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1. |
Queen of Holloway
04:05
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Queen of Holloway
A Northern girl in the cotton mill
The longest working week
Barely educated she taught herself to speak
And speak she did, when she got to her feet
The Union stood beside her
When the peace was all but done
Hitch your skirts up higher girls, we may have to run
And run we did, arrested one by one
She shouted down the men in grey
So we could have our equal say
She was Queen of Holloway
Bruised where the baton lay, her militancy strong
Cat and mouse the game she played
Equality her song
And sing she did, when the Bishops came along
The Liberals couldn’t stand it, or face the truth at all
Closed and bolted all the gates
When they heard those women call
And call they did, a thousand voices strong
Respectable rebellion and broken glass
In petticoats but we weren’t sentimental
We made the change and we made it last
We put chains around the railings
So they would not chain our hearts
Put your sturdy boots on girls, we may have to march
And march we did, in purple, white and green
Glad to be behind the Holloway Queen
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2. |
Trailblazer
03:09
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Watch me, I’m a trailblazer
Nearly broke my neck following the birds
Saved my money for flying lessons
Mother didn’t like it
Daddy never said a word
They say it’s a man’s occupation
The work has ruined my hands for life
We women make home and comfort
Not me, I’ve always wanted to fly
I’d rather be up in the air than down
Part of the light
And playing with the clouds
Lipstick messages
Not following the crowd
Delivered right on time
To boys at the front line
Did our part for King and country
Try a spitfire in the ATA
Chose the thrill over your opinion
That’s me, I’ve always wanted to fly
All the confidence we had
Remains in pin-ups on the wall
And we know the signs are bad
Erase your name from the chalk board
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3. |
Witch Hunt
03:00
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If you’re travelling through
Keep your eyes on the ground
Watch what you say and do
You’re in God’s country now
Though I’m old and alone no witch am I
I am not humble and I know I’m not kind
I will not bow, no goodwife am I Mr Hopkins
Let the river decide
God only knows I would strike and be done
I would lay down my curse for each woman
They hung; that will not be
I know there are ways to save my sweet skin
They’ll take sleep and love from me ‘til I give in
If he pulls out his knife with no blade
I’ll do my best to bleed
They’ll take up the witch hunt
When the weather turns wild
And blame the first woman denounced by a child
In a world with no sense and no light
It’s a hell of a trial
If I could weave a spell, all would be well
If it’s a sin to hate the man who wants an end to me
Then I wonder just how guilty I could be
I heard the confessions left nowhere to hide
No mercy forthcoming, there was sin in their eyes
In a grave by the road, ten decent women now lie
Oh they were sisters of mine
Oh they were daughters of mine
Oh they were mothers
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4. |
Drive
03:16
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I'll never be mistaken
For the bravest one
Who stands up for
The rights of woman-kind
But who will yet be counted
When all's said and done
Is this some other woman’s fight?
Would you drive
Or would you hide?
Would you swallow
Your frustration inside?
Could it make you feel alive
If you drive?
The path of least resistance
Leads to ruin’s end
Abandon hope
If you do enter here
Passive keeping distance
And nothing mends
We are held by our own fear
Somewhere in the night
She’s taking her own time
Somewhere in the night
She’s making up her mind
Somewhere in the night
She’s driving till she finds
Courage for the ones outspoken
Those who sleep will be woken
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5. |
Home Again
02:51
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Will you wait for me
When life brings
Uncertainty?
Will you wait for me
When all you’ve done
Is stay so patiently?
You make me feel blessed
No-one else brings me rest
Sleep is long and dreamless
I know I’m home again
Will you think of me
In the night when
Fear comes so quietly?
Will you think of me
In the empty bed
Where I ought to be?
I’m longing to hear you say
A simple and warm ‘hello’
Waiting for the day
When I am home
Will you watch for me?
I soon will be
Homeward bound
Will you watch for me
On the road when at last
That day comes around?
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6. |
Raven Mother
03:34
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See how they run, won't spoil their fun
Though it's bringing me down with it
Making me proud of it
Feelings like never before
I'm a raven mother
Flying my own narrow line
Ambition was never a crime
Before you were born
Know I am blessed
Fear empty nest
I'll keep towing the line
That is keeping me tied to it
One beady eye on the door
I’m a raven mother
Magnificent in my ascent
Unclip the wings that prevent
So I can soar
Could you blacken my thoughts anymore?
Peck at this skin ‘til it's sore
There's always the wanting for more
It's all that we are
Can I give and not get once again?
Hold back and keep it all in?
Stop you from crossing the line?
You take it too far
They take all you have
And they need all you are
They are all you have
They are what you need
I'm not invisible, I won’t be invisible
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7. |
Grandfather's Ghost
04:20
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One day can take
All fortunes that we hope to make
There’s someone lying in the hall
Eyes closed
and his back against the wall
Dark rooms, dark days
Hard times are on their way
Cover the mirrors let the spirit free
Keep a part still haunting me
And then I feel
Your kindred spirit close
He was a working man
He was a soldier
And then I feel
The blood suddenly run cold
He’s got me running scared
That’s my Grandfather’s ghost
No signs, no clues
Except the way the shadow moves
I am killing time so carelessly
‘Til the day when time kills me
I am keeping ghosts beside me
Generations to remind me
Lengthening of shadows hides me
I cannot run, the end will find me
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8. |
Louder Than The Rain
04:13
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It's cold and dark
Where light cannot get in
Aching bones
And a shiver on your skin
Will you remember
What made you so sad
On the day the rain fell hard?
