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lyrics

Long ago by the boats we buttoned our coats
Under the towers of glass by the old river markets
Walking like courtiers on a long promenade
As fate slipped its magnetic coins into our pockets
I was won by the dress you stole from the sea
We auditioned ourselves to act in the parts we created
Standing at sunset, you made me your anchor,
We watched as the dreams of the pilgrims set sail through the ages

Don't turn out the light
Don't let me fade out of your sight
Don't turn out the light
Rosaline

We met on a hill, the grass to our knees
You said you could stare at my face for a thousand more hours
Lying beside you, spinning and falling,
I watched as the blacks of your eyes opened like flowers
In the grand old hotel, chased by the horses,
The taste of the grain in your mouth was like gold from the mountains
Dancing my fingers on the strings of the heroes
Sensing the angels hiding deep in the fountain

Don't turn out the light
Don't let me fade out of your sight
Don't turn out the light
Rosaline

Sat on a train, five miles from somewhere
I made you my queen, you made me the king of your questions
And we turned off the TV and pulled in the curtains
And you waited for warmth and coffee and cakes from the station
Laughing at lovers undressed in the spotlight
The losers of fortunes, the singers of songs best forgotten
Binding our threads on a thousand white beds
We summoned the sun and melted and drowned on the cotton

Don't turn out the light
Don't let me fade out of your sight
Don’t turn out the light
Rosaline

Well we both played it cool, ‘cause fools will be fools,
While our scars dragged our hearts screaming into their cages
And we painted the streets with the soles of our feet
While the buildings behind us were packed into boxes like stages
And we ate from the table fed by the field
And we drank from a screen full of sand and the promise of water
Under the arches, tourists and walkers,
The carpenter's son, the ghost of the salt-seller's daughter

Don't turn out the light
Don't let me fade out of your sight
When I lie down at your side
There's nothing left for me to hide
So don't turn out the light
Rosaline

Wandering bars for neckties and statues
Touching the stones that hold all our ancient reflections
Then I sailed like a blind man into the doldrums
Out of supplies, no chart, no sense of direction
Now I scrub from my bones the path to your home
And I try not to read from the lines of the miserable martyr
Still I dream every night of a letter I write
And hold in the air like a priest placing bread on the altar

Don't turn out the light
Don't let me fade out of your sight
When I lie down at your side
There's nothing left for me to hide
And if there is a life
Where we could survive
Then don't turn out the light
Rosaline

credits

from Songs to the Dust, released October 6, 2023

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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. ... more

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