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. |
Too Far From She
04:03
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TOO FAR FROM SHE
(Ian M. Bruce)
We lost it all in one fierce affray.
I stood not to fight and just walked away.
Now I regret, I did not delay
Acting on feelings I held for a day.
CHORUS
Fancy me, so fancy free.
I'm so far from home, I'm way out at sea.
That's not the way I want it to be.
I'm so far from home and
Too Far From She.
We sail with a crew of a hundred and more.
So many good men, good humour in store.
We drink in a crowd when we go ashore,
But I've never felt so lonely before.
Six months have gone since I let her go.
Time will not stand the wind shall still blow.
The seas must ever fall and grow.
My world will still turn but ever so slow.
Living this lie is a foolish game.
I've written to say she's not to blame.
It crossed in the post with a letter that came.
She's written to say she feels the same.
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2. |
Factory Life
03:14
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FACTORY LIFE
(Ian M. Bruce)
My father called me out of school and pushed me to a trade.
"You've hung around for long enough.
It's time that you were paid."
But this factory's a prison and not for me at all.
I was born for better things than life in overalls.
I was born for better things than life in overalls.
CHORUS;
I don't wanna need the Factory Life
It's eating at my brain
If I don't get out-a here I'm gonna go insane.
I gotta get out-a here.
Time is flying quickly by;
I've been here for years.
Still dreaming of a life outside,
But dreams combine with fears.
For although I'm still not old, I'm deeply in a groove.
I fear I haven't learned enough, Enough to make the move.
I fear I haven't learned enough, Enough to make the move.
Now I'm in my forties and the facial lines grow.
Desperation hasn't mellowed
But whisky pads the blow.
I was drinking all alone, scotch after scotch.
I raised my streaming face and cursed my golden watch.
I raised my streaming face and cursed my golden watch.
Five years to retirement, now so quick they roll.
For drinking, says the doctor,
I'll have to pay the toll.
So, within the next five years,
It's perfectly clear,
One way or the other, I'm getting out-a here.
One way or the other, I'm getting out-a here.
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3. |
From a Distance
02:56
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4. |
Free Agents
04:22
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FREE AGENTS
(Ian M. Bruce
CHORUS:
I dreamt she held the hand of someone new.
Free agents can do.
I gotta find out if it's true.
So, I thought, if you don't mind,
I'd ask you?
I'd ask you?
She won't believe me
But I think of her a lot
I remember little moments that she'll think I forgot.
Still I don't deserve her.
It's my fault we're apart.
Fearing for my freedom brought an end before the start.
I can't make the change.
I'm too long in the tooth.
But the nights are long and lonely
To tell the honest truth.
So I spin in confusion,
And I'd just confuse her too.
So don't tell her I was asking.
That's the safest thing to do.
Tell me she's happy.
Please tell me she still gleams.
Is she holding hands, just like in my dreams?
If she has another,
Then he's one lucky guy.
And I'll curse this crazy fool,
Who let such a chance go by.
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5. |
This Peaceful Evening
02:53
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THIS PEACEFUL EVENING
(Ian M. Bruce)
And I said,
" Hello old friend. How ya doin'? "
I hadn't seen her in a long time.
If the truth be told,
I never see her.
Not unless she got something on her mind.
Last time we spoke her boy was leavin',
Got up and he left her without warning.
Her tears came down my door at midday.
Such a sad and lonely morning.
Some time before, she was close to breakdown.
She had this fear that she was dying.
Suicidal speeches, no cream and peaches
And sick of trying, trying, trying.
She always says she's sorry to put it on me.
That she feels guilty coming here.
That I was the only one that she could turn to
Who'd lend a sympathetic ear.
So, come on girl, tell me your problem.
Cry on my shoulder if you want to.
Stay here tonight let me hold you tight.
And a better road we'll guide you on to.
Don't feel guilty I want to help you.
I'll try to find right words to say.
This peaceful evening, we'll spend together.
Making you believe that everything's o.k.
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6. |
The Touch & The Go
04:31
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THE TOUCH AND THE GO
(Ian M. Bruce/Ian J. Walker)
CHORUS
We lived through the touch and the go
With never a great deal to show
Spending was fast while earning was slow
But we laughed through the touch and the go
We loved through the touch and the go
Those were the days when the business was small
Fearing the worst should it go to the wall.
But through inclement weather we held it together.
Over dead bodies would we see it fall
Cries from the cradle utmost in our minds
Children to feed, a mortgage to find.
We'd often embrace whilst wishing for more
We were never so happy as when we were poor.
