Lyrics from the Show
(All songs by Adrian Glynn McMorran except “Touch the Ground”, by Chelsea Rose-Winsby & Adrian Glynn McMorran)
When I Close My Eyes
When I close my eyes, there’s a vision of gold
Clouds melt from the sky like meat off the bone
All from a dream of when I was young
All from a dream
When I close my eyes I can see them at home
My sisters like brides, glowing and grown
All from a dream of when I was young
All from a dream
When I close my eyes, there are men at the gate
Blue mother’s eyes know I’m going away
When I close my eyes, when I close my eyes
All from a dream of when I was young
When I close my eyes, there’s a vision of gold
Sun through the pines and heat from the stove
All from a dream of when I was young
All from a dream
It’s just a place that I know for now
I Will Wait to Hear From You
When the armies leave all their spirits at our doors
I will wait to hear from you
And the quiet lake isn’t heaving on the shore
I will wait to hear from you
To hear from you
When the mountains shift and the rivers plunge
You, when the planets drift and the seasons run
You, when the glow of morning lights a different shade
When the balance breaks and they’re doling out the ground
I will wait to hear from you
When the moon escapes and the night is coming down
I will wait to hear from you
To hear from you, when the splinter trees start breathing slow
You. and the earthly drums aren’t beating low
You, when I pin my hair and i let my sorrow down
I’ll make it through, I’ll hear from you, out of the blue
Some afternoon
When the cannons sing ‘there’s an ending to the dream’
I will wait to hear from you
And the holy houses start selling everything
I will wait to hear from you
To hear from you, with your apron dress and your walking shoes
You, with my body blessed and aching too
You, may the glow of morning cast its light on you
When the armies leave all their spirits at our doors…
Dancing For the Soldiers
I saw you dancing for the soldiers, they’d gathered all around
You were fearsome in your lightness, you didn’t touch the ground
Did you learn it from your father? Would it make your mother proud?
You were dancing for the soldiers,
I was hidden in the crowd
I saw you dancing for the soldiers with your village in your bones
I felt a thousand ages and a thousand leagues from home
You collected up the coins and you collected up the smokes
You were dancing for the soldiers,
I was standing in the cold
They were weather worn in uniform, lions in the height of day
Dreading further orders like devils sick of prey
Smoking in their corners, happier to wait
You were dancing for the soldiers,
I was watching through the gate
I saw you dancing for the soldiers, a bandura called the tune
I thought of summer in the mountains, a thick Carpathian June
But the shadows all around us were the silhouettes of ruin
You were dancing for the soldiers,
I was squinting through the gloom
I saw you dancing for the soldiers, though I dreamed that it was me
I’d have flowers all in garlands and embroiders down my sleeve
And you’d dash my heart wide open like there were roses in your teeth
You’d bring the planets closer and you would lift me from my feet
And in the morning glow you’d be beside me in my sleep
You were dancing for the soldiers,
But I dream you’d dance for me
Best Things
When we burned our bridges in a giant head of steam
And tore across the ocean to find a different dream
That famous distant statue, she wasn’t meant to be
And the best things always wait
With a letter for the tailor they wrote me on the ship
They said, “Take this down to garment town, they’ll try to work you in”
And the scar between my knuckles that told me we could win
And the best things always wait
We got one little crawlin’ angel
One little broken fingernail
She’s young, and I’m tired
It feels like it’s a free for all
Toes against a wrecking ball
We took our time but we didn’t come to fight
And the best things always wait
I’m as close to going under as I’ve been since 17
I’m standing on my years of youth to try to see what’s coming to me
And I’m burning like a secret with all the in-betweens
The best things always wait
Montreal
Hand to mouth, Montreal
You gave us ground and we lay foundation
Are we beginning to face our stubborn saviour after all
Montreal
To the bone, on and on
We knew the cold but we don’t know this river
If the water could send us home we’d sail it after all
Montreal
Cutting our teeth to measure
Breaking in together
Day by day, Montreal
We meet your gaze but we pass like strangers in the fog
Are you learning our names or are you taking favours
Counting the days till we’re gone
Tell us straight, Montreal
Tell us straight, Montreal
Cutting our teeth to measure
And stubborn as our saviour
Are we starting to shake our memories down
A sound like music whenever it rains
I gotta golden vision, keep me awake
A page of questions whenever I pray
I gotta golden vision, keep me awake
We’re looking for something, something that pays
I gotta golden vision, keep me awake
And every night into every day
Because every night, lord, you keep me awake
You’re just a place that I know, Montreal
