We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

Rattlesnake Jar

by David Philip Ireland

supported by
tonyhallsworth3
tonyhallsworth3 thumbnail
/
1.
Barafundle 04:16
lyrics
buy track
Far across the muddy water Steel fingers lace the lands together And if I pay the price of asking Then I will reach that distant shore And I will travel down the highways Through coal-black valleys steeped in rain And thread my way through needle forests ‘til I come home again And I will cast my cares behind me And I will taste November sea And leave my footprints in the billows As they wash over me Far across the muddy water Steel fingers lace the lands together And if I pay the price of asking Then I will reach that distant shore
2.
Boy in the Attic 05:26
lyrics
buy track
The world was at his fingertips The words were on his tongue The blood was on his hands The boys were on the run The sound of pain was on his mind The rain was on the roof The tissued lies inside his head Were inches from the truth But the boy in the attic told his darkest tales Of sutured skin and bloody trails While the dick in the diner joshed the frails He turned the page And staked the mail The boy in the attic, the fly on the wall Had a twist in his tale That fooled us all The ink poured from the quills and nibs And ran against the grain The line between the truth and fibs We’re driving him insane The tattooed pages writhed with life The shadows hid the light The needle points that pierced the skin Were shimmers in the night But the boy in the attic told his darkest tales Of splintered bone and DNA While the dick in the diner buffed his nails, Paid the check, and filed for bail The boy in the attic, the fly on the wall Had a twist in his tale that fooled us all The dirty deeds upon the page were twisted from within The secrets passed from hand to eye were tantamount to sin The body count was growing, the alibis were thin The wired chair was humming and the padre stank of gin But the boy in the attic told his darkest tales Of severed heads and rusty nails While the dick in the diner read the braille, Turned the screw, and took the veil The boy in the attic, the fly on the wall Had a twist in his tale that fooled us all
3.
Breathless 04:19
lyrics
buy track
Breathless Breathless With every beat of my heart Every moment apart You leave me breathless Breathless, Breathless Remember my kiss Long after I’m gone And though silence is bliss Remember my song And when darkness descends And stars pierce the night I’ll always be there In the shadows and light Remember our dreams The worlds that we drew The sum of our lives The me, and the you Remember the sights Remember the sounds Remember the lost Remember the found Remember the still Remember the noise Tumbling words Scattering toys Remember the fool Remember the boy Remember the tears Remember the joy Remember it all When we run out of time Walking the walk Climbing the climb And should memory fade Like black holes in the sky I’ll always be there At the back of your mind You leave me breathless Breathless With every beat of my heart Every moment apart You leave me breathless Breathless, Breathless Breathless
4.
Curious Cafe 02:58
lyrics
buy track
Curious Café There they sit as the clouds roll by Dreaming dreams that will never die Living their lives through each other’s eyes Fluttering by There they sit in the morning sun Counting blessings one by one Dappled shadows having fun Fluttering by Reading books, exchanging looks Whiling the time away Hour after hour Day after day The boy and the girl at the Curious Café He touches her hand She touches his soul They sip their coffees and butter their rolls They lose themselves in the sticks and stones Fluttering by Who could they be? You and me? Where will they go? Who will they see? All they have’s eternity Fluttering by
5.
Eighteen Shots 05:19
lyrics
buy track
Eighteen Shots Eighteen shots ring out across the estuary dawn The white horse runs unbridled ‘cross the sands The devil fills the night with his moonshine breath And your precious time runs quickly through the fingers of his hands Now you’re barefoot in the park Hiding in the shadows and the doorways Now you’re helpless in the dark Lost between the devil and the highway 
