1. |
Dead Nettles
02:46
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Then I lost my mind
And my breathing was ragged and my eyes were blind
And I ran and I fled to the dry river bed
In my search for release of some kind
But those Romans of yore
They brought with them a lot that they should answer for
For each patch of the ground, well, the nettles abound
And I braced as I sank to the floor
Like the time I walked barefoot from Garsington
To Horspath, in a bid to keep me sane
Yet found more pain
Now the woodpecker laughs on the dry river bed
The nettles are dead
The nettles are dead
So I sat and I sat
With the branches in front and the bark at my back
Though the mercy was small, barely mercy at all
Still it stilled the melee on my track
And comfort I sought
Disabused myself of the erroneous thought
That each little thing has to come with a sting
And to bring little more than it ought
Like the time I locked myself inside and cried
The night after I crossed the great divide
Yet still I cried
Like the time I walked along an unlit lane
At midnight, at the mercy of the fates
And found my gate
Now the woodpecker laughs on the dry river bed
The nettles are dead
The nettles are dead
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2. |
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Distant figures
Eight or nine out on the ice
Drawing nearer
Ghostly thin and deathly white
Not a glimmer
In their gaunt and haunted eyes
Dead men walking, or spirits
What choice have we but to retreat and to hide?
And wait inside and hope they'll go
Yet hear their footsteps in the snow
Come louder, louder, loud and close
Then a braver
Man than I stepped out to find
Wraith-like creatures
Cold of skin and dead of mind
Food we offered
Would not eat and would not trade
Would not speak a word
On their grim death march into the waste, so we made
An igloo for them all to sleep
And left for them three seals to eat
And silently, silently fled when night came
Seasons came and went
We returned one day to search
Objects we had left
In our haste to flee the curse
Why had they arrived?
Would their coming spell our doom?
Captured in the ice, we found
That the igloo we built had provided their tomb
And they had left the seals alone
But they had feasted on their own
With human teeth marks on human bone
What line divides survival and sin?
What point does life depart and death creep in?
What line between a man and a beast?
Starving on the land in which we feast
Starving on the land in which we feast
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3. |
The Sum of Which
03:13
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Have you ever thought
Of all the times that you’ve been caught
Paused in the pixelated walls
Of stranger’s photos
Where do you go to?
When they take you home
Back to each corner of the globe
Oh, and you never even know
And they don’t know you
How does it show you?
Were you OK that day?
Or were you weary, worried, grey?
Fragments in photo albums, promo pics and phones
Contextless clones
The sum of which will never make a whole
If you slip and fall
Or if you walk into a wall
Or if the wind blows and shows all
Well, they’re only strangers
Nothing can change this
Every strangled squeal
Every embarrassing ordeal
Every madly mangled meal
Every disaster
What does it matter?
You’ll never meet again
Oh, but they did meet you then
Yes, and that’s all they’ve got, and that’s what will reside
In their mind’s eye
The sum of which will never make a whole
Your best friend might say
Of a celebrity you hate
“Oh, you remind me of them, they
Are so much like you”
And they’d be right to
Every uncaught drift
Every wildly mis-thought gift
Highlights the ever yawning rift
Between how they see you
And how to be you
All of the different yous
Carried in isolated rooms
Within your father’s, mother’s, friend’s and lover’s minds
Even combined
Well, the sum of them will never
And no matter what, they’ll never
Till the day you die, you’ll never
Make a whole
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4. |
Collared Dove
03:12
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Golden light inside is glowing
Through the panes, through the rain
See the people to and fro-ing
Shadows framed, warm and sane
Who are they, and what are they all doing?
Voices blurred, words unheard
Lives that I could share in if I flew in
As a bird
Then I swear you looked at me and beckoned
For just a second
Before the crash
Now I'm nothing but a ghost printed on your glass
You look up from what you're saying
Turn around at the sound
See my ghost upon the pane
And myself on the ground
Just a collared dove out in the garden
Small and pale, soft and frail
Didn't know the glass was tough and hard, and
Barred its way
If I stop, the world will keep on turning
Of that I'm certain
So let it pass
Now I'm nothing but a ghost printed on your glass
No, I'm nothing but a ghost printed on your glass
Golden light inside is glowing
Through the pain
Through the rain
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5. |
Find Me in Hell
04:16
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In my land, they opened up the earth
And they unleashed a curse
Digging down far deeper than a man should go
What did they know?
