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If We Dig Any Deeper It Could Get Dangerous

by Sarah McQuaid

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  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

    Included with all downloads is a PDF of the full 16-page booklet containing lyrics and background information on the songs.
    Purchasable with gift card

      £8 GBP  or more

     

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Includes full colour 16-page booklet with lyrics and background information on the songs. If you like, Sarah can sign the CD with a personal message to you or the intended recipient – just indicate how and to whom you’d like it to be signed using the “Include a message” link on the checkout page (or the contact link at right).

    Includes unlimited streaming of If We Dig Any Deeper It Could Get Dangerous via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 30 days

      £12 GBP or more 

     

  • T-Shirt/Apparel

    Heavyweight 100% cotton T-shirt screen-printed with Sarah’s original album cover artwork, available in a choice of black on red or red on black, in sizes ranging from Small to XXL. If you’re ordering more than one T-shirt, specify the size and colour for additional shirts using the “Include a message” link on the checkout page (or the contact link at right). Shipping time may vary depending on whether we have your size and colour in stock, but if it's going to be any longer than a few days, we'll let you know and offer you the option of choosing a different colour/size.

    NOTE RE. POSTAGE COSTS: Sadly, postage rates have risen astronomically in recent years – particularly for the USA, which is now classed by Royal Mail in a price band of its own: it costs £5 more to send an LP to the USA than to Canada or Mexico! You can save on postage by ordering more than one item at a time, as the base postage rate is determined by the item with the highest shipping cost. You’ll only be charged the incremental rate for any additional items — for example, a USB stick only adds 25p (or local currency equivalent) to your total postage cost no matter where you live. ... more
    ships out within 30 days

      £15 GBP or more 

     

  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Four sets of test pressings, on heavyweight 180g black vinyl, in white sleeves which can be personalised with hand-drawn versions of Sarah’s original album artwork, handwritten lyrics/credits and/or a personal message – just let us know your preference using the “Include a message” link on the checkout page (or the contact link at right).

    There are only four of these, and when they’re gone, they’re gone – so get your order in quickly, and please consider adding an extra contribution if you can!

    NOTE RE. POSTAGE COSTS: Sadly, postage rates have risen astronomically in recent years – particularly for the USA, which is now classed by Royal Mail in a price band of its own: it costs £5 more to send an LP to the USA than to Canada or Mexico! You can save on postage by ordering more than one item at a time, as the base postage rate is determined by the item with the highest shipping cost. You’ll only be charged the incremental rate for any additional items.

    Includes unlimited streaming of If We Dig Any Deeper It Could Get Dangerous via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ... more
    ships out within 30 days
    edition of 4  3 remaining

      £80 GBP or more 

     

  • Full Digital Discography

    Purchasable with gift card

      £41.25 GBP or more (25% OFF)

     

  • LP
    Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Heavyweight 180g black vinyl LP in a gatefold sleeve with lyrics and background information on the songs. If you like, Sarah can sign the LP with a personal message to you or the intended recipient – just indicate how and to whom you’d like it to be signed using the “Include a message” link on the checkout page (or the contact link at right).

    Includes unlimited streaming of If We Dig Any Deeper It Could Get Dangerous via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

    Sold Out

  • Ultra-Limited Edition Gold G7th Capo Bundle
    Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    The very lovely people at G7th The Capo Company have kindly donated two 18kt gold plated Newport capos (just like the one Sarah’s been using on stage for years – check out the videos on her YouTube page to see it in action!) engraved by the G7th Custom Shop with Sarah’s album artwork ... which happens to fit the capo rather nicely, as you can see from the photo.

    Included in this bundle are a copy of either the CD or the gatefold LP (please use the “Include a message” link on the checkout page to specify which you’d prefer); plus a heavyweight 100% cotton T-shirt screen-printed with Sarah’s original album cover artwork, available in a choice of black on red or red on black, in sizes ranging from Small to XXL; plus a limited edition hardcover 30-page book printed on 148gsm Mohawk Superfine uncoated eggshell-finish archival quality photo paper, containing behind-the-scenes photographs and reminiscences from the album recording sessions, photo shoot and video shoot.

