Get all 10 Anne Lister releases available on Bandcamp and save 35%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Root, Seed, Thorn and Flower, A Twist in the Story, The Quiet People, Waiting for the Hero, Singing on the Wind, Prometheus, No Signposts., A Flame in Avalon, and 2 more.
1. |
The Easiest Thing
03:27
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Breathing should be the easiest thing
First thing we ever learn to do
Take a breath from the world outside
Relax and let it through.
Breathing should be the easiest thing
People tell me, and they’re right
But I breathe in and I can’t breathe out
It’s a long and bitter fight
To learn to breathe.
And loving should be the easiest thing
First emotion we really know
And we all learn how to hold on tight
But not how to let go.
Loving should be the easiest thing
People tell me and it’s true
So how come there are no simple words
To tell us what to do
To learn to love.
And the hardest time to breathe is when we really need the air
And the hardest time to ask for love is when we really care
And the hardest time to touch is across the spaces in between
And the hardest time to think is when we really need to dream.
Touching should be the easiest thing
First way we make a mark
But it’s easier to move a mountain side
Than be sure to touch a heart.
Touching should be the easiest thing
People tell me and it’s no lie
But we all build up our barricades
And never work out why
We don’t touch.
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2. |
Moth
03:05
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I flew too close to the candle and I think that my wings are aflame
I should never have come so close to you – it seems I won’t leave again.
There should be some kind of warning
For those of us who fly by night
To beware of the cold air of morning
And to keep away from the light.
Oh the light that it cast out was gentle and I’d been far too long in the cold
And all of the dark seemed so lonely and all of your welcome seemed gold.
There should be some kind of warning
For those of us who fly by night
To beware of the cold air of morning
And to keep away from the light.
And alone outside your window there’s just the pale gleam of far distant stars
You could search for heaven for ever – at least you’d be safe where you are.
There should be some kind of warning
For those of us who fly by night
To beware of the cold air of morning
And to keep away from the light.
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3. |
When Kings Play Games
04:29
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When kings play games, they play with different balls
When kings play games, they play with lives
And politicians play their juggling games
They toss up truth and catch just lies
When kings play games they always make the rules
When kings play games they play to win
And politicians, they’re dangerous meddling fools
And others clear up what they begin.
When mothers dream, they dream of growing things
When children dream, they dream of light
When lovers dream they dream of joining things
When poets dream they dream of night.
When kings play games there’s little laughter there
When kings play games they play for real
And politicians talk of strategy
Hide in their language, forget to feel
When kings play games they don’t play give but take
And politicians, they’re just the same
There’s no compassion, there’s no for fairness sake
‘Cos after all they’ll say it’s just a game.
When mothers speak they talk of reaching out
When children speak they talk of fun
When lovers speak they talk of gentleness
When poets speak we see the sun.
And now it’s time to play some different songs
And now it’s time to say what’s true
To know that there could be some clear rights and wrongs
When children learn, they learn from you.
We’ll leave the kings in their palaces
And politicians in their halls
And those of us who speak more loving languages
We’ll play a new game now, with different balls.
When mothers dream they dream of growing things
When children speak they talk of fun
When lovers dream they dream of joining things
When poets speak we see the sun.
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4. |
Message Home
03:22
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Take the message home, tell them that I can’t come back yet
Take the message home, say I’m walking on my way.
Obstacles I’ve found, and people that I’ve met
Are all trying their best to persuade me to stay.
And soaring high above there’s an eagle in motion
Soaring high above like a soul alone
I should trust in love like the tides of the ocean
To carry me safe back home.
Take the message home – there are lessons I’m learning
Take the message home – I’m finding some to teach
The road travels on like a spiral keeps turning
I can see the gate but it’s not yet in reach.
And soaring high above there’s an eagle in motion
Soaring high above like a soul alone
I should trust in love like the tides of the ocean
To carry me safe back home.
Take the message home – I’m homesick and dreaming
Take the message home – I still can’t turn round
The thread guides my path like a cloth that we’re weaving
I’ll follow it through till I stand on home ground.
And soaring high above there’s my soul in motion
Soaring high above like an eagle on the wing
I should flow with love like the tides of the ocean
And peace is the song I sing.
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5. |
Red Riding Hood
03:03
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What was her mother thinking of?
To send a small girl half way through the forest where there could be wolves?