 Take me home to the straggling river Where the curlews call and the reed beds shiver As bitter cold as a New York whore Abandon me to my destiny On that heron-priested shore Send me some token that my hope may live Or that my easeless thoughts may sleep and rest Send me some honey to make sweet my hive That in my passions I may hope the best Send me nor this, send me nor that to ever increase my store But swear though think’st 'I love thee', and no more Take me home to the straggling river Where the oysters sprawl in the salt-bed shimmer As bitter cold as a New York whore Abandon me to my destiny On that heron-priested shore Eighteen shots ring out across the estuary dawn The white horse runs unbridled ‘cross the sands The devil deals the deck with a hand of death To the funeral march of a Chapel band Now you’re barefoot in the park Hiding in the shadows and the doorways Now you’re helpless in the dark Lost between the devil and the highway
 Take me home to the straggling river Where the redshanks trawl as the seasons wither As bitter cold as a New York whore Abandon me to Eternity On that heron-priested shore
6.
Firenze 01:54
lyrics
buy track
Firenze 'cross arid fields alive with life Poplars rose in shimmering light We painted through the summer night In perfumed air with colours bright Firenze On Cirrus steeds in Morphean skies Clattering through the cobbled rise Alight at Gates of Paradise To gaze through Leonardo’s eyes Firenze One final look – one final rhyme Each coffee now, a twist of time Echoing Duomo’s mournful chime We would have lived And gladly died in your sweet arms of love Firenze
7.
Head Rush 04:09
lyrics
buy track
Head Rush I could be anywhere Anywhere at all Walking the streets Awaiting your call Leaving my body Soaring away Touching the light Is this the day? It’s life and death It’s the final breath Head rush It’s the temple bell It’s heaven and hell Head rush We do not choose the moment we arrive We do not choose how many nights Departure time rewinds uncharted Live fearlessly, And open-hearted Until the final breath With your name forever on my tongue Head rush I could be anywhere Anywhere at all Walking the streets Awaiting your call Leaving my body Soaring away Touching the light Is this the day? And know that I loved you A lifetime long and more My star is above you Just watch how I soar Head Rush
8.
Here Is Where The Heart Is 03:57
lyrics
buy track
Here is where the Heart is I’ve walked Picasso’s gardens Found his sketches on a stone Taking tea with BB The two of them alone Now you’re here with me And here is where the heart is I’ve watched electric storms Kiss the shoreline of the sea Shimmering and shining Bright diamondly Now you’re here with me Cause Here is where the heart is I could travel to the moon and back Never find what I’ve been longing for Throw my arms around the world Never find what I’ve been looking for Cause it’s here at my door The mirage i’ve been reaching for Now your here with me And Here is where the heart is I’ve wined and dined with princes Pretenders to the throne But fairytales and poetry Are better homegrown And when you’re here with me Here is where the heart is Just stay here with me Where my heart will always be Where the heart is Here is where the heart is I’ve walked Picasso’s footsteps Found his sketches on a stone Taking tea with you The two of us alone You’re here with me And here is where the heart is Just stay here with me Where my heart will always be Where the heart is Here is where the heart is And here is my heart… Now you’re with me Here with me And here is where the heart is Whoo Here is where the heart is You’re here with me Always here with me And here is where the heart is
9.
Hungry Tonight 03:57
lyrics
buy track
Hungry Tonight Give me the key Give me the bunch The carnivores are ravenous Plotting their lunch The bones and the gristle Add to the crunch The animals are hungry tonight Key in the slot Tumblers are falling The Dik Diks are scared The hyenas are calling There are bells and whistles As the dead come crawling The animals are hungry tonight I don’t need excuses to crack another bottle They’re lined up in the rack in a sequence of strength I’m celebrating corpses on Popocatépetl Just about as high as I’m ever going to get Knock on my door Any time at all The keys are on the table In the corner of the hall I’ve passed out in †he kitchen So just take it all The animals are hungry tonight So, Open the cages Open the gates Open your eyes, Start spinning those plates You want some more? You’ll have to wait The animals are hungry tonight Caught in the crossfire Mown down in blood The prisoners are restless Trapped in the flood There’s fingers round my ankles Deep in the mud The animals are hungry tonight
10.
One More Summer Of Love 05:30
lyrics
buy track
