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Strange Things Can Happen At Sea

by Jeff Linden and the Black Spot Society

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1.
(...Or "A Dangerous Business") I'm leaving as soon as I hear the first crow / to find a new ground where greener grass grows / but I promise to not forget all that I know / my love, to you, I bestow / For I had a dream of a land I admired / that I found when my hometown went up in a fire / at the end I thanked God for all that transpired / so I'm leaving to quell this desire Hush, now / fear not, my darling / the fates smile / on you and I / I see good things a-coming / there won't be a cloud in the sky on that fateful day I arrive / until then I wish you good night
2.
(...Or "Strange Things Can Happen at Sea") "Ezekiel 25: 17. The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he, who in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee." As I was walking down paradise street / a pretty little girl I was looking to meet / took so long to find her / then I had to let her go / ‘cause ever since I was a boy I always a dreamt of the day / when I’d make it on my own in this cabaret / of deadbeats and liars / so I set fire to my home Here on this ground, I’ve done always my best / I’ll let the drink and the devil do the rest As I walking down the edge of the sea / one thing seemed awfully clear to me / the tide had gone round / and left me far from home/ the river picked me up and she showed me around / all the awful secrets in this seaside town / now I sing, “hi ho” / I hope you never let me go Firecrackers burn in circles round my head / I got no tales to tell, but lord knows I’m not dead Glory, hallelujah / you know, I could get used to this / living here with strangers / in the palm of the abyss / but I still miss my darling / and the comfort of my home / I count the days until I see her / as the fire burns below / I hold on hope / but the time here moves so slow As I waste away the desolate hours / with rum and coke and occasional flowers / that I send home with a letter sealed in red / the chains that rattle keep me up all day / I fear the devil’s gonna put me away / the sirens come and sing me off to bed Glory, hallelujah / you know, I could get used to this / though I curse the ones who came here / for an unfamiliar kiss/ I can’t escape the feeling / that something’s creeping slow / and nobody wants to tell me / what everybody seems to know / I hold on hope My girl she’s waiting / she’s waiting for me / to finally make it back home / I hear all the rumors / what they say about me / that I’ll never last on my own / but she doesn’t believe them / no / she’ll hold fast and true to me / and she shouldn’t believe them / no / but strange things can happen at sea / and they’ll happen to me Strange things can happen at sea / and they’ll happen to me
3.
(...Or "How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love My Meaningless Existence") A girl asked me once / in the throes of love / if there is something such as fate and reason in the world / I said well yes, of course there was I built my temple high / for her and me and I / but then I saw that all of it meant nothing / and I heard that lone whistle cry “my, how it rolls by” But if there’s one thing / worthwhile knowing in this fight / it’s that the road just / keeps on going through the night / it’s never hopeless / it’s never hopeless So I left her there / me and my despair / we went walking through a rundown garden / and came out with story to share Through ambiguity / it was shown to me / if you’re a doxy or a lion tamer / just live your life, there’s nothing that you have to be Just try to stay alive But if there’s one thing / worthwhile knowing in this fight / it’s that the road just / keeps on going through the night / it’s never hopeless / it’s never hopeless Those weather charts they got me nowhere / left me marooned and bound to break / found something special someway somewhere / the worthwhile things are what we make But if there’s one thing / worthwhile knowing in this fight / it’s that the road just / keeps on going / But if there’s one thing / worthwhile knowing in this fight / it’s that the road just / keeps on going through the night / it’s never hopeless / it’s never hopeless it’s never hopeless / it’s never hopeless
4.
(...Or "The Glorious Uprising of the Race Street Rebels") Tell all your friends there’s a war a coming / between me and this goddamn town / we’ll share a laugh as the dogs go running / burn those bridges down / Years ago I was full of virtue / years ago I was full of grace / I could never bring myself to hurt you / now I’m broken by this place Lately I’m a worthless sinner / lately I don’t give a damn / but they grow fat while I grow thinner / so I’m doing what I can / Let’s storm the halls of those who give us / bread but leave the roses out / may the angels sing and God forgive us / we take back what we found So we won’t buy the heartache that they sell / give three cheers and send them all to hell / today’s the day so sound the warning bell / while I raise a glass to you who know me well / God only knows just why you love me / god only knows why you hang around / but as sure as the stars in the sky above me / I won’t let you down
