Get all 4 Ian David Green releases available on Bandcamp and save 30%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Songs to the Dust, Songs from the Wheel, Songs of the Sea, and Songs of the Electric Night (EP).
1. |
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Antony frowned as he fumbled the car keys
It wasn't my intention to star in a tragedy
I had a funny offer, it kind of appealed to me
And now I'm on the run being chased by my memories
It's harder than it looks to compose your own symphony
Oh Cleo don't you know you rewrote my history
Found me in a flea-bitten Sauchiehall speakeasy
Took me on a ride even when I was at the wheel
Your laughter and your thighs, they're making a fool of me
I'm lost in your eyes pleading for clemency
Cleopatra smiled as they drove up the shoreline
It wasn't my intention to quit my own pantomime
My stomach's turning, my heart's beating overtime
Don't care about the mountains out on the skyline
I'll look at his face from now till the end of time
Oh Tony when you found me I was leaving the bar
You swept me off my feet like some Hollywood star
We're heading for America, if we don't get that far
Well at least we'll have fun making love in a rent-a-car
I'll take a night in a Lochaber trailer park
Antony sighed as they stood on the sand
Saw the last boat putting off from the land
"Oh Cleo, I am sorry, I’ve ruined our plans
No money in my pocket, I'm not much of a man"
But she kissed him on the mouth, took hold of his hand
“Tony don't you see there is nothing to fear
Our ship might have sailed but I'm still standing here
So whisper sweet nothings into my ear
And hold me in your arms till the sun disappears
I'm your lover tonight and a thousand more years”
Oh love is like a ripple out on the ocean
A revolution starts with the faintest of notions
Just a little push sets the wheels in motion
Next thing you know there's a mighty commotion
I came for the view, I got caught in a hurricane
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2. |
Chelsea Hotel #3
04:14
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I remember you well
In the Chelsea Hotel
Winter on West 23
Folding my shirt
On the back of a chair
I tried in my way to be free
You told me to hold back the day
And not let the dawn in
Knowing we’d both get away
Into the morning
I remember you well
In the Chelsea Hotel
A place for our limbs to collide
Holding my head
On the unmade bed
As the moon lit the lines of your side
I told you to hold back the day
And not let the dawn in
Knowing we’d both get away
Into the morning
I remember you well
In the Chelsea Hotel
Weaving our worlds for a night
Lost in the gloom
Of some faraway tomb
We buried our blindness from sight
Trying to hold back the day
And not let the dawn in
Knowing we’d both get away
Into the morning
Burning our hearts in the sun
Folding our bones into one
Carving on paper or stone
Oh how I need you
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3. |
The Story of Lazarus
03:35
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And with a kiss upon the shoulder
Withered scales fell from your eyes
And nights that closed ever colder
That your companions of loneliness terrorised
Were cracked by the light
You stumbled out into the morning
You felt the dew upon the ground
It never gave you any warning
It came upon you without a single sound
Turned your heart inside out
You roamed the alleys like a stranger
Clutching rags in your hands
A shepherd searching for a manger
A child who reads words he cannot understand
The lame made to stand
And though the years die like embers
And be not visited again
With every sunrise you'll remember
The tomb that opened, the light that flooded in
That breath upon your skin
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4. |
Swallows
04:44
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On the day that you were born
Morning swallows kissed the sun
The brilliant butterflies at dawn
Danced upon the heather
On the day that you were five
All the forests came alive
The bees burst out from in the hive
To greet you in the meadow
On the day you were a man
Plough I placed into your hand
And clay and loam and stone and sand
Marked your skin like fire
On the day you will but see
Shadows where I used to be
Far across the frosted fields
In echoes of the river
Leave the dead to make their own way home
Now the song is yours to make your own
Step outside, see the morning swallows
Step outside, see the morning swallows
Step outside now, see the morning swallows
Step outside now, see the morning swallows
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5. |
Wedding Song
04:35
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Move
On a certain word, who
Is going to say what hurts her
Going to save her
Going to save her here
Pin the roses in her hair
Hold her hand, let people stare,
Warm and tired evening air
Going to sail her there
Going to wake and step out early
Willows hanging, cotton turning
Consider where we marry
Consider where we build it
Who's to say that we should worry
Who's to stand between the gentle lines
Upon the parchment world we draw?
