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. |
First Light
05:40
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First light in the morning,
I will go down to the river,
And down by the water,
I will cast off all my sorrow
Far off in the distance,
Hear the engine, hear it roaring,
Dark heart of the city,
Is still beating, is still beating
For in this place,
No change of pace,
Will make a dent,
Will scratch the face,
Wake from your dreams,
Into what's real,
Join all the cogs,
Turning this wheel,
Fit yourself, don't try alone,
This is your home
First light through my window,
I stare downward, I stare downward,
Hordes of swarming people,
Still no warmth of human contact,
Hemmed in by the towers,
Like a prison, claustrophobic,
Feel like I could leave here,
Leave no traces, leave no memory.
So first light, come the morning,
I will set off down the railroad
For in this place...
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2. |
Animal
03:56
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I know I am an animal,
My engine runs against my will,
So will you stop my beating heart?
Maybe just for long enough to
Help to save me from myself,
As every man will know sometimes I
Have to drive this sickness out,
And drag you down to lie with me,
For I am an animal.
I know I am an animal,
I come today to sink again,
Deep into this wickedness,
To clear my sight and clear my mind,
Of these dark, foreboding clouds,
The instincts I know all too well, that
Drive me here to do these things,
And drive me to commit these sins,
For I am an animal.
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3. |
Powerless
03:46
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The lies are old,
The message stale,
Each broken promise is a sad and sorry tale,
Now watch as all your systems fail
The new resurgence,
You tried to tame,
You whispered rumours and you tried to smear its name,
It keeps on rising all the same
Like a turtle on its back in the sun,
You'll be powerless to stop it when it comes
You can embrace it, you can turn your tale and run,
You'll be powerless to stop it when it comes
This poison chalice,
Of blood and rust,
Your dreams of domination buried in the dust,
You've gone too far to mend their trust
The man you laughed at,
He now walks tall,
A younger generation looks to him enthralled,
He's just in time to watch you fall
Like a turtle...
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4. |
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There you go, with your flag lofted high,
Little man, shake your fist at the sky,
Are you just afraid of what you don't know?
Do you really believe that your life is at stake?
Your white, middle-class privilege dished up on a plate?
Don't you think someone else deserves a slice too?
Because the dice still fall in your favour,
You just don't win as much as before,
So you rattle your plastic sabre,
And tell us we can't play no more
Give it time, things will always move on,
Different doesn't always mean wrong,
Or do you just need a straw man to rail against?
What's so wrong, if two men find true love,
Or a woman is successful? You cue a hatchet job,
Don't you think the problem really lies elsewhere?
But you know, because you're in on the plot,
To divert all our anger from the man at the top,
So you blame it on someone who can't fight back
Yes, you turn on the weakest, as if we don't know,
That it's plainly in your interest to protect the status quo
Because the cards still deal in your favour,
You just don't win 'em all like before,
So you rattle your plastic sabre,
And tell us we can't play no more
Yes the odds are still stacked in your favour,
You just don't win as much as before,
So you rattle your plastic sabre,
And tell us we can't play no more
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5. |
When I Have the Blues
02:28
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When I have the blues,
When I'm down on my luck,
Baby, won't you come to me?
Try to pick me up
You know sometimes I worry,
Sometimes I need to grieve,
Baby, don't just cry,
Beg me not to leave
When I have the blues,
When I have the blues.
I know life isn't perfect,
I know life isn't fair,
But baby, sometimes,
You don't seem to care,
Lead me by the hand,
Through the darkness and gloom,
Don't leave me to sit here,
Alone in my room,
When I have the blues,
When I have the blues.
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Ralph Beeby and the Elephant Collective London, UK
Dark Folk-Blues for misfits and lost souls.
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