B i o g r a p h y (by Chris True)
Part of the nouveau psych-folk movement that took shape as the first decade of the 21st century drew to a close, the American-born singer/songwriter Alela Diane got her start thanks to a well-received, self-released recording (2003's Forest Parade) and a helping hand from established scenester Joanna Newsom. After a short stint with the group Black Bear and a European vacation, Diane returned to the States and began work on her next album, which saw the light of day as The Pirate's Gospel in 2004. It caught the attention of small label Holocene Music, which reissued the album in 2006 with new artwork and a revised track listing. The Pirate's Gospel was critically well received, and over the next year and a half, Alela Diane's star was on the ascent. A 10" vinyl five-song EP, Songs Whistled Through White Teeth, was released in the U.K. in 2006, and Diane toured extensively in both the United States and the British Isles during the following year. In 2008, she toured Europe once again and found time to record an album with Headless Heroes, a side project whose debut album, The Silence of Love, was a collection of cover songs. Her next solo LP, To Be Still, marked her debut for Rough Trade in 2009. Although it was universally well-received by critics, Diane ditched the album's hushed, intimate appeal in favor of a beefier sound, which was unveiled on 2011's Alela Diane & Wild Divine. Toward the end of her marriage to Wild Divine's guitarist Tom Bevitori, Diane began writing songs that would ultimately comprise 2013's About Farewell, a stark, honest portrayal of their breakup. Similarly stark and introspective was her fifth LP, 2017's Cusp. Recorded after the birth of her first child and mixed while pregnant with her second, the album explores Diane's newfound motherhood.
Forest Parade - Self-released - 2003 -
Brown Dirt Red Tin Roof Her garden Unraveling The Snow In your voice You Blue swallows The axe Clothesline I'm Sorry Strong daughter For tonight
Amidst the Movement Bowling Green Crying Wolf I Have Returned Matty Groves My Epitaph Pink Roses Slow Your Dancing Up North
Forest Parade
Brown Dirt Can I light a match To scorch away the snow mounts Creek bad veins Can I light a match To scorch away the snow mounts Creek bad veins She goes away Flows from me Too freely She goes away Flows from me Too freely I am brown dirt Left upon the shore Where boats they once came To leave what now remains I am brown dirt Left upon the shore Where boats they once came To leave what now remains And I am here I am here I came into it but real soon Go to find some other tree bark To unfold another concrete block To sit on for a while She goes away Flows from me Too freely She goes away Flows from me Too freely I am brown dirt Left upon the shore Where boats they once came To leave what now remains I am brown dirt Left upon the shore Where boats they once came To leave what now remains And I am here I am here I came into it but, will soon Go to find some other tree bark To unfold another concrete block To sit on for a while Until the days are done The days are done (x2) Until the days are done The days are done (x2) Until the days are done The days are done... The days are done (x2)
Red Tin Roof A frost covered the ground this way Bit the lilacs petals, turned them brown They are not in blue pitchers On the kitchen table anymore 'Cause my mother is down in Mexico somewhere And I don't know if she's ever coming back And my father we talk on the telephone sometimes But the wires, they're not long enough to fill this hole And my brother it's nice to hear his voice And reminisce about how we all used to live there Under the red red red red tin roof Now all separate we walked away But I need a grasp to take the cold from my hands A place to lean on so I can feel those strong breaths again To feel the shape without the light Or to sit in the gleam of the living room again But my mother is down in Mexico somewhere And I don't know if she's ever coming back And my father we talk on the telephone sometimes But the wire they're not long enough to fill this hole And my brother it's nice to hear his voice To reminisce about how we used to live there Under the red red red red tin roof Will someone please please help me Unlock this skeleton from this flesh rest I think it wants to walk away to some place that no longer exists Why can't we back track So we can all sit up on that hill And watch the trees along the fence grow All over again Why can't we back track so we can all sit up on that hill And watch the trees along the fence grow All over again 'Cause my mother is down in Mexico somewhere And I don't know if she's ever coming back And my father we talk on the telephone sometimes But the wires they're not long enough to fill this whole And my brother it's nice to hear his voice To reminisce about how we all used to live there Under the red red red red tin roof But never again will I hear the rain fall So good Never again will I hear the rain fall So good Like it did on the red, the red tin roof
*** Thanx a lot to Easley for this one ***
Unraveling Oh, there's something unraveling I can hear it pulling on my heart strings And I'm not sure who put these boots on our feet But we're still walking, walking, walking Talking about how it used to be And if you find a seashell Do you wonder where the life that lived there once has gone If you find a seashell Do you wonder where the life that lived there once has gone 'Cause I do I do And will we still remember when the light is Vacant from the lamp And how can we plant a garden when the soil has felt these Seeds of change And when you feel the heart flames Do you ask yourself who lit the match When you feel the heart flames Do you ask yourself who lit the match 'Cause I do I do And we all agree that something Something must be done But no one has any suggestions And no one has any answers To the questions So i ask you When the trees are falling Do you find yourself covering your ears When the trees are falling Do you find yourself covering your ears Cause if don't hear it you can pretend If don't hear it you can pretend If don't hear it you can pretend They're still standing there
*** Thanx a lot to Dimitri for this one ***
The Snow As I close my eyes, I listen to the freeway As I close my eyes, I listen to the freeway As I close my eyes, I listen to the freeway I miss the days when I could hear my mother's bracelets As she walked down the hall I could hear the sound of her bracelets as she walked But what happened to you and all the things you used to say Because today there's a dark cloud There's a dark cloud up above my head There's a dark cloud up above my head There's a dark cloud up above my head And from now on the snow must fall But maybe tomorrow it will melt And I'll look in your eyes now It brings me down, down, down, down, down, down The trees in your backyard They wither somehow And I feel a lot like them now And I lay in your bed now I want to listen to the blood pump through your veins But I don't feel like I can now And what happened to you and all the things you used to say Because today there's a dark cloud There's a dark cloud up above my head There's a dark cloud up above my head There's a dark cloud up above my head And from now on the snow must fall But maybe tomorrow it will melt And soon I'll be back home And I'll listen to the cars once more And I'll hope that we'll walk in moonlight Talk about the world We'll wake up real early to watch the rising sun And then I'll look into your eyes And I'll know that the snow will never fall again But what happened to you and all the things you used to say Because today there's a dark cloud There's a dark cloud up above my head There's a dark cloud up above my head There's a dark cloud up above my head And from now on the snow must fall But maybe tomorrow it will melt I hope that it will melt You say it might
I'm Sorry
Oh, I want to say I'm sorry I didn't mean to play Such a sad song It's clearly about you It's clearly about you And I want to say I'm sorry For making you recall What is now gone And I want to say I'm sorry For making you recall What is now gone And I want to say I'm sorry For this tune has become A sad song It's clearly about you It's clearly about you And I'm sorry
*** Thanx a lot to Danilo for this one ***
The Pirate's Gospel
Tired Feet My tired feet My tired, tired feet My tired feet Oh my tired feet My tired feet brought me to that red boat So still and foreign waters And although I've never been here Although I've never been here I know that here I've swam before Here I've swam before And soon I came Oh so soon I came Soon I came Oh so soon I came Soon I came to the silent place of choir voices In excelsis deo Deo Where Jesus, he keeps the streets out Jesus he keeps the heat out Jesus he keeps the noise out And here oh here I've sung before Here I've sung before I know that here I've sung before Here I've sat, I've run, I've walked, I've cried I've died I've slept in till noon and I've laughed and I've sighed I know that here I've sung before Oh here I've before I know that here I've sung before Here I've sung before
