1. |
||||
|
The older I get I see all my regret
As misplaced semi precious stones
So now I will set every one of them
Into the long forging of my bones
My heart was a rock until you snatched it up
And changed it into a heart of gold
Now I breathe in the air of life without care
No I need not, no I want not anymore
|
||||
2. |
Jangle Of My Heart
02:59
|
|||
|
This is the jangle of my heart
Where my end will surely start
Now it's shaking to the core
An apple carved by spear and sword
Oh my Lord, you, seminal, you
My strings are ringing loud and clear
My voice will sing to ears that hear
About all things both far and wide
The king uncovers all I hide
Oh my Lord, you, seminal, you
The stream is flowing overhead
Peace like a river in my bed
Gently heals my burning coals
Soothes my stone heart oh my soul
Oh my Lord, you, seminal, you
|
||||
3. |
I Dreamt At The Gate
03:38
|
|||
|
I saw a ship upon the sea
Deeply laden as a ship could be
But not so deep as in love I am
For I care not whether I sink or swim
I saw a prisoner in chains
Bound and fettered to his own remains
Yet I am shackled by a stronger cord
Hope's blue flame over me, oh my Lord
I built a house upon the sand
Fool's foundation with my own two hands
And stormy weather toppled all my yield
The hands that tore me down, did then rebuild
One day I will learn, one day
That all I am will fade away
And all that's left under the hay
Proves my worth one day
A great good is coming, is coming to thee
A great good is coming to thee
A great good is coming, is coming, is coming to thee
|
||||
4. |
Esther
05:56
|
|||
|
Who knows whether
Stone or feather
We are born
For such a time as this
|
||||
5. |
The Fallen Bard
04:35
|
|||
|
Fight on my men Sir Andrew says
A little I'm hurt, but yet not slain
I'll but lie down, and bleed here awhile
The I'll rise and fight again
There is no well to cool my face
Here in this dry and waterless place
Feebly I go unsung and untraced
Foolishly bound and found outside the gate
Fight on my men Sir Andrew says
A little I'm hurt, but yet not slain
I'll but lie down, and bleed here awhile
The I'll rise and fight again
She has a voice beloved to me
Like the solution to my mystery
The sum of my parts the root of my tree
Both beckoned and reckoned, she comforts me
Fight on my men Sir Andrew says
A little I'm hurt, but yet not slain
I'll but lie down, and bleed here awhile
The I'll rise and fight again
Here I lay lame at the foot of the elm
Words on my breath knife on my belt
So feebly I go to my father's well
And her voice that once eluded me
Is a song that now includes me
And I rise without my body right where it fell
Fight on my men Sir Andrew says
A little I'm hurt, but yet not slain
I'll but lie down, and bleed here awhile
The I'll rise and fight again
|
||||
6. |
||||
|
I was headed down the slope
A knife and novice on a rope
I made my way and went awry
Wondering just when did I die
All the king's men turned away
They didn't care to bear the day
Into the fray I cast my soul
With hope and love upon the knoll
Dear I'm on the way, coming home today
Dear I long for exile from these bones
Dear I'm on the way, coming home today
Dear I long to rest in your repose today
On the rock I laid my life
For my children and my wife
So they would enter by the gate
and sing a song of happy fate
Dear I'm on the way, coming home today
Dear I long for exile from these bones
Dear I'm on the way, coming home today
Dear I long to rest in your repose today
|
||||
7. |
Patchwork Ramble
03:03
|
|||
|
Sewing together a quilt of love
The patchwork and parchments of you and me
Knitting the fabric of our mingling
Tempered, tested, and true
Ahh's Ooh's
|
||||
8. |
Aglovaile's Last Words
03:45
|
|||
|
So when I come around my love
Would you look to dress me up
Would all we say be filled with lifting
So when I come around my love
Would you look to dress me up
Or is my tongue constantly slipping
My love, my dear, are you drawing near
As I await my love's return
Anticipation soon will burn
Away into the culmination of us
Though you left so long before
I linger upon this shore
And burn the lamplight of my longing for us
My love, my dear, are you drawing near
My love
|
||||
9. |
Wildgoat's Rock
03:52
|
|||
|
Fire upon the wind, me and six hundred men
King's men on our trail, chasing down my heel
Hellhounds on the rocks, after this young fox
See them bend the bow, faster oh my soul
Fly on, little bird, to your mountain, oh my Lord
Arrow on the string, seeking out my wing
No rest in the dark, save my beating heart
Come boys let her buck, brimstone in a cup
There's no time to talk, on to the wild goat's rock
Fly on, little bird, to your mountain, oh my Lord
Sky's raining coals, we dig in our holds
Lurking in the hills ready for what kills
A madman on the loose, dangling his noose
A fight is on the way, here we cannot stay, boys
Fly on, little bird, to your mountain, oh my Lord
|
||||
10. |
Gospel Dirge
05:00
|
|||
|
I'm a sinner a goodwill beginner
All my good works are needles in hay
I try to do right, based on my own sight
Just like a blind man, who's standing in the way
All that I've taken, was sadly mistaken
To be for my own, for my sake
Now every thing I have, was stolen or borrowed
