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Winter Blue and Evergreen

by Anam Danu

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1.
Building Jerusalem 05:04
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We are gathered round the fire pit At the dying of the day Watch the lights grow bright on Pender From across the bay We raise a glass of summer cheer And watch the charcoal glow As the fatted calf surrenders To the fire below But as the talk goes round and round A spiral with no end Do we believe or do we just pretend That we're still building Jerusalem Dreaming of the promised land That we could fashion on these Cascadian shores And are those beacons still burning bright As they did upon those nights When we tried building Jerusalem before We’re talking up the deals we’ve made And the places that we’ve seen While wondering where the magic went Those years between You tell me that the earth is flat That vaccines are a plot That we should resist the government With all we've got And as the talk goes round and round And round and round again I wonder when we started to pretend That we're still building Jerusalem Dreaming of the promised land That we could fashion on these Cascadian shores And are those beacons still burning bright As they did upon those nights When we tried building Jerusalem before
2.
Winter Blue and Evergreen 04:03
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Snow on snow Still falling - snow on snow The silent wastelands lie Un-coloured by The heartless winter sky Tears we cry May blind us - tears we cry Remind us everyone Of all that’s gone But still we're hanging on Winter blue and evergreen And all that lies between Evergreen but winter blue Spring will come to you Something stirs In darkness - something stirs And though a chill wind blows Beneath the snows The tender sapling grows Winter blue and evergreen And all that lies between Evergreen but winter blue Spring will come to you
3.
Better Times 05:09
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It's not like I was born just yesterday I’m not still wet behind the ears I've seen some bitter things along the way But nothing like these last few years Each new misfortune tops the one before It's hard now holding back the tears Let’s drink to - better times When fate is kind - and we can climb Up off our knees - to drink to Better times than these Better times 'Cos down the line - the sun will shine And end this rain - to bring us Better times again It almost seems that we're not wanted here Now the going's getting tough We've done some bad things that won't disappear And this old world has had enough Too many gambles when the odds were long And Lady Luck has called our bluff Let’s drink to - better times When fate is kind - and we can climb Up off our knees - to drink to Better times than these Better times 'Cos down the line - the sun will shine And end this rain - to bring us Better times again In times like these we all need some help But how can we tell Who best to lead us into the fire? Will we choose wisely and well? Let’s drink to - better times When fate is kind - and we can climb Up off our knees - to drink to Better times than these Better times 'Cos down the line - the sun will shine And end this rain - to bring us Better times again
4.
No Heart as Big 04:19
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Well it's the little things that you do You take the time to think it through You know when I'm in need of rescue 'Cos nothing much gets by you And if I push myself harder It’s just to prove myself to you No heart as big as your heart No love as strong that I can see No soul as bright as your soul Shining on me When the tempest breaks upon us And we stand naked in the rain In urgent need of protection Before we face the storm again But you go looking for your loved ones To make sure no-one’s left behind No heart as big as your heart No love as strong that I can see No soul as bright as your soul Shining on me It’s the little things that you know And no-one even comes close…
5.
Above and Beyond 04:16
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In these times of crisis When lives are on the line We see who really matters On whom we can rely And when at last its over We’ll owe so much to you For standing firm and doing What we could never do Above and beyond When resistance has gone And we're too weak to hold on Still you stay strong Above and beyond Above and beyond It's you we count on Not just the first to respond You've really gone Above and beyond You don’t look for medals Or ask for a parade You just want to work safe And come back home again Above and beyond When resistance has gone And we're too weak to hold on Still you stay strong Above and beyond Above and beyond It's you we count on Not just the first to respond You've really gone Above and beyond How can we ever 'thank you'?
6.
A Sailor's Knot 04:12
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With the grey green ocean foaming at the prow And the smoke blue islands growing clearer and closer now Hear the gulls cry havoc as they wheel above In a dance as timeless as the homeland that I still love Twitch the cord - draw me back again First loves are soonest to mend Take the rope - let me take the strain Two strands - but each without end Inter-twined in a single bend Over and under again Pull it tight - and this knot will get Stronger - and still stronger yet Many years apart and we have come this far Living on the ocean by the light of a distant star I am home at last and now my heart's at ease But I'll always answer to the voice from across the seas Twitch the cord - draw me back again First loves are soonest to mend Take the rope - let me take the strain Two strands - but each without end Inter-twined in a single bend Over and under again Pull it tight - and this knot will get Stronger - and still stronger yet
7.
Two Can Play 04:43
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When I lose myself inside my head Go in deeper than I should Too much listening to my voice For my own good When I lose sight of a friendly shore Drowning in a stormy sea Before I go down for the third time Come rescue me Make me laugh - make me sing Remind me that there's joy in everything And never let me walk away From a game that two can play Take me out - and take me in Take me places that I've never been Your love can take me far away And that’s a game that two can play Who doesn’t love to watch their children play? Who doesn’t long to join the game? But when you're standing on the sidelines It's not the same Just like being back in school again Well maybe there's a lesson here We should be learning from our children There's nothing to fear Make me laugh - make me sing Remind me that there's joy in everything And never let me walk away From a game that two can play Take me out - and take me in Take me places that I've never been Your love can take me far away And that’s a game that two can play That’s a game that two can play That’s a game that two can play That’s a game that two can play That’s a game that two can play
8.
Side Step Shuffle 04:09
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I go to town Though I’m a stranger there I never know quite where to start I run around Out of my comfort zone Guess I’m a country boy(girl) at heart And though I try To keep my head down I'm sure to get things wrong Before I've gone… Too far! Look straight ahead Be careful not to smile Mustn't let them catch my eye Don’t say a word Keep myself to myself Just bite my tongue and pass on by And in the dance Along the sidewalk Should we come face to face Who steps aside… I go to town Out of my comfort zone Mustn’t let them catch my eye I run around Though I’m a stranger here Just bite my tongue and pass on by And in the dance Along the sidewalk Should we come face to face Who steps aside…
9.
Like a Train 04:18
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Flew in overnight Touched down at first light Back home Something wasn't right I saw the warning lights Come on Tried to find some news Looking out for clues To be sure But I can’t tell what’s true Or just a point of view Any more Truth comes creeping from her well She’s naked - a tale to tell Falsehood dressed up in her clothes Has gone - she’s gone Halfway round the world again She's still going like a train Whistle blowing Every eager hack Has some alternate fact To sell And no-one even tries To cover up the lies They tell Truth is on the run The sell-off has begun But who pays And why is it so hard To find an honest heart These days Truth comes creeping from her well She’s naked - a tale to tell Falsehood dressed up in her clothes Has gone - she’s gone Halfway round the world again She's still going like a train Whistle blowing
10.
Nothing to be Afraid Of 05:25
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Why can’t my life be more like the book that I’m reading now I skipped ahead - to see how it ends Why can’t this life be more like the film that I’m watching now I’ve seen it before - and I know the score Why can't my life be more like the song - this song that I'm singing right now I know all the words - it helps me believe There's nothing to be afraid of It's only a passing shower This is the stuff we're made on And this time is ours It may be a fleeting moment Over before it starts But this is the cure we’ve chosen For these tender hearts Why can’t everything be like it is on those TV shows All done in an hour - and streamed on demand Why can't everything turn out the way that it does in the press All those magazines - you know what you get Why don't all of these words make me certain - certain that I've got it right I still don't know - how I can believe There's nothing to be afraid of It's only a passing shower This is the stuff we're made on And this time is ours It may be a fleeting moment Over before it starts But this is the cure we’ve chosen For these tender hearts

