Love the rhythm on this. Very cool arrangement with the build up to the fuller mix. Nice guitars too from Ross and a very wonderful sounding organ - brilliantly played. Fabulous!

I've always recognized this song but never knew anything about it, it's title, or the backstory and lyrics. This is an awesome tune that I see in such a different light now. The Instrumentation, vocals, your back up vocals, the mixing, mastering, and production is top shelf. Awesome work. And love the organ around 3:15. You always know that will get my ears to perk up 🤣

This must be the coolest rendition of this song since Zap Mama did it. Thoroughly enjoy it!

Smithe Pleasant little sound—feels good to stay · mute-fuse

He told me he would ‘love me always’ but that was a lie! This song is about freedom. About walking away when things don’t feel right. 

I have thought about this song for such a long time. I wanted to write something that wasn’t just another song, but something that gave you hope.
This is the song you play when you suddenly doubt yourself. It’s the song you play for courage to walk away from something or someone. 
It’s the song you play at night when you are alone with your thoughts, and the voice in your head casts doubt on your most difficult decision. 
Karma!

Lyrics - 

It’s only been a month
Anniversary 
Enough was enough
I set myself free

I’m calling your bluff 
I’m sure your ex would agree 
Remember you told me she was crazy 
Learning a lot about you lately 

Turns out we’ve both heard the same empty promise 
Scars in all the same places
Everyday you’d say i’ll love you always 
Everyday LYA

You said this love was for the rest of your life 
Warning signs yeah they couldn’t get any higher
I should have seen it coming in those eyes 
Set your promise on fire  
Guess that makes you a liar 


Was good while it lasted 
Said nobody ever 
One day I might come back to ya
How about never 

Still feel it in my gut 
Sure your ex would agree 
Remember you told me she was crazy 
Learning a lot about you lately 

Turns out we’ve both heard the same empty promise 
Scars in all the same places
Everyday you’d say i’ll love you always 
Everyday LYA

You said this love was for the rest of your life 
Warning signs yeah they couldn’t get any higher
I should have seen it coming in those eyes 
Set your promise on fire  
Guess that makes you a 
L.Y.A.

L.Y.A (Love you always) (Liar)

On special order for some dear friends over in the US - Josh Groban's 2018 song "Granted".

Happy Thanksgiving my dears, and I hope you'll enjoy both the song and the celebrations.

Granted (Josh Groban)

We’re in the process of replacing early demos with more developed mixes of the songs. First up is ‘The Physical Laws’. An alt-country anthem with driving synths, violin and rhythm. Hope you enjoy

The Physical Laws

Written and performed by Bluebird
Produced by Richard Brown

It's a funny life, I can see it in your eyes
What's wrong is right
If you look up faith it's a lot to take
the messages in the pain

Hold it and you'll see
the light in the dark side of me
When you look away to forget your pain
Promise you won't stay

Promise that you surrender
Promise that you remember
Promise that you get better
Promise that you surrender
Surrender, Surrender,surrender,surrender

Breathe light into me, cause there's light in the dark side of me
When you lost your way and forget your name
Promise you'll hold on too

Promise that you surrender
Promise that you remember
Promise that you get better
Promise that you surrender
Surrender, Surrender,surrender,surrender

Promise that you surrender
Promise that you remember
Promise that you get better
Promise that you surrender



Promise

The Five Heaps We Cling To

Then gently he spoke
In silence deep
Of the five illusions
The heart must release

First, he said, Form 
This body of clay
Born of dust
Soon fades away

Mountains crumble
Rivers dry
The mirror shatters
Yet none die

For what we call I
Is but a wave
Rising and falling
On an empty cave

Second, he said, Feeling 
Sweet or sore
Pleasure and pain
We crave for more

But each sensation
Comes and flies
Like wind on water
It never stays

If you chase delight
You’ll taste its sting
Release your grasp
And the heart will sing

Third, he said, Perception’s veil
The dream we weave
The tales we hail
Naming, judging

Calling real
Yet all reflections
On the wheel
We paint the world
With thoughts untrue
And bind ourselves
By the mind’s own view

Fourth, he said, Formations — mind
Desire and will
By karma twined
All our habits
Old and new

Plant the seeds
Of what we do
When wisdom sees
The roots beneath

The chain is cut
And the soul finds peace

Fifth, he said, Consciousness’ gleam
The flickering light
Behind the dream

It seems to shine
As “I” or mine
Yet rises with
Each sense’s sign

When clinging ends
It too will cease
No loss, no void
Just boundless peace

Then softly he smiled
With eyes so clear
No self to hold
No self to fear

All five heaps
Are but the play
Of dawn and dusk
Of night and day

Let go the wave
Embrace the sea 
This letting go
Is liberty

---

© tantrikas.com 2025
All rights reserved.
🎶 Explore more music and lyrics at tantrikas.com
🎶 GitHub - tantrikas-lyrics-published

-----
The Five Skandhas (Five Aggregates) describe the components of human experience according to Buddhist wisdom. Together, they explain how the sense of “self” is formed — and how it is ultimately impermanent.