The Rifle Oh I've been knocking on that door in my sleep Fight my fireplace glow I've been knocking on that door in my sleep Fight my fireplace glow to keep me away, To keep me away from home Papa gets the rifle from its place above the French doors They're coming from the woods Oh they're coming from the woods And mama you're running too Oh my mama you're running too Mama you're running too Oh my mama you're running too Brother I'm so sorry that you watched the Patens burn And I've been holding onto the gold When letting go would free my hands And I've been tying your tongue in a knot Oh I've been tying your tongue in a knot To wrap this death, to wrap this death in a sheet And Papa gets the rifle from its place above the French doors They're coming from the woods Oh they're coming from the woods And mama you're running too Oh, my mama you're running too Mama you're running too Oh, my mama you're running too Brother I'm so sorry that you watched the Patens burn I can't hide the dirty pads down there carpet anymore No, no I can't hide the dirty pads down there carpet anymore There were too many heavy boots There were too many heavy boots There were too many heavy boots And there were too many big black boots And there were too many little brown shoes marching though So I'm counting it to the sky Oh I'm counting it to the sky I'm counting it to the sky Oh I'm counting it to the sky And moving back Oh I'm moving back to Face the lack of home
The Pirate's Gospel While some folks row way up to heaven I'm gonna sing the pirate's gospel I'm gonna sow these feet for dancing I'm gonna keep my eyes wide open Yo ho yo ho Yo ho ho Yo ho yo ho ho Yo ho yo ho Sing the pirate's gospel Add another flame To our forest Where big bellied whales Keep us chanting We're slapping firey thighs For tiny dancers Where the children creep Until the morning When the sun does seep Into our fair flesh Until the fingernails Will take us home Yo ho yo ho Yo ho ho Yo ho yo ho ho Yo ho yo ho Sing the pirate's gospel While some folks pray Their path to Jesus We're gonna sing The pirate's gospel We're gonna sow Our feet for dancing We're gonna keep Our eyes wide open We're gonna sing The pirate's gospel We're gonna chant The pirate's gospel You'll find us clap The pirate's gospel Yo ho yo ho Yo ho ho Yo ho yo ho ho Yo ho yo ho Sing the pirate's gospel Sing the pirate's gospel
Foreign Tongue That sidewalk is a river that I fished dry Oh that sidewalk is a river that I fished dry And now it's my heavy hand filling the brim And it hauled me out of their brim But my coat of arms burns stronger still But my coat of arms burns stronger still And foreign tongue ties me here Foreign tongue ties me here So hang my slips out with the words between the lines Oh hang my slips out with the words between the lines And bow my head to their ears Bow my head to those ears I'll never tip-toe across my home ever again I'll never tip-toe across my home ever again Ever again Ever again And foreign tongue ties me here Foreign tongue ties me here
Can You Blame The Sky Can you blame the sky When a mama leaves her babies behind Can you blame the sky When a mama leaves her babies behind Can you blame the sea Oh can you blame the sea 'Cause she's a flowing in that water deep Is it the dirt that you envy so 'Cause in it her strong roots still grow No, no, no... I'll blame those birds flocking so I'll blame those birds flocking so Blame those birds flocking so 'Cause with them she's a flying Oh 'cause with them she's flying All those mamas are flying They're watching us from above They're watching us from above Dropping their feathers with a mother's love
Something's Gone Awry This crazy, crazy is caught in the forest And your parcel's in the sand A cuckoo wind's blowing Those sparrows are crowing And dancing birds slow in the sky 'Cause something's gone awry Something's gone awry Something's gone awry Something's gone awry The night is much colder My chest is still older And love wont pirate my heart Clenched deeply buttoned The children are buttoned And leaves will soon fall to the ground 'Cause something's gone awry Something's gone awry Something's gone awry Something's gone awry
Pieces Of String I'll have you know I'll have you know That if I had one I'd play this on piano And if I had one of those I'd sit it on my knee and count to 1, 2, 3 And if I had one of those other things You know I'd put it in my mouth And if I had some of those other things Oh, I'd put them into jars on the shelf But I'll have you know Oh, oh I'll have you know That if I had 10 or 20 I'd have a choir of little children sing along I'd have a choir of little children sing along And I'll have you know I'll have you know That if she had one She'd put it in a paper bag If she had one She'd put it in a paper bag, oh This long gone Grandma, would put it in a paper bag Labelled pieces of string too small to use Pieces of string too small to use But her autumn leaves are now the dirt And those summer winds did blow her hair But now she's pieces of string to small to use
Clickity Clack How do you How do you do How do you How do you do it Music makes her stop pressing those strings firmly to my down Ground water is drying up to fill my jars again But then click clack clickity click click click Clickity clack Clickity clack I'm through having your harsh march stare down my size And punish what young is left in these eyes And how do I Oh how do I How do I How did I How can I How will I How did I How can I pick up and go 'Cause I lack the wind and trees and the sunlight in the afternoon And my button collections need to find a home And that click clack clickity click click click Clickity clack Clickity clack I'm through having your harsh march stare down my size And punish what young is left in these eyes Oh click clack clickity click click click Clickity clack Clickity clack And when I turn my back And when I turn my back I'll twirl my little skirt And it'll be my shoes instead of yours My shoes instead of yours My shoes screaming back Click clack clickity click click click Clickity clack Clickity clack
Sister Self That pole isn't growing in my black solid sky Solid sky And pirate ships pulled these shoulders back But in morning slumber I gripped the slender palm of my hand And I felt the soft of my flesh And I stared into my sister self And we was running, running, running We was climbing, we was fighting We was breathing fast Praying please We were singing We were dancing We were clapping Singing, dancing, clapping We were returning to the hills Bringing buckets drawn from the wells Returning from to the hills Bringing buckets drawn from the wells But I've got to hold my own hand I've got to hold my own hand And this is my skin I feel And these are the teeth that I clench And the hazel of my sight Plus the colors she wears is mine Oh that color she's wearing is mine And we was running, running, running We was climbing, we was fighting We was breathing fast Praying please We were singing We were dancing We were clapping Singing, dancing, clapping We were returning to the hills Bringing buckets drawn from the wells Returning from to the hills Bringing buckets drawn from the wells
Pigeon Song Street-wise pigeon we see you Camp on the sidewalk if we don't Hear you anymore Where did you loose your voice And how did you loose the trees Did they make your tangled feathers glow Did they let your tattered chest flow From the blatant backs of buildings Where stagnate airs heat in the sun From the blatant backs of buildings Where stagnate airs heat in the sun So we put our curtains up and ignore the sounds that break walls down So we put our curtains up and ignore the sounds that break walls down Break walls down Do your potted plants really keep you company Do your potted plants really keep you company Oh My Mama Oh my Mama She gave me these feathered breaths Oh my Mama She told me use your voice, My little bird She said sing sing sing sing sing sing melodies And she sang sang sang sang sang sang melodies Oh my Mama She did give me fancy feet I'll be dancing on And I'll tap tap tap my toes Into those creaking floorboards Oh my Mama She took my little hand and held on tight Oh the Mamas Give the waters of their wells Oh the Mamas Give the babies this very dirt we're walking on Oh my Mama She gave me these feathered breaths And your Mama She gave you those feathered breaths too And when the sky drops all those feathers And when the birds sing in the morning I'll be a mama I'll have a daughter I'll be a mama I'll have a daughter And I'll give her melodies I'll give her melodies And I'll give her melodies I'll give her melodies And she'll be My little bird And then she'll fly She'll fly
Heavy Walls Heavy walls You can't enclose my sound Heavy walls You can't enclose my sound And if you crumble It will lift me up If you crumble It will lift me up Will I play the guitar Like my father does Will I play the guitar Like my father does Making those advances On its strings so smooth Making those advances On its strings so smooth Chilly wind Bites my blood Chilly wind Biting my blood Wake me up like you do Concrete branches Wake me Save your sky Don't you turn to black Save your sky Don't you turn to black Cause when you do the thickest walls Will be calling When you do the thickest walls Will be calling And heavy walls You can't hide my voice Heavy walls You can't hide my voice And when you crumble It will lift me up When you crumble It will lift me up It will lift me up It will lift me up It will lift me up It will lift me up
