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Nils Olav

by Nils Olav

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1.
O Wonderful Night 04:52
lyrics
Gazing through the window, curtains open, kneeling on the wooden chair Street-lamps gleam unveiling falling snowflakes gently floating in the air Such unexpected sight! How welcome here this winter's night! Ancient leather suitcase full of knitted clothes we plunder once a year Cosy woollen jumpers, tucked in tightly over many, many layers Wrapped up from head to toe No part besides from eyes exposed Racing down the stairs, across the hall and out the door Skidding recklessly, sent crashing to the frosty floor We close our eyes to take us to this very place When you least expect the answer stares you in the face I was born nearby I was born nearby Sneaking through the car park, past the broken fence Our footprints on the course Clutching to the sleigh string, every 20 yards the snow needs emptying We take it in turns to ride With one decent sledge out the five Haring down the fairway, everytime we try to stand we tumble down Softer than a mattress; not a graze when falling headfirst to the ground So scarcely seen again Til' the fox and badgers share their dens Back beside the fire, the chillblaines let us know we're home Sipping sugared tea, the radiators clunk and moan We snuggle up, Our frozen bodies huddled close It's often said, "the kindest things can hurt the most" They expose the bones They expose the bones I was born nearby, I was born nearby
2.
Factory in a Garden 05:15
lyrics
Put your tools down Put your tools down We won't be long We won't be long 16,000 people gathering in deep respect Everyone a testament of the life he'd given them For he built their houses Planted each a garden Gave them back their dignity Taught their children literacy 16,000 people given opportunity Rescued from obscurity Lifted out of poverty Treated individually Not as a commodity Room to stretch and spread their wings Not caged in as battery hens
3.
Hallelu 05:15
lyrics
The hundred richest men Could not afford what I have seen For the joy that I've received Can only come by sheer gift Where paths are paved with gold The more you own the more you need But those who feed the soul Will never go without a meal Hallelu A violent angry mob Could never take what I've been given They could never get their hands Upon the hope that lies within The house that's built on sand Is washed away without a trace But those who build on rock Are sheltered from the strongest gale Hallelu The thoughts no words convey The languages no mouth can speak But wordless sighs and sounds Express the deepest mysteries
4.
Teddy's Nook 04:16
lyrics
Henry Pease, Saltburn's founder and visionary owned a house in the town he built owned a house in the town he built Sandstone walls, sheepskin rugs over tiled floors nothing out of the ordinary nothing out of the ordinary Flirtations with royal fame would give it its lasting name the scandal! Oh the scandal! Snaking up dirt tracks of old Saltburn town Teddy's Nook shelters the crook and the crown Mysteries and myths! Mysteries and myths stalk the hallways Prying eyes looking for stories to bleat Peer through the letterbox, crouched on their knees Mysteries and myths! Mysteries and myths stalk the hallways German spies, thieving lawyers and roaring lions all inhabited Henry's place all inhabited Henry's place Future king entertained by his summer fling taken in by her violet eyes taken in by her violet eyes The flashbulbs are at the door, but Teddy ain't home no more the romance is over Snaking up dirt tracks of old Saltburn town Teddy's Nook shelters the crook and the crown Mysteries and myths! Mysteries and myths stalk the hallways Prying eyes looking for stories to bleat Peer through the letterbox, crouched on their knees Mysteries and myths! Mysteries and myths stalk the hallways In the walls, under floors Wherever you look there's a sign of what's gone before Up the stairs, in the bedrooms and halls
5.
Tear Your Pride in Two 04:27
lyrics
If I could share my wisdom with you One thing I would say to you Is tear your pride in two, tear your pride in two, and start again If I could take you by the hand I would guide you to the place you tear your pride in two tear your pride in two and start again This could be your only chance Life's too long to waste No special filters or colour tweaks Life's too long to waste
6.
Unforced Rhythms 05:25
lyrics
Scarred by choices Taxed by life invoices Send the bill to my father Distant noise I cannot avoid Unless I learn to surrender In the deep end In the deep end with no armbands I'm sinking Tell a joke with Tell a joke with no punchline I've had enough Learning unforced rhythms of a generous heart Of grace and forgiveness Don't outstay your welcome Don't let go I'm on my way Get your shoes on In the deep end In the deep end with no armbands I'm sinking Tell a joke with Tell a joke with no punchline I've had enough
7.
Send the Lifeboats Out 04:39
lyrics