Then business increased just according to plan
We could hardly keep up with the rising demand
The thing that's so funny is both milk and honey
Turned bitter-sweet for we could not withstand
All the time spent on travel, the time spent apart
Temptation on both sides to make a new start
Love grew cold and so insecure
We were never so happy as when we were poor.
CHORUS
The kids are all grown, they're up and all gone
They took our last reason for carrying on.
Once there was love and nothing above.
Now business as usual is all we have won.
Ambitions fulfilled but still dreams remain
Dreams of the past we can never regain
Hard work and good fortune brought wealth to our door
But we were never so happy as when we were poor.
CHORUS
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7. |
The Anchor Line
02:45
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THE ANCHOR LINE
(Ian M. Bruce/Ian J. Walker)
Cameronia's moving now.
Take me away to Bombay.
Tugs hauling, stern and bow,
Take me away to Suez.
CHORUS
The anchor line sails today.
'Take me away to Bombay.
"Anchors aweigh!" the Captain says
Take me away to Suez
One more liner gone to sea.
Take me away to Bombay.
Another dream that's lost to me.
Take me away to Suez.
CHORUS
So many parts I long to see.
Take me away to Bombay.
But deepest roots are holding me.
Take me away to Suez.
CHORUS
Left alone on Prince's Quay.
Never beholding Bombay.
Turning back to Polmadie.
Never seeing Suez.
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8. |
Will There Be a Concert?
04:29
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WILL THERE BE A CONCERT?
(Ian M. Bruce)
I can't get high.
No matter how I try.
I'm deep in the doldrums again.
I'm sinking far below.
How deep can I go,
Till the twist in this downward trend?
CHORUS:
Gipsy, oh gipsy
Within your crystal ball.
Can you see a future for this poor boy at all.
Am I to die, gipsy, in deep misery.
Or will there be a concert in remembrance of me?
It takes no restraint for me not to paint,
And sport ain't exactly my line.
I never will invent the wonder pill.
I ain't the scientific kind.
When death calls to me.
And my soul is set free.
Will my mark have been made on the land?
Will people forget? Or in grave retrospect.
Mourn a soul they could all understand?
Gipsy, oh gipsy,
Within your crystal ball.
Am I to end crawling,
Or walking so tall?
Am I to die gipsy, in deep misery?
Or will there be a concert in remembrance of me?
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9. |
Nightime Cowboys
03:29
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NIGHTIME COWBOYS
(Ian M. Bruce)
What I do throughout the day,
You've no need to know.
What I do to earn my pay,
You've no need to know.
We meet in the nightime.
That's when I enjoy.
Putting my day behind me
With The Nightime Cowboys.
Some folks look on in wonder.
They don't understand.
This brotherhood in country keeps us hand in hand.
We got cowboys and indians on one dance floor.
Where the arrows and bullets fly in anger no more.
We could've been fighting.
Splashing paint on the wall.
Running through the town mowing everybody down.
Stopping when the last one falls.
But we're just singin', dancin' -
Doin' nobody no harm.
The music reaches down to the beaches
And up to the rollin' hills of 'Faraway Farm'.
What I do throughout the day,
You've no need to know.
What I do to earn my pay,
You've no need to know.
We meet in the nightime.
That's when I enjoy.
Putting my day behind me
With The Nightime Cowboys.
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10. |
Ghost of The Chair
04:44
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GHOST OF THE CHAIR
(Ian M. Bruce)
CHORUS:
If I were a lighthouse in time's tortuous seas
And the morning was sailing to me.
My light occluding, I'd turn her around.
Send the morning back sailing to sea, to sea.
Send the morning back sailing to sea.
Like an ogre to children is the whip to the mare.
Like tomcats to mice are the hounds to the hare.
Their fears are belittled by mine of the chair.
So wide-eyed I lie with a mind full of care.
No chance of escape with nowhere to run.
No choice but to wait for the impending sun.
So I fear, in the morning, that I am undone.
They say that it's painless, which comforts me none.
This dawdling darkness is now at an end.
My heart beats like thunder and trembles attend.
But my heart beat its last when the shock they did send.
'Twas their task to ensure I killed never again.
But it never was in me, I never could kill.
So, a murderer, somewhere, believes I lie still.
As Ghost of The Chair I've a deed to fulfil.
If vengeance is sweet, then have it I will.
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11. |
Hearts of Ohio
02:23
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HEARTS OF OHIO
(Ian M. Bruce)
Athens, Ohio in weather cold as ice.
You warmed and welcomed me,
Both times, I've been there twice.
I stayed with Jed the first time and a fine man is he.
