Get all 6 The Stephen Stanley Band releases available on Bandcamp and save 25%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Before The Collapse Of The Hive, Here Comes That Rain, Live Static Roots Oberhausen, Germany, Jimmy & the Moon, Too Many Sisters • Non Barking Dog (2020 Extended Version), and That Thin, Wild Mercury.
1. |
Talkin' Bout It
02:46
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TALKIN’ BOUT IT
They’ve whispered in the backroom
Gonna make a saint out of a fool
Hang his picture in the town square
And ask you to forget that you were there
I don’t want to talk about it, I don’t want to think about it now
By any other name a liar just the same, the lowest of the brows
A junk bond salesman on the backlot
Pushing blame away for years since he’s been caught
And you’re not asking the right questions
The grand suggestion is he’s something that he’s not
Now I don’t want to talk about it, I don’t want to think about it now
The paint is barely dry, the whitewash on my eyes is the milk of sacred cows
They’re gonna scrub and scour and rub and wipe that slate clean
The city you love, when push comes to shove is just an accident scene
Between fiction and fact the truth has been hacked, left skulking behind a screen
Conjecture’s not absolute, we’ll pull it out by the root, and I don’t see what you mean...
I don’t want to talk about it, I don’t want to think about it now
I’ve been kicking the tires and watching the wires and bending the bough
I’m gonna have to talk about it, I’m gonna have to think about it now
I’ve been kicking the tires and watching the wires and breaking the bough
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2. |
The Troubadour's Song
05:05
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THE TROUBADOUR’S SONG
When I first heard Alun play the “Dust of Beijing,”
we were at the Troubadour and you’d just walked in
You wondered out loud how did my skin get so thin
But there’s so much hidden in that song, and when a moment passes is it gone?
But I thought this year we were going to win
Now it seems so many things are coming to an end
Don’t cry for me and don’t cry for my friends
Let the last person who walks through that door whisper goodbye to the Troubadour
The last time I stood next to her was up on these boards
But I never really figured out what she was looking for
Not a word was spoken and we both walked through that door
And in a cloud of smoke we parted ways, now we don’t speak too much these days
And I thought this year we were going to win
Now it seems so many things are coming to an end
Don’t cry for me and don’t cry for my friends
Let the last person who walks through that door whisper goodbye to the Troubadour
It took you by surprise, hold Kristi if she cries, I can see it in her eyes but the sun is going to rise, and we’ll drink to better days, so keep your glasses raised,
keep your glasses raised...
Michael O’Grady please pour another round
And play the tin whistle because we need to hear that sound
And let this be one night that our feet don’t touch the ground
We’ll linger and hang on every word, later we’ll kick the daylight to the curb
But I thought this year we were going to win
Now it seems so many things are coming to an end
Don’t cry for me and don’t cry for my friends
Let the last person who walks through that door whisper goodbye to the Troubadour
And I thought this year we were going to win
One chapter close to let another one begin
So let’s agree for now that this is not the end
We’ll let the last person who walks through that door whisper goodbye to the Troubadour
Let the last person who walks through that door whisper goodbye to the Troubadour
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3. |
Jimmy & the Moon
05:57
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JIMMY & THE MOON
We are gathered here today to say goodbye
I didn’t think this day would ever come so soon, goodnight moon
And that fly up on the wall is just a fly
Nothing happens here that anyone would ever want to talk about;
tall tales, half-truths and lies
Jimmy built this pool hall then silently he documents the rise and fall
Of every boy who grew up way too soon
beneath the shadow of that moon
But now the cranes are hanging high...
Brick by brick they build it up, then all at once it’s blocking out the sky
And you can call me many things, but I’m not a glass-half-empty sorta guy
She whispers “you’ve been paralyzed,” but that’s not true, I just can’t move
Fill my glass up one more time and say goodbye to Jimmy and the moon
This past winter took a toll and there were nights
I couldn’t make it down here from the second floor, my fire escape encased in ice
And the day was coming soon, and so I cried and prayed and cursed and put my fist right Through the kitchen wall; wonder if anybody made it there tonight?
But Jimmy kept the lights on still, if I could get there I would be there on that corner stool
But conversation would be scarce; am I the only one who cares?
They’re putting cranes up in the sky
They dig a hole four stories deep and the cement trucks idle down Gerrard
Call me a sentimental fool, but for sixty years I’ve called this corner my back yard
And should I fight to keep things as they are, cuz my time is coming soon
So fill my glass up one more time and say goodbye to Jimmy and the moon
Jimmy and the moon, Jimmy and the moon...
Take one last look up to the sky
My glass half-empty, watch it die...
