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Dance in the Rain (20th Anniversary Release)

by Leslie Hudson

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  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

    You'll also get 10 png downloads of my original hand-written lyric sheets from 1998-2002
    Purchasable with gift card

      $10 USD  or more

     

1.
I push through the crowd but it gets hard to breathe As I cough someone hands me a mask And all I can think to myself as I’m walking on is The truth about you is fish can’t really fly This is a song for the misunderstood For the doctor who’s wilting inside And the putz in the corner with healing in his hands There’s an attic of cobwebs and dreams inside Look in the closet it’s full of high-heeled shoes And the fishnets are under the bed What would they think of you if you let it all out? How do you hide the glint in your eyes? Isn’t it clear that I see right through you? Stop trying to sell me that tough love campaign You think if you’re stealthy I won’t feel you coming It’s not up to you to bend my path This is a song for the misunderstood For the doctor who’s wilting inside And the putz in the corner with healing in his hands There’s an attic of cobwebs and dreams inside I pick up sticks and I sleep under the trees If you worship the sun you must be insane We all know lunacy comes under the light of the moon I’m tired of making you feel comfortable This is a song for the misunderstood For the doctor who’s wilting inside And the putz in the corner with healing in his hands There’s an attic of cobwebs and dreams inside This is a song for the misunderstood For the doctor who’s wilting inside And the putz in the corner with healing in his hands There’s an attic of cobwebs and dreams inside There’s an attic of cobwebs and dreams inside There’s an attic of cobwebs and dreams inside
2.
I know I’m in trouble The room’s closing in There’s frost on the petals And leaves on the wind Children are laughing They dance in the rain With limited perception Here we go again The white horse-drawn chariot is full of armed men Just shut your eyes darling, it’s only pretend And they’ll fly far away to a land that’s diseased And they’ll fly away home when they’ve brought it to peace Play me a tune, Sam That soothes me to sleep I’ll pull up the covers And not make a peep And if when I wake You have wandered away I’ll know that you never Intended to stay The white horse-drawn chariot is full of armed men Just shut your eyes darling, it’s only pretend And they’ll fly far away to a land that’s diseased And they’ll fly away home when they’ve brought it to peace What time is it, Mister Wolf? What have you brought us to? Timing is everything And bad dreams come true The white horse-drawn chariot is full of armed men Just shut your eyes darling, it’s only pretend And they’ll fly far away to a land that’s diseased And they’ll fly away home when they’ve brought it to peace The white horse-drawn chariot is full of armed men Just shut your eyes darling, it’s only pretend And they’ll fly far away to a land that’s diseased And they’ll fly away home when they’ve brought it to its knees
3.
To Know Me 05:15
If you ever go walking out on the ocean And you see a girl there in a billowing cloak With her hair all around her and waves in her footprints Her voice on the wind and the sea in her eyes You’ll have found where I live Where my soul sails the ocean You’ll have found where I live With the storm clouds above me You’ll have found where I live Though you may not understand me You’ll have found where I live With my voice on the wind If you ever go walking up on the clifftops And you see a girl there in a velvet green dress With the long grass around her and hair full of flowers Her voice on the wind and the earth in her eyes You’ll have found where I live Where my soul sails the meadow You’ll have found where I live With the dawn clouds above me You’ll have found where I live Though you may not understand me You’ll have found where I live With my voice on the wind If you ever go walking deep in the forest And you see a girl there among trees old and sweet With the fruit, nuts and berries in piles all around her Her voice on the wind and the wild in her eyes You’ll have found where I live Where my soul sails the treetops You’ll have found where I live As the dusk settles o’er me You’ll have found where I live Though you may not understand me You’ll have found where I live With my voice on the wind If you ever go walking ‘round bright fires burning And you see a girl there draped in orange and red As the embers are popping she dances in circles Her voice on the wind and the sparks in her eyes You’ll have found where I live Where my soul sails and rises You’ll have found where I live With the smoke clouds above me You’ll have found where I live Though you may not understand me You’ll have found where I live With my voice on the wind If you ever go walking along rocky shorelines And you see a girl there with her feet bare and white And the calm waves are lapping her steps as she wanders Her voice on the wind and a smile in her eyes You’ll have found where I live Where my soul sails the border You’ll have found where I live With the bright clouds above me You’ll have found where I live Though you may not understand me You’ll have found where I live With my voice on the wind You’ll have found where I live Where the light sails above you You’ll have found where I live Where the mist swirls around you You’ll have found where I live Though you may not understand it You’ll have found where I live Where I sing with the wind
4.
Ivy 04:57
There’s a dance and it plays me It spins in my head Through your eyes I can see the sparks fly I can keep myself tumbling I’m almost awake It’s a shame that you’ve come here to die The ivy reddens with your shame And you think it’s just a game The ivy twines around your arm As it sucks away your charm The ivy reddens with your shame And you think it’s just a game The ivy twines around your arm As it sucks away your charm And before you sink away And your body turns to clay I remember how you tried To kill the girl I am inside There’s a well where I sit And it’s shrouded in vines There’s a path but it’s hidden from you Like moss between flagstones Like lava in the sea I will heal all the places you flew The ivy reddens with your shame And you think it’s just a game The ivy twines around your arm As it sucks away your charm The ivy reddens with your shame And you think it’s just a game The ivy twines around your arm As it sucks away your charm And before you sink away And your body turns to clay I remember how you tried To kill the girl I am inside Snow falls in my footsteps And blankets my eyes The wind brings the rain As it sighs The ivy reddens with your shame And you think it’s just a game The ivy twines around your arm As it sucks away your charm The ivy reddens with your shame And you think it’s just a game The ivy twines around your arm As it sucks away your charm And before you sink away And your body turns to clay I remember how you tried To kill the girl I am inside Before you sink away And your body turns to clay I remember how you tried To kill the girl I am inside And I smile
5.
Faith 07:03