Gypsy Eyes One, two, three, four Paper pockets was my pastel And from marching maps my finger nails I scratching for a brave That's not been wrong yet That's not been wrong yet 'Cause I was a child with fits of fury I was a child with fits of fury And I didn't love my god less And I didn't need my fall skirt Oh, I didn't love my god less And I didn't need my fall skirt To beg green gypsy eyes To beg green gypsy eyes But I've seen you in narrow streets I've turned some rocky ground So I prune my trees back For a stand tall garden And I've counted some closets So I, counted some closets But now I'll knock my Now I'll knock my Sorrow shadows I'll knock my sorrow, shadows 'Cause I was a child with fits of fury Oh, I was a child with fits of fury And I didn't love my god bless And I didn't need my fall skirt Oh, I didn't love my god bless And I didn't need my fall skirt To beg green gypsy eyes To beg green gypsy eyes Do you see this holy, holy spirit Round my neck Do you see I wear This holy spirit round my neck But it's for my sister swallow So play me pardon Father son Play me pardon Father son (x3) 'Cause I was a child with fits of fury Oh, I was a child with fits of fury And I didn't love my god bless And I didn't need my fall skirt Oh, I didn't love my god bless And I didn't need my fall skirt To beg green gypsy eyes To beg green gypsy eyes To beg green gypsy eyes
The Silence of Love
True Love Will Find You In the End (Daniel Johnston) True love will find you in the end You'll find out just who was your friend Don't be sad, I know you will But don't give up until True love will find you in the end This is a promise with a catch Only if you're looking will it find you 'Cause true love is searching too But how can it recognize you Unless you step out into the light, the light Don't be sad, I know you will But don't give up until True love will find you in the end Don't be sad, I know you will But don't give up until True love will find you in the end True love will find you in the end Just One Time (Juicy Lucy) Mary Anne, hold my hand Pretty babe, I understand You say it's time to grab it blind Cheering crowds they screw my mind Just one time, I tell you now Do your thing, do it loud The desert sand, the secret plan Lord's own knowledge is in your hand Grab a hold and ride that freight Be yourself, don't hesitate Be yourself, don't hesitate Just one time, I tell you now Do your thing, do it loud Grab a hold and ride that freight Be yourself, don't hesitate Be yourself, don't hesitate Mary Anne, hold my hand Pretty babe, I understand Here Before (Vashti Bunyan) Once I had a child He was wilder than moonlight He could do it all Like he'd been here before Once I had a child She was smiling like sunshine She could see it all Like she'd been here before Then I had a child Took his while like northern summer And he knows it all Like he's been here before Just Like Honey (The Jesus & Mary Chain) Listen to the girl As she takes on half the world Moving up and so alive In her honey dripping beehive Beehive, it's good, so good It's so good, so good Walking back to you Is the hardest thing that I can do That I can do for you For you I'll be your plastic toy I'll be your plastic toy For you Eating up the scum Is the hardest thing for Me to do Just like honey Just like honey Just like honey... To You (I Am Kloot) The gods and the saints preserve you 'Cause nobody here deserves you I'm living my life in flashback Since I lost my card or cashback And I've gone to wrack and ruin Since I don't know what you're doing There's no clear or present danger That I see in any stranger Someone, somewhere said to me Will someone somewhere set me free Won't hurry up or harry me Will someone somewhere marry me To you, to you, to you, to you The line on the screen has broken What once was asleep has woken I cover your face in make-up Praying you'll one day wake up I've littered my life with magic Yet I'm neither dead nor tragic The gods and the saints preserve you 'Cause nobody here deserves you Someone, somewhere said to me Will someone somewhere set me free From all that I'm supposed to be Will someone somewhere marry me To you, to you, to you, to you Someone, somewhere said to me Won't someone somewhere marry me Won't hurry up or harry me Will someone somewhere marry me To you, to you, to you, to you
Blues Run The Game (Jackson C. Frank) Catch a boat to England, baby Maybe to Spain Wherever I have gone Wherever I've been and gone Wherever I have gone The blues are all the same Send out for whisky, baby Send out for gin Me and room service, honey Me and room service, babe Me and room service Well, we're living a life of sin When I'm not drinking, baby You are on my mind When I'm not sleeping, honey When I ain't sleeping, Mama When I'm not sleeping Well you know you'll find me crying Try another city, baby Another town Wherever I have gone Wherever I've been and gone Wherever I have gone The blues come following down Living is a gamble, baby Loving's much the same Wherever I have played Wherever I throw them dice Wherever I have played The blues have run the game Maybe tomorrow, honey Someplace down the line I'll wake up older So much older, Mama Oh wake up older And I'll just stop all my trying Catch a boat to England, baby Maybe to Spain Wherever I have gone Wherever I've been and gone Wherever I have gone The blues are all the same Hey, Who Really Cares (Linda Perhacs) Been coming down for a long time Changes coming down on me Can't seem to carry 'em all now Been wishing there was someone else I could be Hey now, who really cares Hey, won't somebody listen Let me say what's been on my mind Can I bring it out to you I need someone to talk to And no one else would spare me the time I used to think of ferries wheel light sounds The Friday hum of neons and blue But now they're like circular cages Of graded tin and rusted wind Hey now, who really cares Hey, won't somebody listen Let me say what's been on my mind Can I bring it out to you I need someone to talk to And no one else would spare me the time Nobody's Baby Now (Nick Cave) I've searched the holy books I tried to unravel the mystery of Jesus Christ, the saviour I've read the poets and the analysts Searched through the books on human behaviour I travelled this world around For an answer that refused to be found I don't know why and I don't know how But he's nobody's baby now I loved him then and I guess I love him still His is the face I see when a certain mood moves in He lives in my blood and skin His wild feral stare, his dark hair His winter lips as cold as stone He was my man But there are some things love won't allow I held him hand but I don't hold it now I don't know why and I don't know how But he's nobody's baby now This is the dress that I loved best With the blue quilted violets across the breast And these are my many letters Torn to pieces by long-fingered hand He was a cruel-hearted man And though I've tried to lay him ghost down He's moving through me, even now I don't know why and I don't know how But he's nobody's baby now He's nobody's baby now Nobody's baby now He's nobody's baby now The North Wind Blew South (Philamore Lincoln) My life was drifting Too far from home and my guiding light My mind was lifting Over a way to a mystical height 'Cause the north wind blew south 'Cause the north wind blew south 'Cause the north wind blew south Pictures of Heaven Building before me a way to exist Telling a story Trying to tell of a way that we kissed 'Cause the north wind blew south 'Cause the north wind blew south 'Cause the north wind blew south... See My Love (The Gentle Soul) See my love So sleepingly sad See my poet painter Drawing his words How I long for him to Paint me a poem picture Of himself for me So that I might see See my love Ever now resounding Striking the purest homes To colour his world And I long to know him He plans to leave tomorrow Or stay here with me So that I might see See him gazing up to nowhere Or is it some place I don't know That he dreams of But he can't go He can't go 'Til tomorrow My, my love So leaving me quiet Off to find his rainbow lady Taking his words And I long for him to Send me a poem treasure From some ancient sea So that I might see See my love See my love See my love
To Be Still
Dry Grass and Shadows There are things that I've seen in my head While I'm sleeping in bed That do not wither in the morning light I'm taken back Oh! I'm taken back To the dry grass and the shadows Thinking 'I'd like to look at your teeth' Lined up in perfect rows A maze of children's feet in orchard trees Where the flat lands stretch inside your mouth And when you laugh all the Star thistles stumble out The flat lands stretch inside your mouth And when you laugh all the Star thistles stumble out The strong spines of valley hills, all over grown in gold Look softer than a spool of old silk thread But if we walked them with our feet, I'd be pulling spines and barbs and foxtails from your skin Oh if we walked them with our feet I'd be pulling spines and barbs and foxtails from your skin There are things that I've seen in my head While I'm sleeping in bed That do not wither in the morning light I'm taken back Oh! I'm taken back To the dry grass and the shadows
