1. |
Paper Thin Dreams
03:15
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Verse 1
Soaked to the skin with greyness
Saturated and I'm barely breathing
Smothered by apathy
Remind me again what do I believe in?
Tried just about everything
To fight this sense of isolation
I'm a fully paid up member of this
self-harming generation
Chorus
This monochrome life
These paper thin dreams
Torn and tattered and ripped at the seams
This monochrome life
These paper thin dreams
A pale imitation and a stifled scream
Verse 2
Swept along by the sleep walking masses
Always surprised that we never collide
On the surface feeling so numb
But something rips and tears and gnaws at my insides
In this limbo land of twilight
Never staying but I'm not quite leaving
Pins and needles from the neck up spreading
Remind me again what do I believe in?
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2. |
Tumblin' Down
04:06
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Verse 1
Spinning your wheels
Born to be free
Torching bridges for all to see
Knowing it all
Seeking the cure
What if the ties that bind us are the ones that secure?
Chorus
Maybe you'll call me when you burn your buildings down
Maybe you'll call me when it all comes back around
Maybe you'll call me when the skies are ripped with sound
I'll hear your voice
Above the roar
As it all comes tumbling down
Tumbling down
Verse 2
Broken loose
Are you explorer or stray?
Truth bites the hand that feeds it
In the cold light of day
Breaking down fences and destroying the cage
Finally unfettered as you plunge over the edge
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3. |
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Verse 1
You rage at God and He tells you He can take it
Already too long in the tooth to even want to fake it
If your heart turns to stone
It will fall and crush us all
A cornered animal you bare your teeth
when your back's against the wall
Chorus
Battered, bruised and beautiful
Battered, bruised and beautiful
Battered, bruised and beautiful
Now we see you standing tall yeah
Battered, bruised and beautiful
Battered, bruised and beautiful
Battered, bruised and beautiful
Now you know what it's all been for yeah
Verse 2
The scars they gave you
in the half light begins to shine
The ugly shame they did to you
will fade in time
Darkness it rears up hungry enough
to swallow you up whole
Hanging on with your fingernail faith
and your second hand soul
Verse 3
Souls threshed from their husks
like bursting stars
Discarded shells like junk yard cars
You're no accidental heart so rage against it all
Make some noise yeah make your mark
all revolutions start out small
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4. |
Speed of Life
04:32
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Verse 1
Man stands alone in the dark
He looks up to the sky
Silently mouths to the stars I don't understand why
No no
Heavy hands heavenward
A gestured stifled cry
Hears only silence and tomorrow's incoming sigh
In reply
Chorus
Albert knows everything in life
is a miracle or nothing is at all
He says things are real, real big
or maybe really rather small
Come on ride the light
To see how far it falls
Don't you know everything looks like chaos
if you don't know hat you're looking for
Verse 2
Girl stands alone on the beach
Stares far out to sea
Running out of aces to pull from her bloodied sleeve
No no
All her life she says, it's only been me
collecting stones for her pockets
Just terrified to be
just another memory
Verse 3
He rides the bus
to the end of the line
Then rides it right back again for the millionth time
Hey what is time?
Life goes on but it's sure lost it's shine
He got short-changed with an eclipse
when his planets aligned
He's doing time
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5. |
Peace With Yourself
03:11
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Verse 1
A jerky, gangly figure running against time
Racing against the black pin-holed sky
Face marked as life has rolled over it and by
Leaving only childish confusion and a sigh
Verse 2
Eyes ablaze, mind on fire too
With pictures of realistic fantasies that you choose
Haunted by the uncomfort
the harsh and bleakness of this land
Straining to the quest
it runs away through open fingers like grains of sand
Chorus
You live in this small world
Are you at peace with yourself?
A lunatic trapped by praying hands
Are you at peace with yourself?
