Get all 19 Great Lake Swimmers releases available on Bandcamp and save 45%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Uncertain Country (Acoustic) EP, Uncertain Country, The Legend Of Bobby Bird (Art Bergmann Cover), Live At The Redeemer 2007, When We Last Shook Hands: Cover Songs Volume 1, Live In Ottawa At The 27 Club 2019-10-03, Getting To The Heart Of It / Where Are You / Thursday, Getting To The Heart Of It, and 11 more.
1. |
||||
|
What time is it, would you tell me, wolf
Are you coming around here with your teeth so sharp
Well I never gave you the best part of me
I just left you in charge for a little while
Must’ve been some
Must’ve been some great fury
That took you so far
Took you so far away
Think that you might be wrong
Think that you might
Think that you might be wrong
And look at you now, with your confidence
Riding around on a lion’s back
Mistaking your shadow for a stranger’s love
Well, you’re larger than life, when the lighting is right
Must’ve been some
Must’ve been some great fury
That took you so far
Took you so far away
Think that you might be wrong
Think that you might
Think that you might be wrong
|
||||
2. |
New Wild Everywhere
03:47
|
|||
|
There’s a fire in the static, a whisper in the dark
Colours burning brighter, and hunger for the spark
A shadow thrown, from light unknown, and calling on the hearts
To challenge the alive, and summon the asleep
And the sun sinks over the big smoke
And the sky explodes on the shuddering lake
There’s a new wild feeling dancing in the air
There’s a new wild everywhere
There’s a new wild feeling dancing in the air
There’s a new wild everywhere
Rocks jump and jitter, and push surface roots
Dream the clay and water, and simmer up the shoots
The weather breaks, the spirit shakes, and something switches on
Running with abandon, rushing out and gone
And the sun sinks over the big smoke
And the sky explodes on the shuddering lake
There’s a new wild feeling dancing in the air
There’s a new wild everywhere
There’s a new wild feeling dancing in the air
There’s a new wild everywhere
Fly up to the heavens, anchored in the clouds
Fly beyond the night, above the blooming sounds
The bays and cries of new young lines, ignition, and light
Taken flight to raven heights, to turn on, and shine
And the sun sinks over the big smoke
And the sky explodes on the shuddering lake
There’s a new wild feeling dancing in the air
There’s a new wild everywhere
There’s a new wild feeling dancing in the air
There’s a new wild everywhere
|
||||
3. |
The Great Exhale
04:38
|
|||
|
Look at the names carved into the rocks
Look at the days that they were lit up
Brush of my hand and I feel their age
Years of radiance, years of rain
And the world stops spinning when you stop spinning
And sighs when you sigh, when you sigh
I’m coming home so leave the light on for me
I’m drawing over the luminous veil
And when I get in I will see you all there
I’m drawing on the great exhale
Uncertain ground, so I walk lightly
Translating names of lost families
Some body’s sleeping that you should not wake
Drifting whispers over damp clay
And the world stops spinning when you stop spinning
And sighs when you sigh, when you sigh
I’m coming home so leave the light on for me
I’m drawing over the luminous veil
And when I get in I will see you all there
I’m drawing on the great exhale
Wide open spaces, been asleep a long time
Coming up like old teeth, punctuating places
I’m coming home so leave the light on for me
I’m drawing over the luminous veil
And when I get in I will see you all there
I’m drawing on the great exhale
I’m soaring in on the great exhale
|
||||
4. |
The Knife
04:22
|
|||
|
A point so sharp that it cannot feel
And has two sides, but which one’s real
The net thrown over and pulled from the school
To wake up in the hands of fools
Should have known better in daylight’s burn
That restless depths hold darkened yearns
And hushing words from a silver tongue
Blow restless winds into willing ears
Should have known, living in a storm
You’d act like thunder, and shift your form
The knife, you, the knife, oh
Cut me free, and let me go
The knife, you, the knife, oh
Cut me deep, and sent me home
A fight or a flash, or a fever escaped
An underwater dreamer that took the bait
Could have been the one that slipped from the hook
But you pull me in slowly, ever so slowly
Left on the island with nowhere to go
And half my mind in the burning snow
But burnouts rarely make good flames
So don’t bother playing if you don’t know the game
Should have known, living in a storm
You’d act like thunder, and shift your form
The knife, you, the knife, oh
Cut me free, and let me go
The knife, you, the knife, oh
Cut me deep, and sent me home
And the silver words compete with the heat
I can hardly believe you can stand on your feet
Spent all that time twisting up knots
And when the smoke cleared, you clearly forgot
That I’m not made of metal, and I’m not made of wood
And destined it seems to be misunderstood
Cut through me neatly with your fine blade
And fled so fast when the mess was made
Should have known, living in a storm
You’d act like thunder, and shift your form
The knife, you, the knife, oh
Cut me free, and let me go
The knife, you, the knife, oh
Cut me deep, and sent me home
|
||||
5. |
Changes With The Wind
04:24
|
|||
|
Out on the line, weightless, and beyond design
Light and heavy, and running through the night
Half awake, found the wild in the wilderness
Under the starry sky of strays
Made of fire, and desire
Turns like a wheel, and changes with the wind
Made of fire, and desire
Turns like a wheel, and changes with the wind
Best as an instrument, all the notes played with discipline
Hanging in tune, and rising as they fall
Half alive, aching into tomorrow’s drive
