QUEEN


II

(1974)



1. Procession 1'13
(Brian May)
2. Father To Son 6'13
(Brian May)
3. White Queen (As It Began) 4'34
(Brian May)
4. Some Day One Day 4'22
(Brian May)
5. The Loser In The End 4'01
(Roger Taylor)
6. Ogre Battle 4'08
(Freddie Mercury)
7. The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke 2'41
(Freddie Mercury)
8. Nevermore
* 1'17
(Freddie Mercury)
9. The March Of The Black Queen
** 6'04
(Freddie Mercury)
10. Funny How Love Is
* 3'14
(Freddie Mercury)
11. Seven Seas Of Rhye 2'51
(Freddie Mercury)

Total Time: 40:38


  • Freddie Mercury - Lead Vocals, Vocals, Piano, Harpsichord
  • Brian May - Guitars, Bells on "The March Of The Black Queen", Lead Vocals on "Some Day One Day", Vocals, some Piano on "Father To Son"
  • John Deacon - Bass Guitar, Acoustic Guitar
  • Roger Taylor - Drums, Gong, Marimba, Vocals, Lead Vocals on "Loser In The End"
  • Roy Thomas Baker - Castanets on "The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke"
  • Robin Geoffrey Cable - Piano Effects (with Freddie Mercury) on "Nevermore"
  • And Nobody Played Synthesizer

    Produced by Roy Thomas Baker and QUEEN
    Except
    *Produced by Robin Geoffrey Cable and QUEEN
    **Produced by Ray Thomas Baker, Robin Geoffrey Cable and QUEEN
    Engineered by Mike "Clay" Stone
    Cover Design by QUEEN
    Art Direction, Photography, Cover Design by Mick Rock
    Ridgeway Watt - Typography

    Released: April 9, 1974

    EQUIPMENT:

    Percussion

    LUDWIG Superclassic Drum Kit: 13" x 9" Rack Tom, Two Floor Toms (16" x 16" & 18" x 16") and 26" x 14" Bass Drum.
    LUDWIG and NEW ERA Tambourines and Cowbells
    PAISTE Symphonic Gong
    MUSSER Marimba and Bells
    LUDWIG Castanets

    Strings

    FENDER Precision Pre-CBS Electric Bass, Orange OR120 amplifier
    MARTIN D-18 Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar ("Funny How Love Is")
    HAIRFRED Acoustic Guitar ("White Queen")
    OVATION Pacemaker 12-String Acoustic Guitars (elsewhere)
    Red Special Electric Guitar, using John Deacon's homemade bespoke amplifier (for guitar choirs and effects) and Vox AC30 Amplifiers (for solos and straight rhythm parts)

    Keyboards

    BECHSTEIN D Concert 9'2" Acoustic Grand Piano, recorded via NEUMANN U87 Mics
    Harpsichord (unknown brand)



    1. Procession

    (Instrumental)

    2. Father To Son

      A word in your ear, from father to son
      hear the words that I say
      I fought with you, fought on your side
      Long before you were born

      Joyful the sound, the word goes around
      From father to son, to son

      And the voice is so clear, time after time it leeps
      Calling you, calling you on
      Don't destroy what you see, your country to be
      Just keep on building on the ground that's been won

      Kings will be crowned, the word goes around
      From father to son, to son

      Take this letter that I give you,
      Take it sonny, hold it high
      You won't understand a word that's in it
      But you'll write it all again before you die
      A word in your ear from father to son
      Funny you don't hear a single word I say
      But my letter to you, will stay by your side
      Through the years till the loneliness is gone

      Sing if you will - But the air you breathe I live to give you

      Father to son
      Father to, father to, father to son

      Joyful the sound, the word goes around
      From father to son, to son...

      Kings will be crowned, the word goes around
      From father to son, to son...