Loving this crowd starts by loving just one
and there finding peace with yourself
Verse 3
A brief crooked smile against all pressure straining
Another idea choked
so tangible but not obtaining
A spark of hope within you
you stamp out instead of fan
Wake in the witching hour in a nightmare sweat
accept the offered hand
Verse 4
The startling contrasts of your self-portrait are severe
Precarious highly strung emotions
Joy then tears
A need to avenge your failure on another
though you're to blame
Violent brush strokes on the watercolour backdrop
a reality you designed in pain
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6. |
Scale of Your Heart
03:59
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Verse 1
I worry about you as your gift melts in this world
I worry about you as the whole world seems to push
against one girl
Chorus
The scale of your heart dwarfs what I deserve
A life tortured soul still holding your nerve
You stamp out the fear and you torch my dark
Once again I'm left speechless by the scale of your heart
Verse 2
Cut flowers and cut hearts always make you cry
Love must be blind and naïve
is your answer to my why
Bridge
See you running in traffic I hold my breath
You smile back but I don't worry less
Verse 3
Heart shattered by the blows
shards litter the ground
You swallow heard and shrug with grace
Enough pieces now to go around
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7. |
Petrified
04:19
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Verse 1
How can you hear my whispered prayer
in this stain glass church of noise?
How can you hit the moving target
amongst all the girls and boys?
Does no one anymore have the time
or the inclination to care?
I'm just banging out the truth
on this wooden box of air
Chorus
Petrified, Petrified
Too petrified to stop
Terrified, terrified
Just too terrified to not
Verse 2
Dumbstruck as the lightbulb flickers
Things might be exactly as they seem
Push it to the fringes of awareness
Fill each gaping silence in between
Pause for a moment of grief laden thought
for what might be or might have been
Relieved as the screech of background noise
tears and splinters the serene
Bridge
Sitting in the thin places is like staring at the sun
Some people drink it in whilst some others cut and run
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8. |
Most of the Time
03:22
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Verse 1
Don't want to get older
Don't want to stop living most of the time
Don't fit in my own skin
but I know I'll grow into it most of the time
Chorus
Most of the time
Most of the time
I can convince myself
(I'm not afraid of the dark)
(My heart keeps me right
Most of the time
Verse 2
Lightning flashes of inspiration
Floods the landscape bright as new
Dispelling a fear of the darkness
that I never really out grew yeah
Verse 3
Hold my hand hold it tight forever
Hearts can be fooled
Not always clever
But mine keeps me right yeah
most of the time
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9. |
Take my Stripes
03:34
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Verse 1
The wind whips my body
through this old broken roof
Same holes let the moonlight in and illuminate the truth
You're long gone
It's cold, sober and true
Hanging on for all I'm worth
for fear of getting over you
Chorus
My life ripped open when you were torn away
Searing pain and precious sorrow
I'll take my stripes it's the price to pay
So you're shadow hangs around until tomorrow
Verse 2
Spending time alone with my rambling mind
Numbing distractions falls like scales from my eyes
This pain's going to kill me
But it's my final link with you
So I hold it close and I welcome it in
so you don't leave my world, my view
Bridge
You left so quickly but I die here glacier slow
A thousand tiny memories eat away and add to me as you go
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10. |
Laugh Quietly
02:36
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Verse 1
Laugh quietly
Accept yourself
Do onto others
You're your own wealth
Love without failing
Never expect it in return
Keep your mind pinned wide open
Where there's people you'll learn
Verse 2
Brazenly emotional
Never ever hide your tears
Seek out that still, small voice
Let it roar in your ears
Don't scan the horizon
You'll miss the beauty right here
Let your heart break loudly
Perfect love drives out fear
Bridge
Lay it down let it go
Don't think - only know
Verse 3
Savour the journey
as life's arc curves away
Be curious in the mystery
and stay grounded in today
Sprinkle kind words like water
Reviving dry and dusty souls
The life that you save
might well be your own
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Al Black Belfast, UK
"Top quality hook-laden , lyrically probing songwriting"
ROCK AND REEL
MAGAZINE
'Captivates you from the first track to the last'
GIGGINGNI.COM
Al Black is a Northern Ireland based Singer Songwriter who plays acoustic driven Indie Rock. Al's lyrics which sit among uncomplicated melodies speak of the challenges people face in life's dark places by contrasting them against hope.
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