1. |
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Welcome back, my friend
I was afraid that you’d forgotten
I thought that maybe you had left behind the most important thing
Monseigneur, you must be crazy
Have you forgotten who I am?
I’m the man with numbers for a name and only stone within
Bienvenue, mon ami (Welcome, friend)
Votre vie commence aujourd’hui (Your life begins today)
Take these candlesticks of silver
I’m sure they’ll fetch a pretty price
I’ve been a thief for having kept them for all this time
Oh my lord, could I be dreaming?
Have you truly set me free?
What should I do with all these questions rising up inside of me?
Bienvenue, mon ami
Votre vie commence aujourd’hui
My good man, this won’t be easy
But you are not what you have done
There’s the door, you’ll find it open;
Walk right through and greet the dawn
Bienvenue, mon ami
Votre vie commence aujourd’hui
Bienvenue, mon ami
Votre vie commence aujourd’hui
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2. |
Desert Father
05:27
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Holy Mo, you been moving slow; won’t you mosey on home with me?
Holy Mo, you got a long way to go; won’t you mosey on home with me?
You were just a young man and you were looking for, looking for,
You were looking for love
But you didn’t know, no, what you were looking for back then,
You tried to buy your only friends with stolen gold,
But it didn’t make you whole
You stumbled into grace once while you were on the run, on the run,
Trying to escape yourself
You were a stranger, but we took you in; that’s when a little bit of hope
Met your heart and called it home and you couldn’t shake it free.
And now you’ll never shake it free
Holy Mo, you been moving slow; won’t you mosey on home with me?
Return to life as usual didn’t go as planned and ‘cross the sand
You came a-knocking at our door again.
You still didn’t know, no, what you were looking for but now
You set your heart and made a vow that you knew you couldn’t keep --
That none alone can keep.
Holy Mo, you been moving slow; won’t you mosey on home with me?
Holy Mo, you got a long way to go; won’t you mosey on home with me?
The sun is rising over distant desert lands
Like the sun that’s rising in your soul.
If grace can fall on all these barren desert sands,
Then patience child, He’ll make you whole;
He’ll bring you home.
You got bit by the love bug and now it’s taking a hold,
And son, you’re well on your way.
Well, it’s gonna be a long road and now it’s taking its toll,
But you’re gonna make it, just you wait.
You been bit by the love bug and it may be the death of you,
But it’s gonna pull you through to life.
Holy Mo, you been moving slow,
You got a long, long way to go, but don’t you give up hope,
Well, why don't you mosey on home with me?
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3. |
Beautiful, Sad Smile
07:02
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Well, I packed my bags ‘cause I figured I needed some time;
And I headed off to conquer the world, to leave all this behind.
So I've been out here on my own now for a while,
And I've been loving and living in style, but i'm tired.
And Your beautiful, sad smile beckons me home,
And the tears that fill Your eyes are oceans of love;
But what if I just don't care?
'Cause I'm out here breathing in the city air,
'Cause life is mine tonight.
My life is mine tonight.
Well, I've got the world at my fingers like a kite on a line,
And I've been assuring inquirers I'm fine, but I suppose I've been lying,
'Cause it turned out quite well for a time,
But now I'm thinking this just might be hell in disguise,
'Cause I'm dying inside.
And Your beautiful, sad smile beckons me home,
And the tears that fill Your eyes are oceans of love;
But what if I'm too far gone?
What if I need Your strength to carry on?
Would You bring me home to You?
Oh, bring me home to You.
'Cause Your beautiful, sad smile beckons me home,
And the tears that fill Your eyes are oceans of love;
And I'm sorry I broke Your heart,
And I know I'm not worthy of a brand new start,
But would You take my hand and lead me, lead me into the darkness
So I can see the Light?
My life is Yours tonight.
'Cause Your beautiful, sad smile beckons me home,
And the tears that fill Your eyes are oceans of love;
And I see Your face hidden in the crowd,
And redemption flows in rivers running underground,
And I'm hearing whispers running through this town
That life is Ours tonight.
Yeah, life is Ours tonight.
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4. |
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I told the others dancing is all foolishness
That sitting still is wise
Well, truth be told, I’ve never danced a moment in my life
But how I long to dance tonight
So here I sit, still, waiting for my wisdom now
But met alone here in the dark by foolish pride
You told me once that I was real, and I believed you at the time
But tonight I think I’ve never known less of life
‘Cause now you’re gone, and I’m so lost,
And I’m longing to be seen
For a time I felt alive, but has it all been just a dream?
Well, am I real or am I velveteen?
The wise one told me being real is such a simple thing
But it’s as hard as hell
Well, what’s the use of being loved if it only ends like this?
It’s only worn away the walls of my citadel
And now you’re gone, and I’m so lost,
And I’ve been longing to be seen
I played at life to die here in fire and lies;
Oh, let it all be just a dream!
Well, am I real or am I velveteen?
Peace, my child -- oh, you restless child --
You are more alive tonight than you might fear.
The road you’ve travelled here has broken your heart
And brought you to life in love through laughter and tears;
So, let your heart keep aching, breaking open, pouring love,
Teaching all the world to dance, to weep, to laugh, to come alive
Because your heart is beating now;
So, let your heart keep beating.
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5. |
Epilogue
04:38
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I was almost great once―
Almost rose above the law;
I towered over smaller minds, rose higher and higher and I
Nearly overtook the sun
And there my waxen wings melted away
And down I fell in shame
I sought my end, that crooked grace to pain,
Oh, but try as I might, still I found
My weakness sentenced me to life
And now I find I have nothing to my name but me
And I realize it was grace that brought me back
To all this beautiful banality
A new dawn rises soft into the winter chill of summer morn
Waking everything to life once more
There will be great striving on the road ahead―
More than time allows to tell
But the story is yours now
Make it a good one, eh?
It’s the perfect day to change your world
It’s the only day you have
Well this story is ours now
You and I here at the end of us and the beginning of forever’s song
This story is ours now
So, allons-y
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The Kept Collective Johnson City, Tennessee
The Kept Collective is a group of independent artists (musicians, dancers, poets, and playwrites) tucked away in the Northeast corner of Tennessee looking to make the world a more thoughtful, hopeful, and beautiful place.
The Kept Collective recommends:
Stepping Stone
by A Great Disaster
This album is a sonic adventure from start to finish, encompassing a wide range of styles from song to song (and even within the songs themselves). Treat yourself to this mellifluous journey.
go to albumIf you like Epilogue: The Bienvenu Stories, you may also like:
Sorry I'm So Sensitive
by Bea Stewart
The second EP from Northern Irish singer-songwriter Bea Stewart runs from gentle folk to pillowy pop ballads, all perfectly executed.
go to album
Love, Loss and Washing Lines
by Matt Hawkins
A dozen folky songs from this Brisbane musician recall the wit and romance of early Billy Bragg.
go to album
The Edge of the Land
by Katie Spencer
Spencer's indie folk sophomore album was recorded live in the studio over the course of two days.
go to album
A Place Like Home
by Mr. Alec Bowman_Clarke
The new EP from Scottish songwriter Alec Bowman_Clarke goes deep, setting vulnerable lyrics to gentle melodies & stripped-back arrangements.
go to album
I Used To Be Sad & Then I Forgot
by Mr. Alec Bowman_Clarke
Alec Bowman perfectly captures the dark soil under the pastoral world of British folk with this collection of melancholy originals.
go to album
