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Bridge of Sighs

by Dave Bradley

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1.
The Oleander Fires Waking with the sunrise As soothing as the breeze Find it hard to settle down I'm running through the trees I'm not rolling with the New Age Fighting battles you can't conceive Walking through the scrubland Heading for the sea The oleander fires give little heat but their breath intoxicates you You're dreaming of garrigue and wonder why you're weak Crawling back to meet you Calling out to greet you Sound the Alarm! The worriers are coming Bearing gifts only Greeks would refuse Falling out of their clothes It's not the path they'd choose It's a battle they're bound to lose When winter seeds the spring You catch hold of everything The oleander fires give little heat but their breath intoxicates you You're dreaming of garrigue and wonder why you ache Crawling back to meet the oleander fires The oleander fires give little heat but their breath intoxicates you You're dreaming of garrigue and wonder why you weep Crawling back to meet you The oleander fires, waking with the sunrise
2.
One by One 04:17
One by one As the lights come on , one by one In the calm of a distant harbour You begin to see as the day is done That their lives are all that really matter As the clouds drift on, one by one And the stars begin to appear The planets they stride across a velvet sky But are tamed by the music of the spheres Don't look to the sky for the reasons why Even if you're feeling a little small The clouds pass by, no reason why And the stars don't matter at all! If your mind is drawn to those distant forms And you worry about their hidden meaning It's easy to say they're not entirely au fait With the thoughts with which you're dealing
3.
Shifting Sands There's a man who lives down by the water Stares out to sea like he understands When the wind changes, you know he really ought to find a new life away from shifting sands And, the girl who lives above him on the cliff-top writes tales that no one will ever keep to hand She stands alone, waiting at the water's edge, worrying that he'll never come back home Her superstitions say to her that he's safe out there, but time and tide will never spare the stone You've got to be lost not to find them Strong not to bind them Got to be sharp, not to cut yourself You've got to be here to get away You've got to be cold not to stay a knocked up complication on the shelf As the tide turns and washes away your secrets You know the words were only meant for you As the light fades you search around for a beacon A guiding light to navigate the blue You've got to be lost not to find them You've got to be strong not to bind them You got to be sharper, not to cut yourself You've got to make time to get away You've got to be bold not to say that it's a locked down combination on the shelf
4.
You stepped off the train There was nobody waiting You looked down at the rails The rain pounded, the light was fading Are you running out of favours? Are you running out on me? Are you looking for a saviour to confiscate the fear? You knocked on the door Why was nobody waiting? You looked up at the rain Your heart pounding those words berating You're riding high on danger You're running to be free But you're running out of favours Wishing you were never deceived
5.
When the beat hits you hard and you hear that simple melody When the beat heals your heart I keep you in my memory... ...and hope for love and harmony When the beat hits your heart You're a long way from the turnaround and I don't see you coming back Never seem to be homeward bound Always heading down the track You turn away there's nothing I can do Was it something that I lacked? You took a chance on the turnaround But I don't hear it working out Never saw your feet hit the ground Always heading out the back You run away and there's nothing I can do Was there nothing that you lacked? Words and music by Dave Bradley Guitars, bass, vocals Dave Bradley Drums Klaus Tropp I have done an instrumental remix of this song called "Angle Shades" Sciencebase – Angle-shades
6.
West Virginia was almost Heaven Well, not quite Heaven, but close to it Drinking, laughing, we stuck together Though years go by, we haven't changed a bit Oh we had a blast, working hard, and playing fast Working, singing, all of us brimming with youth But we knew it wouldn't last, heading home; now it's in the past Take us back to where we were riding high Not for all time, just for a day and a night Show us Heaven, show us how to be free, again But, almost Heaven is not what you need for a life West Virginia was almost Heaven Well, not quite Heaven, but near enough Walking, talking we stuck together Years go by now we're in the rough
7.
For sake of everything you do today Just for the sake of everything you do today Watch your step on the way Whatever you do today (Worry about it later) Watch your step all the way Whatever you do today You might leave a trail today Whatever you do today Just watch your step
8.
