1. |
Seducing the Emperor
03:40
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When did this alter, my life by the river? I've bricked up the doors to invisible harm.
Feeling the danger is just round the corner, my heart's beating faster
In time with the call of the wren.
The colours of Spring burning up with the sun, I wander through woodland, meeting no one.
Where are you hiding, your wings still unfurled? How could we know
This would feel like the end of the world?
Brimstone and Peacock dance in the breeze, watch 'til the Emperor flies through the trees.
Hearing the earth breathing once more, I can't remember
The last time that I wore shoes.
Pheromones hanging in gauzy black lace from branches of Silver Birch reaching to space.
Luring the day moth like Sirens of old, seducing the Emperor,
Promising riches untold.
When did I last see the sky oh so blue? No vapour trails bisecting the view.
The river flows slowly over the stones, silently moving
Over the land no one owns.
And where are you now? Are you breaking free from the Major Arcana to fly here to me?
To follow the lure to the slow-flowing river, the Brimstone and Peacock,
The whitest of Birches and me
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2. |
Locked and Loaded
04:17
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Everything’s closed, no life anywhere
I used to kinda want this, but now I don’t care
I’m worried sick, you’re worried blind
Choose a new metaphor, see what you find
If I don’t get out soon, I’ll be losing my mind
Maybe I’ll read some good books, or learn how to jive
Something, anything… just to feel alive
You’re wearing a mask, I feel my time has passed
We’re in a prison, and the walls are closing fast
Something has to change here, or we’re not going to last
No light coming in… colours fade to black
Our world has gone now, and it’s not coming back
Watching from the inside, hoping to break free
We’re locked and loaded, no escape for you or me
It’s been too long now, the charade has been exposed
We used to be so open, but communication’s closed
We’re no good for each other anymore
You say it’s my fault but I’m really not sure
You deceived me all along, that’s what your mask was for
No light coming in… colours fade to black
Our world has gone now, and it’s not coming back
Watching from the inside, hoping to break free
We’re locked and loaded, no escape...
No light coming in… colours fade to black
Our world has gone now, and it’s not coming back
Watching from the inside, hoping to break free
We’re locked and loaded, no escape for you or me
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3. |
Manningtree Station
04:39
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She waitressed in the cafe at the station.
Served him coffee while he waited for his train.
He sat and read the papers, did the crossword, checked his watch
And seemed to look right through her
Though she'd heard him say her name.
Come to the station at nine
When the cafe serves liquor and there's dancing 'til light.
Come to the station, be mine,
It's a sparkling gin palace by night.
He lived on the hill in the house painted green
Near the signpost that points to the towers.
She'd watched as he'd hung Christmas lights from the trees
As she sat on the bus with her daydreams and flowers.
Come to the station at nine
When the cafe serves liquor and there's dancing 'til light.
Come to the station, be mine,
It's a sparkling gin palace by night.
Then just as she'd stopped thinking about him
Except on the bus, for a while, now and then.
He left her a note on the table in the cafe
As he picked up his bag and walked out for his train.
Come to the station at nine
When the cafe serves liquor and there's dancing 'til light.
Come to the station, be mine,
It's a sparkling gin palace by night.
She smiles as she thinks of those days back in time.
The note on the table, the signpost, the lights.
When she worked at the station and he caught the train,
When the cafe became a sparkling gin palace by night.
Come to the station at nine
When the cafe serves liquor and there's dancing 'til light.
Come to the station, be mine,
It's a sparkling gin palace by night.
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4. |
The Fastest Train
04:19
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As the longest summer was closing
They lay on the grass just supposing
Could they go somewhere no-one had ever been?
They decided never to mention
Their need to find some redemption
Trusting that a little rain might wash them clean
In search of a new destination, they went down to the station
Hoping to get to somewhere that would ease their pain
So she poured herself a coffee, as his imagination ran free
Then they both climbed aboard the fastest train
They hurtled on for a couple of weeks
From deepest valleys to highest peaks
He lost track of places he thought he knew
Her gaze drifting so far away
As she sat on a bench by the bay
The lessons that they learned there still hold true
In search of a new destination, they waited at the station
Hoping to get to somewhere that would ease their pain
As she poured another coffee, his imagination ran free
Then they got back on board the fastest train
He‘d only wanted one thing from her,
But he was hungry, and took much more.
