Tracklist
1.
Bury Me At Sea
2.
No One To Hold My Hand
3.
Needles And Ink
4.
The Captain
5.
Shipwrecked
6.
We Are Not What We Wanted To Be
7.
The Night And The Sea
8.
Last Words
9.
A Homecoming
10.
Fair Winds
11.
Harbour Lights
Lyrics
Bury Me At Sea
I won’t lie in the ground
I won’t rest in the earth
I won’t sleep in a box of wood
Covered in dirt
I will lie with the sirens
I will answer their call
Far from land and John Harrison’s hands
Will not lead me home anymore
Bury me at sea
Her of many lovers
So often a bride
So often a widow
With her endless, restless tide
And her sailor’s grave
Waits patiently
For the arms of the earth
To no longer hold me
Bury me at sea...
There’s no hell below
And no heaven above
Just a blanket of stars
As I lie, as I lie
In the arms of my love
I won’t rest in the earth
I won’t sleep in a box of wood
Covered in dirt
I will lie with the sirens
I will answer their call
Far from land and John Harrison’s hands
Will not lead me home anymore
Bury me at sea
Her of many lovers
So often a bride
So often a widow
With her endless, restless tide
And her sailor’s grave
Waits patiently
For the arms of the earth
To no longer hold me
Bury me at sea...
There’s no hell below
And no heaven above
Just a blanket of stars
As I lie, as I lie
In the arms of my love
No One To Hold My Hand
There was no one to hold my hand when I fell
No one to hold my hand
There was no one to hold my hand when I fell
No one to hold my hand
There was no one to hold my hand when I fell
No one to listen and nothing to tell
It’s colder than cold and it’s darker than hell
There was no one to hold my hand
There was nothing to keep you here when you came
Nothing to keep you here
There was nothing to keep you here when you came
Nothing to keep you here
There was nothing to keep you here when you came
Nothing to long for and nothing to crave
You left and I was left with everything just the same
There was nothing to keep you here
There was no one to hear my prayer when I prayed
No on to hear my prayer
There was no one to hear my prayer when I prayed
No one to hear my prayer
There was no one to hear my prayer when I prayed
Through the longest of nights and the darkest of days
Are you leaving me lord as I shuffle to my grave
There was no one to hear my prayer
No one to hold my hand
There was no one to hold my hand when I fell
No one to hold my hand
There was no one to hold my hand when I fell
No one to listen and nothing to tell
It’s colder than cold and it’s darker than hell
There was no one to hold my hand
There was nothing to keep you here when you came
Nothing to keep you here
There was nothing to keep you here when you came
Nothing to keep you here
There was nothing to keep you here when you came
Nothing to long for and nothing to crave
You left and I was left with everything just the same
There was nothing to keep you here
There was no one to hear my prayer when I prayed
No on to hear my prayer
There was no one to hear my prayer when I prayed
No one to hear my prayer
There was no one to hear my prayer when I prayed
Through the longest of nights and the darkest of days
Are you leaving me lord as I shuffle to my grave
There was no one to hear my prayer
Needles And Ink
What tales can you tell of a sea black as hell
And a wind as cruel as the devil
When knuckles ran white on a godless night
As the waves hammered over the bow rail
And of sun-weary skies where beaten you’d lie
With your arms on the wheel of your lover
How your soul it was taken when you married a maiden
Of chains and of wood and of leather
Unable to stand and with rope-burned hands
You’d fumble your way around a woman
Through gin-soaked tears she remembers the years
How a shore-leave love left her ruined
With the breaking of dawn her faith is reborn
She tells you that you are her saviour
But how soon she forgets as another sun sets
And brings the next ship into harbour
In each bed that you slept there’s a woman you left
Mapped out in sailor-ink tales
With your arms painted green at each port that you’ve been
With anchors and mermaids and sails
And places you knew and a heart split in two
The names of the dead and the living
But each tale that is told where the needle made holes
Say more than any words written
And a wind as cruel as the devil
When knuckles ran white on a godless night
As the waves hammered over the bow rail
And of sun-weary skies where beaten you’d lie
With your arms on the wheel of your lover
How your soul it was taken when you married a maiden
Of chains and of wood and of leather
Unable to stand and with rope-burned hands
You’d fumble your way around a woman
Through gin-soaked tears she remembers the years
How a shore-leave love left her ruined
With the breaking of dawn her faith is reborn
She tells you that you are her saviour
But how soon she forgets as another sun sets
And brings the next ship into harbour
In each bed that you slept there’s a woman you left
Mapped out in sailor-ink tales
With your arms painted green at each port that you’ve been
With anchors and mermaids and sails
And places you knew and a heart split in two
The names of the dead and the living
But each tale that is told where the needle made holes
Say more than any words written
The Captain
What fires are these
That now are embers
Too many faces I’ve seen
Too many names to remember
How many have gone
To some greater good or other
Oh, fatherless sons
Oh, childless mothers
I am a captain of the sea
I am a captain of the waves
I am a leader of men
And I have led them to their graves
I am a captain of the sea...
