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The Snow Ballad

by Ali George

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    Bonus items include eight exclusive photos by artist Andrew Scott George from the original photo shoot. (JPG files).
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    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of The Snow Ballad (10th Anniversary Edition), Watchful Days, Monkey Boys, Platys Yialos EP, Dreams Within Dreams, Hard to Find, Ferns, Little Prophecy, and 11 more. , and , .

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1.
Town house girl, Won’t you treat me like a friend? I feel like a fool. Gave all my heart to you, And got nothing back. Town house girl, Won’t you open up the door? I’m out in the cold, With nowhere to go, My town house girl. November wind, Won’t you ease off again? You cut straight through my coat. Now I’m cold as a ghost. She’s locked up safe inside, With her fire burning bright. And I’m down here on the street, And you’re blowing my heart apart. Town house girl, Won’t you treat me like a friend? I feel like a fool. Gave all my heart to you, And got nothing back. © Ali George 2011
2.
Cracks 02:12
On the floor there lies a key. Out of the door there’s a deadly storm. I can only sing to keep you warm. I can only sing to keep you warm. I can see you watching out of cracks. I can see you drawing on the glass. I can see you watch the days go past, Into black. You’re my little flower, you’re my precious one. I just want to guard you from all harm. I can only sing my winter song. I can only sing to keep you warm. I can see you watching out of cracks. I can see you drawing on the glass. I can see you watch the days go past, Into black. On the floor there lies a key. Out of the door there’s a deadly storm. I can only sing to keep you warm. I can only sing to keep you warm. I can only sing to keep you warm. © Ali George 2011
3.
Him: “Go home Annabelle. You’ve stayed here too long. Our time was beautiful. Don’t drag out this song. I get so bored of you When you ask me questions. Your body’s beautiful, And it’s just what I needed.” Her: “Do I have to go? I’ll do that thing one more time. I just want to make you smile. I just want to be with you.” Him: “Go home Annabelle. I think you’ve got me wrong. Our time was beautiful. Don’t drag out this song. Don’t drag out this song. Her: “Do I have to go? I’ll do that thing one more time. I just want to make you smile. I just want to be with you. I just want to be with you.” Him: “Alright, you can stay one more night, But you have to be quiet. No asking me stupid questions, And no more crying! You’re such a lucky girl, And I’m much too nice to you. Just promise to go in the morning, Before I get bored of you.” Her: “I swear that I will. I don’t want to get on your nerves. God forbid I step on your toes! Why I liked you, god only knows! I don’t want to be with you anymore. I’m much too bright for you.” © Ali George 2011
4.
He made his choice upon the steps. He threw his money in the air. And how could he choose any other Than the path that was laid before his feet? That night, he stumbled on the moor: Black rocks – he tumbled to the floor. He fell into a happy dream. When he woke, she was lying next to him. He drank the rain that lashed her skin. He saw a ghost in the dark again. A flash – as milky white wings beat – That was gone before he took it in. The wind was whispering farewell. He was numb to the pain and frosty chill. The stars were more than he remembered, And he thought he could hear a dying drum. © Ali George 2012
5.
It’s a place I love so well, Just where the mountains swell. By a little village stream lies a house…. Past Christian mountain shrines (Where candles always shine), Up a crooked cobbled lane, There she stands. It’s the house we love: A place to cherish (With golden sunlight on her homely stones), Hidden from the world. She leads me up the stairs. There’s cobwebs everywhere. There’s dust upon the floor. The room’s very bare. Then she gets out the broom. She starts to sweep the room. When I open up the shutters There’s gold in the air. It’s the house we love: Our Aegean tower (With golden sunlight on her homely stones), Waiting for our love. That’s the sound of tapping feet On a stone floor, in the heat. That’s the sound of my woken love, Come to see me. And the garden’s very bright. And I feel at peace inside. And the mountains keep us safe, In the shade. It’s the house we love: A place to cherish (With golden sunlight on her homely stones). Hidden in the hills, It’s our lost domain: Waiting for our love. Hidden in the hills, Hidden from the world: Waiting for our love. © Ali George 2011
6.
Inseparable 03:08
We used to be inseparable, When fate kept us safe from harm. There’s rust in her weary heart. I couldn’t keep her warm. We used to be unbreakable. Even rage couldn’t shake our bond. I threw her out on the street, And she slept in my arms that night. Our books are to be divided, Pictures to be taken down. This room will become a shell, And I’ll still be standing ‘round, like a fool. We used to be inseparable. We would walk hand in hand to town. There’s dust in my pockets now. I couldn’t calm the storm. © Ali George 2012
7.
Upstream 03:21
You’re a funny kind of girl, One of the strangest in my world. You’ve got the soul of a sleeping cat, And the mind of a hanging bat. You’ve got the will of a river fish That swims against the flow. I know you’re gonna push on (And up the stream you go). When I’m feeling out of sorts, And my poor old belly hurts, You bring me cups of tea. You give your love to me. I hope I always make you feel The way you make me feel. You really make me glow (And up the stream you go). You’ve got a lot of things to say. I could listen to you all day. You’re the purist thing I know. You’ve got skin as white as snow. You’ve got the will of a river fish That swims against the flow. I know you’re gonna push on (And up the stream you go). I hope I always make you feel The way you make me feel. You really make me glow (And up the stream you go). © Ali George 2010
8.
The Rushes 03:55
The small ways of the rushes are quiet. I stepped over the fence tonight. The church bells of Leigh are not ringing, But the birds of the brook are singing. All my rushes die while I am away. Oh, my angel, why don’t we come to stay For a while. The small ways of the rushes are wild. I slipped through golden trees tonight. I miss quiet evenings like this (Soft as my sweet lover’s kiss). All my rushes die while I am away. Oh, my angel, why don’t we come to stay For a while. The small ways of the rushes are quiet. I stepped over the fence tonight. The sunset is an hour away, So, I’ll wait out what’s left of the day. All my rushes die while I am away. Oh, my angel, why don’t we come to stay For a while. © Ali George 2010
9.
A sunny morning, and the sky is fine. I make my breakfast, I draw the blinds. I go to kiss my sweet lover’s head, But she kicks me off the bed. It takes a small thing to make her crack. It takes a miracle to bring her back. It takes a lot more to be forgiven (And I don’t know if I am). When we’re shouting all night long, And I wish that I was gone, Something happens in my head – I just have to get gone: To the quiet street, down below. To watch the streetlights sadly glow. To be able to clear my head. To forget all that she said. It takes a small thing to make her crack. It takes a miracle to bring her back. It takes a lot more to be forgiven (And I don’t know if I am). © Ali George 2011
10.
Oh, my love, where have you gone? I’ve been waiting for you, out on the track. It’s been so long since we were there: Back when the water froze, and the ice turned black. Oh, my love, where are you now? I’ve been waiting for you, with my arms open wide. This ice is growing - up like a tree. And it’s through my skin, and it’s deep inside. Where have you gone my spring flower? I couldn’t bear to lose you forever, Out on the track. We took a walk up in the snow, Up to the woody heights, under the shivering trees. We play a game there in the woods: A snowball hits your face, and I laugh on my knees. I saw a thousand stars shoot through your hair. You look so beautiful under the whitening sky. Then you take my hand, and we start to descend, And we set off for home, just you and I. Where have you gone my spring flower? I couldn’t bear to lose you forever, Out on the track, Deep in the snow, Lost in the wind, Out in the cold. Oh, my love, where have you gone? I’ve been waiting for you, out on the track. It’s been so long since we were there: Back when the water froze, and the ice turned black. © Ali George 2011

