'Salt On Skin' Lyrics and Song-stories
The Blushing Bride (words: Jamie Field. music: Jamie Field & Andrew Garman)
I hear you and I see you,
you’re my dream and my nightmare too.......
You’re gracious and kind and out of your mind,
And you’re loose on the decks of the world,
A sweet little thing all covered in sin,
Moving in rhythms and swirls
You’re what we love best, you’re the flame of the west,
And you burn in the light of the moon
Thirteen at the feast, the pearl of the east,
And we’ve all learnt to dance to your tune....
Come inside, open the doorway wide,
Welcome, welcome, won’t you come in?
Step aside, here comes the blushing bride,
Welcome, welcome, won’t you come in?
You’re kissed and caressed, you’re beauty possessed,
And your eyes play a game with our minds,
It’s hard to think straight, when you’re staring at fate,
And can’t quite believe what you find
Exquisitely dressed, like a fairy princess,
It’s a story that we’ve all heard tell,
There’s a sly little grin as you’re folding your wings,
But are you from heaven or hell?
I hear you and I see you, you’re my dream and my nightmare too.......
Come inside, open the doorway wide,
Welcome, welcome, won’t you come in?
Step aside, here comes the blushing bride,
Welcome, welcome, won’t you come in?
Copyright © Jamie Field & Andrew Garman 2005 All rights reserved.
'The Blushing Bride' began with a backing track by Andy which Jamie wrote the vocal melody and lyrics for. It's a song that considers that maybe we don't always know the people close to us as well as we think we do.
you’re my dream and my nightmare too.......
You’re gracious and kind and out of your mind,
And you’re loose on the decks of the world,
A sweet little thing all covered in sin,
Moving in rhythms and swirls
You’re what we love best, you’re the flame of the west,
And you burn in the light of the moon
Thirteen at the feast, the pearl of the east,
And we’ve all learnt to dance to your tune....
Come inside, open the doorway wide,
Welcome, welcome, won’t you come in?
Step aside, here comes the blushing bride,
Welcome, welcome, won’t you come in?
You’re kissed and caressed, you’re beauty possessed,
And your eyes play a game with our minds,
It’s hard to think straight, when you’re staring at fate,
And can’t quite believe what you find
Exquisitely dressed, like a fairy princess,
It’s a story that we’ve all heard tell,
There’s a sly little grin as you’re folding your wings,
But are you from heaven or hell?
I hear you and I see you, you’re my dream and my nightmare too.......
Come inside, open the doorway wide,
Welcome, welcome, won’t you come in?
Step aside, here comes the blushing bride,
Welcome, welcome, won’t you come in?
Copyright © Jamie Field & Andrew Garman 2005 All rights reserved.
'The Blushing Bride' began with a backing track by Andy which Jamie wrote the vocal melody and lyrics for. It's a song that considers that maybe we don't always know the people close to us as well as we think we do.
Walk Away (words: Katie Belcher. music: Katie Belcher & Jamie Field)
Morning comes, morning goes
Leaves me restless, no problem solved
Hey this is life
This is my life
Cradled by simple thoughts
Blinded by the light that sparks
This hidden life
My hidden life
If the sun falls down on me
I won't stay
But if the clouds rain down on my feet
I won't walk away
Fall to break, laugh to cry
In the place I do not like
This twisted life
My twisted life
If the sun falls down on me
I won't stay
But if the clouds rain down on my feet
I won't walk away
Copyright © Katie Belcher & Jamie Field 2006 All rights reserved.
The lyrics of 'Walk Away' are Katie's - she bought that great chorus to a songwriting session she and Jamie had, and between them they teased out the melody for the verse.
Leaves me restless, no problem solved
Hey this is life
This is my life
Cradled by simple thoughts
Blinded by the light that sparks
This hidden life
My hidden life
If the sun falls down on me
I won't stay
But if the clouds rain down on my feet
I won't walk away
Fall to break, laugh to cry
In the place I do not like
This twisted life
My twisted life
If the sun falls down on me
I won't stay
But if the clouds rain down on my feet
I won't walk away
Copyright © Katie Belcher & Jamie Field 2006 All rights reserved.
The lyrics of 'Walk Away' are Katie's - she bought that great chorus to a songwriting session she and Jamie had, and between them they teased out the melody for the verse.
Hollow (words and music: Evelyn Downing)
In the darkness
My eyes are open
In the darkness
I see your shadow
In the darkness
There’s room for hoping
But in the darkness
The shadows closing
Once you filled my life
Showed me the only path the follow
But it was all to gain my confidence
And eat away my soul
In the shades of reality,
You showed me what I wanted to see
Then left me hollow
In the darkness
I hear you coming
In the darkness
My heart is thumping
In the darkness
I think maybe this time
But in the darkness
The shadow passes
Once you filled my life
Showed me the only path the follow
But it was all to gain my confidence
and eat away my soul
In the shades of reality,
You showed me what I wanted to see
Then left me hollow
Copyright © Evelyn Downing 2006 All rights reserved.
