1. |
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No light since I was twelve, it’s a dark world
I’m hidden away, told I’m a bad girl
He comes to me, like a dream in the night
He cuts into me and shows blood to be bright
Is God one of us?
Does my heart control my mind?
Does my soul cry out for pain?
Is there mercy in my brain?
Cut Save Care Crave
She’s my willow tree
Didn’t think there could be one
To understand, the place that I come from
It’s a dark world, I breathe her pain
Please scream for me
Is there madness in my brain?
Is God one of us?
Does my heart control my mind?
Does my soul cry out for pain?
Is there mercy in my brain?
Cut Save Care Crave
He’s more monstrous than I thought
But our bond eats up my shame
Bloody Bones, he’s not to blame
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2. |
The howling miller
05:34
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From the river a story rose
A young miller who chose to make his home
Hooowwwl, hoooowwwwlll
High on the River, the old mill stands
The new Miller, An Independent man
But his ways they were strange
His humour well it easily enraged,
And at night, he would Howl,
like a wild wolf, to the moon,
And They lie, cursing his name
The Howling Miller, the fool
Howwwlll, Hoooowwl
And Soon they came,
With negotiations drawn
And then they marched
With an overwhelming force,
Bound by a stronger hand
No longer the keeper of his land
And at night, he would Howl,
A wild man, in a room,
For his life, was a cage
The Howling Miller, the fool
Howoool, Howoool, Howoool, Howoool
But, from their Asylum, he took flight
Spread wings, a wild goose against the night
As he braced, his webbed feet to land
A striding wolf as he, touches the ground
Into the mountain woods he ran
And at night, he would Howl,
A wild wolf, against the moon
And they lie, afraid to sleep
For the unnatural sound
Of the wild wild wolf
That hunted them now
Of the wild wild wolf
Through the night, he would Howl…..
Howwwlll, Hoooowwl, Howooooool
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3. |
Godspeed
04:32
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Godspeed and on my way
Come here to seek a fortune
Arrived on a stormy day
Hoping I’ll reach the shoreline
Stepping out, I’m alone
Bearing my name on cases
A town wearing washed up clothes
From boats that didn’t make it
Somewhere in the depths of this ship
Cried a stranger (Magdalena)
Somewhere in the depths of this ship
Cried a stranger
So many muddied hands
Washing gold-bearing gravel
All that is flowing down
Carried by the river
Silt’s clogging up the bay
Dangerous to weigh a boat in
Even the lucky stay
Gold is not known for floating
Somewhere in the depths of my mind
Cried a stranger (Magdalena)
Somewhere in the depths of this ship
Cried a stranger...
If I am a lucky man, I will be going home
Not on the ship I came,
That one has run aground
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4. |
The Ankou
04:12
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One night when I was walking far
And getting short of Light
I saw a village down below
A shelter for the night
I saw a figure crouching down
Attending to a sheep
The animal had lost it’s life
The mountainside was steep
Oh no! Here we go
Heave ho, We take the bones
Heave ho, here we go
The souls we have to row
The Man he took me further in
And showed me to a bed
Not his but other villager’s
And not a word he said
The morning brought the fishermen
I thought that I could help
They kept a distance from the man
But why? I couldn’t tell.
Feeling sorrow for the man
I went to hear his say
He told a story, but in part
Then I was dragged away
I couldn’t settle in my mind
So ran across the sand
Asked if I could go with him
To sea, and the island
Oh no! Here we go
Heave ho, as we row
Heave ho, whittle the bones
The dead they have to go.
Oh no! Here we go
Heave ho, We take the bones
Heave ho, here we go
The souls we have to row
The boat was heading out to sea
I felt a steady flow
Seemed we were sailing very fast
And also very low
The boat was getting heavy now
The air was getting close
The drowned were climbing all aboard
It was filling up with ghosts
Oh no! Here we go...
Faces all around me now
Not all of them complete
Sure their souls would be set free
Relieved to have a seat.
What I could not believe to be
Is some were left behind
“Why is this?” I cried to him
I thought it was unkind
They do not deserve it yet
They wont be saved for now
My grandfather had told me this
The man was the Ankou
The dead they scrambled from the boat
When we got to the shore
The smell was awfully sickening
They used me as a floor
Oh no! Here we go...