White as Diamonds I've known mornings white as diamonds Silent from a night so cold Such a stillness, calm as the owl glides Our lives are buried in snow I was sifting through the piles In my hand a tangled thread Each patient tug upon the snarl Is a glimpse of what has been Burdened bands gave strong hands Gaping holes where diamonds should be Must have been the morning that stole them A glint of white in the pocket of winter And some hearts are ghosts Settling down in dark waters Just as silt grows heavy And drowns with the stone Some hearts are ghosts Settling down in dark waters Just as silt grows heavy And drowns with the stone I've known mornings white as diamonds Silent from a night so cold Such a stillness, calm as the owl glides Our lives are buried in snow Our lives are buried in snow
Age Old Blue The sea beneath the cliff is the blue in my mother's eyes That came from blue in her mother's eyes Thrown on down the line by our family who worked the field On borrowed land, above the ocean My family worked the field on borrowed land Higher hills do not provide for Hearts born of coral and moss Where rain won't flow beyond the stream And water is captive to the well There was a gentle man I've always known his children's songs Blue eyes were hardened by the war But still he went on singing Night can't hide a man When his eyes are tearing The night can't hide his cries 'There's only a few of us left' Higher hills do not provide for Hearts born of coral and moss Where rain won't flow beyond the stream And water is captive to the well I've known that age old blue Eyes and homes with siren's tunes Has left a deep desire for a home beside the water Shady rhythm calms the night And that voice is never still You know a voice is never still And a voice is never silent Shady rhythm calms the night And that voice is never still You know a voice is never still And a voice is never silent Higher hills do not provide for Hearts born of coral and moss Where rain won't flow beyond the stream And water is captive to the well
To Be Still Have you been wearing holes in your boots out there Have you been kicking bones in the desert sand There's a wolf inside the cave, and another in the clouds I've seen them chew and gnaw on the shadows in your eyes And it's here at home I'll wait for your wanders to be still Oh it's here at home I'll wait for your wanders to be still And I won't drag my feet in whatever dirt you track in No I won't drag my feet in whatever dirt you track in Will you look at me when your face shows the lines of years While you've been away, I have needed your strong hands The California hills could surely welcome us back home But the way toward the crop of gold is not far from the snow Oh, the way toward the crop of gold is not far from the snow And it's here at home I'll wait for your wanders to be still Oh it's here at home I'll wait for your wanders to be still And I won't drag my feet in whatever dirt you track in No I won't drag my feet in whatever dirt you track in
Take Us Back Atop the crags and cliffs the air is thin So we'll find a mountain path on down the hill Meet me where the snowmelt flows It is there, my dear, where we'll begin again Skipping stones Braiding hair Last years antlers mark the trail Take us back, take us back Oh! take us! Take us back I've a friend who lives out by the rivers mouth He knows the fiddle's cry is an old sound A lonesome bow, the creaks and moans of empty houses Are songs like falling rain Wind blown buildings Muddy ground The strength of water can sink a man Take us back, take us back Oh! take us! Take us back When the higher hills have turned to blue And the waves are lapping where the children grew All that we have known will be an echo Of days when love was true Muted voices, just beyond The silent surface of what has gone
The Alder Trees I can hear the elders whispering in words so sweet and low The alder trees are listening to songs been sung before My friend and I collecting skeletons of leaves Making tiny piles, and sifting through the weeds Wind blows the tiny green Tiny green Wind blows the tiny green Helicopter seeds Wind blows the tiny green Tiny green Wind blows the tiny green Helicopter seeds Oh! Wandering in days unfolding With paths fashioned of mud and snakeskin Oh! Wandering in days unfolding With paths fashioned of mud and snakeskin Of mud and snakeskin As I think about the ladies who weren't allowed to sing Sewing all their pretty rows of thread instead of seed And what about the black braided sisters of Marie We sat upon their grinding rock as children used to be Beneath the knotted pine Knotted pine Beneath the knotted pine At the garden's edge Beneath the knotted pine Knotted pine Beneath the knotted pine At the garden's edge Oh, laughing! Little girls clapping Ghosts weaving our hair to baskets Oh, laughing! Little girls clapping And ghosts weaving our hair to baskets Our hair to baskets I can hear the elders whispering in words so sweet and low The alder trees are listening to songs been sung before My friend and I collecting skeletons of leaves Making tiny piles and sifting through the weeds Making tiny piles oh and sifting through the weeds
My Brambles Sun is dancing, my darlin' Arms been holding me all morning The sea is so far from home, my darlin' But if we'd only feet it is here that we'd roam Oh! If we'd just two feet it is here that we'd roam And your arms would be keeping me all day 'Cause your love calms my brambles And your hands bring me sweet lavender Oh your love calms my brambles And your hands bring me sweet lavender The glow will dance into the mountain And darkness falls upon the canyon And when the heat is gone, my darlin' Please come gather me Please come gather me, oh, oh Please come gather me, oh Please come gather me my darlin' Please come gather me, oh, oh Please come gather me, oh Please come gather me my darlin' 'Cause your love calms my brambles And your hands bring me sweet lavender Oh your love calms my brambles And your hands bring me sweet lavender
The Ocean She was always walking Singing to her footsteps Dirt ditch paths and pine cones Digging up glass bottles Rusty springs from feather beds Old hubcaps on the picket fence She planted beds of flowers And stayed outside for hours In spirit, she's drifted to the ocean All those years of waiting for the water She's watching long shadows call in the tide But this sunset by the sea is in her mind The sunset by the sea is in her mind And she was always hoping To someday leave the mountain Domestic chores and children The darkness of the winter And painting all these mermaids Wandering to the seashore She wanted him to follow But his heart is with the hillside In spirit, she's drifted to the ocean All those years of waiting for the water She's watching long shadows call in the tide But this sunset by the sea is in her mind The sunset by the sea is in her mind These days, you'll find her walking Singing to the deep sea But she will always love him Lost up in the mountains The sunset on the ocean Gathering shells and beach glass And dancing with the rolling waves It gives her peace of mind But she will always love him Lost up in the mountains Oh she will always love him Lost up in the mountains
Every Path All the back roads All the highways Distant countries that I've past through Every path has led me back to you Every path has led me back to you Down by the river by the light of the moon I feel the echo of your current in my core As I roam, as I roam, as I roam, as I roam Every path has lead me back to you Every path has lead me back to you When I'm around, I want you near Handsome fellow, will you hold me dear I've seen blue eyes and straight white teeth Golden minds and sturdy feet But every path has led me back to you Every path has led me back to you Down by the river by the light of the moon I feel the echo of your current in my core As I roam, as I roam, as I roam, as I roam Every path has lead me back to you Every path has lead me back to you Put your hand upon my breast My little darling I know of restlessness My little darling I know of restlessness
Tatted Lace Gold 'round those fingers shone Bound for to carry home Fond of the flattest field But you know, there are bones buried deep down below Tatted lace frail figure graced That has since been torn and stained Tatted lace frail figure graced That has since been torn and stained And put and put so far away Oh so far away Novels we don't write Hearts been lost in fight Skin in the black of night Love is a sinking kite Tatted lace frail figure graced That has since been torn and stained Tatted lace frail figure graced That has since been torn and stained And put and put so far away Oh so far away Gold 'round those fingers shone Bound for to carry home Suit case filled with stone Snow keeps me alone Suitcase filled with stones Snow keeps me alone All alone Lady Divine When the day, when the day falls to the line At the end of my time I call to the dark 'take the bones off my back!' And I chant to the black 'you were my lady divine!' 'Cause my children are in hiding Mortar and pestle they grind Those songs whistled through white teeth Do scuff the days Those songs for children to sing When the chairs are tucked into the fading song And the silver of their pores has grown long They call to the dark 'take the bones off my back!' And they chant to the black 'you were my lady divine' And they glowed like a bitter wine in their bellies 'Cause the bones have been removed From their hunched over backs And their children are all grown now Mortar and pestle they grind Those songs whistled through white teeth Still scuff the days Those songs for children to sing Those songs whistled through white teeth Still scuff the days Those songs for children to sing
