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The Sea Cabinet

by Gwyneth Herbert

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1.
Sea Theme 02:13
2.
The Regal 03:20
Mrs Wittering lays out the cutlery Staging the tables with care Even with nobody there – It’s a must Polishes the ornaments, ruffles the serviettes What if a flock of them came No-one but her here to blame For the dust The Regal is open for tea Charming views of the sea And the empty arcades The Regal is shamelessly yours With its desolate doors Even vanity fades Mrs Wittering scowls at the layabouts Smoking their way to the fare Even with nobody there – The abyss Filthy lettering, gutter littering Needles and numbers and names How did her paradise change Into this? The Regal is open for tea Charming views of the sea And the empty arcades The Regal is shamelessly yours With its desolate doors Even vanity fades Silver frames and pictures by the gramophone Haunted by a ghostly lover’s tune The touch of silk, the curl of smoke A secret smile, a whispered joke A stolen kiss beneath the paper moon The Regal is open for tea Charming views of the sea And the empty arcades The Regal is shamelessly yours With its desolate doors Even vanity fades
3.
Sweeter 03:49
The rocks below, the lightning above Clouds making raindrops while we made love in the sea Everything was so much sweeter when you shared it all with me Your lips, the salt in your kiss Your sundrunk tears reflecting the misty blue Everything was so much sweeter when I shared it all with – You were my best thing You made the world sing I remember the tune And you – your peardrop eyes You candied the skies You sugared the moon The star-shot night, your hand on my back Heads full of light and mouthfuls of Dacquiri (strawberry) Everything was so much sweeter when you shared it all with me Two sticks, two names in the sand While Leonard crooned and wooed his Suzanne anew Everything was so much sweeter when I shared it all with – You were my best thing You made the world sing I remember the tune And you – your peardrop eyes You candied the skies You sugared the moon I’ll not leave you with nothing, No you gave me it all All those boxes of memory in the hall The salt of all our tomorrows The pebble marks on my thigh The cheek tattoo of the tears from our goodbye You were my best thing You made the world sing I remember the tune And you – your peardrop eyes You candied the skies You sugared the moon
4.
Alderney 04:29
Leaving Two hours ’til take off take everything Off with a bagful of my leaving Fire in the mantle left flickering Wardrobe with clothes all turned to stone Coming 6,000 tourists in shackling Scuff up the shingle for they’re coming To slip on my slippers and petticoats And fill all the pastures with their bone Alderney, Remember me, I claim you as my home Remember me, my Alderney, wherever I may roam, Alderney Sailing Deckchairs and blankets and worrying God knows to where they’ve got us sailing Off to a village of prattling A handful of bricks that aren’t my own Alderney, Remember me, I claim you as my home Remember me, my Alderney, wherever I may roam, Alderney And it’s dig and dig and dodge all the thunder and battle the hunger and dig and dig And heave and heave and slab on the concrete and dance to the drum beat and breathe and breathe And build and build and brick up the wish holes and tot up the death tolls and build and build And haul and haul and bar all the windows and look to the shadows and fall and fall and fall… Alderney, Remember me, I claim you as my home Remember me, my Alderney, wherever I may roam, Alderney Alderney, cicatrice si joli, est-que vous vous rappeller? Alderney, vous avez marqué ma vie, je ne vous oublierai jamais Alderney Coming Take up the trumpets, we’re back again To pick through the rubble of our leaving What have they done to our everything? Pastures and people turned to stone.
5.
We built our house here on the shore We wrote our names above the door And you were mine alone forever more / We built our love way out of sight We clung together, held on tight And said our vows one secret stormy night And it’s so long since our last farewell… But I still hear the bells Ding dong / Ding dong I know you’re gone, I know you’re gone Ding dong / Ding dong We don’t belong, we don’t belong But the bells ring on We built our house on shifting sands Winds and tides got out of hand and Walls were not as solid as we planned / We built our love too near the edge Too many stormy words were said And vows swept out to sea and sunk like lead And it’s so long since our last farewell – But I still hear the bells Ding dong / Ding dong I know you’re gone, I know you’re gone Ding dong / Ding dong We don’t belong, we don’t belong But the bells ring on Our tears turned into floods of rain We called for help, no rescue came Cries drowned out by thunder Everything went under Everything went under Now fish swim through the chapel tower Coral as the wedding flowers The aisles are filled with stones and shells But I still hear the bells Ding dong / Ding dong I know you’re gone, I know you’re gone Ding dong / Ding dong We don’t belong, we don’t belong But the bells ring onnnnnnnnnnnnnn…………..
6.
Fifty Fishguard ladies in a row Kiss them twice and wind them up and look at them go (kiss kiss) Blushing at the raindrops Curling up the clifftops in the snow Fifty Fishguard ladies in a line Bold as brazen monkeys with a war in their minds Staring out to sunset Waiting hushed and concrete for their time We’ll have you running back, running back to Camaret We’ll have you quaking in your knees We’ll have you running back, running back to Camaret We’ll have you running cross the seas Fifty Fishguard ladies count to three (one two three) Flutter up their petticoats and look to the breeze Flickering of scarlet Flashing down a gauntlet to the seas We’ll have you running back, running back to Camaret We’ll have you quaking in your knees We’ll have you running back, running back to Camaret We’ll have you running cross the seas Fifty Fishguard ladies all in frocks Hearts of hardy steel and hats like chimney pots Crafty fingered wenches Tying all the Frenchies up in knots We’ll have you running back, running back to Camaret We’ll have you quaking in your knees We’ll have you running back, running back to Camaret We’ll have you running cross the seas Fifty Fishguard ladies in a row (one two three)
7.
There’s fortune in the stars, boys, and treasure in my chest And I know just the kind of bait you brigands like the best So come and take a nibble and I’ll catch you in my nets There’ll be plenty time for praying in the morning There’s magic in the moon boys, I never miss a trick And my back is feeling hungry for the taste of salty brick So take me with your craggy hands and kiss me to the quick There’ll be plenty time for praying in the morning There’s holy in the water, boys, and spirits on the breeze So pull me close and whisper all the sermons of the seas And I’ll worship all the night away, right down on bended knees There’ll be plenty time for praying in the morning There’s whiskey on the wind, boys, the air is thick with rum So come and have a glug of me to toast the rising sun And now’s the hour for lovers, one last flagonful of fun There’ll be plenty time for praying in the morning.
8.
Drink 01:55