5.
(...Or "The Ballad of Goodby Blacknight") Casting shadows in the morning light / “heaven save me if I roam” Decay and desolation fill your sight / you slowly realize it’s your home Your home Cinderella she is quite a sight / pinned down on Desperation Road You told her you would be there past midnight / but it wasn’t her who skipped this show This show/ Blood spilled out on whitest snow Take my hand / I have to learn to be somehow / a righteous man / but there’s southern girls in party gowns / and I don’t know / how / the rain is still pouring / down The rain’s still pouring down Blow a kiss and softly say goodnight / a desperado works alone But you’re not what you think of yourself boy / you’re just a kid who’s casting stones Casting stones / until one hits your car window Take my hand / I have to learn to be somehow / a righteous man / but there’s southern girls in party gowns / and I don’t know / how / the rain is still pouring / down
6.
(...Or "No Mystical Energy Field Controls My Destiny") I stand with grace and conviction / in the bricks and shadows of Princeton / and make a promise to myself / I swear on my forefathers’ namesake / that I will outlast all the headaches / and hold on to my health In the face of deadlines and choices / I hear all the howling voices / pulling me aside / begging me just to listen / and keep up with their grand tradition / of telling me what’s right My heart it screams out / I miss my hometown / the one I ditched and threw away / on these charts I write out / the best escape route / in hopes I’ll make it back one day / one day I stand with my triumphs and failures / and dreams about spaceships and sailors / that I’ve had since I was born / and notions about love and romance / that I hold on to on the off-chance / I find someone I adore ‘Cause I’ve been on the brink of destruction / been drunk and unable to function / but ain’t we all / I’m just trying to make a new living / without all the shameful misgivings / and be in for the long haul My heart it screams out / I miss my hometown / the one I ditched and threw away / on these charts I write out / the best escape route / in hopes I’ll make it back one day / one day The hardest part / about life, it seems to me / is there’s no destiny / our fates are not / planned out endlessly / there’s nothing meant to be Each choice we make / the paths we walk and hearts we break / we’ve no one else to blame / it’s all on us / to find people that we trust / and carve a place out of our own and do our best not to fuck it up
7.
(...Or "The Lion-Tamer's Lament") This big top shines / cuts through the night / but it casts no light / on what I call mine / two months I've spent / in this circus tent / but they can't hear you scream / atop that big bright trapeze Guess I should stop running / but I've never stopped running before / guess I could use something / to scrape me right off of the floor I'm desperate now So God, if you're there, then give me some kind of a sign / and Mom, if you're scared that I won't recover this time / just know I'm burning down the circus so I can find something that's worth it / and when it's done, I'll meet you at the end of the line This riverside / once eased my mind / its natural light / made all things right / it's funny how / this hollowed ground / looks different now / there's not but hard-bitten fools all around I drank like a sailor / but I can't take it no more / so I'll steal me an anchor / to drag my ship back to the shore I'm desperate now So God, if you're there, then give me some kind of a sign / and Mom, if you're scared that I won't recover this time / just know I'm burning down the circus so I can find something that's worth it / and when it's done, I'll meet you at the end of the line and when it's done, I'll meet you at the end of the line Lying in my bed forever / when I talk, I curse the weather / and whether it'll ever end / God, what happened to September?
8.
Move Along 03:17
(...Or "The Freewheelin' Jeff Linden") A starry flag’s hanging from the overpass / above a fiery car wreck and a sea of broken glass / but the flames won’t burn high enough to reach that flag / so why should it bother moving? You see a man dying in the city streets / by the hand of a cop who’s worked years on the beat / but it’s only an image you see on the screen / so why should you bother moving? Move along, my friends, move along / for what’s good and what’s noble and bright / we keep with us always / in the darkest of hallways / or the first lonely glimpse of the light A lady in rags raises her hand / to make accusations against a wealthy man / but she could’ve dressed different, coulda fought back or ran / so why should you bother moving? Hurricanes rage and ravage the shores / we build smokestacks up high till the stars shine no more / but it won’t really matter till your grandson is born / so why should you bother moving? Move along, my friends, move along / for what’s good and what’s noble and bright / we keep with us always / in the darkest of hallways / or the first lonely glimpse of the light It’s easy to worry about the things that are close / think of only yourself until you’re a ghost / but it’s the mark that we make that matters the most / ‘cause when we’re gone the earth it keeps moving /