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4. |
Under the Mynah Bird
04:26
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UNDER THE MYNAH BIRD
He wasn’t busy being born, but he didn’t want to stay at home
Things were moving faster than the days were flying by
And it seemed like a disaster, when the bank put you to pasture
But you came up with a new plan in the blinking of an eye
Took a job as a stock boy in a sporting goods store
Because shutting it down wasn’t something you were made for
You spent your last days under the Mynah Bird
More than a memory fades under the Mynah Bird
You spent your last days under the Mynah Bird
And didn’t know the trail you blazed
A naked singer sings a funeral song and the go-go dancers dance along
A glass box gimmick hanging out over Yorkville’s avenues
Neil Young and Rick James played there then they stole the name
Long before the Super Freak and the Buffalo Springfield
A scene was blowing up as you were breaking down
I wonder if you ever stopped to listen to that sound
You spent your last days under the Mynah Bird
More than a memory fades under the Mynah Bird
You spent your last days under the Mynah Bird
And didn’t know the trail you blazed
I hope you weren’t like Syl Apps and his truncheon army gas masks
Filling wagons with the voices of a city being born
And I’d like to think you heard something, even just the floor boards thumpin’
After-hours in the basement filling shelves down in the store
A scene was blowing up as you were breaking down
I gotta think you must have stopped to listen to that sound
You spent your last days under the Mynah Bird
More than a memory fades under the Mynah Bird
You spent your last days under the Mynah Bird
And didn’t know the trail you blazed
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5. |
40 Endings
04:13
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FORTY ENDINGS
I stayed up all night, determined to forget about you
Thought every bottle I did drain would do the job and get me through
But in the cold light of day your name took the place of my heart
Now I don’t know where my resolve does end or where my indecision does start
Bless all those people walking in the street holding hands
And bless the thin-skinned desires that fold when I strike up the band
You made me swear an oath to the church of my head in the sand
But now I’m down on my knees again picking shards of you out of my hands
The forty endings to this story were all the same
You play the same cards every time
Drain the blood after the big flood and drag my lifeless name through the mud
Dark, dark windows, won’t you save me from myself tonight
I’m just in here washing my hands, but these stains ain’t coming out tonight
And IMHO, your hat was on a little too tight
Should you come again to darken my door, I hope I’m running toward the light
The forty endings to this story were all the same
You play the same cards every time
Drain the blood after the big flood and drag my lifeless name through the mud
Hey fallen star, in a two-buck-a-beer local bar
No that’s not who you once were, but now it is who you are
I stayed up all night, determined to forget about you
Thought every bottle I did drain would do the job and get me through
But in the cold light of day your name took the place of my heart
Now I don’t know where my resolve does end
No I don’t know where my resolve does end
No I don’t know where my resolve does end or where my stupid indecision does start
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6. |
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THE THINGS I WISH I’D NEVER SEEN
On this street there is a scene that we’ve been caught up in between
And all the pictures of you that I wish I’d never seen
Come flowing back into my brain every time you walk away
And there’s this poison line that runs between us every time
I don’t know if I want to hold you or charge you with a crime
You had your hair pulled back again and I can’t get you off my mind
You have changed and I have been moving slow but I love you just the same, just the same
And every drink and every line, that voice that serves to undermine
Today, if someone were to ask, she used to be a friend of mine
But I’m still stuck on the tomorrows that we had; without a doubt they’ve fallen behind
And now I curse the printed page, I curse the digital age
And every picture of you that wanders past me unengaged
There was a time not long ago that I never was afraid; now I fear every day
If this seems strange
I’d eat these words and never mention it again
But that really wouldn’t change a thing...
And you may be gone, that’s the thing
I don’t even know where you’ve been, or where you’re going to, or if we’ll ever talk again
Behind your name there is a song that I’ll be singing all along
And if my voice should start to crack, it doesn’t mean that I’m not strong
It’s just the heartbeat in my temples went too long and all the blood rushed to my head
I don’t expect it anymore, but if you did walk through that door
I don’t know if my eyes would focus or if I’d turn them to the floor
You always said it would get better, and I hope it has for you
And every day I tell myself it’s okay, but it really hasn’t changed a thing...
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7. |
Melinda
04:31
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MELINDA
I’ve been holding my breath and I’ve been waitin’ so long
This subtle pain in my head can’t find the words to a song
And when the telephone rings, just let it ring till the end
If I could get there by spring,
if I could just stand my friends
And it frames the past, but I can’t tie it with a bow
But it starts so fast and moves silent and slow
See it through Melinda
All we offer up to you Melinda
To know you have a thousand shoulders to cry on
And hands to help you from the bed that you lie on
White noise dreams, white noise lies, white noise alibis
And word travels fast, in this dog-tired town
And those fingers that tap, the most unbearable sound
Water still drips from the tap (A poison potion of sorts)
Though it’s been idle for days (It drips with remorse)
Track 4 of “Do the Collapse” (I lost my grip on hope)
Has been on constant replay
I found the sound of hell pushed from an angel’s lungs
Savours the taste of blood on the back of your tongue
See it through Melinda
All we offer up to you Melinda
To know you have a thousand shoulders to cry on
And hands to help you from the bed that you lie on
White noise dreams, white noise lies,
white noise alibis
May sound funny but it’s the only way I get through every day and back to do it again
It rained on Monday in a focus game, like I could write my name on the head of a pin
On the head of a pin...