We turned around and left them there
And headed for the land
The boat was light, and thinner now
Waves took us to the sand
What I saw out there that night
Will never leave my mind
The man was called to do this job
The most gruesome of its kind.
Oh no! Here we go...
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5. |
A train of thought
06:11
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Perhaps a person, is made from layers of habit
That compress, over time like layers of rock
Maybe I am a mountain
Immovable and casting
Shadows across, all I see.
To look inside, is to awaken
To look out, is to dream
On the Mountain side strides mystery
His legs are reaching, his eyes are wide
In the lake resides our hidden screams
Silenced by, its deep, waters
A surface so sublime, a fairy-tale picture
A gentle death might take us further
down the line
[A reading from
The Age Of Magic by Ben Okri]
Now let’s begin, and let’s begin again
Now let’s begin, as we end.
Our lives are made of tides
Pulled through by the moon
Take care to recognise, the changing mood
In the darkness we may decide to start anew
In the darkness we may decide to start anew
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6. |
Rooting for Loki
02:55
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Baby you’re an evil man
Well, Honey, I do what I can
Baby you’re an evil
Baby you’re an evil man
Living in a perfect world
Trusting the all-knowing gods
Then everything’s determined
And everything is destined
I’d imagine in an ordered world
The futures looking very dull
Nothing is moving...
So who’d create a universe
Where the definition of success
Becomes a lump of iron,
A great big soup of ions?
Chaos is not a state
The point is that you’ll never know it
Chaos is a process
And Chaos is life’s way of working
And Chaos is my way of
And Chaos is my way of ...
And Chaos is my way of working
We’re burdened with the choice we feel
We’ll never understand free will
Chaos is a gift, if a little unpredictable
Chaos is a gift, if a little unpredictable
(Still) Baby, you’re an evil man
Well, honey I do what I can
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7. |
Thirteen chairs
04:09
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In, stepping further in, welcomed by the light
Seeing the others around
Will I make a sound? Will I know the way?
What is it I’ve found?
Listen to the ones, listen to the end
Blowing a candle out
Past the door, stand before me thirteen chairs
I’m unprepared to tell a story, who’ll go next?
Past the door, stand before me thirteen chairs
Thirteen Chairs
Gone, faces fade to black. I can hardly see,
Where there used to be friends
Some could be my age
Want to know their way?
What is it that I’ve found?
Listen to a boy, listen to a girl
Another candle out
Past the door, stand before me thirteen chairs
I’m unprepared to tell a story, who’ll go next?
Past the door, stand before me thirteen chairs
Thirteen Chairs
Out, as the lights go out,
As the darkness comes
It’s getting closer to me
Will I make a sound? Will I know the way?
Starting to see what I’ve found
Listen to the tales, listen to my tale
Past the door, stand before me thirteen chairs
I’m unprepared to tell a story, who’ll go next?
Past the door, stand before me thirteen chairs
Thirteen Chairs
Will I make a sound, will I know the way?
What is it that I’ve found?
Listen to the ones, listen to the end
Blowing a candle out
Beth Porter - vocals, concert ukulele. Ben Please - baritone ukulele, vocals. Poppy Pitt - vocals, glockenspiel. Dave Shelton - concert ukulele. Pete Gibbs - double bass.
8. RUNNING WITH ZOMBIES
Inspired by The Making Of Zombie Wars, by Aleksander Hemon.
