1. |
Helen's
03:31
|
|
||
|
Helen’s sits on the corner of first avenue
She’s not the first one to be there that is true
But as long as I recall she’s been working from that stall
Selling flowers on the corner of first avenue
Every special day I’d find her bouquets in the sun
On the table in the kitchen or in arms of ones I love
Cause every time that mother’s day felt like it came too soon
We’d rush down the block to Helen’s on first avenue
I could cry
For the passage of time
Is something so sweet and so blue
In this heart of mine
And the city you will find
Helen’s on the corner of first avenue
Right beside the flower shop was Joe’s restaurant
A daycare and a cafe and Gina’s hair salon
I remember feeling like the greatest thing to do
Was walk over and say hello to first avenue
I could cry
For the passage of time
Is something so sweet and so blue
In this heart of mine
And the city you will find
Helen’s on the corner of first avenue
After all these years Helen’s neighbours had to close
While everyone just said, “That’s the way that it goes”
I know it won’t be long before Helen’s goes down too
As they start building condos on first avenue
I could cry
For the passage of time
Is something so sweet and so blue
What will become
Of where I come from
Will I always feel at home on first avenue?
For in this heart of mine
And the city you will find
Helen’s on the corner of first avenue
|
||||
2. |
Roots
03:41
|
|
||
|
She climbs into her 2002 SUV
Only 5,000 kilometers left but it’s all she needs
For the fourth time she’s ready to leave the city
Heading out to find herself at age 23
First she went to Greece to smell the olive trees
Then to Thailand and to Mexico to be by the sea
Now a cross-continental drive will help she thinks
Help me find myself at age 23
Will you fly the whole world round?
Will you wear through the soles of your boots?
Never looking to find yourself by putting down roots
Through the rockies and the prairies she leaves no trace
Marvelling at the joy on each friendly face
Surely one of these fine towns must be the place
Where she shall come to know herself in time and space
Will you fly the whole world round?
Will you wear through the soles of your boots?
Never looking to find yourself by putting down roots
When finally she reaches the Atlantic shore
It feels so familiar has she been here before?
What if she can’t find what she’s looking for?
And what if she returns home unchanged once more?
Will you fly the whole world round?
Will you wear through the soles of your boots?
Never looking to find yourself
Always looking all by yourself
Never looking to find yourself by putting down roots
|
||||
3. |
Succession
04:20
|
|
||
|
Sunsets glowing off the windows of condos
As we drive into downtown
My father always likes to share which buildings were right there
When he was growing up
Those warehouses still standing but just barely holding on
Weren’t breweries or slated for the wrecking ball
My mother tells me that my childhood home
Has aged but 90 years
Built from solid wood of ancient trees that used to
Stand right here
I listen to the cars on the road
Like they’re the river running past my house
The one that my grandmother once played upon
The one that flows in pipes beneath the ground
The world I look at now made of concrete and glass
Seems so set in stone as if it’s all we have
Once a year I walk out on the bridge
To look at the city’s towers
Skyscrapers triangulated by the railroad
And buildings following an ancient shore
A landscape carved, in part, by a history older than time
And one that is too recent to permit its lies
|
||||
4. |
Plain Sight
03:18
|
|
||
|
Meet me at the light on 12th and Main
We’ll grab a drink at the old Cascade
I’ll wear my Sunday shirt
You’ll wear your favourite skirt
I walked you right to your front door
Where we stood and talked a little more
You asked me for a kiss
I could get used to this
We’re sailing in plain sight
In the right place at the right time
Two years in and you’re all I see
In the window at our local bakery
You’re reading your favourite classic
Our best is yet to happen
We’re sailing in plain sight
In the right place at the right time
How many times are we supposed to
Pace the night for ones to feel close to
We’re sailing in plain sight
In the right place at the right time
We’re sailing in plain sight
In the right place at the right time
|
||||
5. |
Fair-Weather Rider
03:30
|
|
||
|
Fair-weather rider what do you say
When the clouds roll in over English Bay?
Fair-weather rider what do you fear?
Do you shake from the cold? Are you sincere?
Will you wait for the sun
Or just run?
Fair-weather rider can you hear the rain
Before it falls or is it always too late?
Will you wait for the sun
Or just run?
Fair-weather rider if I am the fool
At least I can say I won’t give up too soon
While you wait for the sun
I will run.
|
||||
6. |
Petrichor
03:03
|
|
||
|
Feel it on your skin smell it on the air
Carried on the wind like an afternoon prayer
One you’ve heard before
He told me of petrichor
On the seawall by the shore
Waves rolling in again
Rain on the pavement
Beige sand turning brown
The water cools the burning ground
Trees whisper to the tune
The welcoming of June
Feel it on your skin smell it on the air
Carried on the wind like an afternoon prayer
One you’ve heard before
Quiet road and purple clouds take their bow
The sun comes out
Each one filled with gasoline
A kaleidoscope on streets
Feel it on your skin smell it on the air
Carried on the wind like an afternoon prayer
One you’ve heard before
In my room the wind blows cold
For the first time since I don’t know
I let my curtains dance to it
To celebrate the magic
Feel it on your skin smell it on the air
Carried on the wind like an afternoon prayer
One you’ve heard before
Feel it on your skin smell it on the air
Carried on the wind like an afternoon prayer
One you’ve heard before
|
||||
7. |
What I Know Now
03:57
|
|
||
|
You packed your bags and you left to Toronto
On the red eye flight
Just this morning we were sharing coffee
And now you’re gliding over the prairies
I bet that sunrise looks real good about now
I know we said we’re young and that’s all right
But I don’t know if I knew then what I know now
So I will go along like everything is fine
But I just hope you think of me tonight
Maybe I should call you up and tell you
What I feel is true
But even if I did, what could I say to bring you here?
