Frank Turner lyrics on Travelling

Now, as I have mentioned in several other posts;

http://studentaroundtheworld.blogspot.com/2010/09/perfect-travel-music.html

and

http://studentaroundtheworld.blogspot.com/2010/10/stephen-frys-increase-traffic-tip.html

Frank Turner is one of my favourite musicians of all time. As a man who tours the world relentlessly, Frank Turner's music does tend to dwell into travelling and touring. Whether it's the highs of experiencing new places and cultures, or the lows of living away from those we love, Frank covers it all in what I can only describe as a man who lives on the horizon, and never let's himself be forced to stay in the same place. So here are a few pieces of the legend's work:



First up - To Take You Home. One of my personal favourites right now as a traveller at the moment, I can totally relate to it:

To Take You Home - Frank Turner



I come from the land of the Wessex downs
From the Hampshire hills near Winchester town
In the country where the soft South rivers flow down
To English channel I roam, this is where I call home
I sing for my supper and I'm pretty well fed
My cross is silent and I make my bed
Where I can find a crown and somewhere to lay my head
And the travelling day is done, and all my songs have been sung

But honey I was lonely on the road, I was all on my own
Hanging outside at the back of a death metal show
I saw you standing there with your hair down low
A kink in your step that made me want to know
If you would like to take me home
Who'd of thought that a French kiss from a Parisian girl could capture an English boy

She comes from the channels of a distant shore
From the land of revolution and of Agincourt
From the Kings blood stain on a tricolour
And the culture a little too high, for an English boy like me
She doesn't know the Island I grew up upon
The valleys and the hills that I've roamed along
And she doesn't like my clothes and she doesn't like my songs
But she's still my Mademoiselle and it goes to show you never can tell.

Cos she was a quiet one
She was a shy one
She was the prettier at the show
She crept up so slowly
She crept up behind me
But still she pretended that she didn't know
But all that she thinks of me, and she kissed me
And she's yet to let me go though I'm far away
Across of sea I'm singing for the hope that she would ever remember me

So honey when you're lonely on the road, you're all on your own
Hanging outside at the back of the country show
Picture me there with hat down low
A smile upon my face to let you know
That I would like to take you home
That I would like to take you home, to the hills that I know
I would like to take you home, to the places I go
I would like to take you home
And that's the way that a French kiss from an English boy can capture a Parisian girl





Jet Lag - Frank Turner



I've heard it said the trick
Is to set your watch when you hit the plane
That way you can trick
The workings of a tired brain
But sometimes I feel sick
Sometimes I just feel so drained
And cut down to the quick
Longing for that voice again
On the phone
You always ask if I'm OK
But it's not the same as being happy

I travelling 40,000 miles last year
And I'm working on the same again
I fell for 15 different girls
And nearly lost all of my friends
Well I am jet set, jet lag, jaded
You're always 16 hours ahead
Quietly reminding me how I used to be

Airports make me sad
I'm sure they shouldn't all be the same
But they're just landing pads
Boring tourist shopping chains
I remember times we had
Drinking while we wait for your plane
Feeling kinda bad
Wondering which one of us has changed
Cos we used to be slick
Subtle young hips, romantic young kissable lips
Unbearably sharp, unbreakable heart
With wide eyes and faith
That life could never pull apart if we were OK
But distance kills the best of intentions
And never intended it to be this way

I travelling 40,000 miles last year
And I'm working on the same again
I fell for 15 different girls
And nearly lost all of my friends
Oh I am jet set, jet lag, jaded
You're always 16 hours ahead
Quietly reminding me how I used to be
I'm trying to remember how I used to be
Used to be slick






The Road - Frank Turner



To the east to the east
The road beneath my feet
To the west to the west
I haven't got there yet
And to the north to the north
Never to be caught
To the south to the south
My time is running out

Ever since my childhood I've been scared I've been afraid
Of being trapped by circumstance and staying in one place
So I always keep a small bag full of clothes carefully stored
Somewhere secret somewhere safe
And somewhere close to the door

Well I've traveled many countries I've washed my feet in many seas
I've drunk with drifters in Vienna and with punks in old dc
And I've driven across deserts driven by the irony
That only being shackled to the the road could ever I be free

Chorus
To the east to the east
The road beneath my feet
To the west to the west
I haven't got there yet
And to the north to the north
Never to be caught
To the south to the south
My time is running out

