1. |
Revolution
04:07
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I was born singing
Into the world with a song in my mouth
Ever the listener
Melody glistened and harmony shone
Answer the calling
Music the offering and worship the song
Pour out this vessel
Drink from the source that is feeding us all
No, no
He would not let me sing
He would not grant his blessing
He would not see my heart sting
No, no, no, I’m not listening
No, no, I’m not hearing anything
No, no, no, I won’t feel the words
Unless they are spoken, no melody heard
He kept it quiet
Poetry spinning the wheel in his head
Lift up the organ
Drown out the choir of a chorus he said
Keep it traditional
Prick up your ears for the meekest women
Voices that tremble
Cannot inspire revolution again
No,no
He would not let me sing
He would not grant his blessing
He would not see my heart sting
No, no, no, I’m not listening
No, no, I’m not hearing anything
No, no, no, I won’t feel the words
Unless they are spoken, no melody heard
Call it ironic
After he’s gone now his voice can be heard
More is the pity
Felt for the man with a lesson unlearned
Come to me sorrow
Help me to grow as I welcome you in
Pray I’ll remember
Never to hide from the truth that’s within
No,no
He would not let me sing
He would not grant his blessing
He would not see my heart sting
No, no, no, I’m not listening
No, no, I’m not hearing anything
No, no, no, I won’t feel the words
Unless they are spoken, no melody heard, no
Come to me softly and sing
Come to me softly and sing, little child
Come to me softly and sing
But not too loud
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2. |
Doldrums
03:18
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You and yours and back to you
At any given time
If only you could change your tune
Baby that would be sublime
It took too long to sniff you out
You took me by surprise
But now I see your glassy stare
The lack of fire behind your eyes
Tell me why I’m hesitating
Body’s tired and feet are aching
Tell me what you’re celebrating
Help me justify this waiting
When my heart is throbbing hard
I’m moving with the beat
My blood is coursing faster than
You will ever move those feet
So wrapped up in all you think
And all that you are after
Unabashed you join the crowd
In wild derisive laughter
You’re convinced you pave the way
With truth and trust as friends
But inside a coward lies
And no apologies he sends
Tell me why I’m hesitating
Body’s tired and feet are aching
Tell me what you’re celebrating
Help me justify this waiting
When my heart is throbbing hard
I’m moving with the beat
My blood is coursing faster than
You will ever move those feet
Watch out for the snake that gleams
Watch out for the talker
You can bring her tea in bed
But you just don’t know how to rock her
Tell me why I’m hesitating
Body’s tired and feet are aching
Tell me what you’re celebrating
Help me justify this waiting
When my heart is throbbing hard
I’m moving with the beat
My blood is coursing faster than
You will ever move those feet
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3. |
Down Down Down
03:12
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Down, down, down to the river
Down, down, down to the ground
Down, down, down underwater
Down, down, down
I find it’s been some time since my last transformation
And I find that I miss how it feels to transform
You pride up your back
And I let out my sails
And I pull up my anchor again
Down, down, down to the river
Down, down, down to the ground
Down, down, down underwater
Down, down, down
I’m caught on a path with a clear destination
Though I know at one time I had no destiny
This suit that I’m wearing
It fits me too perfectly
I need to be naked again
Down, down, down to the river
Down, down, down to the ground
Down, down, down underwater
Down, down, down
I could drown, drown, drown
As if I could drown, drown, drown
On my way down, down, down
Come lead me down, down, down
Down, down, down to the river
Down, down, down to the ground
Down, down, down underwater
Down, down, down
Down, down, down
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4. |
Open Door
02:56
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There was a time when my world was collapsing
And I stepped through your open door
With the blood in my veins sadly cooling
You warmed me and let me pour
And I slept away tears softly falling
And I wept away rage and regret
While I swept away empty companions
And you kept away fear ‘til I could forget
And though painful I started emerging
And though tired you watched me transform
In the sunlight I felt my blood surging
And you smiled at me from your door
And I slept away tears softly falling
