We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

The Automaton Variations

by Mark Automaton

/
1.
Cause for Concern 04:32
lyrics
I speak the words and wear the fancy dress My mask conceals the grim reality That life is long and full of bitterness I should have learned to curb my worst excess But still, amid the wreckage and debris, I speak the words and wear the fancy dress There seems to be no way out of this mess No angels condescend to hear my plea Though life is long and full of bitterness Believing all those stories in the press And endlessly repeating history I speak the words and wear the fancy dress So even though I'm neither cursed nor blessed There's pleasure to be found in cruelty And life is long and full of bitterness I've reached my destination, more or less This narrative may be my eulogy I speak the words and wear the fancy dress For life is long and full of bitterness
2.
Never Grow Old 04:33
lyrics
Walk a hundred miles Through the circles of hell Catch a glimpse of a face At the hospital All the silver and gold Is pewter and brass An old man stares out From the looking glass Newspaper clippings Old magazines Balls of string And cheap figurines Mist on the lakeshore Snow on the hill Nothing to do here And hours to kill Toil in the nighttime Creating a world Telling the story Of brave little girls Sleep in the daytime This city's so cold Never grow up Never grow old
3.
Dancing at Tyburn 04:05
lyrics
Let's go back To the good old days When everybody Knew their place And like it was In the good old time All those who will not Toe the line Will be dancing once again Will be dancing once again At Tyburn Through the window The setting sun The fading light The lamps come on Around the cell Across the wall The shadows flicker Creep and crawl So let's go back To that golden age The workhouse, the stocks And the gibbet cage And as it was In days of old Those who won't submit To being controlled Will be dancing once again Will be dancing once again At Tyburn Three young oaks Now mark the place And the fate of those Who fell from grace From the bonds of life They were set free When they met Jack Ketch Beneath the tree Darkness at noon A thunder cloud The distant sound Of the waiting crowd When the hour comes To make amends Will that be justice Or just revenge? Now we've returned To the good old days And everybody Knows their place Just like it was In times of old All those who won't Do as they're told Are dancing once again Are dancing once again At Tyburn
4.
In Germany Before the War 03:11
lyrics
In Germany before the war There was a man who owned a store In nineteen hundred thirty-four, In Düsseldorf And every night at five-o-nine He'd cross the park down to the Rhine And he'd sit there by the shore I'm looking at the river But I'm thinking of the sea I'm thinking of the sea I'm looking at the river But I'm thinking of the sea A little girl has lost her way With hair of gold and eyes of gray Reflected in his glasses as he watches her A little girl has lost her way With hair of gold and eyes of gray I'm looking at the river But I'm thinking of the sea Thinking of the sea Thinking of the sea We lie beneath the autumn sky My little golden girl and I And she lies very still
5.
Randomly Accessed Memories 03:04
lyrics
Listen - can you hear the axes Falling, falling, falling? Cutting out a pathway Through the forest of lost souls Listen - can you hear the night birds Calling, calling, calling? With wheels where their feet should be And eyes like burning coals Look - can you see the mirage Forming, forming, forming? A woman in a gas mask A piano caught on fire Look - can you see the insects Swarming, swarming, swarming? Around the rotting apples Slowly sinking in the mire The bodies interweave, calling Danger, danger, danger Sounding out a false alarm Within the darkened hall The children are bizarre and growing Stranger, stranger, stranger Their silken robes unravel now Between oak-panelled walls
6.
Your Midnight Sun 05:14
lyrics
This is maybe not the best place To find your midnight sun It's time to bring the floodlights in Reveal the things you've done You're going to have to act the grown-up Give up all your childish ways The universe moved on and left you here Reliving all your glory days Drink til you forget you're hungry Stay hungry til you forget to drink What do children know of loneliness? Stare long into the abyss And do not blink A handwritten note on the table Memories washed away by time Clasp your hands, shed a tear Pour another glass of wine Now your rambling is on repeat Your words recited in a monotone Don't be afraid to fall asleep Surrender to the great unknown You can't recall the last time You held anything or anyone This will never be the place for you To find your midnight sun Drink til you forget you're hungry Stay hungry til you forget to drink What do others know of loneliness? Stare long into the abyss Try not to blink
7.
Planxty Paul McManus 02:16
8.
The Distances 03:11
lyrics
I'm on a platform Like any other platform It takes me closer Or much further away To you, from you Inside these four walls And late night phone calls Connect me over All the static and grey To you, with you And so the distances become Treadmill races that we run Seemingly we're getting nowhere But I hear you and I know That however far I go The distances will never ever tear Me away from you You're in the city Like any other city Your silhouette against The noise and the rain You cross the border Like every other border Dissolving all of The distances again And so the distances become Treadmill races that we run Seemingly we're getting nowhere But I hear you and I know That however far I go The distances will never ever tear Me away from you
9.
Lady of the Lake 03:16
lyrics
With skin like silk, as cold as milk And a heart that would not break She stood apart, a work of art Was the lady of the lake But on dry land, I took her hand And spoke the pleasing lies We both believed, and so, deceived The stars shone in our eyes Though minstrels played a serenade It did not reach her soul And she could see the shade in me Beyond reason or control Her coal black hair, a whispered prayer From the nineteen seventies The joy was brief, a falling leaf Borne away on the westward breeze My heart grows hard, though old and scarred Sometimes it does still ache To my regret, I can't forget The lady of the lake
10.
Glory and Hope 03:38
lyrics
Land of no hope Land of no glory Glory in bigotry Glory in apathy Apathy suffocating Apathy consuming Consuming all before it Consuming without thinking Thinking is overrated Thinking is for losers Losers heading nowhere Losers won't survive Survive at any price Survive the culture wars Wars fought on the quiet Wars waged by cowards Cowards with computers Cowards who deceive Deceive and lead astray Deceive and seduce Seduce the gullible Seduce the slow and foolish Foolish is as foolish does Foolish thoughtless words Words that wound Words that kill Kill with kindness Kill the dream Dream of better times Dream then awaken Awaken at the dawn Awaken buried feelings Feelings of weakness Feelings of guilt Guilt for surviving Guilt and sorrow Sorrow never fading Sorrow wide and deep Deep as a canyon Deep red like blood Blood flowing freely Blood sweat and tears Tears softly falling Tears that are wasted Wasted on mankind Wasted on hope Hope for the future Hope for the desolate Desolate... Future...
11.
The Robber 03:08
lyrics
When I was eighteen I took a wife I loved her dearly as I loved my life And to maintain her both fine and gay I went a-robbing I went a-robbing on the King's highway I never robbed any poor man yet And I was never in a tradesman's debt But I robbed the lords and the ladies gay And carried home the gold And carried home the gold to my love straightway To Cupid's Garden I did away To Cupid's Garden for to see the play Lord Fielding's gang there did me pursue And I was taken And I was taken by that cursed crew My father cried 'Oh my darling son!' My wife she wept and moaned 'I am undone!' My mother tore her white locks and cried 'Oh in his cradle Oh in his cradle he should have died!' When I am dead and go to my grave A flashy funeral let me have Let none but bold robbers follow me Give them good broadswords Give them good broadswords and liberty May six pretty maidens bear up my pall And let them have white gloves and ribbons all That they may say when they speak the truth There goes a wild youth There goes a wild and a wicked youth
12.
Tin Can Heart 02:40
lyrics
I've got a tin can heart, empty and cold A rusty vessel with a jagged seam It used to beat but now it's still A fairground organ, run out of steam Tin can heart, beats no more Broken down on the cold hard floor No pulse, no life, no use to me Just a musical box with a missing key I thought I found love but I was wrong A fantasy, cursed from the start The flame burned bright but it died too soon And it left me here with this tin can heart Tin can heart, beats no more Broken down, on the cold hard floor No pulse, no life, no use to me Just a musical box with a missing key I tried to mend it with duct tape and glue But it's too far gone, there's nothing I can do I'll keep it in my chest, as a curio A museum piece from a lifetime ago Tin can heart, beats no more Broken down, on the cold hard floor No pulse, no life, no use to me Just a musical box with a missing key This tin can heart is frozen stiff It will not move, it cannot feel A tin can heart with the label torn A useless motor with no driving wheel Tin can heart, beats no more Broken down on the cold hard floor No pulse, no life, no use to me Just a musical box with a missing key
13.
The Carnival is Over 04:22
lyrics
Say goodbye, my own true lover As we sing a lovers song How it breaks my heart to leave you Now the carnival is gone High above, the dawn is breaking And my tears are falling rain For the carnival is over We may never meet again Like a drum, my heart was beating And your kiss was sweet as wine But the joys of love are fleeting For Pierrot and Columbine Now the harbour light is calling This will be our last goodbye Though the carnival is over I will love you till I die Like a drum, my heart was beating And your kiss was sweet as wine But the joys of love are fleeting For Pierrot and Columbine Now the harbour light is calling This will be our last goodbye Though the carnival is over I will love you till I die Though the carnival is over I will love you till I die

