Neil Young – Hawks And Doves [1980]

025

(Repise ’80)

1. Little Wing (2:15)
2. Old Homestead (7:43)
3. Lost in Space (4:21
4. Captain Kennedy (2:59)
5. Stayin’ Power (2:22)
6. Coastline (2:30)
7. Union Man (2:13)
8. Comin’ Apart at Every Nail (2:40)
9. Hawks & Doves (3:27)

 

Little Wing

All her friends call her Little Wing
But she flies rings around them all
She comes to town when the children sing
And leaves them feathers as if they fall
She leaves them feathers as if they fall

Little Wing, don’t fly away
When the summer turns to fall
Don’t you know some people say
The winter is the best time of them all
Winter is the best of all.

 

Old Homestead

Up and down the old homestead
The naked rider gallops
through his head
And although the moon isn’t full
He still feels the pull.Out on the floor
where the cowboys dance
Approaching slowly at a glance
Here comes the shadow of his stance
The reins are fallin’
from his hands.Why do you ride that crazy horse?
Inquires the shadow
with little remorse
Just then a priest
comes down the stairs
With a sack of dreams
and old nightmares.

Who are you, the rider says
You dress in black
but you talk like a Fed
You spout ideas
from books that you read
Don’t you care about
this guy’s head?

Just then the sound
of hoofbeats was heard
And the sky was darkened
by a prehistoric bird
Who flew between
the unfulfilled moon
And the naked rider,
to a telephone booth.

We’ll call the moon
and see what’s up
I’ve got some change
in this little tin cup
We’ll say that
the shadow is growin’ dim
And we need some light
to get back to him
Just one call should do it all
I’ll carve this number on the wall
With my beak.

Flying feathers were all around
The air was filled
with a ringing sound.
Two more birds,
the second and the third
Came down from the sky
to deliver the word.

Where have you been,
they said to the first
Get back to the clouds,
we’re dying of thirst
There’s not enough time
to make that call
Let’s ditch this rider,
shadow and all.

The sky was filled
with the beautiful birds
Still on the ground
some crying was heard
With his dime in his hand
and his hand on the dial
His ears were sweating
as he forced a smile.

Hoofbeats beating across the range
He rode through the night
with his cup of change
Tired and beaten
he fell into slumber
But up in the sky
they still had his number.

Up and down the old homestead
The naked rider gallops
through his head
And although the moon isn’t full
He still feels the pull,
Still feels the pull.

 

Lost In Space

Live with me, live with me
Live with me, live with me
Live with me.Lost in space
I heard you were lost in space
That’s such a lonely place
for you to be.Out of control
Singin’ with too much soul
I heard you got out on parole
Workin’ for the queen.

Gardening again
Landscape again
Keepin’ all the grounds
around her clean
Workin’ for the queen.

Don’t take out the magic pen
Don’t draw on the infinity board
Your buildings, if they rise again
Would do much better
on the ocean floor
They’ll never feel the way
they did before
They did before.

Out on the ocean floor,
out on the ocean floor
What could be stranger
than the unknown danger
That lies on the ocean floor?

Breakers crash on the beach
I count them like lambs in my sleep
They come at me steady
They know I’m not ready
They pound on my mattress door
Have they got a big one in store.

Losing you
I heard I was losing you
That’s not the only thing
that I got to lose
I got to lose
The deep sea blues
Look at these blues
The deep sea blues

Live with me, live with me.

 

Captain Kennedy

I am a young mariner headed to war
I’m thinkin’ ’bout my family
and what it was for
There’s water on the wood
and the sails feel good
And when I get to shore
I hope that I can kill good.My father was a sailor
named Captain Kennedy
He lost his wooden schooner
to the Germans on the sea
Exploded on the water
for everyone to see
And humiliate that American
Captain Kennedy.I saw him in Nassau in 1971
His strength was failin’
but he still ran a run
He worked ’til his fingers
wore to the bone
To buy that wooden schooner
and sail on his own.He was known in the islands
as hundred foot iron
That steel hull freighter
was passin’ its time
And time flew by faster
with life on the sea
And the days grew shorter
for Captain Kennedy.I am a young mariner headed to war
I’m thinkin’ ’bout my family
and what it was for
There’s water on the wood
and the sails feel good
And when I get to shore
I hope that I can kill good.