Wild Divine
To begin Down the stairs to the stone house Golden light, oh what a fight Another sleepless night Her dress is filigree She tells me all her secrets Then I'm back on the Street It's hard, oh it's hard to help yourself When you don't know where to begin It's the devil, it's the boil, it's the black of night In your head, in your head Do you see the fire Heavy lit before this time Know you the color of the end Of the end of the end Silence is dancing to beating drum Money is nothing but a loaded gun And it's hard, oh it's hard to help yourself When you don't know where to begin It's the devil, it's the boil, it's the black of night In your head, in your head It's hard, oh it's hard to help yourself When you don't know where to begin It's the devil, it's the boil, it's the black of night In your head, in your head And it's hard, oh it's hard to help yourself When you don't know where to begin In the midst of a moment can you break the boy Can you tame the demon Light a candle in the dark, in the dark, in dark In the dark, light a candle in the dark, in dark In dark, in dark Oh in the dark Light a candle in the dark, in dark In dark, in dark
Elijah I met Madeleine in the South of France Where she grew with figs and grow red with the moon Dark eyes of the evening, brought her a son A blessing and burden for she was So young, so young So young, so young Water is cold, the wayward gale Much like the leaves I've become frail Madeleine said "I'd like to follow But I must stay well to care for Elijah I must stay well to care for Elijah" Elijah, Elijah Elijah, Elijah The fire in the storm, heart burned calmly But as she stooked Madeleine, Brooke concerned She said, these are olive branches And the wood of the alder is sacred The wood of the alder is too sacred to burn To Burn, to burn To Burn, to burn Water is cold, the wayward gale Much like the leaves I've become frail Madeleine said "I'd like to follow But I must stay well to care for Elijah I must stay well to care for Elijah" Elijah, Elijah Elijah, Elijah
Long Way Down When a love grows cold Like the fine come dawn It is a bigger tune Old homes know through and through When is it too soon to walk When to run dry of talk From burning just the same Was it easier in days gone by Clear skies and storms alike And words of ties that bind From time to time A man must go But let me tell you friend It is a long way down When is it too soon to walk When to run dry of talk From burning just the same Was it easier in days gone by Clear skies and storms alike And words of ties that bind When the whining is free But the love's still true It's been done before You can work it through
Suzanne Night falls and I am gathered once again Going deep into the ricochet of yesteryear Dwelling on the one place that I know to be long gone Come see the corners of the property I was walking along the old rock Looking through the gags in the vine, tangled fins When I saw her standing there Suddenly young with dark brown hair Suzanne, why do we dream of it Suzanne, oh dear Suzanne Suzanne, why are we taken back Suzanne, oh dear Suzanne La, di, da, early love Come see the corners of the property Some nights later I am gathering once again This reverie is reoccurring On the ceiling, hand painted flowers And in my heart, galloping horses There was a day, forever lingers Like the scent of antique roses I can't go back and say I want to But mental spirit keeps me haunted Suzanne, why do we dream of it Suzanne, oh dear Suzanne Suzanne, why are we taken back Suzanne, oh dear Suzanne La, di, da, early love Come see the corners of the property La, di, da, early love Walk the corners of the property Some things cannot be understood Never quite taken in, you cannot leave them So do you want her, up in the high lakes Desert stand, beneath the pine trees A flock geese lost to an airplane A memory of what is yet to be This is music, this is madness Clear the room This is music, oh, this is madness Clear the room Clear the room Clear the room Clear the room Clear the room Clear the room Clear the room The Wind Woman of the Island Please send me light Put it in an envelope Post it to L.A. 'Cause I'm on the wind I can't go back I am a dream On the wind The organ cried Out in the night A phantom song Of notes in time It is I Pounding out the chords From the still Of the unknown 'Cause I'm on the wind I can't go back I am a dream On a wind Too late darling It was too late Too late mama I've gone to the sky How can we learn Learn to lose How can we learn Learn to lose Death is a hard act to follow Death is a hard act to follow Now I give grace To you and yours From this bright new home Of silver moon Sweet sister, I am with you Forever more
Of Many Colors Indigo is blue like the you of me or you Ebony is darker than the deepest Emerald like the water we swam in for a while To a man of many colors I give word He's a charmer, my man of many colors He sings till hours take him well past midnight His indigo in evening skies, ebony on moonless night But he's emerald, come the morning through the window Indigo is blue like the you of me or you Ebony is darker than the deepest Emerald like the water we swam in for a while To a man of many colors I give word Amidst the gold there is dust in every heart And in the blue there is a web of tangled thoughts Oh, how the crystals mix with shards of broken glass We tried to take the danger from the plight of crimson red But all left stare me blindly through the colors and the fog Indigo is blue like the you of me or you Ebony is darker than the deepest Emerald like the water we swam in for a white To a man of many colors I gave word By the light of a match I caught the colors in my hand And the sun threw this old stone It is red on jam, amber, blue and violet Like graffiti, scattered leaves dropped the cold mat Indigo is blue like the you of me or you Ebony is darker than the deepest Emerald like the water we swam in for a while To a man of many colors I gave word To a man of many colors I gave word To a man of many colors I gave word
Desire Dark hair and midnight eyes She's looking like it's nineteen ninety five And white my steps are made of stone Hers are light in airing sky Oh, she's looking for something She's spinning and circling She's reckless, she's pining And she's lost, lost, lost In the morning, dressed for night Gypsy red wild flight Another city calls her name Where her darkened twin awaits Oh, she's looking for something She's spinning and circling She's reckless, she's pining And she's lost, lost, lost D-E-S-I-R-E, can you hear it calling D-E-S-I-R-E, can you hear it calling D-E-S-I-R-E, can you hear it calling D-E-S-I-R-E, can you hear it calling Oh, can you hear it calling
Heartless Highway One thing loosened in the sky trailing by Nowadays distant place pouring change This is a heartless highway This is a heartless highway So long, long gone, so long, long gone So long, long gone, so long, long gone Listless in the morning, I'm aloof too soon Take me in the open, stare at these dark rooms This is a heartless highway This is a heartless highway So long, long gone, so long, long gone, long gone So long, long gone, so long, long gone But I got to get back, I got to get back I got to get my feet back on the ground I got to get back, I got to get back home Oh, I got to get back, I got to get back I got to get my feet back on the ground I got to get back, I got to get back home So long, long gone, so long, long gone So long, long gone, so long, long gone Take me to the water Take me to the girl Take me, won't you take me Before I'm good as gone
White Horse Get off your high horse, hey man Get off your white horse, hey man Your gallop can't shit nothing on the darkness The rush of river water knows much more Everyone must take a road Take the road, that's all they're on Everyone must take a road Take the road, that's all they're on You let it in, with a gust you take it in Take in charm from shadow with the dawn The sun will tell you when you must walk on Are you like clowns or as headstrong as stones Do you open with dust to the black night Be careful with visions when drawn to the sky Be wary of such constellations No, we cannot be sure of our gallop or gate But there's one thing I knew, you know for sure Everyone must take a road Take the road, that's all they're on Everyone must take a road Take the road, that's all they're on What of release What of ravens and the white birds A mystery, the echo left by deaf We are hopeful, we are scattered, we are dust We are hopeful, we are scattered, we are dust We are hopeful, we are scattered, we are dust
