1. |
Nature Boy
01:33
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There was a boy
A very strange, enchanted boy
They say he wandered very far, very far
Over land & sea
A little shy & sad of eye
But very wise was he
& then one day
One magic day he passed my way
& while we spoke of many things
Fools & kings
This he said to me
The greatest thing
You'll ever learn
Is just to love
& be loved in return
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2. |
Rewrite
03:14
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Every moment of weakness
Keeps tearing me apart
In spite of self-inflicted scars
I wanna keep every hole in my heart
So tonight I'm gonna Rewrite
My story
Tell everybody that there's more to me
Tonight I'm gonna Rewrite
Everything
And I'll believe the words I speak
When I Rewrite my memories
Rewrite, Rewrite (Ooh)
Rewrite til I'm okay
Rewrite, Rewrite (Ooh)
Rewrite til I'm okay
Watch me tear out these pages
Replace the pain with something sweet
Of lovers lost and lonely sheets
I wanna believe there's more to me
So tonight I'm gonna Rewrite
My story
Tell everybody that there's more to me
Tonight I'm gonna Rewrite
Everything
And I'll believe the words I speak
When I Rewrite my memories
Rewrite, Rewrite (Ooh)
Rewrite til I'm okay
Rewrite, Rewrite (Ooh)
Rewrite til I'm okay
Tear… Out…
These pages (Til I'm okay)
Tear (Another day)
Out (The words I say)
These pages (Til I'm okay)
Rewrite, Rewrite (Ooh)
Rewrite til I'm okay
(Another day) Rewrite
(The words I say) Rewrite (Ooh)
Rewrite til I'm okay
Tear (Another day)
Rewrite
Out (The words I say)
Rewrite
These pages (Til I'm okay)
Tear (Another day)
Rewrite
Out (The words I say)
Rewrite
These pages
Rewrite til I'm okay
Everythin'
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3. |
Deirdre of the Sorrows
03:41
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You had a vision, of blood in the snow
A black little crow
You were sixteen years old
With the heart of a soldier, and the face of a Queen
You were kept away from the world as a wife for a jealous king and...
You broke free, to find the one you love
Back then everything was good enough
But sorrow catches up, no matter what you do
Deirdre they took everything from you
Deirdre they took everything from you
From the ends of the earth, until they left you alone
Something stirred in your souls, it said…
That Ireland was your home
So you fought, until your lover died
Now they control your life,
But that’s something you could take if you tried
You broke free, to find the one you love
Back then everything was good enough
But sorrow catches up, no matter what you do
Deirdre they took everything from you
Deirdre they took everything-
Oh sorrow catches up, no matter what you do
Deirdre they took everything from you
Deirdre they took everything from you
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4. |
A Beautiful Aerialist
03:32
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So, I was performing in a variety show
Lots of strange, dysfunctional, & glamorous people
But of course, I get chatting to the very beautiful Aerialist
Now, it turns out they had been all over the world with their skills
They’d seen amazing things
They trained everyday
& they REALLY really knew how to enjoy the pain of conditioning
Which is… essentially beating up your body
So that you’re ready to perform
It’s a very handy skill, if you want…
Well if you wanna get anywhere really
That, kind of, ability to push through
& to practice
To pre-empt
Takes a lot of discipline
Our talk
Very swiftly turned to death, of all things
& all of the things that we had to do before we die
They had such an obsession with mortality
I didn’t mind though
I love those conversations
Now I didn’t know at the time but
They had some kind of medical condition
They didn’t mention it much, but
The doctor once told them to stop dancing
To stop training physically…
That the demands of aerial were too overwhelming
& that it was going to shorten their life
I asked how much
& they told me between about
Twenty & thirty years
That’s crazy… right?
Like, what do you do?Do you…
Do you find something else?
Do you just stop what you love
& learn to love something else?
Like, when I got injured
I fell in love with music
It took a while, but I did
Now the Aerialist, well…
By the time I’d got talking to them
At least, that night
It had been ten years since the diagnosis
That’s ten YEARS of defiance
They refused the doctor’s advice
Refused to let their condition define them
They weren’t the condition
It’s just something they lived with
& like, they’re not stupid
They know full well that the aerial is killing them, but
Without it, at least…
In their opinion, by their standards
Without it, they couldn’t live
You know, after this conversation
I told them the story of Deirdre & Naoise
There was something in their defiance
That reminded me of Deirdre
This kind of…
In the face of everything
In the face of helplessness
You still decide to do what you wanna do
You still maintain your freedom
You still forge your own path
This story made them cry, but
They thanked me after
So I guess it helped
Maybe… they needed to get something off their chest
Or… they needed to hear about another person
Who was as defiant as them &
They just felt that little bit less alone
I’m not really sure what it did for them
I never really got to speak to them again, but
I wonder what they’re up to now
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5. |
Better Off Without You
03:46
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6. |
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Severed senses
Crumbling debris
A chocolate covered knife
Still sweet to me
Your eyes in my head
They look around the room
Is this your point of view?