Same goes for Jerry Sullivan, Shade U.S.33.
CHORUS:
Hearts of O- hi-o,
Your valley's thick with snow
And it's never gonna cool ya down
Hearts of Ohio.
Hutchison J.D. is a hell of a man.
J.D. plays music like no one else can.
But he took the time to listen..
I played 'Another Fool's Cafe'.
I couldn't lick his boots
But he said he liked it anyway.
The weather man's been warning,
"There's gonna be deep snow!
If your figurin' on leavin,
Now's the time to go."
So so long Appalachia Before the blizzard starts.
I leave behind, in bitter cold,
Warm, warm hearts.
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12. |
Black Fog
04:43
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BLACK FOG
(Ian M. Bruce)
The doctor must think.......
It's out of his hands.
Is that why I'm here?
Does he say there's nothing wrong with me?
Well...there is..........you see......
I'm longing to travel
I'm frightened to fly.
I'm too far from help when I'm up in the sky.
I cower from ambition,
My yearning to roam.
I feel a little safer when I'm locked in my home.
I'm frightened of failure,
I'm scared of success.
I'm somewhere in the middle And my mind is a mess.
Sometimes I get dizzy;
I'm gonna fall off my feet.
Sometimes I'm so scared I'm gonna die in the street.
CHORUS:
Don't sit alone in Black Fog
Seek the sunshine that's waiting for you.
Relax, forget. So easy to say, I know.
But you, you won't always be feeling this way.
Have faith in yourself!
You're being overwhelmed by your phobias.
You have a fear of the fear.
You're not going mad,
You're not physically ill.
You're not going to die
And we'll wean you off pills.
We'll lift that fog so you'll clearly see.
Have faith in yourself and have trust in me.
But I take palpitations And I tighten with fright.
You say it won't kill me, But I still think it might.
I panic and I pace
And I phone for the quack.
Because I am so scared of that heart attack.
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13. |
Top Hat'n'Tails
02:31
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TOP HAT'n'TAILS
(Ian M. Bruce)
There was never any doubt......
So, we went ahead.
We took a loan to buy our home,
A cooker and a bed.
Our whole lives to share.
Everything was so right.
We knew that we would always be rich;
Even if the money was tight.
It was gonna be Top Hat 'n' Tails,
Flowers and veils.
She coulda been a sight to see.
With her radiant smile glidin' the aisle.
She was gonna wear white for me.
She tried very hard,
Her deep secret to keep.
Till guilt and pain, they swam round her brain,
And she started losing sleep.
She told me of the man, her 'one night stand'.
For an hour of fun the damage was done.
An end to all we had planned.
CHORUS
From a rusting old Ford
To the register office door.
The man at her side was the one night stand She swore she'd see no more.
What feelings do they share,
But toleration and blame.
They put pen in hand and with a golden band,
The child was given his name.
CHORUS
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14. |
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FIND OUT WHO YOUR FRIENDS ARE
(Ian M. Bruce)
CHORUS:
In times like these you find out who your friends are,
Bitter words I hear.
But in such times, remember who those friends are;
The ones who are always near.
I've been down, face to the ground.
Evil feet kick me when I'm gagged and Bound
They stamp on my head;
They grind my nose in the dirt.
Such unrelenting anger and hurt.
I've been used and abused, wrongly accused;
Some perfect rights have been blankly refused.
Jealousy jibes me, scorn slaps my face.
Petered - out promises, lost without trace.
When from a thin thread your future suspends
Don't be down hearted by fair weather friends
In times like these you find out who your friends are.
Bitter words I hear.
But in such times remember who those friends are,
The ones who are always near.
NEAR!
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15. |
Blodwen's Dream
03:08
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Blodwen's Dream
(Ian M.Bruce)
Blodwen dreams on life's side of the river.
Blodwen dreams on life's side of the river.
Blodwen's sister lately died;
She was playing on the other side.
Blodwen dreams on life's side of the river.
"I've never seen you look so well, my sister.
No match is the bright sunrise,
For the sparkle of those amber eyes.
This river, it don't look so wide, my sister
Let me fetch a rowing boat.
Easily to us you'll float."
"Don't you fetch no rowing boat, my sister.
I'd love to be with you all again
But here I'm feeling no more pain."
"But Mama mourns and she can't weep, my sister.
Words of comfort bring no peace.
Sympathy brings no release."
"Give Mum my love when you awake, my sister.
Tell her everything you've seen.
I'm as happy as I've ever been."
"Mama, I've been dreamin' 'bout my sister."
Mama's tears rolled down in streams.
She believed in Blodwen's Dream.