Shooting Waste Stepped away from the water's edge Though darkness surrounded me, I heard no siren call Cleared my head and reminded myself Without your Word, I wouldn't be here at all Though everyone is turning everything inside out It's way beyond a doubt, they don't need to see me fall With every whisper, with every scream and shout My safety net is torn, my back's against the wall Idle eyes can't see you build your faith Don't knock them over Don't lead it to an empty place Don't idolise, build up your faith Don't tell me that it's over Don't leave an empty space Have you heard about the news today There was another killing, another shooting waste When you step back to see the error of your ways The part you played, the lives you could've saved Have you even read the news today Yet another killing, another shooting waste If you'd only step back see the error of your ways The part you played, the lives you could've saved Climbed on up to the higher ground Though echoes come and go, there was nowhere to fall With open hearts, we couldn't bear to hear the sound The separated children, the terror of it all
9.
C6 Deev 03:09
10.
On Reflection On reflection, I always knew I wouldn't find my way On reflection, never was a truer word, you'd say On reflection, I'd really have to fight to make you stay On reflection, burning your bridges was the cruellest way On reflection, cutting those ties 'cause they wear you away Hear the words behind the lies, where do I begin? Well you're cutting your ties 'cause they're wearing you thin I think the ties that bind might be the original sin So, I close my eyes and then I can't complain On reflection...there's nothing to gain On reflection... It's a no brainer game I'll lose I don't believe I ever had the chance to choose When you blow my mind, there's no place to hide Force me to loosen my grip on my pride There's a time and a place to stare at the mirror There's a likelier case that couldn't be clearer What's this game you play where I'm a beginner? Don't you know my lights are growing dimmer? That reflection of you is growing dimmer
11.
The Heat 03:21
You hide your feelings deep inside With some misguided sense of pride Then you expect me to read you like an open book Please don't flog me if I have to take a second look Though words you're keeping deep inside I've turned to that page you know you can't hide Though I can't read you like an open book I got to that part don't need to take a second look It feels like the heat of the day is wearing me thin, wearing me thin It seems like the things you don't say are taking me in, taking me in It feels like the heat of the night is wearing me thin, wearing me thin It seems like the way you just might is reeling me in, reeling me in It should be easy but I just can't tell In the final pages am I under your spell? You think you read me chapter and verse No spoiler alert but you know it's gonna get worse I get the feeling the mystery's solved Did the killer come clean will they be absolved No one survives it, that much is true Cover to covered, the feeling is blue
12.
La Gaffe de Péniche Sacred heart, black eyed, switchblade cutoff, no surprise Keep them down, where they're hiding round and round the bend, yeah Lock on, when you're long gone, wasted Confined to waiting in the waiting room again Can't find me waiting for the wasted friend again Not in this rain Complex. Complicated. Comforting. Completely. Won't touch you when you take the blame Another day round the bend, again and again My take on this isn't what you need Release the kiss
13.
The Spate Gatherers Well the cobles come in and the fishwives they grin, and they take on the catch from their man On the scarp they all stand and they pass hand to hand To keep the fish fresh as they can It's heavier work, than the work in the boats, the men get to roll with the waves Singing reels to the sirens away out to sea, while the wives tread the rocks like they're slaves Then they're lugging a load to the tops of the cliff, it's not easy to carry a creel Well, it's only a catch, but it's fresh and it's naturally feeding the bairns; dance a reel! Singing aye-diddle-aye-dai, aye-diddle-aye-dee, A spate gatherer's life's not for me Singing aye-iddle-aye-dai, aye-diddle-aye-dee Give'uz the easier life out at sea There's a scratching of slate with the numbers, the date, then they carry it south 'round the bay They scrape over the pier and then disappear from the view of those hiding away What's kept in the pools north of Jakey's and scrapes, is enough to pay for wor rent But the bastards dive down and they take it to town, another load slips through the net Now, the tide's on the turn and the lads they return And they know who it is that's to blame With their beer inside 'em and no lack of pride, them'll kick two shades of spate out of them!
14.
When the chill wind steels through the canyon The city puts its heart on ice There's no effort in the rush to escape there That's really no kind of life It's a one-time tonic for the twist around So we're running through the back streets Find adventure on the wrong side of town No one leafing through the sheets When the summer comes around The wind blows as hard if you let her But it really can't warm you now A Northern boy ought to know better Kicking back another own goal It's strange how it feels To know you'll never find the answer To the question nags at your soul Didn't you know any better? Did you never learn to rock and roll While your mom was signing the letter Letting you out on parole? Insist your sister stays the right side of town Not rocking to some guy's beat But she wants to loosen off his frown, somehow Rocking in his back seat Didn't you know any better? Did you never learn to rock and roll While your mom was signing that letter Letting you out on parole? When the summer comes around The wind blows as hard if you let her A Northern boy ought to know better When the chill wind steels through the canyon
