1. |
Escapement
03:39
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A thousand miles of longing will light your way back home
It's an easy path to follow, but the hardest way to go
Nothing's as it seems and all you really need
Is water to wash it all and send you out to sea
The world spins day by day and speeds its gradual pace
A clockwork overwound, you've lost the Red Queen's race
Hold on to the center ere the world will spin you off
Send you flying...you and your dreams
Hold on, hold on, you must cling fast now
There is a shelter from the wind and rain
When storm is passed see the world made new
Watch the sun come in view
A thousand ties will bind you and keep you in this land
Give you time to breathe and time to make a plan
Feel the wind begin to rise, see the stormclouds in the sky
It's time to fly...over the sea...
Spread wings, fly on, you must be fast now
Find you a shelter from the wind and rain
When storm is passed see the world made new
Watch the sun come in view
Watch the sun come in view
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2. |
Dark Guardians
04:59
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Sometimes you come in the night
When I'm half asleep
Sometimes you come in the day
Though I still can't see
A sound or a scent or a memory
A thought or a feeling deep within my dreams
Sometimes I see a shimmer
Of what's not quite there
And I wonder if I should follow
Without a care
For my feet do not fear to tread between
The world as it is
And the worlds as yet unseen
I am a child of gods and giddens of old
I am the product of thousands
And the mysteries they hold
Walking a path that is charmed
With all that I am, I am armed
For what lies ahead
Sometimes your wings stir the air
Mystery on the wind
Sometimes a spark into flame
Reflects fire within
Your sulfury breath calls me to take heed
There is no rehearsal
This scene is gathering speed
Sometimes the voice in my head
Whispers "I'm not enough"
Then your thunderous laughter responds
"Though today might seem tough...
You come from a line of magicians, 'tis true
Be steadfast and bold
For they stand here now with you."
"You are a child of gods and giddens of old
You are the product of thousands
And the mysteries they hold
Walking a path that is charmed
With all that you are, you are armed
For what lies ahead, oh, oh, oh, oh..."
I am a child of gods and giddens of old
I am the product of thousands
And the mysteries they hold
Walking a path that is charmed
With all that I am, I am armed
For what lies ahead
Oh, oh...
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3. |
Sun and Moon
04:36
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The sun and the moon have a dance just for two
They swing themselves 'round, out of view
As the day comes and night slips away
This law is the only given way
The sun and the moon, the stars and the sky
One to the other cannot lie
The moon yields his place, the sun shows her face
The moon hides away, starts his race
He circles around, behind once again
To finish the dance he began
Night yields to day and dark into light
Summer and winter start to fight
When will we see and learn to let be
For the sun is in you as the moon is in me
For all we create out of our hate
Is a race that we run run with no ending gate
And all we can do is trod a dance just for two
Like the sun and the moon and the stars
The sun and the moon have a dance just for two
I walk in their track, after you
The day turns to night, the night into day
We act out our part in this play
I call out your name, it's always the same
My sun and your moon play a game
When will we see and learn to let be
For the sun is in you as the moon is in me
For all we create out of our hate
Is a race that we run with no ending gate
And all we can do is trod a dance just for two
Like the sun and the moon and the stars
The sun and the moon have a dance just for two
They swing themselves 'round, out of view
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4. |
Shadows
04:27
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Too long I've been sitting comfortably and
Too long I've been walking with ease
Too long I've been waiting patiently
To make sense of all I see
I want to sort out the light and dark and
I want to see myself clear
I want to be free of the false light
That hides the shadow of fear
I'm waiting for the fog to lift
Sometimes grey skies are quite the gift
Blocking out the blinding lies and light
So I can set these shadows right
I've been told that I am a wild one and
I've been told that I am good
I've been told that I am a solid rock
The turth is I splinter like wood
And I'm waiting for the fog to lift
Sometimes grey skies are quite the gift
Blocking out the blinding lies and light
So I can set these shadows right
Soaring too long with my head in the clouds
I've seen far more than is sound
The heat of the sun has melted my wings
And I must find some solid ground
I got lost when others were doubting me an
I got lost when friends went astray
I got lost when my fire was growing dim
But I will relight it today
Time to dance with the shadow and shade
Time to stand up to wrong
Time to march to the beat of my drum
And find the answers in song
I'm ready for the fog to lift
Sometimes grey skies are quite the gift
Blocking out the blinding lies and light
So I can set these shadows right
I'm ready for the fog to life
Sometimes grey skies are quite the gift
Blocking out the blinding lies and light
So I can set these shadows right
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5. |
When I Go
04:50
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Come, lonely hunter, chieftain and king
I will fly like the falcon when I go
Bear me, my brother, under your wing
I will strike fell like lightning when I go
I will bellow like the thunder drum
Invoke the storm of war
Twisting pillar spun of dust and blood
Up from the prairie floor
I will sweep the foe before me
Like a gale out on the snow
And the wind will long recount the story
Reverence and glory when I go
Spring, spirit dancer, nimble and thin
I will leap like coyote when I go
Tireless entrancer, lend me your skin
I will run like gray wolf when I go
I will climb the rise at daybreak
I will kiss the sky at noon
Raise my yearning voice at midnight
To my mother in the moon
I will make the lay of long defeat
And draw the chorus slow
Send this message down the wire
Hope that someone wise is listening when I go
And when the sun comes
Trumpets from his red house in the east
He will find a standing stone
Where long I chanted my release
He will send his morning messenger
To strike the hammer blow
I will crumble down, uncountable
In showers of crimson rubies
When I go
Sigh, mournful sister, whisper and turn
I will rattle like the dry leaves when I go
Stand in the mist where my fire used to burn
I will camp on the night breeze when I go
And should you glimpse my wandering form
Out on the borderline
Between death and resurrection
And the council of the pine
Do not worry for my comfort
Do not sorrow for me so
All your diamond tears will rise up
And adorn the sky beside me
When I go
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6. |
Winter-King
03:57
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Long, long ago in the land of snow
When mysterious folks lived in every home
A bit of bread or a drop of blood
Fed the guardians of the hearth and barn
Many the flowers that bloomed in the spring
The heat of the summer drew the sweat of ev'ry living thing
Fast came the frost and the dying autumn chill
Beware the coming of the Lord of Winter's will...
