Alchemeon: It's a Blue Sky Don't Hold No Rain

It's a Blue Sky Don't Hold No Rain by Alchemeon, from Alchemeon Live In Session Spring 2009. Jim takes the lead vocal at the start of this song. A little later on, there is a moment of comedy. At about 5.20, when the vocals come back in again, Jim's lyric sheet makes a sudden leap for freedom. He manages to grab it in mid-air before it escapes. You can hear the "glorch!" of the keys as some part of his anatomy comes into contact with them when he goes for the grab, the little giggle when he catches the sheet, and the mumbulated lyrics as he tries to unfold the paper with one hand while playing the keys with the other. * It’s a Blue Sky Don’t Hold No Rain was one of the very first songs that Pok ever wrote. * There are probably not many 17-year-olds who would write such a thoughtful lyric as this. * Pok once described the song as being about “the loss by genocide of the native Americans and general early eco lament directive for that generation.” * He also said that the original idea for it came from listening to Neil Young. * The very first time we heard this was when it was played by Pok on a 12-string acoustic with only six strings, as he sat on a bench along a footpath in the dark in Honiton late one evening. * Its first proper live performance was at the Sidmouth International Folk Festival in the summer of 1983. * It’s a Blue Sky Don’t Hold No Rain has been performed by Laughing Sun and the Spacegoats previously to Alchemeon performing it and you can hear their versions at Bandcamp, SoundCloud and the Wud Records website. * It’s a Blue Sky Don’t Hold No Rain is in the key of E minor and begins and ends with a big glorious Em7 chord. * The chords in the verses are Em7 – Am7 – C/G – B11#9. * There is a rather wonderful key change in the “What have we done” section, which is C7 – D7 – Gm7 – D7 – Am – C/G – Em7. IT’S A BLUE SKY DON’T HOLD NO RAIN I'll try and try and try and try to get to you I'll try and try and try and try forever I'll try and try and try and try to get to you I'll try and try and try and try forever Forever We came across some bones of men Scattered in the rust So many good souls turned to dust Within their shattered husks And these people had worn jewels And their heads had been held high Speckled foreheads touched the sky Behold the sparkling in their eye Don’t you know it’s a blue sky Don’t hold no rain Don’t hold your love in vain ‘Cos we’ve still got some loving to do Some time ago the white man came Bringing bible books and swords Bound them up in twining cords In the name of their great lord They slew down the Aztec, Inca, Ibu, Masai Now we hide in concrete lies So to my Mammon side I cry: "What have we done To the Mother Goddess Gaia? Why can’t we nestle in her Warm aching bosom?" Aaaah... Now the world’s a spinning ball Two thirds with none to eat So while we chew our scrawny meat Can you hear those big bells beat? What have we done To the Mother Goddess Gaia? Why can’t we nestle in her Warm aching bosom? Words and music by Simon Miller. This arrangement by S. Miller/G. Davies/J. Peters/Iggy. Performers: Pok the Bard – guitar and voice Jim Iz – keys and voice Iggy – drums and percussion George – bass and technicals This version recorded live at Sound Gallery, Exeter, 22nd February 2009. Cassette salvage and remastering at Wud Records Studio One, 2020. Cover illustration by Pok the Bard. Graphic design by Sam James. Released worldwide September 14, 2020. Original release date: 10th April 2009. Copyright © 2020 Wud Records. Copyright ℗ 1983 Pok Songs/Explicit Music. See also: https://www.wudrecords.co.uk/artists/alchemeon/ https://www.explicitmusic.co.uk/lyrics-information/alchemeon/alchemeon-lyrics/its-a-blue-sky-dont-hold-no-rain https://wudrecords.bandcamp.com/album/live-in-session-spring-2009 https://wudrecords.bandcamp.com/album/live-in-session-winter-2008-09 https://twitter.com/WudRecords