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Working With Your Hands

by Trevor Clawson

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1.
Night Bird 03:40
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That bird outside my window has been keeping me awake Confused by the street lights maybe - I don't know But he's singing like the sun is already up above the rooftops He's singing like he knows, it's a sin to be alone He's out there sitting on a street sign Making music for a warm night And nothing bout my state of mind makes any sense at all That's why I'm still awake at 2.00 am Listening to the night bird sing It was the kind of conversation I didn't want to have You said something deep is happening here I know you know it too But you and I lead different lives, we saw things different ways We were going different places, we had different points of view I started looking out for red lights Counting up the stop signs And nothing bout the two of us made any sense at all That's why I'm still awake at 2.00 am listening to the night bird sing It's never all that hard to find the things you want to find They're out there waiting for you, hiding in plain sight It's an easy thing to put the seeds of doubt in your own mind pull the thread and watch it all unwind I took that job that I was offered Bought a ticket got this room Put some miles between us, put a line across my life Tomorrow when the sun comes up I'll start a brand new day But right now it's just another sleepless night I started looking out for red lights Counting up the stop signs And nothing bout my state of mind makes any sense at all That's why I'm still awake at 2.00 am listening to the night bird sing I started looking out for red lights Counting up the stop signs And nothing but the two of us makes any sense at all That's why I'm still awake at 2.00 am listening to the night bird sing
2.
Clear Bright Morning 04:03
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A Clear Bright Morning I went out walking on my own Underneath a clear bright sky As the winter turned to spring I was breathing in the new life I felt the ground beneath my feet The road stretched in front of me I left my troubles far behind What would you pay for days like these I'm not afraid to say That I lost my way But every road I ever walked Has brought me here today On this bright morning I did some talking to myself I felt my restless spirit rise No more sorrow and regret Today I'm holding out for better times And it seems to me I've spent too long living in between The left and right the up and down and the things that might have been Unfinished conversations missed chances and goodbyes and goodbyes Misunderstandings and goodbyes This clear bright morning A morning when you seem to know Exactly where you need to go I'm not afraid to say That I lost my way But every road I chose to take Has brought me here today On this bright morning I've got your picture on my phone We were in a cafe hiding from the rain I was lost but now I'm found And I will never lose my way again Brought one step closer to finding you I
3.
Working With Your Hands 04:55
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Working With Your Hands I was thinking of a long-lost friend Don't know why he slipped into my mind We spent a summer on St Michael's Road That long-hot summer back in 85 He had this car that hardly worked at all Took it to pieces stripped the engine down I helped him out and when the work was through We'd talk and drink until the sun went down There's nothing like it when you're working with your hands Nothing like it - fixing something because you can There's nothing like it when you're working with your hands Fixing something Thinking you can fix most anything He but a book that showed him what to do set all the parts out neatly down on the floor Tried to work out where the fault was lying Tried to make it work like it did before There's nothing like it when you're working with your hands Nothing like it - fixing something because you can There's nothing like it when you're working with your hands Fixing something Thinking you can fix most anything There's nothing like it when you're working with your hands Nothing like it - fixing something because you can There's nothing like it when you're working with your hands Fixing something Thinking you can fix most anything He had this family that he never saw He showed me photographs of better days Two kids, eating icecream, down there on the shoreline Now he wonders how he let that good thing slip away All those auto parts laid out on the table Did you ever put them back to work again Fix that car and drive yourself to somewhere Did you find yourself a better place There's nothing like it when you're working with your hands Nothing like it - fixing something because you can There's nothing like it when you're working with your hands Fixing something Thinking you can fix most anything
4.
Constancy 04:44
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Constancy The evening star is on the rise Distant city lights are shining The western sky is red behind the tall trees The working day is done But the night's not yet begun Daylight fades and I imagine that you're here with me When we took our different roads I shrugged it off then I suppose And told myself you didn't mean that much to me You can tell yourself these lies They'll give you comfort for a while But as darkness starts to fall I think my life Is missing constancy It's how it is, the working man Gets by the best he can And tries to figure out just what it means to lead a worthwhile life Work that pays for food and rent And leaves you something you can spend Isn't asking for too much but it's getting hard to find God knows I got around I would never be tied down Always moved from job to job no need for certainty But these days I'm not so bold And I'm needing something more And as darkness starts to fall I think my life Is missing constancy Maybe it's the Christmas card you sent me that I kept Maybe it's the ticking of the clock out in the hall Maybe its this winter night And the sense of losing something without knowing what you've lost When you could have had it all These days I struggle to find sleep Or I get caught in restless dreams And wake up feeling that I've hardly closed my eyes There was this dream I had last night I felt you put your hand in mine And together we found something that felt like peace of mind. But I know what you would say If you were here today I could have had that better life you always promised me I have no argument with that I made choices good and bad But as darkness starts to fall I think my life Is missing Constancy