And I wept away rage and regret
While I swept away empty companions
And you kept away fear ‘til I could forget
Now it’s your turn
You know it’s been coming for some time now
This is the time
Trust me as I trusted you
When I slept away tears softly falling
And I wept away rage and regret
While I swept away empty companions
And you kept away fear ‘til I could forget
And I won’t let you forget
No, I won’t let you forget
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5. |
Origin
02:56
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Temptation is a trickster
It masquerades as wise
You traded in your sister
To see with clouded eyes
You didn’t want to lose her
And live your life alone
You wanted more to choose her
Than kneel before that throne
It’s time to be a man
‘Fess up and raise your hand
Take a final stand
By popular demand
By popular demand
It’s your own fault you lost your way
You let lust blind your reason
But we still bear the blame today
On us it’s open season
Whenever you cry witch or seer
She tricked me with a spell
Common sense is lost to fear
You threaten us with hell
It’s time to be a man
‘Fess up and raise your hand
Take a final stand
By popular demand
By popular demand
If you were tricked then say so
Admit to your own weakness
You had the power to say no
We’re trading in our meekness
If you could do things over
Would it be all the same?
A solitary rover or
Someone who shares the blame?
It’s time to be a man
‘Fess up and raise your hand
Take a final stand
By popular demand
By popular demand
By popular demand
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6. |
Immaterial
02:52
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It’s immaterial
What you’re thinkin’
It’s irrelevant
That you’re sinkin’
It’s commitment
That you’re lackin’
And your devotion
Is what’s slackin’
You say the words you throw away
They stay a-burnin’ in my brain
You say the words you throw away
They stay a-burnin’ in my brain
You know it’s not my way so I won’t play
I’ve set my mind and I won’t budge
And though it’s not today I’ll join the fray
I’m givin’ you a little nudge
An impropriety there’s bound to be
When I’m outvoted one to one
You’re not convincin’ me to set you free
It’s over when I know I’ve won
It’s immaterial
What you’re thinkin’
It’s irrelevant
That you’re sinkin’
It’s commitment
That you’re lackin’
And your devotion
Is what’s slackin’
You say the words you throw away
They stay a-burnin’ in my brain
You say the words you throw away
They stay a-burnin’ in my brain
Now I don’t mean to pry and I will try
To understand your reasonin’
But can you tell me why you need to fly
Beyond our little gatherin’?
It’s written on your face you need some space
And I don’t think I’m gettin’ through
I figure it’s my place this line to trace
Your loyalties have gone askew
It’s immaterial
What you’re thinkin’
It’s irrelevant
That you’re sinkin’
It’s commitment
That you’re lackin’
And your devotion
Is what’s slackin’
You say the words you throw away
They stay a-burnin’ in my brain
You say the words you throw away
They stay a-burnin’ in my brain
You say the words you throw away
They stay a-burnin’ in my brain
You say the words you throw away
They stay a-burnin’ in my brain
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7. |
Chainless
03:21
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I should have written all this down
When anger lit me up
When venom dripped right off my tongue
And acid filled my blood
But I let time and my profession
Ease you from my mind
And though you wait almost forgotten
Chainless you are mine
I have held these words for you
Deep within my heart
I have kept them safe for you
Played a willing part
I have stored them up for you
Every poisoned dart
And I will rain them down on you
And glory in my art
I know that you believe yourself
To be the shining sun
The ultimate authority
With every battle won
You think that you’re untouchable
And that you’re free and clear
You think you got away with it
Your lip curled in a sneer
I have held these words for you
Deep within my heart
I have kept them safe for you
Played a willing part
I have stored them up for you
Every poisoned dart
And I will rain them down on you
And glory in my art
Now I am here to tell you
You will pay for what you’ve done
That my revenge is sweet
And I exact a heavy sum
This song will go on after you
When worms eat through your box
And you have been outwitted
By a sly and clever fox
I have held these words for you
Deep within my heart
I have kept them safe for you
Played a willing part
I have stored them up for you
Every poisoned dart
And I will rain them down on you
And glory in my art