All the cracks are coming back
to give me what I’ve never really asked for
A wall of masks now looking at this scene of thrashing statements
from our Domestic Wars…
Cause
You’ve opened up my eyes
Yeah, you taught me to realise
You’ve left this mess behind
Now I refuse to clean up after you
I refuse to clean up after you
I suck my gut in and spit it out at you
Use those words again, I dare you
I’m wasted on this fool
Your savoury skin’s in my teeth
I wanna taste your temper
So set the table for your salty gestures
Still the cracks are coming back
to give me what I’ve never really asked for
A wall of masks now looking at this scene of thrashing statements
from our Domestic Wars…
Cause
You’ve opened up my eyes
Yeah, you taught me to realise
You’ve left this mess behind
Now I refuse to clean up after you
I refuse to clean up after…
All the paint and plastering
Only masking what is happening
The only thing beneath this veneer is breaking
Our love is damaging
Oh you and I keep happening
We are hooked umbrellas in the wind
We are hooked umbrellas in the wind
All the cracks are coming back
to give me what I’ve never really asked for
A wall of masks now looking at this scene of thrashing statements
from our Domestic Wars
All the cracks are coming back
to give me what I’ve never really asked for
A wall of masks now looking at this scene of thrashing statements
from our Domestic Wars…
Cause
You’ve opened up my eyes
Yeah you taught me to realise
You’ve left this mess behind
Now I refuse to clean up after you
I refuse to clean up after you
I refuse to clean up after you
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7. |
Carolina
03:00
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Draw new life into me
Until tonight I’ve never needed a second chance
I’ve forgotten who I wanna be
So could you take me and paint me into your visions of romance
Carolina, Use your pencil to trace my lips now
Carolina, With your hands make me intimate again
I wanna live again but I can’t
No, coming back is not worth dying a second time
Can I ask cause I don’t understand
That something about you that makes me wanna try again
Carolina, Use your pencil to trace my lips now
Carolina, With your hands make me intimate again
Sketch my skin. Shade me in, yeah
Give me depth. Capture what I have left to give
Let’s begin to colour me in
And I’ll write you this song
Just to prove that you’re on my...
On my mind
I wanna prove that you’re on my...
On my mind
So...
Carolina...
Carolina, Use your pencil to trace my lips now
Carolina, With your hands make me intimate again
Carolina...
With your hands make me intimate again
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8. |
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Somebody told me that my life was perfect,
& I couldn't wait to begin.
People they say the day starts in the morning,
but that night I went to bed wondering.
The next day we met in the garden of Eden
& suddenly I felt alone.
When everything grew in a whirlwind around us,
You said hello, and I welcomed you home.
I feel the dust
Brush it away, make me new
I'll open up,
But I don't wanna say it too soon.
I'm living a love song with you.
Woah… I'm living a love song with you.
Now, I've a new reason to wake up in the morning
To hold someone other than me.
The light bends around us as we set the scene.
These moments are hard to believe in.
The sun rises early to see us each morning
To watch as we kiss nose to nose.
It warms up our skin as it peeks in our window
It's learning to love, it's learning to love
I feel the dust
Brush it away, make me new
I'll open up,
But I don't wanna say it too soon.
I'm living a love song with you.
Woah… I'm living a love song with you
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9. |
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Open this story book
Do you recognise that face?
