1. |
Christmas Ghost
00:45
|
|||
|
past, present, and yet-to-come
what was i, and what will i become?
everything looks dim under winter light
still i ask, might there be some change?
the kind hand trembles
|
||||
2. |
2000 Miles
03:07
|
|||
|
he's gone
two thousand miles
is very far
the snow is falling down
it's getting colder day by day
i miss you
the children were singing
he'll be back at Christmas time
in these frozen and silent nights
sometimes in a dream
you appear
outside, under the purple sky
diamonds in the snow
sparkle
our hearts were singing
it felt like Christmas time
two thousand miles
is very far through the snow
i'll think of you
wherever you go
he's gone
two thousand miles
is very far
the snow is falling down
it's getting colder day by day
i miss you
i can hear people singing
it must be Christmas time
i hear people singing
it must be Christmas time
|
||||
3. |
The Friendly Beasts
04:14
|
|||
|
Jesus, our brother strong and good
was humbly born in a stable rude
and the friendly beasts around him stood
Jesus, our brother strong and good
"i," said the donkey, shaggy and brown
"i carried his mother up hill and down
i carried his mother to Bethlehem town"
"i," said the donkey, shaggy and brown
"i," said the cow, all white and red
"i gave him my manger for his bed
i gave him my hay to pillow his head"
"i," said the cow, all white and red
"i," said the sheep with curly horn
"i gave him my wool for his blanket warm
he wore my coat on Christmas morn"
"i," said the sheep with curly horn
"i," said the dove from the rafters high
"i cooed him to sleep that he should not cry
we cooed him to sleep, my mate and i"
"i," said the dove from the rafters high
thus all the beasts, by some good spell
in the stable dark were glad to tell
of the gifts they gave Emmanuel
of the gifts they gave Emmanuel
|
||||
4. |
Christmas in Prison
03:03
|
|||
|
it's Christmas in prison
and the food is real good
we have turkey and pistols
carved out of wood
and i dream of her always
even when i don't dream
her name's on my tongue
her blood's in my stream
wait a while, eternity
old mother nature's got nothing on me
come to me, run to me, come to me now
we're flowing, my sweetheart
we're rolling, by God
she reminds me of a chess game
with someone i admire
or a picnic in the rain
after a prairie fire
and her heart is as big
as this whole goddamn jail
and sweeter than saccharine
at a drugstore sale
wait a while, eternity
old mother nature's got nothing on me
come to me, run to me, come to me now
we're flowing, my sweetheart
we're rolling, by God
the searchlight in the big yard
swings 'round with the gun
and spotlights the snowflakes
like dust in the sun
it's Christmas in prison
there'll be music tonight
i'll probably get homesick
i love you, goodnight
wait a while, eternity
old mother nature's got nothing on me
come to me, run to me, come to me now
we're flowing, my sweetheart
we're rolling, by God
|
||||
5. |
||||
6. |
||||
|
snow is falling in Manhattan
in a slow diagonal fashion
on the Sabbath, as it happens
snow is falling in Manhattan
if it looks like it might be a bad one
the good caretaker springs to action
salts the stoop and scoops the cat in
tests an icy patch for traction
snow
snow, oh, whoa, oh, whoa, oh, whoa
snow, oh, whoa, oh, whoa, oh, whoa
snow, oh, whoa
snow, oh, whoa
snow, oh, whoa, oh, whoa, oh, whoa
levels rising on the island
shows no sign of soon subsiding
drifting deeply down in Brooklyn
so much joy in merely looking
inside he's got a fire crackling
and on the couch, beneath an afghan
lies an old friend he just took in
seeking shelter from the cold wind
coming down in smithereens
on Staten Island, Bronx, and Queens
it's blanketing the city streets
and the streets beneath are fast asleep
songs build little rooms in time
and housed within the song's design
is the ghost the host has left behind
to greet and sweep the guest inside
stoke the fire and sing his lines
snow
snow, oh, whoa, oh, whoa, oh, whoa
snow, oh, whoa, oh, whoa, oh, whoa
snow, oh, whoa
snow, oh, whoa
snow, oh, whoa, oh, whoa, oh, whoa
snow is falling in Manhattan
inside i've got a fire crackling
and on the couch, beneath an afghan
you're the old friend i just took in
|
||||
7. |
Silent Night
02:12
|
|||
|
silent night, holy night
all is calm, all is bright
'round yon virgin mother and child
holy infant so tender and mild
sleep in heavenly peace
sleep in heavenly peace
|
||||
8. |
||||
|
it's Christmas in prison
and the food is real good
we have turkey and pistols
carved out of wood
and i dream of her always
even when i don't dream
her name's on my tongue
her blood's in my stream
wait a while, eternity
old mother nature's got nothing on me
come to me, run to me, come to me now
we're flowing, my sweetheart
we're rolling, by God
she reminds me of a chess game
with someone i admire
or a picnic in the rain
after a prairie fire
and her heart is as big
as this whole goddamn jail
and sweeter than saccharine
at a drugstore sale
wait a while, eternity
old mother nature's got nothing on me
come to me, run to me, come to me now
we're flowing, my sweetheart
we're rolling, by God
the searchlight in the big yard
swings 'round with the gun
and spotlights the snowflakes
like dust in the sun
it's Christmas in prison
there'll be music tonight
i'll probably get homesick
i love you, goodnight
wait a while, eternity
old mother nature's got nothing on me
come to me, run to me, come to me now
we're flowing, my sweetheart
we're rolling, by God
|
||||
Cricket & Friends Santa Claus, Arizona
"The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see."
Cricket & Friends recommends:
Silver & Gold
by Sufjan Stevens
the indie-leaning carol reinterpreter's bible. i would never have recorded a single festive tune if not for sufjan's endlessly inspiring example.
go to album
Songs for Christmas
by Sufjan Stevens
(silver & gold is the new testament & this is the old.)
go to album
The Singing Saw at Christmastime
by Julian Koster
christmas standards as interpreted by a lonesome alien whose only exposure to earthling songcraft has come thru fuzzy b101 broadcasts heard from a billion light years away
go to albumIf you like Cricket & Friends, you may also like:
Scottish singer-songwriter shares poignant lessons on time and relationships against a sweeping folk backdrop studded with field recordings.
go to album
featured on Bandcamp Radio Jan 17, 2023
go to album
Live at Le Trabendo
by Merryn Jeann
This four-track live EP from singer Merryn Jeann has a sense of otherworldliness in its mystic, magical compositions.
go to album