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8. |
Memoir
04:45
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Those days are long gone
The wind took them flying
And recently returned them
When I wasn’t even trying
To remember the nights
We walked in the wood
The nights we sat playing those games
And from where I stood
I thought you understood
Part of me that ached to grow wild
Growing backwards from adult to child
There were days when we played
And nights when we sang
When we kissed and told secrets and held hands
We were warm
We were free
Drawn by dreams in our eyes
And we talked side by side in the sand
We spent too much time
Pretending and often denying
Trading letters, trading friends
Drowned by lonely, silent sighing
Do you remember the nights
We walked in the wood
The nights we sat playing those games
And from where I stood
I thought you understood
Part of me that ached to grow wild
Growing backwards from adult to child
There were days when we played
And nights when we sang
When we kissed and told secrets and held hands
We were warm
We were free
Drawn by dreams in our eyes
And we talked side by side in the sand
Those days are long gone
So I remember the nights
We walked in the wood
The nights we sat playing those games
And from where I stood
I thought you understood
Part of me that ached to grow wild
Growing backwards from adult to child
There were days when we played
And nights when we sang
When we kissed and told secrets and held hands
We were warm
We were free
Drawn by dreams in our eyes
And we talked side by side in the sand
There were days when we played
And nights when we sang
When we kissed and told secrets and held hands
We were warm
We were free
Drawn by dreams in our eyes
And we talked side by side in the sand
We talked side by side in the sand
I’ll remember you moonlit in the sand
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9. |
White or Red
02:55
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I was starving myself and I was alone
And although it was something that few would condone
I met up with a boy who lived life to the full
And nothing else mattered when I felt his pull
And he gave me the chance to choose white or red
But I shifted and rolled and kept both instead
And the short of it is that we just fell apart
‘Cause I couldn’t decide what to do with his heart
Beyond this line a lake begins
And it’s easier to drown than swim
Undertake a journey just to see if you’ll survive
Cast yourself upon the rocks
As you spiral out to sea
There’s a chance that I might see you on a wave
Now who’s to say what would’ve become
If I’d clipped my wings and unloaded the gun
If he’d found his center and followed his dreams
Understood that perfection is more than it seems
Well the truth of it is that it’s better this way
I let him play the tunes that he wanted to play
But it wasn’t ‘til later I found my own song
And I like where I am though the road here was long
Beyond this line a lake begins
And it’s easier to drown than swim
Undertake a journey just to see if you’ll survive
Cast yourself upon the rocks
As you spiral out to sea
There’s a chance that I might see you on a wave
Beyond this line a lake begins
And it’s easier to drown than swim
Undertake a journey just to see if you’ll survive
Cast yourself upon the rocks
As you spiral out to sea
There’s a chance that I might see you on a wave
There’s a chance that I might see you on a
There’s a chance that I might see you on a wave
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10. |
Wings of Night
06:38
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Once there was an apple tree
Who grew up in a valley
With men who cut and pruned her branches
Kept a running tally
Of every blossom, every fruit
That she might choose to ripen
And as she marked the years with rings
Their strangle-hold they tightened
The darkness set her free
When the wind blew through the night
In blindness she could see
When the crows took flight
On wings of night
One morning as the sun did rise
She dreamed awake a thought
In whisper-song she thanked the bees
For all that they had brought
The summer sun beamed down
Upon her leaves as she did feed
And she in turn poured sun-sap
Into apple, into seed
At harvest time the men could not believe
Their blessed eyes
For each and every flower
Had become a reddened prize
They picked and plucked the rosy fruit
Until the sun had set
Retiring to their hearths and beds
Good fortune they had met
The darkness set her free
When the wind blew through the night
In blindness she could see
When the crows took flight
On wings of night
The stars lit up the blackened deep
Before the moon rose high
The time for transformation near