I recall the woods in darkest green
Overhead the sky closed in unseen
And the sound of heartbreak
Hanging in the air
Overwhelmed you there
How many times have you cried
so hard your tears
Fall louder than the rain?
I took the path that stole
Around your pain
You’re telling me
There's nothing to explain
And the road ahead
Has another bend
And this longest day will end
Make your sky clear
Whatever the weather
It’s your Summer day
Throw your spirit wide and high
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9. |
Mad Alice
03:45
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Down the lane, you may feel strange as she gets under your skin
You know her name, but you don’t know where she’s going
Or where she has been.
If you turn around and run away
She might try to find you.
Don’t look too hard, she’s fading away
Down the lane, it blows a little colder as she dances by
And you feel a hand upon your shoulder
Did you hear a sigh?
Don’t try too hard to follow her
She’s not at rest yet
She’s wandering, still losing her mind
They called her crazy
Did she howl at the moon?
Were her eyes too bright
Did she talk to the trees
whistling the Devil’s own tune?
They called her insane, as they ran her to ground
Did she laugh as they showed her the noose?
Did she bow to the crowd?
No-one knows why her mind flew away like a bird
But they came and they did to poor old Alice
what she did not deserve
Was it tragedy or malady?
Was she simply dreaming?
Still wandering, still losing her mind
Now it’s over, she’s dancing and sober
There’s no more shouting in the street
The living, superstition believing
Well that’s what’s worrying me
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10. |
Morcambe Bay
03:21
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You came so far for this
Everything expected, everything missed
Through journeys you persist
What a welcome awaits you here?
Hard work becomes a chore
When thought of family comes to the fore
Reunion you foresaw
It wasn't to be on this earthly shore
Rose the water, unstoppable tide
Came from nowhere, nowhere to hide
What is the last thing on your mind?
Ghosts who taunted you
Or a home that haunted you?
Familiar strangers share your death
and lay with you on this sea bed
Though it was never said
what a welcome awaits you here
There was money for the journey
Taken by the fist
Money for the hours spent in the sea mist
Stolen is the future borrowed by the past
Money won't be mourned
Money does not last
Cockles and mussels
alive alive oh
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11. |
Dunwich Bells
05:09
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There’s a town in the sand where spires once stood
From the sea to the land mist rolls through the wood
And faraway bells will ring to bring the souls home
Where the waves have devoured wood, earth and stone
There’s a wood with a spell that quickens the heart
Where a boy met a girl, love doomed from the start
And faraway bells did ring, Greyfriars turned black
And the mist from the sea calls the boy back
Farewell, to the old town
Farewell, it still rings out
Chant and choir, bell and spire
A dream we may not have heard
Ringing out across the bay
No stone, no hearth and no place to pray
Listen carefully, there’s a note on the air for me
And it’s something we may not have heard
There’s a house on the shore, where love was once strong
But the house is no more, and the lovers are gone
And faraway bells will ring where land used to be
And the fishermen fear the mist from the sea
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12. |
Nearer To The River
03:39
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I used to ride a road so wide
All life was meant for me
But now we’re walking side by side
No stones beneath my feet
We shift and sway in our familiar way
As leaves upon the tree
Now you’re here but you won’t stay
A path for you and one for me
You can choose any way to go
I can't hold the time I've always known
Living in the moment, take it slow
Now we’re nearer to the river than the road.
You are the centre of my days
A sun that shines brightly
Casting shadows on the page
We’re drawing our own story
We rise and fall in our familiar way
As tides flow out to sea
Now you’re here but you won’t stay
A boat for you and one for me
Funny the changes, the unexpected grace
All the ways that we have grown
The journeys we have taken in your imagination
How these days have flown
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13. |
Red On The Stair
04:02
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I am walking alone
There’s a stranger watching me
It’s the middle of the night and I’m heading home
Counting lights along the street
I am walking alone
I hear the sound of feet
The time to run has come and gone
I’m pacing out the heartbeats
Oh by morning there is blue in the air
Oh there’s red on the door and red on the stair
I am walking alone
The shadows make me blind
Crazy eyes seem to follow
Feet are just a stride behind
Lights go on one by one
Faces at the windows see me run
Reaching for the telephone
Someone calls out ‘leave that girl alone’
I am walking alone
With a breath that isn’t mine
I hear a heartbeat in the shadows
I am running out of time
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Union Jill York, UK
Helen Turner and Sharon Jagger produce spellbinding effects with their rich harmonies. Playing their own material, taking their inspiration from a wide range of sources, Union Jill bring their own energy and passion to the acoustic music scene. They mix traditional folk instrumentation with an edgy contemporary feel and powerful vocal delivery. ... more
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