She hoped this ride could last forever
But the station was just outside the door.
Time cut through them like a knife
They learned things that lasted for life
She knew that the price of pleasure might be pain
His view changed, but it couldn’t last
The scenery was moving too fast
Then they fell on to a platform in the rain
No more new destinations, they were back at the same station
Hoping something else might ease their pain
As she poured one last coffee, his thoughts no longer ran free
This time round they boarded different trains
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5. |
Ship of the Fens
04:20
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Ship of the Fens, guide me to harbour.
Ship of the Fens, show the way to your door.
Ship of the Fens, giving hope to the fenmen.
Ship of the Fens, giving hope ever more.
Fragile land of the Fens, you've taken the lives of so many men.
They dug the drains and built the banks, windmills tilting to the wind.
So I cross the Welney Causeway, The Bedford river and The Delph.
Swans and Herons watch me passing by, I'm not alone but by myself.
Ship of the Fens, guide me to harbour.
Ship of the Fens, show the way to your door.
Ship of the Fens, giving hope to the fenmen.
Ship of the Fens, giving hope ever more.
I'm moving southwards to The Isle, water's northern path to Lynn.
Fields of wheat stretch forever, land so flat and wearing thin.
Endless sky is all around me, horizon everywhere I look.
And there she sits so proud and mighty, bringing me safely back to shore.
Ship of the Fens, guide me to harbour.
Ship of the Fens, show the way to your door.
Ship of the Fens, giving hope to the fenmen.
Ship of the Fens, giving hope ever more.
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6. |
Listen to the Birdsong
03:47
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When things are looking bleak, you’re feeling all is lost
Friends say carry on, but you worry about the cost
Tried to fly above the clouds, but you fell into the sea
Can you hear a swallow singing, somewhere inside of me?
I will be your mainstay, you can rely on me
To keep you afloat, on any stormy sea
Keep heading for the lighthouse, hold tightly to this rope
Listen to the birdsong, it’s there to give you hope
Listen to the birdsong, it’s there to give you hope
Listen to the birdsong…
So cold, it’s worse than winter, but spring is on the way
Your home’s off in the distance, but you’ll get back one day
When pain is too much to bear, grief’s swallowed you up whole
Listen to the swallow singing deep inside your soul
I will be your mainstay, you can rely on me
To keep you afloat, on any stormy sea
Keep heading for the lighthouse, hold tightly to this rope
Listen to the birdsong, it’s there to give you hope
Listen to the birdsong, it’s there to give you hope
Listen to the birdsong…
Keep heading for the lighthouse, hold tightly to this rope
Listen to the birdsong, it’s there to give you hope
Listen to the birdsong…
Listen to the birdsong…
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7. |
A Time to Dance
04:36
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He saw her on the last train from the city,
She was staring out the window into black.
Losing sight of everything that told her who she was
And wondering if she'd ever get it back.
The train pulled in too soon at platform one
And as she stood to leave he caught her eye.
He cast the line that held her in that moment
And somewhere in the night the dance began.
He asked her in his glance if she'd like to dance.
A busker in the market square was playing
"For the Roses".
She was small and way too complicated.
Her life forever in parenthesis.
He never knew which her he'd find
Waiting at the door.
She'd say that she was really fine
And tell him just to pour the wine.
So he believed all this was true
'Til the day it wasn't anymore.
He asked her in his glance if she'd like to dance.
A busker in the market square was playing
"For the Roses".
She left him, took the first train to the city.
She raised her and and mouthed the word "goodbye".
Losing sight of everything that told him who she was,
He turned away and walked back to his life.
A momentary visit to his heart was all she was.
It wouldn't shake the wings of butterflies.
But she had shown him that there is a time to want to dance
And time to cut the line to Paradise.
He asked her in his glance if she'd like to dance.