She looked into the sky
When down towards her empty branches
Flew a welcome sight
Who tightly gripped an apple’s stem
And silently took flight
Within this apple’s juicy flesh
A tiny seed was held
That spark of life that was the tree
With joy and terror welled
They flew beyond the boundary
Of orchard and town square
They flew into the wilderness
Into the cold night air
The darkness set her free
When the wind blew through the night
In blindness she could see
When the crows took flight
On wings of night
A secret place they landed
Where the crows dug out a pit
And it’s there the seed was planted
And the dark earth covered it
As the seasons brought the turning
Of the wheel, the sun and rain
In that wooded place she sprouted
Nourished by the wild refrain
And she never lacked for comp’ny
For she had a feathered friend
Who had saved her from the village
Who had brought her there to mend
And although his voice was weathered
He knew how to weave a spell
For his living brought him wisdom
And he wore his feathers well
The darkness set her free
When the wind blew through the night
In blindness she could see
When the crows took flight
On wings of night
The old tree where she’d lived
That had oft in beauty swelled
Waned and weakened, ceased producing
And by saddened men was felled
While beyond the valley’s borders
In the woods a sapling grew
With the crows that guarded secrets
As all crows are wont to do
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11. |
Loved and Lost
05:23
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Out on the moor alone tonight
Out on the lonely moor tonight
Gather around me now twilight
Gazing up at the cold starlight
Stand in the shadow of the light
Here in the shadow I delight
Harder to see which way is right
Out of the stained and coloured light
Loved and lost
We bear the mark of second sight
We bear the scarring of hindsight
And from the hour our souls took flight
We knew we’d never make things right (for them)
Loved and lost
Quite a surprise to find that I
Am not alone here after all
Quite a surprise to find that I
Am not alone here after all
The steeple before me blocks the sky
Blinds my eye
The steeple before me blocks the sky
Blinds my eye
Quite a surprise to find you here after all
Quite a surprise to find you here after all
After all, after all
Quite a surprise to find that I
Am no alone here after all
After all, after all
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12. |
Safe Harbour
03:31
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All my life you have been as a rock
In a sea ever tossed by stormy gales
And while grounded you float like a dock
More than once I have unfurled my sails
And although I am riding the sea
There are days when I look out to see
Where the light calls me home to the shore
And I sail as the seabirds soar
If I call you a lighthouse in the dark
You would no doubt remind me of the source
As a mirror reflecting the spark
Or a lens ever focusing the force
To the world you appear to shine
Whether they see your light as divine
While a tear rarely falls from your eye
Underneath the river ne’er runs dry
In this revelation of you I’m not alone
There are many who would call you when they’re down
There are others who would put you on a throne
And those who drop by when they’re in town
For my own part I’ve written you this song
I have given a voice to the throng
Though their faces and names fade away
May you carry their love today
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13. |
Harmony
03:59
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When I think of you, all that we’ve been through
And all of the memories come flooding back to me
Can you believe in the years that have floated by
I’ve never told you, but I’m gonna try
Alanis is singing and Dorothy’s house is spinning
And Brenda’s lamenting the prints on the door
The angsty frustration, the campy jubilation
The cracker crumbs strewn on the Boar Office floor
Adventures with Matt in the boat I was captaining
Driving with Karl to the Cape Breton coast
The airport, Algonquin, Toronto, we stopped in
The dark we were eating those alien cones
Through all the insanity, every calamity
You were the rock where I weathered the storm
The laughter, the parody, we sang in harmony
You were the river that broke my reform
The music consumed us, the Beav he re-tuned us
Recording in basements and studios bare
Ad libbing harmonies, operas for jelly beans
Shaping our lives by the secrets we shared
Religious conformities, skirting the boundaries
Boys that were rotten and better off left
Yours was the place I cried on the night my Lady died
Over the years, boy, your shoulders got wet