Holding the stormy, spinning wheel
Made of fire, and desire
Turns like a wheel, and changes with the wind
Made of fire, and desire
Turns like a wheel, and changes with the wind
Will the night turn and slip
Stay fast or lose its grip
Set alight, and drive into a dream
Make it through the night again
Count back from a thousand to ten
Ride it out, and drive into a dream
Made of fire, and desire
Turns like a wheel, and changes with the wind
Made of fire, and desire
Turns like a wheel, and changes with the wind
Out on the line
Out on the line
Out on the line
Out on the line
|
||||
6. |
Cornflower Blue
04:07
|
|||
|
Running through cornfields, the fire is lit
Coyotes are crying, or laughing in fits
And I can’t tell which
It’s a beautiful night to fall in love
Let’s gather the wood and then burn it all down
Burn through the night
In all of the minerals elements made
Dancing in light, a particular shade
Of cornflower blue, oh how it suits you
A clear window through which you look into the sky
The eyes and ears of the fields are alive
Its voices in rows like whispers arrive
Whisper all night
We bury the seeds and then watch as they grow
And bloom in an ecstatic firework show
Bloom through the night
In all of the minerals elements made
Dancing in light, a particular shade
Of cornflower blue, oh how it suits you
A clear window through which you look into the sky
In all of the minerals elements made
Dancing in light, a particular shade
Of cornflower blue, oh how it suits you
A clear window through which you look into the sky
Cornflower blue, oh how it suits you
A clear window through, which you look into the sky
|
||||
7. |
Easy Come Easy Go
04:24
|
|||
|
Easy come, and easy go
That’s what they say when they’re about to go broke
So try not to choke
And put your arms around me and don’t ever let go
Went to see the priest, he was singing the blues
Glossing in psalms and spinning the news
Tending the gardens and gathering leaves
Polishing prophets and running out thieves
Easy come, and easy go
That’s what they say when they’re about to go broke
So try not to choke
And put your arms around me and don’t ever let go
Call it chance, or call it choice
When words escape, on the breath of your voice
Spending magic, as they arrive
It’s not fatal, when it’s a shallow dive
Easy come, and easy go
That’s what they say when they’re about to go broke
So try not to choke
And put your arms around me and don’t ever let go
|
||||
8. |
Fields Of Progeny
02:56
|
|||
|
An old melody that I tried to learn
When I gave myself over to it
Learned every step, and my efforts were met
When it rang and it told and it sang
The rattle on strings and familiar rings
If the line is a chain passed in ink
Then each fiddler that played is another that stayed
To turn himself into a link
And he’s still up here somewhere I think
And I hear the old voices singing
This song will never end
It was here long ago, and continues to grow, in the fields of progeny
In the fields of progeny
Where is the culture, you ask, I don’t know
And when is the future, you ask, I don’t know
Is it locked in the ice, is it under the frost
I can hardly hear the heart beating
But it’s under the snow I suppose
And where is the history, where is the memory
Where is the language that I used to know
Is it locked in the ice, is it under the frost
I can hardly hear the heart beating
But it’s under the snow I suppose
And I hear the old voices singing
This song will never end
It was here long ago, and continues to grow
In the fields of progeny
In the fields of progeny
|
||||
9. |
||||
|
What the hell is going on here
You took my living and you took my friend
This is a time-bomb
And it could happen anywhere
It could happen right here
It could happen to you too
What if it was in your back yard?
What if it was your way of life?
I bet you’d go crazy too
I bet you’d lose your mind too
A lot of people are on the edge
Found the edge a long time ago
You want to see real anger, you want a sea of sorrow
But the big thing is we’ve got to bring the love
And we can’t let go, and we can’t give up
What if it was in your back yard?
What if it was your way of life?
I bet you’d go crazy too
I bet you’d lose your mind too
The papers say this knocked us on our knees
But we were already on our knees
They said the gulf was dead
And it was never going to come back
You better hurry up, and know it
I wanna love you ‘til the end of the line
|
||||
10. |
Quiet Your Mind
04:51
|
|||
|
It’s hard sometimes, I know, when you try to close your eyes
And put yourself into a dream, and waking so disguise
But sleeping, and then dreaming, means you are truly free
And it’s the best thing that you can do, as far as I can see
Oh, quiet your mind
Oh, quiet your mind
In the country, in the foothills, I found you down in the fold
And finally found a vision, a vision to hold
You win it so completely, when you don’t even try
And set loose all your worries, like doves into the sky
Oh, quiet your mind
Oh, quiet your mind
So now I’ll send a lull-a-bye, and wrap it in a dream
To take the weight from your shoulders, and the pressure from your teeth
It must seem like a ghost sometimes, appearing from thin air
So take hold of this quiet song, that the night will find you there:
Oh, quiet your mind
Oh, quiet your mind
Oh, quiet your mind
Oh, quiet your mind
|
||||
11. |
Parkdale Blues
03:55
|
|||
|
My neighbour says he’s been around here since the seventies
Knows all of the people, has studied all their features, arbitrarily
Says it’s entertaining, this city block container, that once was proud
They’re all passing through his sharpened point of view, with their heads in the clouds
But I hear them late at night, getting into fights
Calling into the dark, are you there, you got something for me?
