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Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Family To Me, In This Tree, The Tamworth Two, Baby Cheetahs, Take a Look Around, Achieve Nothing, Can't Know All the Songs (Acoustic), Laika (Acoustic), and 11 more.
1. |
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Man with a guitar strolls on to stage
Man with a guitar looks like he's going to play
The elephant in the room as the man starts the show
The elephant in the room
Will he play any songs that I know?
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2. |
Can't Know All the Songs
03:36
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Picture the scene you’re round the house of an author
Let’s just say you’re really good friends with their daughter
You wouldn’t spoil what had been a nice eve
By asking them to recite war and peace
I can’t know all the songs
I can’t know all the songs
Back at school and you’re just sniggering all through a lesson in sexual health
The teacher says ‘if you insist on talking you can teach the whole class yourself’
Well you just roll your eyes and to everyone’s surprise say ‘yeh I’ll give it a go’
But it goes quite badly unbelievably rapidly lack of PGCE is exposed
So let the teachers run the syllabus
And let me do my setlist
I can’t know all the songs
I can’t know all the songs
Not a jukebox I’m a man
There’s a heart not a selection of songs under my surface
We could have something really great if you treat me like a human not a streaming service
Spotify
Not a guy
Apple Music
Won’t keep Shania Twain warm on a long, cold, lonely night
I can’t know all the songs
I do know that song
I can’t know all the songs
It’s a good song
I can’t know all the songs
I can’t know all the songs
Bad news sadly you’ve been injured really badly
Prognosis isn’t the best
You wouldn’t ask the doctor
‘look I know you know a lot but do you do surgical requests’
You just let them do what they’ve trained for years to do
I can’t know all the songs
I can’t know all the songs
I can’t know all the songs
I can’t know all the songs
Little while ago I was playing a show something happened I didn’t expect
Half way through one I’d planned to do
Someone shouted ‘sing a song about sex’
Now in some places people ask for Oasis
I respond with poise and patter
But this was the first time I’d had someone
Request general subject matter
I can’t know your imagined song
I can’t know all the songs
Just because I’ve got a guitar
Doesn’t mean I know a specific song
That you might want to hear right now
You wouldn’t go to an Indian restaurant and ask for an omelette
Actually you might
Twenty years from now this song actually became a worldwide hit
Something really resonated with the sort of people who buy music from supermarkets
I was sat round a campfire I had an acoustic guitar I was strumming along
Someone said ‘sorry to be that guy but could you play Can’t know all the songs?’
It was conflicting
He can’t know all the songs
He can’t know all the songs
I can't do it
There’s too many songs
Not a jukebox I’m a man
Not a jukebox I’m a man
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3. |
Climbing Frame
03:02
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Listen everybody there's something I have seen
I was just out walking and I stumbled 'cross this scene
It was very simple but it still held my glance
We city folk head to the park to be amongst the plants
At times the world is stifling
And it is hard to breathe
But you can find oxygen
If you just find some leaves
I can feel dejected
Life pulls apart my seams
But they built a climbing frame
Out of a fallen tree
They turned a fallen tree into a climbing frame
They turned a fallen tree into a climbing frame
Some kids were climbing under
Others were branching out
No-ones doing guest list
'Cause everyone's allowed
A dog barked at the bark
Squirrel watched with caution
Sunbathers ignored them
Parents hide exhaustion
One child just hugs it
One says 'I'm the captain'
There wasn't an election
'Cause no-ones doing admin
We all just grow upwards and get further from our roots
But the giant trees that line our streets
Started with a shoot
They turned a fallen tree into a climbing frame
They turned a fallen tree into a climbing frame
I don't know how it had fallen
I don't think they knew either
Had it been the wind?
Or perhaps munched down by a beaver
I know it would have stood there
Maybe a hundred years
I'd love to hear it's stories
If it could whisper in my ears
One day we'll be horizontal
Like a half empty cup
But because they are smaller
Things are always looking up
They weren't trying to be symbolic
They were just having a laugh
But where most saw an obstacle
They just saw a path
They turned a fallen tree into a climbing frame
They turned a fallen tree into a climbing frame
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4. |
Soaring
06:02
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I'm seven years old
I'm running through a field
I'm a city boy
But I like how it feels
And I'm not gonna stop
I'm alive and I'm free
I'm just like a bird
Unless mum says it's tea
So I took off my shoes
I took off my socks
I'm running bare feet
I'm hop scotching rocks
But look out for stingers
They'll hurt your bare knees
Then you have to stop
And find a doc leaf
Which can take ages
Then into the woods
I'm surrounded by trees
Something appears
That I've never seen
It's big and it's golden
An extraordinary bird
It's one of a kind
I've discovered the first
It's a bit like a parrot
But we don't have those here
But as soon as I saw it
It just disappeared
But I could never forget
Such a wonderful sight
Turned myself around
And ran back inside
Call the local museum
It'll be front of the paper
Do I need an agent?