A busker in the market square was playing
"For the Roses"
"For the Roses"
A busker in the market square was playing
"For the Roses".
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8. |
Shadows in the Twilight
04:08
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She was a creature of the night
Lost in somewhere starless
A ghost dazzled by the light
That drew her
Into an unfamiliar place
Dark battles with light
Day gives in to night
Ghosts break cover to fly
Leaving shadows in the twilight
… shadows in the twilight
Vague shadows in the twilight
Creeping his way through the gloom
A wolf compelled to devour her
But as she fluttered to the room
He hesitated
Not sure where she had gone…
Had she returned to a place long gone?
Or was she somewhere new?
Was she a game that he’d once won?
Or a phantom that he couldn’t pursue?
She was held captive by the light
Under a canopy of darkness
And, in there, hidden from his sight
He won’t find her
Then by daybreak, she will disappear
Dark battles with light
Day gives in to night
Ghosts break cover to fly
Leaving shadows in the twilight
… shadows in the twilight
Vague shadows in the twilight
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9. |
Black Hat Silver Pin
03:50
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Black hat, silver pin - pay the piper cos he's riding in.
Black hat, silver pin - the time has come to purge the sin.
Blue eyes, pretty face, scarlet woman dressed in lace.
Scratchin' at my sorrow with the man who'd be mine,
It was all over in easy time.
Black hat, silver pin - The Devil's riding shotgun and he's gonna win.
Black hat, silver pin - don't let him catch you, never let him in.
He had a love who lived in his dreams, catchin' kisses in a paper bag.
Chains of daisies held her in the night, he never, ever, let her see the light.
Black hat, silver pin - sitting by the cellar door waiting to go in.
Black hat, silver pin - time to let the wheel of fortune spin.
Winds blow dust of souls, breathe it in, make them whole.
Seeds of pearls, grow them strong. Don't listen to The Devil's song.
Black hat, silver pin - watch him as he's riding away.
Black hat, silver pin - dancing light brings in the day.
Turn the soil, dig it deep, plant the scarlet caps of lace - let them sleep.
Feel the silver in your hand. Wear the hat with the daisy chain band.
Black hat, silver pin - souls are playing violins.
Black hat, silver pin - hush little darlin', listen to them sing.
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10. |
The Crystal Voice
05:08
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A Voice rang out from an island, so strong, so clear and pure
A sailor, spell bound by the singing, felt it call him to come ashore
Perfect blue framed a lone palm tree, lemongrass scented the air
The sailor didn’t know where he’d woken, but he knew that he didn’t care
He’d left his crew and ship behind, just as night started to fall
This strange beguiling music held the sailor in it’s thrall
The tune, angelic and charming, was used by the Voice as a lure
To entice unwary travellers with a sound too sweet to ignore
He stumbled towards the singer, he didn’t need any guide
But behind the Voice of an angel, the soul of a demon may hide
The Voice rang out like crystal, so strong, so clear and pure
Hypnotised by the melody, the sailor made his way from the shore
He was trapped and had to give in to, whatever the Voice would decide
To be, used, refused and tormented, until the day he died
But the sailor asked why sound so beautiful had brought him to the brink
These first words the Voice ever heard, gave it pause to think
The Voice still rang like crystal, so strong, so clear and pure
But now there was a question - could the melody, be something more?
The Voice mixed words with the music as day melted into night
Together they formed a mystic blend of something that sounded so right
What happened, they could not comprehend, but the magic didn’t take long
The Voice with words from the sailor, now gave birth to a song
The song rang out like crystal, so pure, so clear and strong
Now the music had new meaning - with words it had missed for so long
The song rang out like crystal, so pure, so clear and strong
Now the sailor had found his calling
and the Voice …
had words …
for the song
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Lunar Thorn Cambridge, UK
Lockdown 2020 folk rock duo project.
Their “Seducing the Emperor “ CD contains songs written during lockdown, and
recorded in their home studios using acoustic instruments to give a natural feel to the album. They have gone on to release other songs as solo artists and in collaboration with others.
... more
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