1. |
Man In a boat
05:02
|
|||
|
Communion bells ring out and call to the people
The faithful polish their shoes and tie up their hair
Some stay in bed, the opportunity taken
Others are up with the dawn and take the fresh air
Hazy, lazy Sunday morning
under the steeple so tall
The young, the old, the babes in arms
The man in a boat watches over them all
The graveyard holds those, their lives barely started
Victims of Pippin Street and the wild country lanes
Always young and never forgotten
We see their young faces, remember their names
Some made old bones, a life full of story
Of happiness, heartache and war
While some were cut down by the bomb and the bullet
The man in a boat watches over them all
Through sandstone eyes come rain, come sun
He maintains a vigil centuries long
In the shade of a steeple standing so tall
The man in a boat sees all
He was there when the third hour melody rang out it's chorus
Over the fields it echoed for miles around and around and around
When the runnel ran high and the rain kept on falling
When the sun baked the soil from a sky without clouds
He looks over them all, the Godless and pious
The wealthy and poor
Generations past and those yet to come
The man in a boat will watch over them all
|
||||
2. |
Fine Jane
04:29
|
|||
|
The Devil's in the straw, God's in his heaven
The swallows are high
Your hearts pumps its way through night and through day
Where the earth meets the sky
Away from the shouting, away from the anger
We wander all day
I trip round your shallows but cannot dive in
Til the world turns away
Fine Jane
Not so plain Jane
How your clear waters glide
Fine Jane
On the Lancashire plains Jane
I just want to be by your side
There's a buzz , there's a hum of Summer not yet done
On a carpet of clover I lie
I rise to my feet; I'm going your way
To where the earth meets the sky
The Devil's in the straw, God's in his heaven
Your waters run clear
Your heart pumps its way through night and through day
Down all the miles and the years
|
||||
3. |
The Bells of St Cuthbert
04:45
|
|||
|
Six o clock is calling it's eleven note refrain
And rouses all to wakefulness come hail wind or rain
It carries over pastures, serenades the trees
Ringing over fields where it once rang out to sea
Early morning strollers on the Cheshire Lines stop to lend an ear
To the promise of another day and whatever it may bring
And the bells of St Cuthbert ring from a sandstone tower
And the bells of St Cuthbert ring at the top of the hour
Leather's hitting willow, it echoes through the park
The children who are watching will be out 'til after dark
Summer days are endless, freedom fillls their lungs
Their joyful cries will linger til the setting of the sun
Meanwhile behind unlocked doors, harsh words are waiting
But when tomorrow comes they'll do it all again
And the bells of St Cuthbert ring from a sandstone tower
And the bells of St Cuthbert ring at the top of the hour
A gentle wind is carrying the buzzing of the bees
Old Bill's knees are creaking like the branches in the trees
But he is in his heaven, it's where he wants to stay
Pricking out the seedlings in the fragrance of the day
His every wrinkle tells a story, all his deeds laid bare
To be shared time and time again from his favourite chair
While the Bells of St Cuthbert ring from a sandstone tower
While the Bells of St Cuthbert ring at the top of hour
|
||||
4. |
Willow
04:11
|
|||
|
Their heads hang in sorrow, crying and a-weeping
Their feet are dipped into the waters dark
The willow guards the secrets whispered by the wind
That roll across the landscape near and far
They play host to a witches spell of fauna
Above the bat, below the toad and newt
The mirror carp flips lazily, grateful for the shade
There's home for all amongst the tangled roots
And they know but they're not telling
Of the child amongst the rushes
Who vanished from his garden one fair day
They know but they're not telling
Of the child amongst the rushes
In silent resolution they will stay
Nearby a farmer works, lovers come a courting
A pair of souls melting into one
The duckweed undulates with a ripple in the water
The willow holds its breath until they're gone
It's bottomless they say, where Jennie lays a-waiting
Sharp in tooth and nail in waters black
Who knows what else there is discarded in the margins
You can ask the trees but they won't answer back.
|
||||
5. |
A Devil in the Straw
02:48
|
|||
Will Riding Chester
A Lancashire born, Chester based singer-songwriter with a deft and playful turn of phrase and acoustic/folk sensibilities inspired by, amongst other things, 70’s Children’s TV.
If you like Will Riding, you may also like:
The Edge of the Land
by Katie Spencer
Spencer's indie folk sophomore album was recorded live in the studio over the course of two days.
go to album
Isasa makes contemplative and emotionally rich fingerstyle guitar in the mode of John Fahey and Jack Rose.
go to album
Sorry I'm So Sensitive
by Bea Stewart
The second EP from Northern Irish singer-songwriter Bea Stewart runs from gentle folk to pillowy pop ballads, all perfectly executed.
go to album
Michelle Stodart’s folk music captures hope in melancholy, addressing the transformational aspects of the most challenging times.
go to album
Veneer (20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)
by José González
featured on Bandcamp Radio Aug 29, 2023
go to album
Once Upon A Time In Montréal
by Murray A. Lightburn
The folk artist explores grief through these smooth and soulful tracks.
go to album
Our Blood Is Red
by Luke James Williams
Emotive acoustic balladry from this UK musician with heart on sleeve and hushed arrangements.
go to album
