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Riding in the desert
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Two hundred miles from Kabul - two hundred more to Kandahar...
pop love acoustic folk country classic california heart melody traditional australia sydney comedy finger picking london atheist philosophical satire tyler natural cornelius charles religion agnostic mendocino relaxed satirical
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Hi folks. I have added a lot of videos recently. Please take a look!
Hi folks, This site acts as a personal archive of my work. So you'll find my best recordings here as well as some pretty crappy ones. The earliest recordings here were made on simple cassette decks, others were made on mobile phones, some are live recordings made at various gigs over the years, a handful were made in small recording studios, but most of the more recent ones were made at home on a Zoom portable studio, which itself is now rather ancient! If you like a song and want to download it, click on 'Full song info' for that song and you will see the download link. You can also read the lyrics and any background information on the songs that I may have added. All my music is available for free - enjoy :) cheers, Charles
Song Info
Genre
Country • Country-Rock
Charts
#5,332 today Peak #47
#998 in subgenre Peak #7
Author
Charles Cornelius Tyler
Rights
Charles Cornelius Tyler
Uploaded
September 08, 2008
Track Files
MP3
MP3 4.6 MB • 128 kbps • 5:04
Story behind the song
I wrote this song in May 2008 after seeing on TV the body of an Australian soldier arriving back in Australia after he had been killed fighting the Taliban.. This made me think of my own adventures in Afghanistan - riding across the country from East to West on a motorbike in 1969. This came about because I met up with a Yugoslavian guy in Kabul who had driven all the way to India on his Jawa 250 and was on his way back home. He was looking for someone to share the ride and petrol costs for the trip back across Afghanistan. We were both on tight budgets so I agreed. I was on my way back to London from Kathmandu. I had crossed the Afghan desert previously from West to East on public buses - not an experience I would recommend! We rode mainly by night since it was easier going and we had the amazing experience of a moonrise so bright that just before it came up we turned off the headlight since we didn't need it - we thought it was the dawn - and then not the sun but the moon appeared on the horizon... this memory was the inspiration for the song. The trip actually took us three days since we had a breakdown.. Fortunately a Russian in a garage on the highway near Kandahar fixed us up and we got going again... Arriving in Herat was a relief - but this was not the end of the story. My friend had been in trouble with the police in Kabul for carrying a gun and was now late leaving the country since his visa had been cancelled - he had been given 48 hours to leave - and the breakdown meant he had overstayed - it was a delicate moment. We spent a couple of hours sitting in a police station not quite sure what would happen next. Fortunately we talked our way out of it and crossed into Iran - only to be stopped and ushered into a cholera quarantine camp for the next 3 days... there had been an outbreak and everyone had to stay there till cleared before they could go on ... but that's another story. I guess one of the things the song reflects on is the relative peacefulness of the country I saw in 1969 compared with the way it is now.... another thought in it is how all Afghanistan's visitors eventually leave - Alexander the Great, the British Raj - and one day even the Taliban - those twisted folk who thought it was a good idea to dynamite the extraordinary giant Buddha statues of Bamiyan...
Lyrics
Riding in the desert at night The stars up above are so bright I was on a motorbike with my buddy and my old guitar Two hundred miles from Kabul - two hundred more to Kandahar Days were too hot for moving Nights were damn near freezing I learned a lesson from the Buddha that gazes over Bamiyan Nothing lasts forever in the deserts of Afghanistan Moonrise in the desert Moonrise a€“ turn off the headlight and cruise by moonlight Riding in the desert a€“ riding in the desert at night Jagged mountains on the horizon Racing gainst the rising sun Riding over scorpions a€“ riding all the way to Iran Heading back home a€“ going back where we came from When we rolled into Herat in the morning Little kids were flying their kites Running through the streets with two hippies on a motorbike Straight out of the desert a€“ man we were a terrible sight! Moonrise in the desert Moonrise a€“ turn off the headlight and cruise by moonlight Riding in the desert a€“ riding in the desert at night Now Ia€™m sitting here in Annandale Stars up above are so pale Therea€™s someone on the TV talking bout the Taliban And theya€™re bringing back the bodies from the deserts of Afghanistan Roll over Alexander Blow away Bamiyan Say goodbye to the Empire and its never-ever setting sun Therea€™ll be moonlight in the desert long after everyonea€™s gone Moonrise in the desert Moonrise a€“ turn off the headlight and cruise by moonlight Riding in the desert a€“ riding in the desert at night Riding in the desert a€“ riding in the desert at night Riding in the desert - riding in the desert at night Keep on riding Riding in the desert Going home.....
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Comments 5
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Ronald F Elliott
Sep 11, 2018
...every song is a great song
Richard Dieker
Aug 07, 2011
Wow, you are great! Haunting song. I want more...
Mike Prather
Jul 10, 2011
Real good moving track. Enjoyed.
Etoile7007
Apr 23, 2009
Real good Song man! Like it! Best regards!
ELJAPE
Aug 02, 2008
Just sat here and played along with. Great tune my friend. peace