Billy Cross's Daughter

by Menhirs of Er Grah

Billy Cross's Daughter cover art
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    There are some more pics of the 'making of' the CD here: thomcarternews.tumblr.com/post/526478098

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about

Praise for 'Billy Cross's Daughter':

"The always musically vigilant singer/songwriter Thom Carter has some stories to tell on his third release as Menhirs of Er Grah, Billy Cross’s Daughter. And they are amongst the best he has even told. Thom has announced that he has tried to “bury his Eric Clapton CD’s in a casket under the sea”. But, even he will admit that he still has subliminal nods to the king of Cream throughout this amazing album".

"Carter has always had a way of turning the sourest of plums into the sweetest peach in the garden, metaphorically speaking of course. The self-titled track is a beautiful tale of the wandering soul and the spirit to rebel that is within us all — the power to drop the life they know and become an entire new being. It’s the sort of tale that he was always meant to tell. And the Clapton moments really come to light with tracks like “Circle Me With Love” and “Wherever Your Eyes Fall”. But this guy can write a love song like no other has before. All Dominos included".

"Billy Cross’s Daughter has the raw spirit of early Menhirs of Er Grah. It’s stripped of some of the eeriness of his last album, Mourning Dove, but keeps with the soulful melodies and almost funk-driven guitar work that he mastered on that album. “Whitening Light” (from Dove) would have worked easily in this track list. For fans of back alley and underground coffee shop inspired folk rock, this is bound to be one of your favorite albums of 2010. And at the very minimum, this is Thom Carter’s finest work to date".

(Fensepost) www.fensepost.com/main/2010/03/25/menhirs-of-er-grah-billy-crosss-daughter-album-review/
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"Billy Cross’s Daughter is the kind of album to enjoy in the dead of night on your own. It’s wonderfully beautiful and pleasant, and offers the listener a chance at repeated introspection. Filled with nice acoustic guitar work, shaker and vocal harmonies, the album is one to keep you calm and peaceful".

"When I first heard the name of Thom Carter’s band, I had no idea what it was and I needed to learn first that the Broken Menhir of Er Grah is an ancient megalith in Locmariaquer, Brittany, before enjoying the music. What I found was the knowledge of this historical monument actually accentuated my enjoyment of the album. The folk music that Menhirs of Er Grah play sounds like that classic folk record you find in a basement, covered in dust, waiting to be played and loved again".

"Sometimes entering the realm of adult contemporary, but mostly the land of ethereal folk, Billy Cross’s Daughter is what I would imagine I would’ve listened to extensively if I were born 50 years ago, and that most certainly is a good thing".

"For me, music such as this belongs by a fire (either fireplace or camp fire) with a nice book for a night where you’re doing nothing else, and you have nothing else you’d want to do. It perfectly captures a content mood".

"Love songs are the main focus here, as is the case in many folk albums, but it works so damn well that there’s no qualms with it here. The last song on Billy Cross’s Daughter says, “Do what you want, or whatever makes you happy, because time it ain’t ever gonna stand still”, which has literally been my advise to myself and close friends (that need it) for life. It’s essential to life, doing what makes you happy, and I now have a closer connection with the last song because of that line".

"So on the upcoming warm summer nights, Billy Cross’s Daughter should be the choice to relax and enjoy your night with".

(Drive, Wayfarer, Drive)
www.drivewayfarerdrive.com?p=2530
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“Billy Cross’ Daughter,” the new release by Menhirs of Er Grah sat in my “to be reviewed?” file for a few weeks, teetering on the edge. When I have a free moment, you see, I skim through that file, on random, and no single song off of this record grabbed me enough to make me move it to the “review” file. But at the same time, every song made me want to find the time to sit down and listen to the whole album, straight through. This weekend, I finally did. And I’m very grateful”.

“Folk singer/songwriter Thom Carter apparently has a following already, and this is his third record under the name Menhirs of Er Grah (named after the single largest block of stone carved by Neolithic man). From what I’ve read by fans and critics, this is being hailed as his best release. I don’t know about that, as this is the first I’ve ever heard, but I can say that this a well-crafted album that is too delicate to be digested piecemeal. Like a complex Hall and Oates at times, or a more melodic Will Oldham, the record gets better and deeper with each listen. It’s gone from being on my fence as a “thanks but no thanks” to being a candidate for best record of the year”.

