Get all 16 Sarah McQuaid releases available on Bandcamp and save 25%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of If We DUB Any Deeper It Could Get Dangerous, The St Buryan Sessions, The Sun Goes On Rising (The St Buryan Sessions) - Single, Rabbit Hills (The St Buryan Sessions) - Single, Time To Love (The St Buryan Sessions) - Single, Sweetness And Pain (The St Buryan Sessions) - Single, The Day Of Wrath, That Day (The St Buryan Sessions) - Single, Charlie’s Gone Home (The St Buryan Sessions) - Single, and 8 more.
1. |
Low Winter Sun
02:52
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Driving uphill with the sun in my eyes
I can only see branches and sky
The hawthorn tree stunted
By wind rushing over it
Touches my soul
Like the brushing of fingers on skin
I am blinded
By the low winter sun
I am reminded
Of all the careless, hurtful, foolish
Things I’ve done
Low winter sun
The bells chime
For noon time
And I’m driving blind
This day will soon be done
Low winter sun
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2. |
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We saw the cloud approaching
Like an anvil in the sky
We saw the skaters making for the shore
But we thought we’d read the signal right
To start across the ice
And so we rigged our little sail and headed north
We headed north
The storm was down on top of us
Before we had the chance
To look around and see the danger that was coming
It’s hard to steer without a tiller
When the wind cuts through your hands
And stings your eyes until the rimy tears are running
The tears are running
We’ve got to ride it
We’re blinded
In the white-out of the driving snow
We’re going where the wind decides to blow
This little sled was never made
To hold up in such weather
The mast is bent and creaking in the wind
Hang on tight and close your eyes
At least we’re still together
Even if we can’t escape the fix we’re in
The fix we’re in
We’ve got to ride it
We’re blinded
In the white-out of the driving snow
We’re going where the wind decides to blow
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3. |
The Tide
02:53
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These tidal waters tell a lie
Their broad and shining surface hides
A narrow path through muddy shallows
Marked by secret signs
The channel twists and turns
And heaven help you if you try
To find a shorter way across
Or if you fail to read the signs
You’ll run aground with no way out
Until the turning of the tide
But the tide will rise in time
Be ready with your boat to meet it
Feel the water lift you
Till you’re floating free
Hoist your sail and find a channel
Deep enough to carry you
To open sea
Well there’s been time for many tides
To fall and rise since you and I
Fetched up in shallow waters
That have muddied up our lives
The channel flows just out of reach
In sight of where we lie
And watch so many ships and sailors
Gliding effortlessly by
They glance at us with pity
In their sad and knowing eyes
But the tide will rise in time
We’ll be ready with our boat to meet it
Feel the water lift us
Till we’re floating free
Hoist our sail and find a channel
Deep enough to carry us
To open sea
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4. |
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5. |
Sweetness And Pain I
00:46
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The sweetness of the berry
Doesn’t take away the pain
Of the briar when it stabs you
In the hand
But the power of your craving
For the fruit among the thorns
Is driving you to risk
Another chance
Sweetness and pain
Summer sun and autumn rain
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6. |
Walking Into White
03:09
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They hadn’t long to go
That afternoon
The light on the moor was gold
The distant mountains shone
They were chatting as they strolled
In make-believe
Of ships in days of old
And pirate thieves
The boy glanced back
The way they’d come
He said hello, that’s strange
The hill we just walked down is gone
The clouds have blotted out the sun
And everything has changed
The fog came down
A white cloud on the ground
She said we’ll be all right
Just keep walking into white
Across the moor they go
Trying to feel their way
Hold my hand, take it slow
It’s going to be okay
The fog came down
A white cloud on the ground
She said we’ll be all right
Just keep walking into white
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7. |
Jackdaws Rising
02:50
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Jackdaws rising
All together
Glinting eyes
And jet black feathers
Rough cries
Calling
Muster
For the dark is falling
Wind among the trees
Rustling of the leaves
Scudding clouds
And stars appearing
Startled by the flapping
Of a bat wing just above her
A rabbit dives beneath a shrub
And trembles under cover
Light starts to fade
Night calls the shades
Of others
Who have gone before us
Hark to them
Welcome them
Draw breath
And join the chorus
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8. |
Yellowstone
03:40
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My son can’t sleep
He’s ten years old
He’s scared that Yellowstone will blow
And when it does
It could set off
A mighty chain reaction
Volcanos round the world exploding
Darkened skies and lava flowing
His mind won’t let it go
He’s ten years old
I try to tell him not to worry
There’s no point in dwelling
On the things we can’t control
Especially when we’re ten years old
I try to tell him how the chances
Are so small that circumstances
Will combine to trigger
That eventuality
And he looks back at me
He says I know all that
But even so
My mind won’t let it go
Well I’ve got worries
Of my own
Another simmering Yellowstone
Beneath the earth
Releasing spurts
Each time the pressure rises
I know I’m not the only one
To fear the ground I tread upon
Volcanos of all kinds
Torment our minds
Who am I to say don’t worry
How can we help dwelling
On the things we can’t control
Even if we’re more than ten years old
The sea of molten rock below us
Haunts our dreams and undermines us
Causing us to falter
As we struggle on our way
Just trying to live each day
In hope that Yellowstone
Won’t blow
Let it go
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9. |
The Silver Lining
02:12
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I am constantly amazed
By the providential nature
Of the choices that I didn’t think I made
Sometimes it’s good to miss the boat
The ship that sails could fail to float
The job that you were after
Was a trap and you’ll be happier without it
I don’t mind the sun not shining
I can see the silver lining
Through the rain
There’s no method to my madness
And I can’t help feeling sad when
Things don’t turn out quite the way I thought I planned them
But when I look back on my life
I see things in a different light
And nothing’s ever wasted
Cos one day you might be grateful that you did it
I don’t mind the sun not shining
I can see the silver lining
Through the rain
We’re been through some heavy weather
Running hard and falling far behind
But up ahead the clouds are lifting
And they say the wind is shifting
I believe the wrong things happen
At the right time
I don’t mind the sun not shining
I can see the silver lining
Through the rain
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10. |
Sweetness And Pain II
00:44
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The bramble does not seek to harm
It merely seeks to live
It injures without malice
Or intention
There’s no question of forgiveness
No apology, no pardon
For minor wounds too numerous
To mention
Sweetness and pain
Winter winds return again
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11. |
Leave It For Another Day
03:34
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I can’t begin
To explain
Wouldn’t know what words to say
Leave it for another day
And there is no plan
That I can understand
Why do we go on this way
Leave it for another day
I see you in the morning
Still haunted by the night
I touch your face to tell you
It’s all right
Remember when we lay
In the woods all night
And stumbled home across the fields
Happy and bleary eyed
The mist around our feet
Lay heavy on the ground
We floated through the cold grey air
Suspended on a cloud
You come to me in the morning
Still haunted by the night
I touch your face to tell you
It’s all right
If I had my way
We’d shut the world out
We’d close our eyes and think of things
That don’t hurt to think about
I’d sing to you in the morning
I’d hold you through the night
I’d touch your face to tell you
It’s all right
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12. |
Sweetness And Pain III
00:43
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Sharp black thorns
Concealed and smoothed
By softly falling snow
Drops of blood
Like bright red flowers
This hurt will pass
Just let it go
Sweetness and pain
Shake it off and start again
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13. |
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14. |
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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