To Be Still

by Alela Diane

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1.
Dry Grass & Shadows 03:11
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There are things that I've seen in my head While I'm sleeping in bed That do not wither In the morning light   They take me back Oh! They take me back To the dry grass and the shadows   Thinking "I'd like to look at your teeth" Lined up in perfect rows A maze of children's feet in orchard trees Where the flat lands stretch Inside your mouth And when you laugh All the Star thistles stumble out   The strong spines of valley hills All over grown in gold Look softer than a spool Of old silk thread But if we walked them With our feet I'd be pulling Spines and barbs and foxtails From your skin   There are things that I've seen in my head While I'm sleeping in bed That do not wither In the morning light   They take me back Oh! They take me back To the dry grass and the shadows
2.
White As Diamonds 03:36
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I've known mornings white as diamonds Silent from a night so cold Such a stillness calm as the owl glides Our lives are buried in snow   I was sifting through the piles In my hand a tangled thread Each patient tug upon the snarl Is a glimpse of what has been   Burdened bands gave strong hands Gaping holes where diamonds should be Must've been the morning that stole them A glint of white in the pocket of winter   Some hearts are ghosts Settling down in dark waters Just as silt grows heavy And drowns with the stone   I've known mornings white as diamonds Silent from a night so cold Such a stillness calm as the owl glides Our lives are buried in snow
3.
Age Old Blue 03:59
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The sea beneath the cliff Is the blue in my mother's eyes That came from blue in her mother's eyes Thrown on down the line By our family who worked the field On borrowed land, above the ocean My family worked the field On borrowed land   The higher hills, higher hills Do not, do not provide for Hearts sewn of coral and moss Where rain doesn't flow beyond the stream And water is captive to the well   There was a gentle man I've always known his children's songs Blue eyes were hardened by the war But still he went on singing Night can't hide a man When his eyes are tearing The night can't hide his cries; "There's only a few of us left"   The higher hills, higher hills Do not, do not provide for Hearts sewn of coral and moss Where rain doesn't flow beyond the stream And water is captive to the well   I've known that age old blue; Eyes and homes with sirens tunes Has left a deep desire For a home beside the water Shady rhythm calms the night And that voice is never still, you know a voice is never still And a voice is never silent
4.
To Be Still 05:26
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Have you been wearing holes in your boots out there? Have you been kicking bones in the desert sand? There's a wolf inside the cave, and another in the clouds I've seen them chew and gnaw on the shadows in your eyes   It's here at home I'll wait For your wanders to be still And I won't drag my feet In what ever dirt you track in   Will you look at me when your face shows the lines of years? While you've been away, I have needed your strong hands The California hills could surely welcome us back home But the way toward the crop of gold is not far from the snow   It's here at home I'll wait For your wanders to be still And I won't drag my feet In what ever dirt you track in   La di da di da............
5.
Take Us Back 04:43
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Atop the crags and cliffs the air is thin So we'll find a mountain path on down the hill Meet me where the snowmelt flows It is there, my dear, where we'll begin again   Skipping stones Braiding hair Last years antlers mark the trail   Take us back, take us back, take us! Take us back   I've a friend who lives out by the rivers mouth He knows the fiddle's cry is an old sound A lonesome bow, the creaks and moans of empty houses Are songs like falling rain   Wind blown buildings Muddy ground The strength of water can sink a man   Take us back, take us back, take us! Take us back   When the higher hills have turned to blue And the waves are lapping where the children grew All that we have known will be an echo Of days when love was true Muted voices, just beyond The silent surface of what has gone
6.
The Alder Trees 03:27
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I can hear the elders whispering In words so sweet and low The alter trees are listening To songs been sung before My friend and I collecting Skeletons of leaves Making tiny piles And sifting through the weeds   Wind blows the tiny green helicopter seeds   Oh! Wandering In days unfolding With paths fashioned Of mud and snakeskin   I think about the ladies Who weren't allowed to sing Sewing all their pretty rows Of thread instead of seed And what about the black braided sisters of Marie? We sat upon their grinding rock As children used to be   Beneath the knotted pine at the garden's edge   Oh, laughing! Little girls clapping And ghosts weaving Our hair to baskets   I can hear the elders whispering In words so sweet and low The alter trees are listening To songs been sung before My friend and I collecting Skeletons of leaves Making tiny piles And sifting through the weeds