I've felt old before my time but now I keep the age away
By burning up the miles and yeah by filling up my days
And the nights a thousand nights I've played
And a thousand more to go
Before I take a breath and steal myself
For the next one thousand shows

Chorus
To the east to the east
The road beneath my feet
To the west to the west
I haven't got there yet
And to the north to the north
Never to be caught
To the south to the south
My time is running out

Yes so saddle up your horses now and keep your powder dry
Cause the truth is you won't be here long
Yeah soon your going to die
To the heart, to the heart there's no time for you to waste
You wont find your precious answers now by staying in one place
Yeah by giving up the chase

Chorus
To the east to the east
The road beneath my feet
To the west to the west
I haven't got there yet
And to the north to the north
Never to be caught
To the south to the south
My time is running out
To the south to the south
My time is running out
To the south to the south
My time is running out

I face the horizon everywhere I go
I face the horizon the horizon is my home
I face the horizon everywhere I go
I face the horizon the horizon is my home



This is just three songs which demonstrate his lyrical genius, but I STRONGLY recommend checking out all of his songs. The man is unquestionably one of my favourite musicians EVER. And myself, as a 20 year old lad who started travelling in the last month, I now appreciate the man's genius even more so.



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Stephen Fry's increase traffic tip!

Ok so this isn't really one of Stephen Fry's tips on how to increase traffic to your blog, but it is relevant to him, and worked substantially well for me. Although this isn't an easy method of increasing traffic and bringing more people to your site, it is an extremely successful one!



First things first; GET TWITTER. Although a lot of people have signed up to Twitter for the pointless reason of just adding their friends, who they already have on Facebook, Twitter is actually an amazing way to stalk, I mean follow* celebrities in their daily life. Me? Personally I use Twitter to follow members of bands I love. And through it, I've found out about secret gigs or cheaper merch etc. However, it's nice just on a general level to see members of huge bands as just regular human beings. For example, Frank Carter, lead vocalist of post-hardcore band Gallows, is always Tweeting about his Kill to Death ratio on Xbox Live. It's just nice to see famous people, as well....just people.
'How is this post relevant to ME' you might be asking. 'I don't care about celebrities and their lives.' Well that's fair enough, but the long and short of it is, if you can make friends with a celebrity, the likelihood is they will Tweet your blog.Now I'm not saying that Stephen Fry (I use him as an example because he has the most followers on Twitter out of most celebrities) is going to Retweet each and everyone of your blogs. Far from it. Aim a little smaller.Now if you have been following me for while, you'll recall my post about Frank Turner (You can read it here: http://studentaroundtheworld.blogspot.com/2010/09/perfect-travel-music.html)As one of my favourite musicians ever, (Seriously I strongly urge you to check him out) I of course have him on Twitter and over the last couple of months have been Retweeting (passing in for you non Twitter users) his messages etc.Now, after Tweeting about my blog post that included a short Frank Turner review, I was shocked, yet amazed find that he had passed on my blog to his 13 000+ followers!

And has he has THIS many people following him:

My blog received a huge amount of traffic. As Frank Turner's tweets are linked to his website, I was getting several sources of traffic, and my views rose sharply!

So guys, if you're using twitter, START FOLLOWING CELEBRITIES! Be friendly with them. Banter with them. And if they're a decent bloke like Mr Turner is, then who knows, maybe one day they'll retweet your blog to!


Oh, and Justin Bieber and Britney Spears aren't going to Retweet your blogs, so aim a littttttle smaller than the big celebs!



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Perfect Travel Music

Right guys just a little insight into perhaps my favourite musician ever. As political poet armed only with an acoustic guitar and incredible voice, I've been listening to Frank for about three years now. Ex lead singer of Hardcore band Million Dead, Frank Turner writes the most inspiring music. Whether writing about the excuse of a government we currently have or just waking up drunk from a party, Frank to me is one of the most brilliant and original musicians out there.

As a man who tours the UK relentless, and is currently touring in the states, I feel I can relate to his songs as a traveller.

Although this song isn't my favourite by him, it's had the most radio coverage and therefore seems to be his biggest hit to date.  Also, as he talks about touring and travelling, I felt it would be most appropriate to share this song in a travelling blog. I would STRONGLY suggest checking him out.


EDIT - Had a lot of trouble with Youtube embedding so I removed the official video and replaced it with this one. Still the same song :) Enjoy




Album cover for Love, Ire and Song - an incredible album by the legend himself:

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