how to move one beamed eighth note

[Kieren Richard MacMillan]

[ Lilypond 2.8 ]

Hello, all --

I'm trying to even out the first three notes in the attached screenshot:

Trying to move the NoteColumn doesn't seem to work. I can  
individually move the NoteHead and Stem (using extra-offset), but  
it's awkward. Is there a single grob I can tweak? Or is there a way  
to tell Lilypond to ignore the lyrics when spacing (just) those three  
notes?

I'm hoping the answer is fairly simple, but I can't seem to find a  
solution in the docs or list archive.

Thanks,
Kieren.