1. |
On Yonder Bay
02:26
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Way Hey, on yonder Bay, plenty of fishing the bankers would say
Way Hey, on yonder Bay, plenty of catch to be had
Walkin' around in suits and ties, sure it ain't easy to see through the lies
Rollin' the dice ain't very wise, clear water's not always pure
Business is business, friendship is rare, it's not their money, why would they care?
Playin' with fire you're gonna lose hair to be sure, sure, sure, sure
I need a loan, what do you think? Ice cream in winter? Tickle us pink
Problem is his when he starts to sink, wait while I dangle my lure
The iron is hot, no time like now, everything always will work out somehow
If milk is your budget, don't buy the cow to be sure, sure, sure, sure
Livin' day to day you have to do somethin'
Doesn't hurt to try, things won't be all bad
If the cost is fair like everyone tells me
Why's it makin' me so mad
Goin' to school OSAP is great, won't see the debt until it's too late
Young on thin ice, let's see how ya skate, that problem has no easy cure
The market is flooded, part-time or naught, job opportunities aren't what you thought
A rock and a hard place, that's where you're caught to be sure, sure, sure, sure
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2. |
Irish Set
03:26
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3. |
The Man
03:13
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A thousand years before we here, lived a man he knew no fear
Armies came, war would be waged, drew his sword, cried in a rage
You will die on this day, strike you down on the ground you will lay
I care not for your suffering or fate, blood spills red in anger, in hate
Countrymen there at his side, chose to stand with courage and pride
All around his friends did fall, hearts gained strength with his call
Don’t you hear the Gods crying your name
Fail to hear their words needn’t look far who to blame
At the front they held the attack, broke the faith, the men at his back
Heart now pierced, he fell to his knees, his last words echoed far on the breeze
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4. |
Last Ballad
04:56
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There’s a land I love across the sea, when the wind blows it beckons me
Come back my son it seems to say, come home to rest you’ve lived your day
When I was young I had to roam, in a new land I found my home
My fortune’s made my heart now yearns, for my land of birth I must return
Come back my son, come home to stay, where the skies are blue and the donkeys bray
Where rivers flow to the Irish sea, come back my son come home to me
My memory takes me back again, to my childhood days on the pastures green
Where the cattle graze and the sheep do laze, and the wildflowers bloom as you’ve never seen
The cottage stands as in days of yore, the paint is peeled from the parlour floor
But the welcome mat lies as before, below the stoop of the kitchen door
As my life ebbs I’m homeward bound, a wearied heart now safe and sound
Where I belong for my last days, among the hills where the treetops sway
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5. |
Hart of Ten
03:32
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Hear the hounds bark, gallop of steed, shouts fill the air, shelter in need
Betrayed by the dawn, abandoned by night, silence disturbed, hurried flight
Scatter the leaves, wind in your hair, eyes darting left, what’s over there
No time to stop, no time to breathe, bound to the right, dance through the trees
Confused again, the heart of men. Pursued again, the hart of ten.
Branches whip past, scratches the skin, run for your life, fear settles in
Chill in the breeze, wet from the dew, mud flying high, pace set anew
Crash through the brush, splash of a stream, eyes catch a glance, gone as a dream
Ravens take wing, omens they cry, shafts to the bow, letting them fly
Blood strikes the ground, ask not why, curse of man, hear her sigh
Free of the trap, hurt but alive, frenzied they lash, bees from a hive
Win at all cost, all that they know, lives intertwined, quarry and foe
Sure of the kill, gave up the guard, hole in the net, push through it hard
Shouts of contempt, lost is the prey, won’t be the last, surrender the day
Confused again, the heart of men. Pursued again, the hart of ten.
Abused again, the heart of men. Pursued again, the hart of ten
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6. |
Siren's Song
05:06
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There you go, away again, out on the water, here I stand, in tears again, left with our daughter
Want you to see that I’m falling apart, when will it end now that it’s had it’s start
Where do you head when you follow your heart?
I’m so scared, for when the sea calls you/I must answer
Truth be known, I fear every time you/I leave home
If you’re lost, I’ll follow your voice o’er the water
I’ll/You’ll be a siren for me
Gazing out to sea again, there waits our daughter, wanting to grab hold again onto her father
Days spent without you too many to count, joy becomes anger when tensions surmount
Buy our hearts peace for once, say the amount
Out here on the waves, less rocky than home, but it’s not what saves me late in the night
Yes, I love the sea, it calls to me often, but my family, is where I find light
Where are you, cold and damp, drifting at sea? Do you smile or not, thinking of me?
Torn between anger from leaving home, with loving you and your courage to roam
Are we together or are we alone?
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7. |
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Welcome me lads to the Party St. Pat’s, we raise up our glasses a tip of our hats
Let’s drink down a pint for the this and the that’s, tomorrow we may be sorry
Cause I’m hopin’ ta challenge my liver tonight, I’m sure he has in him one more good fight
If darkness sets in I won’t head towards the light, tonight we’re writing our story
I feel green from the wine and the shots, woke up this morning with beer-backdoor trots
My visions all hazy and I’m seein’ spots, but HEY! What a hell of a party!
