Get all 10 Hightown Pirates releases available on Bandcamp.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Just for Today (Phil Sorrell remix), Welcome to Wilderness Hill. (Album 2024), A Winters Tale., Roses, The Boy in the Doorway., Jetgirl., Hope Street Eternal EP 2018, He Who Lies Flat (stay alert mix), and 2 more.
1. |
All of the Above
01:30
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Hello
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2. |
He Who Lies Flat
04:13
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On days like this when nothing seems forever and even to a fool, that’s a very long time, I’m staring at the sky, see no horizon, looking at a mirror, see only lies.
I ain’t slept for days, hearts broken I’m frayed, the tears do not come as I look at the words and they fall from the page.
So, try as we might, surrender or fight? ‘Cos he who lies flat don’t get knocked down I swear I heard someone once say.
On days like this when nothing seems forever and even all our fire has been turned into ice, I’m staring at the sky, see no horizon, looking at the mirror, wasting my time.
I ain’t slept for days, hearts broken I’m frayed, the tears do not come as I look at the words and they fall from the page.
So, try as we might, surrender or fight? ‘Cos he who lies flat don’t get knocked down I swear I heard someone once say.
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3. |
Girl from the Library
04:39
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She was the best librarian they’d ever had, her speed came in a rizla, her breakfast in a can. She had all the books in order, by author A-Z, there’s no noise in the library, there’s plenty in her head.
She said, ‘I’m lonely’ I said, ‘How so?’
‘Like waves that fell on distant shores, a thousand years ago’
She reads all the broadsheets, no-one steals them anymore, on her lunchbreak with a roll-up, outside the library door. Sees the kids on the street, going out of their minds, chasing ‘likes’ on social media as they die some more inside.
She said, ‘I’m lonely’ I said, ‘How so?’
‘Like waves that fell on distant shores, a thousand years ago’
She said, ‘You’re distant!’ I said, ‘I know’
‘I’ve walked that shore you spoke about, barefoot in the snow’
The old man in the library, comes here every day, I asked him what he does on Sundays, but he wouldn’t say.
He borrowed a Beatles album, a Coltrane CD too, returned them with a note that said, ‘I prefer Kind of Blue, don’t you? Don’t you?’
You say you’re lonely I say, ‘How so?’
‘Like waves that fell on distant shores, a thousand years ago’
She said, ‘You’re distant!’ I said, ‘I know’
‘I’ve walked that shore you spoke about, barefoot in the snow’
She said, ‘I’m lonely’ I said, ‘I know, but feelings are like waves, they come and then they go’. She said, ‘you’re distant,’ I said, ‘I know, I’ve walked that shore you spoke about, barefoot in the snow’.
You see the gods of war, making their plans, as us mere mortals, draw lines in the sand, but not here man, this is holy land, where silence will bring wisdom, so let wisdom command.
She said, ‘I’m lonely’ I said, ‘How so?’
‘Like waves that fell on distant shores, a thousand years ago’
She said, ‘You’re distant!’ I said, ‘I know’
‘I’ve walked that shore you spoke about, barefoot in the snow’
She said, ‘I’m lonely’ I said, ‘I know, but feelings are like waves, they come and then they go’. She said, ‘you’re distant,’ I said, ‘I know, I’ve walked that shore you spoke about, barefoot in the snow’.
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4. |
A Sunday Sermon
06:49
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I once met a soldier, who'd laid-down his gun, said he'd killed a man by mistake, for a crime he hadn't done. He had 'thou shalt not kill, tattooed on his eyes, said he'd worshiped false gods, and loved another man’s wife. He said, 'You live and die by the sword you know that's the rules, when you've been sent out to battle, but never went to school, And in his circle of one, it's hard to escape, if you’ve been building walls and not bridges, I hope it's not too late?
The leading lady is crying to her lover down the 'phone, she likes to go out drinking, on her own, the house lights go up, revealing, nobody’s there. There's a chorus of boos in the theatre of dreams, grown men are leaving, all been deceived, the soldier wakes up, says, you know what? I don’t care.
I once knew a doctor, nearly got struck-off, he'd been writing 'scripts for himself each day, one was never gonna be enough. But he had friends in high places included a judge, so his case got thrown out, but, there's no such thing, as a free lunch. So, the judge and his friends call him every day ‘cos they feel sick, you'll get no peace from the wicked, ‘cos they know every fucking trick, yeah, yeah, yeah.
The leading lady’s crying to her lover down the ‘phone, likes to go out dancing, on her own, the houselights go up, revealing nobody’s there and there’s a chorus of boos at the theatre of dreams, the faithful ate all leaving, grown men in tears, the soldier looks up, says, ‘You know what? I don’t care’
The judge fell in lust, with a girl, half his age, he met her buying silk ties, down on Petticoat Lane. She and her friends like to go out dancing on the town, but his friends didn’t really approve, and he still brought them all a ‘round’. It was hardly a meeting of minds, but she went like the clappers, so he got lost inside each day for a few minutes, to him, that's all that really mattered. He wrote her sick love-sick poems, sent her cheap flowers every day, until they found themselves plastered, all over the front page, yeah, yeah, yeah.
