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Hymns At The Abbey

by The Ragged Flags

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1.
On a hill that overlooks the town In the still of mourning laid you down In the days upon your mother's knee Would she say these words recalled to me? You go round and round in circles And you give it all away But one day if you're lucky boy Your friends will sing your name So they came from miles all around And they gave their hearts up with the sound And the best of tales were told in kind That you left with those who stay behind You go round and round in circles And you give it all away But one day if you're lucky boy Your friends will sing your name So we'll raise our glasses and our voices in the sun For there will come a reckoning for each and everyone So we go into the passing light And we know the bars won't close tonight You go round and round in circles And you give it all away But one day if you're lucky boy Your friends will sing your name Your friends will sing your name Your friends will sing your name Now your time is short and quickly gone But your life is greater than the sum We go round and round in circles And we give it all away But one day with a heart of joy Yes I will sing your name Said one day with a heart of joy Yes I will sing your name
2.
So long now we've walked this road We were not wise, we weren't to know That no one else would sell their soul There's a hundred million miles to go There's a hundred million miles to go Marching forth on that white line The broken strokes that mark the time And I could not put down my load There's a hundred million miles to go There's a hundred million miles to go An ancient man by that roadside He shakes his fist at burning skies He sang with eyes as black as coal "There's a hundred million miles to go There's a hundred million miles to go" There's a hundred million miles And miles And miles And miles, oh I He spoke to me that awful truth Said "Mark this well, for I am you I passed my love upon this road Was a hundred million miles ago Was a hundred million miles ago On and on no backward glance Around the bend another chance We circumnavigate the globe There's a hundred million miles to go There's a hundred million miles to go There's a hundred million miles And miles And miles And miles, oh I
3.
Oh my God I can't believe it's true Black and white the truth is absolute Shake my bones and leave them where they lay Shrouded in those sins that cover me We went down, down to the river We went down, down to the river We went down, down to the river And washed them away The water's edge reflects my own regrets Will they fade beneath that cold caress? Where's that final answer I need most? Where's my father, son, my holy ghost? We went down, down to the river We went down, down to the river We went down, down to the river And washed them away Do you pray that all your faith's not wasted in a book? It's a shame that all you gave was less than what you took Take me to that dark secluded wood Tell me that inside I might be good Hear that church bell tolling for the brave Tally my misdeeds that you forgave We'll go down, down to the river We'll go down, down to the river We'll go down, down to the river (and wash them away) We'll go down, down to the river (and wash them away) We'll go down, down to the river And wash them away
4.
Taking that shot in the heart again, love Pin a target on my chest, love One more time around that track You gave me love but I gave it back again, love Early morning I awake, love The last meal I couldn't face, love Lead me out at the break of dawn And stand me up against the wall again, love I'm out of time, my hands are tied I see you there on the firing line Nothing to say, all hell to pay I'm on my way I'd have told you anything, love To see you lying that bed, love All the lovers of my life Are stood abreast with rifles high again, love Work my way along the line, love With protestations, reasons why, love Sheer desertion was the charge From every eye a full barrage again, love I'm out of time, my hands are tied I see you there on the firing line Nothing to say, all hell to pay I'm on my way Whoa no you don't, whoa no you don't Whoa no you don't, whoa no Whoa no you don't, whoa no you don't Whoa no you don't, whoa no Taking that shot in the heart again, love Open fire, I insist, love One more time around that track You gave me love but I gave it back again, love I'm out of time, blindfold my eyes I am still here in your firing line Nothing to say, all hell to pay I'm on my way
5.
Now I've been watching for your weakness And come the dying of the day Along the line of least resistance You'll wake to find that I have slipped away How low? Now in the folly where you find me And all the people move away All after hours and impatient But everybody's gonna have to wait How low do you go when you find you're all alone? It's a shame that you don't understand what's going on Come away in the dark with a burning in your heart And I know that you'd forgive me But you know I'll never ask Well now the lights are getting lower And I belong here in my place The touch of night will bring you closer The morning's gonna take it all away How low do you go when you find you're all alone? It's a shame that you don't understand what's going on Come away in the dark with a burning in your heart And I know that you'd forgive me But you know I'll never ask
6.
Well there's dim light in the sky as I am packing up my case My breath that freezes in the car when I'm pulling away Each street I pass each idle glance a memory that fades So let it roll by the window, let it roll away Let it roll by the window, let it roll away Another stop, another town, the latest in the line I'll ride that train to anywhere while bridges burn behind The beating tracks like broken hearts but I don't feel your pain Just let it roll by the window, let it roll again Let it roll by the window, let it roll again Oh a restless heart can cost you much you know Each losing game of dice could you just let it roll? I don't know where I'm heading for or why I have to go Maybe some day I'll pass again and stop outside your home Would you invite me in to sit and reminisce a while? Or let me roll by the window, let me roll on by Let me roll by the window, let me roll on by Let me roll by the window, let me roll on by Let me roll by the window, let me roll
7.
In my waking hours I am half asleep Everything I touch the texture of a dream A delirium from which I must awake Woken by that wild beating fit to break My heart My heart In those empty hours booming like a drum Just yourself to lie and contemplate the lull Would you fix me with a look or chance remark? Would the shock you give me be enough to start My heart My heart All those happy hours you and I have shared We may part but in my heart they are still there I see through reflections you replace me with Find the shape of love that fits the space within My heart My heart My heart My heart
8.