That boy is your grandfather
When he was just your age
He flew above this world
On a ladybird he saved
& he told me this same story
When I was just your age
Once upon a time, the boy who learned to fly
Saw the world from so very high
He learned many things, but felt the pain it brings
To see his father without wings
When he cried for the first time
When you were a baby
You couldn’t tie your shoes
But now you are 10 years old
& you should know the truth
That once upon a time you will learn to fly
& see the world from so, very high
You’ll learn many things, but feel the pain it brings
To see your loved ones without wings
When they cry for the first time
Oooh, I love you
Oooh, remember that I do
Oooh, please don’t cry
When I won't be here
To dry your eyes
This world is not what it should be
But there’s beauty if you try
You will grow into a man
& it’s okay to cry
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10. |
A Broken Music Box
03:32
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Let’s talk about crying for a sec
You know, when I was young, I knew this kid
& they had a favourite toy
A music box
What became a broken music box
Now, this thing was shaped like an old carriage
With spinning wheels
& a place to yoke a horse
It used to play this
Kinda haunting melody
Some sort of classical piece, I…
I don’t remember
Ehm… but the kid was playing one day
Just wheeling it back & forth on the table
Until a slip too far
& the box went flying
Now, it flew across the room
Landed on the stone floor
& cracked wide open
Heartbroken, crying…
The child begged, & pleaded
For somebody to fix this toy
That they just loved, so much
&..
& they tried as hard as they could, but
The thing eventually just became this…
This gluey mess
Like, the carriage wheels wouldn’t spin
& there were these big cracks all through it
I mean, the music box part of it still worked
So I guess that helps
& you know
At least it was in one piece again
That night, like most
The kid brought this music box to bed with them
You know, they still-
It was still their favourite toy
They were-
They still found it so special
& then
Safely tucked away
Under the darkness of the blankets
They noticed a glimmer
& looking as closely as they could
Eyes fixed to the widest cracks
They saw it
This little light swelling inside
Now, on that night
& every night after, I assume
The music box never left their side
It was kind of mean of me then, but
I used to make fun of them for believing
Like, whenever they showed it to me
It wouldn’t glow
I never saw it at night, but
Even still… I just didn’t believe
Nowadays, like, we still reconnect
Every year or so
We keep up with each other
& honestly I’d forgotten about this story, until…
I went to one of their exhibitions
They are an artist now
They may-
They mostly work with ceramics
They didn’t remember the story
But..
But they must have
At least, like, subconsciously, cause-
So, they work exclusively with
The practice & philosophy of Kintsugi
You know, make a pot
Break it in some gentle way
& then reassemble it
Nowadays they use a clear resin
I mean they used to use gold, but
What they’re trying to do now
Is put a little light inside the pot
& then when that glows
It celebrates the cracks
It celebrates…
How beautiful they can be
& doesn’t that sound familiar?
I often wonder
If something happened to me
When I was a kid
You know, something like this
& how that might have shaped me
In some unknown way
& how it might change
The things that I do
The music that I make
Or…
The life that I live
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11. |
Broken & Beautiful
03:11
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I wanna know where you’ve been
There’s a history of fractures
In your porcelain skin
Concealing scars & stories
Just remember
Without pain
Without glory
It’s okay
If you break
Cause I’m gonna piece you back together & pray
(yeah)
Broken & Beautiful
Treat yourself carefully
Stitches & gold
Use your pain to relate to me
The stories I’ve told
They decorate my body
& I wanna show you
Every scar suits us perfectly
Oh there’s a pride in pain
We celebrate the way
We get back up again
& should I ever need you to
Would you tell me
All the bitter things
You’ve been through?
Oh it’s okay
If you break
Cause I’m gonna piece you back together & pray
Broken & Beautiful
Treat yourself carefully
Stitches & gold
Use your pain to relate to me
The stories I’ve told
They decorate my body
& I wanna show you
Every scar suits us perfectly
Every scar suits us…
Perfectly
Every break, every bruise…
Every break, every bruise…
Every break, every bruise…
Is it okay
If I break?
Will you piece me back together
& pray?
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12. |
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Spit on me sweetly
& I’ll love you forever
I need you to teach me
This dance
We spin around
Like two broken umbrellas
& I feel so safe in your hands
Will you be my second romance?
Oh
The magic we make
When our hands come together
Adds a new layer of skin
& living unloved
It was never an option
I don’t need to know
Where you’ve been
Just step to me closer
& spin
So, spit on me sweetly
& I’ll love you for always
Sawdust runs deep in our veins
A circus of lovers
Collected our pieces
& put them in place to begin
We can take what we’ve got to the end
Our favourite word is again
& again
& again
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Nathan Mac Dublin, Ireland
Nathan Mac ran away from the Circus to pursue a life of music. Now he’s back with both! Over the years, he’s sold out
theatre’s, released a string of successful singles, founded his own record label, & written his own Circus musical! At the genesis of his career, there’s no better name for his debut album. This really is the ‘Start of Something Blue’.
... more
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