Get all 12 The Magic Lantern releases available on Bandcamp and save 35%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of No One's Fault (2022) - Single, A Reckoning Bell (2021) - Album, Blades of Grass (2021) - Single, Bound for Glory (2021) - Single, My Soul Is A Strange Country (2020) - EP, The Life That I Have (2020) - EP, To The Islands (2018) - Album, Holding Hands (2017) - Single, and 4 more.
1. |
Somebody Told Me
05:05
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Somebody Told Me
Somebody told me
That you walked all the way here
Just to find me, but now you’re here
We’ve got nothing to say.
Fear and insecurity
Stole away our dreams,
But your face sings songs i’d love to hear
But I don’t know what it means.
Should I take your hand and pick you up
And walk off in the sun?
Or we sit in silence and drink our tea
Then turn our backs to run?
We’ll never know
We’ll never try
We’re growing old and soon we’ll die.
Cos’ somebody told me
That you smile all through the day time
But you cry at night, when you’re alone
Cos’ you’ve got no one to hold.
Life and love can come and go
Or leave us in the cold
But we’ll freeze to death before we see
What can’t be bought and sold.
Should we sing these songs of innocence
Or just close our eyes and hope?
That a better world is possible
If we rise above the smoke?
We’ll never know
We’ll never try
We’re growing old and soon we’ll die.
Somebody told me,
That they saw, you from afar
And that you’d grown old and when you died
That there’d be no one to cry
We move so fast we can hardly see
Where we want to go
But we float like leaves and an autumn breeze
We ebb and then we flow
Should we stamp our feet and raise our fists
And fight against the tide?
Or we bow our heads and slowly drowned
Because we never tried?
We’ll never know
We’ll never try
We’re growing old and soon we’ll die.
We’ll never know
We’ll never try
We’re growing old and soon we’ll die.
Somebody told me,
That you walked
All the way here,
Just to find me,
But now you’re here,
We’ve got nothing to say.
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2. |
Cut From Stone
05:00
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Cut from Stone
Our hearts are heavy
With weight and woe
No rain in deserts
For love to grow
But come open wide
There’s moisture in the air
Love me, my love
Love me, my love
Let me love you
Our hands are weary
Now day’s work’s through
No sleep till’ morning
All blacks and blues
But come close your eyes
There’s rest in cotton clouds
Love me, my love
Love me, my love
Let me love you
There was a river
Running through here
And you were cut from stone
Time made is passing
The lark held its tongue
The love brought breath to bone
There was blood at the birth
And we were born that day
Love me, my love
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3. |
Laura's Song
06:15
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Laura’s Song
Oh God, what have you done?
Well you’ve baked a cake
For your own,
Wake
And why won’t you wake up?
Rest in peace my friend
You’ll always be loved.
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4. |
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The ship that washed away
The boat has left without me
All I can do is wave back
At faces of strangers I thought were my friends
And the love of my life upon deck
As the sun sets behind them
The scene becomes black
And I knew if I’d joined them
I’d never’ve come back
Oh a young man with a little boys heart
Begin at the ending you’ll never reach the start
And wash, wash away
The days bob by listless
In still summer heat
A small town just marking out time
Till’ the radio crackles with news out at sea
The fair Lusitania has drowned
As the clocks all fall silent
The sun makes no sound
And I start to feel seasick
Here on solid ground
If I could start over again
I’d go with my love and I’d sink with my friends
And wash, wash away
Wash, wash away
These crazy forces unleashed in a blink
The salt water stinging my eyes
Blinding the world to the sadness contained
In the hull of that ship and my heart
The terror that followed
They couldn’t have known
And apart from the moon
Well they died all alone
There was no band to play them goodnight
And just the sound of the waves in the morning light
And wash, wash away
Wash, wash away…..
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5. |
Guilty Hearts
03:55
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Guilty Hearts
I broke all the glass
Just because I could
Just to show who’s boss and why
What you can’t create you can destroy
I fanned the flames
Hoped to see the phoenix rise
Smoke and ashes in your eyes
It’s the quite ones who tell the biggest lies
Now I paid my share
To meet the cost of killing elsewhere
Thought It’d keep me safe at home
Now its time to reap what we have sown
Guilty hearts
Do grieve alone
I met my match
Though I’d won every fight
Saw myself in the light
And terrified I crept into the night
Guilty hearts
Do grieve alone
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6. |
Shine A Light On
05:29
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Shine a light on
Have you got a place to sleep?
