1. |
Daniel
03:40
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Daniel walks the streets,
10 years in worn shoes,
He has a shattered life
But he was always free to move
Will they offer him a bed
Will they offer him a bed
Will they offer him a bed
Will they offer him a bed
Daniel sells the Big Issue,
But now with no one to sell to,
He has no money to eat,
Just keeps wandering on his feet
Will they offer him a bed
Will they offer him a bed
Will they offer him a bed
Will they offer him a bed
Then a voice cries,
“Hey Daniel”
It’s been a while
Have you a place to stay?
He asks with a smile
I’m going to a hotel,
Where they say there’s beds,
I’ll take you there
Maybe we can rest our heads
Will they offer him a bed
Will they offer him a bed
Will they offer him a bed
Will they offer him a bed
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2. |
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Nattat she wakes at 5am,
It’s time to work the ward again,
Nightmares plague her dreams at night,
Of no protection to help her, in her fight
She loves the job she’s done for years,
And in this time, she’s had no fears,
But without any supplies,
She fears the frontline will drop like flies
That night she sees her neighbours cheer,
Whoops and claps are all she hears,
The chant of thanks helps her carry on,
The chant of thanks the message of this song
Thank you
Thank you
Thank you
Thank you
(thank you)
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3. |
The Tenant
05:23
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Landlord, Landlord, won’t you come in?
Landlord, landlord, won’t you come in?
Landlord, Landlord, won’t you come in?
And see the poor state we’re living in
Rotten windows and infested with mould,
You don’t care if we die from the cold,
The landlord sees, that no tenant has paid,
100 properties, but never a repair made,
Years ignoring, the plight of your tenants
Now facing collapse, is this your, is this your
Penance
Landlord, Landlord, we’ll show you around!
The slum, of which you’re so proud
The bath is leaking, and the water is brown,
Maybe a Lord should wear a Crown
The landlord sees, that no tenant has paid,
100 properties, but never a repair made,
Years ignoring, the plight of your tenants
Now facing collapse, is this your, is this your
Penance
Landlord, landlord,
You never came in,
To see the poor state,
You left us in
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4. |
The Environmentalist
03:14
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Millions try,
whilst millions die,
It’s simply not enough
Emma cries,
But things are changing,
not by choice, or policies
Yes things are changing,
Forced to by a new disease
Look up into the sky
Hardly a plane flies by,
Factories falling silent, offices quietly close,
Will this make us poorer or richer? Emma thinks she knows
Yes things are changing,
not by choice, or policies
Yes things are changing,
Forced to by a new disease
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5. |
The Baby
02:50
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This, the day that you’re born
Hearts broke, souls torn,
You are all that is new and fresh like the sun after rain
And the likeness,
To a man, not of your name
Though, too small to understand
Fear and panic, grips the land,
Your mother, in a moment of weakness that lead to the wonder that’s you
And your father, not the man who cradles and soothes
Yours, the only sound in the home
The adults, struck dumb, unable to roam
Anger, and unshakable hate, silently replaced the doubt
But held captive, they have to work it out
P – A – I - N
But held captive, and through time, they work it out
Yes
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6. |
The Swimmer
04:19
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Benjamin watched the news,
dread making him sweat
A 5th of his life spent training,
All in on the bet,
All to win a race,
That will never take place.
At 5 they said he had promise
At 10 they said he had skill
At 16 he joined Great Britain
A team to top the Tokyo bill
The race postponed but unable to train
Benjamin’s strength starts to fade
He is getting weaker by the day,
Losing his edge
By next summer, he will be the bird,
He will be the bird,
that failed to fledge
At 5 they said he had promise
At 10 they said he had skill
At 16 he joined Great Britain
A team to top the Tokyo bill
With time on his hands, Benjamin sits at home,
His swimsuit in a box
He flicks through emails he hasn’t read,
But now there’s time to reply
He sees a message from a girl, in class from two years past
But he’d been too busy training to answer
With time on his hands,
and a new glint in his eye,
He raises a finger,
And clicks reply
At 5 they said he had promise
At 10 they said he had skill
At 16 he joined Great Britain
A team to top the Tokyo bill
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7. |
The A Level Student
03:27
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Sarah knew her future looked grim,
Before news of the virus set in,
Brexit result, a wound dressed in salt,
A bright future always seemed slim,
But now she sees it fade more
Close your eyes and breathe,
You have the strength you need
Close your eyes and breathe,
You have the strength you need
Sarah knows there’s no exams,
But the stress has only shifted,
The freedom she yearns, is snatched away
As her results are gifted
Now, She feels, like she’s falling apart
Close your eyes and breathe,
You have the strength you need
Close your eyes and breathe,
You have the strength you need
Don’t ever, lose your hope,
Close your eyes and breathe,
You have the strength you need
Close your eyes and breathe,
You have the strength you need
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8. |
The Shopper
04:21
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It’s 6am and Mark is in the queue,
Queuing in lockdown, the thing to do,
2 metres apart the wardens ensure,
Think of others they implore,
Mark needs nappies and baby food,
But the shelves are bare,
His need and panic not misconstrued
But nobody cares,
Is it wrong,
To think of oneself?