What does the Winter-King care for a simple maid?
Most ancient of magics through the bloodline calls
He comes with the snow at the time of the dying
Robed in white, with weapons of ice
On the cold crackling breeze with his kindness and cruelty
Young Vasilisa was no typical maid
Her wild, wand'ring ways led to contempt and shame
Of marriage or convents she would not hear
She could see all the Old Ones and she held them dear
They became her allies as she traveled the world
Disguised as a boy, not living as a girl
Carrying the token of the demon Winter-King
Oblivious to all that her connection would bring
And what does the Winter-King care for a simple maid?
Most ancient of magics through the bloodline calls
He comes with the snow at the time of the dying
Robed in white, with weapons of ice
On the cold crackling breeze with his kindness and cruelty
That which is made of snow cannot tolerate the fire
And the god of the Winter can't give in to desire
His healing comes with searing pain, a freezing burn
But he saved her once too many and for him she yearns
Her own path she must walk, though it strays afar
Through fire and through Midnight, following her heart
Saving children to begin and her country in the end
They called her but a witch, and she did not care...
And what does the Winter-King care for a simple maid?
Most ancient of magics through the bloodline calls
He comes with the snow at the time of the dying
Robed in white, with weapons of ice
On the cold crackling breeze with his kindness and cruelty
Always by her side, yet so far away
Freezing comfort in the night and cold distance in the day
Both of them doomed to a life breaking rules
Now the Winter-King is tied to her people too...
And what does the Winter-King care for a simple maid?
Most ancient of magics through the bloodline calls
He comes with the snow at the time of the dying
Robed in white, with weapons of ice
On the cold crackling breeze with his kindness and cruelty
What does the Winter-King care for a simple maid?
Most ancient of magics through the bloodline calls
He comes with the snow at the time of the dying
Robed in white, with weapons of ice
On the cold crackling breeze with his kindness and cruelty
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7. |
Swans
04:34
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Where the free birds fly, out under the sky
And the dawn is breaking red
When the good folks sleep in a castle keep
And all are still abed
They wonder why they dream of flight in the night
The thigns they cannot keep will fade in the light
Toil long and labor hard
Silent grace will abound
When the weaving stings and the mourning sings
Try not to make a sound
Bind this shirt of thorns to bring back the human form
A beast one cannot brook, chains to bind to the norm
All will be right, and the world made fair
And all is not lost, it's just wings in the air
The final one, a winged thing he flies
Cast off from the ground
With thorns and briars, hope and desire
Girded all around
Don't you wonder why he flies in the dawn's early light
The thoughts he will not keep will fade in the light
All will be right, and the world made fair
And all is not lost, it's just wings in the air
All will be right, and the world made fair
And all is not lost, it's just wings in the air
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8. |
Rock In the Mist
03:40
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Rock in the mist
Tales to be told
Waves rise and fall
Cycles eons old
Moon pulls the tide
Crashing into shore
Rock is submerged
Seeing sky no more
And the truth below the surface
Is the treasure I still seek
Where the mist and tide will coincide
And offer me a peek
Of time's mystery
Rock in the mist
Seeing air once more
Waves pulling back
Opening the shore
Sun warms and dries
No longer cold
But mist will return
Rock's secrets soon to hold
And the truth that is revealed
When my eyes see through the fog
To the mist and tide I hold inside
And the fear I've held so long
I now do release
To rock in the mist
With tales to be told
Waves rise and fall
Cycles eons old
Of rock in the mist
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9. |
Moonsong
03:34
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She pulls me like the tide
I am the sea gone dry
For all my nights of no and yes
I am the sea gone dry
Her song fills out the air
Deaf and dumb, I do not dare
To speak her name or call out my shame
Deaf and dumb I do not dare
But she comes to me in whispers
And she sings to me in light
In the morning sky she lingers
She will kiss me goodbye
I pull the moon down from the sky
Given hope the sea's not dry
For all her nights of no and yes
I am the sea gone dry
Now she comes to me in morning
And she sings to me in light
And the evening sky adorning
She will kiss me goodnight
For all her nights of no and yes
I am the sea not quite dry
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10. |
In the Grey
06:29
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In the inbetween of twilight
As the world settles down
I can hear the whispered voices
Of the Old Ones from the ground
They speak to anyone who listens
So much wisdom to share
As I walk, they weave around me
Invitation to dream if I dare
I have often heard them call me
But to follow, I hesitate
Watching, waiting as I wander
Down the path that leads to my fate
I believe that thousands hold me
As I live this human way
Can I let go of the chains I hold
And start to dance...