You’re just a place that I know, Montreal
You’re just a place that I know, Montreal
Lionize
When we got our winter back is when I knew that we were moving fast
Tiny bones in tiny hands and they pull me through the looking glass
And hey, we pin it in our hair
And hey, we knew it like a prayer
Through the gate and under the sky
We’ll call out fate for his prying eyes
When it gets late we’ll follow the lights back
To these early days we will lionize
I still remember everything, the white pine wood and quiet lake
Halfway through my mother’s gate, another breath out of my memory bank
I tell my daughters 1,2,3 that the earth has moved beneath my feet
And hey, we knew it like a prayer
And hey, we pin it in our hair
Through the gate and under the sky
We’ll call out fate for his prying eyes
When it gets late we’ll follow the lights back
To these early days we will lionize
These early days we will lionize
When we got our winter back is when I knew that we were moving fast
Tiny bones in tiny hands, another breath out of my memory bank
White pine wood and quiet lake and halfway through a mother’s gate
When it gets late we’ll follow the line back
To these early days we will lionize
These early days we will lionize
Touch the Ground
(Written by Chelsea Rose-Winsby & Adrian Glynn McMorran)
In the morning, in the misting
Someone whispers her name
She is moving through a valley
That never seems to break
In the lowland it's like memory
With the light playing games
River flicker, winking shadow
Before the crush of darkness again
If she ever slowed down, if she ever touched the ground
She knew the earth would take her whole
So she’d ride over love and she’d ride above the thunder
Let the saddle carry her alone
From the heavens eleven voices
Shouting with the rain
“Take me with you, take me with you”
Like fire across her face
If she ever slowed down, if she ever touched the ground
She knew the earth would take her whole
So she’d ride over love and she’d ride above the thunder
Let the saddle carry her alone
Something isn’t lost if it’s stolen from you
And some things that are taken leave a hole in you
Now in the quiet in the stillness
I am calling out your name
If you can hear me, hear this only
It was never you to blame
Will you come back down and stand with me on the ground
The living land will make us whole
We can ride across love we can ride along the thunder
Let the saddle carry us home
Will you come back down so I can tell you that i’m proud of you
You shoulda never had to ride alone
You can finally slow down, I will help you to the ground
And you can let your saddle go
Let your saddle go
I Won’t Sleep
Lay around getting older
Lay around getting weak
You can bridle up my shoulder
Tell it when you wanna weep
And if I grow a little slower
I know you will wait for me
I won’t sleep until I’m here beside the sound of your breathing
I won’t rest until you lay inside the curve of my chest
You were with me in that moment
I was with you on the shore
We left the land, left the camp and
Held our courage up to chance
Left our reflection in the war
Now I recognize my living mirror
I saw it in our daughters’ hands
I won’t sleep until I’m here beside the sound of your breathing
I won’t rest until you lay inside the curve of my chest
We’ve danced all night it feels like
We been going awhile, my dear
I won’t sleep until I’m here beside the sound of your breathing
I won’t rest until you lay inside the curve of my chest
I only wanna count in our time
I only want our dreaming to rhyme
I only want our memory to fire
I only want our memory to fire
I wanna be the shake in your pine
I wanna dare the winter to rise
I only wanna be be your side
I only wanna be by your side
I only wanna count in our time
I only want our dreaming to rhyme
I only wanna be by your side, oh
I won’t rest
Until you lay inside the curve of my chest
Just A Place That I Know
For all the light that you showed me
For all of the stars in your eyes
For all of the places we’ll never see
For all that we left behind
For every thought where you hold me
For every night you were here with me
For the life that you gave to our family
Generations in our eyes
You’re just a place that I know
You’re just a place that I know
You’re just a place that I know
For now
For the country buried inside you
For the village still in your bones
For the old songs we laid beside you
And the motherland calling you home
You’re just a place that I know
You’re just a place that I know
You’re just a place that I know
For now
Думи мої, Думи мої
Квіти мої, діти!
Виростав вас, доглядав вас
Де ж мені вас діти?
Generations
Both hands to both cheeks
Bedside, cold feet
Hair strands, gold wheat
Generations in her eyes
Scrapbook, names fade
Hemline, date change
Half past, please stay
Generations in our eyes
Childhood, sure sign
Beechwood, white pine
Barefoot, throughline
Generations in our eyes
Sunrise, Name Day
Nightstand, hallway
Springtime, always
Half past, please stay
It’s where I go it’s just a place
The white pine wood, the quiet lake
And barefoot through my mother’s gate
I don’t remember anything
Sunrise, Name Day
Nightstand, hallway
Springtime, always
Generations in our eyes