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One Of A Million Butterflies

by Retro Temple

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1.
Not Forever 03:29
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Not Forever ========= I will always miss you but I can’t cry forever, No, I can’t cry forever, no, no, no. I wish that I was with you but I can’t cry forever, No, I can’t cry forever, no, no, no. There are sometimes things that cannot mend, And everything beginning has to end, I just hope you’re out there somewhere, Playing with your friends, I hope you’re singing, Hope you’re finding peace again. I’ll always be grieving but I can’t cry forever, No, I can’t cry forever, no, no, no. I’ll not stop believing but I can’t cry forever, No, I can’t cry forever, no, no, no. This little heart is looking for its wings, The world is so unkind to gentle things, I just hope that someday you may, Cut loose from your strings, A new beginning, Hope you find a song to sing. I will always miss you but I can’t cry forever, No, I can’t cry forever, no, no, no. I wish that I could kiss you but I can’t cry forever, No, I can’t cry forever, no, no, no.
2.
Waiting For A Miracle 03:50
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Waiting for a miracle ================ We’re out of time, where have you been? Staring out across the water, waiting to be seen. My heart’s down at the reservoir it seems, Chasing down a miracle, That’s just beyond my means, Chasing down a miracle. There’s seven stones, Thrown in the sea, They carry seven wishes with them, Buried in your dreams, The jester draws out blood with ridicule, Looking for a miracle, To save me from the fool, Looking for a miracle. No flower sweet, No shroud of white, Shouting at the devil never, Gets you through the night, A tightrope stands, Between what’s wrong and right, Searching for a miracle, That’s always out of sight, Searching for a miracle. Down by the water, Waiting by the tree, Hoping for the seventh stone, To find its way to me, Time to stop dying, And come alive again, This gulf I cannot travel, This hurt I cannot mend, In the silence, I am done, And there no miracles, And I am gone.
3.
One Of A Million Butterflies 03:49
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One Of A Million Butterflies ==================== Just one of a million butterflies floating by, A million butterflies floating by, A million butterflies floating by, Bye bye. I’m never gonna be, What you want of me, I won’t make up the numbers, I’ll never make the league, So I will slip free, Flee while the titan slumbers, The world’s sweet after rain, Bring on your hurricane, and l, I look to the skies. I’m just one of a million butterflies floating by, A million butterflies floating by, A million butterflies floating by, Bye bye. What is it that you see, When you look at me? Do I keep your attention? Downbeat, no repartee, Lacking pedigree, Well, am I worth a mention? I think that now you’re bored, And that I’m best ignored,oh my, At least I tried. I’m just one of a million butterflies floating by, A million butterflies floating by, A million butterflies floating by, Bye bye. You turn away, I disappear, Do you recall that I was here? Another fleeting thing, Wing-full of eyes, Am I the cat sat in the box? State unknown, a paradox? My lot seems to imply… That I’m one of a million butterflies floating by, A million butterflies floating by, A million butterflies floating by.
4.
Say You Love Me 02:41
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Say You Love Me ============= I've been waiting for a thousand years It's so long it's so long it's so long With a million tears, And I've patience enough for both of us But I don't think that it's enough I'm waiting, I'm waiting, I'm waiting I'm waiting here Say you love me, Say you love me, Say you love me, Oh, my dear, Say you love me, Say you love me, Say you love me, Oh, my dear, My dear I’ve been searching for a thousand years It's so long it's so long it's so long Since the path was clear My eye is on the hour-glass I don’t think that we can last I'm waiting, I'm waiting, I'm waiting I'm waiting here Say you love me, Say you love me, Say you love me, Oh, my dear, Say you love me, Say you love me, Say you love me, Oh, my dear, My dear
5.
That Doesn't Change Anything 03:55
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That Doesn’t Change Anything ======================== If the world goes sour and your friends give the freeze, The bottom falls out from the things you believe, If you’ve lost your way and you’re starting to grieve, Oh no, no, no, That doesn’t change anything, There’s something better coming after, There’s something better coming after, No, no, no, That doesn’t change anything, There’s always something coming after. If each day just grinds and you can’t see the end, And it saps at your mind, drives you round the bend, And there’s no one left on whom you can depend Oh no, no, no, That doesn’t change anything, There’s something better coming after, There’s something better coming after, No, no, no, That doesn’t change anything, There’s always something coming after. Locked inside, tucked on the shelves, People only see themselves, And seldom look beyond their little worlds, A point of view won’t set you free, Unless it sees beyond the “me”, Beyond the far horizon, Possibilities unfurl. If the sun won’t shine and the days are all grey, You can’t see an end that will get you away, And you just want a friend, you need someone to say, Oh no, no, no, That doesn’t change anything, There’s something better coming after, There’s something better coming after, No, no, no, That doesn’t change anything, There’s always something coming after. And there’s always something coming after, There’s always something coming after, There’s always something coming after, (It’s never a complete disaster)
6.
Honey Cakes On Brighton Beach With You 03:11
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Honey Cakes on Brighton Beach with You ================================ We walk on the sunny side All the places you know The people like to come and go Your friends will stop and say hello Blue skies chase the clouds away Sunlight on my face Sometimes the fates are kind And I’m glad of the human race Skaters skating, Surfers waiting, Watching for the tide We take to our paddle boards Caution aside, we head out for a ride There’s no better Big red letter Thing I’d rather do Than honey cakes on Brighton beach With you Laughter in the rolling waves There’s salt on the air, Play the shingle with your toes, While the wind messes up your hair All the lights on the rusty pier All the rides made us smile The sparring starling’s murmuration We can watch a little while Ice-cream stealing, Seagulls wheeling, Giving us the eye We keep our tucker out of reach Caution aside, we picnic by and by There’s no better Big red letter Thing I’d rather do Than honey cakes on Brighton beach With you Honey cakes on Brighton Beach With you Honey cakes on Brighton Beach With you
7.
Smile Again 03:22