 

Stayin’ Power

Our love, baby, feels so right
When you’re smilin’ in the morning light
I ain’t leavin’ no way’Cause we got stayin’ power
You and I
Stayin’ power through thick and thin.Stayin’ power
You and I
Stayin’ power through thick and thin.Gold and diamonds say you’re mine
But true love opens the gates of time
And as we go on our wayWe got stayin’ power
You and I
Stayin’ power through thick and thinStayin’ power
You and I
Stayin’ power through thick and thin.

 

Coastline

Down on the coastline, Highway One
People headin’ out for the sun
That’s where I found you,
long time ago.You’re my angel, you’re my queen
You’re my best friends in between
We don’t back down from no trouble
We do get up in the mornin’.Oooweee, baby, what a night
That old moon sure is shinin’ bright
We’ll be dancin’
’til the mornin’ comes.High on the mountain top
above the clouds
No wonder we get a little loud
We don’t back down from no trouble
We do get up in the mornin’.

 

Union Man

I’m proud to a union man
I make those meetings when I can, yeah
I pay my dues ahead of time
When the benefits come
I’m last in line, yeah.I’m proud to be a union man.Every fourth Friday at 10 am
There’s a local meeting
of the A F of M, yeah!This meeting will now come to order
Is there any new business?Yeah, I think ‘Live music are better’
Bumper stickers should be issued.What was that?’Live music is better’ bumper stickers
Should be issued

The gentleman says
‘Live music is better’ bumper stickers
Should be issued
All in favor of what he said
Signify by sayin’ “ay”

Ay!

If, however, you are opposed
Signify by saying “no”.

I’m proud to be a union man

 

Comin’ Apart At Every Nail

It’s awful hard to find a job
On one side the government,
the other the mob
Hey, hey ain’t that right
The workin’ man’s in
for a hell of a fight.Oh, this country
sure looks good to me
But these fences are
comin’ apart at every nail.Way up on the old dew line
Some of the boys were feelin’ fine
A big light flashed across the sky
But somethin’ else went slippin’ by
Meanwhile at the Pentagon
The brass was a wonderin’
what went wrong.Oh, this country
sure looks good to me
But these fences are
comin’ apart at every nail.
Hey hey, ain’t that right
The workin’ man’s in
for a hell of a fight.
Oh, this country
sure looks good to me
But these fences are
comin’ apart at every nail.

 

Hawks & Doves

Ain’t getting old,
ain’t getting younger though
Just getting used
to the lay of the land
I ain’t tongue-tied,
just don’t got nothin’ to say
I’m proud to be livin’ in the U.S.A.Ready to go, willin’ to stay and pay
U.S.A., U.S.A.
So my sweet love can dance
another free day
U.S.A., U.S.A.

In history we painted pictures grim
The devil knows
we might feel that way again
The big wind blows,
so the tall grass bends
But for you don’t
push too hard my friend.

Ready to go, willin’ to stay and pay
U.S.A., U.S.A.
So my sweet wife can dance
another free day
U.S.A., U.S.A.

Got people here
down on their knees and prayin’
Hawks and doves
are circlin’ in the rain
Got rock and roll,
got country music playin’
If you hate us, you just
don’t know what you’re sayin’.

Ready to go, willin’ to stay and pay
U.S.A., U.S.A.
So my sweet love can dance
another free day
U.S.A., U.S.A.

 

———————————

 

Neil Young: guitar, piano, vocal
Greg Thomas: drums
Dennis Belfield: bass
Ben Keith: steel guitar, dobro, vocal
Rufus Thibodeaux: fiddle
Ann Hillary O’Brien: vocal

The Old Homestead
Neil Young: vocals, guitars, harmonica
Levon Helm: drums
Tim Drummond: bass
Tom Scribner: saw

Recorded at Quadrafonic, Nashville; Village Recorders, Los Angeles; Indigo Recording Studio, Malibu; Triad Recording Studio, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, and Gold Star Recording Studio, Hollywood, Dec. 8, 1974-July 5, 1980

Produced by David Briggs, Tim Mulligan & Neil Young