1. |
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When you call to me asleep
Up the ragged cliffs I scramble
A single thread hangs limply down
And I breathe not now, not now
And I find you all unwoven
Trying desperately to sew
I know the kindest thing
Is to leave you alone
When your seams have come unknitted
And you cry out to the sky
I've run out of my words, my song
Just let me die, me die
The rockrose and the thistle
Will whistle as you moan
I could try to calm you down
But I know you won't
All the pins inside your fretted head
And your muttered whens and hows
All your mother's weaves and your father's threads
Let me rob them of you now
Cos I'll darn you back together
When you think that you're bereft
And you'll wail, you'll scream, but I'll never stop
Cos it's all that I have left
I wake and hear you calling
And up those cliffs I climb
And I find you with a thimble weeping
May I, I ask, may I?
And you gently gift it to me
Cos you've no clue how to sew
And I know the kindest thing
I pray to god it's the kindest thing
I know the kindest thing
Is to never leave you alone
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2. |
The Horror and the Wild
04:40
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You were raised by wolves and voices,
Every night I hear them howling deep beneath your bed
They said it all comes down to you
You’re the daughter of sightless watching stones
You watch the stars hurl all their fundaments
In wonderment, at you and yours, forever asking more
You are that space that’s in between every page, every chord and every screen,
You are the driftwood and the rift, you’re the words I promise I don’t mean
We’re drunk but drinking, sunk but sinking
They thought us blind, we were just blinking
All the stones and kings of old will hear us screaming at the cold
Remember me I ask. Remember me I sing
Give me back my heart you wingless thing
Think of all the horrors that I
Promised you I’d bring
I promise you, they’ll sing of every
Time you passed your fingers through my hair and called me child
Witness me old man, I am The Wild
You are the son of every dressing up box,
And I am Time itself, I slow to let you play
I steal the hours and turn the night into day
Day by day oh lord three things I pray
That I might understand as best I can,
How bold I was, could be - will be - still am, by god still am
Fret not dear heart, let not them hear
The mutterings of all your fears, the fluttering of all your wings
Welcome to the storm, I am thunder,
Welcome to my table bring your hunger
Think of all the horrors that I
Promised you I’d bring
I promise you, they’ll sing of every
Time you passed your fingers through my hair and called me child
Witness me old man, I am The Wild
Remember me, Remember me, Remember me, Remember me
Remember me I ask. Remember me I sing
Think of all the horrors that I
Promised you I’d bring
I promise you, they’ll sing of every
Time you passed your fingers through my hair and called me child
Witness me old man, I am the
Think of all the horrors that I
Promised you I’d bring
I promise you, they’ll sing of every
Time you passed your fingers through my hair and called me child
Witness me old man, I am the
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3. |
Wild Blue Yonder
04:16
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Without you, I’m stronger, I’m no longer
Filled with wonder
How wrong you were
You. You told me I was younger
That I was filled with wonder
How wrong you were
For you, my lungs were pulled asunder
Saw that wild blue yonder and said: ‘such endless blue’
For you. I would have gone so much blonder.
Seen that wild blue yonder and said
Let’s end this too
So one last time, love, come and rip my clothes off
Grip the bathroom rug my skin’s grown so soft
So one last time, love, come and rip my clothes
Get a grip, we're grownups
Let’s wander, till the fuckers demand an encore
Flirting / Wasn’t flirting / In the back of a bookshop
Come and rip off my socks like you’re blasting the locks off of a bank vault Halt!
This time we’re done for
Let’s hide under the covers
We don’t know what’s out there
Could be wolves
So hold me, lover, like you used to
So tight I’d bruise you
I’d bruise you, I’d bruise you too
Every stone you threw, I stood on to better see the view
I’ve got something in my eye
I surrender what was, what could have been,
All those wonders sit in wait for us, we tried
Try please try for me
I. Don't you ever wonder. What could have been?
All those wonders sit in wait for us, we tried
Come rest for the winter, wear my jumper all night long
Tried my best to get thinner
Those songs we sung, Those words we flung
For fear of sound
All those books that we both drowned
And the candle we lit, well we’ll use it to burn this whole place to the ground
I’m lost
I’m found
In you
Let’s hide under the covers
We don’t know what’s out there
Can’t you hear that scratching?