Is it greedy,
To take what’s left on the shelf?
If you were me,
Wouldn’t you do the same?
Why’d you point your finger? I’m not to blame
Mark goes to 3 supermarkets and two corner stores,
To get what he needs he needs to go through so many doors
If he had the virus it would daube so many places,
In each shop he went he left so may traces
Is it wrong,
To think of oneself?
Is it greedy,
To take what’s left on the shelf?
If you were me,
Would you not do the same?
Why’d you point your finger? I’m not to blame
Mark arrives home, without what they need,
His girlfriend looks ashen, the child’s overdue a feed,
They both start to cry desperation in their moans,
Then their despair is broken by a ring of the phone
“Heya Mark, it’s Luke, It’s crazy out there!
We tried to get supplies, but the shelves were bare,
Finally we got a slot and ordered online,
so we ordered 5 of everything, including the wine.
The delivery just came we’ve got more than need,
Loads of nappies and milk for feeds,
Do you guys need anything at all?
I could drop it off later, it won’t dent the haul.”
Mark laughs as he puts down the phone,
A weight it lifts, a lightening of tone.
A battle won, but they know there’ll be more,
But he knows they’ll be ok
Yes he knows we’ll be ok,
if we support each other through the darkest days
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9. |
The Binman
05:18
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At 19 Dymek came to the UK,
Cleaning the streets so he could stay,
Burns to his face from when he was a child,
Making others stay away,
Yes Dymek only wanted
to be lo-o-v-ed oh, oh
When lockdown came, he was still on the streets,
Removing our filth, our secrets, and the wrappers of our treats
For others the lockdown meant relationships by phone,
But for Dymek nothing changed, Like always
He was alone
Three weeks into lockdown, on Valnay Street,
Collecting the bins and filth in the early April heat,
A young woman rushed out, arms raised,
She’d put the wrong bag out in a cabin fever daze,
She called out to Dymek
“Oh please stop”
Young Dymek turned and stared,
At the girl in the street, in dressing gown
Wild and with slick wet hair,
In his hands he held a bag,
The young woman cried, “See you have it there!”
Yes Dymek only wanted
to be lo-o-v-ed oh, oh
The next week in Valnay Street,
He looked up at a window and whose eyes should he meet?
The young woman waved and smiled,
Dymek waved back and lingered a while.
Yes Dymek only wanted
to be lo-o-v-ed oh, oh
For 3 weeks the same happened each time,
A wave and a smile, every time sublime
Then on the fourth week, a letter pinned to the door,
An email address, A contact, A chance,
for the man
who
asked
for
nothing more
Yes Dymek only wanted
to be lo-o-v-ed oh, oh
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10. |
The 7 to 9
04:01
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Mike’s used to the 7 to 9,
Long hours and hardly any family time,
Married, and with 3 boys,
Mike stayed away as much as he could,
Just to avoid the noise,
Mike was not a natural father,
His family, or his company he knew which he’d rather,
Now although Mike lives in a 6 bed pad,
It’s not enough space to save him from going mad,
With a wife he barely knows, and 3 kids following him wherever he goes,
And with the help all gone,
He hides in the bathroom, but for how long?
Mike’s wife calls through the bathroom door
Mike I can’t take it any more
If you can’t help me out,
Have no doubt you’ll be doing it all on your own
Mike opens the door a crack,
His wife hands him the kids who cry “Daddy, we’ve got you back!”
“Daddy, we’ve finally got you around!” they roar
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Giles Read London, UK
Giles Read is a solo artist living in South West London. Heavily influenced by the eclectic and masterful sounds of Davy Graham, Nick Drake and Jeff Buckley, Giles tries to push the boundaries of modern folk sounds.
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