Through all the insanity, every calamity
You were the rock where I weathered the storm
The laughter, the parody, we sang in harmony
You were the river that broke my reform
And although our paths they don’t cross very often
I’ll always remember the smile on your face
My vision is clear and my heart has been softened
And you’ll always find me a safe happy place
Through all the insanity, every calamity
I’ll be a rock where you can weather the storm
The laughter, the parody, we’ll sing in harmony
‘Cause you are the river that broke my reform
You are the river that broke my reform
Yes, you are the river that broke my reform
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14. |
Bill's Tune
02:22
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There once was a man who could play the guitar
You’d oft find him playing it deep in some bar
He’d smile at the crowd and he’d play them a song
And on a good night they might all sing along
Now there were some hundred-odd songs he could play
And sing with a range that could blow you away
He’d ask for a challenge in the wee hours of the morn
The call would come back for that old Unicorn
His hands strumming chords that he’d ne’er need rehearse
And just as he’s aiming to finish the verse
You’d see something twitch and his fans had no doubt
That tired old Unicorn would soon twist and shout
He’d play the itsy bitsy spider with a Metallica ring
But he wouldn’t play Johnny Cash or any old thing
The occasional Lightfoot this bard could enjoy
But a man at the bar requests Oh Danny Boy
And out of frustration this player he’d say
Why can’t you request something different today?
No more John Denver! I’m taking a stand
And no, I will not play the Black Velvet Band
So if in your travels you happen to meet
Our good friend named Bill, you’re in for a treat
He’ll let you come up, you can sing him a song
And on a good night he might just sing along
Yes, on a good night he might just sing along
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15. |
Follow the Wind
03:32
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Safe in a dream with my blanket around me
Smiled when he told me goodbye
Woke with a scream and a terror surrounds me
I saw a bird falling out of the sky
singing
Follow the wind
Up as she rises
Into the storm
Lightning she flashes
Birds in the sky fly
Closer to starlight
Ride the white wave
In the moonlight she splashes
Safe in a memory I cherish and hide him
Wanting to see with my eyes
Part of my family beyond the horizon
He’s drawing lines on the roof of the skies
singing
Follow the wind
Up as she rises
Into the storm
Lightning she flashes
Birds in the sky fly
Closer to starlight
Ride the white wave
In the moonlight she splashes
Safe in a circle of love and compassion
My heart can finally bleed
As I encircle with will and with passion
All that I long for and all that I need
singing
Follow the wind
Up as she rises
Into the storm
Lightning she flashes
Birds in the sky fly
Closer to starlight
Ride the white wave
In the moonlight she splashes
Come follow the wind
Up as she rises
Into the storm
Lightning she flashes
Birds in the sky fly
Closer to starlight
Ride the white wave
In the moonlight she splashes
And you and me
Will be, will be
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16. |
By and By
03:35
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We started in the spring
When we were both metamorphosing
You listened to me sing
You became the sun to my raining
And as went walking out under the sky
We’d spent our childhoods learning to fly
Restlessly searching and not knowing why
But we found each other by and by
We feel the summer breeze
And we are both climbing our own trees
And traveling the seas
Ensuring this cup never empties
And as we go walking out under the sky
We spent our childhoods learning to fly
Restlessly searching and not knowing why
But we found each other by and by
When the leaves begin to turn
And our skins are weathered and sunburned
We’ll measure what we’ve learned
Share the memories that each of us has earned
And as we go walking out under the sky
We spent our childhoods learning to fly
Restlessly searching and not knowing why
But we found each other by and by
And when the winter breaks
We’ll both come to peace with our heart aches
And covered in snowflakes
We’ll fall into sleep as the earth takes us home
And as we go walking out into the sky
We’ll spend our childhoods learning to fly
Restlessly searching and not knowing why
But we’ll find each other by and by
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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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