Get all 17 Mark Automaton releases available on Bandcamp and save 35%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of The Ernie Protocols #1, A Child of Five Could Do That, The Kill-Switch Fails, The Automaton Variations, you are not the reason, anymore, IMPOSSIBILISM, Trust Issues, Thin Silhouettes, and 9 more.
1. |
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Above the sleeping town
A fire in the sky
It seems the sort of sign
That you cannot deny
You scan the online news
And social media
Just looking for some clues
But you find nothing there
Except for when I didn't,
I always felt the urge
To break out of this prison
To quit the docile herd
Seek roads that are untrodden
Beyond the commonplace
Abandoned and forgotten
Are the paths I long to trace
Inside the speeding car
The music turned up loud
The night becomes a blur
Dissolving in the sound
We recklessly career
Down dark chaotic streets
While horns and sirens blare
We're outrunning the police
Over by the window,
Crouching on the floor
Suspended here in limbo
Nothing matters anymore
Sacrificing everything
To break out of this rut
Endure that cruel sting
Like acid in a paper cut
Underneath the costume
Behind the grinning mask
Life becomes a cartoon
An empty pointless task
So I will raise my voice
Although I cannot sing
And I will make some noise
I'll make the heavens ring
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2. |
Broken
05:45
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We were once complete
Once we were whole
We thought that we could
Have it all
But now we're broken
We believed in justice
We believed in truth
We felt that we were
Shatterproof
But now we're broken
We sang our songs
We played the blues
We waited so long
For some good news
And now it's broken
The summer sun
Once bright and warm
Has been obscured by
The gathering storm
And now it's broken
We make our way
Through these war zones
We're nothing more than
Skin and bones
And now they're broken
We broke new ground
We broke the rules
We held outselves up
To ridicule
Now all we've done
And all we've known
Is just a footnote
On a tombstone
Many years ago
You remember how
You made that promise
A solemn vow
But now it's broken
You're not a king
You're just a pawn
You were promised
A golden dawn
And now it's broken
Those men of power
Seemed wise and just
They mouthed their lies to
Gain your trust
But it was broken
You cut your chains
And snapped the strings
You had a chance to
Spread your wings
But now they're broken
And day by day
Life falls apart
You try to shield your
Fragile heart
But now it's broken
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3. |
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I set my cap to a jaunty angle
On a summer's day, at half past three
I took the road leading to the mountain
Because the mountain would not come to me
The first I met was a pretty woman
Hair of gold and eyes of blue
She told me tales about the mountain
Most of them were lies, but some were true
The next I met was a starving artist
Longing for some wealth and fame
He said "Don't bother climbing mountains.
Even at the top, they won't know your name."
The last I met was a grey-haired father
In his hut on the mountainside
He said "You've reached your destination.
Are you happy now? Are you satisfied?"
"But this is not a revelation.
It's not a symbol or a metaphor."
He said "It's just a fucking mountain.
Only this, and nothing more."
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4. |
The Bells
08:47
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Hear the sledges with the bells —
Silver bells!
What a world of merriment their melody foretells!
How they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle,
In the icy air of night!
While the stars that oversprinkle
All the heavens, seem to twinkle
With a crystalline delight;
Keeping time, time, time,
In a sort of Runic rhyme,
To the tintinabulation that so musically wells
From the bells, bells, bells, bells,
Bells, bells, bells —
From the jingling and the tinkling of the bells.
Hear the mellow wedding bells,
Golden bells!
What a world of happiness their harmony foretells!
Through the balmy air of night
How they ring out their delight!
From the molten-golden notes,
And all in tune,
What a liquid ditty floats
To the turtle-dove that listens, while she gloats
On the moon!
Oh, from out the sounding cells,
What a gush of euphony
Voluminously wells!
How it swells!
How it dwells
On the Future! how it tells
Of the rapture that impels
To the swinging and the ringing
Of the bells, bells, bells,
Of the bells, bells, bells, bells,
Bells, bells, bells —
To the rhyming and the chiming of the bells!
Hear the loud alarum bells —
Brazen bells!
What tale of terror, now, their turbulency tells!
In the startled ear of night
How they scream out their affright!
Too much horrified to speak,
They can only shriek, shriek,
Out of tune,
In a clamorous appealing to the mercy of the fire,
In a mad expostulation with the deaf and frantic fire,
Leaping higher, higher, higher,
With a desperate desire,
And a resolute endeavor
Now — now to sit or never,
By the side of the pale-faced moon.
Oh, the bells, bells, bells!
What a tale their terror tells
Of Despair!
How they clang, and clash, and roar!
What a horror they outpour
On the bosom of the palpitating air!
Yet the ear it fully knows,
By the twanging,
And the clanging,
How the danger ebbs and flows;
Yet the ear distinctly tells,
In the jangling,
And the wrangling.
How the danger sinks and swells,
By the sinking or the swelling in the anger of the bells—
Of the bells —
Of the bells, bells, bells, bells,
Bells, bells, bells —
In the clamor and the clangor of the bells!
Hear the tolling of the bells —
Iron bells!
What a world of solemn thought their monody compels!
In the silence of the night,
How we shiver with affright
At the melancholy menace of their tone!
For every sound that floats
From the rust within their throats
Is a groan.
And the people — ah, the people —
They that dwell up in the steeple,
All alone,
And who tolling, tolling, tolling,
In that muffled monotone,
Feel a glory in so rolling
On the human heart a stone
They are neither man nor woman
They are neither brute nor human
They are Ghouls:
And their king it is who tolls;
And he rolls, rolls, rolls,
Rolls a pæan from the bells!