    3. White Queen (As It Began)

      So sad her eyes
      Smiling dark eyes
      So sad her eyes
      As it began

      On such a breathless night as this
      Upon my brow the lightest kiss
      I walked alone
      And all around the air did say
      My lady soon will stir this way
      In sorrow known
      The white queen walks and
      The night grows pale
      Stars of lovingmess in her hair

      Needing - unheard Pleading - one word So sad my eyes She cannot see

      How did thee fare, what have thee seen
      The mother of the willow green
      I call her name
      And 'neath her window have i stayed
      I loved the footsteps that she made
      And when she came
      White queen how my heart did ache
      And dry my lips no word would make
      So still i wait


      My goddess hear my darkest fear
      I speak too late
      It's for evermore that i wait

      Dear friend goodbye
      No tear in my eyes
      So sad it ends
      As it began

    4. Some Day One Day

      You never heard my song before the music was too loud
      But now i think you hear me well for now we both know how
      No star can light our way in this cloud of dark and fear
      But some day, one day...

      Funny how the pages turn and hold us in between
      A misty castle waits for you and you shall be a queen
      Today the cloud it hangs over us and all is grey
      But some day, one day...

      When i was you and you were me and we were very young
      Together took us nearly there the rest may not be sung
      So still the cloud it hangs over us and we're alone
      But some day, one day...
      We'll come home

    5. The Loser In The End

      Mama's gotta problem
      She don't know what to say
      Her little baby boy just left home today
      She's got to be the loser in the end
      She's got to be the loser in the end
      Misuse her and you'll lose her as a friend
      She's ma on whom you can always depend

      She washed and fed, and clothed and cared
      For nearly twenty years
      And all she gets is "goodbye ma"
      And the nightimes for her tears
      She's got to be the loser in the end
      She's got to be the loser in the end
      Misuse her and you'll lose her as a friend
      She's ma on whom you can always depend

      So listen mothers everywhere
      To just one mother's son
      You'll get forgotten on the way
      If you don't let them have their fun
      Forget regrets, and just remember
      It's so long since you were young

      You're bound to be the loser in the end
      You're bound to be the loser in the end
      They'll choose their new shoes that's not far to bend
      You're ma on whom they can always depend

    6. Orge Battle

      Now once upon a time - an old man told me a fable
      When the piper is gone - and the soup is cold on your table
      And if the black crow flies to find a new destination - that is the sign
      Come tonight
      Come to the ogre sight
      Come to the ogre-battle-fight

      He gives a great big cry and he can swallow up the ocean
      With a mighty tongue he catches flies - the palm of his hand is incredible
      One great big eye - has a focus in your direction
      Now the battle is on
      Yeah yeah yeah
      Come tonight
      Come to the ogre sight
      Come to the ogre-battle-fight

      The ogre men are still inside
      The two-way mirror mountain
      Gotta keep down right out of sight
      You can't see in but they can see out
      "Keep a look out"
      The ogre-men are coming out
      From the two-way mirror mountain
      They're running up behind you and they're coming all about
      Can't go east 'cos you gotta go south

      Ogre-men are going home
      And the great big fight is over
      Bugle blow, the trumpet cry
      Ogre battle lives for ever more
      You can come along
      You can come along
      Come to ogre battle

    7. The Fairy Fellers Master-Stroke

      He's a fairy feller
      The fairy folk have gathered round the new moon shine
      To see the feller crack a nut at nights noon time
      To swing his ace he swears, as it climbs he dares
      To deliver ...
      The master-stroke

      Ploughman, "waggoner will", and types
      Politician with senatorial pope - he's a dilly-dally-o
      Pedagogue squinting, wears a frown
      And a satyr peers under lady's gown, dirty fellow
      What a dirty laddio
      Tatterdemalion and a junketer
      There's a thief and a dragonfly trumpeter - he's my hero
      Fairy dandy tickling the fancy of his lady friend
      The nymph in yellow "can we see the master-stroke"
      What a quaere fellow

      Soldier, sailor, tinker, tailor, ploughboy
      Waiting to hear the sound
      And the arch-magician presides
      He is the leader
      Oberon and titania watched by a harridan
      Mab is the queen and there's a good apothecary-man
      Come to say hello
      Fairy dandy tickling the fancy of his lady friend
      The nymph in yellow
      What a quaere fellow
      The ostler stares with hands on his knees
      Come on mr. feller, crack it open if you please

    8. Nevermore

      There's no living in my life anymore
      The seas have gone dry and the rain stopped falling
      Please don't you cry anymore
      Can't you see
      Listen to the breeze, whisper to me please
      Don't send me to the path of nevermore