One More Summer of Love Northern stars tattooed on my fingers In the summer of 69 On a Berlin train with the echo of the Ghetto Pounding in the raging Rhine It was all much closer than I ever dreamed of Yet further than I dared to think Twenty Five Years from there to here In the land of Grey and Pink… Now it's a grey old day in 88 There are bombs on the Greyhounds And the Chevrolets cruise along The Devil's Way As we ride the rails to God knows where One more Summer of Love One more Summer Of Love Fear and pheromones ruled the air, One more Summer of Love I had a brother when i was young He was a mystery to me We never got along and now he’s gone That was all he ever gave to me I don’t miss him all that much We only shared an hour or two It’s hard to miss what you never had When you’re coal house black and blue One more Summer of Love One more Summer Of Love Tears and amphetamines ruled the head, Give me one more Summer of Love There was another brother lost to me The one I have yet to meet He came between the boy and the man I am One minute old and he beat a retreat I’ve only just begun wondering How, when One more Summer of Love Give me One more Summer Of Love Fear and hurricanes fanned the flames One more Summer Of Love Would we have ever got along? Would we still be friends Would he have changed my destiny Would he have won in the end Then the willow arrows cut me down Cut me like a field of corn The cars roared into the silent town Leaving me reborn Cowboys… Indians… New brooms Blue moons Bolt holes Blue tunes Washtubs Rekkits Blues Sunshine shadows In the afternoons Quarrels and the slamming of the coal house door Trains on the Western roll Tearing through the infinite black black hole Taking out another soul One more Summer of Love One more Summer Of Love Oh yeah, One more Summer Of Love Fear and terror reigning down… It’s just one more Summer of Love...
11.
Poison Pen 04:14
lyrics
buy track
Poison Pen I’ve got something you just don’t understand I hold your fate in the palm of my hand Little women, little men I can change your lives with one stroke of my pen I can make you laugh, I can make you cry I can give you life, I can let you die I can take your pain turn it into joy I can take a girl and change her into a boy Slow Poison dripping from my pen Turning the screw Oh, you tell me when Cold-blooded murder, little ticking bombs There’s no way out, but you and me are gonna get along just fine… Slow Poison, tainted blood Something in the DNA and the chemical scrub Slow Poison, Quicksilver thumbs The last thing you’ll see is that setting sun I’ve got something you just don’t understand I hold your fate in the palm of my hand Little women, little men I can change your lives with one stroke of my pen Slow Poison dripping from my pen Turning the screw, Oh… you tell me when Cold-blooded murder, little ticking bombs There’s no way out, but you and me are gonna get along just fine… Making the notes Nailing the facts A diamond tip or a woodman’s axe? Remington ribbons, little Mac bytes Nail-biting days Insomniac nights Hand-crafted vellum, Sobranie Lights Overheard confessions in the dead of night
12.
Questions & Answers 04:37
lyrics
buy track
Questions & Answers Here is a chair It used to be a nice chair But now the gilt has faded The brocade is torn and threadbare But it seems to serve their purpose It functions very well The plexus punch is cushioned adequately The cashmere scarf obscures the yell Here is a table The barley-twist legs are extremely fine There is some water damage on the veneered surface And bloodstains or maybe wine There are deep, pitted cosh marks That are thrown into relief in the arc light glow Steam rises from the open wounds For the water they use is as cold as snow How can I tell them if I just don’t know? Here is a window The view holds me in its thrall The shards of glass that lie shattered on the courtyard flags Will lacerate and give purpose to my fall Will they draw me back Before the white, before the black Will they crush my life in their calloused hands An empty shell with no worth at all Here is a house This house is far from safe This house is listening There are wires in the wall The doors are locked and bolted No one can hear my call No one can hear my thoughts There is no one home at all How can I tell them if I just don’t know?
13.
Red House 03:23
lyrics
buy track
