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Ancient Mariner

from Shadow by Steve Blaque

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about

Built from an Andalusian polyrhythm on guitar that works at 6/8 through 4/4. The groove first learned by me and integrated into my style ways back to 1996. It was on a rear garden suburban setting in Sydney and the piece fell into place. Several years later it was recorded in Beijing in a very raw format and that's how it stayed for almost 20 years until this year 2020. During Covid's clutch on the planet I was stranded in an apartment in Beijing, a city I was supposed to leave in January but couldn't because of the outbreak. Lyrically it was written in 2003 during coincidentally a forced break from China by virtue of SARS. Odd that the bookends of disaster conspire to finally allow me to bring this song to its completion. Quite simply the track is of an old seafaring ner'do'well who has a covenant with the Devil to provide souls in exchange for a ready supply of young women. I could color it in so many other ways, but this is what it boils down to. Recording of the piece began in very late May and finally was mastered on the 17th of June.

lyrics

Who do you think i really am
and why does she stay with me
when all i am is an ancient mariner
a rusted hulk layin' at sea

if the picture never lied
and what you see is what you get
then he'd be bought in paper bags
consumed over dinner with cigarettes

chorus
So lies are what he has in store
fermenting like fine red wine
and you will hear them all
as he spills out while we dine.

Time has passed and she hasn't seen
the clever charade i've played
spare his conscience and take your leave
return to sender when she's aged

he is beyond hurting again
reduced to living a double life
this roll he's in he knows too well
play a wrong card and the devil's delight

chorus
So lies are what he has in store
fermenting like fine red wine
and you will hear them all
as he spills out while we dine.

credits

from Shadow, released June 17, 2020
Collide for Original Illustration
Levan Stanes Artwork and Design
Steve BLaque instrumentation, arrangement and Performance
Beijing Horns Collective

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Steve Blaque Beijing, China

Steve Blaque singer, songwriter, Producer and engineer and owner of Darktrunk Recording (formerly Forbidden City Studio Beijing) also performs in an unplugged environment with his favorite flavors of Indie and Grunge. Blaque has always said ''you don't need distortion to be grunge and you don't need twang to be Indie''. ... more

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