1. |
Bedroom Song
02:50
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Up in my bedroom
With all of these songs in my head
I can picture the stadium cheering
Like someone's arrived
And then stadium turns to a bird's nest
The swallows they fly away into the forest
My thoughts are the swallows
The feathers are falling
My thoughts they can't get off the ground
They are weighted by morningtime
Weighted by 'fraidy-cat
May be a witch but I'm scared of so many things
(Whoa whoa whoa)
Scared of so many things...
Bedroom, I'm trapped inside my bedroom
Dreaming, I dream of what to do
City, all I see is gritty city
Dreaming of rooms with other views
Once in awhile
I see out the window
The willows are weeping for my broken heart
And the poplars are trying to tell me a secret
But I cannot hear it
I'm deaf to the universe
Faulty machinery
I am not right inside
Mother and Father they should have returned me
I'm meant to be magical
Meant to be musical
May be a witch, but I'm scared of so many things
(Whoa whoa whoa) I'm scared of so many things...
Bedroom, I'm trapped inside my bedroom
Dreaming, I dream of what to do
City, all I see is gritty city
Dreaming of rooms with other views
Music & lyrics © Ali Matthews (all rights reserved)
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2. |
Bullet/Gun
04:45
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It started out with a dare
Bet you can’t jump out that second story window into the snow
I remember the wind in my hair
As I tumbled towards the ground, I bit my lip and then just let the blood flow
Drink this peach milkshake but mix it with onion juice
Don’t puke or spit, drink all of it, do not show any weakness
Peer pressure works a lot like a blackmail ruse
Do what I say and it’s okay I won’t tell them all your secrets (SECRETS!)
Oh she made me do it
Like a bullet can blame the gun
The games we started playing
Are a web and I am spun
We would shoplift all the lipsticks from aisle ten
Just one of each, pink purple peach, in pockets under acid spotlight (SPOTLIGHT!)
The fresh air outside tasted like so damn sweetened
A feeble grab at innocence, pretending not to feel the fright
The new girl smelled a lot like a way up the chain
Do what I say and it’s ok and you are next in line
She brought her guitar into the locker room
We hid her amp, the air was damp and teaming up felt fine (FINE!)
Oh she made me do it
Like a bullet can blame the gun
The games we were playing
They were starting to feel fun
We’re all gonna smoke a cigarette
We’re all gonna steal a tape cassette
We’re all gonna hang out in the park
We’re all gonna (clap clap) / We’re all gonna (clap clap)
The way that new girl swanned in with rocker hair
All jam band chic, a gig a week, come down and hear my open mic
We planned the heckle long before that day came
A little sabotage technique and she’ll know what it’s like
Tiny club, tiny stage and a big bouncer
We sat in back, our voices crack with glee as curtains rise
Our ‘boos’ began before she had tuned her strings Malicious shrieks, I threw a peach, it hit her between the eyes (EYES!)
But she made me do it
Like a bullet can blame the gun
The games we are playing
Are a web and I am spun
Oh no, I [made me do it]
This bullet don’t need no gun
The games we were playing
Stopped working and I was done
Music & lyrics © Ali Matthews (all rights reserved)
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3. |
Rowan
01:43
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4. |
Ballad of the Lumberjack
03:57
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Redwood splinters
And fingertip blisters
A friendship like sisters
But something is different
Jack is a grafter
He knows what he’s after
He knows how to build a house
Cellar to rafter
She is a traveler
Roads they unravel
Before her and she knows
Her stirrups from saddle bags
Sing We Of Lumberjacks
Men in Plaid Who Work Like Mad
Sing We Of Lumberjacks
Men In Plaid Who Work Like Mad On Tree Trunks
Sing We Of Lumberjacks
Men in Plaid Who Work Like Mad
Sing We Of Lumberjacks
Men In Plaid Who Work Like Mad On Tree Trunks
Morning-time mists
Chopping block sun-kissed
Talk that exists between
Cups of coffee, biscuits.
Autumn unfolds,
He tells her of the woods and how they
Change to leafless corridors
When winter’s breath is cold
Evening-time fog and
She stops by every time she passes
Loves to answer all he asks and
Look into his reading glasses
Sing We Of Lumberjacks
Men in Plaid Who Work Like Mad
Sing We Of Lumberjacks
Men In Plaid Who Work Like Mad On Tree Trunks
Sing We Of Lumberjacks
Men in Plaid Who Work Like Mad
Sing We Of Lumberjacks
Men In Plaid Who Work Like Mad On Tree Trunks
Seed into soil and
A friendship blooms over the winter
She sees to his redwood splinters
He strikes steel against the flint
Fireside chats
Revelations and wisecracks
And they tell each other stories
By the light of candlewax
Cuddle in bed
A cuddle turns to more
Then they meet inside the sheets
And the quilt goes on the floor
Sing We Of Lumberjacks
Men in Plaid Who Work Like Mad
Sing We Of Lumberjacks
Men In Plaid Who Work Like Mad On Tree Trunks
Sing We Of Lumberjacks
Men in Plaid Who Work Like Mad
Sing We Of Lumberjacks
Men In Plaid Who Work Like Mad On Tree Trunks
Off on the road again
Roman road over the fells
Villagers wait at the gate
And greet her with their silver bells (but still...)
