Get all 15 Jess Silk releases available on Bandcamp and save 30%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Blitz Spirit (Acoustic Demos), Live At Katie Fitzgerald's, Blitz Spirit, Don't Tell Me What To Sing About/A Good Pair Of Boots-Double Live EP, Random Ramblings, Break the Bottle (Alternative Version), There's A Bar At the End of the World, Stars & Stripes, and 7 more.
1. |
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Verse 1:
When I was young I made a promise to myself
When I said that I would do this till I die
I'd write my songs about the world and how I felt
And most importantly make sure I never lie
Verse 2:
Well, now I've found I wear my heart upon my sleeve
I've got my politics all stuck on my guitar
I write my songs about the things that I believe
And all the memories I hold fondly in my heart
Pre-chorus:
You say I don't write enough happy songs anymore
'Cause they're so hard to find
But when the world keeps spinning on
And everything is going wrong
I find some comfort in these words of mine
Chorus:
And I'll be preaching from the barricades
Or slurring from my seat down in the pub
Because I'm never quite at home until I'm singing on that stage
Well, it might not sound much but this is what I love
And some days it's enough
Verse 3:
When I was young I said I'd try to change the world
With these four chords, a capo and the truth
But now I'm grown I've seen the world and how it works
And that to change it was a fantasy of youth
Pre-chorus:
You said I don't write enough happy songs anymore
Like I've done all my life
But when the world keeps spinning on
And everything is going wrong
I find some comfort in these words that I write
Chorus
Bridge:
And when the world just gets too much
I can pick up my guitar
Sing a song for those I love
Ease the pain of all my scars
And I've a home now in these songs
If I ever loose my way
So if everything goes wrong
I'll live to fight another day
Chorus x2
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2. |
Drink Up Your Whiskey
03:46
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Verse 1:
It's bitter cold down by the river
And the backstreets are teaming with life
You offered up all you could give her
Now her ghost walks the streets by your side
Verse 2:
A half hidden face in the doorway
Or lost to the rush of the crowd
Now walking the path we must all take
Her answers to never be found
Chorus:
So drink up your whiskey my friend
I've seen this before and I know how it ends
I'll carry you home and my shoulder I'll lend
So drink up your whiskey my friend
Verse 3:
The voices all lost to the darkness
As you push through the crowds who stood there
A place full of the cruel and the heartless
She just needed somebody to care
Verse 4:
Now you're drowning yourself at the bottom
Of a bottle amongst all the dregs
Those faces that can't be forgotten
Now swimming round inside your head
Chorus
Verse 5:
Now all of the earth's been raked over
And all of the seas have been swept
You made it your mission to know her
To save her and whatever's left
Now these streets are a painful reminder
Of the answers that couldn't be found
And the only place now you might find them
Is buried six feet underground
Chorus x2
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3. |
Friday Night at Rebel HQ
04:47
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Verse 1:
The day's almost upon us
The finish line's in sight
We've spent too long in this tunnel
Waiting for the light
Verse 2:
We're just a bunch of loony lefties
Or so I have been told
But I wouldn't change that fact for anyone
Because when I'm here I'm home
Verse 3:
I've stumbled out and I have wondered
Where the hours I lost had gone
And I've spoken to many strangers
So I've never been alone
Pre-chorus:
Let me tell you a secret
Listen closely to this
You're welcome here at Katie's
If you've had a Trina kiss
She doesn't give them out freely
Only for the best
So if you're covered in her lipstick
Then you know you've passed the test.
Chorus:
So sing with me now, grab a drink, tell me how
We're gonna make tomorrow a better day
And go grab a glass, take a seat, time will pass
We'll still be singing these songs come whatever may
Middle 8:
Friday night at Rebel HQ
We've got old songs to sing and some drinking to do
We're all preaching politics, not long to go
And I'm getting drunk with the best people I know
And as Katie dances she lights up the room
We'll all have each other if we win or we loose
From last nights early doors to the break of the day
If we all stick together it'll all be okay
Chorus x2
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4. |
Abandon Ship
04:10
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Verse 1:
Abandon all hope
We're lost out at see and a storm's rolling in
Tie up the ropes
Take down the main sail, we'll sink or we'll swing
Man overboard
Is it kinder to leave him or pull him back in
The captain he calls
"Abandon ship! Abandon ship"
Verse 2:
The current it pulls
This ship further out into waters unknown
The buckets are full
As they throw out the water to keep us afloat
The sky it grows dark
As the storm clouds amass all the shadows approach
The captain remarks
From his throne
Chorus
You can't reason with a storm
Only wait for it to pass
You can scream into the wind
But you'll never change a thing
Not now the die's been cast
Verse 3:
The compass points North
But we still have no clue which direction is home
We're decades off course
Trying to find our way back to the things that we know
There's no one to help
The dark clouds mask the stars that show which way to go
We'll descend into Hell
On our own
Chorus
You can scream into the wind
But you'll never change a thing
Not now the die's been cast
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5. |
A Good Pair of Boots
03:53
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Verse 1:
Stumbling three miles home from Stourbridge again
I've spent the whole night getting drunk, singing songs with my friends
The sun's a few minutes from waking
My mind and my body are aching
I am weak, I need sleep but even so I don't want it to end
Verse 2:
Now I can't count the times that I've walked home along this path
By the light of the stars, my guitar safe upon my back
And these boots they have treated me well
They'd walk through the fires of Hell
March me straight through the gates but I'll wait a bit longer for that
Chorus:
And it's taken me too long to see
That this is all I need
My guitar, some dear friends
And a good pair of boots on my feet
Verse 3:
Now I always take with me much more than I actually need
And until I let go, well I know I can never be free
I'm just always so scared of the going
Of the wandering around and not knowing
Where I am, without a plan and then what's out there waiting for me
Chorus
Verse 4:
And those nights are the best when we sit and pass round the guitar
We've been in here since doors but we've got one more song in our hearts
And though most of the words we've forgot
We'll still try and give it a shot
Then we'll gather our money and buy one last drink form the bar
Chorus
I'm so glad that I finally see
That this is all I need
My guitar, some dear friends
And a good pair of boots on my feet
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Jess Silk Stourbridge, UK
Jess Silk is a guitarist, singer and songwriter from the Black Country. Her shouty but melodic brand of folk/punk music often has her being likened to a female Frank Turner or Billy Bragg, and it gets people sitting up and listening. Armed only with an increasingly sticker-covered acoustic guitar and a distinctive, gravely voice that many don’t expect, Jess plays to audiences up and down the UK. ... more
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