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Life & Other Short Stories: Vol II

by Checking For Echo Project

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1.
Where are your Gods when you need them most? And what kind of world will you leave? One that floods and burns to its innermost Riddled with Man’s cruel disease? Your endless desire for profit and for greed With water more valued than gold Only the rich could ever sate their need The Earth is bought and controlled. Where are your Gods, have they looked away? Did they turned a casual blind eye To your precious corporate priorities? “We’re only matching demand with supply” And the water systems that you pollute Are lapping under your feet With your modern-day version of King Cnut Drowning in your own conceit You had the resources to change it all Instead, you sought rockets and wings Maybe you’re still trying to find your own true God And your place amongst legends and kings So where are your Gods, have they looked away? Are they showing you their disrespect At your egotistical and selfish acts? “We’re not fuelling the greenhouse effect” So where are your Gods when you need them most? And what kind of world have you left? A world that’s rising off its knees Or one lying barren, bereft? Where are your Gods when you need them most?
2.
Black Mist 07:25
It’s a constant source of tension when the rule of law Is abused through circumvention, the final straw for human faith For those who let the power invade their souls They know there’ll come the hour in opinion polls. They’ll steal the show But hiding in the black mist, hiding from the truth Obscured by doubts and loopholes and solid proof Hiding in the black mist your safety is assured Through lies and endless red tape secrets are stored And through association favours are shared But the cash and compensation go undeclared. There’s a stench of greed Buy those who seek to question these crooked acts Conveniently fail to mention the crucial facts and the bastards win But hiding in the black mist, hiding from the truth Obscured by doubts and loopholes and solid proof Hiding in the black mist your safety is assured Through lies and endless red tape secrets are stored A light on operations will reveal Immoral machinations and shady deals and the money trail And when the black mist rises and bares your sin The cast iron compromises will save your skin. You’re made for life But hiding in the black mist, hiding from the truth Obscured by doubts and loopholes and solid proof Hiding in the black mist Hiding in the black mist Hiding in the black mist You shadow moves
3.
Beyond imagination, born of blood and fire In splendid isolation, I have lived Corrupted and conspiring All I wanted, all I was living for An end to all the silent sweet revenge And nothing more No longer God's Apollo, no more Mercury Down among the unbelievers Fuck the wild and wasted, look at me Got pills to sleep, got pills to get awake Eternally I pray no-one my breath will take The honesty is gone now There is no other way in this state of mine The resolutions halted The innocence betrayed by your hand All I can do is keep uncertain company I get this murderous intention With a tendency to fly How can I hold on? If I'm not living who am I? He knows that I'm about him He feels me in his skin, I follow him in again Confidence is shaken, his conscience is unclear One of us promised more I know you lie with me, breathtaker To dream my dreams You steal them for the maker of rain Get out of my subterranean heart and I'm alive Asylum is everything and it's mine Oh, are you made of stone? And are you there at all or here in my head? Anyone with half a brain would do the same I know your name
4.
What will you do to escape it all? When the world around you falls Down with the rats, the dust and scum What will you do when your nightmare comes? Should have listened to what was said But you did what you wanted to do instead Ignoring advice and protocol So here it comes The second fall It won’t get me I’m invincible I don’t believe it’s even here at all No time to concede our small freedoms Whatever they say are good reasons They’re controlling us all to keep us down It’s time to break out and protest now Defy the rules on principle Here it comes The second fall Discover the truth but far too late The enemy spreads and duplicates No respecter of age or point of view It’s heads or tails now if we’ll pull through Now I wish you had believed it all Cos here it comes The second fall
5.
Finally Free 05:26
The rain patters away at the remnants of another day stillborn The time where we lost ourselves in laughter ever after I will mourn It seems that you’ll always be That kind and gentle face smiling back at me The car it runs the red stop sign cutting fine lines, hear the applause Pulls up outside all the office blocks, stop the clocks, the win is yours I know we’ll never laugh again Like we always seemed to find the time back then The once filled rooms that were full of soul will not console me now The rain relentlessly dulls the mood to more subdued thoughts allowed I know it’s for your own sanity I’m glad you're finally free
6.
Old memories held in a frame Keep calling me to open the veil and visit again No looking back, nothing to be seen It’s more important to look ahead and not where we’ve been Forty summers back, so carefree Laughing in the park, sheer comedy Pictures in my mind that never change No use looking back, it’s gone now Ghosts of all our past, they’ve flown now Riding on a wave now out of range Things that we did, but some I regret But still they’re things I’ll hang onto and never forget Time that has past will not come again I’ll try to keep in mind all of the joy and none of the pain Forty summers back, so carefree Laughing in the park, sheer comedy Pictures in my mind that now seem strange No use looking back, it’s gone now Ghosts of all our past, they’ve flown now Riding on a wave now out of range Just out of range
7.
In The End 06:06
Embrace the flame, court the muse Things don’t turn out as we’d often choose Take another step, move two back The tide has turned against us For when all is done, we take the climb Just to see where the Gods will take us this time Fate or destiny, they’re both our friends And they will take us in the end Embrace the flame Words can leave us now as I’ll contend That they can’t help us in the end
8.
Time 22:39
