Get all 9 Kirsty McGee releases available on Bandcamp and save 30%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Diamond Days EP, Those Old Demons, Sandman [Single], Contraband, No. 5, The Kansas Sessions, Hobopop E.P., Live Downloads, and 1 more.
1. |
Running With The Blues
03:04
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What can you do when you’re all unknown
When you’re lost and you’re weary and you feel all alone
You’ve been wandering so long that you’re all skin and bone
You took the wrong path, baby, now you can’t come home
How do you care when your caring is through
When you’ve run yourself ragged when you’ve cried yourself blue
When you just keep on running but you don’t know where to
I took the wrong path, baby, I can’t come home to you
What do you do? What do you say?
When you don’t know why you’re running, you’re just running away
And day follows night sure as night follows day
You just keep on running keep your fears at bay
Who do you trust when your trust has been broken?
To speak your truth when a lie has been spoken
To hold somebody when your heart’s been harmed
How do you hold somebody in your arms?
How can I be now that I’m all alone
How can I taste that sweetness now your sweetness is gone?
I lost so much I’ve got nothing to lose
But you’re running on empty when you’re running with the blues
What do you do? What do you say?
When you don’t know why you’re running, you’re just running away
And day follows night as sure as night follows day
You just keep on running keep your fears at bay
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2. |
Salt
02:48
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You put a lot of trust in that man
But his kisses barely grazed your broken heart
And his hot hands strayed before you gave them leave
I guess I could have told you that part
You came off lightly, no lasting damage done
Next time I guess you’re going to listen to my advice
If I told you once, I told you twice
There ain’t enough salt to melt that ice
He’s a cold man, he’s cold up to the level
And he does his level best to seem less so
And he’s fooled so many people so don’t take it to heart
It isn’t really such a body blow
He’s a cold man, he’s cold up to the brim
But it’s those crystal eyes that make him seem so nice
Don’t let him fool you, no, don’t be taken in
There ain’t enough salt to melt that ice
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3. |
To The Dogs
02:49
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To learn,
To learn to swallow your fear
Slide ever onwards out of here
To slide, to slide
Like it or not
To cut through the ties and blindly fly
To fly, to fly
To rustle your wings
To feel the world crumble yet blindly to sing
To sing, to sing,
Always something more to say
And you say it's over
but it isn't over
How can it be over
when everything's gone to the dogs?
The dogs,
The dogs are baying tonight
Out in the pale moon's slippery light
and the stars,
the stars are still shining brightly
in just the same way
that they shine nightly
The night, this night
that swallows the day
Swallows the swallows and nightingales sing
a song,
A song from a silvery tongue
To fight, to stay
when you know that you're wrong
And you say it's over
How can it be over?
No, it isn't over
when everything's gone to the dogs
Everything's gone to the dogs
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4. |
A Plague
04:38
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Well if love for you is conquest I can see you’ve reached your peak
Seems like they only taught you curses when they taught you how to speak
And all your angels are departed with a burning in their eyes
And oh lord, I’m glad that I’m gone
Seems like an ill wind blew you where the ill winds tend to blow
It picked you up and it threw you like you were a seed to throw
And like a seed you burrow down; like a seed you grow
And oh lord, I’m glad that I’m gone
And you walk so tall
As though no one here could ever see you fall
Like you know more than we do…
A plague on all the houses and a plague upon the trees
A plague on all the birds that fly and a plague upon the bees
You are a plague upon the surface of the earth your shadow frames
And oh lord, I’m glad that I’m gone
I’m gonna take the evil in you
I’m gonna roll it in a ball
I’m gonna pitch a perfect arc and I’ll watch that evil fall
But I won’t take you down into my heart like I took you once before
Cos oh lord, I’m glad that I’m gone
And you walk so tall
As though no one here could ever see you fall
Like you know more than we do…
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5. |
A Family Trait
04:15
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It’s a family trait
Like the colour of my skin
Like pale blue eyes
Coming round again
And a family like ours
Keeps to its own
There’s no love as gentle
As the lover you know
I know you find it hard to understand
How the lover’s touch comes from the brother’s hand
But we’ve grown up closer, closer than most do
And I won’t break with my tradition for a man like you
I know you don’t talk about these things