Just a man with fortune on his back Through the badlands, the hills of burning black Wooed a sweetheart with that snake-oil you sell But there's no love in her eyes And there's no water in the well Hearts and houses accrue the dust of years Empty promises and payment in arrears With a smile all misgivings you could quell But there's no love in her eyes And there's no water in the well In the well, in the well, in the well Well there's no love in her eyes No water in the well So you lay there beside those broken dreams Sheets entangled with the shards of bitter scenes Rueful glances at the tolling of the bell But there's no hope in her heart And there's no water in the well In the well, in the well, in the well Well there's no hope in her heart No water in the well Just a man with fortune on my back Leaving town now, all in ruin, all in wrack See her standing on the steps of that hotel But there's no love in her eyes As she is saying "Fare thee well" Fare thee well, fare thee well, fare thee well Well there's no love in her eyes… In the well, in the well, in the well Well there's no love in her eyes No water in the well No water in the well No water in the well
9.
Hold tight to the railing now, do you See me while you're looking down? Are you Up there on a higher floor? Are you Better than you've been before? Before, before, before, before, before I'll take the time to make you mine To make you mine I'll take the time I'll take the time to make you mine To make you mine I'll take the time So long since the stars aligned, I'm just Stood here waiting for a sign, do you Think about me anymore? It's a Hard time that we have in store In store, in store, in store, in store, in store I'll take the time to make you mine To make you mine I'll take the time I'll take the time to make you mine To make you mine I'll take the time Hold tight to the railing now, do you See me while you're looking down? I'm just Stood here waiting for a sign, if you Show me then I'll take the time I'll take the time to make you mine To make you mine I'll take the time I'll take the time to make you mine To make you mine I'll take the time
10.
High tide in a homely harbour On an ocean with a golden hue We were young once in the grip of ardour We could sail away to a brighter blue No one could tell us timely That you build today of tomorrow's blues We walk in time and we don't mind running When the future hides where you know it to But you're giving it up, giving it up baby Letting you down, letting you down slowly Hanging around, hanging around hoping love might show But you waited enough, waited enough honey You had to be wrong, had to be wrong someday Giving it up, giving it up hoping love might grow 'Cause you never know Changes that creep in quietly A stranger in familiar rooms I'm hoping I can find that feeling Some brighter light I can hold you to But you're giving it up, giving it up baby Letting you down, letting you down slowly Hanging around, hanging around hoping love might show But you waited enough, waited enough honey You had to be wrong, had to be wrong someday Giving it up, giving it up hoping love might grow 'Cause you never know No you never know, no you never know Giving it up, giving it up baby Giving it up, giving it up baby Giving it up, giving it up baby Giving it up, giving it up baby Low tide in a lonely harbour As the ocean cuts the moon in two On a small ship clinging to each other If we hold on tight we can make it through But you're giving it up, giving it up baby Letting you down, letting you down slowly Hanging around, hanging around hoping love might show But you waited enough, waited enough honey You had to be wrong, had to be wrong someday Giving it up, giving it up hoping love might grow 'Cause you never know No you never know, no you never know No you never know, no you never know No you never know, no you never know
11.
Well all the days and all the nights are going by Help for that never-ending wander in your eye I tried to give you everything your heart desired Why did you throw all of your hopes onto the pyre? When the morning comes between us Do you just see what you want to see? 'Cause you know I want to love you But I just don't have the energy So there's a burden in a love you could defend Lo and behold you went and fucked it up again High time for you to go and shake it out the door I don't care where you go you can't stay here no more When the morning comes between us Do you just see what you want to see? 'Cause you know I want to hate you But I just don't have the energy You only see what you want to see You only see what you want to see You only see what you want to see Well can you feel it in the beating of your heart? Tell me your truth and I will take it all apart So is it easier to move on down the line? Hold everything you have, it's yours until it's mine When the morning comes between us Do you just see what you want to see 'Cause you know I want to love you But I just don't have the energy When the morning comes between us Do you just see what you want to see 'Cause you know I want to hate you But I just don't have the energy You only see what you want to see You only see what you want to see You only see what you want to see
12.
Turn all the lights down and strike up the band Ours was a love neither governed nor planned Gripped by the feelings we could not control Your eyes shining blue and your hair made of gold Gold, gold, gold It's made, it's made of gold Burn down the houses and scatter the herd Him over me was the place you preferred Heartbreak confirmed but could not be consoled A band on your finger, a chain made of gold Gold, gold, gold It's made, it's made of gold It's made, it's made of gold Gold, gold, gold It's made, it's made of gold It's made, it's made of gold It's made, it's made of gold Turn all the lights down and strike up the band Feel in the dark for the hold of my hand Nothing there now but the reasons you told Why your heart is so heavy, your love's made of gold Gold, gold, gold It's made, it's made of gold It's made, it's made of gold It's made, it's made of gold It's made, it's made of gold

credits

released December 19, 2022

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The Ragged Flags are:
James Goodwin - vocals, rhythm guitar
Mark Aldworth - lead guitar, mandola, vocals
Chris Edwards-Dewey - bass, banjo, vocals
Paul Whibley - drums, percussion, honeymooning

All songs by The Ragged Flags
Music by Aldworth/Edwards-Dewey/Goodwin/Whibley
Lyrics by Goodwin (©2022 Copyright Control)

Produced by The Ragged Flags
Mixed by Mark Aldworth & James Goodwin
Engineered by Joel Armsden
Recorded live at The Abbey, Kentish Town, London
on 3 December 2013 and 16 September 2014

Cover Photography by John Gentleman
Sleeve Design by James Goodwin
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The Ragged Flags UK

The Ragged Flags are a UK four-piece with their own distinctive sound incorporating the essential natural juices of rock, pop and folk with the lovely chunky bits of country and blues.

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