What was her mother thinking of?
Didn’t she think about the danger, Didn’t she warn about talking to strangers
Didn’t she know that little girls always stray along the way?
What was her mother thinking of?
To leave an old woman in the middle of a forest where there could be wolves?
What was her mother thinking of?
To leave the grandmother on her own in that little log cabin that she called home
Didn’t she even think a way ahead and go instead?
And grandmother, what bright eyes you have
Grandmother, what red lips you have
And grandmother what a fine hairy chest you have
Maybe I’ll slip in bed with you instead.
What was my mother thinking of?
Now that I’ve come half way through the forest and I’ve met wolves
What was my mother thinking of?
Didn’t she know on a bright spring morning I’d forget her careful warnings
And I’d take a step or two too far
And be lured by a wolf in a bright shiny leather-seated E-type car?
And grandmother….
Do you think we should blame the wolf?
Forced to live in the middle of a forest and act like a wolf
Do you think we should blame the wolf?
Lured by a little girl smiling so sweet and pulled by the scent of fresh young meat
Every bit of social conditioning said he would
Attack, seduce, devour and rape women – and little Red Riding Hood.
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6. |
The Godmother
04:33
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She wasn’t invited to the christening, but still she thought she’d go
Taking her own present for the child.
And the others travelled in sunlight, but her journey was ice and snow
And when she reached the feast her eyes were wild.
The others gave the girl gifts of beauty and of love
All the things a princess shows to the world
But the uninvited guest gave her anger in a velvet glove
And they wondered what use that was for a girl.
As the girl grew older, she lived life in a dream
Seeing love in every young man’s face and hands
And her godmother watched discreetly and stayed clear of the scene
And tried to find a lesson she’d understand.
She sat at a spindle, spinning a silken thread
Which the young girl picked up carelessly one day
The needle pricked her finger and she fell down as if dead
And her godmother froze the action on the play.
She whispered very secretly into the young girl’s ear
And gave her the common sense she’d need in life.
How beauty may be wonderful but some kinds disappear
And certain kinds of love fade overnight
But anger gives us energy, and how we should beware
For silken threads can hide a cruel pain
And how there are many ways for us to show we care
But smothering with kindness is no gain.
Through the briar forests the young men hacked their way
But the thorns blocked their swords and turned the blades
Until one came at last who sighed without dismay
Stepped in naked, defenceless and unafraid.
The forest split before him, the castle door stood wide
The girl woke as he walked in through the door
And as the later years went by they worked side by side
And nothing was ever quite the way it was before.
She wasn’t invited to the christening or welcomed to the feast
The gift she brought was almost thrown away
But I’ve often learnt the most from the lesson I’ve liked least
The one that came in an unexpected way.
Anger in a velvet glove is a treasure fit for queens
A gift to truly celebrate in song
Sometimes the wisest council has been whispered me in dreams
Only naked and defenceless hearts are strong.
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7. |
Naughty Girl
03:27
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Her father said “You’re a naughty girl, telling everybody such lies”
Her father said “You’re a naughty girl, people can see it in your eyes”
Her father said “You’re a naughty girl, and if you tell another soul you’ll die”
And she thought that she must have been very bad indeed.
Her mother said “You’re a naughty girl, who put those ideas in your head?”
Her mother said “You’re a naughty girl, I don’t believe a single thing you’ve said”
Her mother said “You’re a naughty girl, I’ll take away something you love instead”
And she thought that she must have been very bad indeed.
And sitting in her room, waiting for the footsteps
Waiting for the hand to turn the handle on her door
She wondered, as if she’d never thought of it before
What is this thing called truth?
Well time went on – she forgot it all. Forgot it even while it was there
Time went on – she forgot it all, turned off the switch which made her care
Time went on – she forgot it all, even thought it must be just and fair
For after all she must have been very bad indeed.
And sitting in her room, waiting for the footsteps
Waiting for the hand to turn the handle on her door
She wondered, as if she’d never thought of it before
What is this thing called trust?
Well, now she’s grown she’s a little blocked, running scared into the night
Now she’s grown she’s a little blocked, each touch makes her stiff with fright
Now she’s grown she’s a little blocked, holding her defences tight
Because after all she must have been very bad indeed.
And sitting with her boyfriend, tense against his fingers
Remembering the hand that turned the handle on her door
She wonders, as if she’d never thought of it before
What is this thing called love?