Rising Greatness At the end of a day At the end of the day A song that I sing is the same A song that I sing is the same Then a year has been sung A year is gone and I'm older Then I've never been so young anyway Oh, I've never been so young anyway Too many left behind On this circle 'round the sun But Suzanne, she bought more time She won a wager with the sky We are the lucky ones, this time We are the lucky ones Setting sun in Arizona Told the story of beyond That moon was rising greatness Over flatlands, over us Tell me about what has been Tell me why Tell me about what has been Tell me why Too many left behind On this circle 'round the sun But Suzanne she bought more time She won a wager with the sky We are the lucky ones, this time We are the lucky ones Still there are, there are heavy days about us They are shards of something lost But there's white gold in the static Relentless and charged with magic There is danger in what we know There is good, there is good There is good too There is good, oh, there is good There is still good in you There is good, oh, there is good There is still good
About Farewell
Colorado Blue I drove you home that autumn day To your mother's house The paint was old, the dogs were barking I sat upon the rug Oh, I think of you sometimes Of the snow And that Colorado winter blue Your eyes were green, your skin was darker Than the colour of my own We took a shower in the dark Your mother wasn't home Oh, I think of you sometimes Of the snow And that Colorado winter blue We watched the sunrise over town From your neightbor's roof I remember taking photographs In the cul de sac I'm always on the run and I hate copy paste for god's sake Oh, I think of you sometimes Of the snow And that Colorado winter blue Then you headed east and said her name I read between the lines I caught a plane to Denver Your eyes had turned to stone From that cold appartement window I saw you fade into the snow When you left me for her oh, oh, oh You left me in the snow When you left me for her oh, oh, oh You left me in the snow About Farewell It is plain to see that I have one foot at the door And I know that your dear heart is telling you To run deep down somewhere Deep down somewhere I heard somebody say That the brightest lights Cast the biggest shadows So honey I got to let you go Seven years to you, dear heart, is all that I can give And I know that without me, you'll find just what you need Deep down somewhere, deep down somewhere I'm always on the run and I hate copy paste for god's sake I heard somebody say That the brightest lights Cast the biggest shadows So honey I got to let you go Living is the hardest part That's what we've always said Once upon the other side It's best not to look back That's what we say About Farewell That's what we say About Farewell The Way We Fall It was back in my home town Drinking whiskey from the bottle It was an indian summer Wild fires were burning I didn't know it was the last time You never know when it's the last time I didn't know it was the last time I walked miles after midnight To a filthy attic room I can still evoke the stale smoke Of his cigarettes, cigarettes, cigarettes I'm always on the run and I hate copy paste for god's sake I didn't know it was the last time You never know when it's the last time I didn't know it was the last time Tim was on the sidewalk With his empty, ocean eyes He was smiling like a shadow And would never age, never age, never age I didn't know it was the last time You never know when it's the last time I didn't know it was the last time A vision blurred through colored glass The white washed walls of summer's passed The smoldering I do recall The hopeless fade, the way we fall The way we fall The way we fall The way we fall
Nothing I Can Do Stained glass pane Dim half-light I lie awake Count back from ten Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one Honey, there is nothing I can do to save you Honey, there is nothing I can do to save you from Honey, there is nothing I can do to save you from yourself Heavy boots on the stairs Dance too slowly You hide the shame I place the blame I want to fix your haircut Honey, there is nothing I can do to save you Honey, there is nothing I can do to save you from Honey, there is nothing I can do to save you from yourself Copy paste is a sin, always on the run is better Say you don't know How to kill the hurt How to leave behind Revolutionize I'm as helpless as tomorrrow You're a hound without a collar Honey, there is nothing I can do to save you Honey, there is nothing I can do to save you from Honey, there is nothing I can do to save you from yourself
Lost Land A sleeper knows no lying While a waker hides behind Yellow curtains in the morning Heavy drapes upon my mind Am I in too deep Am I in too deep too soon On the turn of a dime With the wind on a chime I'm a lost land in the blue I'm a lost land in the blue I'm a lost land in the blue Some things are best if kept in darkness Only true before the dawn Ghost ships silent, deathly still Before the cannons storm I'm always on the run and I hate copy paste for god's sake Am I in too deep Am I in too deep too soon On the turn of a dime With the wind on a chime I'm a lost land in the blue I'm a lost land in the blue I'm a lost land in the blue I am walking on the shore I am walking near the ocean blue I am walking sometimes somewhere It is beautiful Like a lost land in the blue Like a lost land in the blue Like a lost land in the blue Like a lost land in the blue
I Thought I Knew It was the last day of the year It was coming down in sheets I was sitting on the street Soaked through from the sleet I'd had too much to drink I called you up And drew you in I thought I knew But I was wrong You came to my town I showed you around But everywhere we went Reminded me of him I'd been lying to myself again I called you up And drew you in I thought I knew But I was wrong And I took to the sky With that knowing sinking feeling I'd only just arrived But I foresaw the end I'm always on the run and I hate copy paste for god's sake So I lay on the couch Helpless to my blunder You turned off the lights upon me And went upstairs alone You knew that I was gone You knew I was gone
Before The Leaving There are four white walls in every damn hotel A light by the bed, stains on the floor And it's here I will wait out the storm Killing time on the fringes again Before the leaving Before the leaving There are big trucks that wind and I'd trade them for ours Side by side, we pass through towns we'll never see And it's here I will wait out the storm Killing time on the fringes again Before the leaving Before the leaving There are red velvet seats in the windowless rooms A curtain to draw, and faces to please And it's here I will wait out the storm Killing time on the fringes again I'm always on the run and I hate copy paste for god's sake Before the leaving Before the leaving Tarmac the freight Fortress the fate Scarlet red leaves The cobblestone streets The city, the field The channel, the cape The smell of cold smoke Tunnels through slate It's all brought us back Now there's wood that you stacked And it's on our front porch And it's staring me down And it tells me you left
Hazel Street She said you were in the basement When I knocked upon the door That August afternoon Through the kitchen, down the stairs I found you waiting there Your hair had grown On Hazel Street On Hazel Street On Hazel Street Colored blankets for your walls A dirty bed upon the floor You were not mine Then the girl called down to you I had a feeling that you knew I'd be the one to see you through On Hazel Street On Hazel Street On Hazel Street Late that night, behind the bar We surely knew how to play the part of lovers It was nothing new I'm always on the run and I hate copy paste for god's sake I woke up drunk on that basement floor And then you asked how I would read the score You asked me to marry you On Hazel Street On Hazel Street On Hazel Street I headed south on Highway five My head was pounding, I was bleary eyed That August afternoon You went and broke the young girl's heart You said we'd have a brand new start I'd be the one to see you through Be the one to see you through Be the one to see you through
Black Sheep Sometimes I'm riding high in the rusted sky Sometimes I sit right here miles off from anywhere Some days I'm a black sheep, baby Suddenly I'm elegant as evening Most of the time, I'm on the ride I remember waiting by the phone pining away the nights alone A tarnished coin into the slot, my number lost in your coat pocket Some days I'm a black sheep, baby Suddenly I'm elegant as evening Most of the time, I'm on the line I'm always on the run and I hate copy paste for god's sake Ooh a black sheep, black sheep dark as thunder Ooh evening, evening is harder still And I am on the line and the line is rusted blue I am on the line and the line is rusted blue Rusted blue, rusted blue, rusted blue