Drink for the funeral drums inside your belly Drink for the rattle and cry you’ll never know Drink for the panic that pushes you unsteady Drink for the terror that tickles at your toe Fate is as natural as sin – no point in fighting it – The stars and the itch have set in… So you’ve got to Drink for the tick and the tock and the Titanic, Drink for the moment he goes. Drink like the Devil is dancing in your garters Drink like the tip of your tongue is gonna burn Drink like the drought of the dead has just departed Drink like the boot of Poseidon’s at your stern You’re wrung and you’re wrong and you’re wrecked – no point in fighting it – Tomorrow’s the time to reflect… Now just go and Drink to drink like an albatross drowning in a tempest, Drink like he’ll never return Drink to remember the way he used to hold you Drink to remember the moonlight when you met Drink to the things that he never would have told you Drink to the ripples of rage and of regret Life is the passing of time – so you wait within The shadows he’s leaving behind So go on and Drink to the man and the sea that is his mistress, Drink. And then try to forget.
9.
Hey sailor lad come see my ship, I’ve seen the power of your grip Heave ho leave, come away / Oh Johnny, I don’t trust this man, I smell a mischief in his plan I’m sure I saw him fighting yesterday Hey sailor lad if you’ve a thirst, I’ll fill you ’til your liver’s burst Heave ho leave, come away / Oh Johnny, don’t you touch a drop, you know you don’t know when to stop And when you’re drunk, you’re liable to sway Oh the King’s Shilling Take it / Don’t take it in your hand Oh the King’s Shilling Behold it / But hold it And be damned Hey sailor lad, come board the deck, or I will wring your wretched neck Heave ho leave, come away / Oh Johnny, do not show your fear and stand your ground we need you here What will become of us if you don’t stay? Hey sailor lad, if you resist, you’ll feel the fury of my fist Heave ho leave, come away / Oh Johnny, please don’t heed this knave, I see a vision of your grave Use every ounce of strength to disobey Oh the King’s Shilling Take it / Don’t take it in your hand Oh the King’s Shilling Behold it / But hold it And be damned Every day more fodder for the cannon Every day more sailors to the brine The shackled and unwilling Pay their debt to the King’s shilling And every day more women left behind Hey sailor lad, get you to boat, I hold a dagger to your throat Heave ho, leave, come away / Oh villain, is your heart a stone? We’ve seven children not yet grown Have pity on our family, I pray You whining wench, go sling your hook, you’ve floors to scrub and pies to cook Heave ho, leave, go away / Oh villain, since you paid no mind, I’ll come and stab you from behind My kitchen knife is now your judgement day! Oh the King’s Shilling Take it / Don’t take it in your hand Oh the King’s Shilling Behold it / But hold it And be damned
10.
Promises 05:12
She’s not the wife she thought she’d be It’s not the life she thought she’d lead He’s not the man she thought she’d come to need But still he’s always there / In every sign she reads They whisper at the coffee shop “She’s always on her own” they say And “where on earth’s she walking to today?” But they can’t comprehend / It has to be this way Deaf to their fate / Blind to their stars And innocent of all the future scars The promise holds fast / The promise runs deep The promises that she will always keep She gives her self, she gives to him She gives her joy, she gives her pain And every day she gives herself again The daily toil and grind / Her love can take strain He leaves her once, he leaves no more He leaves her letters in the sand The signs that only she can understand And he is hers alone / Her shifting shadow man Deaf to their fate / Blind to their stars And innocent of all the future scars The promise holds fast / The promise runs deep The promises that she will always keep And every second beats The pulse of them beneath her feet And every hour renews The promises that bind the two And every day refreshed The sacrament of thought and flesh And every year the sea Preserves their love For all eternity… His skin is salty on her tongue His whispers soft caress her face And hold her in a cradling embrace The rock of sound and sleep / That keeps her dreaming safe The cabin echoes with the sound Of absent children on her knee The giggles and the murmurs of the sea She hears another life / That never came to be Deaf to their fate / Blind to their stars And innocent of all the future scars The promise holds fast / The promise runs deep The promises that she will always keep
11.
Lorelei 06:40
She took his hand and she put it in hers Wouldn’t be the last and was not the first She sung her song and she spun him a curse Cry out For the loss of another Her sea-green eyes never miss a trick Those sweet mohitos pack quite a kick Her careless smile cuts him to the quick Cry out For the loss of another Lorelie, Lady Lorelie Watch the dreams go by – Drifters lost in the rain Lorelie, Lady Lorelie Chalk it up on high – One more dupe for the dame The streetlamps flicker, she picks up the tab She’s got him flying with a sniff and a dab All hips and bone in the back of the cab Cry out For the loss of another You’re a beautiful child You’ve got the voice of an angel Boots of ebony tar, oh what’s the matter – has Kafka got your tongue, my beautiful child? You’ve got the voice of a devil Take away your feather and chains See how they run… Lorelie, Lady Lorelie Watch the dreams go by Drifters lost in the rain Lorelie, Lady Lorelie Chalk it up on high One more dupe for the dame She took him well and the taking was fast She shook him up, shook him from my mast Was not the first; Will not be the last Cry out for the loss of another Cry out for the loss of another
12.
Drip 04:07
You drank every drip every drop of my energy You took every tick every tock of my time and then you Sung every beat every note of my melody and Gave it a name and then it wasn’t mine You wept and you wailed ’til my shoulder was sodden and You ranted and railed ’til my ears trickled blue and then you Swamped me with need ’til I sunk to the bottom and then I was a drop in the ocean of you. Drowning, drowning, I drown in the waking of the waves you made and Down, sinking down, deeper down ’til the tide can wash your memory away You drank every drip every drop of my energy You screamed every dream so my own went unheard and then you Stuck all your flags in the heart of my territory And stepped on my head to be sure I was submerged You stole every star every spark every sparkle and You lingered in line for some pity for the theft and then you Stirred up the storms of my latest debacle and you Snuffed out the rest of the best of my breath ’til Drowning, drowning, I drown in the waking of the waves you made and Down, sinking down, deeper down ’til the tide can wash your memory away Woman overboard / All my tenderness forgotten Everything thrown over / Everything gone rotten Woman overboard / All your overtures abandoned Without a hand to hold / Without a leg to stand on Woman overboard / After everything I’ve given Nothing left to plunder / In the places I kept hidden Woman overboard / As the seasons trickle by I will find myself a lifeline and hang me out to dry… But until then I’m Drowning, drowning, I drown in the waking of the waves you made and Down, sinking down, deeper down ’til the tide can wash your memory away
13.