Once there were castles built into the stone Undaunted challengers connected to the same stone And the skirmishes between them did not matter, could not change them ‘Cause they were rooted firmly in the ground But the ground grew soft and they grew weary And they hauled the anchor in and set sail But they found no wind in the middle of the ocean So they are drifting, they are drifting still Every now and then an island passes by Every now and then someone jumps off Every now and then a false alarm is sounded Every now and then someone cries One day they ran aground on a foreign shore They were surrounded by people waiting They were waiting for fire from the sky They were waiting for the world to end, the dove to descend But he had not come, he had not come and they were wondering He had not come, he had not come to end their suffering He had not come, he had not come to give them their wings He had not come, he had not come and they were drifting What one had been a functioning society Had rusted, broken down, was ripping at the seams They had abandoned their happiness, their joy of living They had relinquished their humanity to stand there waiting Still he had not come, he had not come and they were wondering He had not come, he had not come to end their suffering He had not come, he had not come to give them their wings He had not come, he had not come and they were drifting As the sailor stood there he felt a fish swim by He looked and saw the waves engulfing the edge of the shore And all around him flew fantastical creatures What made them long for all this fire from the sky? They were looking for miracles in a cloud of smoke They wanted slavery with a tangible master What’s wrong with living now? the sailor asked the herds of people But if we close our eyes we might miss his entrance The sailor shook his head and he went back to his ship We’re heading home to our castles in the stone We thought our faith had become idle and listless And as they sailed away the people sighed They went back to their castles built into the stone They had foundations delving deep into the land We thought we needed to escape the lives that we’d been living They jumped into the waves and ran to kiss the sand And he has not come, he has not come and they are wondering He has not come, he has not come to end their suffering He has not come, he has not come to give them their wings He has not come, he has not come and they are drifting They are drifting
6.
Samhain 04:09
The wind in the willows in the poplars and firs The grass in the meadows with the heather and furze The Sun on its throne amidst courtiers of stars And I on the floor sit amending my scars The waves in their strength carve the cliff faces bare The hawk in its plunge causing swirls in the air The mist in its sheen clinging desperately on To the land it envelops from dusk until dawn Hai – The trees shed their leaves as the old King his crown The wind blows them sharply but can’t pin them down The Earth she is drawn to the face of the moon And the Queen marks his passing with her mournful tune The darkness it falls as it cradles the land Her lap is his pillow she’s holding his hand She watches as slowly he fades from her sight And he watches her cry from some far lofty height Hai – She passes in slumber the long winter’s night Her pattern determines her path in the light Her womb will transform all this death into life And we will extol her with cauldron and knife The roots of the trees penetrate to her core Knowing they’re waiting she opens the door She feels the sap rising like blood in their veins Yes, life will continue and she holds the reins Hai –
7.
I went out to the hazel wood Because a fire was in my head And cut and peeled a hazel wand And hooked a berry to a thread And when white moths were on the wing And moth-like stars were flickering out I dropped the berry in the stream And caught a little silver trout When I had laid it on the floor I went to blow the fire a-flame But something rustled on the floor And someone called me by my name It had become a glimmering girl With apple blossom in her hair Who called me by my name and ran And faded in the brightening air Though I am old and wandering Through hollow lands and hilly lands I will find out where she has gone And kiss her lips and take her hands And walk among long dappled grass And pluck till time and times are done The silver apples of the moon The golden apples of the sun
8.
I came upon an empty box Or so I thought, or so I thought Its age suggested emptiness But something made me pause But something made me pause It looked abandoned, brown and small Or so it seemed, or so it seemed And if I hadn’t glanced that way I would have missed its form I would have missed its form It wasn’t screaming, buy me now! So quietly it lay near me I even thought I saw it move And try to hide deliberately And try to hide deliberately An orange peel lay on its lid And coffee grounds and garbage mounds It seemed to say I’m ugly, see? I’m hard to get to, walk away I’m hard to get to, walk away Yet in that moment, staring down As crowds walk by and pigeons fly The dog that’s chewing at my soul Perks up his ears: at last, he sighs Perks up his ears: at last, he sighs I stooped to touch the box I’d found I had to see, I had to see I gripped the lid and lifted up And looked inside at nothing And looked inside at nothing I placed the lid back on the box I laughed aloud, I laughed aloud Since I found peace inside that box Where others have found nothing Where others have found nothing As I walked along the street The passing crowds with open mouths All melt away like mist and spray Beneath the omnipresent sun Beneath the omnipresent sun I came upon an empty mind Or so I thought, or so I thought Its age suggested emptiness My own thoughts made me pause My own thoughts made me pause
9.
We Know 04:24
We know it’s not about the day We know that nothing has to break We know there’s more to life than watching jet planes We know there’s more to this than fire And everywhere we hear the snap of someone else’s ring bands And everywhere we go there seems to be another hole We’re tired of the mess that no one seems to want to clean up We’re tired of the time it takes to point out every star We know it’s not about the reign We know that no one has to fake it We know there’s more to life than living softly We know there’s more to this than wings And every time we feel the snap of someone’s disapproval And everywhere we go there seems to be another tear We’re tired of the fuss and no one seems to want to end it We’re tired of the time it takes to tell you who we are We know it’s not about the ring We know that no one has to drink We know there’s more to life than drifting silence We know there’s more to this than gold We know it’s not about the day We know that nothing has to break We know there’s more to life than watching jet planes We know there’s more to this than fire We know there’s more to this than wings We know there’s more to this than gold We know there’s more to this than fire We know it’s not about the day
10.
Lullaby 05:28
Have you ever seen perfection? Personified, crystallized The Truth in a grain of sand? Have you ever seen perfection? Personified, crystallized The Truth in a grain of sand? And I can trace the lines that run across my fading skin And I can feel the magic in the visions in my dreams And I can touch the floating hands above me when I sleep And I can sing the secret songs, I’ve known them since my birth Have you ever Have you ever Have you ever Have you ever Have you ever Have you ever Have you ever seen? Have you ever seen perfection? Personified, crystallized The Truth in a grain of sand? Have you ever seen perfection? Personified, crystallized The Truth in a grain of sand? And I can trace the lines that run across my fading skin And I can feel the magic in the visions in my dreams And I can touch the floating hands above me when I sleep And I can sing the secret songs, I’ve known them since my birth Have you ever Have you ever Have you ever Have you ever Have you ever Have you ever Have you ever seen? Oh – Have you ever Have you ever Have you ever Have you ever Have you ever Have you ever Have you ever seen?