Are you warm or are you cold?
Have you got enough to eat?
What’s the chance you’ll grow old?
Have you shoes upon your feet?
What does the future hold?
Do you struggle to make ends meet?
Has your soul yet been sold?
It’s not fair, I hope you’ll agree
That half of the whole world
Should live in poverty
It’s not fair, I hope you’ll agree
That after we’ve been fed
The rest should all go hungry
But what’s the purpose of this song
If you don’t all sing along?
Well at least I’ve started here
And though it sounds a bit niave
You’ve gotta’ stand up for what you believe
And do it with out fear
When something’s not right
Shine a light on
When something’s not right
Shine a light on
When something’s not right
Shine a light on
But don’t just believe me,
Write your own song.
Have you shoes upon your feet?
What does the future hold?
Do you struggle to make ends meet?
Has your soul yet been sold?
It’s not fair, I hope you’ll agree
That half of the whole world
Should live in poverty
It’s not fair, I hope you’ll agree
That after we’ve been fed
The rest should all go hungry
But what’s the purpose of this song
If you don’t all sing along?
Well at least I’ve started here
And though it sounds a bit niave
You’ve gotta’ stand up for what you believe
And do it with out fear
When something’s not right
Shine a light on
When something’s not right
Shine a light on
When something’s not right
Shine a light on
But don’t just believe me,
Write your own song.
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7. |
Patriots
05:07
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Patriots
I’m told that I’m lazy
And I ought to be working
But the saints march like soldiers
Always staring at the ground
Always staring at the ground
But the ground
Don’t interest me
I’m a man
I was born to be free
With every new step you move further away
And you tell yourself, you’ll be yourself
After pay day
But before you’re broken you’re fragile like a lake
And as you’re eyes fight the shimmering light
Your face begins to brake
And it dissolves at the faintest touch
The ripples of the question don’t count for much
Cos’ the boat that holds the problem can’t be rocked enough
We’ll need a storm of stones to groan and make the waters rough
Go build your towers
Tumbling through the sky
The bees all die early
But the honey will survive
Year the honey will survive
So sweet
You fight to get your feed
And now you’re done
Perhaps you’ll die of greed
So come on patriots
Come and burn a flag for me
In the ashes you’ll find
What you’re pride hides behind
The myth of an honest country
So come on patriots
Come and burn a flag for me
In the ashes you’ll find
What you’re pride hides behind
The myth of an honest country
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8. |
A Man & His Dog
04:09
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A Man & His Dog
I’m ready to go to space
Go up there and find a place
Settle down take out a loan
Get a dog and build a home
I told them to come with me
They just thought I was crazy
Didn’t heed the call of the rising seas
Now it’s too late to leave
Cos’ the world is burning down
But I’m not gonna stick around
I’m gonna get out while I can
Gonna grow old like my old man
And from my garden out in space
I’ll sing hymns for the human race
And though my pup is almost grown
Apart from him I’m all alone
Cos’ everyone else has died
They thought they could save it
But they fried
What if we had only listened
To rhythms thrown out of kilter?
Something might have been done
So it’s just me and my dog called Goat
He can’t quite see the joke
But we’ll be fine if you give us time
Man’s best friend and the last man alive.
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9. |
Karachi
03:26
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Karachi
The sun beat hard on you
Exposed the flesh to angry touch
And you cried out for us
The sweat and pain
And broken cups
So come home in all the pieces
That you have broken into
Come home in all the pieces
That you have broken into
We’ll glue you back together
I promise you,
I promise you
I promise
You’ve never failed me yet
Cos’ its just too hot,
It’s just too hot
It’s just too hot
It’s just too hot for you
And you’ve never failed me,
Not yet.
