1. |
Ghostwatching
03:44
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I can see the ghosts of those who walked these roads in years before
I can hear the countless dramas played out in between these walls
I can feel the hopes and plans of those who ran along these halls
I can hear the creak of eaves arrive and leave across these floors
On the street the ringing of the feet vibrates
Then the rain washes it away - blank slate
Do you see what I see?
Do you feel the things I feel?
Are you in tune with me?
Do you think it might be real?
I can sense what one tree meant to lovers, fighters, thieves and stoats
I can find the signs of minds inscribed in stone or scratched on posts
Thoughts arrive upon the wind, I pluck them out and hold them close
I can thank the riverbank for hosting all my favourite ghosts
In the haze - a city overlaid with days
One stone stage - we come and go away, it stays
Do you see what I see?
Do you feel the things I feel?
Are you in tune with me?
Do you think it might be real?
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2. |
Unconventional
02:49
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I used to count the days
'Til your unconventional ways
And your unconventional face
Through my door would enter in, my life to grace
Now I count the ways
That your unimpeachable haze
And your bland, unreachable gaze
Day by day convince me that you’ve been replaced
And I heard tell that you left me at the Goblin Fair
She has you, you are still there - but
Why do you hide when there’s nothing to hide from me?
Why do you fly when there’s nothing to fly from? See,
One of these days the sun will decay
So it doesn’t matter that you’re mad
It means nothing - please come back
So you ate the fruit
When you were abroad in her realm
It’s a look I’ve come to know well
In vacant eyes of guys who pay the tithe to Hell
And you chose to do it
Was there nothing left for you here?
Was I not enough for you, dear?
Now she claims you piece by piece and year by year
But I’ll hold you if you want me to, just say I can
Through lion, through snake to man, so
Why do you hide when there’s nothing to hide from me?
Why do you fly when there’s nothing to fly from? See,
One of these days we’ll all be in graves
So it really doesn’t matter that you’re mad
It means nothing
Absolutely nothing
Please come back
It means nothing
Please come back
It means nothing
We’re all mad
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3. |
Life After Afterlife
04:34
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I lived and died and came out on the other side
I walk the earth, but you’re not in my wake
The glaring sun out of tune with the wrong I’ve done
Can I survive past my greatest mistake?
And love, I know I’m not the hero that you thought and hoped I was
But fallibility’s inbuilt, and we proceed against all odds
They made us so we don’t outgrow the gods
I must accept that I’m alive
I must try
And I must learn to live with the years I’m given
Now that I know I’ll live past twenty-seven
The siren call of the wine and the bacchanal
Won’t wipe my mind, but I’m blinded by light
Oh Golden God, raise me up from the stone and sod
The antidote to my time on the underside
I’m tired of stories, tired of meaning
And the burden words place on me
I have reached the end of making sense
My mind will soon be gone
It’s time that I surrendered to the sun
I must accept that I’m alive
I must strive
And I must learn to live with the years I’m given
Now that I know there’s no such thing as heaven
I sing of light, Sol Invictus’ holy might
I join the sect and I walk by his side
They come to me, but I don’t want their company
The violent glee of the women who fight
I couldn’t love another woman
They remind me so of you
But I’d love a man whose love I can rely on through and through
I could love a man whose love can make me new
I must accept that I’m alive
I must thrive
And I must learn to live with the years I’m given
Now that I know I’ll live past twenty-seven
Now that I know there’s no such thing as heaven
Still I wish they’d left me in the river...
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4. |
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You’re following me through the throng
You’re singing me the same old song
You’re sorry that you did me wrong
And I’m an angel in your eyes
But angels have a thousand eyes
And roll around on wheels of fire
And wear the visage of a lion
Six wings to hide it all behind
Your voice is cutting through the fray
She didn’t mean a thing, you say
You promise me you’ll change your ways
I’ll be the princess in your life
But princesses set fire to towns
And bury soldiers underground
And plot against their king and crown
And die in battle for their rights
You can name me
And the name will make it real
But you can’t expect to like what you find
You’ll still your sickle tongue, you say
No longer wield your words to slay
You’ll free me from beneath your sway
You’ll call me goddess from now on
But goddesses dance on the dead
Wear necklaces of severed heads
And turn to cats within your bed
And still you’ll praise them when they’re gone
You can name me
And the name will make it real
But it doesn’t make it right
And it doesn’t make me nice
And you can’t expect to like what you find
So if you will pursue me more
You’ll see me in my truest form
I’ll be there with my flaming sword
The angel with a thousand eyes
The angel with a thousand eyes
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5. |
Monday Morning
03:17
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Monday is dawning, so sunny and sweet
My whole life before me, the world at my feet
A thousand amusements laid out on display
A thousand adventures to fill up my day
If there wasn’t just one small thing in my way…
I could fly to the moon on a hot air balloon
And become a mooncalf cavalier
I could sail through the night to that haunting green light
And climb up upon the pier
I could walk on the moor with my tormented thoughts
And my coat-tails afloat in the wind
I could sit in my chair in the smoke-scented air
Playing plaintive violin
All the adventures I could have if I weren’t here
And all the intentions I’ve assembled year on year
If I didn’t have to go to work
I could sit there and think with a bottle of ink
And a goose-feather quill in my fist
I could grumble and gripe, at a typewriter type
Of the worlds that don’t exist
I could lie on a couch with a pipe in my mouth
And a mind full of visions and veils
I could haunt the saloons seeking tormented tunes
On the trail of half-heard tales
All the ideas I could give the gift of life
They fall on dead ears, for I haven’t got the time
‘Cause instead I have to go to work
I could do nothing - sweet celestial nothing
I could sit in the bath, read a novel and laugh at you all
Just watching you run at society’s beck and call
Bless your souls
In our world of action, where we’re worth the things we make
The biggest infraction is to sit and cogitate
If I didn’t have to go
(Oh, but I still have to, though)
But I wish I didn’t go to work
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6. |
Broken Spoke
03:36
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Last year
It seemed there’d be no end to all the sun
This year it’s barely begun
It’s time
To find myself a way to get around
I see you there on the ground
I know you could take me places
I know I like your design
There’s just one question remaining in my mind
Do I have the time
To fix you up, to dust you off
To put the oil on your wheels and make you shine?
