1. |
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When I first went down to the river
I didn’t know how to swim
I saw a man on the other bank
But I did not recognise him
The water is cold
But it warms my soul
I was walking with my brother
I said, ‘Tell me, what is sin?’
He put his arms around me
And then he pushed me in
The water is cold
But it warms my soul
Help me I think I’m drowning
My feet can’t get a hold
As I give in to this river
I think about what I’ve been told
The water is cold
But it warms my soul
Well I felt the arms of the stranger
Pull me safe onto the other bank
But as I rose in gratitude
There was no one there to thank
The water is cold
But it warms my soul
And as I looked back across the river
What do you think I see?
I see a boy on the other bank
And he looks a lot like me
The water is cold
But it warms my soul
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2. |
I Don't Know
04:54
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And is it folded into laparello books
Or is it hidden in the wrinkle of a walnut
Or the shrapnel of its shell?
Does it crackle in the static
Under dust sheets in the attic
Is it howling in the silence of a broken bell?
Is it swimming thick in mystery
Does it crystallise in hindsight
Does it mind its table manners
Or is it tugging on your sleeve?
Is it defined by shadow
Given depth through tonal ranges
Do the angels sing its entrance
When the rent's due does it leave?
Where does it come from? Where does it go?
Don't ask me, because I don't know
And can you drink it into focus
Is it face down in the mud
Is it thudding in a headache
Or vented from the spleen?
Does it delineate a figure
Can it trigger something bigger
Is it loaded in the memory of a madeleine?
Do you see it in perifery
Or in the eyes of monkeys
Do you think of it in reverie
Or pick it out your soup?
Can you grow it, can you shed it
Can you pay for it on credit
Can you shuffle it or skip it
Or is it stuck on loop?
Where does it come from? Where does it go?
Don't ask me, because I don't know
And are these cracks on our media screens stimulating
Intellectually sexy or sensationally frustrating?
And if we penetrate these gaps are we warmly enclosed
Or exposed, defenestrated, initiating collapse?
And does a lapse in our memory make space for concentration
Create a place for recreation, open up the room to test?
Or does it hamper forward movement if we ignore trial and improvement
Do we just scrawl another phallus on the palimpsest?
Where does it come from? Where does it go?
Don't ask me, because I don't know
I can't tell you
Where you might find it
I've been asking
And I have no answers
Now
And can it love you like a daughter then demand of you a slaughter
Does it take you out and buy you drinks and get you in a fight?
Does it present itself in visions, in a blinding flash of light
Or does it creep into your bedroom in the middle of the night?
Do you take it on vacation or find it at your destination
Does it patiently await you or hurry on ahead?
Can it be read between the lines across the forehead of your father
Do you gather it in bundles from the cities of the dead?
Where does it come from? Where does it go?
Don't ask me, because I don't know.
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3. |
All The Time It Goes
04:48
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Yes I’m leaving
Watch me tie my shoes
I’ll take the rhythm
You can keep the blues
Yes I’m leaving
Watch me tie my shoes
I’m taking the rhythm with me
And I’m gonna leave you with the blues
Do you hear a drone
That shakes you right down to the bone?
Do you hear the drums?
They’re beating out
The end as it comes
And don’t it make you wonder
Where all the time it goes?
My heart has tricked me
So I must use my head
What we were building
We must erase instead
My heart has tricked me, yes
So I must use my head
What we were building
We must erase instead
As we join the dance
We slip ourselves into a trance
Give in to the night
Now we shake our fists
We’re pissed in the morning light
And don’t it make you wonder
Where all the time it goes?
Now, you might find a different place
From which you can begin
To get down to business
And maybe settle in
But if you want to move on
You’ve got to make up your mind
What to keep hold of
And what to leave behind
And don’t it make you wonder
Where all the time it goes?
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4. |
The Devastation
04:04
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How can you roll away so easy
And leave me stranded out along the track?
You took me down to the Devastation
You’re the only one can bring me back
When you came well you came without warning
Picked me up right off of my feet
Did you think I looked a little lonely?
Did I look a little incomplete?
How can you let me down so easy
And leave me stranded out along the track?
You took me down to the Devastation
You’re the only one can bring me back
When we started out the sun was up and shining
Sure we passed on through a little rain
Where you dropped me off the dark clouds are looming
Bitter winds are blowing again
How can you roll away so easy
And leave me stranded out along the track?
You took me down to the Devastation
You’re the only one can bring me back
Well they say that home is
Right where the heart is
In which case I’m homeless
If you’re not here
Should I just keep waiting?
Are you returning ?
You know I’ve been learning how to love you
Where I might have let you down before
Sometimes I think I see you in the distance
With another in your arms
How I wish it was me still there with you
Laughing at your foolish charms
How can you pass me by so easy
And leave me stranded out along the track?
