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 Winter 2008-09. * 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. * A studio version of it is in the works and will appear on Pok’s Anthology album when it is finished. * One of the most definitve moments of the song are the three riffs that are repeated during the instrumental section. * These can be heard as far back as Laughing Sun’s Cander recording, with Ken redoubtably bashing out the Em7 – A7 rhythm on the acoustic in the background. * In earlier versions of the song these riffs were repeated four times each, but Alchemeon chose to repeat them only twice. * 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 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 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 Depot X, Exeter, 13th January 2009. Cassette salvage and remastering at Wud Records Studio One, 2018. Cover illustration by Pok the Bard. Graphic design by Sam James. Released August 23, 2018 Original release date: 15th January 2009 Copyright © 2018 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