Hold me, lover like you used to
So tight I’d bruise you
I’d bruise you, I’d bruise you too
Every brick you hurled, I’ll use to build this world
This world This world This world
Let’s hide under the covers
We don’t know what’s out there
Could be all our demons darling
Hold me, lover like you used to
So tight I’d bruise you
I’d bruise you, I’d bruise you too
Let’s hide under the covers
We don’t know what’s out there
Could be ghosts or monsters or a robot vampire I dunno
Hold me, lover like you used to
So tight I’d bruise you
I’d bruise you,
I’d bruise you,
I’d bruise you,
I’d bruise you
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4. |
Welly Boots
05:23
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Awake awake you children bold
Take hold of all your books and fold
The corners, they warned us
A storm is coming on
What do you mean you’ve lost
Your scarlet welly boots, do y’know what they cost?
Wear a raincoat or it’ll soak you to the bone
What's it like, the children ask?
It’s just like falling snow, I am above you,
And I love you, don’t you know
That I’ll be with you all along, as long as you are kind
To those who are not strong and cannot find their scarlet welly boots
Cos when it’s cold
I’ll wrap my scarf around you
And when it’s hard
I’ll place your head into my hands
And when you scream that it’s not fair,
It’s like I’ve gone off to the coast
Left you behind just standing there
Pretending not to see your ghost
If only you could hear my voice
But you are screaming far to loud to hear me swear
Just because I left doesn’t mean that I’m not still there
I get to watch you grow up now
And make me proud, make all of the mistakes that make me laugh, oh darling lord how you make me laugh
Get drunk for me, sing louder than you’ve sung for me,
Grow young each time that thunder in your lungs begins to rumble at the world
Cos you were always strong,
When you were young, you’d kick things just to see if they would fall
They said ‘that girl she’s wrong’
But I’ll stick up for you, even though you haven’t got a clue, you haven't got a fucking clue
And I’m so proud of you
And when they laugh at us
You’ll feel my fingers down your back
And when you scream I’m not alright
And throw my picture at the wall
‘You were supposed to be my light
And keep me safe against them all
How could you leave me here' you’ll scream
And louder, I’ll scream back to you from that unknown
And say
I know you’re strong enough to do this on your own
I know you’re strong enough to do this on your
Strong enough to do this on your
Strong enough to do this on your own
And years from now at night that storm
Will break, you’ll step outside to feel it shake
And barefoot walk across the lawn
You’ll miss me oh Jesus Christ you’ll miss me
Just much as all those years ago, and you’ll look up at the storm
You’ll say ‘I’ve been so scared,
you left me here behind, do you not care?
How the fuck am I supposed to carry on without you here?
Just when you’re about to give up every hope you have you turn around Perched by the stairs, someone’s gone and left behind
A brand new pair of scarlet welly boots
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5. |
Farewell Wanderlust
05:28
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You look like I need a drink he winked as he slipped from my grasp to the bar
And you are?
He said ‘me? Me. Little me? Little me
He called /he called from the brink of the day
He said hey darling hey /hey darling hey
I’m the hardest goodbye that you’ll ever have to say
You don’t know it yet, but I’m the cupid of things
That you just didn’t get, that you struggled to say
I’m the saint of the paint that was left in the pot
I’m your angel ellipsis, your devil of dots
Every time that you fumble, I’m the laugh from the back
When you think about him, my wings start to flap
When you make a mistake, my feet lift from the floor
And when you lie there awake every night love, I soar
I promise you I’ll be better
I promise you I’ll try
But like rubbing wine stains into rugs it’s my curse
To try and make it right, but by trying make it worse
I’m the heartbreak that aches far too much to be shown
All those letters unsent and that garden ungrown
I’m the captain of courage you’ve eternally lacked
I’m the Jesus of wishing to Christ he’ll come back
Farewell Wanderlust, you’ve been oh oh so kind
You brought me to this party but you left me here behind
And so long to the person you begged me to be
She’s down. She’s dead
Instead what is left but this old satin dress and the mess that you left when you told me I wasn’t right in the head
You alright? ask the boys from beyond
You gave us such a fright
We’d hate to see your mascara drip into your pint
Might you allow me to slip into something more comfortable then?
