Singer/songwriter/guitarists David Harley and Don MacLeod met at the Boundary Road folk club in Swiss Cottage in the early 1980s. Discovering they had somewhat similar guitar styles and tastes in music, they eventually joined forces and worked together for a while as a duo and with other musicians. Then came a short hiatus of 30 years or so due to parenthood, work and geographical issues, before they got together for a few appearances in Worcestershire and Cornwall. Then, of course, came the pandemic, so any plans for further appearances or recordings are on hold. However, some recordings of songs they wrote and/or played together in the 1980s do exist, and are presented here.
(You may need to view this post on the actual website in order to play the music)
Lyrics
You learn to fall, then you learn to fly
I’ve been a lifetime learning, but I always got by
Living in pain isn’t living in vain
I’m used to losing and there’s so much to gain
(Ch.)
Your love’s a mountain that I’m learning to climb / And it’s a long way down but somehow I don’t mind
I know the dangers but I don’t want to stop / It’s worth the fear of falling for the view from the top
Dawn rings the changes from a crawl to a run
Out of the shadow and into the sun
It’s not surprising if the light hurts our eyes
But if loving you is crazy it’s too late to be wise
Sometimes a voice inside whispers “Take care of yourself:
What makes you think you’re the one to take care of anyone else?”
All I can say is, “Don’t care if I fall:
She’s got the best part of me – she might as well take it all.”
You’ll say I’m crazy, but lady, no joke
I’m scared of busting but I’m going for broke
And I don’t know if I’ll fly or I’ll fall
But living without you is no life at all.
credits
Words & Music: Don MacLeod and David A. Harley
Vocals, acoustic guitar, keys: David A. Harley
David A. Harley 1949 – 2025
TRAVEL WORDS 
Nice, mellow sounds, Jude, and he managed the keyboard fine xx
Aw, thanks Jo. He’d have appreciated your comment. He was his own worst critic.
How great to have David’s work saved digitally.
There’s a lot!
Another fine song Jude. I agree with Jo 😀
My favourite album. He had an unusual voice.
That’s a beautiful piece.
Thanks Lynette. I think so too.
I’m loving this series. I hope it has many more weeks to run, and that cataloguing his work for us is offering you bittersweet solace as well.
A few more weeks. I’m picking my favourites. There is a lot of more traditional folk that I’m not as keen on.
I cannot think of a better tribute to David than featuring his songs here. We never really knew that much about ‘OH’, and now we are discovering him through the legacy of his music.
Best wishes, Pete. x
Thanks Pete. He spent a lot of time once he had retired from his security work re-recording his old material. He was a prolific writer too.
Too modest – nothing wrong with that keyboard playing!
A lot of musicians have self-doubt, David more than most. And the worst stage fright. But I think he had a lovely, unusual voice though as with many things it was better when he was younger. I’ll post some more recent recordings later.