Form (Rūpa)
The physical aspect of existence: the body, matter, and the material world as perceived by the senses.

Feeling (Vedanā)
Sensations arising from experience — pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral — before the mind labels or reacts.

Perception (Saṃjñā)
The mind’s ability to recognize, identify, and name experiences, shapes, sounds, thoughts, and emotions.

Mental Formations (Saṃskāra)
Intentions, habits, emotions, thoughts, and conditioned reactions shaped by past experiences and karma.

Consciousness (Vijñāna)
Awareness itself — the knowing of experience through the senses and the mind.

Together, the skandhas reveal that what we call the “self” is not a fixed entity, but a constantly changing flow of physical and mental processes. Recognizing this brings insight, freedom, and compassion.
-----

The Five Heaps We Cling To

Threads of the Same Sky

Still Hearing You is an atmospheric rock / melodic doom track built around solitude, distance, and the quiet weight of loss. Set in a cold, nocturnal soundscape, the song unfolds slowly, guided by restrained emotion rather than dramatic excess.

The arrangement blends soft, breathy male vocals with ethereal female vocals, forming a fragile duet where both voices drift between closeness and separation. Inspired by the introspective tone of modern Katatonia and the airy, emotional presence found in The Gathering, the vocals move in subtle harmonies and distant call-and-response lines, creating a sense of lingering connection.

Clean, delayed guitars, warm bass, and slow atmospheric drums shape a foggy, urban atmosphere, while subtle piano and pads add depth and space. The song opens with a lonely trumpet melody, echoing through the mix like a distant memory before the vocals emerge.

🌙 Still Hearing You is not about letting go —
it’s about learning to live with what remains.

Artist: Rui Prog
Genre: Atmospheric Rock / Melodic Doom
Mood: Cold • Melancholic • Nocturnal

Still Hearing You

Too Much * Instrumental

A re-interpretation of Brian Eno's song 'Third Uncle'
Originally released March 2025 - Remastered & Extended
___________________________________________________________

E-T-U

A fun and festive song for New Year's 2026! A new version of the New Orleans Mardi Gras folk tune Iko Iko (well known for it's catchy call-and-response chant). I'm joined on guitar by the brilliant Ross M from Australia. I'm  basically on everything else. Enjoy! 😎✌️🎵🎵🎵

From Wikipedia: "Iko Iko"  is a much-covered New Orleans song that tells of a parade collision between two tribes of Mardi Gras Indians and the traditional confrontation. The song, under the original title "Jock-A-Mo", was written and originally released in 1953 as a single by James "Sugar Boy" Crawford and his Cane Cutters. The all girl group The Dixie Cups scored a hit and popularized it in 1965. It has since been adapted and covered by many artists, including The Grateful Dead, Dr. John, The Belle Stars (for the Rain Man movie soundtrack), Cindi Lauper, and recently by Justin Wellington. 

Lyrics:
My grandma and your grandma
Sittin' by the bayou
My grandma told your grandma
I'm gonna set you flag on fire

Chorus: Talkin' about hey now (hey now!)
Hey now (hey now!)
Iko, Iko, unday
Jockomo feeno ah na nay
Jockomo feena-nay!

Look at my King all dressed in red
Iko, Iko, unday
I bet you five dollars he will kill you dead by
Jockamo feena-nay

Chorus (2x)

My flag boy and your flag boy
Sittin' by the bayou
My flag boy told your flag boy
I'm gonna set you flag on fire

Chorus (2x)

My little boy and your little boy
Sittin' by the bayou
My little boy told your little boy
I'm gonna fix your chicken wire

Chorus (4x)

Iko Iko

Weild well Daughter

Hi I'm Ross, and I'm a singer, musician, songwriter, and producer. Let's connect and share our creativity with one another!

"Let there be songs to fill the air..." Robert Hunter

Iko Iko

Ross Smithe

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