And the scars were bared unto the Queen
She surveyed the scene
Drew her carriage curtains closed as she flew past
She drew them fast
Come, find me in Hell
Find me in Hell
Find me before I lose my fight
Red by night
Dead by light
So they made a statue of the prince
To prove that beauty still could convince
But imperfection caused the sculptor so much strife
He took his life
Then the vizier with the iron hand
Laid waste to all the land
Maybe she thought it would overthrow the curse
It made it worse
Come, find me in Hell
Find me in Hell
Find me before I lose my fight
Red by night
Dead by light
And they built the business names into the brickwork
For they thought that they would always stay the same
Now the boarded buildings crawl with trees and creepers
For what man discarded, nature will reclaim
Come, find me in Hell
Find me in Hell
Find me in this accursed land
Come, take my hand
Curses be damned
And when all the people have gone home
And the sun strikes crumbling stone
Maybe in a certain light it might appear
There’s beauty here
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6. |
Dayglo Dinosaur
02:31
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In the year of '94
I lost my dayglo dinosaur down at the fair
I looked and he wasn't
There between the teacups
And the muddy patch of ground around the carousel
He jumped or he fell
Though he'd only just that day been bought
In my heart, I never shall regret him
With my ownership of him cut short
I'd not time to use him and forget him
In the year 2000
I embarked upon a novel far beyond my age
Was at a precocious
Staged in high-class London
In that fragile age of decadence between the wars
Stopped reading page four
There are many novels I've enjoyed
That have slipped my mind with my enjoyment
But the one that left me quite annoyed
Is the one in memory's employment
Time and time again I wonder when
It was the last time that I held your hand
It hurts more than I can
Standing on the Cowley road
And wishing we'd had time for it to run its course
The ending was forced
Though I'm gone, I'll still be by your side
In your heart and spirit, I'll be with you
Through your fear my voice will be your guide
Through your doubt, conviction I will give you
I will give you
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7. |
I Do
02:38
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You say
That you want to be free of the pain
Darkness is better that what you’re going through
You pray
Oh, ye of so little faith
Aren’t you aware of what one man, love and loss can prove?
Outshine me, brother mine
Well, now’s my time to shine
You know that you don’t know what’s good for you
I do
Ten days
And you’ll see that it was not in vain
Nine if I buy me some time with more cocaine
Just wait
What right have you, John, to complain?
I am your saviour - despite yourself you will be saved
You know not what you say
You can’t be thinking straight
Above all, you don’t know what’s good for you
I do
I do
I know that you’ll look back on this and be glad that I missed your cue
With the wind in your hair and the blood in your veins, coursing through
With one mind and one face and one love that is shared between two
It’s a love that must live even if it’s the last thing I do
I do
I do
I do
I do
You plead with me again
I plead with you the same
Don’t leave me all alone, I beg of you…
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8. |
Sirens II
03:28
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When the moon is gibbous
And the light is limpid everywhere…
Damn, looks like we’ve brought another one down
The splintered wood is drifting on the tide
But if we could, the warning in our words would resound
Our intention is not to destroy and to drown
But if we don’t sing, we die
I don’t know why they come, I don’t know why
I don’t know why they jump and crash and dive
We tried to flee, where they could never run us to ground
Where there is nought but rock and sea and sky
But we stand out when there’s no other music around
When we’re not masked by bustle and beautiful crowds
I don’t know why they come, I don’t know why
He told them:
When the moon is gibbous
And the light is limpid everywhere
Then I must be lashed to the mast
And chained into the Silver Chair
For between the dusk and dawn
My actions will not be my own
It’s only right that you be warned
It is not me, I am not there
I may beg and I may plead
And tell you that I must be freed
But oh, my words you must not heed
Though sweetly they may grace the air
I may tell you that I’m strong
It doesn’t have to be for long
One moment loose, and I’ll be gone
You must not break, you must not dare
Don’t you know
Know that I can never
Never run, and never leave behind
My poisoned mind
So here we are, concealed in plain sight
Hiding in crowds
Consumed by guilt
And riding it in waves
And craving quiet
But sirens cannot silence their cry
For if we don’t sing, we die
I don’t know why they come…
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9. |
And Sew
02:39
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Any time I’m feeling
Well, helpless and alone
I know that there’s something I can turn to
Over which I have control
I can make you look amazing
All I have to do is go
To my room full of air
And sew
For a stoop that’s reduced by the sharpest of suits
Or a colouring balanced by pastels and talent
A figure redeemed by the placement of seams
And the adding of padding in some vital areas
But I won’t judge and I would not begrudge
The most garish of gowns if your features it drowns
But your soul it completes as you stroll down the streets
With a man with a tan and a flower in his buttonhole
Oh, yes anything goes
As I sit in my room and sew
For when I’m creating I’m not cogitating
Or rather, my mind is elsewhere ruminating
On how to sew one hundred roses upon a gown
In such a way that it doesn’t come falling down
A bustle that rustles and sways so becomingly
Somehow allays all the fear overcoming me
Pure concentration can cure this fixation
With degradation (if only temporarily)
Oh, it’s more than just clothes
As I sit in my room and sew
So I sit in my room and sew
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10. |
I'll Be Fine
02:44
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Want to get away with murder?