That now are embers
Too many faces I’ve seen
Too many names to remember
How many have gone
To some greater good or other
Oh, fatherless sons
Oh, childless mothers
I am a captain of the sea
I am a captain of the waves
I am a leader of men
And I have led them to their graves
I am a captain of the sea...
Shipwrecked
And so it goes
Through hours and days I rowed
From a ship with a broken hull
And sails shot with holes
And so it goes
I rowed for the sight of land
With the rain in my heart
And splinters like nails in my hands
But you wouldn’t follow
You wouldn’t go
You said leave me to the sea
These waves have been kind to me
And where you’re heading
There’ll be nothing more than sorrow. Oh, sorrow
And so it goes
On these rocks I made a home
From the washed up wrecks of ships
And long-forgotten sailor’s bones
But I long for the ocean
And I long for the waves
And I long for our reckless ship
And, God, how I wished I had stayed
But you wouldn’t follow
You wouldn’t go
You said leave me to the sea
These waves are my fields and trees
And where you’re heading
There’ll be nothing more than sorrow. Oh, sorrow
But you wouldn’t follow
You wouldn’t go
So I left you to the sea
And all that mattered to me
And here there’s nothing
Nothing more than sorrow. Oh, sorrow
Through hours and days I rowed
From a ship with a broken hull
And sails shot with holes
And so it goes
I rowed for the sight of land
With the rain in my heart
And splinters like nails in my hands
But you wouldn’t follow
You wouldn’t go
You said leave me to the sea
These waves have been kind to me
And where you’re heading
There’ll be nothing more than sorrow. Oh, sorrow
And so it goes
On these rocks I made a home
From the washed up wrecks of ships
And long-forgotten sailor’s bones
But I long for the ocean
And I long for the waves
And I long for our reckless ship
And, God, how I wished I had stayed
But you wouldn’t follow
You wouldn’t go
You said leave me to the sea
These waves are my fields and trees
And where you’re heading
There’ll be nothing more than sorrow. Oh, sorrow
But you wouldn’t follow
You wouldn’t go
So I left you to the sea
And all that mattered to me
And here there’s nothing
Nothing more than sorrow. Oh, sorrow
We Are Not What We Wanted To Be
Another day fades, the stars won’t shine tonight
There’s nothing here that deserves their selfless light
I’m too drunk to talk and you’re too tired to see
That we are not what we wanted to be
We haunt these rooms night after night
Playing out somebody else’s fucked up lives
The king of all regret and the queen of misery
We are not what we wanted to be
Hands are cruel and words are mean
And there’s a darkness rises up inside of me
It’s hard to say but not hard to see
We are not what we wanted to be
Another day fades, the stars won’t shine tonight
Just a grieving moon and her pale bedside light
And a morning sun that finds me sober and sorry
But we are not what we wanted to be
Hands are cruel and words are mean...
I thought there would be more than this...
Didn’t you think there would be more than this
There’s nothing here that deserves their selfless light
I’m too drunk to talk and you’re too tired to see
That we are not what we wanted to be
We haunt these rooms night after night
Playing out somebody else’s fucked up lives
The king of all regret and the queen of misery
We are not what we wanted to be
Hands are cruel and words are mean
And there’s a darkness rises up inside of me
It’s hard to say but not hard to see
We are not what we wanted to be
Another day fades, the stars won’t shine tonight
Just a grieving moon and her pale bedside light
And a morning sun that finds me sober and sorry
But we are not what we wanted to be
Hands are cruel and words are mean...