The leading lady is crying to her lover down the 'phone, likes to go out drinking, on her own, the house lights go up, revealing nobody cares .There's a chorus of boos in the theatre of dreams, the faithful all leaving, grown men in tears, the soldier looks up says you know what? We’ve won it six times, oh yeah.
Now there's a chorus of disapproval coming from the cheap seats, the critics are fuming, there's much gnashing of teeth, seems like the palace of wisdom has gone, they’ve shut-up shop and their forked tongues are wagging, you know why? They’re all on the ‘chop’. The leading lady runs off into the darkened streets, the soldier wakes up and says ah fuck it, I’m going back to sleep. My telephone don’t stop ringing cos all my friends are really sick, you get no peace from the wicked cos they know, every fucking trick yeah, yeah, yeah.
The leading lady is crying to her lover down the 'phone, likes to go out drinking, on her own, the house lights go up, revealing nobody cares .There's a chorus of boos in the theatre of dreams, the faithful all leaving, grown men in tears, the soldier looks up says you know what? I’ve seen it all before.
Yeah, the leading lady is crying to her lover down the 'phone, likes to go out drinking, on her own, the house lights go up, revealing nobody cares .There's a chorus of boos in the theatre of dreams, the faithful all leaving, they’ve all been deceived, the soldier looks up says you know what? I don’t care.
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5. |
Island Monkeys
04:58
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Look again you’ll see it’s all a plot.
ISIS-brides, the far-right, the queen the lot.
The wicked witch ain’t dead, she married Uncle Sam, united we stand, not part of their plan.
And this year’s villain, like a pantomime dame, just last year’s demon, dressed-up with a different name.
But you wave your flags and hide your faces,
Unruly scenes taking place in our public spaces.
If you find the proof you know they’re gonna try and do you,
But you don’t like the truth when it’s served on a plate, now do you?
Ha.
You can flush your stash, but you’ll still get busted, trade in lies, win a prize, don’t get too tired to be disgusted.
There’s something in the air sending us to sleep, don’t ya know they got pills you can take to stay awake, but they’re not cheap.
And the Island Monkeys screaming getting so excited, as the kingdom falls on its sword that’s what we decided. (yeah it is?)
And you wave your flags and hide your faces, there’s unruly scenes taking place in our public spaces.
If you find the proof you know they’re gonna try and do you, but you know that it’s true, you saw it last night on Youtube?
And that’s not all folks.
As one death-cult attempts to kill the other, me? I’d buy them all a bullet, duck and get some cover. The scum of the earth, lost in a moral outrage, quoting chapter and verse, they’ve never read the first page. And the island monkeys screaming getting so excited, as the kingdom falls on its sword that’s what they decided. (yeah it is)
But you wave your flags and hide your faces, unruly scenes in all our favorite places, and you don’t like the truth ‘cos it really doesn’t suit you and you don’t see the proof when it’s served on a plate now, do you?
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6. |
When the Soldiers Come
05:13
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We sat and watched the sun going down, as ghosts came out to play,
Someone said, just ‘cos your white flag’s up? The soldiers come anyway.
But if we’re brave enough to fall in love (I’m not asking for a friend)
I’ll meet you after midnight, where the shadows start and end.
And yes, we’ll hide, get lost in time, we got some place, they’ll never find. And our war, you know it will be won, gonna live together, ‘till the soldiers come.
Well they’re strange these cats with Chinese eyes and stories of such sorrow, and histories that say so much, but they can’t predict tomorrow.
We see ourselves in others, yeah and feel lost in a crowd, but we’ll live and die, together, to defend our sacred ground.
And yes, we’ll hide, get lost in time, we got something they’ll never buy and our war, you know it’s never won, gonna live together, until the soldiers come.
We walked where steam-trains used to run, the last one, long since gone and I kissed you as the sun came up then we saw the soldiers come.
If we’re brave enough to show ourselves, lets stare them in the eye, we’re the ghosts of long-lost lovers, then cannot kill, what cannot die.
And yes, we’ll hide, get lost in time, we got some place, they’ll never find. And our war, you know it will be won, gonna live together, ‘till the soldiers come.
Yes, we’ll hide, get lost in time, we got something they’ll never buy and our war, you know it’s never won, gonna live together, until the soldiers come.
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7. |
The King of Hearts
06:08
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Compassion don’t come easy, price of judgment, at an all-time low,
You used to think, you’d grown old before your time had come?
Now, maybe you’re too old, to feel this young?
Still looking for an answer, in a bottle or an empty glass? That road to Hell, paved with such intentions, but you can’t, oh no you can’t, get gold from brass.
‘Cos you’re the King of hearts, with a sword right through your head, your queen of dreams has fled the scene, the joker’s there instead.