And how it’s all done in white and with those
Diamond wedding rings
But I love someone that I already know
And if you don’t like what you’re seeing you can pack your bags and go
And I’ve told you my heart
And you know it’s a part
Of all my sleeping and my waking up
My lover’s heart my lover’s touch
His hands are like mine
And he holds me so tightly
He holds me as I sleep
And then he wakes me
Oh so lightly
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6. |
Those Old Demons
03:53
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Collect up your demons and bring them to me
All your fears in the darkness that you won’t let me see
and the guttering wick
and the stuttering word
and the muttering low
and the simply unheard
Collect up your demons that shine in the light
and we’ll catch them like feathers and we’ll bind them up tight
and with fire and with water
with blood and with dirt
we will bind them together
so they no longer hurt
Cos those old demons they’ll always get you
they’ll always get you
they’ll always get you
Those old demons they’ll come and they’ll get you
if you don’t chase those demons
if you don’t chase those demons
Don’t give them an inch or they’ll run with a mile
They will tear out your eyes with a wink and a smile
Cos those demons are crafty
and those demons they learn
Got to bury them deeply
till they shudder and they burn
In a mile of fresh earth beneath rolling white clouds
Keep the stars in the heavens and the fires underground
You’re blindsided and blinded at your perfect parade
If you’re seeking perfection, it’s always home-made
And those old demons they’ll always get you
they’ll always get you
they’ll always get you
Those old demons they’ll come and they’ll get you
if you don’t chase those demons
if you don’t chase those demons
if you don’t chase those demons (away)
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7. |
Pray
04:19
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If you pray to me, you’d better pray out loud
Don’t pray to me desperate,
Don’t pray to me proud
Don’t pray to me lost, you will always be found
You’ve gotta crawl down upon your knees on the stony ground
Don’t pray to me weak if your spirit is strong
Don’t stand up with the righteous when you know you’ve done wrong
Don’t stand there as if defeated, not making a sound
You’ve gotta crawl down upon your knees on the stony ground
And that ground’s gonna hurt like you’ve never hurt before
There’ll be blood on your shoes when you walk to my door
But don’t pray to me clean, just pray that I’m home
Cos I’m here for you, sinners,
But I won’t be for long
So if you’re running to me, you better crawl on your hands
You better crawl on your belly or I won’t understand
You’re a powerful man,
But I’m bigger than you
You’ve gotta fall down upon your knees and crawl on through
And that ground’s gonna hurt like you ain’t ever hurt before
There’ll be blood on your shoes when you walk to my door
But don’t pray to me clean, just pray that I’m home
Sing on out to me, sinners
Cos I won’t be for long…
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8. |
Magnolia
03:47
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Love, you play a dangerous game
to come so close and then to shy away
Close enough for me to blame
but never close enough to stay
And love, you are a wanton thing
You want to take more than you bring
But I am wise, too wise to play
Too wise to be all that I say
Oh, Magnolia blossom sweet
You’re what I crave, you’re what I need
But you know and everybody knows
How sweetness comes and sweetness goes
Love, your light so pure and clear
It shines on me, it knows I’m here
I try to hide, I shy away
You come so close, but you never stay
So sweet, so sure, so tenderly
You lay your gentle hands on me
My skin like feathers, asking why
this bird is grounded, cannot fly
Away, magnolia blossom bold
You’re what I need - to have, to hold
But you know and everybody knows
How sweetness comes and sweetness goes
And oh, magnolia blossom brave
Your flower so brief, a single day
I dream of stars, so bold and bright
that bloom forever, day and night
But you know and everybody knows
How sweetness comes but not how sweetness goes
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9. |
Love's Great Lie
03:38
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Love’s great lie
Makes you want to lay down and die
Breaks all the rules until the broken rules apply
Salts your tears every time you cry
Love’s great lie
Leaves you wondering why
Oh how many knots must a broken heart untie
to undo it? (I wish I knew it)
Every spark
Every tender beat
Every minor fluctuation of your lonesome body heat
Every pit pat of a heart as it loses a beat
but all I know is love
All I know is love
All I know is...
Love, love, love, love....
Love’s sweet shame: making the wild one tame
Breaking the rules but then you’ll always take the blame
You’ll be the loser when you play
Love’s great game: why do we insist on playing?
Love plays dirty and you really can’t undo it
You try playing fair but then you always rue it...
Love, love, love...