Going to paint that picture there
Pin the roses in your hair
Dancers in the morning air
Wagons mending in the square
On the cobbles by the harbour stairs
Move
On a certain word, who
Dares to think to hurt her
Going to save her
Going to frame it here
Pin the roses in her hair
Clippers loading, dusty air
All the hills our feet will share
Going to sail her there
Move
On a certain word, who
Dares to speak to hurt her
Going to say it there
Move
On a certain word, who
Dares to paint that picture
Going to hold it there
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6. |
The Robber's Tale
05:16
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My mother was a drunken whore
With dogs I slept upon the floor
The sewer by the open door
The only river I could ever see
My mother died, the sheriff came
With hungry eyes my coin to claim
I bathed him there in pitch and flame
And fled the voices calling after me
Among the trees I made my home
A beast that crawls beside the road
And frees the traveller of his load
And sends his soul to find a judgement tree
Well some men begged upon their knees
Some whispered prayers and homilies
Some bled out with cries and pleas
The moment that the violence came to be
For some men die before they live
And some men take more than they give
And some men sin more than forgive
Damn me for my greed I am all three
And so the judge high on his chair
With blackened teeth and yellowed hair
Smiling coldly did declare
Oh listen son the gallows call for thee
Oh listen son the gallows call for thee
I looked the pardoner in the eye
"Have done" I said, "and do not try
To turn my heart unto the sky
For all is true that they have said of me
And if you be a holy man
I am the wolf among your lambs
My mother's bastard yes I am
I'll cut you just as soon as I'd be free
For you know that I was born to burn
And let the hangman's keep be earned
So to the devil I'll return
And pay the price you gather here to see
For there never was a heaven made for me
There never was a heaven made for me"
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7. |
White Sand / Black Star
05:03
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Mary I'm tired
Of walking on wires
And wiping the dust from my eyes
I'm lying awake at night
Drowning in Bakelite
Sauces and home apple pies
These polka dot dresses
And Sunday confessions
Can't wipe the stain from out of the skies
Oh New Mexico
So long
We sent out a cable
To the archangel Gabriel
And asked for the power of the sun
Then we built us a black star
Out on the white sands
And told all the cameras to come
But after the thunder
The handshakes and wonder
The silence came down like a shroud on everyone
Oh New Mexico
So long
I burned all the pages
Of all the newspapers in town
And I watched as the ashes
Settled like flies on the ground
No there's no need to mention
The kind of intentions
Lining the road I have paved
Just pull out the driveway
And head for the highway
We'll say our goodbyes with a wave
Don't we all have something
We used to believe in
Before the truth came along and got in the way?
Oh New Mexico
So long
So long
So long
So long
So long
So long
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8. |
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9. |
Rainbows
04:15
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I went out driving over the mountains
Twenty-five years if a day
Ashes in cardboard under the dashboard
I never could put on display
Nothing belongs to us
Nothing belongs to us anyway
I came to a hollow of maple and aspen
Ringed by a sun-dappled stream
Jesus was waiting, drinking beer and sun-bathing
The most beautiful thing I have seen
He said "Son you have found me, for all of your wandering
And come to your own resting place"
And I cried like a baby that takes its first needle
As he lifted his hands to my face
I woke in the evening, cardboard beside me,
Traces of ash on my sleeve
And I called to my child through the broken white pines
The yellow and wildfire leaves
"Oh this is my promise to walk through this forest
Gathering rainbows to place on your pillow
Until the end of my days
For the time that I don't own is not mine to not own
There's no one to miss me no ways"
Nothing belongs to us
Nothing belongs to us
Nothing belongs to us
Oh nothing belongs to us anyway
Oh nothing belongs to us anyway
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10. |
The Wheel
05:49
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The sailors have drifted away
Each with a girl in his hand
Wrapped in the ribbons of old Uncle Sam
They danced to the sway of the band
Oh I heard the engines arrive
I saw the trains on the hill
I saw millions of eyes in the chambers of sighs
I saw the gears of the wheel.
The bells are beginning to fade
Oh friend won’t you bring out your dead
Freedom they cried to the faraway sky
And parted the king from his head
Oh emperors where are you now
And where are the hearts that you steal?
Lost like a lamb on the lone level sands
Under the gears of the wheel.
Oh hero who falls to the sea
Oh soldier who’s shot where he stands
Oh captain who drowns where his ship runs aground
Oh farmer laid under his land
Oh woman with child and with none
Oh sage with your secrets revealed
Oh come ye who labour from dusk unto dawn
And rest in the gears of the wheel.
Oh you who have conquered the sun
And tethered the moon to your side
Do you remember the songs that you sang
Under the African sky?
For I am the wandering boy
The girl with the wolves at her heel
And I am the tree by the cold mountain stream
Fed by the gears of the wheel.
Oh I am the forest of flies
And I am the garden of gold
Oh I am the ghosts of the voices long gone
And I am the stories they told
Oh I am the start and the end
I am the dark, dreary dream
I am the hand that will welcome you home
Turning the gears of the wheel
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14. |
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Ian David Green London, UK
A singer, songwriter and composer from Liverpool, Ian's influences range from folk greats like Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and
Van Morrison to more contemporary folk / indie / Americana artists such as Damien Jurado, Phosphorescent and Iron & Wine.
With a gift for rich, compelling storytelling and layered lyricism, Ian builds his songs with carefully crafted, evocative and striking language.
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Ian David Green recommends:
Plaintive and melodic, the apparent simplicity of the arrangements leaves a lasting impression. Like a modern Joni Mitchell but, dare I say it, better.
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Anyone who can include a song with a 53-word title that still fits and makes sense deserves a tip of the hat. Endlessly inventive and surprising, this album is a true original. Chicago is a classic.
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Saint Bartlett
by Damien Jurado
A little sparser than his following albums, Saint Bartlett is a clever mix of subtle folk with more driven, anthemic arrangements. Cloudy Shoes is a great opener, Falling Snow hauntingly beautiful.
go to albumIf you like Ian David Green, you may also like:
The Edge of the Land
by Katie Spencer
supported by 12 fans who also own “Songs from the Wheel”
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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supported by 12 fans who also own “Songs from the Wheel”
Psych-folk with a late 60s / early 70s flavour. If you like Nick Drake or Fairport Convention you will enjoy this. It's an observation of change and a celebration of a hazy, high summer harvest. The music transports you to the moorlands and mill towns of Northern England. Dark and open and embellished with beautiful melodies and thoughtful lyrics. This is album of the year 2021 for me.
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Phototherapy EP
by Fahim Rahman
A collection of twinkling bedroom folk-pop demos from Fahim Rahman that arcs from hushed intimacy to sweeping cinematic emotionality.
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