Neil Young – After The Goldrush [1970]

 008

Year Released: 1970
Record Company: Preprise

1. Tell Me Why (3:01)
2. After the Gold Rush (3:49)
3. Only Love Can Break Your Heart (3:07)
4. Southern Man (5:42)
5. Till the Morning Comes (1:17)
6. Oh Lonesome Me (3:53)
7. Don’t Let It Bring You Down (3:01)
8. Birds (2:32)
9. When You Dance I Can Really Love (3:45)
10. I Believe in You (3:28)
11. Cripple Creek Ferry (1:33)

All songs written by Neil Young except ‘Oh Lonesome Me’ by Don Gibson
Reprise (P) 1970

 
 

TELL ME WHY

Sailing heartships through broken harbours
Ou ton the waves in the night
Still the searcher must ride the dark horse
Racinig alone in his fright.
Tell me why, tell me why

Is it hard to make arrangements with yourself,
When your old enough to repay
but young enough to sell?

Tell me lies later, come and see me
I’ll be around for a while.
I am lonely but you can free me
All in the way that you smile

 
 

AFTER THE GOLDRUSH

Well, I dreamed I saw the knights in armour coming,
sayin’ something about a queen.
There were passants singin’ and drummers drummin’
and the archer split the tree.
There’s a fanfare blowin’ to the sun
that was floating on the breeze.
Look at Mother Nature on the run in the nineteen seventies.
Look at Mother Nature on the run in the nineteen seventies.

I was lyin’ in a burned out basement
with the full moon in my eyes.
I was hopin’ for replacement
when the sun burst through the sky.
There was a band playin’ in my head
and I felt like getting high.
I was thinkin’ about what a friend had said I was hopin’ it was a lie.
Thinkin’ about what a friend had said I was hopin’ it was a lie.

Well, I dreamed I saw the silver spaceships flyin’
in the yellow haze of the sun,
there were children cryin’ and colours flyin’
all around the chosen ones
All in a dream, all in a dream the loading had begun.
Flying Mother Nature’s silver seed to a new home in the sun.
Flying Mother Nature’s silver seed to a new home.

 
 

ONLY LOVE CAN BREAK YOUR HEART

When you were young and on your own
How did it feel to be alone?
I was always thinking
of games the I was playing.
Trying to make the best of my time.

But only love can break your heart
Try to be sure right from the start
Yes only love can break your heart
What if your world should fall apart?

I have a friend I’ve never seen
He hides his head inside a dream
Someone should call him and see
If he can come out.
Try to lose the down that he’s found.

 
 

SOUTHERN MAN

Southern man better keep your head
Don’t forget what your good book said
Southern change gonna come at last
Now your crosses are burning fast
Southern man

I saw cotton and I saw black
Tall white mansions and little shacks
Southern man when will you pay them back?
I heard screamin’ and bullwhips cracking
How long? How long?

Lily Belle, your hair is golden brown
I’ve seen your black man comin’ round
Swear by God I’m gonna cut him down!
I heard screamin’ and bullwhips cracking
How long? How long?

 
 

TILL THE MORNING COMES

I’m gonna give you
till the morning comes
Till the morning comes,
till the morning comes.

I’m only waiting
till the morning comes
Till the morning comes,
till the morning comes.

 
 

OH, LONESOME ME

Everybody’s going out and having fun
I’m a fool for staying home and having none.
I can’t get over how she set me free.
Oh, lonesome me.

There must be some way that I can lose these lonesome blues
Forget about my past and find someone new
I’ve thought of everything from A to Z
Oh, lonesome me.

I’ll bet she’s not like me.
She’s out and fancy free,
Flirting with the boys with all her charms
But I still love her so,
And brother don’t you know
I’d welcome her right back here in my arms.

 
 

DON’T LET IT BRING YOU DOWN

Old man lying by the side of the road
With the lorries rolling by,
Blue moon sinking from the weight of the load
And the building scrape the sky,
Cold wind ripping down the allay at dawn
And the morning paper flies,
Dead man lying by the side of the road
With the daylight in his eyes,
Don’t let it bring you down – it’s only castles burnning,
Find someone who’s turning and you will come around.

Blind man running through the light of the night
With an answer in his hand,
Come on down to the river of sight
And you can really understand,
Red lights flashing through the window in the rain,
Can you hear the sirens moan?
White cane lying in a gutter in the lane,
If you’re walking home alone,
Don’t let it bring you dowa – it’s only castles burning,
Just find someone who’s turning and you will come around.

 
 

BIRDS

Lover, there will be an other one
Who’ll hover over you beneath the sun
Tomorrow see the things that never come
Today

When you see me
Fly away without you
Shadow on the things you know
Feathers fall around you
And show you the way to go
It’s over, it’s over.

Nestled in your wings my little one
Is special morning brings another sun
Tomorrow see the things that never come
Today

 
 

WHEN YOU DANCE I CAN REALLY LOVE

When you dance, do your senses tingle?
Then take a chance?
In a trance, while the lonely mingle
with circumstance?

I’ve got something to tell you
you make it show.
Baby come over, I know you know
When you dance I can really love.

I can love, I can really love, I can really love
Like a moutain that’s growing
a river that rolls
Baby come over, I know you know

 
 

I BELIEVE IN YOU

Now that you found yourself losing your mind
are you here again?
Finding that what you once thought is real
is gone, and changing?

Now that you made yourself love me
Do you think I can change it in a day?
How can I place you above me?
An I lieing to you when I say
That I believe in you

Coming to you at night I see my questions
I feel my doubts
Whishing that maybe in a year or two
we could laugh aand let it all out

 
 

CRIPPLE CREEK FERRY

All alone the captain stands
Hasn’t heard from his deck hands.
The gambler tips his hat and walks towards the door.
It’s the second half of the cruise.
And do you know he hates to lose.

Hey, hey cripple creek ferry
Bulling through the overhanging trees
Make way for the Cripple Creek ferry
The waters going down it’s a mighty tight squeeze

 

———————————

 

Credits

 

Neil Young: guitar, piano, harmonica, vibes, vocal
Danny Whitten: guitar, vocal
Billy Talbot: bass
Ralph Molina: drums, vocal
Jack Nitzsche: piano
Greg Reeves: bass
Nils Lofgren: piano, vocal
Bill Peterson: flugelhorn
Stephen Stills: vocal

Recorded at Sunset Sound and Sound City, Hollywood, and at Neil’s home studio, Topanga, CA, Aug. 1969-June 1970

Produced by Neil Young & David Briggs with Kendall Pacios