I thought there would be more than this...
Didn’t you think there would be more than this
The Night And The Sea
Oh, lover
Who lies with you now
Who comforts you now when you wake
Is he gentle, is he kind
Is he patient, does he mind
If you call out my name by mistake
And do you stare at the night and the sea
And does he look like me
And does he look like me
Oh, mother
How long can you wait
For a son who is lost to the waves
You counted them out
And you counted them home
And you prayed every prayer you could pray
Did you watch them return
From the night and the sea
And did you wish they were me
Oh, father
It’s not how I thought it would be
No angel of light or heavenly sound
Just the screaming of men
And the water and the wood
And this darkness all around
You talked to me of the night and the sea
And you were all I wanted to be
Who lies with you now
Who comforts you now when you wake
Is he gentle, is he kind
Is he patient, does he mind
If you call out my name by mistake
And do you stare at the night and the sea
And does he look like me
And does he look like me
Oh, mother
How long can you wait
For a son who is lost to the waves
You counted them out
And you counted them home
And you prayed every prayer you could pray
Did you watch them return
From the night and the sea
And did you wish they were me
Oh, father
It’s not how I thought it would be
No angel of light or heavenly sound
Just the screaming of men
And the water and the wood
And this darkness all around
You talked to me of the night and the sea
And you were all I wanted to be
Last Words
If these will be
My last words from the sea
I hope they find you well
As well as can be
And I wish that I was there
And I wish I wasn’t scared
But I can’t change the way
These things will be
If these will be
My last words from the sea
Tell Joe to keep
The money he owes me
Tell Lucy not to grieve
For the things that couldn’t be
And remember when we played
Down by the factory
If these will be
My last words from the sea
There are so many boys here
Just like me
And when all of this is done
And they call home everyone
Remember this is where
I chose to be
My last words from the sea
I hope they find you well
As well as can be
And I wish that I was there
And I wish I wasn’t scared
But I can’t change the way
These things will be
If these will be
My last words from the sea
Tell Joe to keep
The money he owes me
Tell Lucy not to grieve
For the things that couldn’t be
And remember when we played
Down by the factory
If these will be
My last words from the sea
There are so many boys here
Just like me
And when all of this is done
And they call home everyone
Remember this is where
I chose to be
A Homecoming
Pull your chairs a little closer
Pour yourselves a little more
Hear these words that I speak now
For these tales I tell are tall
Tattooed sails on your arms, boys
Broken hearts in every port
You bear the names
Of all those old flames
And you think you’ve seen it all
Heave Ho, we hauled on the rope
The Queen is coming back to shore
Heave Ho, we hauled on the rope
She will sail no more
I’ve been full and I’ve been empty
I’ve been rich and I’ve been poor
I’ve been all over and I’ve been nowhere
And you think you’ve seen it all
Heave Ho...
So you think you’ve been in love, my friend
Pretty eyes, a pretty mouth
Let me tell you, you’ve seen nothing
Until you’ve seen the Queen of the South
Heave Ho...
Pour yourselves a little more
Hear these words that I speak now
For these tales I tell are tall
Tattooed sails on your arms, boys
Broken hearts in every port
You bear the names
Of all those old flames
And you think you’ve seen it all
Heave Ho, we hauled on the rope
The Queen is coming back to shore
Heave Ho, we hauled on the rope
She will sail no more
I’ve been full and I’ve been empty
I’ve been rich and I’ve been poor
I’ve been all over and I’ve been nowhere
And you think you’ve seen it all
Heave Ho...
So you think you’ve been in love, my friend
Pretty eyes, a pretty mouth
Let me tell you, you’ve seen nothing
Until you’ve seen the Queen of the South
Heave Ho...
Fair Winds
O travellers, we
Were lost from the start
Without compass or clear sight
Or view of the stars
It’s a cruel wind that carried us
From our maps and our charts
It’s a cruel wind that blew
Such a chill in our hearts
Bring me fair winds
I’m tired of sailing
Bring me angels
We are not beyond saving
We were not strong enough
We were just bones
So easily broken
So frail under stones
It’s a cruel wind that carried us
So far from home
It’s a cruel wind that carried us
To the eye of the storm
Bring me fair winds...
