1. |
Swear to God
04:03
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He said “Alright what about it?”
“No” she said “I can't”
He said “No, you mean you won't”
She said “I can't, that's what I mean”
He said “No, you mean you won't”
She said “Alright ,you have it your way”
He said “I wish to God I did”
She said “You did for such a long, long time”
It was early in the morning
And the café was deserted
It was the end of the summer
But their tan was out of place
Her skin was golden brown
Her hair was short and blond
The man looked at the girl
And looked into the mirror
He said “I swear to God I'll kill her,
I swear to God I will”
She said “But that won't make you happy”
He said “I swear to God it will”
He looked down at her hands
But did not touch with his
And then she said “I'm sorry,
That's all I seem to say”
30/10/20
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2. |
Protecting the Land
02:55
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The boy got the rifle from the kitchen
And he shot the man trespassing on the land
And when you finally found the body
He'd been lying there dead for a week
And his dogs had partially eaten him
But you wrapped him up and you put him on the sledge
And the two of you got your skis out
And you hauled him sixty miles into town
The boy was glad to help you
He didn't realise he'd been arrested
He didn't realise you'd hand him over
He didn't realise that he would hang
He thought he'd done his duty
“They told me I should protect the land”
He said “I only killed a bad man”
He said “They told me I should protect the land”
30/10/20
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3. |
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There was once a house
And it was painted white
On a hill above the lake
With a bell upon a post
Behind the house were fields
Behind the fields were woods
A line of Lombardy Poplars
That ran down to the dock
Another line of poplars
Ran along the point
And a road went to the hills
Along the edge of town
The house burned to the ground
And the guns upon the wall
Were burned within the fire
Their barrels melted down
The guns were not replaced
But the white house was rebuilt
But no one touched the guns
No one touched the guns
4/11/20
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4. |
The Beginning of the End
04:10
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We were driving on the road
We were coming down the hill
We drove towards the houses
On the outskirts of the town
Across the plain we saw the mountains
And the mountains they were blue
And the snow high on the mountains
The snow it shone like glass
And the summer it was ending
But the new snow hadn't come
And we wanted cool and shade
We were sunburned and we ached
And we turned into a side road
And we stopped outside a house
And the air was sweet and sickly
As we walked round to the back
There was a man out in the back yard
Of the next house on the street
And he asked us what we wanted
So we shot him in the head
And we knew this was the ending
Or the beginning of the end
And the key went in the lock
But the door it would not open
So we got back in the car...
3/11/20
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5. |
The Orchard and the Fire
03:58
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When the rain had stopped
He turned onto the road
The road up to the orchard
Where the fruit had all been picked
He found an apple on the road
Shiny from the rain
He put it in his pocket
And set off once again
The road came out the orchard
At the top of the steep hill
And he walked up to the house
With the garden and the smoke
Out back there was a garage
A hedge and then some woods
And the big trees in the distance
Were swaying in the wind
The old front door was open
And so he went inside
His friend was in there sleeping
On a chair before the fire
He closed the door behind him
Took a seat and took a drink
And he stared into the fire
And the wind it made it roar
4/11/20
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6. |
Short, Happy
04:02
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“Where have you been?”
“Are you awake?”
“Where have you been?”
“Out for fresh air”
“Like Hell you have
Where have you been?”
“Out for fresh air”
“Well that's one name for it
You are such a bitch”
“And you are such a coward
Lets just not talk
Cos I'm so very tired”
“You think I'll take anything”
“Oh I know you will”
“Well no, no, no I won't”
“Let's just not talk
I'm so very tired”
“You promised me”
“Let's just not talk”
“You promised me you wouldn't
If we took this trip”
“But you know this trip was spoiled
I'm so very tired
I'm just going to sleep”
30/10/20
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7. |
Don't Sleep
02:04
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You never want to party, you only want to sleep
But some day soon he'll come around and he will make you weep
Don't sleep, don't sleep
He'll tell you that he loves you, he'll tell you you're the one
But some day soon he will be gone like the setting of the sun
Don't sleep, don't sleep
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
Nothing lasts forever, and nothing ever will
And some day soon he'll walk right in and say he's had his fill
Don't sleep, don't sleep
I always want to party, I never want to sleep
Because to sleep will mean to dream and when I wake I'll weep
Don't sleep, don't sleep
Oh...
29 & 30/10/20
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8. |
Trying to Forget
05:00
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He went into his room
Got undressed and went to bed
He heard his father in the kitchen
He put his face into his pillow
His father went to bed
He heard the wind come up
And through the trees outside
The cool came through the screen
He lay there for a long time
His face buried in his pillow
But after a short while
He forgot to think of her
Finally he slept
But woke up in the night
And he heard the wind was rising
And the waves upon the lake
Finally he slept
And in the morning he awoke
And the wind it was still blowing
And the waves upon the lake
He was awake a long time
And then of course it came
He thought he had forgotten
That his heart was broken
4/11/20
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9. |
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The sky is overcast
The hills are grey and green
The traffic in the distance
The boy down at the stream
The smoke from burning woodland
The coffee on the stove
The warmth of fading embers and
The dying of the light
The dark and threatening sky
The colour of the hills
The sound of passing cars
The feet within the stream
The aroma of the smoke
The taste of morning coffee
The warmth of fading embers and
The dying of the light
24/8/19
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10. |
Mosquito
06:01
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On the North side of the lake
He'd turned and said “goodbye”
Everything felt bad
And the coffee tasted bitter
He lit another cigarette
And doused the fire's flame
It was such a quiet night
As he lay beneath the stars
A mosquito at his ear
He sat up and lit a match
The mosquito on the canvas
Just above his head
A satisfying hiss
And then he went to sleep
A good ending to the story
That was what he thought
4/11/20
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Cloudland Blue Quartet Edinburgh, UK
A quartet in name only, initially influenced by Fripp & Eno's "No Pussyfooting" and The Velvet Underground's debut, songwriter & soundscaper David Reilly started musicking in 1977 by creating drones using sellotape on the keys of his dad's Bontempi Organ. The subsequent junk shop purchases of an electric guitar & fuzzbox and the acquisition of an old Beatles songbook, led him into songwriting... ... more
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