The Live Set

Recorded in Transmission Rooms studios with my dear friends, The Durtburds

Wash it Away

An early Durtburds recording in Orion Studios.

Everywhere looks different
I’m told it’s not, It’s where I spent
My waking hours before we broke up 
Sleeping hours before I woke up

I used to shy away from trying
Things I didn’t know and now I
Think I want to try it all I 
Care less if I fly or fall

Chorus 1:
It’s like everything has changed
Transformed and rearranged
But I realise the world’s the same
And it’s me, it’s me who’s changed.
I’m like Alice in a maze

Secret games and secret smiles
Things have started to grow wild
What was dull is getting brighter
What was dark is getting lighter

Perception paints my picture out
Perspective changes things about
What was grey is now in colour
What was empty now is fuller

Chorus 2:
I’m like Alice in a maze
I’m confused and I am dazed
I kind of think I know this place
But the mirror shows me an unfamiliar face, like Alice in a Maze
I’m like Alice in a maze

Bridge
I have changed
I see that so clearly now
Opportunity abounds
My feet won’t touch the ground

Alice in a Maze

All arrangement, instrumentation, production, mixing and magic dust by  the astoundingly talented and very patient @jambrains  

Verse 1:
You think you know what's going on but you don't 
You call it out so that I hear but I won't 
Never learn don't you see you've gotta let it be 

She's mine you've got to see that it's so
She's fine I swear it's time to let go
When will you realise that we all know you’re spreading lies 

Chorus:
Hands off she's mine
Really she's fine 
Go find yourself a new obsession 
Take your love away
Take your love away
Cos it’s not helping 

Verse 2:
We've reached the point the damage is done 
When will you see that she's can’t be won 
Divide and conquer was your aim it was a losing game  

They’re so united it’s hard to break in
I know you tried but you could never really win
Can't break the bond, it's too strong

Chorus:
Hands off she's mine
Really she's fine 
Go find yourself a new obsession 
Take your love away
Take your love away
Cos it’s not helping

Bridge:
Couldn’t you be happy with what you had?
You had to push and push and push and make me mad
Step away now
Step away

Hands Off (She's Mine) feat. Jambrains

Again @martimedia has taken my tracks and worked his magic on a mix. Bruce plays bass....

Verse 1:
You catch me unawares
As I listen again and again
Your words touch me deeply 
In a way that I don't comprehend

I didn't know what I was feeling
Till I found you
I was blissfully melancholic
My sadness unassumed


Chorus:
If I don't know I'm hurting
Does it mean that I'm fine?
And if you don't know I hear you
How can I make you mine?


Verse 2:
Push past my defences
My sword and my shield
I was fooling myself so completely
With lies ingrained and lies believed

Pierced by the weapons you wielded
Your words and your voice
Pared away my illusions
And exposed my every choice

Chorus:
If I don't know I'm hurting
Does it mean that I'm fine?
And if you don't know I hear you
How can I make you mine?


M8
I can't turn you off again
Now you're playing in my head
You can't unsay, I can't unhear
The things you said


Chorus:
If I don't know I'm hurting
Does it mean that I'm fine?
And if you don't know I hear you
How can I make you mine?

If You Don't Know

Awfully Keen

Recorded with the fabulous Durtburds in Transmission Rooms in Drumlish, in May 2016. This mix by the wonderful @jambrains

Verse 1:
Do what I say, don’t do it that way
Stand up, sit down, watch me change it all around 
Look down, Look up, eyes open, eyes shut
Hands under your chin lean out, lean in 

Chorus:
I know who I want you to be
So lean in and trust me
I know who I want you to be
So lean in and trust me

Verse 2:
Walk tall, walk straight, head back, don't wait
Be proud, be shy, work hard but don’t try.
Open up, speak less, be clear, make them guess
Be Something to everyone and everything to no-one

Chorus:
I know who I want you to be
So lean in and trust me
I know who I want you to be
So lean in and trust me

Bridge:
It’s inside out 
I’m in, you’re out 
You might be the one they need
But they see me as the hand that feeds

Chorus:
I know who I want you to be
So lean in and trust me
I know who I want you to be
So lean in and trust me

Lean In

All fab guitar and bass tracks provided by @rosarius (guitar) and Bruce (bass). 

Verse 1:
Not deep and meaningful just real
A chance is lost to tell you how I feel
As I cover up the gaping hole you miss
My smile is just a curving of my lips

Pre-chorus:
The great pretence
My last defence
You see I'm hiding
And every day
Is a chance to say
Please come and find me

Chorus:
And I'll open up a crack
Let a little sadness out
Not enough to push you back
Just enough to show you what I'm all about
Look in my eyes
And you will see this time
You knew me only half as well as I knew you

Verse 2:
As I carry out my daily work by rote
The date passes yearly without note
A testament to being in control
You assume the loss it, took so little toll

Pre-chorus:
So bloody hard
Not to discard
What won't define me
And every day 
Is a chance to say
Please try and find me

Chorus:
And I'll open up a crack
Let a little sadness out
Not enough to push you back
Just enough to show you what I'm all about
Look in my eyes
And you will see this time
You knew me only half as well as I knew you

Open Up a Crack

Isolation is my protection from the world pushing through
Shutting down seems like the easier thing to do
I close my eyes and cover my ears to lock the past away
You keep telling me that's a battle I'll lose every day