You took me down to the Devastation
You’re the only one can bring me back
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5. |
I'm Gonna Dress In Black
03:14
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I'm walking the long road to Georgia
The long road that's taking me back
Gonna live in the hills, far away in the hills
And I'm gonna dress in black
Way high in the hills of Georgia
I'm gonna live in an old tin shack
Nobody I'll see and no one will see me
And I'm gonna dress in black
'Cos I went down Big City
I had money, money in my sack
Found a girl so fine, I thought she was mine
But she left me without a shirt on my back
Way high in the hills of Georgia
I'm gonna live in an old tin shack
And I'll think of the time that woman was mine
And I'm gonna dress in black
'Cos I went down Big City
I had money, money in my sack
Found a girl so fine
I thought she was mine
But she left me without a shirt on my back
Yeah, way high in the hills of Georgia
I'm gonna live in my old tin shack
And I'll think of the time
That woman was mine
And I'm gonna dress in black
Oh yeah I'm gonna dress in black
Oh yeah I'm gonna dress in black
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6. |
Better Lock Your Windows
04:35
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They’re going to track you down
They’re going to find out where you live
They’re going to track you down
They’re going to find out where you live
Better lock your windows
Better lock your doors
They’re coming down your street
They’re hiding between the cars
They’re coming down your street
They’re hiding between the cars
Better lock your windows
Better lock your doors
I guess you should have never shook that hand
I bet you wish you’d never signed your name
I guess it didn’t work out as you planned
You say it’s not your fault but they’re going to make you take the blame
Better lock your windows
Better lock your doors
Well they’re out in your garden
Digging a hole in the middle of your lawn
Well they’re out in your garden
Digging a hole in the middle of your lawn
Better lock your windows
Better lock your doors
And they’re up on the roof
Signaling with a torch
And they’re up on the roof
Signaling with a torch
Better lock your windows
Better lock your doors
I guess you should have never shook that hand
I bet you wish you’d never signed your name
I guess it didn’t work out as you planned
You say it’s not your fault but they’re going to make you take the blame
Better lock your windows
Better lock your doors
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7. |
Love Potion No. 9
02:24
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I took my troubles down to Madame Ruth
You know that lady with the gold-capped tooth
Well she's got a patch down on 34th and Vine
Selling little bottles of
Love Potion No . 9
I told her that I was flop with chicks
I've been this way since 1996
She looked at my palm and she gave a magic sign
She said what you need is
Love Potion No. 9
Well she bent down and turned around and gave me a wink
She said I'm gonna mix it up right here in the sink
It smelled like turpentine and looked like Indian ink
I held my nose I closed my eyes
I took a drink
I didn't know it was day or night
I started kissing everything in sight
But when I kissed a policeman down on 34th and Vine
Well he broke my little bottle of
Love Potion No. 9
I didn't know it was day or night
I started kissing everything in sight
But when I kissed a policeman down on 34th and Vine
Well he broke my little bottle of
Love Potion No. 9
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8. |
Ego Trip
03:25
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When we were almost young we got tied up and came unstrung
By ambition greater than our strength of mind
Daily did we tread the boards and nightly fell upon our swords
Our words fell on deaf ears, we drew our pictures for the blind
You can do your best to sink below the depths
But ah, you've got me holding on the line
Come up for breath and face your second death
But ah well you’re still far too fresh out from the first
Food and drink and solid shoes, in deeper debt we pay our dues
And lose sight of the views we scaled these heights to own
Father, son and holey socks, our ship came in upon the rocks
But what would we do different if we'd only known?
You can break your lead for the freedom that you need
To know the reason for the gravel on the path
Face the expense of tearing down the fence
You only meant to oil the hinges on the gate
It's another lonely day
But we can put it on display
We didn't anticipate to slip
But now these bruises on our arms and these welts across our back
And these creases on our face they are the marks of our own whip
It's a trace
Of an ego trip
Even as we stabilise, our sights are skewed by dented eyes
We’re rising every morning to the carrion call
Concentrate on every step, we can appreciate
The preparation set in place when we learned how to fall
At the cabaret you gave it all away
But I held on to a little truth
And if you still care, I've got enough to share
And yeah, you can join me up here on the roof
It's another lonely day
But here we put it on display
We didn't anticipate to slip
But now these bruises on our arms and these welts across our back
And these creases on our face they are the marks of our own whip
It's a trace of where we stumbled and we fell
On an ego trip
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9. |
When The Rock Rolls Back
05:12
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Well it will never be easy
But there’s pleasure in the pushing
When you’re not strong you can lean on me
Like I’m some sort of cushion
But don’t be getting over comfy
You’ll knock my stuffing flat
Don’t be getting to dependent
Because you’re better than that
I don’t want to have my hands gripped right round your spine
When the rock rolls back
If you give a little friction
I will sharpen my tools
Get to talking up commitment
I won’t play your fool
Come on over in the evening
We’ll pop a bottle of the best
Show me your heart
I will screw it out of your chest
I don’t want to have my hands gripped right round your spine
When the rock rolls back
When the rock rolls back
When the gold turns brown
When the pillars in the temple
Are falling all around
When loneliness comes up
As the day goes down
Don’t you look for me
I wont be around
A man has got to eat
I’m addicted to your taste
I really ought to quit you
Though it would seem such a waste
But if I don’t keep moving
I know you’ll iron in a crease
How do you stay so graceful
Amidst the gravel and the grease?
