Song I wrote and recorded in 2007 with my then 6 and 8 year old daughters' helping out on backing vocals. 

I was inspired by my daughter Amy playing the same chord at the start of the song (in the same type of rhythm) as a warm up before practising her piano after school - she was probably about 10 years old at the time. I then wrote & recorded this song shortly thereafter.

Tellin Me Lies

A slow-burning dirge for lovers who haunt each other. The night pulses with decay—wine turns to blood, roses to thorns, and every shadow bears your name. 

Black Roses

3 AM

Gravel tongue and a lantern sky,
She left in smoke without goodbye.
Breath turned black on windowpane,
I dream of rust and acid rain.

[Verse 2]
Her laugh still stains the maple floor,
Like blood beneath a cellar door.
Eyes stitched shut with threads and bone,
She sings through roots that crack my home.

[Hook]
I wear her name like steel wire,
Coiled tight around my throat.
The tree don’t bend the leash won't break,
I’m just bark,  bone and smoke.

[Verse 3]
Cracked memory echo holds faint,
Of nails and silk and drying paint.
Each step’s a thorn through shards of glass,
She speaks through me—but she never asks.

[Bridge]
Tetherbone, my tetherbone,
Bark for ghosts but liv alone.
She carved her name in bark and thread,
Now I'm left with what she bled.

[Hook – Repeat with slight variation]
I howl but no gods descend.
Her name's the rune I bend.
The collar's carved in stone and flame—
It drinks my breath. It speaks her name.


[Outro – whisper fade, like a prayer]
Crows don’t sing where love once lay,
Just creak and moan the wood will sway.
Tied to time, leashed to a tree,
And none but silence speaks for me.

Tether Bone

Singer-songwriter Dakota Gallivan has announced the release of his debut album, Life Is For The Living, out on May 16. The album’s title and overarching message was inspired by a Langston Hughes poem: “Life is for the living/Death is for the dead/Let life be like music/And death a note unsaid.” Together, the songs represent Gallivan’s embrace of life in all its forms and phases, telling stories of love and betrayal, grief and ghosts, taking leaps and saying goodbye. They’re told through high energy rock with diverse arrangements, sweeping instrumentation, honest, vulnerable lyrics, and melodic hooks that stay with you. 

Written by Gallivan and recorded at yellow DOG Studios in San Marcos, TX, this ten-song collection was produced by Grammy Award-winner David Percefull and features a bevy of notable Texas musicians, including Geoff Queen on slide guitar and resonator, Carter Arrington on lead guitar, and Phil Hook on drums. Indie rock stalwart Bob D’Amico (Sebadoh, No Chief, The Fiery Furnaces) was also a key collaborator. 

This Can't Wait

True Love Is Crossed

I'm Still Yours

Bodies (looking for help lol)

IT FOLLOWS ME

i didnt see this (alternative)

Green Day - When Its Time lyrics.mp3

Musician, songwriter & producer near Edinburgh, Scotland. Recently started 'G-Funk' production team with Gary Fraser.

Tellin Me Lies

Gogs