'Hollow' is Evelyn's song. It's an extremely personal piece she wrote in a rather low moment. The interesting cross rhythmic feel was introduced by Andy who decided that the music should be in a different time signature to the vocal - 3:4 against 4:4 - it's very unusual and is what gives the song such an unsettling feel. For Eve, the song was about capturing an emotion, not merely singing about being down, but actually trying to emulate the feeling of depression. We used the very first vocal take, the one we actually recorded for the demo, as subsequent efforts just didn't capture the emotion as well.
My eyes are open
In the darkness
I see your shadow
In the darkness
There’s room for hoping
But in the darkness
The shadows closing
Once you filled my life
Showed me the only path the follow
But it was all to gain my confidence
And eat away my soul
In the shades of reality,
You showed me what I wanted to see
Then left me hollow
In the darkness
I hear you coming
In the darkness
My heart is thumping
In the darkness
I think maybe this time
But in the darkness
The shadow passes
Once you filled my life
Showed me the only path the follow
But it was all to gain my confidence
and eat away my soul
In the shades of reality,
You showed me what I wanted to see
Then left me hollow
Copyright © Evelyn Downing 2006 All rights reserved.
'Hollow' is Evelyn's song. It's an extremely personal piece she wrote in a rather low moment. The interesting cross rhythmic feel was introduced by Andy who decided that the music should be in a different time signature to the vocal - 3:4 against 4:4 - it's very unusual and is what gives the song such an unsettling feel. For Eve, the song was about capturing an emotion, not merely singing about being down, but actually trying to emulate the feeling of depression. We used the very first vocal take, the one we actually recorded for the demo, as subsequent efforts just didn't capture the emotion as well.
Human Zoo (words: Jamie Field. music: Jamie Field & Andrew Garman)
Preen yourself
Fifteen yourself
Dream yourself
Widescreen yourself
Clean yourself
Machine yourself
Gene yourself
Demean yourself
Come come come come
Come into the zoo
See the animals
Come come come come
Come into the zoo
We’re all so lovable
animal criminal fictional cannibal literal fallible musical Oedipal chemical radical skeletal visceral you you you you you you you you you
Come come come come
Come into the zoo
See the animals
Come come come come
Come into the zoo
We’re all so lovable
Copyright © Jamie Field and Andrew Garman 2004. All rights reserved.
'Human Zoo' was written as the result of a request from Bill Reagan at Olympian Shadow Farm in the U.S. for a track to include on one of their compilations - rather than send an already completed song, we took the opportunity to write something new. As with 'The Blushing Bride,' the impetus came from Andy who constructed the basic backing track and also suggested the idea of humans as animals. Jamie wrote the lyrics and vocal melody. Kate's vocals are great - she has a voice that seems perfect for both intimate songs like 'Walk Away,' or something that rocks like 'Human Zoo.' Great guitar solo from Nigel too.
Fifteen yourself
Dream yourself
Widescreen yourself
Clean yourself
Machine yourself
Gene yourself
Demean yourself
Come come come come
Come into the zoo
See the animals
Come come come come
Come into the zoo
We’re all so lovable
animal criminal fictional cannibal literal fallible musical Oedipal chemical radical skeletal visceral you you you you you you you you you
Come come come come
Come into the zoo
See the animals
Come come come come
Come into the zoo
We’re all so lovable
Copyright © Jamie Field and Andrew Garman 2004. All rights reserved.
'Human Zoo' was written as the result of a request from Bill Reagan at Olympian Shadow Farm in the U.S. for a track to include on one of their compilations - rather than send an already completed song, we took the opportunity to write something new. As with 'The Blushing Bride,' the impetus came from Andy who constructed the basic backing track and also suggested the idea of humans as animals. Jamie wrote the lyrics and vocal melody. Kate's vocals are great - she has a voice that seems perfect for both intimate songs like 'Walk Away,' or something that rocks like 'Human Zoo.' Great guitar solo from Nigel too.
A Hard Row (words: Jamie Field. music: Jamie Field & Andrew Garman)
Watch us crawl across your TV screen to beg for food and water
The role of God, it suits you well, who lives, who dies, who’s slaughtered
Laughing voices on the radio, tell how much you gave us,
For all the good that you think you do, your charity won’t save us.
Dream on, dream on,
There’s a long way still to go
Dream on, dream on,
It’s a hard row left to hoe
Endless sun and cloudless sky, but heaven has a price.
Without the rain to feed the land, it’s hell in paradise.
Copyright © Jamie Field and Andrew Garman 2004. All rights reserved.
'A Hard Row' is a song that's been around for a while - it's a reflection on third world poverty and the way we in the UK seem to have one day a year on which it's highlighted (Children In Need). That isn't to say that the money we give isn't useful, just that sometimes we wonder if it's more to salve our own consciences than anything else. People starve the other 364 days of the year as well. Is it a case of out of sight out of mind?
The role of God, it suits you well, who lives, who dies, who’s slaughtered
Laughing voices on the radio, tell how much you gave us,
For all the good that you think you do, your charity won’t save us.
Dream on, dream on,
There’s a long way still to go
Dream on, dream on,
It’s a hard row left to hoe
Endless sun and cloudless sky, but heaven has a price.
