Get all 10 Joshua Hall releases available on Bandcamp and save 35%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Bread + Roses, Earth + Sky, Snakes + Apples, Silent Night, Full Circle, Catching My Breath, Simple Life, This Side of the Mountain, and 2 more.
1. |
Fate + Gravity
01:39
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The fine strands of our lives
Three sisters weave
Into tapestry
They pulled me here to you
Knowingly
And by gravity
We're combined
All the lives that intersect and collide
Fate + Gravity decide
Where inside the warp and weft
We reside
Where inside the warp and weft
We reside
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2. |
Snakes + Apples
04:58
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Snakes + Apples
When the prophet spoke and came down the mountain side
The covenant was carved into tablets of stone
Faith in the next world, golden ticket to paradise
Turning eyes to Heaven, believing in a fallen Earth.
The animals were the first to be enslaved when the garden was left behind
It’s easy to camouflage evil as the word of God
The world is bent to man’s needs, Dominion Defiled
“A curse consumes the Earth, its people must bear its guilt”. (Isaiah 24:6)
Women are all vilified as temptress to men
King David raped Bathsheba, who does God forgive?
Inquisitions + Witch Trials, Indigenous convert or be killed
March to another war justified in God’s name
(Chorus)
It’s the original sin
Lead me not into temptation
With the Snakes + Apples
The world is man’s to plunder by the grace of God
For a god in the sky we imprison our mothers + daughters + our wives
Do unto others with these exceptions
Snakes + Apples
(Bridge)
How long do we live in the shadow
How long until we realize
The damage we have done when we turn our eyes away
Saying it must be God’s Plan
God’s Plan?
(Chorus)
It’s the original sin
Lead me not into temptation
With the Snakes + Apples
The world is man’s to plunder by the grace of God
For a god in the sky we imprison our mothers + daughters + our wives
Do unto others with these exceptions
Snakes + Apples
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3. |
Earth + Sky
05:10
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Earth + Sky
There is a place beyond the horizon
Rainbow’s end in the palm of your hand
Stars shine like diamonds
In the night
Where do we go when life’s done
How do we know asks my little one
The mystery
What I believe
Is where love resides between
Earth + Sky
How do you get there asks my little one
East of the Moon, West of the Sun
North Star guides
Magic inside me
Map of your heart is how you find me
Always
(Chorus)
There is a place beyond the horizon
Rainbow’s end in the palm of your hand
Stars shine like diamonds
In the night
Every day flowers bloom
Anthems are sung by the light of the Moon
Till the firelight goes down
Till there is no more sound
Between Earth + Sky
(Bridge)
A long rest for wary bones
The troubled world falls away
On a soft bed of Earth
With a blanket of Sky
I’ll sleep
When it’s my time little one
I’ll go and it can’t me undone
It’s OK to be sad
And a little mad
But save a smile for your dear old dad
Between Earth + Sky
(Repeat Chorus)
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4. |
Safe + Warm
04:28
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Safe + Warm
(Dedicated to Ellessia)
I remember rocking you to sleep
And singing our little lullaby
I still see that child underneath
Shining through the passage of time
I use to read to you at night
Fall asleep watching Winnie the Pooh
Hugs make everything alright
No matter what you do
I love you
(Chorus)
Dancing round the room
Laughing and crying too
One minute to the next
So strong and insecure
That’s my girl
I use to sleepwalk all the time
Haven’t since you were born
When you’re scared late late at night
I hold you and keep you
Safe + Warm
(Chorus)
Dancing round the room
Laughing and crying too
One minute to the next
So strong and insecure
That’s my girl
I am so amazed by you
From the girl you were to the woman you’ve become
Pure light of goodness and truth
With a heart that shines like the sun
Now you’re turning seventeen
And my eyes are turning wet
It doesn’t matter the years or miles in between
I’ll be there always
Just like I said
(Chorus)
Dancing round the room
Laughing and crying too
One minute to the next
So strong and insecure
That’s my girl
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5. |
June 1968
02:48
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JUNE 1968
(Dedicated to my parents)
Remember that camping trip we took
How the rain came down, and the car broke down
And we broke down
We laugh about it now, yeah we laugh about it now
Remember that house upon the hill
How hard it was to pay the bills, and the strange meals we made
And the dues that we paid
We laugh about it now, yeah we laugh about it now
(Chorus)
And through it all I loved you
And through it all you loved me too
And we vowed to share our lives
On that special day in June
When the preacher asked me “Do You”?
