Get all 10 Ralph Beeby and the Elephant Collective releases available on Bandcamp and save 35%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of The Well, Magnolia Smoke, Never Know, Another Swing of the Scythe, Undercurrent, An Imperfect Cadence of Gloom and Ennui, Our Man Stan, All the Pretty Little Horses, and 2 more.
1. |
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The air was cold, the day was new
And bad news came out of the blue
The sudden breath, the sharp surprise
A world collapsed before my eyes
If I'd known then what I now know
I would not face this world alone
The sun grew warmer day by day
But winter never went away
Where light and life had been before
Was now a numb and hollow core
This leaden feeling in my bones
I cannot face this world alone
That I might not forget your face
I shall go to your resting place
Remembering all the joy you gave
And make my bed next to your grave
The void that's left now you are gone
I cannot face this world alone
You'd be amazed how much I've grown,
Still I cannot face this world alone
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2. |
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Take one for sorrow, another for joy
Another bird in the hand
The battle's over, the beach deserted
The bones, they bleach on the sand
Help someone younger, save someone stronger
I know for me it's too late
Just dress my body and dig the hollow
Where my coffin awaits
O death sing sweetly, O death be comely,
O death be slender and lithe
The icy fingers upon my shoulder
Another swing of the scythe
Take one for sorrow, another for joy
Another bird in the hand
A murder of crows, a flock of vultures
They will do well in this land
Your dulcet whisper, it sounds familiar
I've heard you somewhere before
The clock runs slower, the air grows colders
I know you are at my door
A song of sorrow, a tale of heartbreak
A scene that troubles my dreams
The wind that gathers up into thunder
The moan that builds to a scream
O death be gentle,O death be stealthy
O death be slender and lithe
The icy fingers that grip my shoulder
Another swing of the scythe
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3. |
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All the birds whose songs they'd heard, they locked up in a cage
But no one wanted Crow's call, they let him fly away
Crow knew he could steal the key, and let those birds fly home
But if they stayed safe in their cage, they could not be shot down
Crow flew up the crooked tree, and there he watched a girl
Who nestled in its roots and hid her sorrow from the world
Her amber flowed up to its leaves and bitter seeds were born,
And as they spread, his eyes shot red, Crow hung his head to mourn
He watched the spirit drain from her and heard her plaintive song,
And as he mourned, his mind, it turned, to those who'd done him wrong
He flew away and pledged that day to search afar and wide
For those burned his hatchlings' nest and shot his feathered bride
Winter dies and spring must rise for fresh new weeds to grow,
But winter must come back to Earth, and bodies back to Crow
Take his hand, pay the man, the pennies that you owe,
For all you've earned must be returned, and bodies back to Crow
In a garden, grand and wide, the men did as they liked
Unaware that Crow was there, and swooping down to strike
And with his beak, he plucked their eyes, and threw them in the snow
But fierce revenge brought no amends, no peace, no rest for Crow
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4. |
Friday Night (Totentanz)
04:19
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|
Trades her wedding ring to buy diesel
A pack of cigarettes and a light
She's heading for the coast, trying to find safe passage tonight
She's got to close her mind to the horror that she's leaving behind her
Well, she always knew that something wasn't right,
Then she found out what he does on Friday nights
Red light that gives way to daybreak,
In a room somebody's crying,
His eyes wide with fear as he runs from the scene of his crime
He's got to flee this town and hope that they never find him
As Saturday morning shines a cold, hard light
On the fatal errors of a Friday night
Deptford dive, dark deals done dirty on Friday night
That pony won't get you no white horse on Friday night
Pack 'em up, ship 'em out, skipping town late on Friday night
From behind closed doors comes the sound of applause,
But what's done here tonight will break all kinds of laws,
Where a surgeon (of sorts) grafted wings to a horse,
The behest of a man who could buy any wish, and asked,
"Why should the pegasus be just a myth?"
But this beast will not fly, upon waking it dies,
And as the crowd leaves the doctor pours gasoline,
To destroy any evidence here at the scene
As he pockets the cash and he strikes a light
To burn away the horrors of this Friday night
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5. |
Lilith (Totentanz)
09:37
|
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|
A gift she was to be to keep him company,
He hoped she'd meet his whims and would submit to him,
But she had ideas of her own
He pawed at her and pushed, could not disguise his lust
He said that they should go, he bade her lie below
'til she stood firm and told him no
She said, "if you want me, atop's where I shall be."