Why should I listen to you
Listen to you
Why should I listen to you
Listen to you
Listen to you

So many years getting away from the life I knew before
So many faces lost to me now, I don't want to see them any more
You say that I should throw wide open the windows to the past
But you had dreams and I had nightmares and a fear built to last

Why should I listen to you
Listen to you
Why should I listen to you
Listen to you
Listen to you


The world is full of bleeding hearts needing salvation
But not me
Shut down time is my safety line,
My sanctuary
Go spend your time on some other poor soul
Don't borrow my trouble to make you feel whole
Make you feel whole, make you feel whole, make you feel




Why should I listen to you
Listen to you
Why should I listen to you
Listen to you
Listen to you

Listen to You

Big thanks to Bruce on bass and Ian on lead guitar..

Say nothing to no-one
Let's keep our secret safe
Temptation is strong I know
And you just want to share

But once you put our story in the wind
It's there for good
Come let's savour every second while we can
Don't spoil the mood

Close your eyes, close your eyes, close your eyes
And lie with me
And I'll close my eyes, close my eyes, close my eyes
And dream we're free

Keep the curtains closed my love
Don't let in the light
So we won't know when morning comes
To bring an end to this night

Come a little close to me
And whisper my name
Let me feel the warmth of your skin
And you can do the same

Close your eyes, close your eyes, close your eyes
And lie with me
And I'll close my eyes, close my eyes, close my eyes
And dream we're free

Is it this good cos nobody knows
And does it get better as the danger grows
You see I've never known a fire like this before
But one false move and our love's exposed

So close your eyes, close your eyes, close your eyes
And lie with me
And I'll close my eyes, close my eyes, close my eyes
And dream we're free

Close Your Eyes

BVs by the lovely Emma J

How could you do it right in front of me
You told me I was special that you'd never leave
You took her hand so gently as you dropped mine like a stone
You promised me forever yet I'm sitting here alone

Cold hands, cold hands, cold heart
Cold hands, cold hands, cold heart
I never saw the change in you until we were already apart
Cold hands, cold hands, cold heart

What changed in me for you to see me differently
To dull the wonder in your eyes when you look at me
To silence all the compliments that came so easily
Are the promises you keep for her the ones you broke on me

Cold hands, cold hands, cold heart
Cold hands, cold hands, cold heart
I never saw the change in you until we were already apart
Cold hands, cold hands, cold heart

The shock has faded now at last
You're a feature of my past
I wouldn't believe it
If I hadn't seen it
The person you've become is one you swore you'd never be 

Cold hands, cold hands, cold heart
Cold hands, cold hands, cold heart
I never saw the change in you until we were already apart
Cold hands, cold hands, cold heart

Cold Hands

It's not the losing that I hate
It's the constant hope that's killing me
As I pick myself up off the floor 
I find I want to try once more
I close my ears to logic
Cos the odds are not what's willing me on
It's my crazy stubborn need to show you
I'm the one who wants it most

Watch me lose my mind in pursuit of my soul
Seek perfection but want so much more
As I chase unattainable goals
I walk away alone

It's not the winning that I crave
It's the fear of giving up that's driving me
So what if my delusion gets  right under your skin
Don't you know that I am happily ignoring 
All of your advice for me
Cos I'd rather own my failures
And listen to my sage within

Watch me lose my mind in pursuit of my soul
Seek perfection but want so much more
As I chase unattainable goals
I walk away alone

I'll walk my walk
And you won't stop me
Just sit back, enjoy the ride
To know best 
Must be a burden
Throw it off and take my side

Watch me lose my mind in pursuit of my soul
Seek perfection but want so much more
As I chase unattainable goals
I walk away alone

Lose My Mind

If you ever smile, will it reach your eyes?
You play the serious, the grave
It’s a cover you create 
Something’s hidden in the way
You take me gently with such care
Like I’ll break if you let go
What is it I have not been told
Have you been on this earth before?
How did it end, or should I know?

Please hold me tight tonight, my love
And tell me what you fear
I promise I will fight for you 
Tell you what you need to hear
Whatever demons threaten you
Must reckon first with me
Cos I won’t let you go before
The darkness disappears

I know your laughter it can ring
And your lilting voice will sing
If your darkness ever lifts 
As you cast the past adrift
I’ll be right here to k eep your place
As you float through time and space
To where you finally are free
To come back home to me
Cos you’ve been on this earth before
This time the ending’s one I know

Please hold me tight tonight, my love
And tell me what you fear
I promise I will fight for you 
Tell you what you need to hear
Whatever demons threaten you
Must reckon first with me
Cos I won’t let you go before
The darkness disappears

We can miss or we can score
The time is ours to take and hold
The past is gone, our future clear
If we dare to promise what we dream

Please hold me tight tonight, my love
And tell me what you fear
I promise I will fight for you 
Tell you what you need to hear
Whatever demons threaten you
Must reckon first with me
Cos I won’t let you go before
The darkness disappears

Whatever demons threaten you
Must reckon first with me
Cos I won’t let you go before
The darkness disappears

Hold Me Tight

All songs on channel are original and copyright of Karen O'Mahony (c). 

You'll find me also here in my collaboration project with Johan Alm https://soundcloud.com/ashesfordreams

The Live Set

monno