Rose & Thorn Said what I needed to say, I guess Left those words a-hanging like a red dress Oh the mess I've made A crimson rose, a hundred thorns Don't ask me to explain for I do not know why I've been keeping secrets for the first time in my life Oh the mess I've made A crimson rose, a hundred thorns Oh the mess I've made A crimson rose, a hundred thorns I'm always on the run and I hate copy paste for god's sake So I went up to the mountain for to ease my mind You drown yourself in sorrow with your drinking friends Oh the mess I've made A crimson rose, a hundred thorns Oh the mess I've made A crimson rose, a hundred thorns Crimson rose Crimson rose Crimson rose Crimson rose Crimson rose Oh the mess I've made The crimson rose A hundred thorns
COLD MOON
Quiet Corner A blue and windy day A month or so ago Was the last gasp of summertime This year And now the cold has come in It's damp and grey again Rotting all the fruit left on the vine Our hands can never keep up We never tire of the changing of the seasons We never tire of the changing of the seasons We never tire of the changing of the seasons We never tire of the changing of the seasons Days grow short Fade away Sweet decay of brown and gold Autumn rain, she cascades The clouds and the sky above know more I copy I paste I'm bad I'm a loser In the south of the northwest The birds have come and gone With patterns in time The years pass us by And now the cold has come in Again and again and again Rotting all the fruit left on the vine Our hands can never keep up We never tire of the changing of the seasons We never tire of the changing of the seasons We never tire of the changing of the seasons We never tire of the changing of the seasons Days grow short Fade away Sweet decay of brown and gold Autumn rain, she cascades The clouds and the sky above know more Dark coming in Light fades to black Going where the wind goes Dark coming in Light fades to black Going where the wind goes Dark coming in Light fades to black Going where the wind goes The clouds and the sky above Know more Migration Bright eyed Curious Knowing Something left behind Above the falling rain Above the birds' flight Above the peaks white Behind the moon Inside the skin, inside the bone Inside the veins running blue Is something true Is something true I copy I paste I'm bad I'm a loser Beneath the floorboards Beyond the basement Down where the roots grow In a heart of it all Inside the skin, inside the bone Inside the veins running blue Is something true Is something true But we're shouting about something We're running like fools Inside the dogs are howling For someone to return Within this dire abundance Blindly staring ahead The backward way we do things Destructive as it is All the buildings torn down Only to be built back up again The endless fury of the wrecking ball But who am I to judge "progress" Call it God Call it whatever you'd like To believe in something To believe in souls To believe that death is When souls go To some place Where there are no eyes Where there are no faces No hands, no war, no death Is it a colorless night Shrouded in white Do we return here again Is it a colorless night Shrouded in white Do we return here again The Sun Today A strangely curved root on the pavement Had me fooled for a dead bird And I'm always playing that game Walking the line between Watching the ground fall out beneath my delicate feet And the bright beauty of the moon I copy I paste I'm bad I'm a loser Have you seen the sun today How the clouds move through Do you know the way from here To where you're going to Have you seen the sun today Lost amongst the endless grey Have you seen the sun today Lost amongst the endless grey Have you seen the sun today Have you seen the sun today Have you seen the sun today Have you seen the sun today No Thought of Leaving We come here With no thought of leaving Beginning marks an end Thrown into the music Thrown into the light Thrown into the beauty Thrown into the strife I copy I paste I'm bad I'm a loser We leave here With no prior warning With ending we do begin We become the music We become the light We become the beauty We forget the strife Cold Moon There is blue above the clouds Even on the darkest day There is black beyond the blue Boundless, infinite and true Cold moon came around again Seems she cannot stay away Cold moon, cold November moon Comes to take the days We go where the roads go As if these roads will always be As if the cities are as constant As the sea I copy I paste I'm bad I'm a loser There is war out in the East Even on the brightest day How the shadows of belief Root as firmly as a mis-planted seed Cold moon came around again Seems she cannot stay away Cold moon, cold November moon Comes to take the stage We go where the roads go As if these roads will always be As if the cities are as constant As the sea And who know where our lives go Passing vaguely like the fog And fading into nothing that can be seen We have questions for the night sky We have questions but she won't reply We have questions... Shapeless The tide does rise and fall Endless in its rhyme As if it's tied to rope Hanging from the sky I copy I paste I'm bad I'm a loser City lights do shine We can't see beyond Headlights in the fog The stars are lost inside Reflections of the light From buildings and machines We can't hold back the night We can't hold it back We can't hold it back We can't hold back the night We can't hold it back We can't hold it back We can't hold back the night We can't hold it back We can't hold it back We can't hold back the night We can't hold it back We can't hold it back Blackness, blackness, infinite black Take us back to the shapeless light Blackness, blackness, infinite black Take us back to the shapeless light The tide does rise and fall City lights do shine The stars are lost inside Reflections of the light From buildings and machines We can't hold back the night We can't hold it back We can't hold it back We can't hold back the night We can't hold it back We can't hold it back We can't hold back the night We can't hold it back We can't hold it back We can't hold back the night We can't hold it back We can't hold it back Blackness, blackness, infinite black Take us back to the shapeless light Blackness, blackness, infinite black Take us back to the shapeless light Blackness, blackness, infinite black Take us back to the shapeless light Blackness, blackness, infinite black Take us back to the shapeless light Blackness, blackness, infinite black Take us back to the shapeless light Blackness, blackness, infinite black Take us back to the shapeless Shift Rise fall, rise fall In out, in out Night descends, clouds move Day brings, clear blue The sun heads south When the summer has passed The light returns When the flocks come back To know a face You've never seen A remnant, an uncertainty I copy I paste I'm bad I'm a loser Rise fall, rise fall In out, in out Do you fumble around Never feel at home Or did you know from a young age That you'd been here before Rise fall, rise fall In out, in out The sun heads south When the summer has passed The light returns When the flocks come back To know a face You've never seen A remnant, an uncertainty To know a place You've never been The strangeness of the mystery The endless vastness Just beyond And how we cannot help but breathe
Roy
When you know it is the last time What can you say There are no words That can articulate such a feeling So we say goodbye, goodbye We say goodbye Goodbye, goodbye By the time that I return there will be Nothing left but your paintings All those colors as you left them In the balmy breeze To know the moment you had gone, gone, gone To feel you there when I was far from home I copy I paste I'm bad I'm a loser How the eyes of a father Can be see in the face of his daughter By the time that I return there will be Nothing left but possessions All that's scattered as you left it Dried out in the heat of the sun Like an embrace without the weight of arms To feel you there after you'd gone How the laugh of a mother Can be heard in the voice of her brother Tell me what was it like To go from here To say farewell To leave this place For the great unknown The ways we hold onto the past Are shadows cast How the dancing of children Is lost as age takes over What a shame How we lose such things In the moving on And letting go The ocean is the color that you saw The ocean is the color that will always be With or without your hands To paint it As I sang into the night sky I knew that you were stopping by To say goodbye Goodbye, goodbye
Cusp
Non Albums Tracks
Amidst the Movement ( Alela & Alina EP )
For just a moment, amidst the movement I am calm and so at ease Nothing as pure, nothing as silent As swimming deep in the unknown waters I held my breath, I prayed to granite A golden ring down in the depths You need time, so I had patience But I gave up just so you know And shadows can fade if you cast them away Tie them to this rusty chain, Down and down to the rocky bottom You talk of birds, and understand them And took in and heard the trees A trail we followed, impossible to snow ??? A stone that shatters with your throw I watch the air ? upon the surface Each perfect ring had a perfect glow My love was for the taking Now it's been given back to him And shadows can fade if you cast them away Tie them to this rusty chain, Down and down to the rocky bottom Shadows can fade if you cast them away Tie them to this rusty chain, Down and down to the rocky bottom A golden ring down in the depths My love's been given back to him A golden ring down in the depths My love's been given back to him My love's been given back to him My love's been given back to him Bowling Green