Without the rain to feed the land, it’s hell in paradise.
Copyright © Jamie Field and Andrew Garman 2004. All rights reserved.
'A Hard Row' is a song that's been around for a while - it's a reflection on third world poverty and the way we in the UK seem to have one day a year on which it's highlighted (Children In Need). That isn't to say that the money we give isn't useful, just that sometimes we wonder if it's more to salve our own consciences than anything else. People starve the other 364 days of the year as well. Is it a case of out of sight out of mind?
Volcano (words: Jamie Field. music: Jamie Field & Evelyn Downing)
So many things you never show
But behind your eyes teardrops explode
So much weeping, so much weeping, so much weeping,
I can taste the salt upon your skin
But the sulphur burns you from within,
It’s another lesson learned, another lesson learned the hard way.
So many words you never say
Silent and tongue-tied gives you away
So much screaming, so much screaming, so much screaming
Oh, you’re screaming in your dreams
Where the sulphur burns I feel you bleed
It’s another lesson learned, another lesson learned the hard way.
[Falling in love is easy, it’s staying there that’s hard
Too many empty promises, too many broken hearts
And when the earth moves are you sure that you can cope?
Can you hang on to your dreams, hold on to your hope]
So many things you’re afraid to give
Live to share and learn to share to live
So much weeping, so much weeping, so much weeping
I can taste the fear upon your skin,
Where the sulphur burns you from within
The hardest lesson learned, the hardest lesson learned the hard way.
Copyright © Jamie Field & Evelyn Downing 2003. All rights reserved.
'Volcano' is unusual for us in that the lyrics were written before anything else. There's a song called 'Eve's Volcano' on Julian Cope's 'Saint Julian' album and Jamie had long wanted to write a song called 'Volcano' for Evelyn to sing. Strange the things that can spark a song! Once you know there's a Julian Cope connection, you'll probably spot some other lyrical nods in his direction.
Jamie wrote the words over Christmas at his parent's house in Kent, then worked on the music with Evelyn on his return to Kington, the last song we wrote in 2003. The original musical concept was just to have percussion and vocals - that wasn't the way it ended up of course, but the percussion and vocals are both immensely powerful elements within the piece.
But behind your eyes teardrops explode
So much weeping, so much weeping, so much weeping,
I can taste the salt upon your skin
But the sulphur burns you from within,
It’s another lesson learned, another lesson learned the hard way.
So many words you never say
Silent and tongue-tied gives you away
So much screaming, so much screaming, so much screaming
Oh, you’re screaming in your dreams
Where the sulphur burns I feel you bleed
It’s another lesson learned, another lesson learned the hard way.
[Falling in love is easy, it’s staying there that’s hard
Too many empty promises, too many broken hearts
And when the earth moves are you sure that you can cope?
Can you hang on to your dreams, hold on to your hope]
So many things you’re afraid to give
Live to share and learn to share to live
So much weeping, so much weeping, so much weeping
I can taste the fear upon your skin,
Where the sulphur burns you from within
The hardest lesson learned, the hardest lesson learned the hard way.
Copyright © Jamie Field & Evelyn Downing 2003. All rights reserved.
'Volcano' is unusual for us in that the lyrics were written before anything else. There's a song called 'Eve's Volcano' on Julian Cope's 'Saint Julian' album and Jamie had long wanted to write a song called 'Volcano' for Evelyn to sing. Strange the things that can spark a song! Once you know there's a Julian Cope connection, you'll probably spot some other lyrical nods in his direction.
Jamie wrote the words over Christmas at his parent's house in Kent, then worked on the music with Evelyn on his return to Kington, the last song we wrote in 2003. The original musical concept was just to have percussion and vocals - that wasn't the way it ended up of course, but the percussion and vocals are both immensely powerful elements within the piece.
I Go To Sleep (words and music: Jamie Field)
Now, I close the door,
Shut out the night
Banish the weight of the world
Till the morning light.
Now I lay me down
Tired from the day
Who knows the way of the world
Until I awake.
Now I close my eyes
Hope for dreams so deep
Safe in the cave of your arms,
I go to sleep.
Copyright © Jamie Field 2000. All rights reserved.
'I Go To Sleep' is a song Jamie wrote for his wife Frances a few years back.. The version on the CD is actually from Kate Emerson's audition. As part of the audition Jamie gives the singer a song they've not heard before, sings it through to them and then they sing it back - it's just to see how quickly they can pick up melodies. It was a one-off - fortunately the tape was running!
Shut out the night
Banish the weight of the world
Till the morning light.
Now I lay me down
Tired from the day
Who knows the way of the world
Until I awake.
Now I close my eyes
Hope for dreams so deep
Safe in the cave of your arms,
I go to sleep.
Copyright © Jamie Field 2000. All rights reserved.
'I Go To Sleep' is a song Jamie wrote for his wife Frances a few years back.. The version on the CD is actually from Kate Emerson's audition. As part of the audition Jamie gives the singer a song they've not heard before, sings it through to them and then they sing it back - it's just to see how quickly they can pick up melodies. It was a one-off - fortunately the tape was running!