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Every bird that flies

by julie murphy

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1.
The mermaid 04:05
the mermaid as I walked out one evening fair far out of sight of land I spied a mermaid sitting on a rock with a comb and a glass in her hand with a comb and a glass in her hand combing down her gorse coloured hair eyes like a pale june sky Skin shone as white as the ocean spray her voice wept a seagulls cry her voice wept a seagulls cry the song she sang she sang so wild no answer at all could I make til at length our ship she blew round about which made all our poor hearts ache which made all our poor hearts ache this mermaid sprang back into the deep  the winds began to blow now the hail and the rain was so dark in the air we'll never see the land no more no we'll never see the land no more come take out your loads as fast as you can truth to you I tell for this night we all must depart to heaven or else to hell to heaven or else to hell come all you folks thats living on the land living at home at your ease try the best that you can your living for to make never incline to the sea no never incline to the sea as I walked out...  
2.
The fall 05:34
the fall long days of summer and lying on the ground the sweet smell of roses and you running round and then blood on your cheek, blood on your hand, blood on your tiny shoe oh the cut will heal but all I knew it was hard to see you fall it was hard to see you fall it was hard to see you fall hard to see you fall sun on the lemons of the holy land a young boy is running with a stone in his hand  then the soldiers come, soldiers come the boy is standing tall she found his body underneath the wall it was hard to see him fall it was hard to see him fall it was hard to see him fall hard to see him fall late in the summer and the first day back at school women carry flowers and the babies too but then the strangers come, strangers come, their hearts are hard from war children run, children run their blood on the floor and it was hard to watch them fall it was hard to watch them fall it was hard to watch them fall and it's still hard how did we fall this far? so far from the garden she said it feels like the end today she said it feels like the end of the world ( palestinian folk song in arabic ) cysga di fy mhlentyn tlws ( sleep now my jewel child ) cysga di fy mhlentyn tlws sleep now my little one safe now my little one dream now words and music : julie murphy
3.
when georgia paints when georgia paints a flower her eyes refining, desert colours shining when joseph plants the oak trees of seven thousand a city all around them when emily writes when emily writes pain has an element of blank it has no future but itself its infinite contain it's past when emily writes when emily writes when amy sings of losing her soul is soaring vanishing the waring when nina sings of freedom and life affirming every word is burning when emily writes when nina sings of freedom when amy sings of losing sings of losing  her soul is soaring when amy sings when emily writes when emily writes words and music : julie murphy
4.
to a little girl to a little girl standing on a pier birds screaming high in the sky couldn't dance, couldn't move just staring at her shoes to a little girl running on a beach wind blowing warm through her hair sand and sea the smiling strangers stop and stare strangers stop and stare quiet the streets you came back to quiet the land the sky  where are the men where are the boys? they lie is fields of poppies, poppies quiet the streets you came back to quiet the land the sky where are the men where are the boys? they lie in fields of poppies, poppies now poppies now a man is standing on a railway track another calling out his name a man is lying on a railway track a mothers son, a brothers pain the sound is rising in the black and white a curtain closing on a dream silent staring in the black and white a silent ending on a screen I thought of you as the keys fell under my fingers and how you learned to play yourself no dots no lessons just a natural flowing from your soul through your fingers on the piano in the air, sharing with the people that you met in the pub and brought home to the house in the small hours when grandma was asleep grandma was asleep singing together laughing drinking drinking in the company of strangers of strangers who became friends who became friends words julie murphy music julie murphy and ceri owen jones
5.
May Colvin 07:32
may colvin false sir john a wooing came to a lady young and fair may colvin was this lady's name and her fathers only heir her fathers only heir he wooed her while they spun the thread and while they made the hay until he gained her low consent to mount and ride away to mount and ride away it's bring me some of your fathers gold and some of your mothers fee I'll take you to a far away land and there I'll marry thee and there I'll marry thee she's gone into her fathers coffa where all of his money lay she's taken the yellow snd left the white and lightly skipped away and lightly skipped away she's gone into her fathers stable where all of his steeds did stand she's taken the best and left the worst in all of her fathers lands in all of her fathers lands she's mounted on the milk white steed and he on the dapple grey and they rode til they came  to a lonely spot a cliff by the side of the sea light down light down may colvin your bridal bed you see it's seven women have drownded here and the eighthen you shall be the eighthen you shall be cast off cast off your holland smock with borders all around it's too fine and costly  too rot on the cold cold ground to rot on the cold cold ground likewise likewise your silken stays also your handsome shoes for they're too fine and costly to rot in the sea with you rot in the sea with you cast off cast off your silks so fine and lay them on a stone they're too fine and costly to rot in the salt sea foam rot in the salt sea foam turn around turn around then false sir john and gaze at the leaves on the trees  for it don't become a gentleman a naked woman to see a naked woman to see so false sir john has turned around to gaze at the leaves on the trees she's made a dash with her tender arms and pushed him into the sea pushed him into the sea oh help oh help may colvin oh help or I will drown give to me your lily white hand and I'll lightly set you down lightly set you down lie there lie there now false sir john lie there instead of me it's seven women have drownded here and the eighth has drownded thee the eighth has drownded thee she's mounted on the milk white steed and led the dapple grey and she's rode til she came to her fathers hall at the breaking of the day the breaking of the day then up spoke the little parrot may colvin where have you been? and what have you done with false sir john who went with you riding? hold your tongue hold your tongue you little parrot and tell no tales on me I'll give you a cage of beaten gold with spokes of ivory spokes of ivory traditional arranged murphy : from the singing of the great jean ritchie
6.
Tonderai Ndira Tonderai Ndira Tonderai Ndira Tonderai Ndira Tonderai Ndira smiling and gentle  and tall as a baobab you're name means remember you're name means remember smiling and gentle  and tall as a baobab you're name means remember you're name means remember Tonderai Ndira Tonderai Ndira Tonderai Ndira Tonderai Ndira you stayed among your people you stayed among your people you stayed among your people when all their hope was gone you said I may not get there with you I may not get there with you I may not get there with you but a change will surely come then they came to take you in the first light of the morning with your wife and children watching early in the month of may but your name is not forgotten your name is not forgotten your name is not forgotten because your name is love Tonderai Ndira Tonderai Ndira words and music : julie murphy http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7416933.stm
7.
this seaside town this seaside town is dying boarded hotels where you drank and danced and I cleaned bedrooms burn on a june night by the light of the borialis wake up ( mother ) from your waking dream wake up from your waking dream wake up and talk to your daughters  this house is dying but I want to let the light in let the sunlight stream  and the wind rush through the flaking windows through this slowly dying house my fathers roses still bloom in the garden please don't ever cut them down  this seaside town so quiet even in july the people only come here at the weekends now but when you were a girl delighted screams drifted on the warm night air through your window from the rollercoaster rising up like a giant ship at the bottom of your street when I was a girl this seaside town was tram donkey and pier    the long bus ride from the estuary south through northern red brick towns shining after rain the candle tower in the distance saying  almost there   almost at the tall house with the piano  into my nana's arms and a whisky kiss and to the smaller house another piano tobacco stains grandma's stew  for two weeks every summer this seaside town was the taste of barm cakes and the smell of the sea a pilgrimage to see the living and talk of the dead.  so I never forgot the bloodline  and the different words for things words and music ; julie murphy
8.
soil soul society soil soul soil soul society soil soul soil soul society soil soul soil soul society soil soul soil soul society we came into to the world as one with everything beneath the sun every bird that flies and the trees so high all the fish that swim are our kith and kin soil soul soil soul society soil soul soil soul society soil soul soil soul society soil soul soil soul society a moon of red against a sky river deep mountain high and a boy who goes as a river flows every seed that grows we must celebrate soil soul soil soul society soil soul soil soul society soil soul soil soul society soil soul soil soul society the rain it falls it falls it falls on everyone and it falls for free when it falls it falls it falls on everyone not just me soil soul soil soul society soil soul soil soul society soil soul soil soul society soil soul soil soul society words and music : julie murphy inspired by the words of satish kumar
9.
Willie Taylor Willie Taylor and his youthful lover  full of joy and loyalty  they were going to the church to be married when he was pressed and sent to sea vows and breezes fade away vows and breezes fade away she dressed herself up like a sailor on her breast she wore a star her lovely fingers so long and slender she gave them all just a smear of tar vows and breezes fade away vows and breezes fade away on the ship there being a skirmish she was one among the rest a silver button flew off her jacket there appeared her milk white breast said the captain to this fair maid what misfortune has brought you here? I'm in search of my true lover who you pressed on another year vows and breezes fade away vows and breezes fade away if you're in search of your true lover tell me what might be his name Willie Taylor they do call him but Fitzgerald is his name if you get up tomorrow morning early as the break of day there you'll spy your Willie Taylor walking along with his lady gay vows and breezes fade away vows and breezes fade away she got up the very next morning early as the break of day there she spied her Willie Taylor walking along with his lady gay she drew out a brace of pistol that she had at her command their she shot her Willie Taylor and his bride at his right hand vows and breezes fade away vows and breezes fade away when the captain came to hear of the deed that she had done he made her a ships commander over a vessel for the isle of man but if her name haf been Ruth Ellis and she'd shot her lover man he was posh she was common so the law said  she must hang vows and breezes fade away vows and breezes vows and breezes fade away traditional arranged murphy from the singing of johnny toft via sile lives and martin leamon ( sild )