Our sails were full and our hearts were pounding
Our hopes were high and our fears were few
We steered ourselves through waves like mountains
And we lost more than we knew
We went too far
We went for too long
We forgot who we are
And we no longer know where we came from
It’s a cruel wind that carried us
On a dead run
But I’m setting a new heading
And I’m taking us home
Bring me fair winds...
Bring us home
Were lost from the start
Without compass or clear sight
Or view of the stars
It’s a cruel wind that carried us
From our maps and our charts
It’s a cruel wind that blew
Such a chill in our hearts
Bring me fair winds
I’m tired of sailing
Bring me angels
We are not beyond saving
We were not strong enough
We were just bones
So easily broken
So frail under stones
It’s a cruel wind that carried us
So far from home
It’s a cruel wind that carried us
To the eye of the storm
Bring me fair winds...
Our sails were full and our hearts were pounding
Our hopes were high and our fears were few
We steered ourselves through waves like mountains
And we lost more than we knew
We went too far
We went for too long
We forgot who we are
And we no longer know where we came from
It’s a cruel wind that carried us
On a dead run
But I’m setting a new heading
And I’m taking us home
Bring me fair winds...
Bring us home
Harbour Lights
It was a sailor’s life for me
You kept your feet on firmer ground
Thought all I needed was the sea
But I’ve never been more lost than I am now
You were like a beacon
Burning brightly from the shore
Offering a shelter from the storm
You light up like harbour lights
You light up the darkest nights
You light up to guide the way back home
I was so long in the wilderness
I was so long in this god forsaken place
Praying for some kind of forgiveness
Hoping for a hand to lead the way
You were like a beacon,
Burning brightly from the shore...
Damien Kay – Vocals, Guitar
Paul Godfrey – Viola
George Whitfield – Piano
John Forrester – Guitar, Vocals
Helen Leask – Vocals
Recorded across the UK including:
Port Isaac, Cornwall
Guildford, Surrey
Newbury, Berkshire
Stroud, Gloucestershire
Maidstone, Kent
Narberth, Wales
Recorded and engineered by Paul Godfrey
Mixed in Budapest by the great Adam Whitaker
Mastered in Devon by Simon Heyworth and Bill Sellar at
Super Audio Mastering
You kept your feet on firmer ground
Thought all I needed was the sea
But I’ve never been more lost than I am now
You were like a beacon
Burning brightly from the shore
Offering a shelter from the storm
You light up like harbour lights
You light up the darkest nights
You light up to guide the way back home
I was so long in the wilderness
I was so long in this god forsaken place
Praying for some kind of forgiveness
Hoping for a hand to lead the way
You were like a beacon,
Burning brightly from the shore...
Damien Kay – Vocals, Guitar
Paul Godfrey – Viola
George Whitfield – Piano
John Forrester – Guitar, Vocals
Helen Leask – Vocals
Recorded across the UK including:
Port Isaac, Cornwall
Guildford, Surrey
Newbury, Berkshire
Stroud, Gloucestershire
Maidstone, Kent
Narberth, Wales
Recorded and engineered by Paul Godfrey
Mixed in Budapest by the great Adam Whitaker
Mastered in Devon by Simon Heyworth and Bill Sellar at
Super Audio Mastering
About Album
ANCHORS, MERMAIDS & SAILS
Thirsty Dog Records
Photography:
Anna Emslie, Stuart Brill, Jess Jones, Emily Whitfield-Wicks,
Adrian Gee, Chris Rollason, Paul Godfrey, Tammy Lynn
Thank you:
Keith Stockman, George Whitfield, Pete Cole, Mike Stephens,
Sue Webb, James Wilson, Sam Gardener, Lisa Bunch, Barnaby Kay
And to our friends & families:
Helen, Emily & Dylan Kay, Rachel, Emily & Jay Godfrey, Alan and
Janet White, Helen White, Ferg, Daniel & Ella Leask,
Paula Southern, Sheila Ashcroft, Linze Maesterosa,
Nicola Thomas, Zakk Price, Owen Price
In memory of those we have all loved and lost