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Smile Again ========= If you’re lost in the hurricane, Uphill against the rain, And you’re left feeling tender, Remember you’ll smile again, You know it’s true, And you know that you’ll always pull through, When your friends are all standing round you, And you know this has always been true. If some people have treated you, Cruelly and let you down, For every offender, Remember you’ll lose your frown, You know you will, Those who stand by you, sweeten the pill, And you know that you’ll never stand still, You will find a way, you know you will. The world is so full of sorrow and pain, And you’re carrying so many years, But sometimes it’s the case, The sun shines on your face, And the laughter banishes tears, So, remember the laughter, There’s no other plan, We just do the best that we can, There’s no other plan, We just do the best that we can. Remember my friend that the sadness will end, And you’ll smile again.
8.
Everything 04:11
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Everything ======= Spring is waking, There’s a flower in bloom, You would have seen that, You would have known. So much of me is a mirror of you, The things you did are the things that I do, The path that I tread tells me only that, You gave me everything. All my hopes and all of my cares are the, Sum of opinions when you were still here, I’m certain my heart tells me true in that, You gave me everything, You gave me everything. Summer is waning, The meadow is high, The kites fly in circles, Watch them go by. The sun is setting, the long day is spent, Time marches forward without my consent, I’ll always remember what you meant oh, You gave me everything. And I will pray for a light in the dark, The hole that you left in my heart when you passed, Giving of meaning, delivering, You gave me everything. So much of you is just mirrored in me, I look in the glass and it’s you that I see, I hear myself speaking, seeking, You gave me everything, You gave me everything.
9.
I Cannot Sleep 05:21
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I can’t sleep ========= Little miss bird’s nest Like the devil messed your hair In this witching hour, You’ve set yourself apart, Curled around a cigarette At the bottom of the stairs All paths lead you back to where you start Are you one of those who cannot sleep? Those who cannot still their troubled minds? Are you calling out and calling out And staring down the small hours, Wishing for a world that’s less unkind? He’s making promises Like little paper ships Or little trails of vapour in the air He says he loves you But you know that he’s weak So I find you at the bottom of the stairs Are you one of those who cannot sleep? Those who cannot still their troubled minds? Are you calling out and calling out And staring down the small hours, Wishing for a world that’s less unkind? There’s an old man down by the riverside And he’s drowning his time He’s drowning the voice in his head And he’s drowning his pride But it’s all lost in a moment And nothing is spared Because I never said “I love you” And I never said I cared And I never stopped to look behind To see how he had fared And I never cleared the baggage That we left undeclared And the river grants no one any favours And now you’re fading, Like the letters in the knave And you gather all your secrets to your heart I am fallen No one here was saved And all paths lead me back to where I start I am one of those who cannot sleep Those who cannot still their troubled minds And I’m calling out and calling out And staring down the small hours, Wishing for a world that’s less unkind There’s an old man down by the riverside And he’s drowning his time He’s drowning the voice in his head And he’s drowning his pride But it’s all lost in a moment And nothing is spared Because I never said “I love you” And I never said I cared And I never stopped to look behind To see how he had fared And I never cleared the baggage That we left undeclared And that river just keeps on flowing.
10.
A Bedsit Fire In Muswell Hill 03:59
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A Bedsit Fire in Muswell Hill ==================== The Moon’s gone all uncouth In matching boots and ties Apollo C Vermouth In urban hit surprise Get stripped down For the death cab Get hip and on The mystery tour There’s so much you have done But so much promise gone Too reckless on the Thekla Drugs etcetera, Hope you had your fun. The Lockheed’s ground control Does MC for the bells Sir Henry’s on a roll But nothing really sells The ballet Of the vulgar A comic opera And more There’s so much you have done But so much promise gone Too reckless on the Thekla Drugs etcetera, Hope you had your fun. You shine when you take to the stage Sublime for the queer and the strange Your words can take you anywhere you will Your songs are still holding the page But you’re gone and the light, it must fade Taken via a bedsit fire in Muswell Hill Up Sunday, Start The Week And step upon the screen Awake from vintage sleep and Name her from your dream Anxiety will grip you Until the valium is king There’s so much you have done But so much promise gone Too reckless on the Thekla Drugs etcetera, Hope you had your fun. You shine when you take to the stage Sublime for the queer and the strange Your words can take you anywhere you will Your songs are still holding the page But you’re gone and the light, it must fade Taken via a bedsit fire in Muswell Hill
11.
Strange Sands 03:04
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Strange Sands =========== I’ve no ideas, this head is empty Of anything at all I’ve got to find a way to fight this I’ve no energy to call The world is making such demands Cast my dreams on strange sands Cast my dreams on strange sands No time to waste, this time this place It could last forever If you just smile, the saving grace And we’ll stay together But we just tally in the borderlands Cast my dreams on strange sands Cast my dreams on strange sands I guess I should be someplace else I’d laugh if I was someplace else You and I could be A desert island in the sun Help me to stand up When you see me Falling on my face You know I’ll fly away in pieces And clutter up the place It only takes a reprimand To cast my dreams on strange sands Cast my dreams on strange sands And you will save the day (Like you always do) Yeah, you will save the day Every time you lead me back here When I lose my way Strange sands Cast my dreams on strange sands Strange sands Cast my dreams on strange sands
12.
Autumn Suits You Well 02:59
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Autumn Suits You Well ================= With your whiskey glass and your Telegraph, Autumn suits you well, A cheeky half and a round of laughs, Autumn suits you well, Autumn suits you well. Was there once a well of hunger? Was there once a cause? Use and comfort dulls the cage’s bars, But many years ago, we set our hearts, Upon the stars. A little stroll down through the park, Autumn suits you well, Sofa, TV, after dark, Autumn suits you well, Autumn suits you well. Weren’t we going to shake the world up? Weren’t we going to change? Somewhere in the attic’s your guitar, For many years ago, we set our hearts, Upon the stars. A forgotten box of photographs, Autumn suits you well, There will be no epitaph, Autumn suits you well, Autumn suits you well, Autumn suits you well.