(Berkeley Place)
www.berkeleyplaceblog.com/2010/04/07/menhirs-of-er-grah-billy-cross-daughter/

credits

released 01 April 2010
Written and produced by Thom Carter. Art by Woolf. Copyright Verlaine Records 2010. All Rights Reserved. [VR_006].

Menhirs of Er Grah: www.myspace.com/ergrah
Thom Carter: www.thomcarter.co.uk
Verlaine Records: verlainerecords.co.uk

tags

tags: acoustic blues folk indie rock thom carter

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Track Name: Billy Cross's Daughter
Billy Cross’s Daughter.

Music and Lyrics by Thom Carter. Copyright Verlaine Records 2010.

Billy Cross lived in a house with his three daughters,
When their mother had come undone,
And he gave them all the best he could afford,
But in the end, it wasn’t enough.

In the end, it just wasn’t enough.

Now the street and the house were always weary,
And their eyes were as hungry as hell,
For the things that glittered and attracted them,
To the city, and Billy could tell.

To the city, and Billy could tell.

**

And he said,

Girl, it’s no the clothes that you wear,
Or how much you buy and spend,
That makes you you.

She said yeah, but the way that it is,
Is that the world ain’t ever gonna see it like you do.

He said it’s not the clothes that you wear,
Or the money that you spend,
Or what you do.

She said yeah, but the way that it is,
Is that the world ain’t ever gonna share your point of view.

**

So she went, with her pockets full of misery,
To the station, to get herself a train,
And as she saw it, coming to her from the distance,
She said, I don’t ever wanna come back here again,

I don’t ever, wanna come back to this place again.

In the city, she was a stranger,
And nobody knew her name,
So she changed it, and acted like a different person,
And she cut her hair, and she dressed a different way,

Yeah, she cut her hair, and she dressed a different way.

**

And so it seemed that all that she had needed,
Had been to get on out up and leave where she had been,
You know they always say “you’re better where you are”,
But I’d rather take the chance and spread my wings,

No matter where you are,
Where you stop, or where you start, or where you‘ve been,
You can always come back home,
In your head or in your heart, or in your dreams,

Yeah, you can always come back home,
In your head or in your heart, or in your dreams.
Track Name: This Feeling
This Feeling

Music and Lyrics by Thom Carter. Copyright Verlaine Records 2010.


You remind me of another lover,
That I once loved before,
Maybe the reason that I’m drawn to you,
Is that I’m still in love with her,

You turn my name like a ring on your finger,
And I wish for your happiness,
But you know honey that life can be a bitch,
It sometimes makes you settle for less -
But you never settle for less.

**

Then I see that dark black cloud,
Coming across you now,
Freedom from it won’t last forever,
If forever comes at all.

Oh, honey, you know I’m listening,
Even if you’re silent now,
I know I said that id love you forever,
But I don’t know if I mean that now,

Yeah I don’t know if I mean that now.

**

You seek those moments of clarity,
That I so rarely see,
You had a permanent childhood, honey,
You’re the clear-cut opposite of me,

For you its always been planned out,
And for me its never gonna be,
I’m a reflection of the ripples in all of your lies,
And all of your identities,

In all of your identities.

**

If you love her set her free,
Give her all the time she needs,
Nothing else is real,
But this feeling you give me.

All I wanna do is talk to you,
But I don’t think that I should,
So many things I said I wish I could change,
But I don’t that anyone could,

Sing to me sweetly,
Change my disaffected heart,
Just three words of yours,
Could change this world of ours.
Track Name: Always
Always

Music and Lyrics by Thom Carter. Copyright Verlaine Records 2010.

Always, the voice of youth,
Is travelling in my thoughts now,
And over ‘cross to you.

Always, like the bird in flight,
Like your hand in mine,
Always out of time.

Always, between the two,
Paths that I can’t choose,
Though neither leads to you.

Always, a light will burn,
To guide you home,
If you want it to.

It’s late here,
And there’s no phone here,
To call you from,
When I need someone.

**

And oh, well isn’t it like that always?
Oh, sister, sister, please -
Well, isn’t it like that now?
But always, always, always,
Seems so hard,
Seems so hard,
To let you go,
To let you go.

**

So we walked in that market town,
In all of the rooms in the museum,
And you bought me a book of Psalms,
To take with me everywhere.

Now, I have no interest in,
The politics of faith,
And I do not believe,
That religion is the only way.