about

In 2002, I was finishing my post-grad degree to become a Montessori teacher and I was getting married to my best friend. As a favour to my about-to-be-husband and his business partner, Dan Turcotte of Mesmer Media did a quick record of my vocals, while I figured out how to record midi tracks and quantize them. He mixed & mastered the album for us so we could give it as a gift to the folks who came to our wedding.

A lot changes in 20 years. I'm no longer married, and this album has lain hidden from public view for a decade. When I sat down to listen to it again I realized I was ready to share it, so I've remastered the tracks and given the album a new cover (photo by Karl Stahl).

Dance in the Rain is a window into who I was 20 years ago, just trying to get the people in my life to see the real me. I can hear the beginning of my love of harmony coming out in "We Know" and how much I loved storytelling in my 7-min long "Faith." I've included the lyrics for "Samhain," though they never made it onto the album.

With this last piece of the puzzle, all my albums are now digitally available. I hope you enjoy this precious wee time capsule.

credits

released May 17, 2002

Leslie Hudson: songwriter (except track 7 poem by W.B. Yeats), piano, tin whistle & vocals
Dan Turcotte: harmonica

Vocals recorded at Mesmer Media Productions, Mississauga ON
Original mix & master by Dan Turcotte (2002)
Remastered by Leslie Hudson at Blest & Hext Studio, Stratford ON (2022)

Cover photo & treatment by Karl Stahl
20th anniversary cover design by Leslie Hudson

20th Anniversary Release - April 1st 2022

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Leslie Hudson Stratford, Ontario

Leslie Hudson is a Canadian singer songwriter and pianist. Their albums range from storytelling styles to bluesy bar rock to dialed-up, full-band homages to pop culture. With lyrical piano skills and a voice that cuts through the crowd, their songs dive deep into archetype and folklore, modernizing ancient voices & shining a spotlight on the shadowy paths we walk through life, myth and media. ... more

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