1. |
Secret Worlds
05:18
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Hopping fences we ran
Sipping swigs of our cans
Can you pass me the lighter mate, give me your fire
Filming shit on that camera you nicked / it’s my dad’s
We can both barely stand
Over hedges we’d headlong
And on ledges we’d land
From every height I’d fall I’d call
/We hear our legends, we hear them, they call
I’d reach out for your hand you sing
If I have to be who I was / you’re not
Do I have to be who I am
Didn’t the trees tell us their stories
Yeah but we, we called them all liars
And they said come down now
But we climbed so
High, high into the night
I look at those secret worlds you call eyes
And wonder if we might
There’s something changed
The leaves like broken shards of stained glass windows
/There’s something weaved into our windows
Oh, shining in your light
You were a king and his castle
I was every dirty rascal
If you asked me for my lighter mate I gave you my fire
I’d call as you climbed
And I’d catch you every time you fell
‘Cos I will suffer silence for the strings you tune
And I’ll withstand what’s written for the writer in you
Write me well my love, write me weird
Write me willing, write me well
Didn’t the trees tell us their stories
Yeah but we, we thought you were mental
You were talking to trees
And they said come down now
But we climbed so
High, high into the night
I look at those secret worlds you call eyes
And wonder if we might
There’s something changed
The leaves like broken shards of stained glass windows
/There’s something weaved into our windows
Oh, high
And on that tree I’ll carve your name
‘Cos in years to come we both know we won’t be the same
You asked me to climb I never learned
But if you ask me for my fire
Just watch me
Just watch me
Just watch me burn
Just watch me burn
There’s something changed
The leaves like broken shards of stained glass windows
/There’s something weaved into our windows
But we climbed so high
We climbed so high
There’s something changed
The leaves like broken shards of stained glass windows
/There’s something weaved into our hearts into our windows
Oh
Shining, shining
Welcome to ruin
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2. |
The Calling
06:09
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Back then I was dauntless
And dawn could never know
And my weakness made me weep less
Than I would ever show you
I’d burn so bright it blinded
Now I know that light guided me here
I walked into the river
To wring those embers from my broken heart and broken liver
You’ll never get your dinner if you don’t learn how to get along
And a fox somewhere is hiding
That light I thought was blinding brought me here
I look into the water
And see a face I don’t understand
We’re both unwanted daughters
But there’s more than water in these autumn hands
I look into the water and see a face I don’t recognise
Who’s this /Who are you
What changed I ask
So strange, she replies
Shoulder the sky
Open those eyes
There’s a kind of calling
Calling
/I can’t wait to show you
How much I know you can be
Just let the rain come
Let the rain come down, down, darling
Can’t you hear it howling you
It’s calling, calling
Back then I wasn’t hopeful
But now my ink’s blood red not black
And I’ll blink like ripping envelopes
In the hopes that you’ll write back
And on the banks of that river
I shiver as a fox stands frozen
And I close them, I close them, I close my eyes
‘Cos I’m between that just one more and drank too much again
And I promise you I’ll write I love you
With my fingers on your sleeping hand
And when that fox howls I’ll howl with it
In it’s cries I’ll find an end
And when I think I’m fine you’ll visit
And then you happen to me, you happen to me all over again
In the waters I see a face I don’t want look back
Do you like my dress, it’s got pockets
The rocks beneath my feet begin to crack
Oh I look into the waters
long ago that current caught us and we tried
I tried I really fucking tried
But the rain kept coming down
I watch that woman drown
Shoulder the sky
Open those eyes
There’s a kind of calling
Calling
/I can’t wait to show you
How much I know you can be
Just let the rain come
Let the rain come down, down, darling
Can’t you hear it howling you
It’s calling, calling
In the rainfall
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3. |
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In the back of a cab
Like a puppet with no strings
Untangling my headphones cos sometimes they’re the only thing
That keeps my head in place
That keeps my head in place
Arriving at the door
I hope to god I’m not the first
My heart is tearing pages from that funny story I rehearsed
And I know I won’t be long
Cos I know I don’t belong
Cos though my jokes are my armour
And my kindness is my sword
The party swirls around me in a dress I can’t afford
And I do my best to breathe
But they’re stealing all the air
And the hum from the fridge’ll
Sing me soft little vigils
As all my steps too far keep saying ‘this is who you are’
I should go home
I’m not lonely I just like being on my own
So I’ll sing silence
And ask my glass of wine for guidance
I might not make it tonight
And I’ll speak with my eyes
You’ll think I’m weird, one sympathises
I might not make it tonight
Because I don’t find this easy like you
Gonna go home and show my cat some memes
Because he’s awesome
Like me
Now I’m lying on a bed full of coats
Trying desperately to cope
When you open up the door, say something stupid like
‘You’re lying on some coats’
I say I know.