Red House My daddy, he was a truck driving man, My mother, she worked in the mill And all of my life I’ve been a man of the cloth Lord knows I always will... They took me down to the Red House It was there I lost my faith They took me down to the Red House And I’m gonna make them pay… Well I was born in Cheltenham town On a grey October day It took me two score years to come of age But just one night to lose my way... They took me down to the Red House They tried to break my faith They took me down to the red house Someday they’re gonna pay I stitch my tales with needle and twine In the plying of my trade I weave my threads of crimson crimes And weep as the colours fade They took me down to the Red House They tried to break my faith They took me down to the Red House Someday they’re gonna pay Take him down to the Red House We’ve got to mend his ways Take him down to the Red House Make that sinner boy pay
14.
Secret Lovers 03:41
lyrics
buy track
Secret Lovers It was sixty-nine and the heat was on It hadn’t been long since that old ‘Dear John’ When the paperback boy in the pouring rain Met the wolf in the baa-lamb’s clothing He told his lies with a silver tongue Filled my head with a poisoned hum And boy, you should have seen him run Like a bullet from a gun And he ran to you And he stole your heart With his tales of the valleys As he ripped us apart And he took the prize With a hunter’s knife And he severed all the ties… Nobody knew that we knew each other That you and I were secret lovers Cos we’d been together for oh so long If only in our minds It was New Year’s Eve and the rumours flew With my ‘Hapshash’ hair and my platform shoes And nobody there even had a clue In the roughhouse and confusion So I hid in the shadows losing you Paving the way for a life of blue It took a bit of magic and cosmic glue To put us back together Then I ran into you And I won your heart, Tilting at windmills, lunch in the park And we stitched the quilt with invisible thread And patched it back together Nobody knew that we knew each other That you and I were secret lovers Cos we’d been together for oh so long If only in our minds
15.
Shine! 03:26
lyrics
buy track
Shine There were cats on the crossbar and lights in the night There was music in the mist as we took to flight There were cops in the shrubbery taking our names There were stars in our eyes and the world was in flames Shine There were locks on the door and frost on the lawn And we watched as the moonlight died in the dawn The herons flew, the camomile brewed The doves in the rafters billed and cooed Shine There were stars on the steps with anonymous names There were pornographic knights who played their games There were painters and poets and indelible dreams There were swastikas carved in the castle beams There were flags in the hallway covered in toads Chickens in the basement, chickens on the road You and me on overload And Jakob preened and Jakob crowed Shine I don’t care if it’s wet or fine As long as you’re mine, all I wanna do is shine There was Escher at the baker, Anton in the Baarn Queenie in a headscarf to keep her from harm There was Pushkin and Pulin and Vietnam tears There was M-biotic mayhem and TB fears There were picnics in the poppies, Emperors in the grass Bubbles on the doorstep, futures in the past Smokes in the Oaks and swings in the Ash Cous-cous in the Kosmos – life was a gas!
16.
Splinters & Sparks 02:41
lyrics
buy track
Splinters and Sparks And he said And she said There were so many words that were left unspoken And she cried when he lied The hurt was deep and their hearts were broken Tears obscure the lost horizons Dreams are fading fast On the shores of distant islands Drifting in the past Who was right? Who was left in the silent storms and the hollow theft? Who was weak? Who was strong? Who was shadow-dancing all along? Dancing on the edge of nowhere Splinters and sparks Playing games of solitaire All alone in the dark Dancing on the edge of nowhere Splinters and sparks Playing games of solitaire All alone in the dark
17.
Time After Time After Time 04:21
lyrics
buy track
Time After Time After Time From the silt salt slime of Weston’s grime Perpetually grey Sixty Three was a summer breeze from Corcovado Bay In Sixty Five we came alive With Desmond Dekker and the Dave Clark Five When every track the radio played Was a visceral thrill, a purple pill, a glider, a lark on Rodborough Hill Little Darling, is that you? Is there something I can do? If I loved you then, girl I love you now As sure as the crow that follows the plough It was clear as Christ who loved you the most ‘cause my love for you was nailed to the post In Sixty Seven the colours came With Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane When every track the radio played Was a cerebral thrill, a guilty pill A couple of strokes ‘neath Stanley Mill Little Darling, is that you? Is there something I can do If I loved you then, girl I love you now As sure as the crow that follows the plough It was clear as Christ who loved you the most ‘cause my love for you was nailed to the post
