Get all 19 Hemlock Smith releases available on Bandcamp and save 35%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Small Change World, Live @ CCC Festival (May 5th, 2020), Hemlock Smith & les Poissons Autistes: "The Necrophone Sessions", The Ghost Parade, St.Louis (Webcam Version), I can only see the Darkness_DEMO, Medusa EP, By the Grace of Dynamite, and 11 more.
1. |
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Spike
Don’t drive a spike between us
And be a stranger to yourself
Try to change me for the better
Won’t make me a better man
And whatever you may be thinking
I’m doing the best I can.
Don’t push a thorn between us
And be a stranger to yourself
Whatever side you may be on
We’re tenants in our private hell
And whatever you may be thinking
I don’t wanna be someone else.
Don’t drive a spike between us
And be a stranger to yourself
We’ve got so many things in common
Won’t be saved by any bell
And whatever you may be thinking
I love you just as well.
For what it’s worth I love you
I love you, just like myself.
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2. |
Hunting Deer
04:27
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Hunting Deer
Another winter to come
Another living to make
Another vow to break bad habits
Another future at stake
Another rooftop to fix
Another car in repair
Another try to get right at it
Another cry of despair
CH
Some may say that life is like a sea
Where sailors drown in tears
I see it more like hunting deer
Lone Rider through the years
Ride on…
Another battle to win
Another river to cross
Another prayer so damn hard solemn
Another pain and a loss
Another line on my face
Another baby to feed
Another life would be quite helpful
In this time of need
CH
Ride on Ride on Ride on Ride on Ride on Ride on
CH
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3. |
Alexander the Bait
02:54
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Alexander the Bait
A worm with a soul
They are making him wait
They’ll be feeding him whole
Alexander the Bait
He’s friends with the hook
And he’s perfectly grateful
For a smile or a look
Below the surface
Way down under
There we wander
Aimlessly towards decay
Alexander, you are great in your own way…
Alexander the Bait
A worm in a hole
Behind the curtain
Thinking about his role
Alexander the Bait
His conscience is clear
There are no ripples
On the ocean of fear
Below the surface
Way down under
There we wander
Aimlessly towards decay
Alexander, you are great in your own way…
Alexander the Bait
Stuck on his rod
You can see him wave
You can see him nod
Alexander the Bait
A worm in my head
Hired to state
The troubles ahead
Below the surface
Way down under
There we wander
Aimlessly towards decay
Alexander, you were great in your own way…
(I guess it’s bye-bye, Alex…?)
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4. |
Settlement
03:26
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Settlement
The elders went into the woods to build a settlement
Come howling wolves and callous hands-worthy hours spent
A solid heart and solid faith would never leave their chest
Never once would they settle for less—
--never once would they settle for less.
Their sons and daughters worked the land 13 months a year
Rotten crops and child disease but still no trace of fear
The pride to see their flowers grow would be their sweet caress
Never once would they settle for less—
--never once would they settle for less.
Grandfather worked the factory and shaped the flowing steel
Behold the mighty war machines-machines that never heal
And when the siren finally rung, he’d wear his sunday vest
Never once would he settle for less—
--never once would he settle for less.
My father crawled through office hours like in a serpent’s lair
He wrestled with the octopus-the king size of despair
And once the daily battle lost his liquor’d give him rest
Never once would he settle for less—
--never once would he settle for less.
And I, myself, in all those years since I was a boy
I didn’t build a thing of mine to put into the void
The elders come to haunt my dreams – they tell me I’m a mess
It seems that I’ve settled for less—
It seems that I couldn’t –
--care less.
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5. |
Control
03:38
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Control
Hey Mr. President
Did you build the funeral pyres
Did you hide out from the other wars
And now you set the place on fire?
Did he maybe abandon you
Expectations way too high
And you been trying ever since to
Earn your daddy’s pride?
CH
As the world unfolds
And the thunder rolls
You really gotta have
Control (repeat)
Hey Mr. Prime Minister
The president’s on the phone
He didn’t say what he wanted
But he sure did seem alone
Did you maybe abandon him
When he bunkered on the course
Were you having lemon cake and tea
But never had remorse?
CH
Hey Mr. And Mrs. Doe
Are your children tucked in bed
Is the world any safer now
Or is it hanging by a thread?
Did they maybe abandon you
As soon as you’d cast your vote
But your lawn is growing well this year
And you like fishing on your boat
CH
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6. |
Three-Eyed Cat
01:44
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Three-eyed Cat
Once, I met a three-eyed cat, on a wooden fence it sat, its head so nicely tilted, gazing at the moon. It guessed my silent question and, to my bewilderment, turned and spoke.
My first eye is for detecting food, it said; mice and birds and everything that quivers in the shade.
My second eye, I use to assess the world, all its flaws, heartache and pain, bruise and wound and the culprit blade.
My third eye, finally, is open to all the nightmares in my head; the ever silent devil that gnaws at my heels and assaults my trembling bed – until I’m twice awake…
or three times dead.
Oh gosh, said I. I wish I too had a third eye. The one for the mice and birds…
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7. |
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The Man in the Grey Suit
Pain is the measure
That keeps us growing
Such powerful incentive
To quicken the stride
Pain is the treasure
We're trying to hide
Put it aside
Time is the essence
Forever fleeting
Fake reminiscence
That withers and fades-
And the man in the grey suit is waiting in the corner
If death is a passage
Then what am I paying ?
If death has a message
Do I speak its tongue ?
Did I mock it ?
Am I putting it on ?
And the man with the black tie is standing in the corner, waiting
He has me measured…
He has me cornered…
He has me measured…
He has me cornered…
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8. |
Spike (Home Demo)
04:29
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Spike
Don’t drive a spike between us
And be a stranger to yourself
Try to change me for the better
Won’t make me a better man
And whatever you may be thinking
I’m doing the best I can.
Don’t push a thorn between us
And be a stranger to yourself
Whatever side you may be on
We’re tenants in our private hell
And whatever you may be thinking
I don’t wanna be someone else.
Don’t drive a spike between us
And be a stranger to yourself
We’ve got so many things in common
Won’t be saved by any bell
And whatever you may be thinking
I love you just as well.
For what it’s worth I love you
I love you, just like myself.
|
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Hemlock Smith Lausanne, Switzerland
Hemlock Smith come from Lausanne (Switzerland). Since 2002, they’ve released 7 regular albums with intelligent pop, as well as 2 soundtracks for silent film and 2 collaborations with Noise duo Les Poissons Autistes. Fronted by singer-songwriter Michael Frei, Hemlock Smith's distinctive voice is complemented by a talented band seamlessly blending Pop, Folk, Rock and Trip-Hop Sensibilities ... more
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