1. |
On Silbury Hill
03:52
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On Silbury Hill
I get the feeling, I’ve been here before
A long time ago
Before I was a boy.
On Silbury Hill
I get these visions, from a time gone by
Before this world I’m in
They show me I was King.
On Silbury Hill
I swear I met a horseman robed in gold
Yet as he approached
He told me he was me.
On Silbury Hill
He took my hand and whispered in my ear
“I am not buried here,
But buried is my ring.”
On Silbury Hill
He shared with me great secrets of the past
On this mountain top
He told me I was crowned.
On Silbury Hill
He taught me a forgotten phrase of old
“Repeat these words aloud
Your power shall return.”
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2. |
The Awakening
02:37
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It’s 5 in the morning, according to my iPhone
I have just woken up on this hill on my own
Man, what have I taken, I’m never touching that again
‘Cause my fingers are numb, they’ve been chilled to the bone.
Flashbacks appearing, surely I’ve just been dreaming
Yet I do remember meeting a horseman clad in gold
What’s so peculiar is, I don’t know how I got here
I’m in Avebury now, I thought I had gone home.
Then my eyes are triggered
By a ring upon my finger
If the Golden King was only in my mind
Then how the Hell did that get there?
I pull out my pocket, an empty pack of Lambert
I am guessing I smoked my last climbing way up here
I check in my jacket, I’ve lost my keys and wallet
Looks like I’m stranded now, in the midst of nowhere.
Then my eyes are triggered
By a ring upon my finger
If the Golden King was only in my mind
Then how the Hell did that get there?
Then my eyes are triggered
By a ring upon my finger
If the Golden King was only in my mind
Then how the Hell did that get there?
My eyes are triggered
By a ring upon my finger
If the Golden King was only in my mind
Then how the Hell did that get there?
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3. |
Dagger and a Ruby Ring
03:13
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My memory’s not what it once was
Too long, trapped in my own head fog
Praying some day soon it would clear.
Thought I was through with guilt in the morning
With wondering whose bed I’d woke up in
What cruel twist of fate brought me here?
Often my moods
They would change with the weather
I thought I’d get better in time.
I held it together
But soon reached the end of my tether
The end of the line.
I went as far as I could go
Too long my God’s been my Ego
I wondered why it never worked.
Impulse caused me to chase treasure
Thought I’d numb pain with some pleasure
I only got left with the hurt.
Often my moods
They would change with the seasons
My words would cut deeper than knives.
I’ve hung, drawn and quartered for new types of treason
The reason
I hated my life.
I’d drink to avoid how I felt
To cope with troubles I got dealt
To silence the thoughts in my head.
Now I have learned it’s for the best to get
Off this train at the earliest
Stop than stay and ride till I’m dead
If I carry on I’ll be dead.
Gold, band of gold
From days of old
Do you know what the future has in store for me?
Feels like in these hands time it’s slipping by (albeit slowly).
It’s my last chance to try to change
To battle these demons, possessing me
Corrupting everything that once was good in me
The parts they used to see
My lovers, my friends and my family
Before they turned their back on me.
The Golden King said I can mend anything
With a dagger and a ruby ring.
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4. |
The Temple
03:45
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Firelight in the distance, it looks as if there’s a procession going on
Within the stones, but when I get near it’s just a woman sat on her own.
She stands, starts walking towards me, elegantly, ‘til I am close enough to see
Her splendour, vividly, and her lips parting as she says these words to me.
“Welcome back to the Temple
Though I know you don’t realise why you’re here
I’ve predicted your downfall for years
For life to strike you a blow this severe.
You knew your body’s your Temple
Yet still you poisoned it beyond belief
Instead of seeking the source of your grief
You sought John’s ephemeral relief.”
She began to shed her Beauty Queen cocoon, leaving a withered crone in front of me, warning me that “Things are seldom as they appear.”
“You need to pay careful attention to your instincts, and the way you feel
You see the Devil’s at his deadliest, when you’re thinking he’s not real.”
“Welcome back to the Temple
Though I know you don’t realise why you’re here
I’ve predicted your downfall for years
For life to strike you a blow this severe.
You knew your body’s your Temple
Yet still you poisoned it beyond belief
Instead of seeking the source of your grief
You sought John’s ephemeral relief.”
“Here the St. Michael line, it passes through the Temple
With it bringing an energy and power to the stones
Some day the chosen one shall return to the Temple
With a ring he can use to harness this for his own.
He must follow the Serpent’s trail around the Temple
For the sun circle promises new life when recharged
He can then reconstruct his body to a Temple
For rebirth and renewal will be granted to him only when his intentions are pure.