In the grey
In the grey
No more hard, fast rules to follow
There is no more black and white
There are no more signs or guideposts
Only my heart knows what is right
I must breathe with windfs of change now
Follow the sun through the day
And hold that spark of light within me
As darkness falls and I find myself...
In the grey
In the grey
In the grey lie the questions
We don't know how to say
In the grey there lie the answers
That we seek when we pray
In the grey, through mist and shadow
Through the fog, the storm, and the shade
We will discover what we yearn for
As we hold our breath and choose to step...
In the grey
In the grey
In the grey
In the grey
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11. |
Merlin
05:51
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It's not so dark in the cave tonight
Just over here there's a crack of light
Tomorrow is the day
i heard the workmen talking through the wall
They're digging for a brand new shopping mall
Just knocked off for the day
It's late at night and the stars are deep
But I'm okay, I don't need sleep
I've been sleeping for quite some time
I'm ready to dance with the devil's daughter
And I don't need to walk on water
'Cause I know I can run on wine
There's voices coming through the ground
The spirits that kick old bones around
The wind picks up again
The ocean slows, it's time to wait
The lion roars at heaven's gate
The forest people call my name
They call my name and never understood
That I am the spirit of the wind and wood
I'm the name in the writing on the wall
And I don't know when and I don't know how
But I do know I'm much stronger now
Wouldn't have come if I hadn't heard you call
I remember when they put me here
The workmen wrapped in masks of fear
Slowly rolling in that stone
They nailed my hands to the rowan tree
Burned my body and they blinded me
Buried me here alone
And Arthur kissed my bloodied eyes
And said "You will live, and we will die,
You will harm nobody here."
And over his shoulder, high on the hill
I see her watching, laughing still
Lovely Guinevere
Arthur cursed when he saw me smile
The sun went dark and the wind went wild
Put me in this place
For years I've slept in this holy park
Slowling healing in the dark
Can hardly wait to see that workman's face
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12. |
Desert Song
04:18
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The sun, it shows upon the land
A heartbeat throbbing down
In quiet day, nothing moves
Sand reaches out, vast and bare
There's no time for the rain
All is still, but on the breeze
The King of Crows, he looks out
He cries aloud and takes wing
The clouds come, a breathing thing
It's not time for the rain
Slipping quiet, through the leaves
Of grass planted here and there
Picking up and sliding down
Muted thunder in the air
Down in sheets comes the rain
Dry rivers run and spill into flood
Scour the land, wash it clean
And the good earth drinks it in
Down in sheets comes the rain
The sun, it shows upon the land
A heartbeat, throbbing down
In quiet day, nothing moves
Sand reaches out, vast and bare
There's no time for the rain
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13. |
The Mystic's Dream
05:34
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A clouded dream on an earthly night
Hangs upon the crescent moon
A voiceless song in an ageless light
Sings at the coming dawn
Where birds in flight are calling there
Where the heart moves the stones
It's there that my heart is longing for
All for the love of you
A painting hangs on an ivy wall
Nestled in the emerald moss
The eyes declare a truce of trust
And then it calls me far away
Where deep in the desert twilight
Sand melts in pools of the sky
Where darkness lays her crimson cloak
Your lamps will call, call me home
And so it's there that my homage due
Clutched by the still of the night
And now I feel, feel you move
And every breath, breath is full
And so it's there that my homage due
Clutched by the still of the night
And even the distance feels so near
All for the love of you
A clouded dream on an earthly night
Hangs upon the crescent moon
A voiceless song in an ancient light
Sings at the coming dawn
Where birds in flight are calling there
Where the heart moves the stones
It's there that my heart is longing for
All for the love of you
It's there that my heart is longing for
All for the love of you
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Random Fractions Chicago, Illinois
Random Fractions is the Chicago-based duo of Cathy McManamon (guitar & vocals) and Jason Neerenberg (bass & vocals) that
plays a wide variety of original folk, filk, rock, and anything else that strikes their fancy. They play at outdoor festivals, science fiction and other conventions, pagan festivals, bars, and living rooms across the country.
Their second official band album is now available!
... more
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