And You Sin

Endless Soul

Through substance and through witchery
Is this all the young man sees?
Ignores her silenced plea 
To focus on her beauty

She's dead and useless now 
And her story's untold to the world
No longer sees the four grey walls, 
Or the shadows through a tiny door
Engraved in a wooden boat
With stone, is her name she wrote
But he just looks above her throat 
And her face is all he cares about

You might look but you don't see me 
I'm not this layer of skin 
And you might touch but you can't feel me
I'm not this layer of skin 
I'm stored with, stored within 
I'm stored within my skin

Not the first won’t be the last
He hasn’t noticed he’s looked past
That this sweet breath is now her last 
It’s a curse that mother nature cast
What a story what romance 
He loves her with just one glance 
Oh why is it this feeble stance 
Is seen throughout the greatest arts? 

You might look but you don't see me 
I'm not this layer of skin 
And you might touch but you can't feel me
I'm not this layer of skin 
I'm stored with, stored within 
I'm stored within my skin

This is our lot I’m told
A bleak future for me unfolds 
The blood running through my veins turns cold
I think of how I’ve already grown 

My skin has thickened and my face is still 
But I’m a woman and all I do is feel 
Oh where’s that child she was so pure 
I can’t find her in me anymore 
I Want to love but it’s just so hard 
To pull this façade apart 
And I miss her and it makes me cry 
And I see it in my mother’s eyes 

She sees me as when I was born 
And the love she holds has never worn 
Consistent and it’s never slack 
And the weight of it would break your back 
I’m not half the woman that she’s always been 
But I am her and she was me 
She feels my pain it’s hers she sees
And her knowing eyes watch over me 

You might look but you don't see me 
I'm not this layer of skin 
And you might touch but you can't feel me
I'm not this layer of skin 
I'm stored with, stored within 
I'm stored within my skin

I'm Not This Layer Of Skin

Written by Yvonne McDonnell
Produced/recorded/mixed by Kyle from All Cats Are Beautiful (band)
Violin by Maria Kroon

‘Mud’ reflects the vulnerability felt when trying to stand up against people who put you down. In a society that can be so rigid in its perception of what’s considered ‘normal,’ it can be difficult to be yourself. It explores the darker side of constantly fighting against wanting acceptance and the loneliness that comes with personal acts of rebellion. Towards the end of the song, the message is that people’s negativity is usually a reflection of their own insecurities and deep down we know our worth, and so we press on. Mud simply takes a moment to acknowledge the struggle.

Keep Me Pure

New single 'Mud' out on 13/9/2019.

List of supporters include BBC 6 Music, BBC Radio Scotland, Sofar Sounds and more.

'London folk artist Yvonne says she takes inspiration from the likes of Janice Joplin, Joy Division, Nina Simone, BRMC, Johnny Cash, Tracy Chapman, Joan Armatrading, Perfume Genius and Nick Cave, and while lists such as these can often do little more than cause a skeptical eyebrow to rise, somehow I can hear a little of them all in just this one track. Quite something!' - Fresh On The Net

'There are many out there trying to communicate but few are able to do it with such ease and natural articulation. As a songwriter, Yvonne seems to have inherited something from a bygone era, when pop songs were works of art in themselves, more than just forms of wall-paper and entertainment.' - Chaos Theory Music

Yvonne McDonnell Music