What is this thing called trust?
What is this thing called truth?
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8. |
The Patchwork Quilt
04:11
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Tell me again of the patchwork quilt
The stitching and the weaving
The brickwork of the life you built
The long shadows of grieving?
How all the pieces of fabric there
Tell of pain and pleasure
And how the hardest times of all
Turned into shining treasure?
The only way out of the pain is through
Hearts are strongest where they’re mended
And in the worst times you ever knew
You never once surrendered.
Tell me again of the satin and silk
The velvet and the chiffon
The nights when moonlight gleamed like milk
And stars were close to wish on
The magic woven in hexagonal lines
Dreams woven in the stitching
Invisible mending of a peaceful mind
Hidden mistakes in the fixing.
The only way out of the pain is through
Hearts are strongest where they’re mended
And in the worst times you ever knew
You never once surrendered.
Tell me again of the words that tore
The lies that seemed past surviving
The heartbreak that seemed for ever more
And dawn so slow in arriving
And looking back on the patterns you made
Can you tell me which parts are finest
Which lasts longer, the light or shade
And which you value highest?
The only way out of the pain is through
Hearts are strongest where they’re mended
And in the worst times you ever knew
You never once surrendered.
Tell me again of the patchwork quilt …
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9. |
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I remember as a child how I hated going to bed in summertime
Not because the sun would shine
But upon the bedroom wall shadows of the evening light would fall
Form summer shapes instead of all my winter dreams.
And in winter all things would change, forming shadows there so rich and strange
All of dreams’ fantastic range
And I’d watch the banners fly, floating red and gold in a sapphire sky
From towers magical and high in Camelot.
Take your mother to Disneyland and see the towers gleam
Take your mother to Disneyland and see the king and queen ride out again.
Watching pictures in the flames, watching kingdoms rise and fall and rise again
All a child’s imagined pain
And I’d walk the forest track seeing gingerbread but never turning back
Following white stones I trusted that would take me home.
Take your mother …
A long time now it seems to me I’ve left that world of childish dreams and fantasy
Left behind the apple tree
And now I think I’m growing old and I’ll never eat my meals from plates of gold
Never meet the magic prince who stole the kiss of love.
Take your mother …
But sometimes I see your face when your mother reaches some enchanted place
Reading in some book, or some old film upon tv
And I think it’s fair to say we all choose our own routes to slip away
And I want my own chance to repay all she gave me.
Take your mother …
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10. |
A Song for MacBeth
03:09
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We stood at the crossroads in the moorland
Looking at the road that lay ahead
And the wind sang of the future still before us
And the bracken sobbed the praises of the dead
And if I’d truly known where we were going
If I’d known the journey and its end
I’d have turned around and walked the long miles homeward
But you can never have your chance again.
And looked at from where you are it seems easy
As if the journey moved in a straight line
As if each separate path on each clear pathway
Was somehow some great master plan of mine
And all the reasons formed some kind of pattern
Ambition, greed or overwhelming pride
And like a chess game of competing masters
There was some kind of strategy inside.
Instead it all was accidental
The landscaped changed around us as we walked
There were no signposts, there were no guidelines
Sometimes we were the hunters, then the stalked
And we were chasing shadows in the twilight
And the fiercest of them all were in our mind
And pulling back the curtains in the morning
We never knew for certain what we’d find.
But the craziest part of all this crazy story
Which maybe you’ve not seen yet, but you may
Is how time changes patterns and all colours
From white to black and every shade of grey
A hero can soon become a monster
There’s nothing that turns sour so fast as fame
And all the battles that were so hard of winning
Have all turned to defeat now all the same.
We stood at the crossroads …
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11. |
Singing in the Fields
03:45
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Late last night when the sky was velvet
Late last night when the world was dark
Late last night when the house was still
I heard singing in the fields.
I don’t know if the song had words
I don’t know who the singers could be
I can’t tell you of all of the sounds I heard
But the whole field sang for me.
Across the fields the stubble has been burning
Across the fields the harvest is gathered home
Across the fields you can see the seasons turn
Hear the singing in the fields.
And I’m sure it was voices from the past
And I’m sure they were singing for changing times
And I’m sure they were singing for harvest home
And the season still to come.
Watch the fields as the buildings crumble
Watch the fields when men move away
See the way the grass comes springing back
Hear the singing in the fields.
