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Open the Skylights

by Tom Houston

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1.
New World 04:24
New world The storm has passed the winds of change Raven’s flying high on Beinn an Oir The sun lies flat across the isle And glistens brightly on the shore And glistens brightly on the shore And we’re leaving it all behind We’re on the borderline The things we haven’t seen In my North American dream In my North American dream The clouds close in we leave Loch Broom Our fragile hopes lie in the hold We ask the piper for one more tune the notes still linger in my soul the notes still linger in my soul And we’re leaving it all behind We’re on the borderline The things we haven’t seen In my North American dream In my North American dream I work the furnace night and day The sting of Pittsburg in my eye And with every dollar that I make A little something in me dies A little something in me dies And we’re leaving it all behind We’re on the borderline The things we haven’t seen In my North American dream In my North American dream
2.
Summer Flies 03:30
Summer Flies The woman took her stockings off she swore her skin was dry the men were looking sideways with a glimmer in their eye And all the broken hearted people turned around to cry there’s no justice in the world no god up in the sky When the night comes down when the night comes down when the night comes down all those summer flies are quiet now The woman put the shower on she turned the heat up high the men were drinking lager they swore their throats were dry And the children were tucked up in bed their minds were wondering ‘why?’ is there comfort in the world and there answers in the sky When the night comes down when the night comes down when the night comes down all those summer flies are quiet now When the working day is over and the evening chores are done and the stress of daily living sets beneath the sun The TV screens take in a breath and let out with a sigh oh the devil’s lost the detail and we’ve burnt the apple pie When the night comes down when the night comes down when the night comes down all those summer flies are quiet now
3.
Lingering 03:31
Lingering Take your soldiers Take your kings Fire your arrows Fire your slings And keep your armour waiting Take your husbands Save your wives Hide your daughters Sharpen knives And lead me to the water Past the clouds along the stream And in the islands grab your dreams Of forgiveness We are the chosen few The ghosts of causes fought and lost and lingering Che Guevara Bobby Seale Seize the time and let it heal In constant revolution Stop the bomb save the trees Heat your home with the breeze Hope springs eternal Past the clouds along the stream And in the islands grab your dreams Of forgiveness We are the chosen few The ghosts of causes fought and lost and lingering We are the chosen few The ghosts of causes fought and lost and lingering Forgotten Shades of red amongst the green East meets west and in between The lovers are hiding Take a trip nside your soul Come together become whole The Hippies are arriving Past the clouds along the stream And in the gutters lies their dreams Of forgiveness We are the chosen few The ghosts of causes fought and lost and lingering We are the chosen few The ghosts of causes fought and lost and lingering Forgotten We are the chosen few The ghosts of causes fought and lost and lingering
4.
Out of Reach 02:47
Out of reach There’s an ache in his heart With the world poking through There’s people to meet And wonderful things still to do But time hangs hard the path runs so deep there’s a smile on the street as a stranger walks by it’s a beautiful day not a cloud floats in the sky But time hangs hard the path runs so deep my TV set’s pink with a transparent hue it’s a digital part that one day just blew and time hangs hard the path runs so deep there’s an ache in her heart where things used to be a sparkle of light children play by the sea and time hangs hard the path runs so deep yet time hangs hard then slips out of reach
5.
A Certain shade of restless I am a certain shade of restless Cracking jokes, while feeling kind of glum I like a special type of sweetness That leaves a bitter taste on my tongue So when you say you want a coffee fudge cup You want it quick you don’t care how I’m thinking ‘I’ve only got one box of chocolates And it’s too late to change the wrappers now’ I used to believe in happy endings Good times rolling round, rolling round the bend But now things seem so complicated I just can’t shrug and pretend When I see you feeling guilty And I see the shame on your brow I’m thinking ‘I’ve only got one box of chocolates And it’s too late to change the wrappers now’ I want to lie low I want to reach up high I want to climb so deep inside that I can see the world smile I want to lie low I want to reach up high I want to climb so deep inside that I can hear the world cry I am a certain shade of restless It makes me a hard man, a hard man to please I like the dark and I like the sparkle What holds me back can also set me free So when you say you want a coffee fudge cup And you want the taste to linger on your tongue I open up my only box of chocolates And take off the wrappers one by one And take off the wrappers one by one
