Throw Down My Pack

THROW DOWN MY PACK

©Trev Teasdel Coventry June 1973 

Give me my pack, I’ll be on my way

The lakes of this land are now dry.

It’s been a good soldier in its day

But its eyes have no water to cry.

The sun looks bright but the land is in shadow

Like madmen we tried to swim a tideless sea.

A sky full of planes but nowhere to land them

A head full of ideas that cried to be free.

Original chorus in the 1973 version.

"Hey are we the latest victims

of this apathy.

Hey now people, lets up and lets dance.

I know you can do it when you are on your feet"

Throw down my pack; I’m bound for to stay

I think we can turn on the tap.

Turning the tap is like tugging Excalibur

We need all hands at the tap.

The sun looks bright; we’ll invite it to stay

Once we find a place to land our planes.

A hand full of ideas; a jug full of water

Reap the fruit of our aims.

Where has the love gone; we’re empty and aching

Where has the fun gone; it’s turned into violence.

Where are the people with words and no action?

Let’s have the action and less of the words.

Featured on my album, Songs From the Coventry Underground, Gnome Label, 2007

Here are the three versions - 1973 version from a mono cassette - a longer version with a chorus - trev on acoustic guitar. 1981 version Trev acoustic guitar and vocals and Steve Gillgallon on lead. A shorter melodic version. 1991 a full band version (or rather me playing guitar, bass and keyboards0 recorded on a 4 track portastudio.

 

 

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In June 1973, John Bargent and I launched Hobo, Coventry Music and Arts magazine. After the first issue, John left to roadie with a jazz rock outfit Khayyam on their European tour and residency at Ronnie Scotts. John more or less financed Hobo so I was left in the lurch and the first verses came about after realising I wouldn't be able to continue it. Not long after I met Babs, who I was seeing for a while and she got the second edition printed at her place of work, albeit duplicated. It save the the day the final verses appeared. The lyrics are ones I sing when things go wrong and I want to remind myself that things can be turned around.