But I love that book,
It’s words are songs to me,
So I will not be pushed,
To define these private things.

Always, that book will be,
Part of my history,
With you.

And someday, I will be free,
Clean of all these things,
That tie me here to you.

So I hear now, still,
That distant sound -
That distant youth.

And it will always be,
A hand that I can’t see,
That lends its strength to me,

And it will always be,
A hand that I can’t see,
That lends it’s strength to me.


*******
Track Name: Wherever Your Eyes Fall
Wherever You’re Eyes Fall.

Music and Lyrics by Thom Carter. Copyright Verlaine Records 2010.


You call me and I come to you,
Wherever your eyes fall,
Wherever life has brought you to,
After all these years and more,

You call me, and I know your voice,
It’s a little older now,
But a voice like yours you can’t replace,
Or replicate in someone else.

***

You said I must be crazy,
To come back to you now,
After all this time apart,

But let me in your arms again,
And all will be all right,
All right for us tonight.

***

Where we lived we had a balcony,
I think of it from time to time,
The view was nothing special,
But you caught me there with your eyes,
And maybe I was wasted,
Or maybe it was just the right time,
But I found myself in love with you that night,

***

You said I must be crazy,
To come back to you now,
After all this time apart,

But let me in your arms again,
And all will be all right,
All right for us tonight,

For us tonight,
For us tonight,
For us tonight,
For us tonight.
Track Name: House of Love
House of Love.

Music and Lyrics by Thom Carter. Copyright Verlaine Records 2010.


Please, don’t go,
Never wave goodbye to me,

I’ll give you what you want,
I’ll give you what you need,

Maybe she will be the one,
Maybe she will be the one,

Be the one who brings you back,
The one who gives you what you lost.

***

Here with me, by the wall of Portland stone,
You can speak, and know that I’ll hear every word,

Every word you say, and believe in everything,
Until you’re gone away.

***

Here, here it is,
Here, here is where it is,

Here in this house of love,
Here in the morning sun,
Here when night has come,
Here and never gone,

Here for all to see,
Here for you and me,
Ain’t nothing more you need,
If loves the only thing.

Loves the only thing.

***

In your eyes, they still come to me,
When I close mine, and heavens in the darkest place,

Well I always see you there,
At the start and at the end,
As my lover and my friend.

Will I always see you there?
And the start and end?
My lover and my friend?

***

Here, here it is,
Here, here is where it is,

Here in this house of love,
Here in the morning sun,
Here and never gone,
Here when night has come,

Here for all to see,
Here for you and me,
There’s nothing more you need,
When love’s the lonely thing.

Loves the only thing.
Track Name: The Shepherd
The Shepherd.


Music and Lyrics by Thom Carter. Copyright Verlaine Records 2010.


There is a wall here, there is a wall,
There is a wall here,
Between Jerusalem, and Bethlehem,
Jerusalem, and Bethlehem.

In this desert of Judea,
Where the men all dress in old clothes,
By posters to Manger Square,
The tourists and the pilgrims walking there,
The tourists and the pilgrims walking there.

***

I am a piece of this. I am a piece.
I am a piece of this fragmentary, wasted place,
Fragmentary, wasted place.

***

I came for shelter here, I came for shelter,
Now cranes rise over spires and the minarets,
The spires and the minarets.

***

I am a stranger here. I am a stranger.
I am a stranger here,
In this fragmentary wasted place,
In this fragmentary, wasted place.

***

There once were sheep here,
There once were sheep,
There once were sheep here,
But the Shepherd lost the tether of their fleece,

The Shepherd lost the tether of their fleece,
The Shepherd lost the tether of their fleece,
The Shepherd lost the tether of their fleece.
Track Name: Circle Me With Love
‘Circle Me With Love’

Music and Lyrics by Thom Carter. Copyright Verlaine Records 2010.

Circle me with love,
In a circle try it,
Circle me with love,
There’s no need to fight it,
Circle me with love,
Whichever way you like it,
Circle me with love.

***

Won’t you ride with me?
With your skin like porcelain,
And your body wrapped in fur,
Against the wind.

On a Sabbath day,
Under waiting skies,
You watch the city blur,
As you get high.

***

Circle me with love,
In a circle try it,
Circle me with love,
There’s no need to fight it,
Circle me with love,
Whichever way you like it,
Circle me with love.