I said “I Do”.
When the preacher asked me “Do You”?
I said “I Do”.
And our beautiful children they were once so small
Learned to stand tall
We were there for it all
We’ve got grandchildren now, we’ve got grandchildren now
Life wasn’t always easy and wasn’t always fair
Didn’t always need words
to know much you care
And it’s true now, just hold my hand now
(Chorus)
And through it all I loved you
And through it all you loved me too
And when we vowed to share our lives
On that special day in June
When the preachers asked me “Do You”?
I said “I Do”.
When the preacher asked me “Do You”?
I said “I Do”.
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6. |
Lotions + Potions
02:32
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Lotions + Potions
Mother Nature never hurries
Yet everything get’s done
My mother told me not to worry
This is the way things are my son
I didn’t know then but I’m learning now
All these mysteries
Line up in neat little jars
Venus’s apothecary
(Chorus)
And she takes her time
Carefully applying Lotions + Potions
Of every design
I’m in no hurry, you know what they say
Good things come to those who wait
Good things come to those who wait
Father Time keeps on walking
But it’s all an illusion
Her father and I we’re talking
And come to the same conclusions
I didn’t know it then but it’s clearer now
What is in their hands
Exquisitely crafted elixirs
That only they understand
(Chorus)
And she takes her time
Carefully applying Lotions + Potions
Of every design
I’m in no hurry, you know what they say
Good things come to those who wait
Good things come to those who wait
(Bridge)
And She is beautiful to me
Yeah she dressed in sunshine or asleep
Is everything I need
(Chorus)
And she takes her time
Carefully applying Lotions + Potions
Of every design
I’m in no hurry, you know what they say
Good things come to those who wait
Good things come to those who wait.
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7. |
Bread + Roses
04:27
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Bread + Roses
The chemicals stain the river the color of the sunset
In the shadow of the factory stand the workers’ tenements
Opening the envelope an Italian immigrant shouts
“Short Pay, All Out” “Short Pay, All Out”.
Picket line at the factory frost gleaming in the sun
The police show up with firehoses and spray everyone
Get back to work there’s garments to make,
the workers know the toll that it takes
An arm, a leg, an eye, a life,
a father, a daughter, a son, a wife
The owner on the hill feeds every whim and desire
In the tenements we choose feed the bellies or the fire
Feed bellies or the fire
(Chorus)
We stand powerful and peaceful
We sing bella ciao bella ciao
If we had a hammer
We’d tear it all down down down
We’d build it back up again
Level, honest, and true
Cause we want bread
And we want roses, too
We want bread
We want roses, too
The soul of the nation is just fighting to breathe
Redlined into ghettos a suffocated dream
Arrested at the lunch counter or at a Starbucks Café
Not much has changed in the U.S. of A.
Oh the Land of opportunity has moved over seas
Chasing the profits for the new aristocracy
Gated communities feed every whim and desire
The streets erupt in protest the police open fire
The police open fire
(Chorus)
We stand powerful and peaceful
We sing bella ciao bella ciao
If we had a hammer
We’d tear it all down down down
We’d build it back up again
Level, honest, and true
Cause we want bread
And we want roses, too
We want bread
We want roses, too
We loaded sixteen tons
We laid the hardest mile
We brought you the weekend
And service with a smile
We fought for the right to vote
We fought just to be free
We fought to make sure this land
Was made for you and me
You may not look like I do
I may not look like you do
But we fight for the same things
We want bread and roses, too
Bread and roses, too
(Chorus)
We stand powerful and peaceful
We sing bella ciao bella ciao
If we had a hammer
We’d tear it all down down down
We’d build it back up again
Level, honest, and true
Cause we want bread
And we want roses, too
We want bread
We want roses, too.