Hello, the king of hearts, take the sword out of your head, the queen of dreams, nowhere to be seen, it’s only us instead, we’re living in your head, we’re sleeping in your bed.
It’s four-oh in the morning, you’re too scared to close your eyes, you ain’t got a clue how to live and you, you ain’t got, the faith to die, the faith to die.
Never gonna win this game, up against that loaded pack, shuffle the deck all you want my friend, but you, yes you, you’ll get, the same hand back, the same hand back.
Hello, the king of hearts, with a sword right through your head, the queen of dreams, she fled the scene, the joker’s there instead.
Hello, the king of hearts, take the sword out of your head, your queen of dreams, nowhere to be seen, it’s you and us instead.
We’re living in your head
Sleeping in your bed
We’re living in your head.
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8. |
Down on Love Lane
04:31
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I sat on a bench in the town of my birth, watched the future I ran from, walk by me.
No better, no worse than the people I see, but I knew, way back then, that I just had to flee.
Drifting through some history, I argued with hope and fear, hope swings blindly, lands a sucker-punch that says, we don’t belong here.
As the spooks of the past get scattered in the wind, I whistle in the dark and I see everything, if only my heart was as big as my mouth, I’d have less to escape, more to sing about.
And we wrote letters, we shared records, thought our youth would never end, smoking in park shelters, waiting for our friends and in your bedroom, with the lights down, we listened to John Peel, shared a pack of ‘bensons and I try, to feel.
I see the old boys, on the corner, drinking purposeful, real slow and in their eyes, there is an ocean of memories same as mine from years ago.
I see a bride that never got to the church, a priest with a curse, a poet lost for words and we’re all being starved, over-worked underpaid, we’re all getting fucked but we never get laid.
But we wrote letters, we shared records, thought our youth would never end, smoking by the phone-box, as we tired to call our friends and in your bedroom, with the lights down, we listened to John Peel, shared a pack of ‘bensons and I tried, to cop a feel.
Drifting through some history, I argued with hope and fear, hope swings blindly, lands a sucker-punch that says, we don’t belong here.
As the spooks of the past get scattered in the wind, I whistle in the dark when I can’t see a thing, if only my heart was as big as my mouth, I’d have less to escape, more to sing about.
And we wrote letters, we shared records, thought our youth would never end, smoking by park shelters, waiting on our friends and in your bedroom, with the lights down, we listened to John Peel, shared a pack of ‘bensons and we tried, to feel.
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9. |
Different Drums
03:45
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Should have, would have could of that’s no way to live your life, please don’t throw away the dreams you had when young.
Seems like only yesterday, my friends and I went out to play, but you wake up one cold morning they’re all gone.
Oh yeah.
Do you care?
Don’t burn your bridges of desire nor throw your songbooks on the fire, hold close the ones who take your breath away.
Paint your pictures sing your songs, when all seems lost, we carry on, if we’re out of step it’s ‘cos we hear different drums.
Oh yeah
Please care.
Don’t be consumed by hate and fear nor be too scared to shed your tears, teach your children well they should not be afraid.
Write the words they need to read, give hope to those who don’t believe, that a broken heart will one day get repaired.
Oh yeah.
Oh Yeah.
Should have, would have could of that’s no way to live your life, please don’t throw away the dreams you had when young.
Seems like only yesterday, my friends and I went out to play, but you wake up one cold morning they’re all gone.
No matter where I roam.
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10. |
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Hazy morning, by the river, the kid from ‘Kenny stares to sea.
Sees the ships coming and going, where most can only see them leave.
He said
Do you think they still call them Tramp-Steamers? Words poetic as can be, words can build tall ships from driftwood, take us any place we need to be.
So we jumped the train to Hightown, sat off for a drink or three, we spoke of queens, pirates and dreamers, an easy laugher, set us free.
I said,
Do they still sing songs on the Boardwalk? Late night down in Venice Beach back in L.A. Those witching hours full of magic, feels the same right here with you today.
Hazy morning by the river, the kid from ‘Kenny spoke to me, See the ships? They come and they go mate.
Gave me a ticket, made me believe.
That they still sing songs on the boardwalk, down in Venice Beach back in L.A, those witching hours full of madness, feels the same right here today.
Do you think they still call them Tramp Steamers? Words poetic as can be, ‘cos words can build tall ships from driftwood, take us anywhere we need to see.
The day we walked down by the river, saw the crystal ships on a blood-red sea. If we don’t return here ever, at least we saw all we could be.
Take us anyplace we need to see.
Take us anywhere just you and me.
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11. |
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Hightown Pirates Margate, UK
"Quite possibly the most criminally ignored artist of the past decade"
Mojo
"All of the Above is a massive, absolutely massive album"
GetintoThis.
"The emotional maturity of Elliot Smith"
Louder Than War.
“Dry and High, is a joyous, anthem-laden affair, that evokes Arcade Fires sweep; Blood Sweat and Tears’ horns and the finer moments of Primal Scream’s Screamadelica. 4 Stars Q Magazine.
... more
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