Get all 7 Douglas Kay releases available on Bandcamp and save 30%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Heist On A Bike, Volcanoes, Extras & B-sides, Lift, Last Touch, Into Your Head, and Of All The Towns To Sleep In.
1. |
The Sycamores
03:49
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I’m pulling on my boots, Come with me and explore,
We’ll go and play detectives, Down by the sycamores.
That’s where the rag was found, All marked with oil and grease,
She’d stitched upon it, “Lover, I’ll meet you by the trees.”
She’d almost feel her heart stop, When he looked in her eyes.
We’ll discover the secrets time concealed,
We’ll discover the secrets unrevealed.
But what about that girl, Who made the lovers’ tryst,
‘Twas deep into September, Before she was even missed.
One night he made her heart stop, As he looked in her eyes.
We’ll discover the secrets time concealed,
We’ll discover the secrets unrevealed.
So let’s go undercover, See what we’ll recover.
Some old folks in our town, Had heard of this before,
That’s where they drowned the traitors, Down by the sycamores.
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2. |
Strike Me Down
04:10
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Take the poetry I wrote, Take my last lover’s note,
Far away so they won’t go on haunting me.
Take the songs that I recorded to the river I have forded,
Throw them in so that they will flow on down,
To the sea.
No-one on this great big earth,
Can convince me anything that I did was of any worth,
Time is running out for me now, Won’t you help me see now.
If there is a way that I can strike,
All my errors from the record of a sorry life,
Or strike me, strike me, strike me, strike me down,
I’ll make no sound.
Take the words for which I’m famous, To this city’s public places,
Play them back to show my inconsistencies,
Listen to the people jeer, At the platitudes they hear,
Then watch them march around to burn on down, My effigy.
BRIDGE
CHORUS
In my home I was the same, Argumentative and vain,
In fact I can’t believe she stuck it out so long,
Watching as her patience stretched, I know I acted like a wretch,
All the time, while knowing fine that I was standing doing wrong.
BRIDGE
CHORUS
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3. |
Nearer To Home
04:33
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Thought I was nearer to home than this,
Think I maybe misjudged the distance we had come,
Thought I was nearer to home.
You told me I had the wherewithal,
To stay upright when we faced the squall but you were wrong,
And now we’re miles from home.
And there’s water in my way,
There’s trees been felled that block the road ahead,
And it’s late on in the day,
There’s demonstrators marching in my path,
Saying they don’t want to go home.
So maybe I’ll give a book a go,
One of those which I bought to show my softer side,
But they’re all lined up at home.
CHORUS
In the woods there’s a laser going to bring down a flight,
While a minister in town does a heist on a bike,
And we’re caught here alone with nowhere to go.
And there’s water in my way,
There’s trees been felled that block the road ahead,
So we watch that getaway,
The bike goes flying right on down the hill,
Further and further from home.
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4. |
Break Us Apart
03:58
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I’ve got this stone, I’ve got this chisel,
I’ve got this stone and a plan,
I’m going to sculpt a heart and be your man.
I’ve got this wood, I’ve got an acre,
I’ve got this wood and my hands,
I’m going to build a place on which we’ll stand,
And if the stone breaks…
Ooh ooh ooh, I will keep on working, Until my hand shakes,
Ooh ooh ooh, Working on that heart,
Nobody’s going to break us apart.
I’ve got this road, I’ve got this cycle,
I’ve got this road and two wheels,
I’m coming now to show you how I feel,
And if the wheels burst...
Ooh ooh ooh, I will keep on riding, Until my lungs hurt,
Ooh ooh ooh, Riding to your gate, I’ve had enough of leaving it late.
Just be patient I’ll make it in time, Like Wild Bill did for Jane,
And then we’ll dance and harmonise,
Like Debbie and Gene Kelly in Singing in the Rain.
Ooh ooh ooh, I will keep on working, Until my hand shakes,
Ooh ooh ooh, Working on your heart,
Nobody’s going to break us apart, No-one can do that.
Ooh ooh ooh, I will keep on working, Until my lungs hurt,
Ooh ooh ooh, Riding to your heart,
Nobody’s going to tear us apart, No-one can break us apart...
