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Against The Tide

by Bronwyn Eather

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1.
Crooked Tree 05:36
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Crooked Tree Give me a crooked tree any day Pulling life from dirt and broken bone Songlines scribbled under bark Drawn in sand and scarred on stone Give me the bone nasal tones of barely moving lips Vowels so flat there’s hardly room to breathe A thread of desert song Winding high and falling, floating on the breeze Give me the secrets of the land Dirt and sweat and wood smoke A splash of colour in the dark Opal fire locked in ancient stone Give me a crooked tree any day Taut and twisted, strong and lean There’s beauty in every line Like man of the land, a crooked tree
2.
How I Left You 05:18
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How I Left You And so we bump and roll along A different track, another song A wayward turn against the tide The bones of our love set aside You ache for what we used to be Say time has spent our destiny So sure you’ve been misunderstood But darling, I’ve never been this good! A pebble for the memory A seashell full of mystery A feather for the night bird’s cries A pocketful of fireflies, I’m coming home A thousand days like this with me The ragged breath of a haunted sea The dizzy stars of a summer’s eve I’ll pack them up and you’ll believe, I’m coming home I’m standing on the shore, knowing there is more We’re changing every day, I feel so far away And so we bump and roll along Some things go right, some go wrong We keep the mystery inside We live our love against the tide I’m coming home, I know you know In my restless heart, I left you long ago
3.
Against the Tide 04:38
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Against The Tide How she danced! Climbed to the top, sang to the night How she sang! To the bright shining stars, and down to the dark swelling tide “I wanna live! I’m alive, and riding the pain And it smiles Hard as diamonds, and I just wanna shine again” If we knew! That life was so brief, we’d have made time to weep Tears, how they’d fall! Slide down your face to a pool on the floor You could swim through the weeping, right out the door Float in the moonlight, and dream of a new life How we’ll live! In a house by the sea, you’ll sing and I’ll play violin And we’ll swim through the weeping, guided within Float in the moonlight, against the tide, out of this life Swim through the weeping Against the tide, out of this life.
4.
Second Line 04:19
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Second Line The march goes forward down the main boulevard The crowd goes quiet when the band moves past There’s a line by the corner seven people deep Everybody wonderin’ how the kingpin will sleep Roll out the carpet! Strike up the drum! Bang on the tambourine, the kingpin is gone We better second line, but don’t go too near The order is a-changin’, a new scene will be here They say there’ll be a show down, who’ll be next in line? Who’ll sleep with the kingpin, who’ll be left behind? The brother in his pinstripe, the lover in her hat? Hollow with her grievin’ in a long black Cadillac The wife she knows already she can’t win the game It’s blood, lust or nothin’, she only got his name His mother in a string o’ pearls, she never miss a step The king’s reign is over, she want all she can get We better second line boy, show ‘em how we feel Dance with the ladies, the kingpin ain’t here We better second line, but leave the rest to me I’ll go get the story, I’ll see what I can see There’s a crypt in the old church with a heavy armed guard All the bodies buried there, near the old graveyard There’s ‘gators in the water, snakes in the drains Stand back and watch boy, see who take the reins Some say his brother, some say his wife My money’s on his mother, she been in this game for life She got poison in the cocaine, lethal in the smack A dagger in her stockin’, so don’t you turn your back She’s the queen of the scene boy, now everybody know We better second line, we’ll make a real good show We better second line boy, she’ll build a solid scene The order is a-changin’, here comes the queen!
5.
Stuck in Limbo 04:16
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Stuck in Limbo Maybe I’m mistaken, maybe there’s a line Maybe there’s a way that we can gather and define This love of mad proportion, impossible taboo Or relegate the vision to a rare and heightened view No, we’ll never speak of it. It’s gone - like the moon after sunrise And the only thing I’ll keep with me Is the soft shine of your eyes But that’s ridiculous! Get me out of limbo, I’m going nowhere fast Losing all sense of time, no future here, no past My love is stuck in limbo. No, we’ll never mention it. It’s gone - like the sun in a total eclipse And the only thing I’ll keep with me Is the cool touch of your lips But that’s ridiculous! Just get me out of limbo, my heart’s split at the seams Can’t stitch it back together, it’s all caught up in my dreams My love is stuck is limbo No, we’ll never speak of it. It’s gone - like stars on a cloudy night And the only thing I’ll keep with me Is the way you held me tight But that’s ridiculous! Get me out of limbo, help me find the key My heart is locked in limbo, trying to get free My love is stuck in limbo
6.
High On Your Pony 04:42
