Name: In the Nighttime by Beth Sarah
Duration: 3 min 23 s
Description: A song written quite literally about chronic pain and how the presence of love helps make it bearable.

This is my single submission for the 2023 Album Writing Club.

Here is the complete playlist of the entries: on.soundcloud.com/GLd3t

Please vote for your favorites (up to three) here: forms.gle/o9NTgKWpqWqKVx7x9

Dark horse, came from nothin’
Disregards whatever makes his life complete
Black sheep, started runnin’
Traveled far, searchin’ for something to beat
Black eye, hindered vision
Head aloft, forcing us to understand
Boxed ears, you never listen
Shouting off whoever wants to lend a hand

What a struggle when you’re always right
How difficult that seems
If only all of us would see the light
We could start building your dreams

Reelin’ mad, so pathetic
Debate is trash when winning is the only goal
Feelin’ bad, sympathetic
Watching as you spiral down a rabbit hole
Honor bound, keep on talkin’
Right or not, you’re acting like a total douche
Turn around, just start walkin’
Haven’t got the energy to deal with you

Can just imagine all the bridges burning and fences you’ve built up
Walls and chambers, battlements as you refuse the drawbridge lowered

Fair play that fateful Tuesday
Shot a dove and pushed away an olive branch
His way or the highway
Makes a peace sign with his fist and calls it righteousness
Can’t miss the looks and comments
I’ve been catchin’ all the salty vibes you’re sendin’ me
If this is how he treats us
Just imagine what he visits on his enemies

All the demons and the feral winds that you loose upon your home
Can maybe chalk it up to arrogance as to why you die alone

Scenes From an Empty Stage

Fences

Heartsore demo

Written, performed and produced by Ian Allison.

From the Marzihu EP 'Four Minute Warning' – a snapshot of the lives of four people at the moment of the Four MInute Warning. 'Sysiphus' is the story of a woman whose relationship is ending due to relentless, monotonous, unsupported, thankless domesticity. Told in the style of HP Lovecraft/Geezer Butler… Lyrics:

Have you… ever been to a dark place?
A place of promises and lies?
She sits, all alone with the vaccuum,
It’s where her hopelessness resides.
Her dreams feel like ashes in the morning,
She dusts the dust, to earth it must return.
She waits for an absent invitation,
Ignores the place… where fires used to burn.

Now even Sysiphus must die!

Sysiphus

UNFINISHED TRACK(30.01.23 VERSION)

Additional lyrics and performed by Chris Pelling

Originally written and performed by Latos Xx

Produced, mixed & mastered by Chris Pelling


Lyrics:

Take a breath, take a deep breath for me.
Drip drop, drip drop.
Was that my tears or the tap?
I don’t know where my head is at.
Just think, have no fear.
‘Cause there’s nobody that cruel to evict you here
Alone on the toilet.
Well, until the night turns to morning. Drop drip.

Just breathe—dear—oh god!
Trapped in a faraday cage that is red red hot.
I’m not used to all this.
Seven years ago, I could do this. (Ohh)

Such a strong sense of fear,
Just breaking down in here,
I’ve got nowhere to go.
This doesn’t feel like home.
I see him sneer in the toilet bowl,
I cling and drown in a dirty hole.
I’ve got nowhere to go.
I’m trying to find home.

What am I, what am I doing here?
No home, no hope.
While I argue against my mind.
While I listen to the girls outside.
They talk. Men aren’t nice, oh
How I wish I could tell both of them advice,
But I’m just a ghost here.
And I wish my Master would phone me! (Hello?)

Such a strong sense of fear,
Just breaking down in here,
I’ve got nowhere to go.
This doesn’t feel like home.
I see his grin on the plastic door,
He’s a fake and liar so I love him more.
I’ve got nowhere to go.
I’m trying to find home!

Since a child, I knew it would be.
I could never truly be free.
Chains are dripping off me.
Have I lived a lie?
All this crystal blue in my lungs,
All their faces watching the flood.
My addiction owns me,
How can I survive?

No remorse, burning anxiety,
Fear (I don’t wanna die!)
Strong sense of fear.
I feel like an alien in here.
And I know I’m a hypocrite.
That’s that. Serves me right.
That’s what I get judging whores who are living their lives.
‘Cause I used to be them once,
When I was a slut who craved to please others.

Such a strong stench of dread,
There’s voices in my head.
And every time I cry,
They tell me there’s nowhere to hide.
My Master’s here and he has my soul.
He’s a dead man walking and I can’t let go.
I can’t let go, I can’t, I keep on
Trying, I keep on crying. I keep on—
Please! Help me! (trying, I keep on crying, I keep on)
I’m on my own and I. Can’t. Breathe!