***

Peace will come here soon,
Peace will come here soon,
Peace will come to you,
Even if she comes alone,
Even if she’s just begun,
To loose.

***

When you comfort me,
It’s like a blackout,
Where nothing seems to be,
The only truth.

Have patience with your troubles,
You’re trouble now,
You close your eyes,
They seem to stay there still.

***

Ease your load it hurts to mention,
And burden me with your heart,
The bells have ceased to call you,
And the evening prayer can’t start.

***

Peace will come to you,
Peace will come to you,
Bringing forgiveness in her arms,
Bringing forgiveness in her arms,
To you
Track Name: Tonight
Tonight.

Music and Lyrics by Thom Carter. Copyright Verlaine Records 2010.



When the evening sky gets blue,
And the theatres close their rooms,
And the cities trying to wind down,
Easy tonight.

I’m so tired of trying to feel,
Like I belong here when I don’t,
I only came here for you,
Now I don’t have that reason anymore,
Like a picture frame, with the picture gone.

***

Love won’t come easy tonight,
Ain’t nobody who can help you decide,
Can make up your mind for you,

If you should believe her, or if she lied.
If you should believe her, tonight.

***

Remember my name,
If you remember at all,

I wont miss you, I wont try,
There never really was that much at all,
Just an emptiness that felt like something more.

***

Standing on bridges at high-tide,
It’s not like on screen,
When they turn on a light,
And everything’s good again.

But oh, if Whistler had seen this night,
He would have painted it,
In gold and blue and fading, glorious green,
For you.
Track Name: If That's What You Need
If That’s What You Need.

Music and Lyrics by Thom Carter. Copyright Verlaine Records 2010.


After the silence,
After the silence,
After the silence,
You pour like the rain,

In a world that just keeps on trying to change you,
I know that you’ll stay the same.

Say that you need me,
Say that you need me,
Say that you need me,
And I will do the same,

In a world where things don’t seem to work out,
I know that you’re not to blame.

Are you the one who just keeps on moving on,
Or are you happy with me?

***

In these modern times,
When romance seems such a beautiful thing,
And we can talk and be lovers,
If that’s what you need,

Out in the city tonight we can dance,
Take the train to your flat and drink wine,
And be together, if that’s what you like,

But if these modern times never last,
Then it’s a beautiful thing that we could talk,
And be lovers, if that’s what you need.

***

Take what you want,
Take what you need,
Take everything that you can carry,
I’ll give to you anything,

Choose what you want,
Choose what you need,
Choose if you want me, baby,
It’s the age that we are living in,

And the world just keeps on trying to change you,
But you’re all that I need.

***

In these modern times,
When romance seems such a beautiful thing,
And we can talk, or be lovers,
If that’s what you need,

Out in the city tonight we can dance,
Take the train to your flat and drink wine,
And be together, if that’s what you’d like,

But if these modern times never last,
Then what a beautiful thing that we could talk,
And be lovers, when that’s what you need.
Track Name: Do What You Want
Do What You Want.

Words and Music by Thom Carter. Copyright Verlaine Records 2010.

Take a little of my love when you come,
When you do, when you do,

And give a little of your time to those
Who give their love to you.

I don’t believe anymore in the things that I knew,
Or I thought I knew,

I just believe in the one thing that I want,
And that’s you, baby that’s you.

***

Do what you want, whatever makes you happy,
‘Cause time is never gonna stand still,

Do what you want, whatever it takes,
I just can’t take my eyes off of you,

You know how it feels, forever at the window,
Forever on the floor when you loose,

Believe me I’m a liar, but I can’t change the times,
I don’t wanna spend my life trying to prove,
What you already know is the truth.

***

Call it what you want, I don’t care ‘bout definitions,
Or names, or even your point of view,

Nothing keeps its meaning like the meaning of change,
I can’t hold on to what I’ve been or I’ll do.

Tell me I’m a drifter, tell me I’m a prophet,
Tell me I’m a man if you choose,

I don’t care who you are, status is a mask,
That’s worn by fakers and actors like glue –
But I can’t wear it without things of you.

***
Do what you want, whatever makes you happy,
‘Cause time is never gonna stand still,

Do what you want, don’t even think about it,
I don’t waste my time thinking for you,

It’s other men’s flowers, smoke in the sky,
And what you need to know, you already do,

That the truth is a lie, so believe what you like,
All that matters is what matters to you,
All that matters is what matters to you.