"Mama I've been talkin' to my sister
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16. |
Gone For The Day
03:37
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GONE FOR THE DAY
(Ian M Bruce)
Two thirty a.m., I in solitude steep
An hour and a half and still no sign of sleep.
My mind's in a spin; my stomach feels tight.
I'm one lonely soul in the night.
CHORUS:
How come, you're only here when I'm sleeping?
Until the dawn of the day,
You're here, so clear, dancing beside me.
But when I awake, you're away;
Gone for The Day.
It's too many nights that I lie here alone.
With darkness clinging like moss to a stone.
I'm resting uneasy.
How long will it be,
Till sleep drapes its veil over me?
There must be a crank in those medical schemes,
Suggesting we're subject to monochrome dreams.
For I can see blue eyes and long golden hair.
I see every colour you wear.
And then, as we're waltzing, I ask your name.
On every occasion it ends up the same.
My ears strain for answers as I'm left behind;
With a glimmer of light through the blind.
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17. |
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THE DAWN OF A BRAND NEW DAY
(Ian M. Bruce/ Gavin Stevenson)
Fae the silence only a spring Sunday morning can claim,
The cackle o' hens, fae somewhere close at hand came.
Soft reassurance, delivered fae harm.
One by one by one realising your charms.
CHORUS
O Mother Nature, we meet at last.
Strange we never met in the past.
You say I walked by you in every place,
But, today, for the first time, I saw the sun in yer face.
Today for the first time I saw the sun in yer face.
The cushies in the fir wood crooned a lazy tune.
Ma mind ceased tae wander, alive tae every soond.
Heard the leaves on the trees and the buzzin' o' fleas.
A lark headed for heaven and sang on the sweet scented breeze.
CHORUS
A tingle shot through me.
For once my soul leapt and laughed.
Wis there mair than the pine in thon tiny wee waft?
The sensation o' spring blew ma cobwebs away.
A natural high at the dawn of a brand new day.
CHORUS
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18. |
All Roads Lead To Home
05:48
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ALL ROADS LEAD TO HOME
(Ian M. Bruce/Ian J. Walker)
Only fourteen years old
His mama passed away
The bottle saw his daddy through the day
Like fledgelings in the nest
Waiting for Father's return
Waiting for worms
Waiting for worms
Like fledgelings in the nest waiting for worms.
He fell heir to the care of sisters so young
Doing the things his daddy should have done
They snatched his youth
Blew it all away
Blew it away
His worth realised when he left one day.
And Dad said ....
"Sorry son, I'm sorry
I understand your need to roam
If the sign at the crossroad tumbles down All roads
All roads
But home shifts its place
Well out of range
Wonders why he waited so long for the change
Children of his own
Exuberant and free
Deedle - e - dee Deedle - e - dee
Spending his days with the family
He still hears
"Sorry son, I'm sorry
I understand your need to roam
If the sign at the crossroad tumbles down
All roads
All roads
All roads lead to home"
When the night comes down
There's no-one around and he's thinking
Of the grudge he- bears
And how it's wearing thin
Dawn parades - the darkness fades
"I'm gonna find my Dad
Gonna welcome the old man in.
I'm gonna say
"Sorry Dad, I'm sorry if I caused you any pain
If the sign at the crossroad tumbles down
All roads All roads
All roads lead to home"
Sister's at the door of the old family home
A tear in her eye says there's something wrong
"You're just one week too late
He's back with Mama now
Together again
Together again
Back with Mama now - together again".
Because the sign at the crossroad tumbled down
And all roads All roads
All roads led to home
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19. |
Child On The Green
03:36
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CHILD ON THE GREEN
(Ian M. Bruce)
"Child on the green, what's that you do?"
"I'm turning daisies to chains and Mum they're for you!"
"But Mum, I'm just playing so why do you cry?
My flowers are saying, 'I'm glad you came by'."
CHORUS:
"Child as you grow questions will flow.
The more that you ask, the more you will know.
But ask of emotion, it's useless to try.
Finding its reason by asking me, 'Why?'"
"Child you are late. Where have you been?
Your dinner is burned and your clothes are unclean."
I wasn't surprised to find she was wild,
But puzzled some when she suddenly smiled.
"Child you are lost. Sometimes we act strange.
You must understand, we can suddenly change.
It's just human nature and when you are grown,
You'll sometimes seem strange to a child of your own."
She spoke and I listened, then went off to bed.
But I always remembered the words she had said.
It's been twenty years and I've a son on my knee.
I've just told my son what my mum told to me.
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20. |
Blue Denim Days
03:29
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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.
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