7.
My Brambles 04:58
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Sun is dancing, my darlin' Arms been holding me all morning The sea is so far from home, my darlin' If we'd only feet it is here that we'd roam Oh! If we'd just two feet it is here that we'd roam And your arms would be keeping me all day   'Cause your love calms my brambles And your hands bring me sweet lavender   The glow will dance into the mountain Darkness falls upon the canyon And when the heat is gone, my darlin' Please come gather me Oh! Please come gather me, my darlin'   'Cause your love calms my brambles And your hands bring me sweet lavender
8.
The Ocean 03:42
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She was always walking Singing to her footsteps Dirt ditch paths and pine cones Digging up glass bottles Rusty springs from feather beds Old hub caps on the picket fence She planted beds of flowers And stayed outside for hours   In spirit, she's drifted to the ocean All those years of waiting for the water She's watching long shadows call in the tide But this sunset by the sea is in her mind The sunset by the sea is in her mind   She was always hoping To someday leave the mountain Domestic chores and children The darkness of the winter And painting all these mermaids Wandering to the seashore She wanted him to follow But his heart is with the hillside   In spirit, she's drifted to the ocean All those years of waiting for the water She's watching long shadows call in the tide But this sunset by the sea is in her mind The sunset by the sea is in her mind   These days, you'll find her walking Singing to the deep sea But she will always love him Lost up in the mountains The sunset on the ocean Gathering shells and beach glass And dancing with the rolling waves It gives her peace of mind But she will always love him Lost up in the mountains  
9.
Every Path 04:12
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All the back roads All the highways Distant countries that I've past through Every path has led me back to you Every path has led me back to you   Down by the river by the light of the moon I feel the echo of your current in my core as I roam As I roam…..   When I'm around, I want you near Handsome fellow, will you hold me dear I've seen blue eyes and straight white teeth Golden minds and sturdy feet But every path has led me back to you Every path has led me back to you   Down by the river by the light of the moon I feel the echo of your current in my core as I roam As I roam……   Put your head upon my breast My little darlin', I know of restlessness My little darlin', I know of restlessness
10.
Tatted Lace 04:47
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Gold 'round those fingers shone Bound for to carry home Fond of the flattest field But you know There are bones buried deep down below   Tatted lace frail figure graced That has since been torn and stained And put so far away Oh! So far away   Novels we don't write Hearts been lost in fight Skin in the black of night Love is a sinking kite   Tatted lace frail figure graced That has since been torn and stained And put so far away Oh! So far away   Gold 'round those fingers shone Bound for to carry home Suit case filled with stone Snow keeps me alone  
11.
Lady Divine 05:12
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When the day, when the day falls to the line At the end, Oh! the end of my time I call to the dark "take the bones off my back!" And I chant to the black "you were my lady divine!" 'Cause my children are in hiding Mortar and pestle they grind   Songs whistled through white teeth Do scuff the days Those songs for children to sing!   When the chairs are tucked into the fading song And the silver of their pores has grown long Oh! they call to the dark "take the bones off my back!" And they chant to the black "you were my lady divine" They glowed like a bitter wine in their bellies 'Cause the bones have been removed From their hunched over backs And their children are all grown now Mortar and pestle they grind   Songs whistled through white teeth Still scuff the days Those songs for children to sing!

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released February 17, 2009

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Alela Diane Portland, Oregon

Alela Diane is a Portland, OR based singer-songwriter who grew up amongst the winding rivers and golden hillsides of Nevada City, CA. As a girl, she listened to her parents harmonize bluegrass songs in the kitchen, and began writing her own folky songs when she moved to San Francisco at age 19. Since then, Alela has been releasing albums and touring extensively through Europe and North America. ... more

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