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Total ratings: 2810
Length: 5:57
Plays (last 30 days): 1
a long promenade
Down a winding stair,
wide as boulevards
Vines and shrubs
grew between the steps
From the Spanish town
to the African sea
We drank wine
and toasted to the day
When she was the queen,
before the long decay
We drank wine,
slept off hangovers
Lethargy, decay
and forgotten loves
We'd awake
to the BBC
An old English queen
on the balcony
Wander 'round
abandoned consulates
An old broken chair
on the marble stair
And from the roof,
see Canary seas
The discarded runway
of Sidi Ifni
We drank wine
lying on our backs
On the warm tarmac,
in a bowl of stars
Well, I went down,
mostly on my own
Till I was alone
in that shipwrecked house
Through the porthole sea
an epiphany
I would never leave this place alive
I drink gin
with the old ex-pats
We are broken things,
from a broken past
And it comes near;
but just out of grasp
The alchemist words
that would bring her back
The band mix influences and sounds from rock, punk, grunge, psychedelia, country, blues and folk.
I don't care what you call it but this band has carefully listened to how prog rock bands put music together.
Regardless, I gotta stop what I am doing and crank this up every time.
Have met many that were indeed bitter and longing for a bygone era.
Have met many who were 100% fluent in the local language(s) and extremely insightful.
Nice, I thought it was Tom Petty on ludes
Floyd. The one named Pink.
10
These lyrics-
"We are broken things,
from a broken past
And it comes near;
but just out of grasp
The alchemist words
that would bring her back"
If that's not pure heartbreak, I don't know what is. This song weeps.
Totally. I'm going through a breakup now (sh!t happens) and this song hit me square in the guts. A horribly wonderful song.
from his wikipedia entry, emphasis mine
David Charles Lowery (born September 10, 1960) is an American guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, mathematician, and activist.
And I believe a part-time professor at UGA in Athens? Not to mention an all-around cool dude.
[Edit] Found it - Its good to be king. A tad faster, though.
Right. Southern Moroccan coast.
I can't help it... This fascinates me and I reckon some of the "action" takes place at the former Spanish Consulate, which might overlook the airport:
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/...
Now closed to the public, it seems, unfortunately...
Annoyingly, the Google car hasn't visited, so I can't get any StreetView.
Seems to be surfing heaven...
Powerful stuff
Dont mix with driving
LOL!
Imperialism?
but just out of grasp
The alchemist words
that would bring her back"
The trouble is, she may never come back...
Thank you for the perfect picture of a moment past.
Too right, friend.
I would have placed it in Morocco, though. You wouldn't see any runway in Sidi Ifni from the Canaries - see various below
Right. Southern Moroccan coast.
Who cannot love a song where the RP thread discusses Camus and Graham Green? Seriously now.
P.S. Do the lyrics situate the author in the Canary Islands?
Too right, friend.
I would have placed it in Morocco, though. You wouldn't see any runway in Sidi Ifni from the Canaries - see various below
Breaks Co-op's "The Sound Inside" to Cracker's "Sidi Ifni"
King Bill!
But I guess then it wouldn't really be the same band.
Very creative, eclectic band.
David Lowery has had a 35-year career in music, so I guess his voice works for him.
And nobody wants to listen - unbelievable!
LIVE UNBEATABLE - but not just live!
So TRUE!!
"We are broken things,
from a broken past
And it comes near;
but just out of grasp
The alchemist words
that would bring her back"
If that's not pure heartbreak, I don't know what is. This song weeps.
i can relate
"We are broken things,
from a broken past
And it comes near;
but just out of grasp
The alchemist words
that would bring her back"
If that's not pure heartbreak, I don't know what is. This song weeps.
So...did not seem them.
Fri, Apr 6,New Buffalo, MI
Thu, May 31,Cleveland, OH
Who cannot love a song where the RP thread discusses Camus and Graham Green? Seriously now.
P.S. Do the lyrics situate the author in the Canary Islands?
I was absolutely sure this was Tom Petty. Came here to see which album. Nice surprise.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SI9R8l6NELA
The cut from the album :Highway is for Heroes" version opens w/ guitar instead of piano but you can get the drift. But I like this cracker song too.
It feels more Graham Greene than Albert Camus, on account of the references to Brit expats, but I get your drift - it evokes the same kind of dusty, hot, decadent town that featured in Camus' L'etranger (IIRC). You can just see tired old diplomats in faded white suits drinking G&Ts in the hot African sun, lusting after the local girls and pining for the lost glories of colonialism. Michael Caine in the film The Honorary Consul comes immediately to mind. So, so different in style from other Cracker numbers.
