An appropriate song to start the tgmcewan.com wordpress site. For years I've had tgmcewan.wordpress.com/ wherein you'll find over a hundred of my songs. At a certain point I decided to accept the suggestion to upgrade my wordpress to a paid account and get tgmcewan.com for good measure. But every time I try to move the posts from the above site I fail. This really is an awful interface or else I've lost my technical abilities in old age.
Even simple things like defining an indented style for chorus seem impossible (ok I've since found it under "Dimensions" and then copy and paste styles. What a kludge! Feel free to point me the direction of training materials.
Anyway, this is one of the songs I wrote at the song-writing workshop at Black Bay Studios, Bernera organised by Findlay Napier and Willie Campbell, with some of our new songs recorded by Pete Fletcher.
It was inspired by the dodgy roads to and from the studio and the rooms I'd booked in Stornoway. November weather was pretty wild, the drive was challenging and after a long day of creativity, I didn't need the 3-day funfair across the bay pounded out tacky nonsense late in the evening. I may have been unkind about this funfair, I didn't check it out, but every funfair I've seen for the last 40 years doesn't come close to what Richard and Linda Thompson sang so evocatively about!
We recorded a version of this in Black Bay and I will make that available on Reverbnation if it's OK with the other participants
Tearing My Hair Out
I’ve been [G] tearing my hair out / [C] trying to get some [G] sleep
Across the harbour, a fun fair. / [C] Pounding out a [G] beat
People [C] say it brings life to the town, wish they’d save their [G] breath.
Bad news for [D] Richard and Linda, it doesn’t even have a Wall of [G] Death, I’ve been
[G] Tearing my hair out (Tearing my Hair Out)
[C] Tearing my hair out (Tearing my Hair Out)
[G] Tearing my [D] hair outto [G] day
[G] This time of year, the [C] sun don’t stay up too [G] long.
This far north, the [C] winds, they do blow [G] strong.
I’ve been [C] working all day, driving half the [G] night.
Last [D] thing I needed to see was this Parade of cheap [G] Lights. I’ve been
[G] Tearing my hair out (Tearing my Hair Out)
[C] Tearing my hair out (Tearing my Hair Out)
[G] Tearing my [D] hair out To [G] day
[F] Left work at 5. It was a hair-raising drive.
[G] Had to be careful not to spin it.
Pounding [F] rain on windshield, A car went in a field.
[G] Dodging a stag. He didn’t [D] hit it.
[G] Latter-Day Barker [C] with his shiny P [G] A
Is that really an Uggi [C] chant he’s trying to lead to- [G] day.
I thought that [C] died in the seventies and deservedly [G] so
Send him [D] back to Coney Island. Let him search the Koko- [G] mo. He’ll be
[G] Tearing his hair out (Tearing his Hair Out)
[C] Tearing his hair out (Tearing his Hair Out)
[G] Tearing his hair out [D] To [G] day
[F] There’s no house of mirrors. Just a Tower of Terror
[G] So that you can hear the shrieks
[F] Can’t see the appeal of that big dumb wheel
Just to re- [G] veal some distant mountain [D] peaks.
[G] Jerking Machinery, strap [C] in, spin to the other [G] side,
Talk about G-Force, [C] swing you about as you [G] Slide,
[C] Health and safety briefing. Tie it in a pony [G] tail
Or you’ll [D] tear your hair out. Getting it caught on the [G] rail, you’ll be
[G] Tearing your hair out (Tearing Your Hair Out)
[C] Tearing your hair out (Tearing Your Hair Out)
[G] Tearing your hair out (Tearing Your Hair Out)
[D] Tearing your hair out (Tearing Your Hair Out)
[G] Tearing your hair out (Tearing Your Hair Out)
[C] Tearing your hair out (Tearing Your Hair Out)
[G] Tearing your hair out [D] To [G] day
End Riff is meant to be (!): F# G B D E D B G
TG McEwan 
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