about

Recorded and mixed at Mwnci Studios, Dolwilym Mansion, Wales by Jethro Chaplin Oct/Nov 2015

mwncistudios.co.uk

Produced by Julie Murphy

* PLEASE NOTE -The first 100 pre-orders of the physical CD will include an exclusive limited edition numbered, signed, handmade block print by Julie Murphy.SOLD OUT

Cover artwork :
Ceramic bird by
Julie Murphy ( 1984 )


A MOJO TOP TEN FOLK ALBUM OF 2016

"Thoughtful, passionate and utterly captivating" fROOTS*****

"This is songwriting and performance of the highest accomplishment" SONGLINES ****

"One of Britain's most distinctive voices, Murphy's finest work to date" R2*****

"Spellbinding, shimmering, sparkling from start to finish" FRUK

"A songwriter of true compassion and insight" FATEA

credits

released March 1, 2016

Julie Murphy / vocals, piano and mbira

Ceri Owen Jones / trombone

Aidan Thorne / double bass

All songs by Julie Murphy except The mermaid, May Colvin and Willie Taylor which are trad arranged Murphy

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about

julie murphy Swansea, UK

Julie Murphy is a singer songwriter and member of Welsh folk innovators fernhill. She writes songs at the piano at home in the Welsh countryside. Her fourth solo album 'Every bird that flies' is available now

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