Category Archives: Songs

Ward’s Island – Demo

By Posted in Bike, Demo, Music, Songs, Songwriting, Ward's Island 4 Comments

Ward’s Island by C. Dempsey 2009

A few years back I would take my bike on the weekend and cycle to specific areas around New York most people would know little about. I’d take pictures, then write instrumental music a few days later based on my experiences. I done it purely for fun and as a creative experiment. Some songs were good, others were simply weird. This song is my favorite because I find it creepy and eerie every time I play it. Ward’s Island can be this and more even in bright sunshine. For more information on Ward’s Island click on the link below:

Enjoy the music and pictures.



   

Empty Streets – Demo

By Posted in Demo, Empty Streets, Music, Songs, Songwriting Leave a comment
Empty Streets – C. Dempsey 2011

Empty streets we wait,
Crawling up the stairs,
Bottle in my hand,
You know my name,
I can walk home,
Eyes closed and alone.

I can taste the air,
A pebbledash estate,
This is not my home,
Like when I was young,
Ocean barley gold,
Unless,
I’m wrong,
And now,
They flood and fill,
This millionaire’s row.

Rip me like a sheet,
Rake me of large stone,
Hang me out to dry,
Bury me six feet,
I know who’s in control,
unless,
I’m wrong,
And now,
They flood and fill,
This millionaire’s row,
Unless, they flood and fill,
Unless, they flood and fill,
Unless, they flood and fill,
This millionaires row.


Wherever We Are – Demo

By Posted in Demo, Music, Songs, Songwriting, Wherever We Are 2 Comments

Wherever We Are – C. Dempsey 2011

A cool cold embrace
Stars strangled high
A cobblestone road
Can drive you wild
Shaking your bones
‘Till your warm inside
The sharp taste of home
From a whiskey sigh.

Love is a high, love is a low
Blind to misfortune and wide as is long  
Sometimes a stray dog that follows you home,
From here, or wherever we are.

Break like the morning
Melt like the sun
an overhead sleeper
lights our world below
Words are a stranger
in your disco head
harbored from danger
In your granite bed.

Love is a high, love is a low
Blind to misfortune and wide as is long  
Sometimes a stray dog that follows you home,
From here, or wherever we are.

Love is a high, love is a low
Blind to misfortune and wide as is long
Sometimes a stray dog that follows you home…
Love is a high, love is a low
Blind to misfortune and wide as is long
Sometimes a stray dog that follows you home,
from here, or wherever we are


This Other World – Demo

By Posted in Demo, Music, Songs, Songwriting, This Other World 2 Comments
This Other World

Close your eyes, toss a coin, let it dance until it falls
Place the cards upon a table, let them sing it to us all
Fame and fortune’s counting raindrops when you don’t have no shoes on
Stranger days I have had just sleeping with the TV on

Here lays the ghost of what could have been
So, I’ll carve you out of this other world
I’ll carve you out of this other world

All the roads that bleed you empty under stars that always burn
Twist and turn these worn out tires making sure you can’t return
Spinning wheels past the barnstars that lead you to the end
Hoping luck can somehow find you in the words of a friend.      

Here lays the ghost of what could have been
So, I’ll carve you out of this other world
I’ll carve you out of this other world
I’ll carve you out of this other world

Lost & Found Demo

By Posted in Demo, Single White Band, Songs, Songwriting Leave a comment

A new original song (demo) for Single White Band. It won’t end up anything like this when we all work on it along with two other originals by Leslie and Andy which is a good thing. Hopefully it works, sometimes they don’t. It will be interesting to see what the final version ends up like.
Lost and Found by C.Dempsey 2012

Verse 1
B G E
I need you more than a beer on a weekday.  
B G E
I want you more than a bar on the subway.
B G E
I like you better when we get along this way.
B G E
I love you more than all the words I could say.

Chorus:
A E     B
When you’re here I can feel the future.
A     E                 B
See the music float with shape and color.
A E           B
Mix around and you twist my senses.
A E      G F#m B
Gonna get back all the time that we have lost and found.

Verse 2
I need you more than neon lights in the city’s gray.
I want you more a little more than from the last day.    
I like you better when you lose the games you play.
I love you more than all the words I could say.

Chorus:
A E     B
When you’re here I can feel the future.
A     E                 B
See the music float with shape and color.
A E           B
Mix around and you twist my senses.
A E       G F#m E
Gonna get back all the time that we have lost and found.
E/A E/A E/A E/A/B
Lost and found, lost and found, lost and…

Verse 3
I need you more than a beer on a weekday.  
I want you more than a bar on the subway.
I like you better when you get down this way.
I love you more than all the words I could say.

Chorus: x3
When you’re here I can feel the future.
See the music float with shape and color.
Mix around and you twist my senses.
Gonna get back all the time that we have lost and…
When you’re here I can feel the future.
See the music float with shape and color.
Mix around and you twist my senses.
Gonna get back all the time that we’ve lost and…
When you’re here I can feel the future.
See the music float with shape and color.
Mix around and twist my senses.
Gonna get back all the time that we’ve lost and found.

It Can’t Hurt If It Don’t Exist

By Posted in It Can't Hurt If It Don't Exist, Music, Songs 1 Comment

My friend Michael McMonagle likes to regale people with his tales of growing up in Dublin. He is somewhat older than I so they often involve horse drawn carts delivering coal, playing games on cobblestone streets and long walks to the cinema at night through thick Dublin fog.

I’ve often wondered If I could make any of it the slightest bit bloody interesting with the help of music? Folk was immediately rejected but Dance Music? Yes, that might just work! I love Michael dearly but he does go on a bit.   

Ever wonder what a nostalgic Irish dance song sounds like? Well, it sounds a bit like this. 


It Can’t Hurt If It Don’t Exist by Colin Dempsey
http://www.youtube.com/get_player