    There are only two of these, so get ’em while they’re hot!

    Included with all pre-orders is an IMMEDIATE free high-quality download (MP3, FLAC and more) of “The Tug Of The Moon”, the first single from the album. A link to download the full album (including a PDF of the booklet) will be sent on the release date.

    The album and the book can both be signed with a personal message to you or the intended recipient – just indicate how and to whom you’d like it/them to be signed using the “Include a message” link on the checkout page (or the contact link at right).

    Includes unlimited streaming of If We Dig Any Deeper It Could Get Dangerous via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ... more

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1.
There’s a boy in the garden With a shovel and a spade He’s going to dig himself a hole That’s the biggest ever made Boy in the garden Shovel and spade Biggest hole Ever made I say I know you’re having fun I don’t want to make a fuss But if you dig any deeper It could get dangerous  Now we’re drilling through the earth Building pressure all the time Splitting cracks in the rock To free the power inside Drilling through the earth Pressure all the time Cracks in the rock Power inside Some things are better left buried Down under the crust And if we dig any deeper It could get dangerous Put your shovel away Time to call it a day Sometimes the way to fix a problem Is to turn the pressure off Cos if you dig any deeper It could get dangerous  We’re bringing fire and flood And trembling ground See the pale horse Hear the trumpet sound Fire and flood Trembling ground Pale horse Trumpet sound I hope we can stop it But we need to hurry up Cos if we dig any deeper It could get dangerous  Dig any deeper It could get dangerous  Dig any deeper It could get dangerous
2.
Slow Decay 03:12
When I cry out  Does the wave roll on forever Does it travel through the emptiness  Of space and time The level falls The edges draw together  Coming closer to the centre  Of an infinite line It’s a slow decay  Like a note you hold till it fades away The body fails These bones won’t last forever So I ask myself what are the things  I leave behind I send them out  A bundle tied together A present from the past  Left for the future to find  It’s a slow decay Like a note you hold till it fades away Watch it fall and rise and fall Constantly returning  To the smallest point of all When I cry out  Does the wave roll on forever Does it travel through the emptiness  Of space and time The level falls The edges draw together  Coming closer to the centre  Of an infinite line It’s a slow decay  Like a note you hold till it fades away A note you hold till it fades away
3.
There’s a sparrow at my window And he’s spoiling for a fight He’s attacking his reflection And he’s puffing out with pride He doesn’t see the cat who’s watching From the windowsill inside She stares at him intently With her gorgeous golden eyes While he flaps and struts and chatters In a futile exercise He can’t banish the invader  Through he tries and tries and tries He could have built himself a nest Instead of battling the stranger But the image in the windowpane  Is all that seems to matter It’s his enemy and nemesis To hate and fear forever The cat is plump and glossy She’s prepared to bide her time Until the sparrow falls exhausted To the ground And then she stands And stretches out her back And takes herself outside She pads across the grass to find him And she never makes a sound One sparrow down
4.
The silence above us The comfort in darkness Pale clouds in a blanket of sky The light from my window The trees lost in shadow We’ll likely have frost later on tonight I’m cold, I should go back Inside, where I know that It’s warm if I sit near the fire And as I stand shivering The mist from my breathing Forms tendrils of smoke that drift lower and higher Orion the hunter Is low in the sky The guiding star is blue I ask myself yet again What is this world coming to The silence above us The green earth beneath us Abounding with power and life The bushes are rustling The small birds are settling  Hunkering down to be safe for the night Orion the hunter Is low in the sky The guiding star is blue I ask myself yet again What is this world coming to As the night becomes colder and darker More stars will appear in the sky Tiny pinpoints of light Shining steady and bright The silence above us The comfort in darkness Pale clouds in a blanket of sky The light from my window The trees lost in shadow We’ll likely have frost later on tonight Orion the hunter Is low in the sky The guiding star is blue I ask myself yet again What is this world coming to And what can we do
5.
6.
Dies Irae 03:34