All that I've taken is much more than I can take
I was a fool in the quickness of the sand
I was a leper trying to save my own skin
Now I'm a man who knows where I stand
On the rock of ages
You bore my refuse, and you are my refuge
You gave up everything and you threw it all away
You gave me life new and you carried my weight through
The evening to the morning to the day
I was a fool in the quickness of the sand
I was a leper trying to save my own skin
Now I'm a man who knows where I stand
On the rock of ages
|
||||
11. |
||||
|
Now that I'm older I've begun to see
That all my failures are the mortar of victory
Every time I struggle to keep myself afloat
It's then I realize I'm already in the boat
Starboard is hopeful that the waves won't swell
Port side is doubtful of my "fare thee well"
And there's a fear in me that this vessel won't last
But that fear is much worse, than what will come to pass
Oh my captain, calm the wind and the waves
Oh my captain, are you near to save
And silence the storm, bring this boat to the shore again
Oh my captain, you're the only one who can see my end
I was afraid of the piper, the ferryman
But now I've seen the one who holds them by the hand
Oh Knockasheega where the rye dances bold
Here lay my body to rest upon the stone
Oh my captain, calm the wind and the waves
Oh my captain, are you near to save
And silence the storm, bring this boat to the shore again
Oh my captain, you're the only one who can see my end
|
||||
12. |
Antigua Flame
03:13
|
|||
|
There horizons are unending
Not like this hieroglyphic mess
Someday that's where I'm gonna end up
So let my heart transcend beyond this
My eyes are so scaly in the morning
My bones are snapping like under brush
I yearn to be something if I dare
A nobleman who slays his mistrust
It feels like the weight is surely lifting
And I hear all my wandering decry
My days seem defeated and numbered
But my years will be epic when I die
Cause it's just the handle of the bullwhip
Whose tail extends on through the night
With a thunderclap hollering fistfight
It'll smack all these little dark things bright
Wisdom I'm coming after you
Wisdom I'm coming after you
Wisdom I'm coming after you
Wisdom I'm coming after you
|
||||
13. |
Crossing The Threshold
03:42
|
|||
|
I'm crossing the threshold, I'm turning the page
My payment in full is my years, and my wage is the debt of my age
With one hand on the boiler, and one eye on the door
It's been locked up for centuries, but now it is unbolted, once more
The Kinsman is coming, redeeming his time
He bought every field with a flower and a treasure
He spent his last dime
All the roots of the old trees, they're coming up dry
Getting ready to pack up and move out to a country
In the fertile sky
So here I am stoking the fires of my soul
With the wood of the wind bitten meadow, and the black
Burning blue heart of coal
|
||||
14. |
||||
|
I can't get up unless I move, I have to move to get up these old bones
I can't walk until I step, I have to step to get on down that road
Now it may sound elementary, but it's truth for you and for me
I gotta get up, and the shackles will fall
I gotta stand up, when I hear the call
I gotta start stepping to begin to walk
Then I'll be marching, marching, marching on
I can't walk until I crawl, baby that's all you need to know
I can't get on until I move, gettin' in the groove
Get on down that road
I know it's simple and plain
So get up and resist this refrain
I've been asleep inside a spell
B-b-bound in the stocks of this old cell
|
||||
Balla Dear Texas
Songs born out of trial and triumph, Balla Dear explores the dichotomy of the human condition, the physical and the spiritual. From deep in the heart of central Arkansas, Balla Dear muses in the medium of Southern Folk, Country Gospel, and Folk Ballad. The themes are evident; peace and solace amidst one's own undoing. Sacrificial love is by far the greatest gift among men. ... more
Balla Dear recommends:
Postcards From The End of Time
by Chris Taylor
This is Chris's brand new offering of bombastic, brilliant, bohemian stylings. I've known him for 27 years, and he's been forefront in my life as a friend, influence and inspiration.
go to album
AMBER WAVES Bill Mallonee & Vigilantes of Love (2012)
by Bill Mallonee
When I first heard a track from this album, I was mesmerized. It was Walking Disaster, and it soared in my heart. A gorgeous weave of lyric and melody. Listen to Bill Mallonee, my Liege.
go to album
Love & War & The Sea In Between
by Josh Garrels
Josh Garrels is one of those artists who was fashioned most unique. Things you may experience while listening: elation, redemption, enchantment, imagination, revelation, contemplation, and pure awe.
go to albumIf you like Balla Dear, you may also like:
Mind, Man, Medicine
by The Secret Sisters
The Alabama duo's fifth album exults in dusty Americana, showcasing rich vocal harmonies alongside blissful folk instrumentation.
go to album
More contemplative folk from the Minnesota singer-songwriter, sustained by raw full-band arrangements and philosophical lyrics.
go to album
Irish singer-songwriter Oisin Leech's acoustic folk music is characterized by its muted beauty and intimate, solitary quality.
go to album
