1. |
Heartless Things
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2. |
Bygone Times
04:14
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3. |
Katie
03:03
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3. Katie
By Rachel Sumner
Katie, where did you go?
There are roses that dried
By your room, just outside–
And I can't recall
The last time I saw you, my friend
Though we share an address
Seems I’m seeing you less
Everyday
Oh, Katie is your plate full?
You've got bills piling up
On the table – I'll clear you a space
And pour some iced tea
Oh dearest Katie, come out
You can put it on me
Katie it is shameful
To let a day like today pass
With the window shades drawn
There'll be time enough
For the dark when the short day is done
There are chairs in the shed
We can use to sit
Out on the lawn
Katie, Katie
Fell down a well of despair
I've been there
I may be unable
To say anything
That can soften or smolder
The worries that burn in you now
But please allow me to try
Katie, I'll try
You know what they say about April?
Maybe they're right
And although it's July
August may bring you surprises
And fields full of flowers
And oh, my dear friend
I'll remain where I'm standing
Beside you
To see your sweet smile
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4. |
So What
03:47
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I got your messages this morning
And all the ones from yesterday
Yes, I saw you at the show and with no warning
Saw you with some new arms round your waist
Didn’t take you too long to get back to performing
And now you’re acting like
I’m the one who got away
I hope she welcomed the affection
The wine, the winks, the big bouquet
You never were one for discretion
And last night was a full blown cabaret
But if she had your attention
Why’d you look in my direction?
Well, well...
(So what?) Maybe I almost felt like crying
(So what?) Maybe you saw me start to shake
I’d prefer to seem unfazed
Doesn’t mean I’ve been upstaged
Because I don’t I don’t need you anymore
Now you’re reaching out out of the blue
And I can’t help but wonder
If you’ve phoned her, too
Ain’t it a shame when meaning’s misconstrued You assumed my solitude meant I’m not over
You aren’t looking for a friend,
Just fishing for a feud
Well, well
(So what?) Maybe I almost felt like crying
(So what?) And felt my knees start giving way
I’d prefer to seem unfazed
Doesn’t mean I’ve been upstaged
Because I don’t I don’t need you anymore
New flames come
And old flames go I burn brightly
On my own
(So what?) Maybe I almost felt like crying
(So what?) Almost took the call when I saw your name
But, I’d rather be alone
Leave your message at the tone
Because I don’t
No I don't
I don’t need you anymore
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5. |
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In the days when Rosie beckoned girls to join assembly lines
A mixture simply named "Undark" made wristwatch faces' shine
And women with star-spangled hearts sat faithfully in rows
Bent to help the boys entrenched stave off those dark shadows
Day-by-day they all were tasked to paint two hundred dials
With brushes made of camel hair and radium dust in vials
The numbers on the clocks were painted dainty, slim, and slight
So, the girls were taught to use their lips to point the bristles tight
The taste was a little foul, but no one really seemed to mind
The pay was more than three times what a girl back then could find
Radium was championed a new found fount of youth
And the few who knew the dangers kept the public from the truth
For a time, each painter prospered, though the work they did was tough,
And were delighted when they'd clock out covered in the magic stuff
They'd decorate their drabbest dresses, paint skin so they'd sparkle —
No earthly sight quite like a glowing angel in the darkness
Curie Eleison
Even lights that shine the brightest will eventually dim
But you never do expect it just as someone's life begins
As each timepiece passed through nimble fingers, painters dreamed and planned
Though they had, in fact, so very little time left on their hands
Soon these young girls ached as if they'd aged for eighty-years
And radiating pain turned into radiating fear
Doctors did their best to treat an unknown malady
But no remedy could keep those bodies from unraveling
So, aching turned to limping, and sore mouths began to bleed
Then jaws began to break and smiles gave way to crumbling teeth
Families became buried beneath doctor bills and loans
And grief, like radium, began to settle in their bones
Curie Eleison
To have so many sick at once seemed no coincidence
But the company, confronted, had maintained its innocence
Yet they'd secretly received results that told a different story
And they knew, despite their lies, that they were liable for the suffering
Those who had enlisted ladies to leave luminescent marks
Were now working overtime to keep them in the dark
Not a single protocol was changed at all, though there was danger
And ailing workers - failing fast - were easily exchanged for
Healthy, younger women unsuspecting and naive
Who craved to carve their own piece of The Great American Dream
Nothing pierced those stone hearts fortified by corporate greed
Even when the women's own hearts, one-by-one, had ceased to beat
Curie Eleison
I wish that I could tell you that somebody'd found a cure
Or that when the court case first came round, the crime was answered for
These women walked among the living having one foot in the grave
Still they used what fight that they had left so others could be saved
To this day no one can say how many lives were lost
Had they been sooner taken seriously it might have cut the cost
You may claim women have been long-since elevated in this world—
But how can that be? Our ashes still speak louder than our words…
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6. |
Echoes
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7. |
3000 Miles
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8. |
Too Tired
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9. |
Sometimes Sweetie
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10. |
Head East
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Rachel Sumner Boston, Massachusetts
Praised by audiences for her powerful, lonesome voice and haunting songs, Rachel Sumner carefully spins melodies that get caught in your head and delivers them “with an attitude and drive in her guitar playing...sure to strike a chord and dig deep into your heart. ” (Red Line Roots) ... more
Rachel Sumner recommends:
Quarter Life Crisis Haircut
by Brittany Ann Tranbaugh
I met Brittany thru the John Lennon Songwriting Contest and her songs just BLOW my mind! Perfect melodies and hilarious/heartbreaking lyrics!! We're going on tour with her in Jan 2023 - come see us!
go to album
Younger at Most Everything
by Kyle Morgan
This album was a favorite of mine from 2022! Kyle's voice is haunting and his songs are so tender and warm. Catch us at Passim together Jan 22nd 2023!
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Bill can utterly devastate you and then revive you with laughter - sometimes in the same song. To me, this album feels like his own 'Astral Weeks' and I'm in love with it.
go to albumIf you like Rachel Sumner, you may also like:
HAAS
by Natalie and Brittany Haas
supported by 5 fans who also own “Heartless Things”
I've had a mad crush on Natalie Haas's music from the moment I first heard it. To hear both sisters playing together - well, it's a no brainer! If you enjoy folk cello, for want of a better term, just buy this. You won't reget it :-)
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You're The One
by Rhiannon Giddens
supported by 5 fans who also own “Heartless Things”
wonderfull album and a great concert in Vickers street,2024. exceptional musicians all and every one in the band .
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Joanna Newsom's 2006 opus "Ys" and tons more Drag City vinyl and cassettes are now available on Bandcamp.
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