It might be hard, and it may cost
But there’s a chance you’ll pay off
And it’s a shame you’ve gone to waste
But is it me who has to pay the dime
Do I have the time to make you mine
To make you mine?
I know
A couple of your screws are getting loose
Yes, you’ve been carelessly used
I know
The rust has penetrated to your heart
I know you’re falling apart
But I’m no expert mechanic
And I’ve had breakages too
Of all the rides on the planet
I find you
Do I have the time
To fix you up, to dust you off
To put the oil on your wheels and make you shine?
It might be hard, and it may cost
But there’s a chance you’ll pay off
And it’s a shame you’ve gone to waste
But is it me who has to pay the dime
Do I have the time to make you mine
To make you mine?
Yes, it’s a shame you’ve lost your way
But is it me who has to shine the light?
Oh, never mind, another bike has caught my eye…
NOOOOOOO!
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7. |
Too Late Turning
02:43
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It’s too late, you’ve turned me - what can I do now?
Could try to deny, but my heart would not allow
I thought my mind was a constant, the world white and black
But it’s too late, you’ve turned me - there’s no going back
It’s too late, you’ve turned me, and I’m all at sea
How is it so easy to change what makes me?
And if I’m not who I thought I was, who could I be?
But it’s too late, you’ve turned me - no more philosophy
It’s too late, you’ve turned me - for good or for ill
I thought for a while I could walk away at will
And if I’d got out in time, then I think I could have still
But it’s too late, you’ve turned me, and I know that it’s real
You’re gone and it’s over, but I remain changed
For we are all the sum of the people we’ve saved
And the imprint of those that we love will remain
So I’ll just keep on making the same mistakes
Over and over again til I’m old
All cast in a similar mold
But it’s too late, you’ve turned me
It’s worth it - so I’m told...
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8. |
Context
04:16
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We started out as a fleet
A column calm and complete
Then the cold undertow
Dragged us every way we know
In scattered waters we dwell
A very personal hell
Separate streams, so it seems, we are compelled
Now I look around
Trapped in some middle-class Babel
Lofty words, and loud
Tangle as they cross the table
Not with all the wit of Wilde
Nor by Baudelaire beguiled
Could I get a word in edgeways, though I try
Oh, but I was fine
‘Til the light inside me died
What you see are just reflections in the sky
More magic sparks on the stone
In concrete parks of my home
Than all of these tall hallowed halls could possess
A single word from your lips
Has more reward than a kiss
In a club ever could effervesce
Seems I learned too late
Faces and places need context
Paradise is great
Fill it with strangers, it’s meaningless
A cavalcade of revelry
But the place I want to be
Is just sitting sipping tea on your settee
Watching the sun go down
Catching fire across the clouds
Painting pink to make us think it’s still around
Here in a house I don’t own
A town we’ve almost outgrown
Our love layers up
Like a pearl around a stone
And as the current drags and tows
And as disconnection grows
You’re a lighthouse in a sea of the unknown
And when the star went cold
Shrinking to the blackest hole
Well, the light that hit our eyes had not been told
You know, when fireworks fly
They’re just scratches in the sky
And they cut the night to show us what’s behind
It’s true, when fireworks fly
They’re just scratches in the sky
And they cut the night to show us what’s behind
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9. |
The Hill
03:37
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I’ve found the hill that I’m willing to die on
And a position I’ll firmly defend
And now I’ve found the hill that I’m prepared to die on
Well, you won’t talk me back down again
You might not like the location I’ve chosen
It isn’t tall, but it’s easy to climb
And I refuse to move it or attempt to prove it
If I'm here, then it’s real and it's mine
Some people like to move around
Some try to find more solid ground
Some change their mind with the things they learn
Scan the skies, turn, turn, turn
But I feel safe on the hill that I’ll die on
I’m unperturbed by the winds of change
And if the turning tide should cause the land to slide
I’ll clutch at straws ‘til it sweeps me away
I don’t need friends on the hill that I’ll die on
I just need something to fill up my time
You may not want to be me, but you sure can see me
Oh, and that is the reason I climb
Some people like to go explore
Search for the shells upon the shore
Some people stand on the shoulders of giants
That takes work - I won’t try it
I’m happy here on the hill that I’ll die on
You want to move me? You’re welcome to try
But though you won’t succeed, one thing is guaranteed:
If you wait, I’ll eventually die
Yes, now I’ve found the hill that I’m prepared to die on
If you wait, I’ll eventually die
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10. |
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Near Castle Park
Five metres underground
Here lies a bunker
Thirty-five berth
