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Portrait of the Young Man as an Artist

by Owen Franklin

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1.
Madeleine, you’re looking fine, oh how I wish that you were mine And other such pathetic lines created by my lovesick mind She doesn’t love you back you chiromaniac, so do the right thing Jack and give it up Oh Christopher I’m missing ya, oh how I wish that I was yours Why can’t you see a girl like me is better than those other whores He says he thinks you’re fake, a spiteful little snake So please for Heaven’s sake find somebody new I love her even so / I love him even so I’ll never let her go / I’ll never let him go Oh what’s a lovesick teenage boy to do / Oh what’s a lovesick teenage girl to do Well it happens every day, boy and girl, young and old alike Some succeed while others lose I think that love songs are twee, I’d rather sing the blues The world can see / La la, never forget you Your misery / Blah blah, always regret you So dry your eyes now darling, you have my deepest sympathy / Sing the cliché loud for me It’s true what others say / Oh I know Though it may not feel that way / It hurts me so But I can guarantee that there will always be plenty more fish in the sea / Will I find my peace of mind...? He’s stringing me along I see, oh how I’d like to string him up I swear she can’t be good for me, so why don’t I just give her up? (Give her up...) I don’t mean to complain (So you’re not gonna thank her?) But I’m sick of all the pain (Well noone cares you wanker) There’s nothing left to gain but more of the same We’re going nowhere fast, this isn’t going to last, I simply can’t be arsed It happens every day anyway no matter what you’re like / Some succeed, others lose Some succeed, others lose / I don’t care I think that love songs are twee / This won’t go I’d rather be with you / Anywhere
2.
She walks in beauty, tender as the night of cloudless starry skies And all the aspects best of dark and bright are met inside her eyes And therefore mellowed to that tender light which Heav’n to day denies And though she’s dressed in black and mourns a loved one gone Her beauty’s still a sight to see, her presence fills the room with ethereal song She’s hypnotising me One shade the more, or yet one ray the less had half impaired the grace Which waves in every gentle raven tress or softly lights her face Where purest thoughts senerely sweet express how dear their resting place And though her heart is wrenched with devastating pain She smiles with quiet dignity, and though my conscious sense I struggle to retain She’s mesmerising me And on that flawless cheek and o’er that brow so calm, yet eloquent The poignant smiles that win the tints that glow but tell of good times spent A mind and heart at peace with all below whose love is innocent And though I try to clear my mind, try as I might this girl in black is all I see And I accept that I shall not forget this night, this wondrous night in which she This magical night in which she, she walks in beauty
3.
Teetotal 03:44
I said I was leaving once I’d finished my round But next thing I knew we were out on the town And now it’s the morning and my stomach is sick I’ve spent all my money and I feel like a prick I went on a bender and now Jesus I’m feeling unwell My stomach churns like a blender and my head is going through hell I know it’s unlike me so I’ll forgive you if you smile when I say, “I’m going teetotal for a while” It seemed like a bad idea but now I’ve had several beers So let’s play this slighty risqué drinking game I don’t mean to be explicit, but her mouth – well I really didn’t miss it Making out with your friends while drunk is really lame There’s fun and there’s foolish and I think last night was the latter Don’t tell me I’m prudish and don’t tell me that it doesn’t matter ‘Cause if I’d been sober, well I would have run a mile So that’s why I’m going teetotal for a while If you can’t drink responsibly it’s fair to say you probably Shouldn’t really drink at all, and some of you dicks should take the hint from me I wish that our society would favour more sobriety but that’s not the case at all So I’ll sit here at the bar with my orange juice alone It’s gonna be tricky, but at least God knows that I’m trying But I could kill for a cocktail, a cold lager or a glass of rosé wine Southern Comfort, Tia Maria, and every type of Belgian beer Are normally more my style, and that’s exactly why I’m going teetotal So goodbye, I’m going teetotal for a while
4.
Lately I've been watching a storm gathering out on the ocean Watching as a darkness engulfs the tranquil sky Lately I've been sensing that wheels of fate are motion Something's going to happen, no telling when or why Is this how it must be Isolated for eternity The ocean boils beneath a stormy sky I look the tempest in the eye Lately I've been thinking about how we're all getting older Have I spent my time wisely or thrown it away? Lately I've been carrying the weight of my world on my shoulders And in the fading light I can't tell night from day Is this how it must be Isolated for eternity The ocean boils beneath a stormy sky I look the tempest in the eye So I'll burn my books, or drown them in the deepest ocean / Coulda been, shoulda been, woulda been Cast my sins away / All the things that I oughta been
5.
A good man is hard to find these days We've reached the end of the line I fear I'm sorry but God isn't listening to you pray That's why we call this place Hell 'round here When the flood comes He isn't gonna save ya It's too late, you should've listened to your Saviour But now you've gotta pay for your bad behaviour It's every man for himself But I won't take responsibility All your problems ain't got nowt to do with me I can't speak, I can't hear, I can't see no evil No evil No evil I'm only ever concerned with myself And I don't give a damn 'bout anybody else Are you seriously kidding me, telling me that's evil I'm apathetic, not evil I'm misanthropic, not evil So if you think chivalry's still alive Well you've got another thing coming And women and children, if you wanna survive You better put your feet down and hit the ground running I set fire to the lifeboats I set fire to the lifeboats I set fire to the lifeboats Just to watch them burn
6.
7.
Well I wondered if I was lonesome tonight after Mr Presley enquired But apart from a cold, well I felt alright, just a little uninspired So I sat alone feeling sad and down when I heard my heart announce, "Don't just sit alone and neglect your friends, it's the time with them that counts" Bring your friends, grab a beer, tell them all to gather here, now the music's in full swing A piano, a guitar, they define who we are when we teach them how to sing Well I wondered if I was born to run just like Mr Springsteen too But my dad asked me where I was going to run and I didn't have a clue So I searched my map for a place to run when I heard my heart announce, "It is not the place where you find yourself but the journey there that counts" Bring your friends, grab a beer, tell them all to gather here, now the music's in full swing A piano, a guitar, they define who we are when we teach them how to sing Well I found all my answers were blowin' in the wind just like Mr Dylan foretold So I wander the land with the songs I sing and the values I uphold Bring your friends, grab a beer, tell them all to gather here now the music's in full swing A piano, a guitar, they define who we are when we teach them how to sing Teach them how to sing Teach me how to sing...