Parkdale blues, heard it on the news
Transmissions from the eye of the storm
Parkdale blues, in all its many hues
When they’re down, they fly up to escape
And they escape
They’re looking for a light, all grinning and polite, and maybe some change
The lift within the eyes, with gravity defied, I can tell it’s no good
See what you can find, to satisfy your mind, in the neighbourhood
How can they be so gone when they’ve been here so long, living all of this
Convincing in a language, I don’t fully understand
Talks so loud, and sweats a lot, when the heat comes around
Parkdale, blues, heard it on the news,
Transmissions from the eye of the storm
Parkdale blues, in all its many hues,
When we’re down, we fly up to escape
And we escape
|
||||
12. |
On The Water
05:33
|
|||
|
I was on the water when it began to heave
And amplify, my oars were strong
But I would not have imagined, that they’d stop making patterns
As caps of white raised and broke, I fastened to the boat
The panic overtook me, and the fear I held within
I drew a breath, and I tried to find the courage
To stand the troubled trip, ‘What have I gotten myself into’
I silently wondered, I silently asked
I thought of my family and thought of my love
I thought of my maker, and what might be above
And the cabin in the woods, that I had not yet built
And many other things that I hold dear in this world
I roared through the turmoil, and rode through the strife
I held to my oars and I clung to my life
And then when my vision began to blur
And this is what I saw, and the thought that had occurred
I saw every fish swimming fast beside me
And all kinds of leaves from all different trees
And all of the insects that circle on the earth
Birds and land animals a-reaching toward birth
And I saw my body, on a body of water
And I could see that we were the same:
Roaring and reckless, and vulnerable
In motion, and swaying, and predisposed to changing
When I opened my eyes the vision was felt
I picked up my oars and I kissed the calmness
With stronger arms I silently swept
I silently drifted, I silently wept
|
||||
13. |
||||
|
Ancienne mélodie, a fait de moi aprenti
Lors que je me cédait à elle
Et par mes efforts, chaque pas réussit
Quand elle résonna, conta, et chanta
Le claquement des cordes, me résonnent familier
Si ce fil une chaîne transmise à l’encre
Puis chaque violoneux qui joua, est celui qui resta
Afin de se transformer en chaînon
Je crois qu’il est toujours ici, en quelque part
Et j’entends les voix anciennes chanter
Cette chanson ne se terminera jamais
Depuis longtemps elle continue sa croissance
Dans les champs de progéniture, Dans les champs de progéniture
Où est la culture, tu me demande, je ne sais pas
Où est le futur, tu me demande, je ne sais pas
Enfermé dans la glace, est-il sous le givre
J’entends à peine le battement de son coeur
Il est là sous de la neige, je l’espère
Et où est l’histoire, où sont les souvenirs
Où se trouve le langage que je connu
Enfermé dans la glace, est-il sous le givre
Si léger est le battement de son coeur
Il est là sous de la neige, je l’espère
Et j’entends les voix anciennes chanter
Cette chanson ne se finira jamais
Depuis longtemps elle continue sa croissance
Dans les champs de Progéniture
Dans les champs de Progéniture
|
||||
Great Lake Swimmers Toronto, Ontario
Tony Dekker’s music spans two decades as the lead singer and songwriter of Great Lake Swimmers. Over eight albums, multiple EPs, live shows and reissues, the Toronto-based group with a revolving cast of players has established itself as a beloved indie folk act in their native Canada and beyond. Great Lake Swimmers was shortlisted for the Polaris Prize and nominated twice for the Juno Awards. ... more
Great Lake Swimmers recommends:
"a series of turbulent ascensions and peaceful plateaus toward an ecstatic rekindling of the senses"
go to album
Dance Music volume II: More Songs for Slow Motion
by Joshua Van Tassel
maestro sound manipulator creating music to melt into
go to album
CARLO
by carlosurftoronto@gmail.com
future throwback cosmic canyon surf music
go to albumIf you like Great Lake Swimmers, you may also like:
Weathervanes
by Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
supported by 6 fans who also own “New Wild Everywhere”
1st time i heard DeathWish, i turned it off. felt rushed, not the Isbell i've come to admire. really grab'd me when i took time to listen on the 2nd try. the writing on these songs stopped me in my tracks more than once. raw talent with just enough polish in the delivery. thankyou Jason + 400 for another keeper
go to album
Georgia Blue
by Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
supported by 5 fans who also own “New Wild Everywhere”
A rare combination of amazing songs, artists, artistry, and a fantastic cause. The engineering alone is worth a headphones listen.
go to album
Postcards From the Country
by Trae Sheehan
West Virginia country-folk singer-songwriter Trae Sheehan aims to find a balance between the traditional and the modern on his new LP.
go to album