Part I: Sands of Time I wonder why the sky is so blue They say it may be because of you The dew on the grass, the leaves on the trees The delicate pollen that floats on the breeze We will never admit it although we’ve always known The sands of time are shifting and will never run slow I wonder why the flowers bloom It’s maybe to guide you with their perfume All that we’ve seen and all that we’ve shared Always left me feeling so unprepared Through our outstretched fingers the sands of time will fall Removing traces of memory until there's nothing left to recall We will never admit it although we've always known The sands of time are shifting and will never run slow for us. Part II: The Space Between Us Can you hear the space between us? Can you see the space between us? Can you feel the space between us? I can see the space between us. Part III: Tangles & Knots Time leaves behind broken and beautiful dreams And blows the wind through the fragments left For those who will dare to follow There’s a place where the lonely it seems Will mourn untimely death By a darkness that leaves us hollow Dreams will fade into nothing but wisps on the wind Unremembered familiar thought Where tangles and knots wind their way Gone the years, the faces, the places, the souls And all that we were taught Watch the colours all fading to grey Part IV: Reminiscence There’s raindrops falling Raindrops falling Reminds me of when There were raindrops falling Just us in the rain Can you hear them falling?   Part V: Time on Earth Proud and strong, how young you were Yesterdays are gone in such a blur Yet they seemed to last so long When we were so proud and strong And life is there for those who lead it The moments there for those who steal it Live well, whatever that means to you For this is your time on Earth Young you were but young no more We know what time has in store Steel winds blow, the shadows cast No regrets for days that pass And life is there for those who lead it The moments there for those who steal it Live well, whatever that means to you For this is your time on Earth Part VI: Passages & Passengers Passengers, passing through time No destination, no one in control Just passing the time, passing the days Until we come to be here again Through the passages we follow Nose-to-tail we go Blindly following each other Until we reach the wall Through the passages we follow Nose-to-tail we go Blindly following each other Until we reach the wall Part VII: Don't Beckon The Stars Don't beckon the stars when their light burns low Don't always fight against the water's undertow To change something you should have done a long time ago Don't beckon the stars when their light burns low Don't try to grasp the sands of time or the sunset's afterglow To be someone you should have been a long time ago Don't beckon the stars when their light burns low Don't always wish for one more hour before it's time to go To have something you should have had a long time ago Don't wish to all the stars when their light is burning low Don't always fight against the tide and the water's undertow Don't go chasing time for the chance to put things right Just go gently into the night
9.
Enigma 07:21
Though you may be out of range The stroke of midnight hits you every time The extra mile that makes the change That’s where your history will be defined Build a bombe and crack the code Save the world and bear the load Step by step you walk the road A heart of gold a brilliant mind So far ahead of your own time Frame by frame you broke the code Finding faith to make the leap The secrets you were made to keep So your truth would always be denied On the basis of the facts Logic falls between the cracks As their fear and prejudice collide Build a bombe and crack the code Save the world and bear the load Step by step you walk the road A heart of gold a brilliant mind Way ahead of your own time Frame by frame you broke the code Step by step you walk the road While the world is turning as the minutes and the hours unwind Every day the weight is baring down results return as undefined Crack the code you lift the load, the breaking of the tidal wave Step by step you walked the road betrayed by those you helped to save Though you may be out of range You could see what no-one else could see You gave yourself to make the change You’re the ghost inside the war machine
10.
Standing here just staring at the writing on the wall It’s often said or so I’ve read pride comes before a fall To fly too high, beyond your reach is foolish and unwise Especially when you don’t realise Be careful what you wish for, don’t grasp the nettle tight For it may climb into your mind just as your reach for light Its dark remains move through your veins, you stumble from your ledge And over the sheer cliff’s edge Talk to me, you can talk to me Open up to me, don’t look right through me They’re feelings, only feelings Hidden meanings, constant dreamings “Pull yourself together, you’re always in a daze” Was all received by mirror-men into the world they gazed If I could walk beside you without this dark decay I’d swap our places everyday Talk to me, you can talk to me Open up to me, don’t look right through me They’re feelings, only feelings Hidden meanings, constant dreamings To walk the road of emptiness alone and quite afraid I’ll stare into this deep, dark abyss, embrace the life I’ve made With eyes so full of madness, my thoughts I cannot hide I fall over the great divide Talk to me, you can talk to me Open up to me, don’t look right through me They’re feelings, only feelings Hidden meanings, constant dreamings
11.
In their forties they met Both had been there before Constantly rebelling against a system Living life without regret Carefree, like the waves upon the shore Into their world there came another A beautiful, defenceless child Growing together bond upon bond But the darkness lurked out there Waiting for the moment In the long grass, stalking in the wild A camera angle would shatter this peace This beauty and all desires The darkness had come to steal the dream A theatre of war had begun Distant at first, subtle, barely there Then a full cascade of bombs and gas With very little time to prepare. “There may be a time when I am not here” I said with a tear in my eye; I wanted to convey the love that I have While I still have an air supply “You’ll outlive us all”, she said as a joke Barely believing in it all But imagining that it would give us all hope And somehow cushion the fall And when she smiles that smile And tells me we will be there in the summer of 2025 Laughing together, smiling at the trivial things How were we to know what she referred to was so distant As undetermined As undefined As the underside of the moth’s wing Every day’s a distant sunrise Never knowing what’s in store, Every day the time goes clockwise Glad for what I have but needing more Every day’s a distant sunrise Gather your thoughts, live for the day Be thankful that you are still here to see The world’s wondrous display Every day is a distant sunrise Remember when I was there Imagine my arms around you Protecting you as you stare Into the distant sunrise

