Get all 6 Boxer John releases available on Bandcamp and save 35%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of The Vintage Underground Sessions Vol. 1, Fifteen Furlongs from the Farm to the Frontier, Blighty and Beyond, Delirium Tremens, The Great Folk Heist, and Realms of Reassuring Reality.
1. |
||||
|
Revelation of the Broken Mind
The summer wind is riding high
Carrying the dead to the by and by
Estranged from that down below
From the earth comes a burning glow
I'm seeing out the winter blues
With alcohol and summer blooms
Which gather where death can never go
Lovely flowers standing in a row.
Refrain:
Now's the time, now's the time, now's the time
For the revelation of the broken mind
I'm here today, I'm here today, I'm here today
And there is nothing standing in my way
Only tomorrow, Only tomorrow
Which'll soon be gone
Echoing through the summer rain
The funeral of yesterday
Is ringing like churchbells in my ears
Don't think I'll be shedding any tears
Whiskey flows and my mood is strung
To the violin of the moring sun
With strings to sooth my aching brain
Don't think I'll be leaving here today
Refrain
On a country slope where a rugged cross
Is at constant war with the clinging moss
Life is happy just to be
A small part of the tapestry
All alone on the beaten path
Life's an eel but it's in my grasp
A thousand volts to shake my fears
And love to see me through the years
Refrain
|
||||
2. |
Some Cosmic Hand
04:49
|
|||
|
Some Cosmic Hand
You're thrown into a world where the concrete grows no trees
Where the splintered bones of ages past slice ghosts upon the breeze
And the sad wailing of madness sings it's symphony of fear
And as you're blown apart you think what am I doing here
You start to realise with age there's logic in this mess
That the unchartered map of life is just a little test
For you to fill in lines and mark the spots along the way
The last one being your burying place on that final day
And each line represents a path you've chosen to walk down
Each spot a place you rest your head or another little town
A place that you call home of sorts from which you're bound to leave
When you're tired of every inch and it's getting hard to breathe
You might decide to settle down and find yourself a wife
Cos that's the only way you know to make anything of life
Or you might just think to hell with that I'm only here a while
The straight line don't hold much for me I'm gonna walk the ragged mile
There you'll find the potholes the uneven bumpy roads
The ragged minded clowns and bums who follow their own codes
You might turn to the bottle let the poison rot your brain
Then turn to normal men and say how can you call me insane
You'll dance to a mysterious tune and follow it somewhere
Then wake up in a ditch and think how the hell did I get there
You'll learn to climb its walls alright and when you get knocked down
It's better to get up again than slither on the ground
And when the daytime turns to dusk and strange visions fill the sky
You'll wonder what will happen to you when you die
But that should be of no concern you've done the best you can
Let your body limp and reach out for some cosmic hand
|
||||
3. |
Delirium Tremens
04:19
|
|||
|
Delirium Tremens
Shut up, can't hear you anymore
Don't wanna see your face
Is that a mirror, smash it to the floor
Am I in a fairytale place
My guardians, they stand all around me
Casting doubt on all the things
I think I ought to be
And voices holler in the darkness
They cause me unrest, filling my chest
With a heavy glow
I don't know anymore if I know
Which way anything should go.
Woke up, gazed into my hands
Am I another man
Yesterday I wasn't really sure
I had to see a little bit more
Turning, why must it keep turning
Round so fast, I thought the last
Would wind down to a stand
Well then, where does all the fear come from
Dominating every hating thought within my brain
If this is sane then what's insane
Where's the water in the rain.