credits

released May 20, 2013

Gwyneth Herbert - vocals, piano, ukulele
Fiona Bevan - vocals, guitar, piano
Dave Price - percussion, strings, piano, programming, backing vocals
Al Cherry - guitar, backing vocals
Sam Burgess - bass, backing vocals
Harry Bird - guitar, clarinet, piano strings, backing vocals
Christophe Capewell - fiddle, accordion, piano, melodica, backing vocals
Tom Allen - Moog
Jack Carr, Alex Carr and Robert Harder - additional mob chorus
Will McVay - chain
Brian Herbert - gramophone operator

All songs written by Gwyneth Herbert, except tracks 5 and 9 written by Gwyneth Herbert and Fiona Bevan, and track 10 written by Gwyneth Herbert and Heidi James.

Produced by Gwyneth Herbert and Dave Price.
Recorded and engineered by Robert Harder at Britten Studio at Aldeburgh Music, Suffolk.
Additional recording and engineering by Robert Harder at Satellite studios and Dave Price at The Old Locker Room.
Mixed by Robert Harder, Gwyneth Herbert and Dave Price.
Mastered by Robert Harder.

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Gwyneth Herbert Saint Leonards, UK

Singer, composer, multi-instrumentalist & musical adventurer Gwyneth Herbert has released 6 albums and toured across the world, sharing stages with the likes of Boy George, Amy Winehouse and John Cooper Clarke.

She has also presented for BBC Radio 3 and 4; co-created three musicals and a feature-length art film; and had her arrangement of a Swahili folk-song performed by 100,000 children at once.
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