It’s just sometimes nice to feel what it’s like to be in someone else’s coat
And we’re bursting at the seams
Cos the noise is crushing us
We think it’s so much worse than it seems
But that voice unsaid is rushing us
And in a moment of total rapture
And with every strength I have
I ask if you play D&D
And your face lights up like you’ve woken up
From this endless fucking nightmare of pretending this is you,
This is us, this is me, this how we’re meant to be
But your smile tells me I’m safe
And that voice unspoken’s heard
Cos if god make us all in his image
Then god’s a fucking nerd
And I’ll sing silence
And ask my glass of wine for guidance
I might not make it tonight
And I’ll speak with my eyes
You think I’m neat, I’m not surprised
I might not make it tonight
Because I don’t find this easy like you
Gonna go home and dress my cat up like batman
Cos he’s awesome like me
And I don’t find this easy like you
I’m not lonely
I just like being on my own
With you
/And I’ll sing silence and ask my glass of wine for guidance
I might not make it tonight
Gonna go home and tell my cat I’m not lonely if I’m
With you
In the back of a cab, like two puppets with no strings
We share a pair of headphones, cos sometimes they’re the only things
That keep our heads in place
That keep our heads in place
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4. |
Blossoms
04:29
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The weight of my phone
Like a tablet of stone
Seems to grow with the words I just read
And it silently falls
From my hand to the floor
With the wonders I wished I had said
And for a time there is timelessness
Endless furore
To the dark I said pour and forgot to say when
And the words that you wrote
Come back blacker than smoke
I’m so sorry, I’ve done it again
So I gather up the candlelight
Jangle the chimes
And mop up what is left of my lungs
And I climb up the ladder
Had I taken more care
I might have seen all the rot in the rungs
And I pack what is needed
For the journey to come
All my books, all my bracken and booze
And the door shuts behind me
And I breathe in the air
And say yeah, well I’m sorry too
And I stare at the soldiers before me
All my blossoms that have waited to fall
And I walk
And I walk
And I walk
And I walk
Knowing every last one of them is painted in light
As I make myself acquainted with the saint of never getting it right
My dress is on fire
And I hurl myself, I heal myself
I drag myself like a rug in the rain
And my saint she is dancing
As every step I choose to take
Begins to set the world aflame
And the soldiers march behind me
I can hear them beat their spears
And for the first time in all my life
I know I’m more than what I fear
And I stare
At the soldiers before me
All my blossoms that have waited to rise
And I walk (I will walk)
And I walk (I will walk)
And I walk (with you)
And I walk
And I walk (I will walk)
And I walk (I will walk)
And I walk (with you)
And I walk
And I run (love run)
And I run (love run)
And I scream out to the sky
(Love run, love run)
You do not get to hurt me just because I asked you once
If you were alright
And I look at the phone
On the floor and I drink
That nice wine you were saving, it's saving me now love
And my soldiers sit by
Like I’m newly baptised
In the blossoms that fell from above
And I pick up the phone
Dial your number and wait
And shine like my petals once shone
And just as it’s ringing
I whisper aloud
To my saint
Oh we, we’re gonna get on
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5. |
Chords
05:17
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Remember today that you are loved
/what?
