Get all 22 Ian Bruce releases available on Bandcamp and save 40%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Together Forever (CMR 2023 Album of The Year), The Land We Love, Children of Blue, The Naked Truth Vol 1 Remastered, Auld Hat New Heids Vol 1, Ain't That Pretty?, Above Wild Water, Hits & Pieces (The first 30 years), and 14 more.
1. |
Blue Denim Days
04:20
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BLUE DENIM DAYS
(Ian M. Bruce)
They called me in, after eighteen years.
In as many seconds,
They confirmed my fears.
I was so bitter then,
For doing me so wrong.
I'm so bitter now,
Why the hell'd they take so long?
CHORUS.
To give me...Blue Denim Days.
Being bright and breezy.
Blue Denim Days.
Now I'm feeling free and easy.
I'm not sure to whom I offer praise,
But, thanks for allowing me Blue Denim Days.
Still I can't believe this new way I'm on to.
I can still wear a tie,
But only if I want to.
I can pierce my ears,
I can even shave my head.
I awake, when I want, screaming, "Office days are dead!!"
The years roll on,
But no old ways I'm missin'.
Now I'm writing songs
And people sit and listen.
I may never make it big,
But, in a way, that's o.k.
I have all I need in my Blue Denim Days.
credits
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2. |
Lincoln & My Brothers
04:50
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LINCOLN AND MY BROTHERS
(Ian M. Bruce)
I tried to grab a handful to take to my heart.
There's nothing here for me to hold.
No love to grasp, no ghosts from the past
And not a single memory to guide me.
On these terraced streets
My brothers used to play.
That was long before I was born.
I never saw them kick a ball
Against the red brick walls
Nor trudging off to school in the morning.
"Bonny" was the cat.
They were very fond of 'that!'
In later years they told me all about him.
How he'd followed them around..
A bit more like a hound.
There's no photograph of "Bonny"
And no album.
Lincoln and my brothers saw my parents' younger days.
An older mum speaks fondly of Bampa
I wrap her words so tightly round..
Like a loose fitting hand-me-down
As she tells me of his kind and gentle nature.
I'm like some anxious yankee with his book on history.
Probing for postion in the past.
But this past was never mine.
I'm simply from a different time.
With heavy heart..
I may as well go home.
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3. |
Her Daddy's Eyes
03:48
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HER DADDY'S EYES
(Ian M. Bruce)
If she has her daddy's eyes maybe she can see?
If she has her daddy's eyes she'll know why I had to leave.
She'll know why I had to leave.
It's always said "She looks like me"
They say she has my eyes
Well if her eyes are just like mine
She'll see through any lies
The way it is with her mum and I
It simply has to be
And I hope she sees through any lie she'll maybe hear about me
Well I was just the money
It tore me apart to see more of their begging palms
Than I ever saw of their hearts.
I couldn't take it anymore
I went out on my own
And I hear they miss the money now that I am gone.
My older kids don't talk to me
They say I'm just bad news
My little one - she loves me
She must get so confused
My health of late - Well it's not too great
The money's long since gone
But as long as there's my little one
There's strength to carry on.
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4. |
The Rest of The World
03:15
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THE REST OF THE WORLD
(Ian M. Bruce)
There was my father
There was my mother
There was my brother
There was my other brother
There was my father
There was my mother
There was my brother
There was my other brother
But he was my first encounter with the rest of the world.
Where's Mother taking me?
What are we going to see?
Hey Mum what a thrill
We're going away from home
A long way to roam
All the way to the foot of the hill
I met my first friend
He's now an old friend
So my oldest friend he always will be
As sports and clowns we've had more ups than downs
Never been too hard to agree
And so this old friend
He's been a good friend
And we're close close as ever still
I've never fretted - never regretted
Finding life at the foot of the hill.
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5. |
Speakin' Free
03:41
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SPEAKIN' FREE
(Ian M. Bruce)
CHORUS
Speakin' Free - good to hear
Speakin' Free - good to hear
Cross my heart, I hope to die.
We are eye to eye for the first time.
Best of friends - sometimes asunder
Unspoken thoughts make me wonder.
What makes you tick?
How I wished I was psychic
To understand you.
I've known you so long
You were always strong.
Too strong to fall
Not so strong as that wall that surrounds you
CHORUS
MIDDLE
Now this change is kinda strange
Good to see you're no different from me.
Broken bricks lie on the ground
Fists of Steel smashed them down. Good for you!
Let me welcome you through,
It's good to know ya.
CHORUS
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6. |
All Or Nothing
03:32
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ALL OR NOTHING
(Ian M. Bruce)
You poached my friends.
Some ask about you.
Some think we're one.
I think you want them to.
Sure I like you
And you've been good to me.
But you come on too strong
And I can't let that be.
CHORUS
It's all or nothing
And you're forcing me to choose. It's all or nothing
And 'All" is going to lose.
Go on deny it.
Pretend you're squeaky clean.
Spin your famous line
"I don't know what you mean!"
Phone my mother.
Tell her I'm bad.
Then fail to understand why I get mad.
CHORUS
Stop trying to touch me.
Stop trying to mother me.
Stop trying to kiss me.