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High On Your Pony The sun’s falling west and the clouds are on show I’m walking in Newtown, it’s all shine and flow Got a song in my head with an easy-go rhyme And the rhythm is kicking in, six-eight time Riding high on my pony tonight Riding high tonight Maybe a new song to take home and play Just get to the bridge, now I’m feeling my way So I’m stepping it through and dancing the beat I smile like a queen, I‘m the queen of King Street Riding high on my pony tonight Riding high tonight Then something comes clashing and thundering through Here comes the king and he’s playing for you My six-eight is gone, and I’ve lost that swing I might be a queen, but he is the king Riding high on his pony tonight Riding high tonight Well there goes my song, but what can you do? His mobility vehicle is wired for you You can dance to Elvis and join in his song The king of King Street’s rockin’ rolling along Riding high on his pony tonight Riding high tonight The beauty of Newtown is anything goes Just ask the king, he’ll tell you, he knows You can do anything you wanna do Just make it in four-four, and be-bop-a-loo Riding high on your pony tonight Riding high tonight
7.
Syrian Winter 04:30
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Syrian Winter Snipers above me, tunnels below On the battle-scarred streets, there’s nowhere to go Running on empty, no tears to cry This is our last stand, we all came to die That’s the rule – Battle is cruel – But I’m jihadi cool I learned from my bedroom, the power of nasheed New Nike trainers with shalwar and kameeze A cool black standard to sign our new ways Our own Armageddon, the whole world ablaze That’s the rule – Struggle is cruel – But I’m jihadi cool No water, no fire, no food for the day A handful of bullets and a busted AK No plan, no comfort, no brother beside No path to glory, no jihadi bride I’m a fool – Battle is cruel – No jihadi cool A Syrian winter, a dark frozen pool We’re lambs to the slaughter, jihadi fools Mama I’m bleeding, I’ve no one to hold Fallen from grace, foolhardy and cold That’s the rule – Battle is cruel – No jihadi cool Life is a thread on an old wooden spool Spinning and twisted, hardened and cruel Abandoned and desperate, empty within Standing on a rooftop, going with the wind I’m a fool – Battle is cruel – No jihadi cool
8.
Rhyme and Reason 04:13
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Rhyme and Reason Some days I got my poetry on Some days I got my tunes Some days I got nothing to wear Those the days I might need you Some nights I drink the melody Some nights I taste the chords Some nights I got no appetite Those the nights I could be yours Still I feel you there Waiting for your time If I’m lost in why or wherefore You’re the reason, you’re the rhyme Sometimes I almost touch you Sometimes you’re out of range I’m a deer before the spotlight I’m a penny waiting for change Some days are full and shiny Some days are dark and sparse And sometimes I get the picture It’s the space between the stars Still I feel you there Waiting for your time If I’m lost in why or wherefore You’re the reason, you’re the rhyme But can you reach us all? Or do I have to share? Is your light for everyone? Are you alone out there? I wear you like a costume You write me like a ghost I feed you all my secrets My character exposed You’re the angel in the detail You’re the devil on a pin The breath to hold my monkey mind When the world comes crashing in Still I feel you there Waiting for your time If I’m lost in why or wherefore You’re the reason, you’re the rhyme
9.
Against the Tide (Alt) 05:35
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Against the Tide (Alternate version) How she danced! Climbed to the top, and sang to the night How she sang! To bright shining stars, and down to the dark swelling tide I wanna live! I’m alive, and riding the pain And it smiles Hard as diamonds, and I just wanna shine again If we knew! That life was so brief, we’d have made time to weep Tears, how they’d fall! Slide down your face to a pool on the floor You could swim through the weeping, right out the door Float in the moonlight, and dream, of a new life How we’ll live! In a house by the sea, you’ll sing and I’ll play violin And we’ll swim through the weeping, guided within Float in the moonlight, against the tide, out of this life Swim through the weeping Against the tide, out of this life.
10.
Into Eternity 03:44
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Into Eternity St Stephen’s at sunset, a walk through the churchyard Find a quiet corner among the old graves Think of those shipwrecks with no one surviving A rusted iron anchor the only thing saved Into the twilight a clear voice is moving A shock of bright hair, a silvery smile A spindle of a tin man with a parlour guitar Strapped to his back, travelling style And the stars burst and the strings break A heart stirs and our nerves quake We all just want to feel free So tonight we breathe into eternity It’s so quiet here in the middle of town Shadows of tombstones grow all around me In the fading light, so quiet tonight Nestled in the arms of a Moreton Bay cradle We sing till the stars come shining He cries for love, I yearn for freedom To cut all the ties that bind me And the stars burst and the strings break My heart stirs and our nerves quake We all just want to feel free So tonight we gaze into eternity

about

Delightful and charming journeys of heart and mind, these unique songs sit somewhere between folk, jazz and country rock.

"A lovely record. Sort of textural and wide and mysterious."
William Bowden (Mastering Engineer)

credits

released October 13, 2017

Recorded and Mixed by Brian Campeau.
Co-produced by Brian Campeau and Bronwyn Eather.
Mastered by William Bowden.
Songs written by Bronwyn Eather.
Portraits by Susan L'Estrange.
Cover design and track art by Mark Fairhurst.

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Bronwyn Eather Sydney, Australia

Born in Tasmania, Bronwyn Eather came to Sydney to study acting, following almost a decade of pioneering work as a field linguist in Arnhem Land, in the remote north of Australia. 'Brave Old World' is her third release, following 'Against The Tide' 2017 and 'On The Bones of Love' 2015. ... more

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