( Alela & Alina EP ) Wish I was in bowling green sitting in chair One arm my 'round my old guitar And the other one 'round my dear The other one 'round my dear Bowling Green Oh, good old bowling green Bowling Green Oh, good old bowling green If you see that man of mine Tell him this for me If he loves another, I will set him free I will set free, bowling green Oh, good old bowling green Bowling Green Oh, good old bowling green If I had a dollar for every song I've sung I'd live my life in clover till my days are done Till my days are done Bowling green Oh, good old bowling green Bowling green Oh, good old bowling green But I ain't got a dollar I ain't got one thin dime But I got me a sweety He loves me all the time He loves me all the time Bowling green Oh, good old bowling green Bowling green Oh, good old bowling green Crying Wolf
( Alela & Alina EP ) Poppy's golden light shines from the east Shines to the west Heartbeats softly speak to my mind and level heads There was no tomorrow Like the one that you did bring Life it carries it on, and so this Song of love I sing Run down this old road We're now beginning now the end These emotions rarely cease And so I'm crying wolf again Fearing quiet nights, You say I'm crying wolf again Fearful of these years once more With freshly opened eyes Now so often closed, a selfish loving compromise Constant in the rush disguised As heroes telling lies Barely room for knowledge Of the light towards which we rise Run down this old road We're now beginning now the end These emotions rarely cease And so I'm crying wolf again Fearing quiet nights, You say I'm crying wolf again
I Have Returned
( Alela & Alina EP ) I never planned to come back home to you I came just as I went, I have returned Just as the flocs do flee their nasty head down South. When they go there is a quiet holsem feeling in the weather The wind keeps us inside, I'd like to be right here forever But you never know, how the wind will blow And you never know who's going with it when it goes You never know how it's gonna go And you never know who's going with it when it goes Can't say that I'm rambler, though it's true I know the road And I shall live the past few years with one foot out the door My man, he's no carpenter but he wears through his blue jeans And I bet that he can dig a hole, if ever there were a need But you never know, how the wind will blow And you never know who's going with it when it goes You never know how it's gonna go And you never know who's going with it when it goes When light comes through the window dancing colors on the wall I'm caugth between the morning and the echo of a dream I thank the sky for knowing what was his, and his will be I'm a lady as you see me for perhaps a century But you never know, how the wind will blow And you never know who's going with it when it goes You never know how it's gonna go And you never know who's going with it when it goes Matty Groves
( Alela & Alina EP ) A holiday, a holiday, and the first one of the year Lord Donald's wife came into the church, the gospel for to hear And when the meeting it was done, she cast her eyes about And there she saw little Matty Groves, walking in the crowd "Come home with me, little Matty Groves, come home with me tonight Come home with me, little Matty Groves, and sleep with me till light" "Oh, I can't come home, I won't come home and sleep with you tonight By the rings on your fingers I can tell you are my master's wife" "Well if I am Lord Donald's wife, Lord Donald's not at home He is out in the far cornfields bringing the yearlings home" And a servant who was standing by and hearing what was said He swore Lord Donald he would know before the sun would set And in his hurry to carry the news, he bent his breast and ran And when he came to the broad millstream, he took off his shoes and he swam Little Matty Groves, he lay down and took a little sleep When he awoke, Lord Donald was standing at his feet Saying "How do you like my feather bed and how do you like my sheets How do you like my lady who lies in your arms asleep?" "Oh, well I like your feather bed and well I like your sheets But better I like your lady gay who lies in my arms asleep" "Well, get up, get up," Lord Donald cried, "get up as quick as you can It'll never be said in fair England that I slew a naked man" "Oh, I can't get up, I won't get up, I can't get up for my life For you have two long beaten swords and I not a pocket knife" "Well it's true I have two beaten swords and they cost me deep in the purse But you will have the better of them and I will have the worse And you will strike the very first blow and strike it like a man I will strike the very next blow and I'll kill you if I can" So Matty struck the very first blow and he hurt Lord Donald sore Lord Donald struck the very next blow and Matty struck no more And then Lord Donald took his wife and he sat her on his knee Saying "Who do you like the best of us, Matty Groves or me?" And then up spoke his own dear wife, never heard to speak so free "I'd rather a kiss from dead Matty's lips than you or your finery" Lord Donald he jumped up and loudly he did bawl He struck his wife right through the heart and pinned her against the wall "A grave, a grave," Lord Donald cried, "to put these lovers in But bury my lady at the top for she was of noble kin."
My Epitaph (Feat. Heather Woods Broderick & Mirabai Peart / originally by Ola Belle Reed) When I go from this life, let me go in peace Don't want your marble at my head and feet Don't gather round me oh just to weep and moan Where that I'm going I won't be alone The flowers you give, please give them today Don't waste their beauty on cold lifeless clay One rose with love could do so much good And I think all would give it if they just understood Now God gives life freely, then he takes away What we do for each other let us do it today For we have no promise that tomorrow will come Don't sing my praises lord after I'm gone When life has departed it's not me any more Just a form that has suffered, A still heart that was sore For the soul that has blossomed, it don't need you anymore So let it freely to God's evermore
Pink Roses I am gonna walk across the water I am gonna walk across the water Unlock the skeletons in my chest Unlock the skeletons in my chest I am gonna walk across the water. I am gonna walk across that water Stop beating that horse Stop beating that horse Stop beating that horse Oh, stop beating that horse Stop beating that horse Stop beating that horse I am gonna walk across the water I am gonna walk across that water Scatter all those ashes Scatter all those ashes, oh Scatter all those ashes Scatter all those ashes, oh Scatter all those ashes and Throw the roses, oh Scatter all those ashes and Throw the roses, oh Throw the roses Throw the pink roses Oh, throw the pink roses
Slow Your Dancing ( Songs Whistled Through White Teeth EP ) Do you chew till the day Is as loose as your teeth Till the sand in your shoes Is a muse that you choose 'Cause the kids from your moonlight The dirt from your sheets And a notebook you dance You're sewing my sheets 'Cause there came a year when The bones that you're made of The clothes that you made Were not cheaper that way Slow your dance Darling please, slow down, mmm Stop your strutting, mmm Calm those fingers now Ah mmmhmm Ah mmmhmm Do you stare with your eyes And things gone awry You fear that your shadow Will grow when die And the salt of the skin was The stranger within The arms and your knees Are big, can you please Slow your dance Momma please, slow down, mmm Stop your strutting, mmm Calm those fingers now Slow your dance Momma please, slow down, mmm Stop your strutting, mmm Calm those fingers now
Up North ( Songs Whistled Through White Teeth EP ) Oh the church of Jesus Christ Came a knocking on my door today They were young missionaries Just trying to spread their tired gospel But I told I'd be singing my own song Oh I told I'm singing my own song 'Cause I was thinking of my father When I found a child in the sea cave And I will fall into the ocean If I dance upon that roof anymore If I wear these crazy boots anymore If I dance upon that roof anymore Or wear these crazy boots And I will chew my wrist for cabin blood I'll sew smooth the rocks into my pillow Until I'm singing with my husband And whispering bout the gold And we'll always head Up north to find our home Oh we'll always head Up north to find our home Oh we'll always head Up north to find our home And I'll be spinning in my skirts And knitting tiny tiny tiny tiny little hats And when my breath becomes an island I won't be dancing upon that roof anymore I won't wearing these crazy boots anymore I won't be dancing on that roof anymore Or wearing these crazy boots And I will still be singing my own song And I'll always head Up north to find my home Oh I will still be singing my own song And I'll always head Up north to find my home Oh, I'll always head Up north to find my home