Meet me at the station, let's take the ferry to the Eye, 
The port is so alive, it almost feels like we’re in a dream, 
You have been such a special friend, 
You welcomed me here, you lent me your ears, 
But now it's time for our ship to haul-in. 
Pull up the sails! 
Raise all the bridges! 
Here comes The Nightingale! 
Set sail for Cadiz! 
It seems so strange, you brought out the best in me, 	 
As I wandered these streets, 
It seems so strange, I left a little part of me, in your  
Psychogeography, oh, oh-oh 
We laugh, we love, we live in a beautiful city, 
It's an international situation, we live in a beautiful city. 
Like all good things this feeling may never last, 
This city is built on the memories of those that pass through, 
Like the light that scatters on the Prinsengracht tonight, 
Nothing really matters, life’s a party of Mad Hatters. 
And now it's time for our ship to haul-in. 
Pull up the sails! 
Raise all the bridges! 
Here comes The Nightingale! 
A new port is calling. 
It seems so strange, you brought out the best in me, 	 
As I wandered these streets, 
It seems so strange, we drowned our purgatories,  
In your tributaries, oh, oh-oh 
We laugh, we love, we live in a beautiful city, 
It's an international situation, we live in a beautiful city.

We Live In A Beautiful City

We Live in a Beautiful City

Puerto sol
Dawn's blue horizon
Feel the breeze 
Through the palm trees
Hear the gull's swooping call

Puerto sol
Out in the midday sun
Drink in flowers 
Of the fruits
That return each year

Hear the sound of the waves
That's worth living for
Hear the sound 
Of the waves run aground
Wash away the pain
That's worth living for

Puerto sol
Post-siesta lull
See the bees 
And the sparrows 
And the sailors
Catch their breath 

Puerto sol
In the evening swell
Feel the moon
White balloon
Play its tune
As we fall asleep

Hear the sound of the waves
That's worth living for
Hear the sound 
Of the waves run aground
Wash away the fear
That's worth living for
That's worth living for

Still from 1950s public domain home movie archival footage supplied by Internet Archive (at https://archive.org/details/010131-001) in association with Prelinger Archives.

Puerto Sol

Why don't you disappear, you are not my friend today,
Get off my TV screen, get out of my way.
You've been spinning lies like its 1984 all over again,
There's a million of us who are ready to march if you push us too far.

We need you to know,
We need you to love,
We need you to hold us tight again,
Will it will really happen?
Will you push the button?
Will you pull the trigger, this time?

No Deal* (Bonus Demo Track)

The Commander has told you to say goodbye,
We received a letter that stopped the pay cheques,
And now we have nowhere to go home to, nowhere to run,
We appealed the decision of our superiors,
Wondered why our birthplace made us inferior.

But you're not guilty, you were only following orders.
Oh don't feel guilty, for delivering their execution.
The Judge said "Not Guilty"...for plotting their termination.
We will take you to The Hague, and indict you before the United Nations.

The Commander has told you to let us go,
We received a letter that stopped the healthcare,
And now we have nowhere to go home to, nowhere to run,
We appealed the decision of our superiors,
Wondered why our birthplace made us inferior.

But you're not guilty, you were only following orders.
Oh don't feel guilty, for delivering their execution.
The Judge said "Not Guilty"...for plotting their termination.
It's not a war crime, but we'll take you to The Hague, and indict you before the United Nations.

Written, performed and produced by Stephen James Howard

The Commander Told You

Official lyric video available here: https://youtu.be/6jygjJ6g1N0

This ain't no warm embrace it's cold surrender
To the scarecrows and the bogeymen and the pretenders
I'm not feeling it like you do I'm not feeling it at all
So why are you pushing us against the wall?
Your numbers are swollen like a vein
You're swinging the polls to the right again

The island has let slip cast adrift
Its tossed in a sickening orbit
We don't recognise our homes and its cutting up our bones
So farewell to life beyond the cliffs
Stuck in a sickening orbit
Goodnight my love
Take me to the airport Europa
Take me to the airport Europa
Take me to the airport Europa
Take me into the air

This ain't no warm embrace it's cold surrender

Written, performed and produced by Stephen James Howard

Cold Surrender Again

They're knocking at the door for you baby
They want to take you away now baby
They're rounding up the ewes

We have ten minutes to take our things
Leave our homes and everything
They're rounding up the ewes

I won't let you go without me
I can't think of life without you, oh no
Never wanted to tear it all apart
And now we're leaving everything behind us again

Knocking at the door

We have ten minutes to take our things
Leave our homes and everything
They're rounding up the ewes

We are stateless and weightless
We are betrayed
By our father and our sisters
And our mother too!