And a speech from the queen
Never yet said aloud
Mourning a disfigured Earth
Close to the coast
Accessed by rowing boat
Here lies an island
Foul to its core
With a deadly disease
Tested on flocks of sheep
Would have been used in the war
(If it hadn’t ended before…)
This is not a place of honour
Nothing of value here
This is a message of danger
We beg you to steer clear
This is a place of fear
One summer night
Pulses of coloured light
Burned through the orbit
Blew out the power
In a city that lay
900 miles away
Set the dogs howling for hours
On wasted ground
10,000 years from now
Wind blows a warning
Through sharpened stone
And a carving is seen
Fixed in a silent scream
Our language is no longer known
But this is no place for a home
This is not a place of honour
Nothing of value here
This is a message of danger
We beg you to steer clear
This is a place of fear
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11. |
Give us Time
04:53
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When I met you first, you pulled me from the river
Saw the redcoats coming and we ran for cover
I helped you climb into your saddle
You died the first time in that battle
Second time we met among the sweating bodies
In a sleepless city filled with endless parties
Through strings of pearls and trails of feathers
I loved you more than I could measure
I left you for a man of leisure
By then I knew our paths would recombine
Somewhere further down the line
Don’t worry, love
We’ll work out fine
Our day will come
Just give us time
London was abuzz with talk of revolution
Armed with old guitars instead of ammunition
We locked eyes once in Piccadilly
I found out later you’d died early
You never left the swinging sixties
I’d like to find a place in history
Where you don’t die and I don’t leave
Don’t worry, love
We’ll work out fine
Our day will come
Just give us time
Don’t worry, my love
We’ll meet again, meet again
Don’t worry, my love
We’ll see the end, see the end
Now our love begins within a world that’s ending
Never knew the sand would simply stop descending
You couldn’t fault us on our timing
We stare at walls we should be climbing
Of hollow halls in which we’re hiding
With horror films and documentaries
Of parallel realities
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12. |
No Such Thing as Magic
03:59
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The winds that scatter us around
Have landed me within your town
Let’s congregate while we’re united by the fates
You’ve only seen me on the stage
In disguise and rendered strange
You learn too late that I’m not actually from space
I hate to blow your mind
But I’m just a mortal who happens to write
And I’ll never be enough for you
And I’ll always be too good to be true
If you can’t have the stars
Then you won’t have the moon
And you’ve found out I’m not magic after all
It’s been a year you’ve been alone
Are you sufficiently worn down?
Enough to contemplate the offer that I made
In a house that I don’t own
In a town that’s not our home
A place where no-one lives, from which nobody came
A cloud obscures the sky
And I can’t decide if I can face the winter again
Because I’ll never be enough for you
And I’ll always be too good to be true
If you can’t have the stars
Then you won’t have the moon
And you’ve found out I’m not magic after all
I learn the taste of angels’ breath
And the temporary death
And the metallic tang of coming round again
I hold the Starchild in my hand
Introduce him to the band
And incrementally I shrug off all my chains
Another year goes by
And I can’t remember why you ever caught my eye
‘Cos you'll never see reality
And you’ll always want too much of me
What you want isn’t real
What you have, you don’t feel
And there’s no such thing as magic after all...
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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
Jessica Law recommends:
Ageha {Prototype Edition}
by Dr. Carmilla
Dr. Carmilla makes her own cacophony. Please make sure you have a cup of tea with this, old bean!
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The Bifrost Incident
by The Mechanisms
Epic space operas from the Steampunk space-pirate crew of the starship Aurora...
go to albumIf you like Jessica Law, you may also like:
Once Upon A Time (In Space)
by The Mechanisms
supported by 61 fans who also own “Ghostwatching”
excellent narrative album containing space pirates, reworkings of classic folk tunes and a fascinating retelling of European fairy tales
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Ulysses Dies At Dawn
by The Mechanisms
supported by 60 fans who also own “Ghostwatching”
greek legend but sci-fi. good! listen immediately. watch out the mechanisms that was nearly a happy ending
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grow your hair long if you’re wanting to see something that you can change
by Field Medic
The new Field Medic LP is the indie rock project's most vulnerable, using sharp humor to make self-reflection emotionally resonant.
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A vibrant vision of "Central Americana" from the Costa Rica-based artist, blending heartland devotionals with playful Tropicália grooves.
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