She Thinks Of Lumberjacks
Men in Plaid Who Work Like Mad
She Thinks Of Lumberjacks
Men in Plaid Who Work Like Mad On Tree Trunks
Sing We Of Lumberjacks
Men in Plaid Who Work Like Mad
Sing We Of Lumberjacks
Men In Plaid Who Work Like Mad On Tree Trunks
Music & lyrics © Ali Matthews (all rights reserved)
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5. |
Fertile Myrtle
04:16
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Rowan trees in blossom
Hazelnut in hazel tree
Seed begins to sprout and then
Our village sings this melody
Rowan’s belly’s blooming
Who’s the father? No one knows.
For now we give the benefit of doubt
And we’ll see how it goes.
Fertile, the fertile myrtle
The fertile myrtle of the village gets a totem in her image
Fertile, the fertile myrtle
The fertile myrtle of the village will become our summer visage
Hazel is the elder
Hazel does this every year
Teaches budding blossoms
How to be the stalk and hold the ear
Rowan’s hands are chafing
Tying knots to totem make
Tries to learn from Hazel
Without showing that her hands do shake
Fertile, the fertile myrtle
The fertile myrtle of the village gets a totem in her image
The fertile myrtle
The fertile myrtle of the village will become our summer visage
Bun is in the oven
Heat increases, bread dough rises
Get this totem up before
This Rowan gives us more surprises
Overcast then storm clouds
Cornstalks shrivel in the rain
Harvest ruined, Rowan’s fault
That all our efforts were in vain
Fertile, the fertile myrtle
The fertile myrtle of the village gets a totem in her image
Fertile, the fertile myrtle
The fertile myrtle of the village will become our summer visage
Fertile, the fertile myrtle
The fertile myrtle of the village gets a totem in her image
Fertile, the fertile myrtle
The fertile myrtle of the village will become our summer visage
Fertile, the fertile myrtle
The fertile myrtle of the village gets a totem in her image
Fertile, the fertile myrtle
The fertile myrtle of the village will become our summer visage
Music & lyrics © Ali Matthews (all rights reserved)
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6. |
Water Witch
04:02
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7. |
Ballad of Bull Lagoon
02:33
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I walk towards the line of bulls
Testosterone fog and birds stop singing
I still think that somehow social etiquette
Keeps me safe to tread where they are grazing
This is our turf shout the band of bovine boys
No females allowed in the bull lagoon
Can’t you see that this is the bro-zone, mate?
You girls need to learn how to read a room
Stampede of hoofed masculinity
Cock, balls and horns (holy trinity)
Stampede of hoofed masculinity
Machismo is our divinity
You have gotten all of it by this point
What more do you wicked witches want from us?
This lagoon is free from soft underbelly.
Here we banter like toreador-uhs.
Domination of the softer side of things
No discussion of vulnerability
It hurts us as much as those we come across
But we soldier on towards our virility
Stampede of hoofed masculinity
Cock, balls and horns (holy trinity)
Stampede of hoofed masculinity
Machismo is our divinity
What to do with such a band of bovine butch?
Run away or fight with muscled ammunition?
This question has echoed throughout the years
Swift retreat or more war of attrition
There is a third way, it’s to use alchemy
Of conversation. There’s a world in which our
Weaknesses are strengths and hostility
Dissolves into the air like condensation
Stop this stampede of masculinity
Let’s pick a new holy trinity
Where’s the comfort in hoofed masculinity?
We are stronger when we have fragility
[INSTRUMENTAL OUTRO]
Music & lyrics © Ali Matthews (all rights reserved)
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8. |
||||
I go to celebrate the fact that I just won the war
I thump my chest jump up and down and then let out a roar
Looking around I ‘member no one’s here to share my glee
Cuz no one’s at the party if the party is just me
No one is at the party if the party is just me
No one toasts my victories or weeps with sympathy
No one made the birthday cake and no one booked the clown
Cuz no one is at the party - they’re all out of town.
But still
But still
I'm getting out of my bed this morning
Hard to get out of your head they told me
Hell is other people / Jean-Paul told Simone
She just laughed and sat down to her dinner all alone....