Dies irae, dies illa Solvet sæclum in favilla Teste David cum Sibylla Quantus tremor est futurus Quando Judex est venturus Cuncta stricte discussurus Tuba mirum spargens sonum Per sepulchra regionum Coget omnes ante thronum Mors stupebit et natura Cum resurget creatura Judicanti responsura Liber scriptus proferetur In quo totum continetur Unde mundus judicetur Judex ergo cum sedebit Quidquid latet apparebit Nil inultum remanebit The day of wrath, that day Will dissolve the world in ashes David being witness along with the Sibyl How great will be the quaking When the judge will come Investigating everything strictly The trumpet, scattering a wondrous sound Through the sepulchres of the regions Will summon all before the throne Death and nature will marvel When the creature will rise again to respond to the judge The written book will be brought forth In which all is contained From which the world shall be judged When therefore the judge will sit Whatever lies hidden will appear Nothing will remain unavenged
7.
8.
Cot Valley 04:24
So much has changed in my lifetime And mostly for the best Even when the morning news is frightening It doesn’t set me yearning for the past There’s a valley near my home Where children run among the stones Instead of giving up their lives For copper and tin Cot Valley is green today Where the slag heaps used to smoulder Now a child is free to wander And I know things could be better But we’ve come a long, long way There was a time when choice was something made for us by others For some the pick and shovel, some the sword and some the veil No difficult decisions, no surprises to discover Just take the road that’s laid for you and hope it treats you well And for far too many children That’s still the way it happens The cards you’re dealt Are all you have to play I’m glad I know the valley as it is now And not the way it was before I’m glad we don’t send children down the mines now Or set them burning arsenic from ore I go there with my daughter  The world is open to her She can gaze out at the sea And watch her dreams roll in Cot Valley is green today Where the slag heaps used to smoulder Now a child is free to wander Yes I know things could be better But we’ve come a long, long way Cot Valley is green today
9.
10.
Time To Love 03:39
What are we doing here now What are we dreaming now Up and down the street  If we only had time If we only had one more day If we only had time Time to love How can we take this moment now And try to make it better now Then let it go If we only had time If we only had one more day If we only had time Time to love Time to love I woke up laughing I don’t know why To see you sleeping Beside me What are we doing here now What are we dreaming now Up and down the street
11.
You can keep your oaken coffin You can keep your funeral urn I don’t want any stone above me I don’t want my body burned Don’t want to wind up like a pharaoh Mummified in a museum I don’t want to be a prisoner In some marble mausoleum  Let me return to the earth
 When I end my days I want the sweetest flowers Growing over my grave Let me crumble, dust to dust, underground Break me down If my organs are of use I hope they find a happy home Now put away that heavy makeup I won’t need it where I’m going When I die just dig me under Let my bones enrich the soil I’ve got some prime organic matter on me Shame to let it spoil  Let me return to the earth
 When I end my days I want the sweetest flowers Growing over my grave Let me crumble, dust to dust, underground Break me down Break me down till I am nothing Break me down till I am one With the good earth Bringing better growth in time to come You can keep your oaken coffin You can keep your funeral urn I don’t want any stone above me I don’t want my body burned Don’t want to wind up like a pharaoh Mummified in a museum I don’t want to be a prisoner In some marble mausoleum  Let me return to the earth
 When I end my days I want the sweetest flowers Growing over my grave Let me crumble, dust to dust, underground Break me down Break me down Break me down
12.
The tug of the moon Is slowing us down Drawing the tide Buckling the ground Little by little as centuries pass It stretches our days The years growing longer by such small degrees We don’t notice the change Until noon comes a moment too late So we make an adjustment in time At the end of the countdown Before Auld Lang Syne One second to add before midnight And then we all cheer With tears and with kisses We greet the new year While the moon passes over us Ever more distantly pulling away As we turn toward the sunrise And night becomes day We count up the lengthening hours That remain till the end comes too soon For an earth spinning under The tug of the moon

about

Michael:
The last studio I worked in was a supertech palace in upstate New York and it was minus ten outside. So here I am in a shed with a sod roof, annoying wildlife and helicopters in the warmth of a Cornish spring and miles from my comfort zone.