So are your motives true?
‘Cause the chosen one’s you.”
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5. |
Candle for a White Horse
04:20
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I never classed myself as arrogant; I just thought I was proud
I never classed myself obnoxious; I just thought I was loud
But I would not just put my foot in it; I’d stick the boot right in
And spit my words of wisdom, in your face, I acted an utter disgrace.
Yet I’d put acorns in my bed, underneath my sleeping head
I thought when I woke in the morning, with the dawn, that I’d be strong
Still my life remained in shreds, filled to the brim with past regrets
“There is a cure”, the witch she said to me, “a remedy”.
Take this candle to the white horse
And place it in his eye
He’ll offer you security to face your darkest night
To have somebody watching over you
Protecting you, in everything you do
You’ll never feel alone again
Be brave, and light the flame.
I gave up on Christian religion way back when I was a child
And in doing so I also gave up my faith in mankind
I thought the Bible held no lessons in it I should want to know
She said “It’s there in code, you have to feel it in your soul”.
Take this candle to the white horse
And place it in his eye
He’ll offer you security to face your darkest night
To have somebody watching over you
Protecting you, in everything you do
You’ll never feel alone again
Be brave, and light the flame.
With the ring upon my hand
And the candle in the eye
I am staring at the sky
Knowing I can fly.
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6. |
Liquid Gold
02:21
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If this glass decanter had these flaws
Imperfections or bubbles or cracks
I’d take it back
No doubt about that.
Yet I tip this chalice down my throat
Solely to reach the point, where my spirit cracks
And I can’t go back
But where’s the sense in that?
I guess it’s true, all that glitters, it isn’t gold.
I guess it’s true, that all that glitters, it isn’t gold.
Thought I’d found salvation in a glass
When it was empty, I felt like I was finally free
Of my inferiority
How shit I felt ‘bout me.
I thought it brought me inner peace
Instead this sick disease held me tight in a headlock
And I couldn’t stop
‘Til I’d swallowed the lot.
I guess it’s true, all that glitters, it isn’t gold.
I guess it’s true, that all that glitters, it isn’t gold.
It left me cold, it drowned my soul
This liquid gold.
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7. |
Moral Compass
02:53
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Morally, I swore I would tow the line
But quickly learned excuses they meant you forgave most times
From that moment on, in spite of right, I favoured wrong
I’m quite surprised you put up with it so long.
Morally, I’d taint all your white with black
If you hadn’t got away, I’d be dragging you down Mother’s Ruin track
Seems I went from the birds and the bees, via these Juniper trees, to my knees
They say that these things they come in threes.
Lost, don’t know how I got so lost
Don’t know how I lost my way
My moral compass showed me North then it took me South
The minute that your back was turned
My lips were locked on someone else’s mouth.
Lost, don’t know how I got so lost
Don’t know how I lost myself
My moral compass showed me East then it took me West
When I thought I’d get away with it
I’d spend the night with whoever looked the best.
Morally, I practiced what Satan preached
Not content to scratch the skin, my sick thrills came out of wounding you deep
The rules were skewed unfairly, in these dirty games, you weren’t to blame
My reckless heart has never been yours to tame.
Lost, don’t know how I got so lost
Don’t know how I lost my way
My moral compass showed me North then it took me South
The minute that your back was turned
My lips were locked on someone else’s mouth.
Lost, don’t know how I got so lost
Don’t know how I lost myself
My moral compass showed me East then it took me West
When I thought I’d get away with it
I’d spend the night with whoever looked the best.
My moral compass got me lost.
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8. |
Imber
02:11
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The challenge these days lies in knowing what you want
Then in getting close to touch the coalface
Makes perfect sense I should find peace deep in Imber
Light has a habit of hiding in the darkest place.
The challenge these days lies in knowing who to trust
To follow your heart, ‘cause there’s no signpost
Makes perfect sense I should find peace deep in Imber
Light has a habit of hiding 'til you need it most.
Somewhere amid this Plain lie bombs
Amongst the tanks and guns, beneath the setting sun
You’ll find what you are looking for
Religion.
If you should choose to start again
The phoenix rising from the flame
Courage is critically appraised
Fortune favours the brave.
The challenge these days lies in learning how to have faith
Enough to move mountains, and part seas
Makes perfect sense I should find peace deep in Imber
What was once lost I shall find it deep in Imber.
Live in the present yet don’t neglect to plan for the future
Respect ghosts from your past
Makes perfect sense I should find peace deep in Imber
Light has a habit of hiding where you’d seek it last.