8.
The leaves fall in Autumn, but there’s blossom come Spring I’m stating the obvious but oh my, how time changes every little thing We’re not getting younger and maybe this life is all that we get We’re searching for Heaven but none of us have found it yet But I’ve always been a believer in making the most of what’s here So when you’re tossed on life’s seas by tempestuous breezes You cling to the things you hold dear We all need companionship, we all need a friend We all want much more than that but most of us fall short in the end So will you come gambling with me, well I know we’ll be taking a risk But sometimes you’ve got to face danger just to know you exist If we don’t seize these opportunities then I know I’ll never forget it ‘cause I don’t wanna pass by, I don’t wanna ask why And dear God I don’t wanna regret it ‘cause I know, I know I’m a handful, yeah, I when I sing it’s not quite in key And I know that when you picture perfection, well I guess it looks nothing like me But take a chance, what’s the worst that could happen Well at worst you’ll have made a mistake But mistakes, they’re what we all learn from And that’s a chance that I’m willing to take So I’ll state with ironic conviction yeah, that I believe I’ve got the whole world to give If we’re all that we’ve got why not give it a shot Because the most important thing to do is live To do is live To do is live To do is live To do is...
9.
My dear you see it’s clear to me that love is really blind You live your life so unaware, I follow kissing your behind Your back is turned, you’ll never learn the things I cannot say I tried my best to spit them out but couldn’t find a way ‘cause I tried to write you love songs but I didn’t get that far ‘cause I’m pretty crap at singing and not much better at guitar So I wrote this little number in the only way I know By ripping off Bruce Springsteen songs (The River, Thunder Road) And now it’s fair that I should let you know That I love you and I care for you, you barely know my name But I feel a strong connection girl, I hope you feel the same I thought that love would never touch me, now you’ve left me feeling small This Gatsby’s not so great after all My dear I see unfortunately you didn’t like my news The green light is receding now and all you’ve left’s me with the blues But nobody can understand just what it is I see They think that you’re a spiteful bitch for pinning stuff on me Stuff like fucking up a friendship that you claimed was never there Well I hate to contradict you but that really isn’t fair ‘cause I did my best to please you girl, yeah heaven knows I tried But was your kindness all pretence to keep me occupied Yeah when you smiled were you stone cold inside? Well I love you, I still care for you but frankly I’m confused ‘cause you’ve been treating me like worse than dirt, I’m feeling quite bemused But I’ll come back if you want me to just don’t ask me to crawl This Gatsby’s not so great after all I fell to the bottom you kicked me while I was down But I hear from all the others you’re the kind of girl that gets around There’s the impression your list of indiscretions goes on and on and on Your general behaviour it makes me feel sick Like when you cheated on your best friend by sucking on her boyfriend’s lips As you kissed you didn’t give a shit, it goes on and on and on and on and on and on... Well I loved you and I cared for you but now I see the truth You’re a spoilt adolescent girl who’s burning up her youth Well I think that you’re pathetic, yeah I hope that you regret it But wait I’m not finished yet Because my dear you see this land is free for me to bitch and moan And tell the world in no uncertain terms I hope you die alone You’re too proud to be my pride and joy, well please enjoy the fall This Gatsby’s filled with hate and now it’s far too late Well maybe you’re not so great after all
10.
Last Orders 04:36
It's reached that point of the evening again Where no-one's left around to pretend to listen to my music but you And I've saved the best 'til last, but you already knew, I can tell In the distance the bartender's tolling a bell Saying "Last orders at the bar" for the night A couple of drunkards stir at the sound Temporarily roused from their Jazz Age frames of mind One of them recites some lines from a poem In a mix of drowsiness and drunken ecstacy It's doesn't make sense and he's slurring his words But his friends raise their glasses and nod and agree Oh it's strange, strange how a man and his words Touches the people who've heard just what he has to say And you, listening to me and not them Old faithful, my only friend, have you come to hear me play? And it's you, you every time still sitting and listening intently Though I never hit the high notes, though I always sing the blues And I see, with one song left that I know from memory I'm not singing this for me, no I'm singing this for you So tell the bartender to wait, 'cause I've got one last order to make Please, sit with me, talk to me please I'm begging you down on my knees to stay a while You've stuck with me this far Oh it's true, all that I'm longing to do Is to finish this evening with you Whoever you are Wherever you are
11.
I wrote you a tired old cliché and I scrawled it down just the other day But before the ink had even dried I saw my weary pen hang its nib in shame Well dear, my clever pen, it knew that tired old clichés just won’t do Not when the subject matter’s you – and that’s a cliché but true ‘cause you, you are the song in the beaks of the birds And you are the reason I struggle for words You gave me hope that I had never found before and you say “Hey – That’s what friends are for” Some guy writes a love song for his girl, he claims “I will love you forever” But six months later it’s over, he hates her, and I think to myself, “Well that wasn’t too clever to claim” ‘cause romance may change But through the fire and the rain, true friends may remain, you and I stay the same Y tú, cada hora que paso con tígo me parece menos de un segundo That’s a compliment if you’re not sure but you say “Hey – That’s what friends are for” Are you all I’ve got or all that I’m not, how can mere words express the truth Still there’s one thing left and that thing is you You are the Sun and you are the Light, and you are the pillow I cling to at night You gave me your word, how could I ever ask for more? And you say “Hey – That’s what friends are for” I wrote you a tired old cliché, that’s been said, I wrote ‘til my fateful pen was dead And now that I’ve cleared my head, well I guess we should call it a day my dear And when you hear this you might see how much you really mean to me And if you cry for me with tears I can’t ignore, then I’ll wipe them away And you know what I’ll say, with a smile I’ll say “Hey – That’s what true friends are for”