Love’s great lie: you think you won the battle but I
I have determined not to fall again
Never will I become so small again
In love’s great pain: why would a lover ever love again?
How many knots can a broken heart untie
to undo it? - I wish I knew it
But all I know is love
All I know is love
All I know is love
All I know is...
Love, love, love, love
Love’s great lie
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10. |
Sweet Talk
03:17
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Well your eyes are as bright as brass pennies
and your voice is as clear as a bell
I watched you sweet talk your way into heaven
Let's see you sweet talk your way out of hell
And you sing in a very fine alto
You whisper like settling flames
You can make fellas do what you want to
and then make them do it again
Well you swing your way on out of trouble
and you swing every time to success
I've never seen you deal with a failure
never seen you clear up a mess
When all the lights go on on your little parade
of only the bright and the good
You'll be there doing just what you want to do
instead of doing what you should
So get on that train if you're gonna ride
Don't stand there so dumb on the track
There's a thousand fireworks just doing their thing
and you know you ain’t ever coming back
All of the demons are waiting in welcome
They'll line up by the track and they'll wait
To wave your good majesty homeward
to a new and magnificent state
All of the angels are anxious to see your bright face
like a star from the bottom of a well
I watched you sweet talk your way into heaven
c'mon and sweet talk your way out of hell
Well I'd like to say I’d led an exemplary life
but there's folk here that might disagree
I've been standing for years in the roots and the weeds
while you swing from the top of the tree
But there is something to be said for being grounded
though you never become well-known
When you've planted your feet at the bottom
when you fall you don't break any bones
So get on the train if you're gonna ride
Don't stand there so dumb on the track
There's a thousand fireworks just doing their thing
and you know you ain’t ever coming back
All of the angels are anxious to see your bright face
like a star from the bottom of a well
I watched you sweet talk your way into heaven
c'mon and sweet talk your way out of hell
I watched you sweet talk your way into heaven
c'mon...
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11. |
Survival
04:18
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I’m a survivor
I’ve lived through things to tell a tale or two
That’s why the tales I tell
They always sound so true
At the bottom of the river in a burned-out boat
There’s a smile and it used to be mine
But they burned all the bridges that I crossed over
Sipping the blood that used to be wine
You need me
You won’t admit it
I can teach you a thing or two
When you cease learning
You start teaching
What I could share with you
At the top of a tree where it spins in the breezes
There’s a heart in the branches and it’s mine
I learned all about branches from the forest in me
Slipping the rope and shedding the line
And at the corner of Salvation by the burnt-out bridge
There’s a wishbone buried in a jar
And when they start to whisper of their wishes and their dreams
You can run but you never get far
Oh won’t you make me a dreamer of innocent dreams
I want to dream again
Nowadays nobody is what they seem
And who saves the innocent when
There’s a chain and it only turns backwards
And you smile when I ask you is it true
That they burned all the bridges that I crossed over
And the only thing that’s left for me is you
Survival
Tell me it don’t matter when the hangman is fiddling with the noose
When you’re running in your shoes and going ‘pitter patter’
To the sound of the rain on a corrugated roof
Survival
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12. |
Your Main Man
03:14
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When you walked in here I thought you were someone I once knew
Someone I knew well a long time ago
And when I spoke, I did speak out of turn
There are some things that we learn
And there are others we just know
And I just knew that you were gonna need me
You were gonna need me – so here I am
And I will wait. I will wait until you’re ready
I will wait until you’re ready
I’m your main man
When you blew in here like a storm in April
You scattered my thoughts to these four winds
And I am ready to see and to be the one you’re needing
I will be the seedling that will grow upon the stone
And I just knew that you were gonna need me
You were gonna need me – so here I am
And I will wait. I will wait until you’re ready
I will wait until you’re ready
I’m your main man
Don’t be scared, don’t be scared while the wind is blowing
There is no way of knowing what he carries in his hands
Don’t be scared, don’t be scared: there’s a heart and it’s beating
Like a bullet while you’re sleeping
I’m your main man
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Kirsty McGee Manchester
A wandering maverick and spellbinding live performer with a voice that has been described as having the texture of smoke & velvet, McGee defies categorisation, to make 'hobopop' –“music of no fixed genre”. Her continuously evolving musical personality is proof that a freedom from artistic restraints can sometimes produce a unique, enthralling and original voice with a rare honesty. ... more
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