And if I take the wires from my head
Am I alive or dead
Who is this judge, what a nasty grudge
He seems to have against me
Leave now, you ain't welcome so just leave now
Leave this mind to rest in peace
It ain't yours so give it some relief
If I ever see the clear day
I swear I'll do whatever I can
To try and keep it this way
Forever's hard to fit in a day
But I might just have found a way.
|
||||
4. |
Holy Hovering Man
02:41
|
|||
|
Holy Hovering Man
Shimmering shackles tangled backwards
Fumbling frozen falling free
From the dark night starlight shine bright
Shove me into eternity
Holy hovering man I'm calling
Got to give to the giver you see
Cos the giver gave me the ground to wander
And granted me some serenity
Stealers slingers slinkers and bookers
Brokers broke every bone in me
Thick as thieves blood brother think on
If you're conscience will let you be
Holy hovering man I'm thinking
Do and die before death does me
Cos death don't know the way to wander
But I do so he won't get me
Talk back tremble take the gamble
See serene in uncertainty
Crack the concrete kick the conquerer
Back to where he is meant to be
Holy hovering man I'm thinking
Got to take from the taker you see
Cos the taker will take the breath I'm breathing
And take all that was given to me
|
||||
5. |
Glorious Dawn
02:53
|
|||
|
Glorious Dawn
Oh glorious dawn
Now that the darkness has gone
Living is such that it's just enough
To be happy with carrying on
Oh glorious dawn
I know where I went wrong
Not seeing between every worn out scene
And playing the game for too long
Oh glorious dawn
I've been chasing the shadows out
And kicked back the stories my time was about
Hot on their trail with a scream and a shout
I'll never endeavour to go on without
Humility, gratitude or grace
Oh glorious dawn
You were there all along
I was the one who hid the sun
And wondered where it had gone
Oh glorious dawn
Did it take much to follow you
To do all the things that I had to do
To face all the memories I didn't want to
To forgive and forget those I hated too
To stamp out my pride and to take my place
To spit out the venom and lay to waste
Every poisonous thought that was taking place
No it didn't take so much to do
Just a will and a desire to
See through the false to the true
Oh glorious dawn
I think I've weathered the storm
Now the flash in my mind where the rain clouds broke
Is an island of reverent calm
|
||||
6. |
The Junkyard in the Sky
04:12
|
|||
|
The Junkard in the Sky
Down on the avenue
The clack of high-heeled shoes
And the chewing gum and the basements
And the blackboard blues
And the living fear of God in you
Is gone to the gutter and the golden dew
I sit with the rats as the river's laid flat
And a fourth king comes from a sleeve rolled back
And I beat my fists and my head gets cracked
By an eight ball hanging in an old brown sack
An old brown sack
Refrain:
I should have stayed at home tonight my love
Should have locked all the bottles away
But there's something in the stars that says my love
Tomorrow's gonna be your day
Midnight screams like a furious dream
Where the joker's dancing for the killer queen
And the whistling jack is just plain mean
To the grovelling king in the flaming ring
I lay with the crickets as they click out a tune
And imagine the expression of the face on the moon
Well it's his time to shine though it's over to soon
Then anger and contempt at the sun at noon
The sun at noon
Refrain
There's a big old empty church that echoes remnants of hymns
It leads a drunken stranger to the solace within
And there upon the hard oak bench he sweats out his sins
And wonders what tomorrow has in store for him
Can you see the rubbish bags are piled high
Gonna scale them to the junkyard hanging in the sky
There's a tramp up there he'll look you square in the eye
And say I'm god you know and I'm inclined to deny
That it's a lie
Refrain
|
||||
7. |
Hold Me Back Little One
04:00
|
|||
|
Hold Me Back Little One
In the coming of signs and the reasoning of minds
We were all lost in time
When the effigy bled on the bones of the dead
I was out of my head
When the barroom ran dry not a light in the sky
Offered even a lie
Refrain:
Hold me back little one
Hold me back little one
Hold me back little one
Hold me back
They're blocking the sun
And the sins of the past held fast to the glass
And refused to pass
And the peace found in night turned to fear of the light
And a stain on my sight
If you see me again and I'm crippled and bent
Count backwards from ten
Refrain
And now in repose I can only suppose
That the thought never rose
Of a time that would come when I'd stand firm and shun