Be our guest. With hoik of her bra, she waved to the bar and she slipped into the night
Come devil come, she sang, call out my name
Let’s take this outside cos we’re one and the same
Our god has abandoned us, left us, instead
Take up arms, take my hand, let us waltz for the dead
I’m the face that stares back when the screen goes to black
When your mum says ‘you look healthy’ but you know she means you got fat
I’m the tales that the guests will applaud and believe
I’m the child that you just didn’t have time to conceive
I promise you I’m not broken
I promise you there’s more
More to come, more to reach for, more to hurl at the door
Goodbye to all my darkness, there’s nothing here but light
Adieu to all the faceless things that sleep with me at night
This here isn’t make up, it’s a porcelain tomb
This here is not singing, I’m just screaming in tune because
Farewell Wanderlust, you’ve been oh oh so kind
You brought me through this darkness but you left me here behind
And so long to the person you begged me to be
He’s down. He’s dead.
Now take a long look at what you’ve done to me?
S/He’s down, S/He’s dead
S/He’s gone, S/He’s lost
S/He’s flown, S/he’s fled
Now take a good long look at what you've done to me
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6. |
Fair
06:17
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It’s what my heart just yearns to say
In ways that can’t be said
It’s what my rotting bones will sing
When the rest of me is dead
It’s what’s engraved upon my heart
In letters deeply worn
Today I somehow understand the reason I was born
Cos outwardly he says I try so hard to make you laugh at me
And she, she does, she laughs as though she not heard the joke ten thousand times before
And he adores her, he watches her get dressed as though she’s hurtling through time
Oh darling please be mine
She promises to fight them all when it all becomes too much
And he, he curses at the world for leaving him behind and he’s falling out of touch
And she is stronger than he’s ever been he knows
And she brushes her hand through his hair, he’s got so much fucking hair
And he holds her close just to keep the world at bay
And when they’re sure no-one can hear them
She’ll turn to him to say, she’ll turn to him and say
It’s not fair, It’s not fair how much I love you
It’s not fair, cos you make me laugh when I’m actually really fucking cross at you for something
And he’ll say
Oh how oh how unreasonable
How unreasonably in love I am with everything you do
I’ll spend my days so close to you cos if I’m standing here maybe everyone will think I’m alright
I’ve seen enough he says I know exactly what I want
And it’s this life that we’ve created, inundated with the fated thought of you
And if you asked me to, if you asked me I would lose it all
Like petals in a storm, cos darling I was born
To press my head between your shoulder blades at night when light is fading
Just to let you know I’m old, waylaid and feels like I am wading into
carpet burns and carousels oh Christ you’ll be the death of me
And calm throughout his melodrama she will turn and say ‘dear heart It’s me, its me
You don’t need to pretend to be someone you’re not
Cos it’s not like I’ve never heard you fart and snore
And for some god forsaken reason I’m still here love like I’ve always been before
And he’ll say
It’s not fair, It's not fair how much I love you
It’s not fair cos you make me weep when I’m just trying to watch The Office with my yoghurt
And she’ll say
Oh how, oh how unreasonable
How unreasonably in love I am with everything you do
I’ll spend my days so close to you cos if I’m standing next to you then maybe everyone will think I’m cool
How unfair, how unfair they’ll sing as they dance across the darling rooftop wreck
He’ll trip and she’ll pretend not to have seen,
Burying her head into his chest and clinging to the moment, ‘where have you been?’