Think back to days in hidden caves
/They’re still so small I gave them everything
They’d paint your eyes with sunsets
/My saints, my sighs, my upsets, and the days I couldn’t cope
And the waves. Oh the waves
Remember they are safe
/I forgot to pack them lunches
think back to paddling pools and rainy days where they would
/I need a drink or two
Harmonise with echoes Nor are you
/With charcoal eyes, stilettos, they’re not ready,
But the waves, oh the waves
Oh
I don’t want them to go
Oh
Just tell them what your haggard mother told you long ago
Pick your chords well loves
But sing your notes off key
You can’t rehearse the chorus
But the verse is sweet
And if your voice begins to crack
And you ever feel alone
They might laugh because you’re leaving
But know we’ll sing your name when you come home
Remember today hey we did our best
/I know they think I’m nightmare
Come paddle by the shore
/I guessed pushed them pushed them all
You are your own magician, let the ocean give to you
/And by my own admission, had no notion what to do
Its waves. Oh the waves
/Ah bollocks to your waves
Remember today you’re enough
/Please don’t do this my heart is breaking
Know they love you you tried You did but So did they
/ But I raged so much But so did they
We built our castles just to watch them wash away
They are my rascals I can’t let them walk away
In the waves, oh the waves
/Hold my hand
Oh
I need them to stay
Oh
Just remember those wicked words your mother used to say
Pick your chords well loves
But sing your notes off key
You dad will forget the words
And fucking bastard what is it
And if your voice begins to crack
And you ever feel alone
They might laugh because you’re leaving
But know we’ll sing your name when you come home
Walk into your waves my loves
Tell them all your names
Go tell them how we failed you
And gift to us all your blame
Cos we’ll be all that you hate about yourself
So you can grow
Cos life begins by leaving
And our love is shown in the letting go
Go walk into your dawn you snotrags
Tell them that we never cared
Go tell them how we fucked you up
And oh my god it’s so unfair
We were the winter nights
So you could be the morning snow
Your life begins by leaving
And our love is shown
In the letting go
Be good / be good
Be safe / be safe
Be kind / be kind
And know we’ll always love you
Even though you’re leaving us behind
Be good / be good
Be safe / be safe
Be kind / be kind
And know we’ll always love you
Even though you’re leaving us behind
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6. |
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There’s a fire burning
And I’m learning to be
So much more than my tiredness
So much more than that old witch sleep wishes
She kisses my eyelids
And I breathe
You don’t have to be brilliant
She says as she scrolls
Through the rolls that the millions
Of hollering hollow folk know how to play
It’s ok
They’re just shadows searching for light
They can’t stay
Sleep now, oh, she says
Tomorrow’s jokes have yet to be laughed at or said
Just rest now, she moans
Then the hollow folk come
Pour me wine by my bed
And their dead hollers hum at the things that I’ve said
And say no, no, no, no
Cos you are in the earth of me
You are in the earth of me
My head’s not yours it’s mine
Cos you are in the earth of me
Somehow now I’m drinking
And I’m lifting my glass
To that last good man grace
Who has left me, he’s left me at last
And I laugh, and I laugh
Cos laughing right now, it’s all, all that I have
You’re better than this
He says as a hand slaps my face as I stand
And say no good man grace
I can’t do this (you can)
I can’t do this (you can)
I can’t do this (you can)
I can’t do this you don’t understand
Sleep now, she pleads
You’re not a coward cos you cower
You brave because they broke you
Yet broken still you breathe
So breathe, breathe just breathe
Then the hollow folk pour me
Another shard full of glass
And I toast to their talents
And I forgive them at last
Cos I know, oh I know, I know
That you are in the earth of me
You are in the earth of me
My head’s not yours it’s mine
And I’ll take my fucking time
Cos I know, I know, I know
Let’s bury this
I’m all yours
You’re all mine
Let’s dance together
You and I
Cos I’m not trapped
With you you see
You’re the one who’s
Trapped with me
Cos I’ve been here so many times before
Don’t you think I look pretty
Curled up on this bathroom floor
Cos where you see weakness I see wit
Sometimes I fall to pieces
Just to see what bits of me don’t fit
Cos I when I stand oh those folks will run
And tell the tales of what I’ve become
They’ll speak of me in whispered tones
And say my name like it shakes their bones
Cos we’ll dance together so close we’re sharing breath
But now I’m leading doesn’t that just scare you to death
Cos I’m all yours
You’re all mine
Let’s dance together
You and I
Cos I’m not trapped
With you you see
You’re the one who’s
Trapped with me
Cos you are in the earth of me
You are in the earth of me
My head’s not yours it’s mine
And I’ll take my fucking time
Cos I know, I know, I know
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7. |
Ruin
04:47
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I will bring you ruin
In everything I do
It’s never my intention but it happens all the same
It starts with love and comfort
Becomes a strength of will
But all that strength made rubble of the towers we built
Cos brick by brick you built us
And I’d fill in the cracks.