I'll worry about that later
It'll make it on Newsround
Be the best day I've had
Be the talk of the playground
But first I'll tell dad
He said 'I don't mean to be unpleasant
But that bird's not a discovery
It's a pheasant'
But I'd be soaring
If I just saw him again
Yeh I'd be soaring
If I just saw him again
Now I'm just old
Or at least that's what they say
I sit in this chair
I'm too tired to play
And they call this a home
But I know it's not mine
I don't do much running
I've run out of time
But once in the week
These girls come and sing
Breaks up the day
And helps me to think
I drift off to the notes
I don't catch all the words
In my head I run
And remember that bird
And I'd be soaring
If I just saw him again
Yeh I'd be soaring
If I just saw him again
And then as if by magic
What seemed like a thousand birds burst through the windows into the communal lounge
The room is awash with gasps
And bright beautiful colour
By night each game bird had been individually saved from a local shooting field
It was highly illegal
A cunning plan compiled
By one ingenuitive grandchild
Now I'm soaring soaring again
A cacophony of squarks and everybody gets up to dance
Now I'm soaring soaring again
One particularly fine specimen is currently perched on Agyness' head
Now I'm soaring soaring again
A pair of females attempt to eat a series of Scrabble letters that spell out inedible, it's a triple word score
Now I'm soaring soaring again
Geoff the care worker mutters he's not seen anything like it in these parts
'Not since the Strictly final'
Now I'm soaring soaring again
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5. |
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Back in the 1950's Russia sent a dog in to space
Her name was Laika
She was a Moscow stray
And I'm not sure how aware of what was going on she was
In fact no-one thought it was of any importance to let her know that it would actually be a one way mission
This is her song...
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6. |
Laika
04:32
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I'm going to the stars tonight
I don't know exactly how and I don't know why
Grew up on cold Moscow streets
These paws they saw all kinds of trouble
Scrapping with puppies over something to eat
It's tough, looks rough but you can't knock the muzzle
These stray days
Wasting away as we waste away days
There must be more to life than this
I'm going to the stars tonight
I don't know exactly how and I don't know why
I'm going to the stars tonight
I don't know exactly how and I don't know why
But when I go
Just don't leave me behind
Men in strange suits scooped me off the roadside
Gave me free food
How was I to know I
Had been selected for a secret mission
Took me to all kinds of uncomfortable fittings
Dogs don't war hats
And there were other dogs there
All in training
It was like a montage of a particularly strange film
And every day my cage got a bit smaller
And other dogs they got the call up
That there services were no longer required
Until the only dog left was I
I'm going to the stars tonight
I don't know exactly how and I don't know why
I'm going to the stars tonight
I don't know exactly how and I don't know why
But when I go
Just don't leave me behind
That just about brings us to the present day
Tonight's the night they say I'm gonna elevate
They put me on a weird diet and
Keep pointing at strange diagrams
Say I'm going higher than
Anyone has ever been
A distant canine
Drifting in space time
Just need a bit of space I'm
Not used to this pressure
Surely there's somebody better qualified?
But I guess the sooner I go
The sooner I can come home
Going to the stars tonight
I don't know exactly how and I don't know why
I used to say
There must be more to life than this
But it's the normal life I miss
There must be more to life than this
But it's the normal life I miss
And when I go
Just don't leave me behind
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7. |
Making it Through
01:17
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Hello
I am Will
And this is
Quite and old one
It's all about what it's all about who
It's all about me it's all about you
It's all about life all about death
What you lose and what you get
It's all about making it through
It's all about making a move
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8. |
Breathe
03:10
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Are you feeling lost as you cross into the wilderness?
Stampede of wildebeest, weren’t really built for this?
Try to keep your head up but instead there’s something stopping you?
Feeling weighed down like a piano fell on top of you?
Too much information crashing in from all directions?
Causing all this tension
Losing all perspective
Is it getting hectic?
Always clawing your attention?
Like Escher etching directly into your perception?
Ok now breathe
And then you turn it round
Ok now breathe
And then you turn it round
Time you always turn my world around
You try to navigate but keep straying off the edges
Life is like a maze and you’re just bumping into hedges
Do you feel like somebody has pulled the rug from right beneath ya?
Think the grass is greener
But there’s no grass on that side either?
Looking for some balance but the scales keep re arranging?
Less Aurora Borealis more your lightbulb might need changing it?