All the things that I know
But don't ever believe that the darkness in me
Has taken it's leave
Refrain
|
||||
8. |
||||
|
Rings Around the Circle of the Sun
John get up your work is never done
Rings around the circle of the sun
Son there's someone waiting here for you
And there's a morning you must wake up to
And if this one don't work out
Don't worry if it seems like
Everything is against you
It just isn't true
Your mind is something new
And your brothers are drifting
Away from all that made them
Tell them your love is without bounds
But that you've found
A place to wear a crown
And nobody knows where they'll be tomorrow
Bow your head in prayer
And let the answers follow
And let no thoughts of past
Be your constant sorrow
John you know the dark has been your friend
But now it's time to put it to an end
Lovely child your cradle is set free
Drift forever on this crazy sea
And if this time don't work out
Don't worry how it seems now
Everything and everyone
And every life is changing anyhow
And nobody knows what will be tomorrow
Death may someday come
But the dead you cannot follow
That was your old life
Sleeping in the hollow
Now the way is clear
You man of constant sorrow
|
||||
9. |
The All Seeing
03:22
|
|||
|
The All Seeing
The fog is over now
We are the dawn as it breaks golden
We are tracing our footsteps through the forest
We were born into the chaos and the splendour
I am not sleeping and I know for certain
The all seeing
And my hands are raised
I see the chapel of creation
Though it screams out you can only hear a whisper
Of its sadness and its love
I am sober now
And I'm trying to be part of it
I am reaching out for something I've forgotten
And it's near me I can almost hear it breathing
And it's wrapping its long arms around my being
The all seeing
Minutes turn to dust
As we race on through the ever-after
Hurtling through the momentary madness
Of this life and its love
We are the living now
Each breath will cast the past asunder
I am somewhere but I don't know where I'm going
And it's fine now
It's just fine
|
||||
10. |
Run Boy Run
03:48
|
|||
|
Run Boy Run
The big ship sails on the straight and narrow
Row row row boy fire your arrow
Take a tip from the mad old laughing sun
We're here today and we're gone tomorrow
And inbetween you must fill the hollow
Where we land is anybody's fun
It's an unsung victory for the living dead
They built these walls and they're in your head
Now it's time to rest before you run
Here's the wolf's neck wring it til it's wrung
Now it's done
There's a beam of light in the wild black yonder
A peasant's moon so you can sit and wonder
Why the rooster woke you up today
Burn burn burn in a restless haze
Or run boy run with your feet ablaze
The next stop is a million miles away
Don't be lazy don't be proud
Keep your mouth shut if your mind gets loud
There's nothing left here standing in your way
Here's the switch so turn up that old sun
Now it's done
The lark is singing to a silent dawn
Mother mountain greets the morn
With light majestic magic in her eyes
Round and around to the piper's tune
Don't you worry don't be blue
There's no need to say a last goodbye
Something's calling in the afterglow
Pick yourself up now don't be slow
Someone's waiting on the other side
See the stars are folding one by one
See the stars are folding one by one
Now it's done
|
||||
11. |
I'll Try for the Moon
04:36
|
|||
|
I'll Try for the Moon
The evening is a graveyard
There's a devil on my trail
He doesn't mean me any harm
He says he's bored as hell
A spaceship pales the rainclouds
With a soft unearthly glow
Admiring it's creations down below
I once had a girl
Who seemed to love just what I am
But in my time of madness
She took on her heels and ran
And sometimes when I look back
From some smoke-filled dusty train
I can see her standing in the rain
Refrain:
I might greet the midnight
With a hallowed be thy name
Or watch my minds reflections
Go trickling down the drain
Any way you look at it
You know it's all gone soon
So tonight I'm gonna try for the moon
All in all
I've never been a martyr to a cause
I keep my religion
In a bundle by the door
And every now and then
When something takes me by surprise
I use it to open up my eyes
Refrain
Life I love you dearly
And whatever that entails
I know I've been a strange one
I go slipping off the rails
But if you grant me audience
With this universe tonight
I'll do what I can to make it right
Refrain
|
||||
12. |
I Never Unravelled
02:34
|
|||
|
I Never Unravelled
I never unravelled
Spilled my guts down the drain
Needed someone to listen