about

"This album was a long time in the making - the concept has morphed over the years. It was originally going to be an EP, but the more I thought about it, the more I knew it had to be bigger than that. More songs with similar themes came, the ideas expanded, the concept evolved. I started writing songs with lyrical alter-ego's (Town House Girl), fictional characters (Annabelle’s Song), and lonely narrators wandering in desolate surroundings (Dreams on the Moor). There were personal songs too. "Inseparable" is probably the most intimate song I have ever written. One of the big differences between this album and "You Always Burn Your Feathers" (2011) is that it features Bath based singer Ruby Brown on vocals. Producer and backing vocalist Adam Staunton contributed hugely to the album, and has left his own unique markings.”

credits

released November 15, 2013

All songs © 2013 Ali George

Produced by Adam Staunton.
Recorded in Silent Stream Studios, Bath, UK.

Ruby Brown - Backing Vocals
Adam Staunton - Backing Vocals
Ali George - Vocals, Guitar

Photos by Andrew George

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about

Ali George Bath, UK

Ali George is a British singer-songwriter with a distinct fingerstyle guitar technique, mellow vocals, and an earthy songwriting style. Inspired most deeply by Bon Iver, Nick Drake, and John Martyn, he has been active in the southwest English folk scene for 20 years. His new album “Watchful Days” will be released in July 2023. ... more

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