      Even the valleys below
      Where the rays of the sun were so warn and tender
      Now haven't anything to grow
      Can't you see
      Why did you have to leave me
      Why did you deceive me
      You send me to the path of nevermore
      When you say you didn't love me anymore
      Nevermore
      Nevermore

    9. The March Of The Black Queen

      Do you mean it
      Do you mean it
      Do you mean it
      Why don't you mean it
      Why do i follow you and where do you go

      You've never seen nothing like it no never in your life
      Like going up to heaven and then coming back alive
      Let me tell you all about it -
      And the world will so allow it
      Ooh give me a little time to choose
      Water babies singing in a lily-pool delight
      Blue powder monkies praying in the dead of night

      Here comes the black queen, poking in the pile
      Fie-fo the black queen, marching single file
      Take this, take that, bring them down to size

      Put them in the cellar with the naughty boys
      A little nigger sugar then a rub-a dub-a baby oil
      Black on, black on ever finger nail and toe
      We've only begun - begun
      Make this make that, keep making all that noise
      Now i've got a belly-full
      You can be my sugar-baby, you can be my honey chile, yes

      A voice from behind me reminds me
      Spread out your wings you are an angel
      Remember to deliver with the speed of light
      A little bit of love and joy
      Everything you do bears a will and a why and a wherefore
      A little bit of love and joy
      In each and every soul lies a man
      And very soon he'll deceive and discover
      But even till the end of his life, he'll bring a little love

      I reign with my left hand, i rule with my right
      I'm lord of all darkness, i'm queen of the night
      I've got the power - now do the march of the black queen
      My life is in your hands, i'll fo and i'll fie
      I'll be a bad boy - i'll be your bad boy
      I'll do the march of the black queen

      Walking true to style
      She's vulgar 'buse and vile
      Fie-fo the black queen tattos all her pies
      She boils and she bakes and she never dots her "i's"

      Forget your singalongs and your lullabies
      Surrender to the city of the fireflies
      Dance with the devil in beat with the band
      To hell with all of you hand in hand
      But now it's time to be gone - forever

    10. Funny How Love Is

      Funny how love is everywhere just look and see
      Funny how love is anywhere you're bound to be
      Funny how love is every song in every key
      Funny how love is coming home in time for tea
      Funny, funny, funny
      Funny how love is the end of lies when the truth begins
      Tomorrow comes tomorrow beings
      Tomorrow brings love in the shape of things
      That's what love is, that's what love is

      Funny how love is can break your heart so suddenly
      Funny how love came tumbling down with adam and eve
      Funny how love is running wild and feeling free
      Funny how live is coming home in time for tea
      Funny, funny, funny
      From the earth below to the heavens above
      That's how far and funny is love
      At any time, anywhere
      If you gotta make love do it everywhere
      That's what love is, that's what love is

      Funny how love is everywhere just look and see
      Funny how love is anywhere you're bound to be
      Funny how love is every song and every key
      Funny how love is when you gotta hurry home
      'Cos you're late for tea
      Funny, funny, funny how love is
      Tomorrow comes, tomorrow brings
      Tomorrow brings love in the shape of things
      At any time, anywhere
      If you gotta make love do it everywhere
      That's what love is, that's what love is

    11. Seven Seas of Rhye

      Fear me you lords and lady preachers
      I descend upon your earth from the skies
      I command your very souls you unbelievers
      Bring before me what is mine
      The seven seas of rhye

      Can you hear me you peers and privvy counselors
      I stand before you naked to the eyes
      I will destroy any man who dares abuse my trust
      I swear that you'll be mine
      The seven seas of rhye

      Sister - i live and lie for you
      Mister - do and i'll die
      You are mine i possess you
      i belong to you forever

      Storm the master-marathon i'll fly through
      By flash and thunder-fire i'll survive
      Then i'll defy the laws of nature and come out alive
      Then i'll get you

      Be gone with you - you shod and shady senators
      Give out the good, leave out the bad evil cries
      I challenge the mighty titan and his troubadours
      And with a smile
      I'll take you to the seven seas of rhye