1. |
Not Now, Horse
05:20
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Swallowed flies escalate horseward
Not now, horse; be saddled or be swept away on a lungful of the cold dawn air, heavy, neighing cloud!
Little turnips grow. Leave them alone
Do not dig; their enormity is all a myth
Let them sleep in earth, like we all must do, when all your dirty dramas are as still as you
Sink your withering words without sound in the shallows
Let me throw your voice to the nesting sparrows
Be silent now – it’s almost dark enough to hear all those songs you forgot to love
Finish what you’ve begun, leaving things badly drawn
Light arrives from the sun, a billion babies born
As, thighbones high, we wade out and out and out and out
Until we become nothing…
…And are everything, things we’ve never seen
We breathe out at last, we breathe out at last
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2. |
March, March
03:07
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Comfort never comes to those who compromise the melody
Hidden in the minor notes: the failure of the family
I am sorry/that’s alright
I’d forgotten I could speak
You are wrong and I am right; march forever next to me
Don’t say more, some live and some learn
But all this stuff is starting to burn
I’ve got the ride if you’ve got the answers
And I was just saying it’s not your fault
Sure, it’s a ray of love, but just stand to the side so it doesn’t mess with your heartbeat
I have nearly won myself, gathering these parts of me
But I keep a piece apart for the fortune of the family
Standard lies, a sickly room
Hallow the lowest point
I’ve got the money if you’ve got the answers
And I was just saying I could believe
Sure, it’s a ray of love, but just stand to the side
So it doesn’t mess with your heartbeat
I was just saying it’s not your fault
And I’m speaking to everyone at the same time
I’ve got the money if you’ve got the answers
And I was just saying I could believe
Sure, it’s a ray of love, but just stand to the side
So it doesn’t mess with your heartbeat
I was just saying it’s not your fault
And I’m gathering all these bad parts of me
I was just saying it’s not your fault
And I’m speaking for everyone at the same time
I’ve got the money if you’ve got the answers
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3. |
I've Been Shot
03:10
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I see spots; it’s all the drops of rain before they land
Life’s a beach; I’m glass and rock all battered into sand
And all that rain it dies again each time it hits the street
Did it jump or was it pushed? And did it aim for me?
I could understand that more than what you do
The times between the lines you seem
To speak so unrehearsed
Aren’t long enough for my grey stuff
To fathom what it’s worth (worth to you)
What’s worse, we’re humans shouting into space
And all that kamikaze rain shouts back into my face
And I can understand that more than what you want
When I’ve been shot I sleep a lot
And then I come back for more
And like the rain, I die again
Each time I hit the floor
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4. |
I Can't See You
02:39
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The mirror’s wrong / Are my eyes open yet?
It’s not my face / I saw you turn away
I can’t see you / Stopped dead in the road with your hand over your mouth
I can’t see you / Just glass I’m looking through
I let her go / She wasn’t having fun with me
She’s been around / Come back, you took the best of me
I can’t see you / You melt off the curb with the last of the snow
I can’t see you / Just glass I’m looking through
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5. |
Neighbour of the Year
04:10
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This isn’t for you, it’s not about you
Hearing a page turn through paper walls
Never your name but you heard it all –
Mumblings of witches, porn without pictures
Sigh for the fame, go outside, look above
We’ve got the same bit of sky to love
Over you and into the blue
I can’t spot a single one
For the clouds they conspire;
The full moon’s on fire
That is not the setting sun
Where is your lover? Did you lose each other?
It was a bad year, they keep what I sow
It’s coming back here so walk like you know
And I’ll tell it to the board: til my fortune’s restored
I cannot afford the truth
But I’ll do what I like; I’ll ride a mountain bike
Though the streets are flat and smooth
Do you get lonely? Ever so lonely?
I’ll play the same chords, the same lines of doubt
Again and again til they put the moon out
But I’m not scared; you seem well-prepared
And there’s skin upon your nose
So give good cheer for your neighbour of the year
I’m the hero no one chose
Give good cheer for your neighbour of the year
You’re the only one who knows
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6. |
DOG
03:37
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If I had a dog, I’d call him to me
And we would forget about work and everything
And I would run and he would run
And I would call and he would come
If I had a dog, I’d tell him my name
And we would forget about money and everything
And I would throw and he would go
And I would talk and he would know
It’s important to walk
There are friends yet to meet
My dog says “Forget about it!”
My dog says “Let’s run in the woods”
I will run and he will run
I will call and he will come
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7. |
Shelter
04:36
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That’s one enormous sky, there
I’ll peer out from your arms, here
We grow slow as grass; don’t rush
And you, with your serious voice, shhhh
My lily-coloured love, don’t say too much
But pull my bones apart from their velvet clutch
In the middle of your heart I laid my touch
In a bid for survival
Since the moment I said everything was alright
I have been sheltering in our house
As a curse storms about
A curse storms about and I open a window
I’m dying to get out these days
But there’s so much to be learned from staying in
And waiting for my love to cover my skin
In the middle of my heart a truth’s growing
I am oak
A curse storms about and I open a window
I’m dying to get out these days
And you’re the only one who’s seen in my head
You pull me off the floor and put me to bed
In the middle of the room you held me and said shhhh
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Nat Johnson Sheffield, UK
“A treat for fans of PJ Harvey and Alela Diane” – Subba Cultcha
"Let’s talk about Nat Johnson.
Sometimes people do, but not nearly loud enough or often enough, which is a shame, because she is as integral to the Sheffield scene as Kid Acne murals and Jarvis Cocker poems on the sides of buildings." - The Girls Are
... more
If you like Nat Johnson, you may also like:
Indietracks Compilation 2014
by Various Artists
supported by 15 fans who also own “Neighbour of the Year”
Another great album - dean wareham, joanna gruesome, lonely tourist, dorotea, the chills, manhattan love suicides & spearmint are all highlights but the whole lot is pretty darn great really
go to album
Indietracks Compilation 2015
by Indietracks Festival
supported by 15 fans who also own “Neighbour of the Year”
Is it that time of year already? Can't wait!!! Some great tunes on the comp this year.
go to album
Indietracks Compilation 2017
by Indietracks Festival
supported by 15 fans who also own “Neighbour of the Year”
Because I was there, and it was glorious.
go to album
Sorry I'm So Sensitive
by Bea Stewart
The second EP from Northern Irish singer-songwriter Bea Stewart runs from gentle folk to pillowy pop ballads, all perfectly executed.
go to album
Love, Loss and Washing Lines
by Matt Hawkins
A dozen folky songs from this Brisbane musician recall the wit and romance of early Billy Bragg.
go to album
The Edge of the Land
by Katie Spencer
Spencer's indie folk sophomore album was recorded live in the studio over the course of two days.
go to album
Sheffield Shanty II / Groucho
by Monkey Swallows the Universe
supported by 14 fans who also own “Neighbour of the Year”
Another nice "reunion item" done by Nat Johnson and Kevin Gori in 2016, featuring two of their songs from the 2006 debut "The Bright Carvings". Nat Johnson's Version 2.0 of "Sheffield Shanty" has undergone a complete overhaul, shining with a full-blown wind arrangement now, similar to the stunning "Not Now, Horse" on "Neighbour of the Year". Kevin Gori's "Groucho" - a hidden track then on "The Bright Carvings" - is a quite faithful rendering of the original version, except that he's singing a bit less out of tune here... yes, really!
go to album
