric was written in 2003 - 2004 and is about all the wars and useless fights in the world, when in reality we should all be sticking together as one on this planet and enjoying life. i could easily have called the song "nobody's war" as well.
written - 2003/2004
collection - only me (track 1)
lyrics -
too many people know me i don't know who they are the enemies so friendly they'd never start the war
the rain just passes through me i guess my soul is cleansed the barricades before me divide me from the rest
but everybody's army will fight nobody's war don't be piggy in the middle don't state what class you are
the world must have an ending don't know where to begin the message i'm not sending looks like none of us will win
i thought you understood me our tragedies comic in time you will discover our comedies tragic
but everybody's victory is someone else's end don't enjoy the journey don't never shake their hand
everybody's violence caused everybody's peace don't pretend your war less never lose your friends or choose your enemies
everybody's army will fight nobody's war if you can't defend your birthright you don't know who you are
if you can't defend your birthright you don't know who you are
collection - twenty five your havin a laff (track 1)
lyrics -
we're getting old but most of us don't want to we're always told the world won't spin around you we're second best but some of us are selfish we're scared of death because life is just too precious
walking through the years of you i shed 5 million tears for you but i won't wait for you when the world stops so don't wait for me when the world stops
we're rock'n'roll guitars replaced my girlfriend we're lonely souls drenched in self importance we're full of life as if each day's a funeral the crimson sky bleeds out the pain of losing
standing at the edge of time i dreamed i own this world of mine but i'm not prepared to wait for you when the world stops so don't wait for me when the world stops
i had been to london manys a time in life, and although i enjoy the general life and hussle and bustle of it, i often hate its lack of culture, identity and totally over crowdedness. in 2006 i finally moved to london, where i lived in shepherd's bush for a while, and worked in hammersmith for a pr agency, bite communications. this was when i saw the busy-ness of it, day in and day out and wrote the song/lyric "(over) crowded london". in this lyric, i hoped to capture the various spots of london where i visited and spent my days as well as people's business and the fact that on the tube/london underground, nobody talks to each other. the city has no real appeal in many aspects, and is in fact totally over crowded, for the only reason being there are lots of jobs there so people want to live there. see this as a guided tour of the uk's capital city...
written - 2006
collection - charing cross (track 1)
subject - as title suggests
lyrics -
people far and wide decide how much i pay for butter walking through the underground these people know its winter the man at the barrier could be a rock n roll star people are too busy to pay each other compliments
we're not at the olympics bjt everybody's running my aeroplane's in clouds above over crowded london
countries unapparent just a maze of pretty people shopping at oxford street just to be fashionable snow at monument station so white i'm invisible i clutch a coffee which i bought at lesiz q
the man reading the tube map can't pretend he's cultured the union flag will always fly over crowded london
democracy has brought this town a city drug collected thoughts at charing cross too personal to say this tower was built before all england changed trafys q a fitting sign that everything remains
this lady wouldn't know a pub if tj bernard hit her another glimpse of innocence over crowded london
posing for a photo i'm a false celebrity the sky so dark at regent's park the blackness is obscene a bus can take you anywhere i pay a man for busking at covent garden i couldn't find the garden
i stand out from the crowd because i stand out from the crowd but no-one stops to notice me over crowded london
where's the hall at whitehall? no queen at queensway i should have bought an all day travelcard the man wears blue for millwall the surrey quay's unlocked somehow those who work here wouldn't want to live here
i had some egg and bacon at piccadilly station this town should really call itself over crowded london
i notice the central line doesn't go to centre at custom house they never checked my passport half the underground is actually overground at oxford circus i couldn't find the circus
i stand out from the crowd because i stand out from the crowd but no-one stops to notice me over crowded london
** please note that the northern line ironically goes the most south. that city confuses the hell out of me.
ACOUSTIC VERSION, Bangor, Northern Ireland, September 2007:
ACOUSTIC PART VERSION, Wood Lane, London, England, August 2006:
ACOUSTIC EARLY VERSION, Bournemouth, England, March 2006:
in the year 2000, i wrote this song about being in love, even though i had never been in love at the time (and in fact it was only during 2009 that i finally fell in love). the song is about a person who goes un-noticed because of love. nothing else is important in life any more because that person has love. hence the lines where they dont need an umbrella in the rain and being camouflage in every background. this is one of my personal favourites.
written - 2000
subject - being in love
lyrics -
drugs are not on my diet without sleep i'm dayless defeat is closer than victory i pretend to enjoy your company
but i'm camouflage in every background when i stop loving you my feet don't touch the ground du da du da du oooh du da du da du
my calendar is empty same goes for my diary i press balance enquiry the cash machine ignores me
at posh awards i'm teetotal the end is never close my feet don't touch the ground du da du da du oooh du da du da du
in desert suns i've no shadow in rain - no umbrella in snow - no duffelcoat my feet don't touch the ground
but i'm camouflage in every background when i stop loving you my feet don't touch the ground du da du da du oooh du da du da du
I'm Jonny Scott Blair. I was born in 1980 in Newtownards, Northern Ireland. But I'm a perpetual backpacker these days since leaving home 14 years ago. I've been to all 7 continents and over 150 countries, inspiring others to travel the world. I now live and work in beautiful Poland and am coping with long term depression.