Superheroes don't let the bad guys get away They never give an inch Don't step on tiptoes As the slideshow demonstrates the evidence Now bloom like wildflowers Display your superpowers And pull the pearl from the ocean Send the lifeboats out and type the press release There's a world capsized that never learned how to swim Life feels a million times harder When you've fallen overboard You've fallen overboard Shout in whispers The army led with the battle-cry of a pacifist Can you imagine If Robin Hood and his merry men ran the government Now bloom like wildflowers Display your superpowers And pull the pearl from the ocean Send the lifeboats out and type the press release There's a world capsized that never learned how to swim Life feels a million times harder When you've fallen overboard You've fallen overboard You've fallen overboard Cross your name out Join the queue Eat the rations given you Take the bait We'll reel you in Sink your boat And sail on through Close your ears Close your ears To the cries that might just change your mind.
8.
Through the Mist 05:10
lyrics
Through the mist stands a tower That no-one has seen But on every hour The chimes resound As the bells ring out In dusty old books Pictures and graphs Estimate details And speculate facts Of the tower’s age and its origin. If legend’s believed then guarding the tower’s doors Are a brethren of owls who chase away trespassers. Late in the night the villagers meet To share their proposals of who it should be To walk through the mist Outside of the walls To see if there’s really a tower at all But week after week there’s no volunteer Just frozen expressions and unspoken fear Sooner or later all will be clear On one sunny morn when the mist disappears Seven miles north of Robin Hood’s Bay There’s a series of potholes That run right the way to the western tip of the Peak District. After every four years at quarter to eight A genius flautist appears from the caves Playing skilfully The purest of melodies After every performance a squadron of local moles Shout out their encores although it’s to no avail Just out of sight With a hip-flask of gin There’s a record executive stroking his chin Pondering life and what it all means And whether he’s satisfied sealing his deals Maybe he’ll sell everything that he owns To purchase a beautiful North Yorkshire home The fresh country air of Hutton-le-Hole Has got to be better than selling fool’s gold. On a clear cloudless night we turn of the headlights When the moon shines so bright we can see the way Climbing up the winding staircase Looking at the hedgehog landscape Scratch away the thin veneer Underneath lies the original features
9.
Cog Song 04:43
lyrics
It was magnificent and ticked away Its mechanisms smooth and never failing to rotate First light to eventide Each part as vital as the part before The cogs in partnership No first or last in quality Each vital to the cause The little ones are driving the big ones around The little ones are driving the big ones The little ones are driving the big ones around Under the canopy they slipped away The herds of wildebeest lifting their mighty heads in fear For no one knows the law But from the smallest structure of them all The very word that keeps the whole machine from falling down Each part the very core The little cogs are driving the big ones around The little cogs are driving the big ones The little cogs are driving the big ones around Spinning the big ones around glitter glimmer glisten gleam flicker sparkle shimmer Shine lustre illumine twinkle glow dazzle glint ALTERNATIVE VERSION: Beneath the sycamore we slip away Where morning jewels anoint the open hands of infant shoots While watchful eyes gaze on Samaras spinning slowly to the ground All time is frozen motionless A hidden masterpiece Never to be found Deep in to the woodland we find our new home Deep in to the woodland we find Deep in to the woodland we find our new home A silent tension broods over the land Awoken herds, astounded, lift their mighty heads in fear for no-one knows the law Autumnal fires illuminate the glen Revealing silhouettes of crumbled ruined city walls Soon to be rebuilt Deep in to the woodland we find our new home Deep in to the woodland we find Deep in to the woodland we find our new home
10.
Let Go 03:45
lyrics
Though the storm appears too much to take See the clouds are beginning to break Though you feel like you've fallen from grace There's a rainbow been forecast your way It's time to let go of all your pain Though the winter wind's left you all blue With a dose of the son you'll get through By the time that the cold's died its death You'll be warm with the spring in your step It's time to let go of all your pain Let Go When you wait for the whispers And the wind in the trees You can hear the birds sing of a broken man free Oh fly Fly Fly away

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released January 30, 2012

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Nils Olav Harrogate, UK

Nils Olav is the project of English singer-songwriter Andy Patrick. Nils Olav's self-titled debut recording is an enchanting brand of orchestral folk that sparks the imagination & cheers the heart. The record draws on a wide range of collaborators to create music of "scale and gravitas". Expansive arrangements are married with whimsical lyrics yielding songs of depth and beauty. Released 30/01/12. ... more

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