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A Mess That I Left

by Great Aunt

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1.
Refrain 00:26
Oh, cruel world Oh, my girl Treat her right Oh, cruel world
2.
Head Up 03:03
Head up girl, you don't cry no more Now life is good and the water it flows And the water it flows Stand up girl, and hold your head up high Get the sun on your face and let them tears dry And they water it flows Move on girl, coz there's no end With your glass half full you got more than them And the water it flows And the water it flows to the river mouth Wash your hands clean Lay your burdens down And the water it flows
3.
Sold my soul long ago But it didn't get me very far Oh, what I wouldn't give To be hear with you Without any of these scars Let's hit the road and we'll never look back There's things that money can't buy And I want some of that Leave our quarrels behind Let's leap on forward With your hand in mind I don't need nothing more Sold my soul long ago But it didn't get me very far Oh, what I wouldn't give To be hear with you Without any of these scars Don't look back there's a mess that I left And we'll be swept away Sold my soul long ago But it didn't get me very far Oh, what I wouldn't give To be hear with you Without any of these scars
4.
Oh Lord, I've dug some holes And there ain't no tellin', how much more Keep on diggin', 'til I'm done 'Til I'm done Oh now the devil did say There was an easy way but I'd have to pay I said no sir, I am sincere I'll just keep on a diggin' down here Oh Lord, I've made my bets Ain't my money, some regrets Keep on chancin', 'til I'm spent 'Til I'm spent How will I ever learn I'm running in circles with nowhere to turn These heavy clouds, gon' fill my cup I might drown for this habit dries up Oh Lord, I had my fill Whiskey and wine, and every pill Keep on uppin', 'til I'm down 'Til I'm down Never thought this far I'd go Oh my love I'm far from home Never thought this far I'd fall Things I'd change not one at all
5.
It's time to go baby Just tell me where you'll be waiting It's ok to go baby I don't want you to be hurting My heart is broken and it bleeds My love for you is not over I'll carry you with me It's okay to go baby There's no more pain where you'll be Just let go baby I don't know if there's anything You slipped away so easily Baby can you hear me? I just hope you find peace I felt your hands on my shoulders As they took you away They came to take you away They came and took you away I can't breathe, I can't breathe no more Now I'm damned and lost They came to take you away They came and took you away When the death rattle comes You know it won't be long They came to take you away They came and took you away When you're dead and gone My world won't be no more They came to take you away They came and took you away
6.
Time will tell us when it's over The quicker it comes, for some others There's no omen, only mourning Means nothing at all, 'cept for their lovers Told my brother I can't go on I found failure every corner I turn There's no purpose, and hope is long lost And there's no kindness in strangers no more It's our funeral and it's a farse I found faith in nothin', there's no trust Say a prayer for me, for i'm lost See each other for what, what we are Time will tell us when it's over The quicker it comes, for some others Wake and wonder Congregating together for loss We should do better Drop your armor Down your guard Never feel warmer against two beating hearts
7.
My mother, she told me why Told me why the world wouldn't wanna treat me right I wondered, I wondered why What I had done to deserve this life My father, for he cried His little girl was gonna have one hell of a fight He couldn't hold her hand It was a lesson to learn on her own; to take a stand Oh, cruel world Oh, my girl Treat her right Oh, cruel world My sister, we said goodbye I knew it wasn't you all this time My brother, you'll be alright For the first time I've seen you smile My lover, I'll hold you tight And never let go while I'm alive We'll keep each other safe And try to make the world a better place Oh, cruel world Oh, my girl Treat her right Oh, cruel world

about

Spare and bold, simple and evocative, melancholic and hopeful – with the release of an ambitious debut EP, Great Aunt begin to define for themselves a unique path in folk and Americana.

‘A Mess That I Left’ combines elements of contemporary folk and Americana with the traditions of old time, bluegrass, and gospel music. The instrumentation and arrangements are bare and bold: various combinations of mandolin, guitar and upright bass explore well-worn themes of grief, love, acceptance, hope, resilience and faith. Striking too, are the evocative voices of Megan Bird and Chelsea Allen.

The duo engineered and produced their record alone, in their home studio in Melbourne’s inner north. Each song is realised with deliberate sparseness, and aims to capture and replicate their acoustic performance. Listen and you'll hear breaths, sighs, chirping birds, imperfections, moments of hope and joy, fear and happiness. ‘A Mess That I Left’ is a living, breathing thing: a palpable moment in musical time.

The message is clear: beginning and ending the 6-track EP is a hymn pleading for inclusivity and hope. The first iteration of ‘Oh, Cruel World’ is an introductory refrain of gospel-like harmonies; re-imagined in the last moments of the final song of the EP with a more sombre and intimate tone:

“Oh, cruel world
Oh, my girl
Treat her right
Oh, cruel world”

‘Oh, Cruel World’ tells the story of Bird’s family and others like them; her struggle coming out as a queer woman, and the lived experiences of her transgender brother. It talks too of their family’s struggles coming to terms with both, and of their concern for their children’s safety and place in the world. The song is sombre but hopeful: a celebration of the diversity in family and friends.

credits

released August 31, 2018

All songs written by Megan Bird & Chelsea Allen
Engineered and produced by Megan Bird & Chelsea Allen
Mastered by Joe Carra at Crystal Mastering
Artwork by Megan Bird

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about

Great Aunt Bathurst, Australia

Country folk duo based in Wiradjuri country, Australia.

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