And you think ghosts are something to fear
And you think that the past should have no power
And you think we know more than grass and stones
But I heard the fields in song.
And I think I’ve been walking through the dark
And I think that the tunnel has reached an end
And I think that my heart is burned clean again
And a growing time has come
Late last night when the sky was velvet
Late last night I felt my heart take wings
Late last night I saw the sun
And I heard the fields all sing.
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12. |
Flesh Wound
03:01
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I won’t call you a single time
I won’t write you a single line
Might not even tell my friends we’ve met
And it’s not that I don’t care at all
And it’s not that what we shared was small
But I know in any case I won’t forget.
Sometimes when the night is dark and I need memories like this
I’ll remember the flesh wound of your kiss.
Some people say that love is blind
Some say it comes just one dramatic time
I don’t believe that either of these are true
But sometimes by accident
You find more sweetness than you meant
And in that sweetness I think I found you.
Sometimes when the night is dark …
There are tears as I turn to go
I’d love to stay here but we know
Our lives are moving fast on separate paths
It hurts a little and it stings
But we’ve been brushed with angel wings
And there’s a small new softness in our hearts.
Sometimes when the night is dark …
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13. |
Borderlands
03:52
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This is the borderland, this is no man’s land
This is the place you never thought you’d be
This is the waiting room, this is the changing room
Where nothing and everything is free.
They use passport control to put you on hold
Deciding if they’ll let you through
All you do there is hope, give yourself enough rope
If they turn you back, what will you do?
This is the borderland, this is no man’s land
This is the place that’s not marked on your map
This is the waiting room, this is the changing room
From here all the signposts are blank.
And those who’ve been here before, who might know the score
Never told you what to expect
You should have been wise and looked in their eyes
Standing here feels a bit like death.
This is the borderland, this is no man’s land
This is the place where they change the rules
This is the waiting room, this is the changing room
Where wise folk all turn into fools.
Did you really think you could just waltz on through
With nothing to show where you’ve been
There are marks left behind on your heart and your mind
To show a journey in search of a dream.
This is the borderland, this is no man’s land
This is the place where they check how you feel
This is the waiting room, this is the changing room
Where nothing and everything is real.
And now you feel stuck, you’ve run out of luck
The daydream seems so far away
You can’t turn around, your world’s upside down
And all you can do right now is stay.
This is the borderland, this is no man’s land
And you’ve got to get through here somehow
This is the waiting room, this is the changing room
And they’re handing you your documents now.
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14. |
Volcanoes
03:28
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Volcanoes burn slow and burn deep
They don’t dream and don’t sleep like pain
In the centre are all the things you thought you’d slain.
Volcanoes glow red and glow hard
Seem to block out the stars above
In the centre is a melting core of heat like love.
What am I to do
Every time I think I’m through with you
My heart wakes
And all my dreams turn back to you.
My heart’s a climber with no safety rope
No help except hope and fear
Love’s a mountain and there’s danger always near.
What am I to do …
Volcanoes stand across my path
There’s no way to pass but climb
There’s hidden treasure beneath the lava flow of time.
What am I to do …
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15. |
Gaia
05:14
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My mother has a scarred face now
My mother never seems to smile
Walks each day wrapped in a cloak of cloud
My mother’s name is Gaia.
My mother told me of the battles fought
My mother always hated fighting
My mother told me of the gifts we’ve sold and bought
My mother always hated money
And of the battles for air and water
How slowly they were fought and lost
And standing here now as Gaia’s daughter
I’m trying hard to work out the cost.
My mother has a scarred face …
My mother told me of the two world wars
As if the world was made of fighting men
She told me all about effect and cause
And how in sorrow history turns again.
But this earth has animals, plants and trees
And rocks and crystals with their strength and beauty
My mother told me to remember these
All living creatures share a common duty.
My mother has a scarred face …
My mother says she thinks it very strange
That just one species causes devastation
And despite all we read on every page
How people blame it all on different nations.
The battle for our world is happening now
On earth and fire and air and water
And now it’s time for us to work as one
All Gaia’s children, all her sons and daughters.
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Anne Lister Wales, UK
Anne is best known for her song "Icarus", recorded and performed by a number of different singers, including Martin Simpson and Nic Jones. "Astrolabe" is her ninth solo album.
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