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No Ordinary People

by Al Black

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1.
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?
2.
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
3.
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
4.
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
5.
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
6.
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
7.
Petrified 04:19
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
8.
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
9.
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
10.
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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released July 15, 2023

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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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