about

This album of songs was written and recorded during the COVID-19 lockdowns of 2020-2022. I deliberately set out to write songs in the styles of particular artists that I enjoy listening to. So, for example, I decided to write a song in the style of The Beatle's "When I'm Sixty Four" ("Honey Cakes On Brighton Beach With You") or "pre-Dark-Side-Of-The-Moon Pink Floyd ("Waiting For A Miracle").

It's a challenge to write outside of your normal writing style. The songs are not meant to necessarily sound like the artists: I'm not mimicking their singing style or guitar style. Instead, the focus was on the particular writing style: the chord progressions, the melodies, and so on.

Whether or not this was successful is up to you really. Some seem to have worked better than others and it kept me both amused and sane during what were strange times indeed.

All artwork has been generated by online AI art packages.

credits

released December 3, 2023

All songs were written, performed, recorded, mixed, and produced by Michael Amos.

The following kind people helped by singing beautifully on the songs:

Annie Kingsbury
Jo Mowat
Jo Chesson

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The KIVA Band Oxford, UK

The KIVA Band are a British recording indie/folk band based in Oxfordshire.

They write original material that draws on traditions as diverse as folk, pop, indie-rock, and classical music. Their songs twist and turn in unexpected directions yet always keep melody at their heart. Their words explore life and love, by turns funny, sad, lost, and found. ... more

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