![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
|
|
|
|
|
B i o g r a p h y Alela Diane Menig (b 1983, Nevada City, California) is an American singer and songwriter, who is associated with the psych folk and New Weird America musical genres. She grew up singing with her musician parents and performing in the school choir. She taught herself guitar, and began writing songs which blend tense, trance-like arpeggios with warm vocals and meditative lyrics about family and nature. Her first recordings were self-released in 2003 as “Forest Parade”. Her first public appearances were at the invitation of fellow Nevada City native Joanna Newsom. The songs for her next album, “The Pirate’s Gospel”, were written on a trip to Europe. They were recorded in her father’s studio and were initially again self-released in 2004, in paper and lace sleeves with hand lettering. The album was issued in revised form by Holocene Music in October 2006, and received widespread critical acclaim . A new song, "Dry Grass and Shadows", was issued on a compilation of Nevada City artists, and five more new songs were issued on a limited-edition 10” vinyl pressing, “Songs Whistled Through White Teeth”, released in the UK in October 2006. Alela Diane has toured in the USA both solo and with Tom Brosseau and Lisa Germano, and has also opened for the Decemberists, Akron/Family and Vashti Bunyan. She will be performing in the UK in April 2007. According to a recent interview she intends releasing her second album later this year. She now lives in Portland, Oregon. |
|
|
The Pirate's Gospel - 2006-10-24 - Tired feet The rifle The pirate's gospel Foreign tongue Can you blame the sky (a.k.a mother's love) Something's gone awry Pieces of string Clickity clack Sister self Pigeon song Oh! my mama |
The Silence of Love (with Headless Heroes) - 2008-11-12 - True Love Will Find You In The End Just One Time Here Before Just Like Honey To You Blues Run The Game Hey, Who Really Cares Nobody's Baby Now The North Wind Blew South See My Love |
To be still - 2009-02-17 - Dry Grass and Shadows White as Diamonds Age Old Blue To Be Still Take Us Back The Alder Trees My Brambles The Ocean Every Path Tatted Lace Lady Divine |
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 ***

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

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

Dry Grass and
Shadows
There are things that I've seen in my head
While I'm sleeping in bed
Do not wither in the morning light
I'm taken back
O 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 feeding (?) 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
Strong spines of valley hills
All overgrown in gold
Look softer than a spool of old silk thread
But if we walked down with our feet
I'd be pulling spines and barbs and fox-tails from your skin
O if we walked down with our feet
I'd be pulling spines and barbs and fox-tails from your skin
There are things that I've seen in my head
While I'm sleeping in bed
Do not wither in the morning light
I'm taken back
O 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 gain strong hands
Gaping holes where diamonds should be
Must have been 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 stones
Some hearts are ghosts settling down in dark waters
Just as silt grows heavy and drowns with the stones
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 the 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 our stream
And water is captive to the well
There was a gentleman,
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 our stream
And water is captive to the well
I've known that age old blue lies in home with sirens tombs
He's 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 our 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 chewing on, on the shadows in your eyes
And it's here at home I wait for your wanders to be still
Oh it's here at home I 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
California hills will 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 wait for your wanders to be still
Oh it's here at home I 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
The tops of crags and cliffs, the air is thin
So we'll find a mountain path on down the hill
Meet me where the snow mount flows
It is there my dear where we will begin again
Skipping stones
Braiding hair
Last year's antlers mark the trail
Take us back oh take us back
Oh take us
Take us back
I've a friend who lives out by the rivers mouth
He knows the fiddles cry is an old sound
A lonesome creeks and moans of empty houses
Are songs of like fallen rain
Windblown buildings
Muddy ground
The strength of water can sink a man
Take us back oh take us back
Oh take us
Take us back
When the higher hills have turned blue
And the waves are lapping where the children grew
All that we have know 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 were listening to songs been sung before
My friend and I collecting skeletons of leaves
Making tiny piles oh 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 hats fashioned of mud and snakeskin
Oh wandering in days unfolding with hats fashioned of mud and snakeskin
Of mud and snake-skin
As I think about the ladies who weren't allowed to sing
Sewing all their pretty rows of thread instead of singing
And what about the black braided sisters of Mariee
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 were listening to songs been sung before
My friend and I collecting skeletons of leaves
Making tiny piles oh and sifting through the weeds
Making tiny piles oh and sifting through the weeds
My
Brambles
Sun is dancing my darling
Arms been holding me all morning
Sea is so far from home my darling
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 you love calms my brambles
And your hands bring me sweet lavender
The glow will dance into the mountains
And darkness falls upon the canyon
And when the heat is gone my darling
Please come gather me
Please come gather me, oh, oh
Please come gather me, oh
Please come gather me my darling
Please come gather me, oh, oh
Please come gather me, oh
Please come gather me my darling
'Cause your love calms my brambles
And your hands bring me sweet lavender
Oh you 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
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 caught in the tide
But the 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
Painting all these mermaids
Wandering to the sea shore
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 caught in the tide
But the 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 sun set in the ocean
Gathering shells and beach glass
Dancing with the rogue waves
Gives her peace of mind
But she will always love him
Lost up in the mountain
Oh she will always love him
Lost up in the mountain
Every Path
All the back roads
All the highways
Distant countries that I've passed through
Every path has lead me back to you
Every path has lead me back to you
Down by the river by the light of the moon
I feel the echo of the 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
But I've 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 lead me back to you
Every path has lead me back to you
Down by the river by the light of the moon
I feel the echo of the 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 around those fingers shown
Bound for to carry home
Fond of the flattest field
But you know there're bones buried deep 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 flight
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 around those fingers shown
Bound for to carry home
Suitcase filled with stones
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
With songs for children to sing
Those songs whistled through white teeth
Do scuff the days
With 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
With songs for children to sing
Those songs whistled through white teeth
Do scuff the days
With songs for children to sing