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5. |
Run Aground
03:47
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Trying to escape from the Northern Cape,
While the skin’s still on your hands,
And out in The Sound lie the men who drowned,
Just a mile from the sand.
These rips can surprise you when you think you’re level,
They can carry you on down,
You’ll end up in a fable if you’re not careful now.
So get back from the bow, And turn yourself around,
It’s time to settle down, Before you run aground.
You never made the most of the Southern Coast,
And the promise that it held,
Wasted your time spinning city lines,
Never caring where they fell.
Big talk only takes you past the smallest breakers,
Makes you think you’re in control,
You’ll soon find that bluster starts to take a heavy toll.
So get back from the bow, And turn yourself around,
Try to settle down, Before you run aground.
No-one here is taken in by your bravado,
It’s a tale we’ve heard before,
Take this chance to set yourself a brand new steady course.
CHORUS x2
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6. |
Shuddered
02:56
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Of all the words I had, The ones you heard were least important,
And when they’d land like little birds, Without a hint the floodgates opened.
I always shuddered when you’d curse,
Although I’d heard you do much worse.
Of all the scraps I’ve had, The ones with you left me most battered,
And though I tried so hard, Taking each blow - to show you mattered
I always shuddered when you’d curse,
Although I’d heard you do much worse.
You bring down the gavel, And it all starts to unravel,
And how queer it is, To be back here again.
With every day which I count, I see how much of life we’ve squandered,
And so I fill my thoughts, Imagining days when we wandered.
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7. |
Magnificent
04:16
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In my prime, In my prime, In my prime…Ooh.
The marks of my life are on my skin,
In so many ways time muscles in,
I know there were things I did,
Which I would not do again.
But in my day I was magnificent, And my girl she was a star,
They all said we were heaven sent, But no-one’s sent that far,
We’d ride around like dazzling queens, While everybody watched,
But the day comes when you pay up, And it always seems too much.
I stood above so many men,
Trying my best to take it in,
No doubt there were things I did,
Which I would find hard to defend,
To defend.
But in my day I was magnificent, And my boy he was a star,
They all said we were heaven sent, But no-one’s sent that far,
And we’d ride around like dazzling queens, While everybody watched,
But it goes before you know it and you’re told you’ve lost your touch.
In my prime, In my prime, In my prime…Ooh
Now we are here and days are short,
They can take back all that I bought,
And I’ll get myself up,
Get myself up one more time before I stop.
But in my day I was magnificent, And my boys well were stars,
And they all said we were heaven sent, We maybe came that far,
And we’d ride the world like dazzling queens, While everybody watched,
And although we had to pay up well, We got back oh so much.
In my prime, In my prime, In my prime, In my prime.
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8. |
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Every Tuesday she comes here, The highlight of my week,
I’m up at 6 to shave and wash and dress,
And though she says how much she values my experience,
Oh how I wish she’d seen me at my best.
I wish she’d seen me when my eye was straight and true,
Back in the days when I could tackle like those handsome, young boys do,
I wish she’d seen me hold a room enthralled, With insight and with jest,
How I wish she’d seen me at my best,
I really wish she’d seen me at my best.
She asks about the photographs, Which hang around my room,
I’m there in Rome and Cannes and Bucharest,
And though she lights up when I talk, Of seeing Dante’s tomb,
Oh how I wish she’d known me at my best.
I wish she’d known me when my eyes were piercing blue,
Back in the days when I still did the things her lovers likely do,
I wish she’d know me when I saved the lives, Of men I served out west,
Oh how I wish she’d known me at my best,
I really wish she’d known me at my best.
I wish she’d seen me when I dressed with so much flair,
I wish she’d seen me when they said I danced just like Fred Astaire,
I wish she’d seen me when I still believed, That I could outrun time,
I wish to God she’d seen me in my prime,
Oh how I wish, She’d seen me in my prime,
I wish to God, She’d seen me at my best.
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9. |
When The Devils Come
03:45
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I cleaned my trumpet, Cleaned my gun,
Stood on the stairs and saw the devils come,
I fired my pistol, Blew my horn,
I lit up the sky like it was New Year’s morn.