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10. |
The Bridge
02:40
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The Bridge
The bridge that we built
Is falling down
Less of a bang, more of a whimper
What’s left on either bank
Is a slowly crumbling start
Distance is the river that
Broke this bridges heart
This bridge was built naively
Without so much as a plan
But believe me when I say
The work was done with honest hands
Oh she’s gone
Oh she’s gone
The bridge that we built
Is falling down
Less of a bang, more of a whimper
What’s left on either bank
Is a slowly crumbling start
Distance is the river that
Broke this bridges heart
With time the bridge it strengthened more
To carry heavy loads
Which in convey we passed over it
Upon newly beaten roads
Oh she’s gone
Oh she’s gone
The bridge that we built
Is falling down
Less of a bang, more of a whimper
What’s left on either bank
Is a slowly crumbling start
Distance is the river that
Broke this bridges heart
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11. |
Romeo & Juliet (III)
06:31
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Romeo and Juliet*
*song starts from chapter III
I
Well I’ll tell you a story
Oh I’ll sing you a song
I won’t waste your time
No I won’t take long
Two star crossed lovers
Were walking in the bay
Bathing in the moonlight
They made love until the day
But when they awoke
They knew if couldn’t last
Romeo was leaving
And his boat was sailing fast
Now far out sea
In the dark and lonely hours
He thought about his love
And was forced to take cold showers
Our Juliet stayed behind
With a broken heart but fine
Until Little Romeo
Came in nine months time
Now shunned and turned away
From her village in the bay
She took the babe and left
And became a castaway
On and on she walked
Down the dusty, country roads
The babe was a’crying
And the tears stained her clothes
Until she came upon a house
Which was honest in its way
She collapsed in the doorstep
And died the very same day
Now the babe was taken in
By the honest folk inside
While Juliet his mother
Was buried by the cold road side
And she sang…
[Juliette’s voice]
‘Romeo, oh Romeo,
Oh where did you go?
Romeo, oh Romeo
I loved you so
When next we meet
In heavens arms
I know I will resist
Your sailors charms’
II
Little Romeo
Grew up a lonely boy
Playing with the animals
Because he had no toys
Raised by Jack and Jill
In the honest house on the hill
He never knew his mothers bones
Fed the tree he used to talk to
It grew by the side of the road
As the seasons went by Little Romeo growed
From a boy to a man with hair on his face
And he’d sing to the try in his mothers place
Till’ one day our boy left home
Kissed Jill on the cheek for the kindness she had shown
And he set off down the road alone
He was off to find his father
Though Jack was the man
Who held his hand
The first time he’d seen danger
And Jill had rocked and bather him like
A miracle in a manger
But he knew
He did not belong
So he went of to find
Where he was from
So Little Romeo,
Searched for years and years
And every fresh dead ending
Brought him close to tears
So he gave up on his quest
Made his home in a village with boats and fishing nets
But pain remained deep in his breast
For he felt he’d failed his toughest test
Till’ one night he lay away
Thunder like drums outside made the window shake
And he heard a voice he’d longed to hear
Brought to his eyes two perfect tears
[Juliette’s voice]
‘You were born here in the bay
And we’ll meet again some better day
But first this task you must perform
Sail into the heart of this terrible storm……’
[STORM ENSUES]
III*
Romeo's gone, he ran away
Far out to sea, said he couldn't stay
Say's she's better off, this way
But his guilty heart knows he'll have to pay
He's growing old, with a fine gray beard
Captains his ship, respected and feared
But when he's alone, she's on his mind
And when he's alone, he prays that time will unwind
One day the sea, turned from friend to enemy
Captain and crew, bailed as hard as hard could be
But their cause was lost, so they stopped and all shook hands
Knowing they'd all drown, never see the promised land
Some clung to wood, bobbed atop the ocean waves
Knowing that they had, no chance of being saved
So they each gave up, in their own private way
But the captain lived, an angel carried him to a bay
As he awoke, the sun upon his face
He knew he'd been saved, to return to this place
The sand on which he lay, had held him long ago
And his saviours name, was Little Romeo
Soon the angel left, to fix his nets
Honest fisherman, assumed orphan
And he never knew, his mothers grave
Or that they one he'd sought, was the one he'd saved
So the story ends, and so its told
The angel left to grow old
While his father died, where he lay
But their Juliet still sings today…
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The Magic Lantern London, UK
The Magic Lantern is the musical moniker of singer-songwriter Jamie Doe
His fourth album
'A Reckoning Bell' written and recorded while helping to care for his father with Alzheimers disease, see's The Magic Lantern exploring what loss can teach us about love and how love's small acts give a life meaning.
His new album is due for release in October.
... more
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