I know we said we’re young and that’s all right
But I don’t know if I knew then what I know now
And I could along like everything is fine
But I’d still hope you’d think of me tonight
Yes, I just hope you think of me tonight
|
||||
8. |
Are We Blue?
03:29
|
|
||
|
She took a brush and she painted the night sky
It’s an easy thing to do in a city full of lights
Stars shining from below
So it’s just blue
As she paints the streets the big dipper appears
Lampposts and houses shine bright and clear
Constellations below
In your home
What can we see when we turn on the light?
Are we human because we can see at night?
Or are we blue?
She looks out her window and the world’s on its head
Lights through her curtains illuminate her bed
The sky is dark but she lies awake
In her home
What can we see when we turn off the light?
Are we human because we can see at night?
Or are we blue?
|
||||
9. |
Waltz on Robson
03:07
|
|
||
|
Here on the 18th floor in the sky
The people look small as the world goes by
You just arrived now you’re itching to go
But up in the office the world moves slow
You always wanted to live out this dream
Drinking coffee, making money, and leading the team
But anticipation, oh what could be worse?
Giving so much and not knowing your worth
What if you walked out to the blue
And into the street
By chance you should meet
Someone like you
Who needs a break too
With a waltz on Robson Street
Working the late night shift on your own
Thoughts of your kids who just wish you were home
When the sun rises you’ll kiss their sweet heads
Drive them to school and then fall to your bed
When the moon rises you’ll do it again
Care for your children and help others to mend
So many people and so much to do
Giving so much, who’s caring for you?
What if you walked out to the blue
And into the street
By chance you should meet
Someone like you
Who needs a break too
With a waltz on Robson Street
|
||||
10. |
Concrete Country
03:46
|
|
||
|
In Concrete Country the people run wild
Belly of a beast, eyes like a child
The skyline’s grinning silhouette
Chews as much as it can get
The highway begins its crawl
Through the maze of urban sprawl
Pausing once for an ambulance howl
Then carrying forth in rubber growl
Where do you find yourself in the forest or the street?
What makes a person choose to turn themselves to green?
Build it up and tear it down
Searching for a broken crown
The wilderness ain’t really what it seems
This is Concrete Country
This is Concrete Country
Coyote earns a living wage
Like she’s done through every age
Picking up where she can
And running free across the land
Down alleyways and avenues
Creatures walk with eyes on you
But as the crows fly out at dawn
They see your face and then they’re gone
Where do you find yourself in the forest or the street?
What makes a person choose to turn themselves to green?
Build it up and tear it down
Searching for a broken crown
The wilderness ain’t really what it seems
This is Concrete Country
This is Concrete Country
And what of all the others who
Who keep the peace and form the glue
What good will the money make
If we live for human’s sake?
Where do you find yourself in the forest or the street?
What makes a person choose to turn themselves to green?
Build it up and tear it down
Searching for a broken crown
The wilderness ain’t really what it seems
If you build it up and you tear it down
And if you find that broken crown
Will the wilderness be really what you need?
This is Concrete Country
|
||||
Madelyn Read Vancouver, British Columbia
Though she may have spent her whole life in the city of Vancouver BC, Madelyn’s heart is in the rural tales of Folk/Americana music. This duality of urban and country is ever present in her music, as she pulls inspiration from Folk/Americana groups like I’m with Her, Joni Mitchell, and First Aid Kit and blends these sounds with lyrics about growing up in an urban centre. ... more
If you like Madelyn Read, you may also like:
Dakota Blue Moon
by Jackson Harden
Gorgeous acoustic Americana from North Carolina, stripped-back and sublime.
go to album
Tides of a Teardrop
by Watchhouse (formerly Mandolin Orange)
The forthcoming album from Mandolin Orange blends rustic Americana melodies with aching, orchestral arrangements.
go to album
Meet Me at the River
by Dawn Landes
On “Meet Me By the River,” Dawn Landes’s self-described “Nashville record,” buoyant country melodies settle deep into lush instrumentation.
go to album
Papa Bear Sings Baby Bear a Lullaby in a Bearhouse
by Hige Kuma
Raucous jams from this Austin artist with hooks so immediate, they bury themselves in your brain.
go to album
Crafting powerful songs about commitment and love, the Nashville singer-songwriter channels and subverts ’70s country and folk tropes.
go to album
Caught Up On A Feeling
by Veronica Stanton
Stunningly beautiful orchestral folk songs with just a hint of country, delivered with heart-on-sleeve immediacy.
go to album
A vibrant vision of "Central Americana" from the Costa Rica-based artist, blending heartland devotionals with playful Tropicália grooves.
go to album