I don’t want to have my hands gripped right round your spine
When the rock rolls back
When the rock rolls back
When the gold turns brown
When the pillars in the temple
Are falling all around
When loneliness comes up
As the day goes down
Don’t you look for me
I wont be around
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10. |
Le Père Lachaise Blues
06:57
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C’était un soir au bar de la vieille Gertrude
Au coin du parc, près du cimetière
Les verres s’emplissaient et se vidaient, comme d’habitude
Et l’habituelle clientèle vidait ces verres
A ma gauche se tenait le grand Louis
Les yeux rougis et l’air hagard
Il toisa longuement les gens autour de lui
Puis soudain nous raconta son histoire :
Je me suis rendu par hasard au Père Lachaise
C’est là que je l’ai vue
Allongée dans son cercueil telle une reine anglaise
Si jeune, si pâle, si pure
Sept beaux chevaux noirs dignes d’un sérail
Tiraient le cercueil d’ébène
Sept jeunes filles, au matin, se rendent à des funérailles
Mais seules six d’entre elles le soir en reviennent
Laisse-la, laisse-la, qu’elle repose en paix
Où qu’elle soit, toujours elle restera
La plus douce et la plus belle de toutes les bien-aimées
Crois-moi tu ne trouveras jamais mieux dans le monde entier.
A ma mort, enterrez-moi dans mon plus beau trois-pièces
Et n’oubliez pas mon chapeau fétiche
Mettez une belle montre en or dans la poche de ma veste
Pour que les badauds comprennent que je suis mort riche
Je me suis rendu par hasard au Père Lachaise
C’est là que je l’ai vue
Allongée dans son cercueil telle une reine anglaise
Si jeune, si pâle, si pure
Je me suis rendu par hasard au Père Lachaise
C’est là que je l’ai vue
Allongée dans son cercueil telle une clé anglaise
Si jeune, si pâle, si pure
Maintenant que vous avez entendu ma triste histoire
Servez-moi donc une autre Suze
Et si quelqu’un d’ordinaire demande à me voir
Dites-lui que j’ai le Père Lachaise blues
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11. |
You Can't Be Denied
05:50
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If you hear me howling for my darling
Don’t call no doctor on me
If you really want to help me
Build me a bridge over the sea
You know we all fall down
And we push each other around
You can lead me astray
But I will find my way
I can’t help myself
With this love that I’ve found
I want nobody else
But what can I do?
I put my question to the wind and it replied:
When it’s only love that you want
You can’t be denied
If you see me crying in the chapel
I was told if I ask I would receive
Up above my head I hear music in the air
That’s why I believe
You know we all fall down
And we push each other around
You can lead me astray
But I will find my way
I can’t help myself
With this love that I’ve found
I want nobody else
But what can I do?
I put my question to the wind and it replied:
When it’s only love that you want
You can’t be denied
So let down your guard
Even if our future
Is in the graveyard
It’s not what lies beneath
But what lingers on
That forms the foundation
Life’s built upon
So come on and join me dancing in the street
Harmonise my singing in the rain
I got a letter this morning
My love is coming back again
You know we all fall down
And we push each other around
You can lead me astray
But I will find my way
I can’t help myself
With this love that I’ve found
I want nobody else
But what can I do?
I put my question to the wind and it replied:
When it’s only love that you want
You can’t be denied
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12. |
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Oh I'm falling you left me on my own
I'm calling out but the empty sky soaks up the sound
I'll keep on walking 'til my legs don't work no more
Then I'll lay my body down upon the ground
And you never know just what's in store
Why is it that too much of a good thing just makes us bored?
Well I thought that I could make it by myself
But oh, I'm falling you left me on my own
I'm calling out but the empty sky soaks up the sound
I'll keep on walking 'til my legs don't work no more
Then I'll lay my body down upon the ground
(Instrumental)
Now it's folded and it's in a drawer
What was a moment is now a story
If you ever feel alone
There's a place within me you have a home
And you never know just what's in store
Why is it that too much of a good thing just makes us bored?
Well I thought that I could make it by myself
But oh, I'm falling you left me on my own
I'm calling out but the empty sky soaks up the sound
I'll keep on walking 'til my legs don't work no more
Then I'll lay my body down upon the ground
Oh I'm falling you left me on my own
I'm calling out but the empty sky soaks up the sound
I'll keep on walking 'til my legs don't work no more
Then I'll lay my body down upon the ground
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Rob Miles & Les Clés Anglaises Paris, France
Rob Miles is a visual artist and songwriter who grew up in Brighton, UK. Moving to Paris in 2015 he put together his band Les Clés Anglaises, performing his songs with a unique energy and style, blending influences from a love of blues and gospel, country, soul, and rock & roll. ... more
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