credits

released February 1, 2011

OWEN FRANKLIN: vocals (Tracks 1-11) / piano & keyboards (Tracks 1-4, 6-11) / guitar (Track 5) / bass (Track 7) / saxophone (Track 10) / kazoo (Track 7)



JON BEAVIS: drums (Tracks 1, 2, 8, 9, 11)

JOHN BUTTERWORTH: vocals (Track 4)

JERRY CROZIER-COLE: guitars (Tracks 1, 2, 3, 9) / bass (Tracks 3, 9)

ANDY DAVIS: drums (Track 3)

KAT KLEVE: vocals (Tracks 1, 4, 11)

DAVE MILES: saxophone (Track 1)

STEVE ROBSHAW: guitar (Track 11)

BEN SKERRATT: guitars (Track 4)

MATT THOMAS: bass (Tracks 1, 2, 8, 11)

ALFIE WILLIAMS: guitar (Track 7)



Recorded by Matt Thomas and Louis Sherman

Produced by Louis Sherman, with the exception of Track 8, produced by Matt Thomas

Music and lyrics © Owen Franklin 2011

All lyrics by Owen Franklin, with the exception of Track 2, lyrics by Lord Byron and Owen Franklin

All solos arranged by their respective performers

Cover photography by Mike Foxall-Smith, January 2011

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