credits

released June 1, 2023

All words & music by Mark Automaton except:

In Germany Before the War:
words & music - Randy Newman

Your Midnight Sun:
words - Mark Automaton & Richard RandomK
music - Mark Automaton

The Distances:
words - Richard RandomK
music - Mark Automaton

Lady of the Lake:
words - Mark Automaton
music - traditional

The Robber:
words & music - traditional

Tin Can Heart:
words & music - Mark Automaton & Dave Lightfoot

The Carnival is Over:
words - Tom Springfield
music - traditional

Artwork by Dave Lightfoot

license

tags

about

Mark Automaton image

Mark Automaton UK

Mark Automaton came to prominence as a founding member of the seminal “cassette culture” band the Instant Automatons, who were instrumental in spearheading the UK DIY music scene of the late 70s and early 80s.
Since then, Mark has been active as a producer, musical collaborator and solo artist, releasing music under his own name and also as 391 and randomk/automata. ... more

contact / help

Contact Mark Automaton

Streaming and
Download help

Redeem code

Report this album or account

Mark Automaton recommends:

If you like Mark Automaton, you may also like:

Bandcamp Daily  your guide to the world of Bandcamp

On Bandcamp Radio

Featuring Riley Pinkerton (aka The Rat Queen) from the theatrical NYC rockers, Castle Rat.
listen now