18.
The Windfall 03:30
lyrics
buy track
The Windfall I came across an orchard with bloodstains on the ground Fallen seed of bruised and bloody red Sunlight glinting there upon the gall worms and the drones Feasting on the remnants of the windfall I searched me for some greening shade - a willow parasol A sheltered sun-dark dome of mornings drop Each careless step a memoir, a cider memory Intoxicating revels of the windfall And how they fade And how they wither How they leather up And pass into the earth Offering life through death, season by season The cruelest culling harvest of the windfall In the gardens of a house brought to life after the war I was minded of the souls among the dew Fields of far off summer mornings held them in their arms The ruddy rising suns of the windfall And the ghosts drift idly high over the orchard now They hover over villages and towns Each one a soul, each one a son, A snapshot heart-held close, as the teardrops trickle down And how they fade And how they wither Their cries to home were soundless in the dawn And when the broken ones returned No lessons had been learned There is nothing to be learned from the windfall
19.
Zsa Zsa (for Craig) 04:34
lyrics
buy track
Zsa Zsa (for Craig) Memories echo through the sun-dark alleys Sights and smells and sounds and kisses Moving eager ever onward Art and commerce reconciled Lost in thought he reminisces Moments frozen hard in limelight Warm, the sudden curtain call With virgin-like anticipation There he stands mascara fluttering Pools of light play on his hands Was it Barbra? Was it Channing, Was it Judy, was it Liza, oh no! Was it Peggy, Bette or Elvis Marlene, Mae, Tallulah, Or was it you? Whoever knew? You bared your soul To your disciples The chosen few Zsa Zsa, never Zsa Zsa Zsa Zsa, Zsa Zsa, never she Few compare to her pure glamour Hit the notes, hit the hammer At the Circus of Outrageous Let’s leave Zsa Zsa in the wings tonight Memories echo through the moon-kissed valleys Highs and lows and hits and misses Slipping slowly ever backward Love and passion undefiled Lost in thought she reminisces Moments melting into starlight Cold, the cruel paparazzi Flashback flickering greenback dollars There he stands, mascara fluttering Pools of light play on his hands Zsa Zsa, never Zsa Zsa Zsa Zsa, Zsa Zsa, never she Few compare to her pure glamour Hit the notes, hit the hammer At the Circus of Outrageous Let’s leave Zsa Zsa in the wings tonight
20.
Rattlesnake Jar 02:37
lyrics
buy track
Rattlesnake Jar Pain in my head buzzing like a hive Powders and jelly-beans keeping me alive Take one of these, Take one of those 
It takes a bunch of stuff to keep me on my toes Cracking like the frosting on a birthday cake Shaking in my skin like an old earthquake Wish I had a choice but it’s how things are Shaking all the sweeties in my Rattlesnake Jar I’m sick and tired of this daily grind Popping these pain pills is skewing my mind Take one of these, take one of those Open up the gizzard and down they goes Spinning like a rooster on an old church spire I’m running on empty and threadbare tyres Bumping that road, all cobbles and tar’ Shaking all the sweeties in my Rattlesnake Jar Wake me up, shake me up Take another jigger from the poisoned cup I know when it’s time to hit that fix Cause you can't raise a stack without firing the bricks Pain in my head - buzzing like a hive Powders and jelly-beans keeping me alive Take some of these, take some of those It takes a mess of junk to keep me on my toes Sharper than the spikes on a barbed wire fence Messing with my head until it makes no sense Wish I had a choice but it’s how things are Shaking all the sweeties in my Rattlesnake Jar

about

A companion CD to David's book of lyrics and poetry 'Rattlesnake Jar', now widely available. Each of the tracks has lyrics featured in the book.

Many of the tracks are available elsewhere, but not in the form here - there are extended plays and rare mixes, plus a hitherto unreleased acapella version of the title track.

credits

released April 2, 2021

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

David Philip Ireland image

David Philip Ireland England, UK

David Philip Ireland is a writer, poet, musician, broadcaster and experimentalist.

contact / help

Contact David Philip Ireland

Streaming and
Download help

Redeem code

Report this album or account

If you like David Philip Ireland, you may also like:

Bandcamp Daily  your guide to the world of Bandcamp

On Bandcamp Radio

Seafood Sam joins the show to discuss his newest album, " Standing On Giant Shoulders".
listen now