Just be adorable (adorable)
Wash away your sins with one bat of your eyes
But the thing that’s unendurable
About being so adorable is
No-one believes you know your mind
Lover mine, you’re so kind
To impart such sage advice
But don’t worry, darling
I’ll be fine
Want to get a man to love you?
Just be deplorable (deplorable)
In a moment he’ll be eating from your hand
But the trouble with him needing you
Is he’s gonna think you need him too, and
That you’ll be lost in foreign lands
You can pine, you can sigh
You can wish me by your side
But don’t worry darling
I’ll be fine
No, don’t worry darling
I’ll be fine
We live in crazy times
People in the lives they bought
Losing their heart, falling apart
Getting trapped in trains of thought
They got there first, they got it worst
Someone has to hold the fort
I’m the one who’s always fine
That at least will always be mine…
[Descent into madness]
But don’t worry, darling – I’ll be fine!
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11. |
Raising the Dead!
01:57
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RESURRECTIONIST
Come on, my poppet: meet these nice men
They'll get you walking and talking again
Such golden ringlets, such tender skin
Such a shame, such a waste - shall we begin?
DR FRANKENSTEIN
Ma'am, you came to the right place,
Let's make haste, I'll use electricity
To send her nerves and muscles quaking
Thus making her whole
DR JEKYLL
Sir, if I am not mistaken
You've taken her body to awaken
I intend to set in motion
With potion, her soul
FRANKENSTEIN & JEKYLL
Watch the glass glisten, see the sparks fly!
Sweet galvanism, elixir of life!
Wire in her neurons, fire in her blood!
Only the fools use their powers for good!
DR JEKYLL
Will she walk the same and talk the same?
Will she be how she used to be?
And will they ever even notice that she went away?
DR FRANKENSTEIN
She will walk and she will talk
And that's all they ever needed of a monarch
If they're looking for perfection
Election's the way!
PRINCESS BEATRICE
Who are these people? What's all this pain?
Wire in my neurones and fire in my veins
Something's removing death’s icy claw
Am I becoming a thing I abhor?
FRANKENSTEIN & JEKYLL
Will she walk the same and talk the same?
(Watch the glass glisten!)
Will she be how she used to be?
(See the sparks fly!)
And will they ever even notice that she went away?
(Sweet galvanism, elixir of life!)
She will walk and she will talk
(Wire in her neurons!)
But she'll be so much better than before
(Fire in her blood!)
The world of science will award us the highest acclaim
(Only the fools use their power for good!)
IT'S ALIVE!!!!
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12. |
Vermilion Sands
03:52
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At about 10:45 this morning
Everything felt almost real
Like in the days when my thoughts matched my face
Like in the days when I could feel
I wish I didn’t have to be so jaded
It isn’t fun, it isn’t fair
But while there’s people, and actions, and words
I know it always has to be there
Now I’m nothing but a broken spirit
And a canvas soul
Sorry, didn’t I say?
My love, there’s always a price to pay
For staying young when you’re growing old
At about 8:45 this evening
Something landed on the green
So cut and run beneath a Wicker Man sun
Do you know the sort I mean?
Time to face the final new sensation
The only thing I’ve never seen
Escape the gloom of your Miss Havisham room
Hang up your hang-ups now and join me
‘Cause you’re nothing but a kindred spirit
In a crumbling world
Sorry, didn’t I say?
My love, there’s always a price to pay
For stepping out with a pretty girl
And after what we found on Horsell Common
Life will never be the same
So take my hand on Vermilion Sands
‘Cause there’s nothing left to gain
The world might not be ours for much longer
It wasn’t ours before we came
So run your hands through vermilion sands
Nobody left to hate or to blame
Now I’m nothing but a tortured spirit
And an ancient mind
Sorry, didn’t I say?
My love, there’s always a price to pay
For sticking round till the end of time
For sticking round till the end of time.
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13. |
Song for Joshua Hayward
02:27
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Another one, another one
Got to find another one
I must find it
Find the perfect sound
Another one, another one
Got to find another one
I must bind it
Place it on the ground
The sound, the sound, the sound beneath my feet
Rises up to fill the air
The wall of sound, it gathers all around
'Til you cannot see me there
If I find it, they will be blinded
I will become the Horror of them all
I shall never dare to endeavour
Anything better 'til the day I fall
Another one, another one
Got to find another one
I must find it
Find the perfect sound
Another one, another one
Got to find another one
I must bind it
Place it on the ground
The sound, the sound, the sound beneath my feet
Rises up to fill the air
The wall of sound, it gathers all around
'Til you cannot see me there
Another one, another one
Got to find another one
I must find it
Find the perfect sound...
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Jessica Law Cambridge, UK
"Packed with emotion, surprise and wit." - The Daily Album
“Someone… who’d probably get laughed off the X-Factor for
not being exactly the same as everyone else.” – Nightshift Magazine
"A collection of intriguing folk songs, packed with expressive lyrics, strange rhythms and creative instrumentation." - Ocelot Magazine
... more
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