Students for every word
Watch out, this one’s a verb
Well, you have to humour fate, and
Help her to conjugate
Leaning right down into her bed
Waving your sword around your head
We ought to be a little careful
Though I will never be
A man of great mystery
I’ve many stories
Lets run with the zombies
Launch the assault and my friend has bled
Though I intend not to loose my head
When you’re surrounded by undead
We ought to be a little careful
Caught me in the end
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8. |
Running with zombies
03:16
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Students for every word
Watch out, this one’s a verb
Well, you have to humour fate, and
Help her to conjugate
Leaning right down into her bed
Waving your sword around your head
We ought to be a little careful
Though I will never be
A man of great mystery
I’ve many stories
Lets run with the zombies
Launch the assault and my friend has bled
Though I intend not to loose my head
When you’re surrounded by undead
We ought to be a little careful
Caught me in the end
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9. |
The mistletoe bride
02:28
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We just got married in this house
I sense the guests are getting restless
And so before we slumber
I grant you, choose a number
But first we must kiss under-neath the Mistletoe
Let’s hide away in this old house
We’ll count 100 then we’ll find you
Before you reach your number
I find a chest of timber
A perfect place to linger, quietly
And as I put my head down
You’ll never find me
I hear you running under the boughs of Mistletoe
I’m still waiting for you to find me
I must be very good at hiding
Ben Please - vocal, concert ukulele. Beth Porter - clarinet, cello, vocals. Poppy Pitt - vocals, glockenspiel. James Watt - oboe. Sue Lord - violin. Ian Vorley - violin. Patrick Dunn - viola. Michelle Falcon - viola. Song sponsor -Kate Mosse.
10. THESE LAYERS
Inspired by The Age Of Magic, by Ben Okri.
I took a role in a play
I’m being watched every day of my life
If I were free it would be better for me
Hmmm…
Visions dance across my mind
In a dream left behind
I try to hold on to the lost
But the thought is now a ghost
Of what it used to be
But that ghost belongs to me
Ahh ahh ahh ahh
A layer of evil tries
To hide another side
In a shadow forcing the light
Behind a rock and out of sight
A fight between myself
Am I jealous of another self
The darkness is where I live
And when I die I’ll be rid of it ...
Is this who I really am?
Is this who I really am?
Or am I pretending again,
Or underneath these layers
Is it me?
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10. |
These layers
04:48
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I took a role in a play
I’m being watched every day of my life
If I were free it would be better for me
Hmmm…
Visions dance across my mind
In a dream left behind
I try to hold on to the lost
But the thought is now a ghost
Of what it used to be
But that ghost belongs to me
Ahh ahh ahh ahh
A layer of evil tries
To hide another side
In a shadow forcing the light
Behind a rock and out of sight
A fight between myself
Am I jealous of another self
The darkness is where I live
And when I die I’ll be rid of it ...
Is this who I really am?
Is this who I really am?
Or am I pretending again,
Or underneath these layers
Is it me?
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11. |
From where I stand
02:51
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A red coat to keep me warm
Cloaked from this freezing storm
And it’s been snowing for so long
The cold, it feels like home
My dark hair is growing long
Hanging limp, its life has gone
Past my shoulders it now lays
The past within its dark display
They say, time will take this sadness away
They say, this heavy weight
wont always be mine to bear
But from where I stand,
It’s time that has taken me there
And it’s the pull of my past
That’s holding me fast to the path ahead
And it’s the weight of time
That’s caught in my mind
And holding my stare
And as I step onto the ice covered stone
Under the snow filled sky
It’s time that is taking my hand
As I say good bye.
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12. |
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The Bookshop Band Bath, UK
The Bookshop Band write songs inspired by books and play them in bookshops. They started as a collaboration between a group of musicians in Bath and their local independent bookshop, Mr B's Emporium. Now they are about to go on tour, sponsored by Vintage Books and Independent Booksellers Week, around other bookshops and lit fests. Catch them if you can. Details at www.thebookshopband.co.uk ... more
The Bookshop Band recommends:
Open Doors
by Beth Porter and The Availables
Chamber folk at it's best. Sublime music. Beth's band, and they've just released their debut album.
go to albumIf you like The Bookshop Band, you may also like:
British folk musician Tom Nash built these delicate and moving songs around a broken harmonium, allowing its limitations to open up worlds.
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Old Mountain
by Good Good Blood
Ghostly indie rock from Good Good Blood, with skeletal guitars and distant, echo-shrouded vocals.
go to album
Anthology II: Movie Themes 1976-1988
by John Carpenter
featured on Bandcamp Radio Oct 27, 2023
go to album
Disturbing Dreams
by The Kartetch
Knotty alt-rock with corkscrewing guitars and steely vocals on an album that packs a punch.
go to album
featured on Bandcamp Radio Mar 14, 2023
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