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9. |
The Sarsens
03:35
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10. |
Snow on Stonehenge
03:41
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Far too long I’ve been obsessed with what I owned
Whether I earned enough, or had the largest home
I’d blow my money on designer clothes, and Toni&Guy hair
But still no matter what I had I would not share
I know, my ego has to fall
Like snow.
Now it’s clear there can be more to life than this
If I can make the choice to live not just exist
For happiness cannot be bought despite how much is spent
It’s no surprise that I have never felt content
I know, my ego has to fall
Like snow.
Snow came on heavily
As the Knight traversed the stones to me
Held in his armoured hand, was the dagger I’d been sent to acquire.
He said “Draw the blade cross your palm
When the blood pools in your hand
Place it firmly on the Slaughter Stone, this pledge is required.
To reclaim your past -
Sacrifice shall grant a second chance
When the planets align, the gift of time’s the greatest of all.
You can start again
With these lessons you’ve learned, but first your ego it has to fall
Fall like the snow on Stonehenge”.
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11. |
Black Knight
03:14
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I once tried my hardest to hide
The bleakest of thoughts that were held in my mind
Not scared of the dark or what’s under my bed
I’m haunted by demons going round in my head.
I tried being strong on my own
My ego said I could get through this alone
But who can I turn to, when no one seems to give a damn
Whatever I do, or whoever I am.
Black Knight, I have to make it right
Black Knight, I have to make it right.
I tried being true to myself
But my selfishness tends to hurt everyone else
I now have a whole host of sins I need to repent
But how to get started in making these amends?
Black Knight, I have to make it right
Black Knight, I have to make it right.
At first alcohol brought me out of my shell
Then it put me through Hell like a college degree
I worry if I trade in this currency
I’ll no longer be fun, I’ll no longer be me.
Black Knight, I have to make it right
Black Knight, I have to make it right.
Ironic what started as inadequacy
Stemmed from whether I loved hims or hers
Could bring about my downfall ultimately
Leading me in case with hymns and hearse.
‘Cause you my best friend brought me out of my shell
Then you put me through Hell like a college degree
I worry if we make this split amicably
I’ll no longer be fun, I’ll no longer be me.
Black Knight, I have to make it right
Black Knight, I have to make it right.
I tried to fake strength but what for
I may win some battles, yet lose the whole war
My ego like the walls of Jericho had to fall
They say that redemption is the saviour of all.
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12. |
Orion's Belt
02:49
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Alnitak, Alnilam, Mintaka – the Three Kings
Alnitak, Alnilam, Mintaka – the Three Kings.
I recall a story told many years ago
About these men, who trusted a prophecy
Enough in their hearts
To follow a star to Bethlehem.
Although the journey was great on foot they
Didn’t complain, they did whatever it took
‘Cause they knew when they finally got there
They’d meet their Saviour.
Alnitak, Alnilam, Mintaka – the Three Kings.
Today’s wise Magi, in the Winter sky
Show me the way, a guide from the twilight through night
They inspire me to try to do right
Not shield my Light.
Belt of Orion, a carbon copy, of the three scars
I have on my neck
Reminds me despite how hard things may get
My chance to shine’s not over yet.
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13. |
Winter Solstice
03:32
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Holy Father, Light, Creator, Thy will be done.
On this Winter Solstice, with the rise of the Sun
Shadows over me I’m told will fade
I’ll no longer live to be afraid, of the messes I have made.
Earthen Mother, Goddess of the planet and Womb
Of Creation, hear my invocation to you
Fill me with the courage to be strong
The valour to face my woes head on, next time it all goes wrong.
When I finally learn to accept myself
I may be able to love somebody else.
Holy Father, Light, Creator, Thy will be done.
On this Winter Solstice, with the rise of the Sun
As the Holly King gives up his throne
Maybe I’ll appreciate what I have long before it’s gone.
When I finally learn to accept myself
I may be able to love somebody else.
True. I always said one day I’d quit
This moment may as well be it, before I’m harder hit
Before I lose my sanity, and what little good’s in me
Me and my spiritual virginity shall leave our legacy.
Holy Father, Light, Creator, Thy will be done
On this Winter Solstice, faith shall come with the sun.
Like my shadow flits across the stones
Or how the West wind blows
If my power goes, then that’s the risk I take.
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Archie Atholl UK
I'm an alternative singer-songwriter, originally from Scotland. Just released my debut album 'One Wiltshire Winter' - a sonic novel focussing on a contemporary mythic narrative. My main inspirations are Tori Amos, Kate Bush and Fiona Apple, and people have said my music is like John Grant or The Magnetic Fields. ... more
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