We are so different, the two of us: a perfectionist and a gambler, a planner and a chancer. We might need a referee.

This record has been meticulously planned, but I haven’t even heard the songs. I like it that way. The precision and sophistication of the writing and playing blows me away. I am so glad to be involved.

Sarah:
I first met Michael Chapman three years ago, when we were both playing at the Village Pump Festival in Wiltshire, England. Watching this legendary guitarist, singer and songwriter in action, performing solo but filling the vast stage with his powerful presence and massive guitar sound, I was blown away. It’s incredible to me that he uses the same language to describe his reaction to my writing and playing; I’m honoured and humbled beyond measure.

Since that first meeting, Michael and his other half Andru have become great friends and staunch supporters. During one of my visits to their farmhouse in Cumbria, Michael said “Why don’t you let me produce your next album?” I’m so glad he did, as I’d never have dared to ask. Infinite thanks to him and to all the other people who contributed to this album: my wonderful manager, Martin Stansbury, for recording and mixing; guest musicians Roger Luxton, Samuel Hollis, Richard Evans, Georgia Ellery and Joe Pritchard; Sander van der Heide for mastering; Phil Nicholls for photography; Claire, Richie and all the staff at the Acorn Penzance for allowing us to use the Acorn’s atmospheric basement bar as a location for the photo shoot; Victoria Penrose for doing my hair (beautifully cut as always by Richard Goulden) and makeup; Mawgan Lewis for videography; Mary Guinan for artwork and graphic design; Luke New for the use of his sod-roofed annexe and stage piano; Hall For Cornwall, Alex Warnes and Phil Innes for loaning equipment and instruments; Pat Tynan and Howard Wuelfing for PR; Bob the pheasant and Nightshine the cat for their special guest appearances; and my husband Feargal and children Eli and Lily Jane for their love and support. Sincere thanks also to Arts Council England and Cultivator for their financial support, which helped to make this project possible.

My main guitar was custom-made by Andy Manson in 2008 and is fitted with a Fishman Matrix pickup; when playing live I use a Trace Elliott Acoustic TAP-1 preamp. On this album I also play my 1965 Martin D-28 (bought from Vintage Instruments in Philadelphia many years ago), Michael Chapman’s own Ibanez electric which he’s kindly given me on long-term loan, Alex Warnes’ high-strung Squier Fender Stratocaster and Luke New’s Korg SP-250 stage piano.

I’m proud and happy to be an Elixir Strings endorsed artist. I use their Medium Gauge Acoustic 80/20 Bronze set with NANOWEB® Coating (only I substitute an .018 for the .017 in the set, since I’m using DADGAD all the time). I use a G7th capo. My guitar cables are custom-made by Russ Fletcher, who also keeps all my electronic equipment working smoothly, while Julyan Wallis takes care of my guitar repairs and maintenance.

credits

released February 2, 2018

The recording, production and marketing of this album have been kindly supported by Arts Council England Grants For The Arts, using public money from the Government and the National Lottery, and by Cultivator, which is funded by the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund, Arts Council England and Cornwall Council.

Produced by Michael Chapman
Engineered and mixed by Martin Stansbury
Recorded in Cornwall, England
Mastered by Sander van der Heide at Wisseloord Studios, Hilversum, The Netherlands
Cover artwork by Sarah McQuaid
Graphic design by Mary Guinan
Photography by Phil Nicholls
Hair and makeup by Victoria Penrose

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Sarah McQuaid Penzance, UK

“One of the most instantly recognisable voices in current music … Shades of Joni Mitchell in a jam with Karen Carpenter and Lana Del Rey.” —Neil March, Trust The Doc

“Captivating, unorthodox songwriting … layered satin vocals ... enthralling, harrowing arrangements … a gateway into a true innovator’s soul.” —PopMatters

See sarahmcquaid.com/about for more info.
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