The Singer’s Request (Live)

[Chorus]
Dark the night and long till day
Do not bid us further stray
Dark the night and long till day
Do not bid us further stray

[Verse 1]
Now the sun it does decline
Pour the beer and pour the wine
Let us lead your thoughts astray
From the world and from the day

[Chorus]
Dark the night and long till day
Do not bid us further stray

[Verse 2]
We bring songs from history
Love and war and mystery
We could lead you from despair
Or can chill the darkening air

[Chorus]
Dark the night and long till day
Do not bid us further stray

[Verse 3]
You can choose to pass us by
With a cruel or a scornful eye
We shall see the ending through
Then we'll turn and say to you

[Chorus]
Dark the night and long till day
Do not bid us further stray
Dark the night and long till day
Do not bid us further stray
Dark the night and long till day
Do not bid us further stray

[Outro]
Thank you.

The um, this next song I wrote with Peter Case. Now I put out this album called Trad Arr Jones, which is an album of traditional folk songs previously played by Nic Jones. Which I'm not gonna give you a big story about now, because I don't wanna be, you know, the folk singer with the history lesson, but— Which I've seen on this very stage, I can tell you: "This next song..."

Um, but you know, I'm very pleased to have made this album because I really love this material a lot. And, uh, if you wanna read about it, actually, there's a very nice article in the Oakland Tribune that's posted on that door that in fact explains it all very well. But Nic Jones was a really great performer whose CDs are by and large not available.

If you get muddled during the show, if I don't announce the song, um, 'cause you know, I don't talk a lot between the numbers, but if, if—alright, calm down—if, if, if I don't, if I don't introduce the songs and you're muddled about it: If it has the word "bosun" in it, or the word "thee"—T-H-double E, rather than the definite article—or "thou," or even the phrase "right speedily," then the chances are that will be one of the folk songs that I didn't write. If on the other hand it has more earthy words in it, that'll be one of mine.