1. |
With Small We Start
04:03
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He’s never seen the northern lights glow
from a wooden hut nearby Abisko
there’s a National Geographic photo
that’s been ripped out of a magazine
On a bench by his old radio
morning sunlight through the shed window
colours faded now but for the green
the fantasy is all we need
Take note, take heart, with small we start
To rewire, rethink, step back from the brink
Take hold, tear old, worn habits apart
Go steady, go, with small we start
She’ll probably never live in Portland
with graffiti roses for a garden
but new stories form on the horizon
as she lets go of moving over there
Instead she walks her niece to school
looks for swallows by the river pool
and learns when you’re not in a rush
that tiny things can mean so much
Take note, take heart, with small we start
To rewire, rethink, step back from the brink
Take hold, tear old, worn habits apart
Go steady, go, with small we start
Some days I’m flooded with emotion
by our blind dystopian devotion
and it’s hard to see where we are going
the lack of empathy, the lack of love
But I’ll try to plant some little seeds
try to sift out all my wants from needs
sort the mess out in my own backyard
light the future with this spark
Take note, take heart, with small we start
To rewire, rethink, step back from the brink
Take hold, tear old, worn habits apart
Go steady, go, with small we start
(Northern lights, northern lights)
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2. |
Call it a Day
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3. |
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I see a thousand worlds in the window
of a train as it passes me by
Each one plugged into an orbit,
their own pain, their own lullaby
Isn’t it wild to be sharing this moment
the same very thimble of time
Isn’t it wild that we each hold an ocean
yet fail to fathom other tides
Down at the edge of the water
A mother weeps on the shore
How can we study the wounds of our history
and still send our children to war
Isn’t it wild to be sharing this moment
the same very thimble of time
Isn’t it wild to be living when love is
endangered, denied
Isn’t it wild to be sharing this moment
the same very thimble of time
Isn’t it wild that we each hold an ocean
yet fail to fathom other tides
A child with hands in the soil
wakes without question and grows
truth is a hope to hold onto
and where it blooms we will go
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4. |
Loneliness
04:11
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See the horses from my window
Bodies huddled and shape one shadow
Flowers open, slow then violent
Time is passing, I stay quiet
Loneliness, your letter came
you know my house, you know my name
Loneliness, I hear you call
from the kitchen, through the wall
Loneliness, alive and well
is there someone I can tell?
Loneliness, you fill the day
I wish that you would go away, would go away
Everyone else seems surrounded
With people and purpose and things that ground them
Take me outside, shake the dust off
In the sunshine all is not –
Loneliness, your letter came
you know my house, you know my name
Loneliness, I hear you call
from the kitchen, through the wall
Loneliness, alive and well
is there someone I can tell?
Loneliness, you fill the day
I wish that you would go away
Loneliness, I feel you breathe
down my back, upon my cheek
Loneliness, I’ve had enough
of moving slow, I want a rush, I want a rush
I want a rush, I want a rush
See the horses, from my window
Bodies huddled and shape one shadow
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5. |
The Quiet Ways
03:19
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Has this time misshapen me?
Budding branch on fallen tree
I’m not who I used to be
I am not who I used to be
Budding branch on fallen tree
My new reply when nothing calls:
A poem read, a painted wall
Sad is sometimes beautiful
This sadness can be beautiful
A poem read, a painted wall
When this dream comes to an end
My introvert, my winter friend
Will you hide with me again?
Will you hide with me back here again?
I need you, my winter friend
What of this will stay the same?
The slowing down, the smaller days
The quiet ways that we have changed
The quiet ways that we have changed
The slowing down, the smaller days
Has this time misshapen me
Budding branch on fallen tree
I’m not who I used to be
I am not who I used to be
Budding branch on fallen tree
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6. |
Feathered Thing
03:59
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I went to the burnt-out woods
A tourist with some damaged goods
Remembered how the trees withstood
fires before
Blue wren in the monochrome
sifting through the ash and bone
reminding me if hope is home
then grief is a door
The quiet pause where dead ends burn
And new beginnings wait their turn
Indigo wing be the body I bring
to the door as before
feathered thing, a feathered thing
It’s so hard to let go, wanted to know
wanted to know you
with my body I stand on the ashen floor
let go your hand
I was hoping I’d forget
the possibility we’d met
where you were a ghost is left
and grief is a war
Wish there was something I could do
find a way to see this through
Did everything I could for you
there’s nothing more
The quiet pause where dead ends burn
And new beginnings wait their turn
Indigo wing be the body I bring
to the door as before
feathered thing, a feathered thing
It’s so hard to let go, wanted to know
wanted to know you
with my body I stand on the ashen floor
let go your hand
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7. |
Fragile as Humans
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8. |
Sad Songs
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9. |
Life is for an Hour
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10. |
Acisoma
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Emily Barker UK
Emily Barker is the award-winning songwriter and performer of the theme to BBC TV’s Wallander starring Kenneth Branagh. Her music is an indie blend of influences from alt-country to folk via 60s pop, with comparisons ranging from PJ Harvey to Joni Mitchell. ... more
Emily Barker recommends:
Simmerdim: Curlew Sounds
by Various Artists
I was honoured to be invited by Merlyn Driver to contribute a track to this wonderful project. All proceeds go to support the RSPB and its work.
go to albumIf you like Emily Barker, you may also like:
Onliness (songs of solitude & singularity)
by Josienne Clarke
supported by 27 fans who also own “Fragile as Humans”
I really can't pick a favorite track. this album has to be heard in its entirety to be fully savoured and imbibed.
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The Edge of the Land
by Katie Spencer
supported by 23 fans who also own “Fragile as Humans”
I first heard Katie Spencer on YouTube when she was featured on the For Bert Jansch playlist. Katie played her own song called Shannon Road. The lead break that she plays twice really got my attention. I became a fan instantly. Every track on this album is lovely. The whole listening experience is like a favourite film running through my head. I'm so glad that in my twilight years I discovered Katie. I wish her a long and succesful career in music.
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RELAY (Vol. 1) for Music Venue Trust #SaveOurVenues
by Relay
supported by 22 fans who also own “Fragile as Humans”
Beautiful track, lovely cover version.
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Here in the Pitch
by Jessica Pratt
On her fourth album, Jessica Pratt blends up 60s pop and bossa nova into a spooky mix of soft psychedelia.
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The Australian singer's debut solo album is filled with creative indie pop tracks.
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