There's no video with this song, AFAIK, but there is a YouTube collage of images of Sidi Ifni with the song as backdrop which is worth watching.
Before it drops off the board, I posted this link earlier which might interest listeners: Wikipedia page on the village of Sidi Ifni
Was reading a New York Times article about touring Cambodia in the footsteps of a mid-19th century French explorer and the music fit the mood of the article perfectly.
Fred, did you ever see Michael Caine and Brendan Fraser in "The Quiet American"? Another great adaptation of a Graham Greene novel.
Great postcard of Sidi Ifni here. The beaches look quite nice as well...
If I could wake up one day and pick which Rock n Roll voice I could have for the rest of my life, it would be David Lowery's. He has been so freaking cool for so freaking long, it is amazing. Camper van Beethoven was the band of choice in my 80's college days. Kind of like an American Brian Ferry, Lowery just does his thing and kills it.
Try the following tunes on for size:
Big Dipper; Golden Age (1996)
Turn on, Tune In, Drop Out with Me; Sunrise in the Land of Milk & Honey (2009)
JIan wrote:
LIGHTYEARS AWAY!
And three Milky Ways better!
Nope!
You covering some clown!
Just curious.
Yes, exactly!
Was was earlier?
Hen or Cracker...?
Explain please...
And nobody wants to listen - unbelievable!
LIVE UNBEATABLE - but not just live!
It feels more Graham Greene than Albert Camus, on account of the references to Brit expats, but I get your drift - it evokes the same kind of dusty, hot, decadent town that featured in Camus' L'etranger (IIRC). You can just see tired old diplomats in faded white suits drinking G&Ts in the hot African sun, lusting after the local girls and pining for the lost glories of colonialism. Michael Caine in the film The Honorary Consul comes immediately to mind. So, so different in style from other Cracker numbers.
There's no video with this song, AFAIK, but there is a YouTube collage of images of Sidi Ifni with the song as backdrop which is worth watching.
Before it drops off the board, I posted this link earlier which might interest listeners: Wikipedia page on the village of Sidi Ifni
Just curious.
I'm not a fan, either, but this doesn't suck.
I thought the only good songs of Cracker were from Kerosene Hat, but this one made me doubt about it.
I'm not a fan, either, but this doesn't suck.
We walked down a long promenade
Down a winding stair, wide as boulevards
Vines and shrubs grew between the steps
From the Spanish town to the African sea
We drank wine and toasted to the day
When she was the queen, before the long decay
We drank wine, slept off hangovers
Lethargy, decay and forgotten loves
We’d awake to the BBC
An old English queen on the balcony
Wander ’round abandoned consulates
An old broken chair on the marble stair
And from the roof, see Canary seas
The discarded runway of Sidi Ifni
We drank wine lying on our backs
On the warm tarmac, in a bowl of stars
Well, I went down, mostly on my own
Till I was alone in that shipwrecked house
Through the porthole sea—an epiphany
I would never leave this place alive
I drink gin with the old ex-pats
We are broken things, from a broken past
And it comes near; but just out of grasp
The alchemist words that would bring her back
EDIT:
Ah-ha! I am not alone: :)
TimeWasterPosted: Jun 13, 2007 - 15:19 < Reply >
This kind of reminds me of a Moby tune on the movie "Heat" (Deniro, Pacino) It's played during the scene when Pacino is following Deniro on the Freeway to finally meet face to face. I think it's called "New Dawn Fades".
Once again I waive simultaneous translation.
From the sublime to the ridiculous.
CRACKER is "1st-league",
and is among America's finest bands,
studio and certainly live too!
"Sidi Ifni"
is a lovely place on top of it!
From the sublime to the ridiculous.
No, the rest of their material is very different, in my opinion. Camper Von Beethoven, an older band which shares several members with Cracker, sounds more like this.
Ah, crap, it's just a song.
...it's a good album, and on the whole all very strong material which fits together nicely, but most of it isn't so sobre in tone...
This song starts, and my mind just ****sighs*****.. as the music takes me to another place, another time. 10 +++
Well put.
YES!....yes....yes.....yes....yes.....yes......yes.....
This song starts, and my mind just ****sighs*****.. as the music takes me to another place, another time. 10 +++
Snatchmaster?
I've upped my rating twice on this song.
Each time I hear it - it grows on me.
This makes more sense than what I wrote. Have to say I agree with you.
Ah, crap, it's just a song.