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Brave Ships (Single + B​-​side)

by Ruth Blake

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1.
Brave Ships 06:44
BRAVE SHIPS V1 Hey when we started out (tai tikka tai yeah) We were all sweet innocent and bright (tai yeah) But hey now we’re coming back round (tai tikka tai yeah) Dragons on the way have singed a few hairs And sometimes you know I lose sight (tai tikka tai yeah) Of all of you other ships braving the night (tai yeah) And sometimes you know I get scared (a hey yeah) Of reaching for a hand to find it’s not there Reaching for a hand to find it’s not there Chorus Hold on, waves are coming in Stand firm, waves’ll come, another one and another one Hold strong, mighty souls were born for storms like these Storms like these… Remembering… V2 Hey when we started out (tai tikka tai yeah) We were all sweet innocent and bright (tai yeah) But hey now we’re coming back, back round (hey yeah) We’re ragged at the edges, dragged back through a hedge And sometimes you know I lose sight (tai tikka tai yeah) Of all of you other ships braving the night (tai yeah) And sometimes you know I get scared (a hey yeah) Of reaching for a hand to find it’s not there Reaching for a hand to find it’s not there Chorus Bridge So remember your soul, remember your soul Remember who you are and why you came, Remember who you are Oh remember your soul Middle 8 And though we always do our best but it never seems to be enough And we’re losing everything And everything so hard, wading through the dark paths of the heart Still we’re losing everything And God it’s such a mess, so much suffering Feels like I’m trying to bail us out with a teaspoon But it’s not just me, there’s a whole fleet coming up behind and it’s what we’re here for No it’s not just me there’s a whole fleet coming up behind and it’s what we’re built for Coz if the ocean was calm every day You would never find the courage of the man who was drowning And if you never burnt down to the ground You could never rise up from the ashes you were down in And if you wanna know more push off from the shore Without the promise of a happy ending And if you wanna know love Bow down to the shadow of the truth that you’ve been defending Yeah if you wanna know love Bow down to the shadow of the truth that you’ve been defending If you wanna know love… Just do what you do, just be what you are, imperfectly you It’s the world you were meant for Just do what you do, just be what you are, imperfectly you It’s the world you were meant for Keep on doing what you, just be what you are It’s the world you were meant for Keep on doing what you, just be what you are It’s the world you were meant for Chorus Bridge 2 So remember your soul, remember your soul Remember your strength, remember your deepest tears Remember your fire and know that you’re needed here Remember your soul, remember your soul Outro Push off from the shore and keep your head above the water Look around and celebrate all those who are there with you We are brave ships sailing the wide waters of the unknown And we were made for these times
2.
I Am 05:44
Verse 1 I am the sparkling dust in the sunlight I am the round sun I am the morning mist and the breathing of evening I am the whispering wind in the orchard And the surf on the cliff I am the bowed head and the pardon Both love and the heart that has hardened I am the fear, the pain and the tears of your loss I am the time, the void and the line you’ll never cross I am the dusty dreams of old Won’t you come and find me? Chorus Look to the skies See your own eyes And out to the sea Hear your heart’s mystery And the trees and the earth Sing of our rebirth Mmm mm mm mm mm Hail to the Sun Hail, hail, hail, hail to the God in everyone! For I am the question that burns in your mind I am the space as the words fall behind I am a crumbling concept of time Verse 2 I am the sweetest taste, I am bitter I am the curling tongue I am the calling bird and the unfurling of wings I am the coldest water falling And the gift of Spring I am the prayer that you whisper each night And the loving arms holding you tight I am the sign, the bread and the wine of your flesh I am the crime, both reason and rhyme of innocence I am the dusty dreams of old Won’t you come and find me? Chorus I am I am I am I am I…..

about

Brave Ships is the first single marking a new ongoing collaboration with producer Damien Mahoney. Expect more to follow in 2021.

Please note this is a SINGLE - including a re-mastered 'I Am' as a B-side - and NOT an album.

It was just after the peak of Extinction Rebellion activity, a few months before the Covid pandemic struck. I felt deep love of the earth and a desire to see a paradigm shift in the way we relate to the natural world and indeed the world in general. I was riding difficult inner conflicts, asking myself what I felt was being asked of me as we head into the stormy waters of this unique time in human history. It was then that I re-read an exquisite piece of writing entitled Letter to a Young Activist During Troubled Times, by one of my all-time favourite authors Dr Clarissa Pinkola Estes. The letter struck me anew, rich with symbolic beacons of hopes set amongst the paradoxes of life, reassuring us heartily that we are seaworthy vessels no matter how ragged our flags have become. She says,



“…One of the most calming and powerful actions you can do to intervene in a stormy world is to stand up and show your soul. Soul on deck shines like gold in dark times. … Struggling souls catch light from other souls who are fully lit and willing to show it. If you would help to calm the tumult, this is one of the strongest things you can do.”

Perhaps Brave Ships is my glint of gold shining on deck. I only hope I have captured the deepest essence of her message and, in weaving it together with my own, that I might set the world alight with a song.

credits

released January 27, 2021

Written by Ruth Blake
Vocals and acoustic guitar - Ruth Blake
Drums - Rob Turner (Gogo Penguin)
Fretless bass - Dave Tompkins (Johnny Dangerously, Mike Hope's Jazzmahoot, Mojito)
Cello, viola, violin - Alan Keary (Shunya)
Electric guitar, Harmonium and piano - Pete Barrett (Colourfield, John Cooper Clark & Pauline Murray)

Recorded, Produced & Mixed by Damien Mahoney in his attic studio ‘Padded Cell’ in Old Trafford, Manchester
Mastered by Shawn Joseph (Portishead, Jonny Greenwood, PJ Harvey, Bat for Lashes, Peter Green)

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about

Ruth Blake England, UK

Ruth’s gently evocative music is born out of her own passion for self-knowledge; driven to explore the deepest essence of her humanity and her interconnectedness with the great web of life. In her music she blends the numinous with the human, weaving hypnotic guitar riffs and tender poetry with rambunctious offbeat grooves and playful word-smithery. ... more

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