She’ll whisper ‘I’ve waited oh so long for you to come’
And as the stars above them hum and hear them he’ll turn to her and say ‘that’s what she said’
It’s not fair, it's not fair how much I love you
It’s not fair cos you make me ache you bastard
And he’ll say
Oh how, oh how unreasonable
How unreasonably in love I am with everything you do
I’ll spend my days so close to you cos if I’m stood here
Then I’m stood here
And I’ll stand here
I’ll stand here with you
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7. |
That Unwanted Animal
04:58
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There’s a second wind coming
As we lie here in our bed
It rattles the bones of our fathers
Carries whispers from the dead,
And you, you light a candle.
And I make sure the bairns are fed.
You turn the telly on
To drown out your fear
And make the bed up silent on the floor
So no-one will hear us
You try so loud to love me
But I cannot seem to hear.
Cos you, you touch
My skin peels off like paint
But beneath all of our panting
There’s this noise I cannot shake
(Cos you you touch my pain
All our panting shame)
Can’t you hear that scratching?
There’s something at the door.
But the wind has picked us up now
We’re hanging in the air
And as you grip me like an animal
That you’re about to spear
‘Be good to me,’ I whisper. And you say ‘what’. And I said ‘nothing dear.’
Can’t you hear it?
It can hear you
It wants me to
(Throw the plate at the wall)
I’m the paper cut that kills you
I’m the priest that you ignored
I’m the touch you crave, I’m the plans that you made, but fuck all your plans I’m bored
And can’t you hear that scratching?
I ask your eyes
I’ve got knuckle burn from typing all these lines into your chest
And as the belt from your buckle is tightening I make shipwrecks out of my dress
And the door below it splinters
And the creature creeps inside
And we fall into each other
The scratching grows so loud
Because that unwanted animal
Wants nothing more than to get out
And I scream
‘Oh What’s the time Mr Wolf?’
But you, you’re blind, you bleat, you bear your claws
And you rip my ribcage open
And devour what’s truly yours
And our screaming joins in unison
I cry out to the lord
Cos if we join our hands in prayer enough
To God I imagine it all starts to sound like applause.
Can’t you hear it?
It can hear you.
It wants you to….
And those plates they smash like waves
(Place your hand in mine)
And on the wind it howls
(How long can this last?)
But that second wind is coming love, it’s coming for all we own
And on the creature scratches, it doesn’t know how to get out (let me out)
And you, you follow philosophies
But me, I laugh I choke
‘Well hello, my hollow Holofernes’
I wink but you don’t get the joke
‘Hold the hand of the god-child’ they said
‘As he falls from the sky'
Be good to me I beg of him
Be good to me I beg of him
Be good be good be good be good be good be good be good
And he replies…
‘No no, not I.’
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8. |
Marbles
06:15
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I’ve held your hand since nineteen seventy nine,
You were in a band - still am - yeah but back then you had hair and your smile was so sublime
And I chipped my teeth on every joke you cracked
You used to buy me scotch - still do - yeah but now too much is never enough
To take me back to that dance hall where you got thrown out cos they thought you were drunk -I wasn't -
You couldn’t lie then and you sure as hell can’t lie to me now.
You stole the best years of my life
I’ll give them back
You got fat
And you’re the thigh high hemline I just can’t stop staring at
I will wait and hope
Your eyes aren’t rivers there to weep
But a place for crows to rest their feet
I will wait and hope
And rest my head at night content
Knowing where my marbles went
The flat we rented was a palace for my queen
If by palace you mean that asbestos and beans from a tin, and the gin that we brewed in the bathtub
You sang ‘do you think I’m sexy’ And oh god I really did.
You’d swoon, you’d sigh, working shifts till we cried
Oh if one more guy calls me darling then I
swear to you and to god I will murder them all, all the bastards applaud when I show that I’m flawed
You’re not flawed darling, you’re just a little under-rehearsed.
