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Mercy for the Gentle Kind

by Cameron Blake

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1.
Tenderness 02:01
2.
Red Rose 05:15
*Based on Rilke’s Duino Elegies “Sing to me!” the mountains sing It’s the summoning of light flickering through the Aspen tree leaves I believe and you believe in the conjuring of angels with their terrifying faces and ancient hierarchies Peace will come and love will come And up and up and up the wings will fly Shoulder blades pulled back to raise the spine Then folding forward they strike the sky Come with me, belong to me In uncertainty and anxiety as the nights are getting long now We will grieve The earth was sweet Yes, we will grieve The still heartbeat And crush the stone and gold and bone to soft ground The blood will run and the waters flood And up and up and up the smoke will rise Peace will come and love will come And run and run and run the tears from eyes O red rose, I’ll never bruise you again I’ll never leave you but I’m going away I’m losing my way I’m losing my way Oh, I’m losing my way to you O red rose, I’ll never leave you again I’ll never lose you Now I’m wide awake I’ve found my way I’ve found my way Now I’ve found my way back to you
3.
I play the violin When the ballroom’s clearing out And the lights are going dim On the suits and evening gowns Do you hear my violin When it’s quiet in the town? Down, up, up, down, up, up, down The strings begin to sing When the jester has a frown His ankle bells don’t ring On the day the king is crowned And they mock his offering Of heart and soul and sound Down, up, up, down, up, up, down The plague has reached our shores Rumors of another war Nero played as the city blazed and burned There’s rosin on the bow Getting ready for the show Perhaps we’ll muster up a tear in turn Do you hear the violin When you’re up against a crowd? When the air is getting thin And you can’t get off the ground Yes, I’ll play the violin As the ship is going down Down, up, up, down, up, up down The plague has reached our shores Rumors of another war Albert Einstein played as the atom split in two There’s rosin on the bow Getting ready for the show Perhaps we’ll muster up a tear or two Oh, I’ll play my violin ‘Til it cannot make a sound Down, up, up, down, up, up..
4.
Blue Note 04:14
Hear the blue note Over the radio It’s a sound that’s familiar Trane is playing ‘Love Supreme’ on the saxophone Feel the Western wind Blowing through your hair again A little spider spins Yeah, she is zeroing in on what has been exposed I had to get out of this town and its cruel illusions I had to take care of myself and these crude conclusions First, we drink then we sing, then we dance, then we fight, then we cry They say it’s a tooth for a tooth and an eye for an eye What was it in that room that I fell into? The ruby silhouette, or the Persian patterned dress or the paper moon? Five Sketches of Spain Five movements through pain There’s a fragile delay when the bell ring far away in the altitude I had to get out of this town with its cruel illusions I had to take care of myself and these crude conclusions Left with the bitter taste and the razor of surprise First, we drank then we sang, then we danced, then we laughed, then we cried Feel the blue note I hear it coming from the radio That’s Trane that’s playing on the saxophone It’s cuttin’ through me right to the bone Oh, I feel the Western wind I see it blowing through your hair again Curls in the corners like a spider web This kind of love is never meant to end I’ll watch the sunflowers bloom in your eyes I’ll watch the sunflowers bloom in your smile I’ll watch the sunflowers bloomin’ in the blue lit sky
5.
Sicilienne 03:43
6.
You came to me in a violet dream It’s the way you stand and the way you speak You whisper the word “fragility” You blush beneath the starlit sky The sliver of moon shone in your eyes As we drove to the coast far away from our lives Tannins in the wine and loose-leaf tea There are no filters, no mysteries Wasn’t looking for you, didn’t know what I missed Kept my eyes on the road until I found it A sweet little bird singing out in the mist “Mercy for the gentle kind” A sliver of light shone in your eyes Broke away from a pain in the corners of your mind Tannins in the wine and loose-leaf tea There are no secrets when you’re free to be free The sun descends behind the rim of the world A decrescendo There’s never been a feeling that hasn’t been felt before A sliver of hope shone in your eyes I saw it for a second and that second froze time Tannins in the wine and loose-leaf tea Oh, this place is erased when you’re looking at me The sun descends behind the rim of the world A decrescendo There’s never been a feeling that hasn’t been felt before The sun will rise behind the rim of the world A great crescendo There’s never been a feeling that hasn’t been felt before

credits

released August 26, 2022

Music by Cameron Blake (BMI), except Sicilienne (trk V) by Maria Theresia von Paradis

Lyrics by Cameron Blake (BMI), except Tenderness (trk I) by John Berger in conversation with Michael Silverblatt, Conversation 2, Episode 5, October 2002. Podcast. Produced by the Lannan Foundation.

Cameron Blake: vocals, piano, string arrangements, violin (trk V)
Andrew Saliba: electric guitar
Max Brown: acoustic guitar (trk IV, VI)
Ian Thompson: electric & upright bass
Andrew Szumowski: drums

James Crawford: 1st violin (trk I, II, III)
Megan Crawford: 2nd violin (trk I, II, III)
Barbara Corbato: viola (trk I, II, III)
Jill Collier: cello (trk I, II, III, V)
Michael Schaeffer: accordion (trk III, V)

Produced by Cameron Blake and Josh Kaufman
Engineering and Mixing: Josh Kaufman, Local Legend Recording (Grand Rapids, MI)
Mastering: Ian Gorman, La Luna Recording and Sound (Kalamazoo, MI)
Album art: Loren John
Album photo: Sarah Craig

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