6.
Sunshine days You gave all you had to me Laid it on the ground It was more than I could bear to see You all innocent and proud proud proud Like a child without fear And I did not know what to say And I couldn’t make a sound And in that moment You were swept away Like a thin grey cloud cloud cloud And the skies were all clear And our sunshine days are over Our sunshine ways are through I’m singing La la la La la la La la la Our sunshine days are over and Our sunshine days are through I’m singing La la la La la la La la la La la
7.
The Miracle of Love There was something wonderful about the way you touched my hand The flames and the poets helped me understand That my life and my story Fit me like a glove As I watched and I moved into The miracle of love No sooner had I sensed it it seemed to disappear More in expectation than in hope or fear And although I tried to hold on it faded up above I looked into your face and lost The miracle of love And the sisters of mercy are waiting If I don’t pull through And after years spent meditating I hope my love holds true Holds true But you were one step ahead and you reached into the past And pulled out leonard cohen His songs built to last And his longing and conviction Wrapped round every word And we soon rediscovered The miracle of love and there's wonder in the sunshine and there's wonder in the stars there's wonder in the music from those nylon strung guitars and we laughed and we danced as we soared above the world and we laughed and we danced in our miracle of love
8.
Cocooned 05:26
Cocooned Just a small emotion Struggling for breath The tiniest of feelings Hidden in the depths So send me to the landfill And keep me out of sight Peck me with your seagulls And shield me from the light The merest of sensations Tickling your dreams Squirming in your bedclothes Flickering on your screens So send me to the landfill And keep me out of sight Peck me with your seagulls And shield me from the light I’m the butterfly of wonder and the butterfly of gold The butterfly of angels wise before I’m old I’m the butterfly of terror and the butterfly of shame We’re all cocooned together and there’s no one else to blame Invite me to your table I wont spoil the meal Ok …send me to the neighbours If that’s the way you feel Or push me to the landfill And keep me out of sight Peck me with your seagulls And shield me from the light I’m the butterfly of wonder and the butterfly of gold The butterfly of angels wise before I’m old I’m the butterfly of terror and the butterfly of shame We’re all cocooned together and there’s no one else to blame And all across our country All over this land Our children are not sleeping Innocence buried in the sand And I’m growing in the landfill Expanding in the dark I don’t mean to haunt you But it’s time to kick on back I’m the butterfly of wonder and the butterfly of gold The butterfly of angels wise before I’m old I’m the butterfly of terror and the butterfly of shame We’re all cocooned together and there’s no one else to blame
9.
Unspoken 03:43
Unspoken If I’m standing here a fool With eyes wide open It’s because you touch my heart With words yet unspoken See you Seeing me Touching like the mist rolls through the glen And if I doubt myself Thinking that I’ve no right to be happy And take comfort in the night At least she knows I’m lonely but see you and seeing me touching like stars kiss the dawn If we’re standing here like fools With eyes wide open It’s because we reach our hearts With words yet unspoken See you Seeing me Touching like stars kiss the dawn

about

Produced in The cave by Neill MacColl 2013
with Tom Houston, Neill MacColl, Kate St John, Simon Edwards and Martyn Barker

credits

released January 16, 2013

all songs by Tom Houston except New World which is by Tom Houston and Christophe Edwards

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all rights reserved

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about

tomhoustonmusic Tillicoultry, UK

Tom Houston releases his sixth studio Album in October 2023.
Everything in the Delicatessen.



Tom lives in Central Scotland and was songwriter of note on BBC Scotland's Iain Anderson's show in 2017.

He is also a regular on Tom Robinson's BBC Introducing Mixtape

'Extraordinary' Tom Robinson 2022
... more

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