See it through Melinda
All we offer up to you Melinda
To know you have a thousand shoulders to cry on
And hands to help you from the bed that you lie on
White noise dreams, white noise lies,
white noise alibis
Don’t even let them see you cry
Don’t even let them as you why
Don’t even let them...No.
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8. |
Next to Me
03:28
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NEXT TO ME
Let’s stay together, let’s fall apart, I blame the weather, your jealous heart
Choose to remember, I choose to forget, life and life only, I paid my debts
Next to me, where you stand, take my blood, take my hand
Rescue me from myself, to the past may it burn in hell
Another fire, a false alarm, behind the curtains, and safe from harm
They’ll drag the river, nothing to show, the saints, the sinners, you’ll never know
Next to me, where you stand. take my blood, take my hand
Quarter me with a smile
and denial, we both walked that mile
Can’t you see, can’t you see, can’t you see, can’t you see
A heavy heart still beating cancel all my plans goodbye my friends
And if by chance we meet again
May we both hold the ground where we stand
Where we stand, where we stand, where you stand. where I stand
Next to me, next to me, take my blood, take my hand
Rescue me from myself, to the past, let it burn in hell
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9. |
Birthday Clown
04:33
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BIRTHDAY CLOWN
Don’t be surprised if they say to you
You’ve got every single reason just to travel through the seasons in blue
And don’t close your eyes and keep yourself at bay
From distractions and the vices, the temptations and the prices you pay
I realize I’m not the poster boy you need
At least we’re together when we’re both down on our knees
And when I get down could you hire me a birthday clown
And he can dance and sing our favourite songs, and we’ll just smile as the world spins round
If you’re my girl we can navigate this wretched world
And keep it spinning like a tilt-a-whirl, and let the music just play on and on and on
I’m like you at the best of times
Choosing poison over powder and the noise is louder than the signs
That’s just the symptoms of an overactive mind
Missing subway stops and snowflakes just tryin’ to get to work on time
Plain and simple, it ain’t that simple anymore
Lower the lifeboats when you’re standing on the shore
And when I get down could you hire me a birthday clown
And he can dance and sing our favourite songs, and we’ll just smile as the world spins round
If you’re my girl we can navigate this wretched world
And keep it spinning like a tilt-a-whirl, and let the music just play on and on and on
I know that clown, I know that clown, I know that clown, I know that clown
He used to try to bring me down/He used to follow me around/I used to follow him around
I won’t be surprised when I come to
And the whitewash flows like honey in the streets that you and I once knew
And when I get down could you hire me a birthday clown
And he can dance and sing our favourite songs, and we’ll just smile as the world spins round
If you’re my girl we can navigate this wretched world
And keep it spinning like a tilt-a-whirl, and let the music just play on and on and on
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10. |
By Her Side
06:04
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BY HER SIDE
Has this been the longest goodbye of your life?
Has this been the only way you survive?
As it burns each night down in a silent rage
And steals your words til you can’t engage
But you know there is a morning you just can’t see
Has this been the hottest year of your life?
Did you wake up and nothing had changed overnight?
Did the wind that blows away your doubts and pain
Open up the sky for seven more long days of rain?
And sweep you away even further, so you just couldn’t see?
Has she been the only one on your mind?
Is she moving forward while you stay behind?
In a haze of alcohol and misgivings
Is this what she meant when she said start living?
And you know you can’t be anywhere but by her side
Would you cross the city, just to hear her breathe?
Is the night that much darker when she decides to leave?
Do unfinished sentences and prevaricating eyes
Fill you with questions, until you apologize
cuz you know you can’t be anywhere but by her side
And you know you can’t be anywhere but by her side
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11. |
California
06:39
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CALIFORNIA
You got all the way to California before you changed your mind
If you could’ve found the way from California, would you have stayed behind
And the priest and the poet both laid claim to your land, and told you look to the future Through the holes in your hands
And you lie there beside her with one foot on the floor
Because she fed you the Kool-Aid and then she showed you the door
And I know, but won’t reveal, that you took both hands off the wheel
And I saw through the guile hidden behind every smile
When there was nothing, you had denial
Like the speed of sound as it crosses water late at night
You just turned around and set a new course overnight
There was a fee for the finder, paid twice through the nose
And a mournful reminder stained your skin and your clothes
It wreaked of the havoc that no cards could predict
When he said no you can’t have it, you’re a habit I’ve kicked
And on this sacred ground no one moved when you fell down
And it flowed from your eyes to this blood-red painted town the ones who remember...
You were around in the days of the kings and the crowns
I missed my only chance to say, hey, where you bound?
You got all the way to California before you changed your mind
If you could’ve found the way from California, would you have stayed behind
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The Stephen Stanley Band Toronto, Ontario
The Stephen Stanley Band announce their new album, Before The Collapse Of The
Hive (Wolfe Island Records) will be
released on November 10, 2023. It's an album
brimming with raw, unflinching urgency, steadfast observation and soul-searching storytelling
that highlights Stephen's immediate world: those he loves, and those he's lost.
Photos by Russell Styles
... more
Contact The Stephen Stanley Band
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