Tuesday 11 October 2011

a musical diversion

Posted by speedygeoff on Tuesday, October 11, 2011 with
Song of the week: "Land of the Bloody Unknown", from "I Want That You Are Always Happy", by The Middle East. Just one of many brilliant tracks. Unfortunately The Middle East has already disbanded, but now there is a similar sounding band called The Paper Kites.

The words - are hard to discern in places, because the singer’s voice has so many pitch inflections. So I have copied the words, below.
The meaning – you’d pretty well have to listen to the whole album to get the full picture.

From http://youtu.be/68DANp3e7v4



There were letters unopened at the foot of my bed
When I woke up with you in the morn
There were lions roaring on ships in the harbour
The night my true love was born

There’s a minstrel singing of the holy dove
On the mountain of old St Jerome
There is glass on the floor of the hallway I walk
When the stars bear down from their throne
And the old southern cross is shown
And it points down the sad road home
To the land of the bloody unknown

I heard that your mother took off in the fall
With her pretty curls and her wooden spoon
I heard you whispering to yourself last night
She’ll be coming home some day soon

Well the wine you drink is stained deep in your shirt
And just like the sin in my soul
It is never ever ever ever coming out
While the stars bear down from their throne
And the old southern cross is shown
And it points down the sad road home

To the land of the hunter dancing under the trigger
And the bride washing up on the shore
I could never really dance that well
I can’t raise the flags or ring them bells
But I can shoot my gun down the line towards my home
To the land of the bloody unknown

There’s a black dog watching over me in my sleep
And I stir just to toss him the bone
There’s a red moon rising on the hills tonight
Where the stars bear down from their throne
And the old southern cross is shown
And it points down the sad road home