about

The songs that comprise "Winter Blue and Evergreen" were written over the past fifteen months. For much of that period we have all been living in the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is hard to imagine anything written during this difficult period not carrying echoes of the preternatural events with which we have been faced and this collection of songs duly reflects the times in which we live.

This is most immediately apparent, perhaps, in "Above and Beyond" - a simple song of gratitude and admiration for our health care providers and essential workers, but other tracks - "Building Jerusalem", "Better Times" and "Like a Train" - are also rooted in this troubled age.

There is much optimism, however, that our nature is to do much more than simply survive and that through our love and care we can overcome these dark days. "No Heart as Big", "Nothing to be Afraid Of" and "Winter Blue and Evergreen" itself celebrate our resilience.

This album very probably could not have been made ten years ago. Faced with the fact that we could not record together (being in different 'bubbles') Siobhan and I were forced to find a new way of working. The nature of modern technology is such that I could create the basic tracks alone in my studio and Siobhan could then record her vocals live onto the backing tracks across the Internet from her music room. We are very grateful to SessionLinkPRO for the excellent service that they provide that enabled us to complete these ten tracks without once being in the same room as each other.

Our very grateful thanks are also due to Martin Springett for his wonderful cover art and design.

credits

released January 12, 2021

All songs composed and performed by Anam Danu: Siobhan Monaghan and Andy Dawson Reid
Produced by Andy Dawson Reid
Mastered by Brock McFarlane at CPS Mastering
Cover art and design by Martin Springett

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Anam Danu Victoria, British Columbia

Anam Danu is a collaboration between long-standing musicians – Siobhan Monaghan, Adrienne Dyer and Andy Dawson Reid - who share a Celtic heritage – setting out to create original, unusual and innovative adult-oriented pop music on the west coast of Canada.

We gratefully acknowledge that we create on the traditional, unceded territories of the Lekwungen and WSÁNEĆ peoples. ... more

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