1. |
A Rich Seam
04:28
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A RICH SEAM
Come take a look at this rolling vista
Beneath its blistered fields lie caves of destiny
With untapped veins undiscovered waiting
For you to stake your claim upon their richest seam
This churchyard holds its share of history
In small graves littering its bonnie silent green
How many failed or missed their calling
Through time spent stalling over what they could have been
And though you be a tiny satellite
One day you may be shining bright
Become a glorious sun
Cast your light on everyone
Radiate your creative delight
Procrastinate and time will rob you
Of all the things that you might yet achieve
Mistakes breed strength don't let them deter you
From finding yourself amid your own rich seam
There are those who would control your course for you
And there are those who would seek to steal your dreams
So let it rock their weak foundations
To see you reap the treasures of your own rich seam
For you the world is getting smaller
And you can do things of which I could only dream
So let it be your crowning glory
The wondrous story of your own rich seam
Come take a look at this rolling vista
This cracked and blistered jewel-encrusted legacy
From mine to yours never deny it
Jump up and cry it as you dig your own rich seam
(Gary Miller)
Copyright © 2000 Gary Miller / Whippet Records
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2. |
House of War
04:22
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3. |
Kater Murr
05:20
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4. |
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SOLDIER ON THE MANTELPIECE
In battledress and helmet he stands on the mantelpiece
Eyes glazed and feet of clay a unique masterpiece
Three buttons on his tunic, four pouches on his belt
Is their something to communicate, a story to tell?
How many horrors haunt him?
How many good friends died?
Does he pine away each lonely day
For a girl he left behind?
The ears they cannot hear
The eyes they cannot see
But oh the tales that he tells
With such bold simplicity
Michelangelo’s David never stood so tall and proud
He should be in a gallery his praises shouted loud
So uplifting and so passionate, a priceless work of art
An insight into his maker’s mind and heart
In his glorious features
Such expression can be read
Shoulders square and hands like hams
What life might he have led?
The ears they cannot hear
The eyes they cannot see
But oh the tales that he tells
With such bold simplicity
Such raw skill and talent
Is so rarely recognised
The soldier on the mantelpiece
Will win no Turner Prize
(Gary Miller)
Copyright © 2000 Gary Miller / Whippet Records
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5. |
Canard's Grace
06:36
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6. |
Cynthia's Revels
03:51
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7. |
Seven Hills
05:40
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SEVEN HILLS
My city stands on seven hills
My ego dwells within
With seven courts for seven laws
Which bend against my will
There are many masks for me to wear
To judge with clemency
But it's a thankless task it's an empire of glass
A brittle transparency
The streets and architecture
Form a grandiose design
Sculptors mould my vision
Into artifacts sublime
Painters reflect beauty
In each image rich and bold
Poets agonise to find
The words that must be told
All roads lead me
My destiny to find
And if fate decrees to Hell I'll go
For I won't be denied
My army marched through many lands
To a thunder like applause
And plundered indiscriminately
To the betrayal of my cause
But my killer instinct failed me
In many a far off land
Until I had lost all hope and sense
Of where my city stands
A city built on one man's dreams
Can stand the test of time
If others share his vision rare
And can add to its design
But with vandals hammering at the gates
And traitors from within
A swift blade thrust into the back
Cuts short a glorious reign
So lend me your ears
And hand my fiddle down
For I will play the final tune
And burn my city down
(Gary Miller)
Copyright © 2000 Gary Miller / Whippet Records
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8. |
Land, Sea and Sky
06:14
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9. |
It's Your Time To Leave
03:27
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IT'S YOUR TIME TO LEAVE
It's your time to leave now mine has begun
Taking all that you need now you're gone
Our time never came for that time was not ours
It's mine and must be mine alone
Now we're both left standing outside in the rain
But I welcome the storm that's to come
It's your time to leave
Good riddance God damn you be gone
To crack the whip you must lead the dance
You need courage to face others head on
To make sweet music you must be of one mind
Or it's over before it's begun
Though all that we've planted may wither and die
What survives is the need to plant more
But it's your time to leave
Good riddance God damn you be gone
Now that we're heading for separate shores
Who's to blame for it all
Do I wish you well and do you wish it for me
Does it even matter at all
Though these crossroads excite me they scare me to death
New journeys seem all that I own
If old chapters prepare you for what lies ahead
You must still write the end on your own
For what is the use chasing dreams you don't need
Weighed down with a load not your own
Now it's your time to leave
Good riddance God damn you be gone
(Gary Miller)
Copyright © 2000 Gary Miller / Whippet Records
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10. |
Full Circle
05:32
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FULL CIRCLE
In the great days of steam
I was the toast of the town
My brand new paintwork gleamed
As people flocked from miles around
To see to touch to wave to cheer
A newborn child of engineers
And the hearts of my two thousand horses beat
To the rhythm of their tiny lives
I rolled and sped and hissed and with pride
An iron beast of burden
I tore through the veins and guts of the land
Supplying mineral wealth
Fed by a fireman’s lonely hand
With the passion of a thousand suns
My kisses scorched his bursting lungs
Like a lover’s heart my fires were stoked
By rough hands touched with tenderness
As I held him in my warm caress
I became a river supplying endless streams
To valleys and mountains red and gold and green
To fortune to fame to romance and to dreams
I was privy to their secrets and their schemes
As their lives touched me
And I fed the hungry engines of war
With the finest crop in England’s store
An ocean of tears drowned the platform roar
Through emotions never felt so deep before
I fell to the diesel age
Time and progress conquered me
Withdrawn and derelict
Nature laid cruel hands on me
She turned my once bright coat to rust
As my memory faded into dust
Some small affection I could claim
As a nest for lovebirds I became
Or a secret den for children’s games
Rescued and restored by loving hands
In my former glory I now stand
My paint gleams once more people flock again in awe
To celebrate to see to touch to talk
Of one reborn
(Gary Miller)
Copyright © 2000 Gary Miller / Whippet Records
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Gary Miller Durham, UK
Gary Miller first rose to international prominence with folk-punk/rock pioneers The Whisky Priests (1985-2002), founded with his twin brother Glenn - “the Joe Strummer and Mick Jones of Folk Music". He now performs as a solo artist and with his new band 'Gary Miller's Big Picture' whose debut album is coming soon. ... more
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