And his merry bosom swells
With the pæan of the bells!
And he dances, and he yells;
Keeping time, time, time,
In a sort of Runic rhyme,
To the pæan of the bells—
Of the bells:
Keeping time, time, time,
In a sort of Runic rhyme,
To the throbbing of the bells
Of the bells, bells, bells
To the sobbing of the bells;
Keeping time, time, time,
As he knells, knells, knells,
In a happy Runic rhyme,
To the rolling of the bells
Of the bells, bells, bells
To the tolling of the bells,
Of the bells, bells, bells, bells
Bells, bells, bells
To the moaning and the groaning of the bells.
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5. |
Welcome to The Party
03:41
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Welcome to The Party
Get yourself a drink
Now you've joined The Party
There's no need to think
Welcome to The Party
Make yourself at home
Please enjoy The Party
There's no need to be alone
Now The Party's swinging
Don't feel you must abstain
Indulge in The Party favours
The whisky and cocaine
The mirrorball illuminates
The faces in the crowd
The neighbours are complaining
The music's way too loud
But nothing stops The Party
It goes on and on
No, nothing stops The Party
We'll dance til the dawn
Welcome Bob and Carol
Welcome Ted and Alice
Break the bread and sip the wine
From the poisoned chalice
Welcome to The Party
Come, greet your new friends
All too soon you'll realise
This Party never ends
Faithful Party members
Are granted no reprieve
Once you've joined The Party
You will never leave
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6. |
Point & Call
04:09
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Once upon a time I hoped
Fine weather would follow the rain
The light at the end of the tunnel
Was not just an oncoming train
Now all I do is point and call
Point and call
Point and call
No one sees and no one hears
There's no one there at all
When did we become so callous?
When did we cease to care?
When did the daily news become
This litany of despair?
Where all they do is point and yell
Point and yell
Point and yell
Compassion is out of fashion
And sympathy does not sell
We pillory the victim
We rush to lay the blame
We cancel and we browbeat
We stifle and we shame
"Life's black and white!" we point and shout
Point and shout
Point and shout
The baby and the bathwater
We throw the whole lot out
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7. |
Little Sister
04:43
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Don't call me home, little sister
Before the night is done
My love and I are fleeing
Running into the sun
Turn to fly, go away
Little bird, please don't stay
Fare thee well
Take up all your jewels and gold
Bury them away in the earth
Let your memory reduce them to dust
But don't forget the knife that was thrust
Turn to fly, go away
Little bird, please don't stay
Fare thee well
Frozen kiss by the fountain
Running into the sea
Where shadows choose their horrors
Designed for music
Turn to fly, go away
Little bird, please don't stay
Fare thee well
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8. |
Thin Silhouettes
04:56
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Can I borrow your dreams?
I've used all of mine
The whispers and screams
Reveal their design
I've used all of mine
These wisps of regret
Reveal their design
Their thin silhouettes
These wisps of regret
They come and they go
Their thin silhouettes
Are melting like snow
They come and they go
But I'm clinging to hope
They're melting like snow
I'm grasping at smoke
I'm clinging to hope
In the teeth of a gale
I'm grasping at smoke
Trying hard not to fail
In the teeth of a gale
In the eye of the storm
Trying hard not to fail
There's no time to mourn
In the eye of the storm
Hold fast and take heart
There's no time to mourn
I need to make a new start
Hold fast and take heart
Amid the whispers and screams
I'm going to make a new start
Can I borrow your dreams?
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9. |
Sevenoaks
03:32
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Remember those road trips that we took?
We travelled far and wide
The music from our stereo
Rang through the countryside
I was the King of Rock'n'Roll
You were the Queen of the County Clare
Now, like those songs, the memories
Have vanished into the air
From Sevenoaks to Seven Sisters
By way of Seven Dials
From Nine Elms to the Nine Stone Rig
We counted out the miles
What a lot of time I've wasted
Writing songs in the dark
Now all the miles and all the hours
Have surely left their mark
It must be years since we last spoke
But it seems like yesterday
Misery loves company
At least, that's what they say
Misery clings to misery
But finds no comfort there
For the one-time King of Rock'n'Roll
And the Queen of the County Clare
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10. |
Mingulay Boat Song
04:27
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Heel y'ho boys, let her go boys
Bring her head round and all together
Heel y'ho boys, let her go boys
Sailing homeward to Mingulay
What care we how white the Minch is?
What care we for wind or weather?
When we know that every inch is
Bringing us closer to Mingulay
Heel y'ho boys, let her go boys
Bring her head round and all together
Heel y'ho boys, let her go boys
Sailing homeward to Mingulay
Wives are waiting on the pier head,
Gazing seaward from the heather.
Pull her head 'round and we'll anchor
'Ere the sun sets on Mingulay
Heel y'ho boys, let her go boys
Bring her head round and all together
Heel y'ho boys, let her go boys
Sailing homeward to Mingulay
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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
Mark Automaton recommends:
Sincerely Making A Noise
by Instant Automatons
Instant Automatons retrospective released by BFE Records
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12 errors of judgement
by richard randomk
Music and passion
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Music/Poetry/Video project by Will Vigar and Mark Automaton
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Asleep At The Wheel Of Love
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Sprightly, eccentric EP from a New Zealand-based post-punk outfit featuring members of Trust Punks, Cool Cult, and Long Distance.
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