Last night I drank more than that bartender’s seen, to keep the booze comin’ he wasn’t too keen
I thanked him by gesturing something obscene, around then’s when I had ta go
But walking outside proved a bit of a trek, I bounced off 2 tables and near broke my neck
I soiled my breeches, but who gives a feck, I won’t find out till tomorrow
I open my eyes and I curse to the wall, maybe I shouldn’t have drank past last call
My liver feels massive my patience so small, wish I had drank much more water
Then my wife she yells curses and walks out the door, that’s when it dawns on me I’m on the floor
My penance beside me has quite a loud snore, it’s feeling like hell, except hotter
Yes, my dear friends it’s no word of a lie, one hand o’er me heart and one held to the sky
I feel such a fool that I think I might cry, never again touch a beer
It’s barely a day when my friends call me out, feel a might thirsty for a pint of stout
Oh, Paddy ya bested me, but I won’t pout, I’ll practice each day till next year
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8. |
Before They Fall
01:59
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I sat beneath an old oak tree, enchanted by its majesty
But all at once came a mighty crack, and the oak fell down in front of me
We look to the trees for ageless wisdom as they rise above it all
But wise old oaks still reach their greatness, just before they fall
I counted up its hard-won rings, it lived for many hundred years
I thought of all that it had seen, that in one moment disappears
It seemed to be a timeless soul, outside the reach of nature’s rule
But all who claim a place so high, is quickly shown to be the fool
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9. |
Wandering Free
02:25
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Wandering free boy, wandering free, wandering free boy the world is callin’ me
I don’t know where I’m goin’ and I don’t know what I’ll see,
I’m wandering, yea that’s who I be
Saw the writing on the wall, time for me to go
Pack my bags to God knows where, I’ll tell ya when I know
Some might say it’s lonely boy, but I don’t feel the same
Lost the count of people in this world who know my name
Keep your heart a distance from me, sure as hell that’s wise
Ask from me no promises, I’ll tell ta ya know lies
But if your expectations are a friend for while I’m here
Come grab a seat and join me for some laughter and some beer
We’ve had some fun that’s sure as sin good friends ye all have been
Don’t be too shocked come morning when I’m nowhere to be seen
My leaving on a high note can be quite hard to take
There’s other kind folk in this world whose hand I’d like to shake
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10. |
The Light on the Lake
04:39
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Oh, the light on the lake could be seen far from shore
Blazing fire from cabin to deck quickly tore
And the cries of the dying rang over the roar
Gone was the queen of the lakes
36 years of safe sailing she knew, a ballroom, a salon, a mighty fine crew
On a dark Friday night in September she drew, the cold, cruel stare of the fates
Just half-past 2 in the morning I fear, at the foot of long Yonge street at #9 pier
a hundred and nineteen were lost, lives so dear, on the SS Noronic that night
Most were on board when the fire broke out, sparked in a closet, no crew raised the shout
The hoses were faulty, so it leapt all about, the passengers left unaware
The wood in the halls had been polished with oil, fled for their lives, a crew once so loyal
In 8 minutes half of that ship oh so royal, was lost as the fire raged free
Trampled in panic, some jumped from the boat, the lucky hit water amidst corpses afloat
Many died sleeping the newspapers wrote, as the city grieved in ’49.
The screams were heard over the fire siren’s calls, dead found embracing as bones in the halls
Tears for the lost fell like Niagara Falls, and the EX was turned into a morgue
Despite all the horror, true, some were brave, kept a few souls from a fiery grave
Good Captain Taylor faced hell and did stave, death from collecting the lot
History forgotten, time has moved on, how do we honour the lives lost along?
Memories past will live on in a song, come then and sing one with me
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11. |
The Summer of the Circus
02:52
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A pack of clowns went cruising to a bar on King downtown
Their noses turning redder from the drinks they all washed down
When firemen took issue to that silly painted frown
Oh, the patrons in the bar were toasting shots to Tom Malloy
When nasty words went flying, like big foot and hose boy,
the brawl that broke out was a mesh of hatred and of joy…
The summer of the circus, it could not last
The summer of the circus, went by so fast
The summer of the circus, Toronto’s past
The summer of the circus
It was the year of 1855, that would have been a time for us to be alive
The firemen from Orange lodge got whipped in the fight
The next day they went back for more just as you’d think they might
They pulled the circus tent down and the wagons set a-light
Oh, that second fight was more a bloody riot than before
The mayor called the army in to even up the score
The lesson here don’t mess with clowns, they’re lethal at their core
Woe to those who say the Toronto streets are tame
Ye clearly hadn’t heard this tale of when the circus came
I’ll never look at firemen or clowns quite the same
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12. |
Home
04:26
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Why are you sad mother dear? I haven’t abandoned you here
I’m standing beside you a light in my eye, darkness is gone, no need to cry
I know you’re lost now I’m gone, have faith it isn’t for long
I’m begging you live out your days beyond grief, your love sustains me, may that bring relief
I live inside of you, in your heart, and memory too
I’ll wait here patiently, until you see, I’ll lead you home
Life brings joy and pain, yet flowers bloom most after rain
Though moving on seems impossible now, open your heart again, give me that vow
Wipe now the tears from your cheek, and smile though it’s hard to speak
Love’s the foundation that holds us above, what would this world be, if not for love
Though moving on seems impossible now, open your heart again, give me that vow
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Old Man Flanagan's Ghost Toronto, Ontario
Indie Toronto Band playing 'Music with a Celtic heart'.
Imagine the smell of the sea, cold
pints of beer, old shipwrecks, stories of love and loss, and boisterous friends sharing a laugh and a song. Now mix it with an instrumentation that takes you on a journey east, and a feeling of being welcomed into your neighbour’s home for a kitchen party, THAT is the essence of Old Man Flanagan’s Ghost.
... more
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