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8. |
Baba Yaga
08:57
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Baba Yaga
My father took ill several summers ago
When I had just turned 13
Got worse day by day
Worried I became
But I knew who made the remedy
Through the woods there is a house
On two chicken legs it stands
There lives an old crone
Who’s iron teeth gnaws bones
Of children throughout the land
(Refrain)
I must Go, Follow my nose
On the path to Baba Yaga’s
I’ll be brave, my father I’ll save
With medicine from Baba Yaga’s
My journey begins the following morn
I pack my satchel with care
Bread, butter and cheese
Rabbit bone meat
And a ribbon to tie my hair
I’ll walk till there’s an old rusty Gate
In front of a house like no other
Whose hinges cry
At each passerby
But I grease them with my Butter
A gnarly old Birch stands in the yard
In the branches I am ensnared
It lets me go
When I bestow
It with the ribbon from my hair
A mangy black Dog snarls and sneers
And snaps as I approach its home
I hold up my bag
Tail starts to wag
I give the dog a Bone
(Refrain)
I must Go, Follow my nose
On the path to Baba Yaga’s
I’ll be brave, my father I’ll save
With medicine from Baba Yaga’s
I climb the front steps and knock on the door
Baba Yaga smiles a greeting
At the sight of her teeth
My knees get weak
But I give my best curtsy
“What do I owe this pleasure child?”
My father is very ill
And though I try
I fear he’ll die
Because I don’t have your skill
She opens the door and lets me in
The house seems much larger inside
Though I’m scared
I am prepared
For the deal she will provide
“You’ll cook and clean for me tonight
I’ll give you the medicine you need"
Hands me a vial
Don’t disappoint me child
Payment must be received
(Refrain)
I must Go, Follow my nose
On the path to Baba Yaga’s
I’ll be brave, my father I’ll save
With medicine from Baba Yaga’s
I start the stove and boil the pot
I make her my famous stew
She gulps it all down
While I clean around
“There’s one more thing left to do”
Her hands hold a huge bag of seeds
Find and sort these too
Every last one
Don’t stop till your done
Or I will eat you
The seeds scatter into nooks and crannies
Despair starts to set in
When I see by the wall
Hidden shadows and all
A black cat with a crafty grin
I ask dear cat would you like some cheese?
How can I to complete this task
“Just say the words
And give Bread to the birds
They’ll pick it all up if you ask
(Refrain)
I must Go, Follow my nose
On the path to Baba Yaga’s
I’ll be brave, my father I’ll save
With medicine from Baba Yaga’s
The birds gathered all the seeds that night
While Baba Yaga snored
The cat came to me
And brushed on my knee
It wouldn’t be ignored
“Since you’re so kind and gave me this cheese
I’ll give a piece of advice
Take the towel and comb
When you run home
And throw each behind you alright?”
Before the sun rose I got up and ran
With the Vial, Towel, and Comb
I don’t hesitate
Wave to the Dog, Birch, and Gate
And ran the long miles home
(Instrumental)
Baba Yaga wakes and screams at her guards
“Why’d you let her escape from my snare”
She gave me meat
My hinges grease
And the ribbon from her hair.
She jumps in her mortar and starts to fly
Her pestle hammering hard
She flies like the wind
As the chase begins
To catch the girl who escaped from her yard
(Refrain)
I must Go, Follow my nose
On the path to Baba Yaga’s
I’ll be brave, my father I’ll save
With medicine from Baba Yaga’s
Behind me I hear an unearthly sound
And I remember to throw the towel
Just like a dream
It forms a raging stream
And I hear Baba Yaga howl
Next I throw the simple comb
And a forest of thorns grows behind me
It blocks the way
So I escape
Baba Yaga goes home in defeat
(instrumental)
I reach my house late that night
And my father is barely alive
He drinks from the vial
And he gives me a smile
I know he is going to survive
If you find your self in need of help
I doesn’t hurt to prepare
Bread, butter, and cheese
And Rabbit bone Meat
And tie a Ribbon in your hair.
(Refrain)
If you go follow your nose
on the path to Baba Yaga's
You'll be brave and a life you'll save
with the medicine from Baba Yaga's
I must Go, Follow my nose
On the path to Baba Yaga’s
I’ll be brave, my father I’ll save
With medicine from Baba Yaga’s
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Joshua Hall West Windsor, Vermont
Described as a Zen-Metal-Freak-Jazz Guru, I am a classically trained guitarist whose playing style owes as much to Barrios
and Tarréga as Mustaine and Monk.
I am an Alternative Folk Artist whose songs engage the listener to feel and think deeply, to find the reverence in everyday life, and to question the stories that define so much of the modern world
... more
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