So tell your daughters, Tell your spies,
Stand up and fight when the devils arrive,
Tell your sons and tell your friends,
Stand up and fight until the very end.
When I left with the 51st,
My father beamed but my mother cursed,
I marched hard so I would not shake,
Hoping that my resolve wouldn’t break…
CHORUS
But nobody knows what they’ll face there when it all starts falling,
Nobody who hasn’t seen it,
Who would say if they would take those 30 silver pieces,
To hold their mother, To clutch their son,
To turn a blind eye when the devils come.
Instrumental
CHORUS
So tell your daughters, Tell your spies,
Stand up and fight when they all arrive. (x2)
Tell your sons and tell your friends,
Stand up and fight until the very end. (x2)
CHORUS
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10. |
Kick Out The Fire
04:18
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Kick out that fire, We’re moving on.
I’m not for fighting, It changes nothing anyway,
So don’t try digging in.
Let’s get on, Let’s get on.
I hear the sun shines brightly on those
Little coastal towns, Around this time of year.
And we have friends out west who swear
It’s not the way we’ve heard, And they’re still living clear.
It feels like decades have gone by,
Marching and slogans in the night, And we’re no further on.
So get up, Let’s pack up.
And when we reach the places that are
Free of all this strife, We’ll start over anew.
And with our friends out there we’ll share
A perfect peaceful home, Be nothing we can’t do.
If you can’t see now, It’s not your fight to fix,
Then you’re doomed like all the rest.
Can you see something, Can I hear something,
All we hoped for is gone.
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11. |
On The Road
03:51
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If we do it right, This could be the start,
Of a trip that’s going to ease your broken heart,
If you want to go, I will come along,
And I’ll try to help you right what has gone wrong.
It might take a week for you to start a conversation,
Just because I don’t sound the way he did,
But I know we’ll speak as we ride across the nation,
Rediscovering the beauty that’s been hid.
When we’re back you won’t have to come to see me,
Tell your friends what had happened on the road,
And you know nothing lasts forever anyway,
So you might as well just pack your things and go.
You can pick the tunes, For the stereo,
We can even sing along to Billy Joel,
Though you’re not a fan, Except for that one song,
When you play it we can karaoke on.
And two weeks may pass before you smile when I am singing,
Just because I don’t harmonise like him,
But these days move fast, If you can just see that you’re winning,
And illuminate the things which had grown dim.
CHORUS
I will try to entertain you, Try to make you smile,
Take your mind from all your troubles, Just for a little while…
CHORUS
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12. |
Stay With Me
04:35
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I just caught the feeling of you,
I mean I know that it was just the wind, blowing through,
So forgive me my indulgence,
Anyone could be excused for slipping back down just once.
Still see your face like it was mine,
Still see that little scar above your lip and every line,
But now you’re fixed into old photos,
Well I can’t bring to mind the way you moved now you’re stuck in those.
Please stay with me, with me, with me, with me, with me,
Please stay with me, with me, with me, with me, with me,
Just stay with me, with me, with me, with me, with me,
Stay with me.
Now when I play those songs you sang us,
I’ll sometimes think you’re out there singing along with us,
But now your sound’s no longer playing,
I’m worried about you fading.
So please stay with me, with me, with me, with me, with me,
Please stay with me, with me, with me, with me, with me,
Please stay with me, with me, with me, with me, with me,
Stay with me, Please stay.
Stay with me, please stay.
I’ve caught that impression of you,
I mean I know that it was just the wind, blowing through,
Just blowing through, Blowing on through,
That was just the wind, And it was only blowing through,
Nothing we can do.
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Douglas Kay UK
Singer-songwriter Douglas Kay (“thoughtful & passionate songwriting” Scotland On Sunday) has spent the past two decades
touring the globe playing on bills alongside the likes of Billy Bragg, KT Tunstall, Colin Hay & Amy MacDonald.
With 6 albums to his name (the latest released Nov 2021) his captivating, folk-tinged songs have gained critical acclaim and airplay worldwide.
... more
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