Swan and Wolf

Lyrics, music, acoustic guitar, vocals: Nathaniel Bellows
Bass: Malcolm Burn
Drums: Steve Decker
Electronics: Michael Hammond
Vocals: Shara Nova

Recorded and mixed by Brian Losch


LYRICS:

Well Water

No one believes it
none, not even me
The sword and the sequins
and the teething ring
One day you’ll leave here
(leave a light lit low)
and take a seat there
in the undertow
 
Drawing down
from deepest depths
I came to this
I came to this
And all those little lives
you flung like fists
Came to this
came from—
 
One single sum
the thumbprint smudged
the scene
Oh, and all that I want
is to plunge headlong
in the sea
Hey, no wonder, son,
that you’ve drawn everyone
when—
 
Here, I gained the lead
And here, it’s taken
from me
Like that one summer day
meant to celebrate,
well…
me
 
No one can see it
not a node I know
And the tortoise, the peach pit
the fallen undone robe
One day, you will reach it
(But when? How? Alone?)
Just to place a wreath there
at unknown’s stone
 
Drawing down
from deepest depths
I came to this
I came to this
And all those little lives
you flung like sweat
Came to this
came from—
 
Prove:
If it’s true,
I can tell
by who
you blame
Oh, and the more
I knew, well,
the less
I’ll choose
to say
Hey, take comfort,
son, with your
plum little trumpet—
 
Hear me
over the beat
Hear me
maim a mystery
Like that one holiday
with the lights
on the dying
tree…
 
—
 
Drawing down
from deepest
depths
I came to this
I came to this
And all those little lives
you hung like lamps
Came to this
Came from—
 
See?
Everything is spiraling,
sliding on?
Half a heart
Half a wit
Half a loaf
Hey, take a number, son,
for that punch
in the onion—
 
Who?
Who here now
will lead me
from the maze?
And who
flew through
these clouds to
seed them now
with rain?
How’d you do it,
though,
with that crew
of crows, singing:
“He’s our star,
our shame.”
 
Some you’ll lose
Some you win
Send balloons
Send the pin
Some say so soon
Some say it
will never end.
 
The end?
The end.

Well Water

Well Water (feat. Shara Nova)

My name is Nathaniel Bellows and I live in New York City. This is my cover of W.C. Handy's 1914 song,"Yellow Dog Blues."

Yellow Dog Blues - cover (W.C. Handy)

This is my cover of the great Kelly Clarkson's classic song, "Since U Been Gone."

Since U Been Gone -- Kelly Clarkson (Cover)

"The latest single from Bellows has a distinctly John Martyn feel to it. Atmospheric & entrancing." (FATEA)

"The New York singer-songwriter [Bellows] is found in a pensive mood contemplating what it is that makes us us, what it is to live, and what, if anything, is the purpose that we should be striving to find." (Americana UK)  

Well Water (feat. Shara Nova) (archive)

THE MOAT is a song-cycle that explores the inherent contradiction of what a "moat" is: A fortification of self-protection, safety, and autonomy? Or a defensive structure of isolation, alienation, and fear? The six songs in THE MOAT explore this complexity in a variety of sonic landscapes with emotional immediacy and linguistic rigor.

Bandcamp

Your Fault

True

Proof

That Too

Night in Day

Works for Me

The first track in Nathaniel Bellows' upcoming EP, 'The Moat.'

My stripped-down acoustic cover of "O Come, All Ye Faithful," where I'm attempting to explore the inherent loneliness the holiday season can create.

O Come, All Ye Faithful (traditional) (acoustic cover)

The Coventry Carol - Traditional

Keep In Mind
Words & Music by Nathaniel Bellows

Blame the lunacy
that comes over me
I was sold, you see,
long ago

And the bruise will be
how you’ll remember me
but like everything
it’s on loan

So let the feeling fade
like the man we made
made of things we saved
made of snow
Take the soul therein
take the skeleton
take the wreck I’ve been
let it go

Oh, the more you need it
the weakness deepens
I’ve been leaning away
from want

But I’ve seen the seabirds
flying seaward
all they need was
to know true north

Then the call went out
more a sigh than shout
more like dying while
the babe is born
then the seed was shot
I was seeing stars
and I stole your car
to be alone

Oh, but now it’s this
analogous
to the sound 
you’re missing most

And now see how 
it’s growing
So silent? So stoic?
The storm folded into
the stone 

Oh, somehow 
you knew it
like the ground 
intuits
every rise, 
every nuance
of plow

And the lie’s in place
to keep them all away
‘til you can raise up 
your face
and be proud

Be proud

Send a word or note
I can come back home
and in the land I love
I am known

Let me sleep and dream
like the serpentine
black and blue and green
down below

Swan and Wolf Masters

Keep in Mind

To Wait

Add to This

02/ How High
Featuring Timo Andres, piano

And in time 
I would decide
that a life 
designs a life
Who knows it?
Who knows it?
And the way of 
swan and wolf
I would say I 
need them both
because I love it
I love it

Here 
we have 
today
And here’s 
those days 
ahead
And here’s
the past 
unreachable
undead

And for all that 
inner peace
slow death by 
vanity
When you lose it
you will lose it
Or an argument 
for our souls
over souls of 
animals
Then prove it
just prove it

Here
we have 
the case
of fear 
unbound 
to fate
And I merely 
no, sincerely 
know my way

Come on, now
the secret’s out
the seed grew 
something dead
No wonder why
the college try
will leave you left
in debt

Now should we untie
this cord and cup?
Because it seems 
that well
was dry
Wouldn’t we be wise
to hold this up?

Say how high

How High

Only Love

This is a cover I did awhile ago of "Bright as Yellow" by The Innocence Mission. It seems that some people are listening to it a lot on my YouTube channel, so here's the MP3 for download. Thanks again for listening.

Bright as Yellow — The Innocence Mission Cover

This is a cover of Pink's song "What About Us?" (written by Pink, Steve Mac, and Johnny McDaid).

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