Nothing quite prepares you for
When they don’t come back
I wish I’d done things different
I wish that I’d been brave
I wish I’d known these stones were something I could save
Our mortar was your laughter
And you hurled curses at the land
We didn’t talk. We made universes
Out of bitten lips and broken hands
And you said I love you less
Than when It all began
And I said fewer
Cos I make jokes to show how broken I really am
In the wreck of all we burnt
Stands our piano like a wound
I play our song
To see if it’s in tune
/And I'll sing silence
But you, you sit next to me
And your finger brushes mine
And I promise to be patient
And you promise to be, promise to be kind
Cos brick by brick you built us
Of the earth, the silt and ground
We can rest, you say, in the pieces
Of what’s left, or of what what we’ve found
I wish I’d done things different
I wish I’d made it right
But we’ll burn a hundred theatres
If it means we get the wallpaper right
I’ll brick by brick rebuild us
Out of hows and whys not whens
Nothing quite prepared me for
When that piano sang again
Tomorrow I’ll do things different
Tomorrow I’ll be brave
Tomorrow I’ll be brave
Tomorrow I’ll be brave
You’ll make me brave
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8. |
Inkpot Gods
04:58
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Oh what these, these aren’t tears
It’s just the rain that wasn’t brave enough to fall
And what they hear isn’t laughter after all
It’s just your voice learning for once to stand up tall
And when the rain came down
I made a vow out to the gods
Please let her live just one more day
Cos she is so much more than all her scars
And if she doesn’t have the will
But it seems the whole world does I’ll stay because
I will be the man my father never was
And what you hear is not silence
It’s just the trees waiting to hear what next you’ll hum
And what you see is not the dark
It’s just the gods upturning inkpots
Cos they know what you’ll become
And to those gods I will speak bluntly
We’ve an accord
If you ever touch or harm him
Please rest assured
That you might not fear a man
But to a woman by the end you’ll kneel and plea
Cos I’m more than what my mum told me to be
And I can hear her sing
And I know she’s giving up
And I don’t know what to do, how to help her
How to bring her home
And I can hear him break
And he doesn’t understand
And I wish that I could take his hand
But where I’m going is for me and me alone
And I can her sing
If I don’t make it back from where I’ve gone
Just know I loved you all along
If I don’t make it back from where I’ve gone
Just know I loved you all along
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The Amazing Devil London, UK
The Amazing Devil is a dramatic, lyrical alt-folk band formed by Joey Batey and Madeleine Hyland. They released their debut
album Love Run in 2016 to considerable acclaim ('a masterpiece’ - FATEA, 'the best thing I have heard this year’ - For Folk's Sake).
In 2019, Madeleine and Joey recorded their second studio album - The Horror and the Wild - which was released in February 2020.
... more
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