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More Beautiful and Sublime Than Before

by The Bluebird Orchestra

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1.
HOUSE WITHOUT WALLS The houses are built without walls The flowers grow forty feet tall The roof in a breeze lifts over the trees Be careful watch out where it falls O, WE’RE ALL IN THE DUMPS FOR DIAMONDS ARE TRUMPS THE KITTENS ARE GONE TO SAINT PAULS THE BABIES ARE BIT, THE MOON’S IN A FIT AND THE HOUSES ARE BUILT WITHOUT WALLS The houses are built without walls The king never knocks when he calls The ducks and the geese go wherever they please Through the kitchen library and halls CHORUS The old black dogs are barking the noises fill the air The angels they are harking The devils say beware The sun, the moon, the shining stars All glitter when you speak Their light is shining down On the strong and the week
2.
THE PENDULUM OF MEMORY The pendulum of memory Oscilates between the true and the false WAS IT GREEN OR WAS IT BLUE? WAS IT IMAGINED OR WAS IT TRUE? WAS IT NEW OR WAS IT OLD? WAS IT A SECRET OR WAS IT TOLD? The hero or your youth was not a man to be trusted The hero of your youth was idle, shiftless and going nowhere No warrior, no lionhearted luminary him. In all the attics and all the dark cellars Underneath a shroud of dust Photographs and old letters Tell the story as it was.
3.
4.
LOST IN A WELL MAPPED TERRITORY There is a map you cannot fold It charts every river and every road Every mountain and every stream Every thought an every dream The sky so vast, the sea so blue A letter I once wrote to you It has every spider and every fly Every cloud up in the sky They charted here the first and last what came before-what will come to pass They charted here the big and small The microbes and the China wall On some street corner in some town You study the map and you look around What street, what town, you do not know The map won’t tell you where to go
5.
Tree 03:02
TREE If it arises in your mind - Feelings of desire and hate Try to be silent for a while Like a tree you must remain And if you’re looking to complain Or spoil another person’s name Try to be silent for a while Like a tree you must remain YOUR ROOTS GO DOWN WHILE THE WORLD WILL SPIN AROUND AND ROUND MORE EASILY YOUR TROUBLES LOOK SO SMALL YOU WON’T NOTICE THEM AT ALL IF YOU REMAIN LIKE A TREE And when you yearn for admiration honor, attention and fame If you long for recognition Like a tree you must remain And when you’re filled with jealousy It can only bring you pain Clear the space inside your mind- Like a tree you must remain Look at yourself from every side Get those thoughts out of your brain Clear the space inside your mind Like a tree you must remain
6.
7.
A MAN OF HIS DAY Sir Richard francis Burton was a man of his day Blazing across the empire with a sword in his hand Searching for the source of the Nile And swimming through the ocean of story While he was away, Isabelle stayed and prayed And kept her ankles covered Richard, well armed, unshaven, Visited opium dens And boys in the brothels AND HE NEVER STAYED HOME LONG ENOUGH TO SEE THE ENGLISH ROSES GROW NOR DID HE EVER SEVER A MAN’S HEAD WITH JUST ONE BLOW Sir Richard Francis Burton was a man of his day A cloven hooved explorer larger than life Always speaking the native tongue And always always always finding the right word ——————— Sir Richard francis Burton was a man of his day Blazing across the empire with a sword in his hand His body lies housed in a Bedouin tent There’s still debate where his spirit went
8.
FROM INDIA TO PLANET MARS This ball of blue called the planet earth Is but a distant glowing sphere Through space and time and the universe We have traveled here FROM INDIA TO PLANET MARS I WILL FOLLOW YOU! When you were just a little girl You opened up a secret door To a place with no maps or charts That never had been explored CHORUS Half of life in a waking state We see and hear and feel Half of life we live in a dream Who can say which is real? CHORUS
9.
ALL THINGS FALL APART Go enjoy yourself and recall it comes to nothing One man had a garden - planted trees of every kind of fruit Near a pool of water to water the trees he grew And they all grew taller and bore him many fruit BUT I KNOW HOW IT GOES IF YOU’RE RICH OR IF YOU’RE POOR IT’S ALL THE SAME I KNOW HOW IT GOES ALL THINGS FALL APART Go enjoy yourself and recall it comes to nothing One man lived alone- squandered every penny that was ever given to him He lay in a pool of water to drown the sorrow he knew Then he swopped his breathing and away his spirit flew CHORUS One man had a garden -planted trees of every fruit Servants waited upon him All the earth and tree bowed down on their knees before him He lay in a bed of flowers -looked up at the sky so blue Then he stopped his breathing and away his spirit flew CHORUS
10.
MORE BEAUTIFUL AND SUBLIME Hark through the darkest night Sounds come a winging Lo tis the queen of light woefully singing woefully singing her sorrowful song Her eyes had disappeared-her light was gone BUT IT RETURNED! IT CAME BACK! MORE BEAUTIFUL AND SUBLIME THAN BEFORE THE TREES TOO AND THE SKY CAME BACK MORE BEAUTIFUL AND SUBLIME THAN BEFORE AND THE SPARKLING MEDITERRANEAN AND THE PEOPLE SHE KNEW NOTICED SOMETHING HAD CHANGED SHE LOOKED INTO HER NEW EYES MORE BEAUTIFUL AND SUBLIME THAN BEFORE Nearing the end of year darkness is falling All of the trees are bare and winter is calling Winter is calling and simmer is gone Somewhere beneath the snow it lingers on When death is drawing near and life is retreating There’s no sense to run in fear from that final meeting There’s no sense to run in fear from that final song O don’t you know- It won’t be long MORE BEAUTIFUL AND SUBLIME! MORE BEAUTIFUL AND SUBLIME! MORE BEAUTIFUL AND SUBLIME! MORE BEAUTIFUL AND SUBLIME!

credits

released January 10, 2015

Donald Saaf, guitar, Vocals, Pump Organ, Banjo, Harmonica
Matthew Sharff, Standup bass, Vocals
Rick Contino, Pedal Steel, Vocals
Paul Mctaggart, Drums, Vocals
Special Guest, Anna Patton on Clarinet

Recorded by Pete Weiss at Verdant Studios

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The Bluebird Orchestra Brattleboro, Vermont

THE BLUEBIRD ORCHESTRA

Formed in 2010 and Born out of the Bluebird Marionette Theater from Southern Vermont,
The Bluebird Orchestra features Donald Saaf on vocals, guitar and pump organ,
Matthew Sharff on Standup bass, and a rotating group of friends.
Their original music explores the territory between Kurt Weill, Tom Waits and The Incredible String Band.
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