15.
Bridge of Sighs I was grateful for everything I had with you But then the winter came and their paucity of truth Too many questions, so many trials they put me through And all the forces that would hold me back, I pray we can still pull through I put our futures in my pocket, there's nothing else that I could do In days of clover, I thought you would show me how to compromise Think it over, then we'll get out under the bridge of sighs Give me a moment I can explain to you the hows and whys Then under cover, our life anew, we can but fantasize There was a journey The price was paid (You couldn't see through your fears) A boat will take us. (Beyond your tears) It's time for you to be brave I gave them everything but they wanted more for passage on that wave Someone to save us. There is no wreck. We escape the salty grave I took our futures from my pocket, really nothing else that I could do In days of clover, I thought you would show me how to compromise Just think it over, then we'll get out under the bridge of sighs If you give me a moment I can explain to you the hows and whys Then under cover, our life anew, we can but fantasize I put our futures in my pocket...
16.
The Stormy Petrels The seas were fair as far as the eye could see The waters still and bare The wind laid low, there was time to spare There'd be no storm to keep us here The nets were all tied and the fishwives were ready The cobles would leave on the tide We'd sail to the north and head for the shoals Their shawls held tight, home on the breeze we would ride The hours went by and the swell it grew heavy The men would e'er swallow their pride The rises and falls of the fish life a penny The true, tried, and tested on-side The nets were all tied and the fishwives were ready The cobles they sailed on the tide We'll head for the north and race for the shoals Their shawls they'd hold tight, till home on the breeze we will ride We rowed a fair clip with a glint in our eye The tide would carry us wide The sun it shone through as the land disappeared The spindrift blew through, but no siren could draw us aside The net's been aside and the fishwives were ready Our cobles they sailed with the tide We'll head for the north and race for the shoals Their shawls they'd hold tight, till home on the breeze we will ride It was bright and white horses there were none to see And the wind couldn't blow owt our oils to deceive But the pressure will fall we'll not bear a hasty retreat Whistle and you will be damned A hastier judgement to hand A voice horn calls out "No survivors will e'er see the land" The nets were all tied and the fishwives were ready The cobles would leave on the tide We'd sail to the north and head for the shoals Their shawls they'd hold tight, till home on the breeze we would ride
17.
Turncoats 04:30
Turncoats Baskets of wild stone to save the land from the seas What would carry me home? Not the tide nor the breeze Give her all you take till she brings you to your knees And the wind will catch your breath brace you for the peace Fleshing out the rust that decays by the shore Wonder if I'll find the way home just a little bit raw You face the pain, but it turned you pale Your wounded sigh, You hide behind a veil Storms and fights and endless bloody wars Dreams of lights and turncoats on the shores Screams at night are nothing but a bore Then you turn away and ask for nothing more Kicking up the sand by the shore Picking at the strands a little bit more But it all unravels when you sail against the wind I'm a long way looking back, your blame is under my skin Storms and fights and endless bloody wars Dreams of lights and turncoats on the shores Screams at night are nothing but a bore Then you turn to me and ask for a little more Storms and fights and endless bloody wars Dreams of lights and turncoats on the shores Screams at night are nothing but a bore Then you turn to me and ask for nothing more Baskets of wild stone to save the land from the seas What would carry me home? Not the tide nor the breeze Give her all you take and she'll bring you to your knees And the wind will catch your breath brace you for the peace Storms and fights and endless bloody wars Dreams of lights and turncoats on the shores Screams at night are nothing but a bore Then you turn away, then you turn away, then you turn away And ask for nothing more Baskets of wild stone to save the land

about

Album re-re-launched with a new title track and artwork and a new folky instrumental called C6 Dave. Also now includes Dave's Geordie folksong "The Spate Gatherers", the flipside to that song "Shifting Sands"

I'd be interested to know whether PG or his people saw my cover photo montage before they started on the cover for i/o!!!

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released October 13, 2019

All words and music, instrumentation and production by Dave Bradley except where otherwise stated on individual tracks.

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Dave Bradley UK

Guitarist, singer-songwriter. Acoustic and electric indie pop and rock originals. Singer, guitarist with C5, bigMouth, TyrannoChorus, CTW, with DJ Ad, and BarbD

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