And I’d get in
And for some reason you’ve painted the kitchen lime green
And I'd sink to the floor, what’s the point anymore,
And you, you’d reply with a glint in your eye
(And you, you’d reply with a drink in your hand)
Saying ‘I don’t know, but I’m here, I’m all yours, dear heart don’t cry’
(Saying ‘I don’t know, but I’m here, oh dear god, dear heart don’t cry’)
Cos I will wait and hope
Your eyes aren’t rivers there to weep
But a place for crows to rest their feet
And I will wait and hope
And rest my head at night content
Knowing where my marbles went
I’ve loved you, for a hundred years
Certainly fucking feels like it
The minute I met you the colours of my life begun to pour
I’m scared of the dark
And now, even though you’re mad and these memories won’t stay, it’s okay.
Cos now I get to meet you for the first time every single day
I’ll wait and hope
Your eyes aren’t rivers there to weep
But a place for crows to rest their feet
I’ll wait and hope
And rest my head at night content
Knowing where my marbles went
And I will wait
And I will wait
And I will wait
And hope
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9. |
Battle Cries
05:51
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I’m at the brink, don’t laugh
At the winks I’ve masked
Who’ll save you when you fall?
The wrinkles and bricks that we’re left with at last
And drink will fix all those questions unasked
Who died? And made you king of it all
Who wins this war? You’ve a knack
For applause from the back of the stalls but you lack
The conviction to look at me straight and say yes
Now the wind is so warm on the back of my neck
As I walk with the sun hand in hand from the wreck
Some fictions we took to mean fate believe me I know
Don’t be uncouth, be a man
Don’t lie with your eyes, you know I despise that look
You’re home. For God’s sake I’m
Tell the truth to me love, does my hair look as nice
As it did when you once tied it up in your eyes?
Look at me as you say this, don’t look at your phone
Done with your dreams, they won’t last
Thirty winters will pass, you’ll look back
at the woman fifty year old you will be proud to have known.
Cos that sun that beams down as my hands touch the grass
After summers of fasting I feel hunger at last
For the person fifteen year old me would be proud to have known.
Cos these plates they smash like waves
Place your smile in mine
And the wine stains hide the tears
Why stay? Hide the
But that breathing you hear don't mistake it for sighs
Don’t you realise - They’re just battle cries dear
And these lines aren’t wrinkles dear heart
Hardly knew the words
They’re just dollops of paint on a new work of art
I’m dolled up love don’t I deserve to just
And as I walk away I know I’ve been through the wars,
But that creaking you hear in my bones is not pain, it’s applause
Come on love, please don’t start
Sing your notes, play your part
Then we’ll leave. We were gods
With you I could summon the gods and the stars
Watch them dance out the plays that we wrote from the heart
And we’d laugh at the ghosts of our fears. We were kids.
‘Come at me your blaggards you’d yell
from the back of the gallery
Say goodbye. I am not
‘Come at me you blaggards’, you’d yell from the banks
Wielding words against make-believe wizards and tanks
And by god love believe me, I wanted to play too, I did.
A drunkard, A daughter, A preacher, god knows how you
You dragged us both into the darkness that grows
Oh dear God. I won’t
But we sunk into water no creature can know
You dragged me along to watch all your shows
Our devils broke rank, and out of the depths came an army
Leave without a fight
I won’t let you turn our last night into this
I’m going to binge watch a box set, drink wine, reminisce
This isn’t a break up dear heart, it’s a season finale.
Cos these plates they smash like waves
Place your smile in mine
And the wine stains hide the tears
Why stay? Hide the
But that breathing you hear don't mistake it for sighs
Don’t you realise - They’re just battle cries dear
And these lines aren’t wrinkles dear heart
Hardly knew the words
They’re just dollops of paint on a new work of art
I’m dolled up love don’t I deserve to just
And as I walk away I know I’ve been through the wars,
But that creaking you hear in my bones is not pain, it’s applause
It’s not pain it’s applause
All it took to unearth in the dust and the dirt
Some release or respite from the heat and the hurt
Was taking the time now and then to ask how I am
And now at the end, at the end of all things,
I’m not going to scream, beat my chest at the wind,
I’m doing fine.
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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.
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