I won't let you go without me
I can't think of life without you, oh no
Never wanted to tear it all apart
And now we're leaving everything behind us again

Music & lyrics: Stephen James Howard 
Vocals, guitars, keyboard & drum programming: Stephen James Howard 
Producer: Stephen James Howard 
Artwork: Brigitte Gualde

Leaving Everything Behind

It's going to take a lot to forgive you,
After all these years,
I don't know if I gotta keep trying,
But I'm dying to know,
Are you still there and do you think of us here?
And I'm anxious to know, oh do you think of us here?
Falling down,
Its so dark, dark
Trying to find my way home,
Trying to find my way home,
I know you don't know,
I know you don't know,
Where I hide, 
Where I lie,
Where I wait.
Hey old man, are you living or are you dust?
Hey old man, are you living or are you dust?
Hey old man, are you living or are you dust?
Hey old man, are you living or are you dust?
It hardly matters anymore when there is such distrust.

Music & lyrics: Stephen James Howard 
Vocals, guitars, & drum programming: Stephen James Howard 
Producer: Stephen James Howard 
Photo credits: Benny van der Plank

Dust

When the world turns upside down
We all reach for a safe space
There's a whole lot of death in the air
It's so hard to keep the faith
For forty days and forty nights
I dreamed of birds and open skies
Such endless days, such restless nights
Is this my last goodbye, my last dance?

I can't wait 'till the day that we're on that road again
Crossing borders, the days are getting shorter
As we head for the sun
Oh we still wanna be someone
And we head for the south and follow where the swallows go

I can't wait 'till the day that we're on that road again
Crossing borders, the days are getting shorter
As we head for the sun
Oh we still wanna be someone
And we head for the south and follow where the swallows go

When the world turns upside down
We all reach for a safe space
There's a whole lot of death in the air
It's so hard to keep the faith
For forty days and forty nights
We dreamed of birds and open skies
Such endless days such restless nights
Is this our last goodbye, our last dance?
Is this our last goodbye?
Is this our last goodbye?
Is this our last goodbye?
Oh, is this our last goodbye?
Is this our last chance?
Is this our last dance?

Follow Where The Swallows Go

Follow Where The Swallows Go (Instrumental Version)

Come Back When It's Over (Instrumental Version)

We may be sheltered, 
But we're shattered by the rains,
The climate is changing,
Our crops have failed again this year,
We’re not seeing too many birds around here,
It seems we’re in danger.

Can we come back, when it’s over?
Let’s start again, when the winter’s gone, oh.
It’s not over 'til it’s over,
I lean on your shoulder and try to carry on.

We found refuge but the torrent is breaching its banks,
The delta is swirling,
We’ve lost a few unlucky souls, 
Caught out by the undertow or the waves,
We should stay together!

Can we come back when it’s over?
Let’s start again when the winter’s gone.
We'll be older, when it’s over,
But we’re no pushover, we keep hanging on,
Hanging on.
 
Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on,
Hold on,
Hold on,
Hold on.

Come Back When It's Over

Instrumental version of "Dust" for sync use. Contact tenkatestraattheband@gmail.com for further information.

Dust (Instrumental Version)

Amsterdam & Geneva-based Brit, Stephen J. Howard, "slides buffed-up Morrissey vocal inflections through a late 80’s guitar-pop/slight post-punk juxtaposition, that is as unusual as it is beautiful." Janglepophub review of "Come Back When It's Over" 10/11/2020
"Excellent music.." Norman B (https://lifeelsewhere.co/2019/12/12/a-conversation-with-ten-katestraat/)
"An abundance of headphone moments on the one track & an absolute fine piece of music" Alice Peter-Burns (NOVUMfm.de);
"Fantastic!" Christian John (RadioWigwam.co.uk);
"This is absolutely gorgeous. Has let some light into our world today" (EverythingIndieOver40.com)

A Brexit refugee and former street busker, Stephen rebooted his music career after playing his defiant political songs at the Amsterdam Songwriters' Guild Cafe de Koe openmic in 2017. After single releases in 2019 & 2020 that gained international radio play, the band turned to recording at their tiny home studio in Amsterdam, releasing lockdown songs "Follow Where The Swallows Go", "Come Back When It's Over" and "We Live In A Beautiful City". "Puerto Sol", recorded in Geneva, will be released on 3rd June 2022.

Influences include Neil Young, Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits, Jeff Buckley, Jacques Brel, Sonic Youth, Johnny Marr and Radiohead.

Profile photo thanks to Nicola Evans. Image gallery photo thanks to Benny Van Der Plank.

Ten Katestraat

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