I used to think that friends were fellow soldiers in the fight
Better to side with strong-arms than be on the losing side
I’d love to learn to let a warmer force into my life
But no one comes to party with a girl who loves to hide
If I was on an airplane and it started to go down
I wouldn’t know just who to call. Instead, I’d look around
And watch as people called their people, sharing dying words
My own last declarations would be only for the birds
But still
But still
I'm getting out of my bed this morning
Hard to get out of your head they told me
Hell is other people / Sartre told Simone
She just laughed and sat down to her dinner all alone.
No one is at the party if the party is just me
No one toasts my victories or weeps with sympathy
No one made the birthday cake and no one booked the clown
Cuz no one's at the party - they’re all out of town.
They're all out of town
No one's at the party.
Music & lyrics © Ali Matthews (all rights reserved)
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9. |
Tiny Price
04:09
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Enter my sweet abode
You are tired, put down your load
Here is fire, here is food
Listening, I hear from you
Wouldn’t it be easier to throw the towel in
Teleport to your front door and start living your life again
Give your powers up to me and I will send you on your way
You won't have to worry and it’s such a tiny price to pay
(Tiny price. Tiny price. Give you powers up to /
Tiny price. Tiny price. Give you powers up to)
Remember, the pharmacy
Remember, the looks of glee
When the joke was on you
When you were a bully too
None of that was easy so just throw the towel in
Teleport to your front door and start living your life again
Give your powers up to me and I will send you on your way
You won’t have to worry and it’s such a tiny price to pay
(Tiny price. Tiny price. Give you powers up to /
Tiny price. Tiny price. Give you powers up to)
Normal is, as normal does
Power makes a witch stand out
Don’t you want the journey done
Say the word, and you are gone
Witchcraft's never easy so just throw that towel in
Teleport to your front door and start living your life again
Give your powers up to me and I will send you on your way
You won’t have to worry and it’s such a tiny price to pay
(Tiny price. Tiny price. Give you powers up to /
Tiny price. Tiny price. Give you powers up to /
(Tiny price. Tiny price. Give you powers up to /
Tiny price. Tiny price. GIVE YOUR POWERS UP TO.)
Music & lyrics © Ali Matthews (all rights reserved)
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10. |
How Bad Could It Be?
04:33
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Taxidermied foxes turn at me and stare
Stuffed stoats and glass toads play checkers by the fire
A small boy is pulling pints in pressed shirt and slacks
Two rabbits with rifles in full footguard attire
Welcome to the weirdos says my inner monologue
Time to turn around and leave through that door in a second
‘What’s your drink?’ a plastic doll shouts, picking up a glass
Foxes smirk and toadies wait, and I say what the heck
How bad could it be? I’ll stay for just one cherry cola
How bad could it be? They say now let’s all get to know ya
They say friendships start on fizzy drinks and we’re the Hark to Bounty crew
Grab a seat, the cola’s sweet and there is nothing left to do
Tell me all your dreams they say and we’ll keep them safe
Why are you alone and walking out there by yourself?
I tell them my stories as my clothes drip dry
The tiny barman pulls a guitar down from off the shelf
What’s your take on rock and roll? He says as he tunes up,
You’ve got power in those lungs and we could start a band
I don’t know, I play solo, I’m not the joining type
I like to work alone and make my songs by hand (Ali centre stage)
See I've been burnt before, I trusted all the wrong people
And I became someone that the world never needed
It has taken all this time to get this witch’s power seeded
I have made many mistakes and I don’t want them repeated
Still HOW BAD COULD IT BE? The band all want to get to know you
HOW BAD COULD IT BE? Our band of weirdos want to show you
That friendships start on fizzy drinks and we’re the Hark to Bounty crew
Grab a seat, the cola’s sweet and there is nothing left to do
[INSTRUMENTAL OUTRO]
Music & lyrics © Ali Matthews (all rights reserved)
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11. |
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See I've been burnt before
I trusted all the wrong people
And I became someone
That the world never needed
It has taken all this time
To get this witch's power seeded
I have made many mistakes,
And I don't want them repeated
Because I MADE ME DO IT
This spell is being spun
The path that I took
Made my mysteries come undone...
Oh yeah I GREW INTO IT
This spell has now been spun
I found my way back
From the dark into the sun...
We're all going to turn our words to deeds
We're all gonna scatter them like seeds
We're all gonna watch them grow like weeds
We're all gonna (clap clap)
We're all gonna (clap clap)
Music & lyrics © Ali Matthews (all rights reserved)
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Ali Matthews & The Celestial Seasonings Manchester, UK
Ali Matthews is an artist working across music and performance. The Guardian has called her 'a bewitching performer whose
songs clings and haunt'.
This concept album, The Witching Way, premiered as a live show at The Royal Exchange Theatre in 2019 and continues to tour the UK. For bookings or more information, please see www.alimatthews.org.
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