about

Angel Lynn's recovery GoFundMe campaign:

All net proceeds from pre-orders of this album will be donated to the Support Angel Lynn’s recovery GoFundME campaign to help provide ongoing care for 19 year old Angel Lynn who, in 2020, was kidnapped in a van and then seemingly thrown out of the vehicle while it was travelling around 60mph. She suffered severe head and brain injuries and can't walk, talk or feed herself.

All her care is now being provided for by her family. Angel's ongoing care will be costly and therefore as much as possible will be donated to the campaign.

For more details on the backstory: shorturl.at/bnzB6

For the GoFundMe page: www.gofundme.com/f/support-angel-lynns-recovery

credits

released April 7, 2022

The "couldn't have done it without you" list:

Making an album of music is a massive undertaking, made easier by the help, advice and skills of some very special people. First of all I would like to say a huge “Thank You” to Suzi James of Fearful Symmetry. Whatever track I have thrown at Suzi she has surprised me with hugely interpretive accompaniments, whether it be guitar, flute or strings. Suzi has also been a valued friend who I can rely on for honest feedback on whatever I write.

Thanks also go to Andy Nixon who has not only provided me with some great vocals but also contributed some amazing guitar work on In The End, The Cliff’s Edge and parts IV and VI of Time, and to Pat Sanders of Drifting Sun for his keyboards on The Cliff’s Edge. Thanks also to Trev Turley of Random Earth Project for his additional bass on In The End.

Special thank you also to these talented vocalists:

Andy Nixon: Where Are Your Gods? | In The End |
Time parts III, IV, V, VI
Mikey Brown: Black Mist
Yael Shotts: Laid Low/Breathtaker | Enigma
Elaine Samuels: Forty Summers (Out Of Range)
Martin Haggarty: Spoken voice on Finally Free
Chris Martini: The Cliff’s Edge
Paul Dews: The Distant Sunrise
Lisa Farley: Time parts I & VII

Thanks also to Clare Shorthouse Fowler and John Fowler of Dandelion Charm for the backing vocals on The Second Fall.

Thanks also to Paul Dews of How Far To Hitchin for his collaboration on The Distant Sunrise and for providing some amazing artwork.

Please support the artists involved in this album:


Fearful Symmetry (Suzi/Yael): fearfulsymmetry.bandcamp.com
Outside In (Mikey): outsideinnz.bandcamp.com
Freedom To Glide (Andy): freedomtoglide.com
Dandelion Charm: www.dandelioncharm.com
Elaine Samuels: elainesamuels.co.uk
Long Earth (Martin): longearthmusic.com
Chris Martini: soundcloud.com/chrisjmartini
Drifting Sun (Pat): driftingsun.co.uk
Random Earth Project (Trev): facebook.com/RandomEarthProject
How Far To Hitchin (Paul): howfartohitchin.com

Thanks also to iq-hq.co.uk for allowing me to cover Laid Low/Breathtaker and to Andy Nixon and Pete Riley of freedomtoglide.com for allowing me to cover Enigma

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Checking For Echo Project UK

Progressive/art rock meets cinematic soundtrack, Checking For Echo Project strives to express thought-provoking topics through emotive music and lyrics that 'paint a picture'.

Following a debut album released March 2020, Checking For Echo Project now draws upon the talents of a number of musicians and vocalists to bring the songs to life.
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