And every move you make is like you’re swimming with pyjamas on
Feeling all misplaced like you are an iguanodon
Ok now breathe
And then you turn it round
Ok now breathe
And then you turn it round
Time you always turn my world around
I was dreaming just last night again
I was dreaming just last night
Ok now breathe
And then you turn it round
Ok now breathe
And then you turn it round
Time you always turn my world around
I was dreaming just last night
I was dreaming just last night
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9. |
All I Know
03:40
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I don't know where I'm going half the time
I mean in life
Day to day logistics are usually fine
I got google maps on my phone
But all I know
Is who I'm going with
And I don't know
If my cup is half full or half empty
It's just a coffee
Might not be everybody's cup of tea
But it's in my favourite mug
All I know
Is who I'm drinking it with
The path we're taking is winding
We're making detours and redefining the way the crow flies
Someone quite wise said we're falling with style
And if I feel out of focus
There's no need to be hopeless
You'll be reading my mind
If far away is a blur
You bring things closer
We'll take it one thing at a time
'Cause I don't know where I'm going half the time
I mean in life
Day to day logistics are usually fine
My calendar's connected to my phone
But all I know
Is who I'm going with
Is who I'm going with
And if you haven't worked it out yet it's you
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10. |
Always
03:35
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The world is waking up
It's like the first time
The skies are clearing up
Feels like the first time
And I'll start a new
Wake into a different view
Try to recall when it was all a little less confused
Water is drifting in
Looks good enough to drink
Splashing up just like a duck
I can't help diving in
It's always spinning around and no it never stops
It's always spinning around and no it never stops
My mind is clearing up
It's like the first time
Just breathing is enough
Feels like the first time
And I'll start again
Circles don't know how to end
Feel that breath rise up my chest
And forget everything
Unlock my mind
Let grapes decide if they'll be wine
Catch a breeze just like a seed
Jumps into sewing time
It's always spinning around and no it never stops
It's always spinning around and no it never stops
Sometimes it's a maze and I've lost my way in the darkness
But if I close my eyes before I know it in strides the day
It's always spinning around and no it never stops
It's always spinning around and no it never stops
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11. |
A Whole Life
04:17
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I just started school but I'm back in my nursery
Explaining to the kids what it's like in reception
We all have to sit in big chairs
And Cenk's got a Batman shaved into his head
There's not as much time in school to just have fun and play
In fact most of that time's restricted to mid morning break
Or lunch time or afternoon break or this lesson called 'games'
But other than that it's pretty hard going
And it takes a while to get to know your way round
I've found it's best to play in this place called the playground
Big kids are year 6's
Don't call your teacher Mum
Insider tip get used to using a crayon
I know that you might not want things to change
But nothing ever really stays the same in this world
You might be scared of growing up
But I think you know that you must
And there's a whole life ahead of you
Now you're that big kid and you run the whole school
It's hard to believe that you were ever that small
Where there were hieroglyphs now you see words
You're taught 'bout the bees and the birds (and sex)
You're made the house captain
It's a lot of responsibility
You have to pick the football team
With no footballing ability
But come September
And you'll be moving on
You've heard about homework
You hope you heard wrong
I know that you might not want things to change
But nothing ever really stays the same in this world
You might be scared of growing up
But I think you know that you must
And there's a whole life ahead of you
Your last summer's here and you look out to the horizon
You try to remember what Mufasa said in the Lion King
You're nursing your first broken heart
What feels like the end is the start
Each week's a house party
And everyone's there
Windows get broken
Parents despair
You drink like a fountain
Never dance on your own
There's inaudible shouting
You hold your friends close
I know that you might not want things to change
But nothing ever really stays the same in this world
You might be scared of growing up
But I think you know that you must
And there's a whole life ahead
There's a whole life ahead
There's a whole life ahead of you
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12. |
Pass it On
03:59
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Today is a new day
Brush it off you've got a new broom
Every morning there's a new dawn
Every month we get a new moon
Don't get too obsessed with the linear
This Earth is spherical
So follow that telescope
You're not alone just show persistence
We're all made out of solar systems
My verse about the universe is expanding
So lift up your glass timer with sand in
Tilt your head
Those seconds that you waved goodbye
Are upside down now you're making time
If I give you warmth
Promise you'll take it with you
When it feels right
Pass it on too
If I give you warmth
Promise you'll take it with you
When it feels right
Pass it on too
Feel the water flowing over you
You never miss the well 'til it's well overdue
Let the rain in
I understand the complaining
But try to separate yourself from what is draining
They say a stopped clock is right twice a day
But nobody knows when that is
Unless you get another clock
Which kind of defeats the point
Keep grounded
But also let yourself be astounded
Laugh at life
But try to recognise the profound bits
Keep your head in the clouds
But always look both ways
What came first
The chicken or the crossing the road
You can't take anything with you when you go
That's why I'm having an existential moment in the supermarket
Clutching my bag for life
If I give you warmth
Promise you'll take it with you
When it feels right
Pass it on too
If I give you warmth
Promise you'll take it with you
When it feels right
Pass it on too
Pass it on too
Pass it on too
Pass it on too
Pass it on too
If I give you warmth
Promise you'll take it with you
When it feels right
Pass it on too
If I give you warmth
Promise you'll take it with you
When it feels right
Pass it on too
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Gecko UK
Gecko is a London based singer-storyteller, his playful lyrics cover the big things in life; think iPhones, Libraries & Guanabana fruit juice to name but a few.
Gecko recommends:
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Great album. Almost a blend of Old Style and New Style Gaz. Delighted to have seen him perform two of the tracks live at Glastonbury. His performance was better than ever, and the songs are right up there with his best.
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Delicate, plangent singer-songwriter material that feels like its petals could fall at any moment.
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For My Love
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