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East from Istanbul
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An autobiographical traveller's song about an overland journey from London to Kathmandu and back in 1969.
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
Acoustic • Acoustic Folk
Charts
Peak #36
Peak in subgenre #3
Author
Charles Cornelius Tyler
Rights
Charles Cornelius Tyler
Uploaded
March 10, 2012
Track Files
MP3
MP3 4.9 MB • 128 kbps • 5:21
Story behind the song
In 1969 I set out from London to travel to Istanbul. Having reached Istanbul I wanted to go further. I ended up following what was then called the 'hippie trail' all the way to Kathmandu - through Turkey, Iran and Afghanistan - down the Khyber pass to Pakistan - across India and up to Nepal by bus. A lot of chillums were smoked on the way :) On my return journey - following approximately the same route - I crossed Afghanistan by motorbike from East to West with a mad Yugoslavian writer. The picture is from that episode. That's me next to the motorbike - a Jawa 250 cc - thawing out after a cold night sleeping on the ground. Get me started and I'll tell you the whole story one day....at least the bits I can remember. Much is blurred in my memory. The ring on my hand 'like the tangle in my mind' is the famous Istanbul puzzle ring of course. Every good hippie had one :)
Lyrics
Oh I'm riding East from Istanbul With a ring on my hand Like the tangle in my mind And I long to be with you - my friend Though the nights are harsh or kind Oh hey babe - I'm trying to clear my mind But it don't help just leaving you behind No it don't help just leaving you behind Oh I love the ragged children And the turquoise from the mines And the temples and the pines I don't want you to worry for me - my friend Like I worry for you all the time Oh hey babe - I don't believe you mind But it don't help just leaving you behind No it don't help just leaving you behind In my room I light a candle And I pass the pipe around With a servant from the town But it seems I'm seeing you - my friend And the evening is bringing me down Oh hey babe - I'm trying to clear my mind But it don't help just leaving you behind No it don't help just leaving you behind And I took the bus to Kathmandu From the rivers and the plains Through the mountains and the rains And I made this tune for you - my friend Just to play when I see you again Oh hey babe - I'm trying to clear my mind But it don't help just leaving you behind No it don't help just leaving you behind I said hey hey babe - when all my travelling's done I find That it don't help just leaving you behind No it don't help just leaving you behind...
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