9.
(...Or "Jules Winnfield's Talking Righteous Blues") "Ezekiel 25: 17. The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he, who in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee. I've been saying that shit for years. And if you heard it, that meant your ass. I never gave much thought to what it meant. I just thought it was some cold-blooded shit to say to a motherfucker before I popped a cap in his ass. But I saw some shit this morning made me think twice. See, now I'm thinking, maybe it means you're the evil man, and I'm the righteous man, and Mr. 9 millimeter here, he's the shepherd protecting my righteous ass in the valley of darkness. Or it could mean you're the righteous man and I'm the shepherd and it's the world that's evil and selfish. And I'd like that. But that shit ain't the truth. The truth is, you're the weak, and I am the tyranny of evil men."
10.
Your Stone 03:26
(...Or "The Death of Goodby Blacknight") In the light / of the day / I have a million different ways / to say I'm fine / and I'm okay / there's nothing wrong / but when the night / comes around / and all the parties get shut down / I crawl back to my room without a sound I'm sorry I let you go I don't know the way you feel but I know I'm alone / I can't keep your heart in mine but I can be your stone / so when you call me late at night I'll be waiting by the phone / for you / to make up for the things I'd do I think back / on those drives / and the words that cut like knives / sometimes I thank God I'm still alive / the way you'd shine / like a flame / or the way you'd say my name / I know now I could never feel the same I'm sorry I wish I could I don't know the way you feel but I know I'm alone / I can't keep your heart in mine but I can be your stone / so when you call me late at night I'll be waiting by the phone / for you / to make up for the things I'd do (Hush now / fear not, my darling / the fates smile on you and I / I see / good things a-coming / there won't be a cloud in the sky) I don't know the way you feel but I know I'm alone / I can't keep your heart in mine but I can be your stone / so when you call me late at night I'll be waiting by the phone / for you / to make up for the things I'd do
11.
(...Or "Another One for the Dreamers") I packed my bags with no sorrow / I’ll reach the western port by tomorrow / and when I get there / you better be waiting / when I make anchor things will get better / no more fights, no East Coast weather / it’ll be different / ‘cause this time I’m staying / we grew up in San Francisco / and every single summer we’d go / past the docks / to live on our own / then I built monuments to your lies / in the memory of your eyes / so I could move on / and function alone / But I guess I must have changed my mind I wonder / if the stars would give a damn / if the losers / gave up on counting them / or would they just shine the same old way / as I lose this fight most everyday / knowing that I’m waltzing to my grave / all alone / I met a girl in New York / and I tried to get her number / 'cause she sang softly/ and looked a bit like you / and when I woke up in Philly / there was a girl who hardly knew me / and I needed her like a grifter needs the truth / so I spent all my money / on drowning alcohol in honey / but I got so high that I could only think of you / so when I get back to California / I’ll count the ways that I adore ya / sober up and we can live a better youth I pray to God that you have changed your mind I wonder / if the stars would give a damn / if the losers / gave up on counting them / or would they just shine the same old way / as I lose this fight most everyday / knowing that I’m waltzing to my grave / all alone /

credits

released June 5, 2015

All Songs written and produced by Jeff Linden

Mastered by Dan Siper

Jeff Linden – Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Bass, Keys, Harmonica, Drum Programming

The Black Spot Society is:

Sean Ahern – Bass Vocals on track 1, Gang Vocals on track 4
John Colaiacovo – Drums on tracks 3, 4, 7, 11
Debjit Das – Trumpet on tracks 2 + 10
Zach Eager – Drums on Track 10
Ian Hunter – Banjo on track 4
Jack Linden – Mandolin on tracks 3, 4 + 11, Gang Vocals on Track 2
Scott Linden – Gang Vocals on Track 2
Ian Mckinnon – Guitar solo on track 3, Gang Vocals on Track 2
Big Fat Alex – Lead Guitar on Track 11
Bair Srivastav – Screams on track 1, Gang Vocals on track 4

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Jeff Linden New Jersey

Gang Vocals, Cowboy Chords, and Songs about the Sea

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