5.
Deep Deep Blue 05:00
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And so I'm walking by the water on a Monday afternoon I've got nowhere much to go and I've got nothing much to do The season's over for another year Seems that everything's asleep round here And that big old sun keeps shining And I'm looking out at deep, deep blue The kiosks selling ice cream on the streets have nearly all shut down John and Jane and Mario have packed their bags and gone back to their own towns My brother's on the phone, saying something's got to change We'll move on out to somewhere take the money that we've saved Catch a train and take our chances Break out from the deep, deep blue This town might be nothing much but it's all I've known These streets have all seen better days But they feel like home Playing pool in Breaker's Bar Fixing up my Dad's old car Right here, right now I'm thinking this is all that I need Maria worked down on the seafront, waiting tables at the Evergreen cafe And when our shifts were over, we'd walk the path on the bay We'd talk long into the night But when she left she hardly stopped to say goodbye She had other things to do And now it's deep, deep blue So hey I kissed a Spanish girl and right now I can't get her off my mind She sent a message from her phone and said Maybe we can meet again some time She's got a new job and a place that she can stay So come up for the weekend, we'll see if it works out Catch a train and take your chances Break out from the deep, deep blue his town might be nothing much but it's all I've known These streets have all seen better days But they feel like home Maybe someday I'll fly Maybe now is the time Cos right here, right now I'm thinking, she's all that I need ,
6.
The World We Build Tomorrow 03:54
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When all this is over Will anything have changed? Will we step out from our houses And find the pieces rearranged Will write a brand new story Sing a brand new song Or will we play the same old blues again And keep on keeping on We've been living through a real bad dream And some say that it’s time We listened to the wake-up call And changed our way of life When we seize that brave new morning When everything’s in play Will the world we build tomorrow Be better than today Will tomorrow's world be better than today We've been living through some hard times It's been tough some days and slow But there are people living in your town Hard times are all they've ever known Working two jobs maybe three jobs Never seem to makes end meet And there’s always someone saying That’s the way it has to be We've been living through a real bad dream All dreams come to an end So we call our friends and talk about The better times ahead When we seize that brave new morning When everything’s in play Will the world we build tomorrow Be better than today Will tomorrow's world be better than today And if there is a God up in the sky Looking down on me and you I think that all your God would say Is “look after one another Your sisters and your brothers That's all I've ever asked you folks to do
7.
The King of Burning Bridges 04:03
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The King of Lost Connections The town where you were born is probably doing fine without you The sun comes up each morning, the trains still run on time There's kids down in the park drinking warm beer after dark Hey there's no one left around here that you'd even recognise The places in your past are just dust and weed A wilderness where nothing good will grow All the battles that you've fought, all the battles that you've lost Only serve as a reminder, there's no point in walking down old roads And if helps you sleep at night, my brother that's OK So tell yourself some little lies if they get you through the day See you're king burning bridges I get it, that's your thing But when we start to talking reasons, why it has to be this way Don't believe I'm buying what you say The one that you let down most likely never thinks about you And nothing hurts forever - that's something we all know You think maybe sometime you should call and talk it through But what's the sense in stirring up old ghosts And if helps you sleep at night, my brother that's OK So tell yourself some little lies if they get you through the day See you're king burning bridges I get it, that's your thing But when we start to talking reasons, why it has to be this way Don't believe I'm buying what you say Hey my friend you always talked a good and righteous fight You'd break out of this little world, a case of do or die But somewhere down the line you just crash-landed on the street And too proud to ask for help, you sank deeper into trouble Until all you had was stubbornness and pride It's an easy thing just to walk away It's a harder thing to face up to yourself And the hardest part is going home with nothing left So you're better going somewhere, where there's nothing to explain
8.
Split Decision 04:11