He finished in no time, she sighed and rolled her eyes,
He sulked; he didn't want to know
He fears the demon who alights on darkened rooms
His darkest impulses kept hidden from the world but not from her
And Lilith was her name
An avatar for sin, a lie he hides within
He could not handle the desire he felt for her, and in his shame
Claimed Lilith was to blame
She slipped away that night, he slept as she took flight
The path down to the sea, pursued by angels three
A gulf stretched out for her to swim
They told her he felt spurned, they begged her to return
To heal his wounded pride, she raised her hands and cried out
"No, I won't go back to him"
The lord himself appeared, as she stood, undeterred
She cut him down to size and forced a compromise
Both knew that neither side could win
She laughed at his commands; he left with empty hands
The man, incensed to learn that she would not return
A wrong he know not how to right
Outrageous lies he spread, a price put on her head
A witch, he said she was, a demon, a succubus
Of visitations of the night
Out of sight, out of mind, she left him far behind
Her life was not destroyed but hers to be enjoyed
And she paid no mind to his slights
|
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6. |
Time to Go (Totentanz)
03:22
|
|||
|
Let us walk out together
The stage is set
The wolves are here to greet us
Our fate is met
Set down your grandest project
Someone is crying
A script you'll never finish
You ran out of time
The tide that rocks the ferry
Your body knows
The pale man's outstretched hand
It's time to go
|
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7. |
||||
8. |
||||
|
Take one for sorrow, another for joy
Another bird in the hand
The battle's over, the beach deserted
The bones, they bleach on the sand
Help someone younger, save someone stronger
I know for me it's too late
Just dress my body and dig the hollow
Where my coffin awaits
O death sing sweetly, O death be comely,
O death be slender and lithe
The icy fingers upon my shoulder
Another swing of the scythe
Take one for sorrow, another for joy
Another bird in the hand
A murder of crows, a flock of vultures
They will do well in this land
Your dulcet whisper, it sounds familiar
I've heard you somewhere before
The clock runs slower, the air grows colders
I know you are at my door
A song of sorrow, a tale of heartbreak
A scene that troubles my dreams
The wind that gathers up into thunder
The moan that builds to a scream
O death be gentle,O death be stealthy
O death be slender and lithe
The icy fingers that grip my shoulder
Another swing of the scythe
|
||||
9. |
||||
|
All the birds whose songs they'd heard, they locked up in a cage
But no one wanted Crow's call, they let him fly away
Crow knew he could steal the key, and let those birds fly home
But if they stayed safe in their cage, they could not be shot down
Crow flew up the crooked tree, and there he watched a girl
Who nestled in its roots and hid her sorrow from the world
Her amber flowed up to its leaves and bitter seeds were born,
And as they spread, his eyes shot red, Crow hung his head to mourn
He watched the spirit drain from her and heard her plaintive song,
And as he mourned, his mind, it turned, to those who'd done him wrong
He flew away and pledged that day to search afar and wide
For those burned his hatchlings' nest and shot his feathered bride
Winter dies and spring must rise for fresh new weeds to grow,
But winter must come back to Earth, and bodies back to Crow
Take his hand, pay the man, the pennies that you owe,
For all you've earned must be returned, and bodies back to Crow
In a garden, grand and wide, the men did as they liked
Unaware that Crow was there, and swooping down to strike
And with his beak, he plucked their eyes, and threw them in the snow
But fierce revenge brought no amends, no peace, no rest for Crow
|
||||
10. |
||||
|
Trades her wedding ring to buy diesel
A pack of cigarettes and a light
She's heading for the coast, trying to find safe passage tonight
She's got to close her mind to the horror that she's leaving behind her
Well, she always knew that something wasn't right,
Then she found out what he does on Friday nights
Red light that gives way to daybreak,
In a room somebody's crying,
His eyes wide with fear as he runs from the scene of his crime
He's got to flee this town and hope that they never find him
As Saturday morning shines a cold, hard light
On the fatal errors of a Friday night
Deptford dive, dark deals done dirty on Friday night
That pony won't get you no white horse on Friday night
Pack 'em up, ship 'em out, skipping town late on Friday night
From behind closed doors comes the sound of applause,
But what's done here tonight will break all kinds of laws,
Where a surgeon (of sorts) grafted wings to a horse,
The behest of a man who could buy any wish, and asked,
"Why should the pegasus be just a myth?"
But this beast will not fly, upon waking it dies,
And as the crowd leaves the doctor pours gasoline,
To destroy any evidence here at the scene
As he pockets the cash and he strikes a light
To burn away the horrors of this Friday night
|
||||
11. |
Lilith (Mönchsgeier)
08:57
|
|||
|
A gift she was to be to keep him company,
He hoped she'd meet his whims and would submit to him,
But she had ideas of her own
He pawed at her and pushed, could not disguise his lust
He said that they should go, he bade her lie below
'til she stood firm and told him no
She said, "if you want me, atop's where I shall be."
He finished in no time, she sighed and rolled her eyes,
He sulked; he didn't want to know
He fears the demon who alights on darkened rooms
His darkest impulses kept hidden from the world but not from her
And Lilith was her name
An avatar for sin, a lie he hides within
He could not handle the desire he felt for her, and in his shame
Claimed Lilith was to blame
She slipped away that night, he slept as she took flight
The path down to the sea, pursued by angels three
A gulf stretched out for her to swim
They told her he felt spurned, they begged her to return
To heal his wounded pride, she raised her hands and cried out
"No, I won't go back to him"
The lord himself appeared, as she stood, undeterred
She cut him down to size and forced a compromise
Both knew that neither side could win
She laughed at his commands; he left with empty hands
The man, incensed to learn that she would not return
A wrong he know not how to right
Outrageous lies he spread, a price put on her head
A witch, he said she was, a demon, a succubus
Of visitations of the night
Out of sight, out of mind, she left him far behind
Her life was not destroyed but hers to be enjoyed
And she paid no mind to his slights
|
||||
12. |
Time to Go (Mönchsgeier)
04:16
|
|||
|
Let us walk out together
The stage is set
The wolves are here to greet us
Our fate is met
Set down your grandest project
Someone is crying
A script you'll never finish
You ran out of time
The tide that rocks the ferry
Your body knows
The pale man's outstretched hand
It's time to go
|
||||
Ralph Beeby and the Elephant Collective London, UK
Dark Folk-Blues for misfits and lost souls.
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