While I was going insane
And the clouds gently gathered
And they laughed at my mind
Then they opened above me
Washing away all the rhymes
But they never went far
Left a drip in the jar
Of the lightning that strikes
At the heads seeing stars
And I'm seeing red
Cos it's never been said
That the man's got a name
When I woke up this morning
Time had circled again
Minutes still clung to the rafters
Hours were lost in the game
And the melody's strung
To the crucifix hung
On the wall by the bed
Where the ungrateful dead
Dig a hole in the dreams
Of the sleeper who leans
On the sun's dying beams
And it's all down to chance
And it's all up to fate
You can carry the love
If you suffer the hate
You can sweat blood and tears
For the lines that appear
On the page as you wait
And I know it means something
To a traveller somewhere
Leaving tracks in the desert
Leading out of despair
|
||||
13. |
||||
|
Come Back and Love Me Tomorrow
Refrain:
Come back and love me tomorrow
Come back and love me when my soul is on the mend
Come back and love me tomorrow
Cos the way I feel
I'll never love again
And I know what I have to do
The past tells me
To stay away from you
My mind is a ghost that I can't tame
And my thoughts are such
That I can't change
Refrain
It's been a strange old ride to here
I used to hate myself
I don't know what I feared
Never wanna go that road again
But to be sure
We had best stay friends
Refrain
When I chose to hurt myself
I never intended
To hurt anybody else
But they got dragged along with me
I took them to the edge
Of sanity
Refrain
|
||||
14. |
I'm So Tired Mama
04:01
|
|||
|
I'm So Tired Mama
Refrain:
I'm so tired mama
I want to go home
Don't know where to find it these days
And I'm too weary to roam
Been down on a whim
Been down on a plan
Been trying to do what's right
The best that I can
It's those things that they won't tell you mama
They're the things you need to know
You know I shook them and beat them mama
But now I've got to let go
Refrain
I wandered the past
I slaved to a dream
I'm running on steam dear God
Not electricity
I'm still building my cabin from wood
Brick's too cold to me
But even that's gotta burn now
If I'll ever be free
Refrain
I've been searching high
I've been searching low
Been looking for truth dear God
Wherever I go
I've been broken and fixed now mama
More than I care to know
And there's one thing I'll say for certain
You reap just what you sow
Refrain
|
||||
15. |
||||
|
Tripping Past the Blackholes
The devil's in my head now
God is somewhere too
I'm asking for the light of heaven to shine it's way on through
I have seen the darkness and I have seen the light
But now I'm done
I'm tripping past the black holes
And finding my own way into the sun
Whiskey was my best friend
Cocaine was a curse
God knows where the hell I was before the bubble burst
I have seen the insides and I have been left out
And now I'm done
I'm tripping past the blackholes
And finding my own way into the sun
Scientists and naturalists
Psychologists and excorcists
Cannot show the way to kingdom come
To understand the heart of man
Bury your text books in the sand
Cos from this quackery I'm bound to run
People try to chain you
Show you how to see
All narrow-minded visions in a sea of misery
I have seen the upsides and I have been let down
And now I'm done
I'm tripping past the blackholes
And finding my own way into the sun
|
||||
Boxer John Bournemouth, UK
Born: England, Currently lives: Vienna
"In order to write songs about life, you must live your
life. Songwriting is often an unshakable imperative; the words and the melodies flow from you because they have no where else to go. You write because you must, not simply because you can".
... more
Boxer John recommends:
A PULSE IN THE VOID / SKY HUNTRESS
by Bird People
Incredibly relaxing and trippy as hell at the same time.
go to albumIf you like Boxer John, you may also like:
Irish singer-songwriter Oisin Leech's acoustic folk music is characterized by its muted beauty and intimate, solitary quality.
go to album
The haunting new record from Canadian folk artist Avi C. Engel bridges old and new traditions with a minimalist approach.
go to album
Here in the Pitch
by Jessica Pratt
On her fourth album, Jessica Pratt blends up 60s pop and bossa nova into a spooky mix of soft psychedelia.
go to album
Great Loveday Wonder : The Collected Demo Recordings
by Billy Childish / William Loveday Intention
From the always-great label Tompkins Square comes two-dozen plus demos from alt legend Billy Childish.
go to album
Darkness begins to creep into the corners on the latest from Itasca.
go to album