Stop!...Smothering me.
Gimme some credit.
I see through your plan.
And I will dodge your little trap
In any way I can.
No I won't kiss you when you call.
Well now I would say..
"That 'bout says it all."
CHORUS
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7. |
Me & My Home
03:53
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ME AND MY HOME
(Ian M. Bruce)
I swore to myself
I made a conscious decision
"No songs about life on the road!"
I'm in a plaza in Charlston, West Virginia
And it's a really long time till the show.
REFRAIN!
So I succumb
I just can't help it
I'm sitting in a car - Mid West Virginia
Feeling every mile between me and my home.
I'd phone home but I can't afford the call
And anyway I'm in no mood to smile
I'm in a plaza in Charlston, West Virginia
And it's a really long time till the show.
MIDDLE
All this spare time really plays on my mind
It's 19 years since my father died
All these wasted years of work and education
And the money I've tossed aside
Will I ever take a bride?
Thanks to you my pen and paper
There when I needed a friend
I'm this plaza in Charlston, West Virginia
Thank God it's nearly time to go.
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8. |
Lonely Old Lady
05:18
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LONELY OLD LADY
(Ian M. Bruce)
She's a lonely old lady
She sits by her fire
Scorching her legs as the flames dance higher.
Reflections in specs of a flickering screen.
Her favourite programme again is unseen.
She's been snoozing.
MmmH! Snoozing.
But has she been sleeping for one hour or two?
She fumbles from sleep.
She finds little to do.
But glance at the phone which infrequently rings.
Hum unwritten songs
She frequently sings
La la la la.
La la la lonely
She's lonely
La la la lonely.
Then speakin' out loud she says
"Don't be so lazy!"
Mobility isn't so easy these days.
She shuffles her way past last month's mag.
To a wintry kitchen and a one cup teabag.
She's lonely
La la la lonely. Lonely.
La la la lonely.
There's an old shoe box
And it's tied round with string.
Creased black and whites.
She got Brownies within.
But the prized Polaroids, they adorn the piano.
Grandchildren's silent "Hello!"
Grandchildren's silent "Hello!"
All lights out but one on the bedside table.
No more late nights.
She's no longer able.
Just one more day put to memory's store.
She lies there wondering "How many more?"
She's lonely
La la la lonely.
Her mind's eye sees the shoebox untied.
Prized Polaroids join the Brownies inside.
The faces drift past her bed as they go.
Grandchildren's last cheerio.
Grandchildren's last cheerio
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9. |
Mind of a Child
05:30
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MIND OF A CHILD
(Ian M. Bruce)
He just made a bus from a row of chairs
A game he seems to enjoy
"Full on top but seats downstairs"
So says my little boy.
And though there was no one there
From each seat he picked up a fare.
CHORUS
It's a curious thing the mind of a child
A world of play and fantasies wild
Ahh but let them believe in the man in the moon.
They'll find truth too soon
Out in the garden playing at ball
A game he seems to enjoy
He receives a pass from no one at all
So says my little my boy
He kicks - He scores one goal more
I know he heard that Hampden Roar
Back in the garden playing at war
A game he seems to enjoy
"I know what soldiers are fighting for"
So says my little boy
With no careful aim he fires his gun
Soldiers are fighting cos fighting is fun.
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10. |
I Can't Sit Still
04:23
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I CAN'T SIT STILL
(Ian M. Bruce)
There's times when I'm doing nothing
My mind just gets taxed.
Even with this so-called doing nothing
I can't relax.
It's worst when I'm alone
And I'm rattling round the house.
I'm best when I'm with my friends
But for one grouse.....
CHORUS
I can't sit still.
There's always something to do
Sometimes I have to sit on my hands.
It's almost like I'm ill.
I can't sit still.
OoooH! I can't sit still.
I am the anxious type
There's lots of us around.
Many 'nervies' just like me Generally 'has' found........
MIDDLE
Because there's always something broken
Or something needing cleaned
A letter needing written
Well....You know what I mean.
(Pick up the broom, sweep up the dust Pick up the steel-wool, take off the rust Get to the bank
Pay all the bills
Get it all done...Maybe I will...
Do everything according to plan. Man...Don't you know what I mean?)
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11. |
Up There With 'Em
03:46
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UP THER WITH 'EM
(Ian M. Bruce)
I always loved the labels
That black and shiny groove
The way those discs would spin around
As the auto-changer moved
The player came to life every time I pressed the start
I felt the way that some folks must when Cupid fires a dart.
My first was on Columbia - The Shadows' Apache.
I still play it from time to time
Though it's now kinda scratchy
I was 4 years old
My love was brand new
I never dreamed that one day I'd be making records too
Now I'm up there with 'em
I'm up there with 'em
I'm up there with The Beatles and Stones
Now I'm up there with 'em
I'm up there with 'em
I'm up there with The Beatles and Stones on my shelf....
Well we all have our dreams and some of them come true
I stand here as living proof that a few of them do
It's not that I sold a million though I'd love that there's no doubt
It was the first time the needle fell and my own voice came out
Well it's been a simple life
I've made friends
But like all good things
It must come to an end
Just like we all must I have up and died
I got loads of famous angels up here by my side
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