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Split Decision The train has left the station No one's sitting on the seat that I reserved There's a docket with my name on Someone my guest that seat is going spare I know what you'll be saying, this is my worst mistake I had a chance to build a future and I've thrown it all away You could be right, she could be wrong But it was always hanging on a split decision There are choices that you make most every day And they don't mean too much at all You take the bus or drive, you drink coffee or you don't An easy call But there are choices that will turn your world around You have no way of knowing how those choices will work out They could be right they could be wrong sometimes it's hanging on a split decision The girl you didn't marry, the timing wasn't right The job you didn't take, the fight you didn't fight The roads you didn't walk that keep you wide awake at night The ghosts of people that you might have been All the places that you've never seen Each decision that you make is something gained But also something lost So you weigh the ups and downs, the pros the cons The benefits and costs Until there's nothing else to do but make your stand Roll the dice and wait to see just how they land And I've made my choice, I didn't catch that train that was going back to you I'm so sorry but I've made my choice, I didn't catch that train home to you It might be right it might be wrong but it was always hanging on a split decision It might be right it might be wrong but it was always hanging on a split decision
9.
A City by the Sea 05:55
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A City by the Sea American sailors are coming ashore Spending their money like water The Arkansas cowboy's been sick on his boots And feels like a stretcher case Got a letter in his pocket From a girl who says the love affair is through Funny you can love so much And never touch first base She was a girl from Illinois Who said ooh Frankie, darling You're my favourite boy He was a man who wanted to believe In the soft talk wine and candlelight A girl like her would wait around For a man like him in a city by the sea He remembers the words of that old man Jack Who fought in the second war Who said keep those nylon stockings Tight in your service kit And you can have any woman you want in England's green and pleasant land That was then this is now things have changed a little bit She was a girl from Illinois Who said ooh Frankie, darling You're my favourite boy He was a man who wanted to believe In the soft talk wine and candlelight A girl like her would wait around For a man like him in a city by the sea Now, Annie, she locks up her house and goes out walking She's been lonely too long and she needs some company Ten years of marriage that ain't too long She's still got time to see what she can see He was a man, who said he'd stay The kind of man you don't meet every day She thought that he would somehow set her free If he had only held it down If he had only stuck around With a wife and job in a city by the sea Now Annie and Frankie meet in a bar and they get on fine She tells him her grandmother almost was a GI bride Who made it as far as the docks and Southampton Then she lost her nerve You can throw away a life on a failure of nerve Now the pubs and the clubs are throwing the last of the few out on the street And the naval patrol is throwing the drunks in the back of the van And Frankie is safe in Annie's arms He's sleeping like a baby Calling out another woman's name She was a girl from Illinois Who said ooh Frankie, darling You're my favourite boy He was a man who wanted to believe In the soft talk wine and candlelight A girl like her would wait around For a man like him in a city by the sea
10.
No One Could Ever Say (That We Didn't Start A Fire) 04:19
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No Could Ever Say (That we didn't start a fire) The bells are ringing out from the cathedral The sun is going down, won't be long till it gets dark The evening starlight shines in the January sky The water's freezing over in the fountains in the park We've abandoned all our new year's resolutions Same thing every year, that's the way it seems to be The books we said we'd read lie unopened on the shelves We eat our TV dinners dream our coach potato dreams And I wonder when it was that we stopped trying And settled for whatever life we had But no one could ever say we didn't start a fire But no one could ever say we didn't start a fire But no one could ever say we didn't start a fire We started up a fire and then we let it burn away You're putting on your makeup by the mirror And putting on that dress, you wore for new year's eve It's a tonic for the eye but its trouble for the mind Because I don't think that you're wearing it for me And last night I had a dream of Amy She was standing in the kitchen as real as you or me She looked me in the eye and said you're letting yourself slide You should have stuck with me and lived a life less ordinary And she told that I could have been much braver The story of my life I said, she didn't even smile But no one could ever say we didn't start a fire But no one could ever say we didn't start a fire But no one could ever say we didn't start a fire We started up a fire and then we let it fade away We put our glad rags on and go out dancing To remind ourselves of better times and what we used to be We take a taxi home and look at out the snow I smile as I remember the first time that we met Another January in another lifetime We only shared a bed, I think, to keep us from the cold But no one could ever say we didn't start a fire But no one could ever say we didn't start a fire But no one could ever say we didn't start a fire Maybe somewhere it's burning still
11.
Through Billy's Eyes 03:35
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Through Billy's Eyes If you could see the world through Billy's eyes There are no shades of grey just black and white He doesn't go down to the pub, not anymore He keeps the windows closed and bolts the door Through Billy's eyes (repeat) If you could see the truth through Billy's mind A trace of empire feeling left behind He watched his son grow up, become a man And talk of things he doesn't want to understand Through Billy's eyes (repeat) Whatever happened to the old school tie Whatever happened to the way it used to be Now they're saying in the Sunday papers It's not safe at night to walk the streets Through Billy's eyes (repeat)

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released April 1, 2021

All songs written by Trevor Clawson

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Trevor Clawson Brighton, UK

Trevor Clawson is an Irish singer and songwriter, currently living and working in West Sussex. Described by Time Out as "One of the best songwriters around" he combines folk, blues and jazz guitar styles with narrative lyrics.

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