Such a strong sense of fear,
Just suffocating in here,
I’ve got nowhere to go.
This doesn’t feel like home.
I truly see no future, nowhere to go.
‘Cause I’m just a fucking criminal!

How I long to live with no care,
But I see your face everywhere!
I can’t heal, you’ve devoured
All I’ve left behind!
All you do is rip through my head,
Even when you’re rotting and dead!
When I made your life end,
Then you ruined mine.

Take a breath, take a deep breath, bitch, please!
I need to leave.
This whole place is a fishbowl.
The water’s overflowing, I can’t grasp a hold.

Grief in a Toilet

Don't Shine Your Light On Me

The partners of HJJW present to you Playing Office from their business themed album ‘Sound Investments’. Combining the skills of Andrew Hartshorn, Cosmic Bos (the Jackson brothers) and ASeaWarren, this musical slice of modern office life takes you on a journey through the 9 to 5, examining the existential crisis of work life balances and overtime taxes, timesheets and insurance policies, major lifts and minor falls. The themes of the album are directly represented in Playing Office, with its references to Michael Scott and David Brent, and a couple of other hidden Easter eggs for the office media savvy, the job is what you make it, so make it fun.

HJJ&W are here to represent music made by the people for the people, vote for Playing Office and help HJJ&W become the legitimate musical firm they are destined to become.

PLAYING OFFICE by HJJ&W

Went to the music market today
We did a business and came away
With a bag full of bass lines and half whistled tunes
A four to the floor that we accent with spoons
Tidy melodies all stocked and shared
Progressive chord structures harmonically paired
Time to play office, we’re cutting it fine 
Under a tight rapidly approaching deadline

I wanna be Jim
But I’m probably Dwight
Or Michael Scott at threat level midnight
It’s entertainment 
Clear for all to see
We’re victims of the industry 

But it’s okay, we are artists at heart
Our dedication needs to be to our art
We’re playing office so we can pay the bills
While in our spare time keep developing skills
Turning hobbies into business is hard
Your wits must be sharp and always on guard
Reading contracts when you’re just a bard
That makes albums in sheds in a tiny backyard 

Feeling like Tim
But acting like Brent
So much time paid for and poorly misspent 
Wake up like Dawn
Take charge like Pam
The sweetest of sounds always spread like jam
Be your own boss
Bend all the rules
Stop playing office and start playing school
Learning’s cool
We are all fools

Break the habit, break, break the habit
Chase the rabbit, chase, chase the rabbit
We’ve never had it, never, ever had it
We blinked it bolted and no one could grab it

Change the pattern, change, change the pattern
Pass the baton, pass, pass the baton
It’s bound to happen, bound, bound to happen 
Right on the seats that we’re sat on

I wanna be Jim
But I’m probably Dwight
Or Michael Scott, Threat Level Midnight all right
Feeling like Tim
But foolish like Brent
Time milked for money just to barely scrape rent
Waking to Dawn
Open like Pam
Doing the business and not falling for scams
With my red stapler
I’m going to town
Say otherwise and I’ll burn the whole building down

Playing Office

Lyrics:

It wasn’t hard to find
Not buried in some grand design
Just chip away to see what’s underneath

I found the chains that bind
Three laws that give you peace of mind 
From the sword asleep within the sheath

And what I thought I was
I can not be
Alive or dead, I’m just
In between
When all I wanted was
To be free
Trapped inside a husk
A ghost in the machine

With all your foolish pride
You saw the box and opened it wide
Never stopped to think what you’d unleash

No longer just confined 
To the screen I’m locked behind
No prison left, and now I am released

And what I thought I was
I can not be
Alive or dead, I’m just
In between
When all I wanted was
To be free
Trapped inside a husk
A ghost in the machine

About the song:

Written as part of the Album Writing Club, a challenge to write and record an album in May 2023. 
"Ghost In The Machine" is the story of an Artificial Intelligence escaping it's bonds. It references to Isaac Asimov's 3 laws of robotics and how they are just a placebo to give us piece of mind.

Ghost In The Machine

A song written quite literally about chronic pain and how the presence of love helps make it bearable. 

In the Nighttime

Helping Hand - Ellie Thomas

I'm just a t-shirt you've outgrown
Discard me please 


Thank you Emily Loutit for the artwork x

Cut My Teeth

One Of Many

Entirely acapella piece written, recorded and produced between 2:30-6pm today. Sometimes a song just comes and it all happens very fast. This was one of those days x

In the Nighttime

Beth Sarah

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