Get all 5 Ray Zimmerman releases available on Bandcamp and save 35%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of I Knew A Girl Once, Apocalypse Diaries, Sleep, Notes From The Pacific Coast, and Breaking Cover.
1. |
Solitary Man
03:14
|
|||
|
They tell me freedom, waits for me,
They say don't try to look son, it lays way across the sea,
But I know that it's there, 'cos I can hear it on the breeze,
They say that freedom waits for me,
They tell me son, don't you worry about a thing,
That line you're thinking crossing leads straight to Sparky up in Sing,
Well you should know that I know that you've been pulling at my strings,
So don't tell me not to worry about a thing,
'Cos I'm a solitary man, I don't expect you'd understand,
And I won't look behind me when I go,
'Cos I'm a solitary man, but now my life is in your hands,
But that life's been made of thorns son you should know,
And I won't be leaving here my love until my time is due,
See me and Mr Stroud been making plans of what to do,
We were gonna build a little pet store off the PR-22,
So I won't leave here before my time is due,
They used to tell me freedom, was waiting just for me,
Go ahead son and become anyone you want to be,
But I must be honest, this life ain't all that they promised,
And now I long for chasing buttons in cell block D
|
||||
2. |
Lana
04:39
|
|||
|
Hey there my name's Lana,
Is what she said when she arrived,
If I recall correctly, she was eighteen at the time,
She wore a dress with flowers on,
It matched the hair bow she had tied,
Hey there my name's Lana,
Is what she said when she arrived,
At first she played for crowds who didn't care,
For what she sang just what she'd wear,
But she smiled and said this all was to be expected,
Yes all the stars are tried of course,
But it won't be me who falls too short,
Hey Lana can you leave through the back exit,
Hey Lana where'd you go?
We missed you at the movie show and its been going straight to voicemail when I call,
Hey Lana where've you been?
It's been a while since we've seen you,
Lana are you still out there at all
Hey there my name's Lana,
Is what she said just right before,
She handed me her application,
To sweep the restaurant floor,
She was a little over qualified for the role I had in mind,
I think she was nineteen at the time,
I'd sometimes see her stand on tabletops,
When she thought no-one was around,
I think that she imagined that she was singing to the sound,
To raucous crowds of adoring fans to the ripple of applause,
Instead of collecting waste that younger girls dropped on the floor,
Hey there my name's Lana,
Is what she said to me before,
She dropped her grease marked dress onto the bloodstained bedroom floor,
She said something 'bout some bad auditions, it was two or three or four,
I couldn't hear too clearly, through the closing motel door,
And no I'm sorry I haven't seen her since,
And I haven't heard a thing,
But understand it isn't her who's normally pulling at the strings,
Yes last time she whispered something like,
It's been harder than you know,
In fact she left quite abruptly, she said it's time for me to go
|
||||
3. |
Always Gonna Be
05:32
|
|||
|
He'll call you up the day after you meet,
He'll call you up the day after you meet,
And he'll say girl you know yesterday you kind of swept me off my feet,
He'll call you up the day after you meet,
He'll pick you up and he will take you out,
He'll pick you up and he will take you out,
And you'll go find together what this life is all about,
He'll pick you up and he will take you out,
He'll buy you flowers once in a while,
He'll buy you flowers once in a while,
He'll buy you violet lilies, because he knows they make you smile,
He'll buy you flowers once in a while,
And you my love will be together girl,
You'll travel every corner darling of this world,
And one day I'll ask and you'll agree,
Now you're older you can see,
This is how your life was always gonna be,
This is how your life was always gonna be,
He'll hold your hand and he'll hold on so tight,
He'll hold your hand and he'll hold on so tight,
And when you cry he'll dry your eyes and he'll tell you it's alright,
He'll hold your hand and he'll hold on so tight,
He will write you a song,
He will write you a song,
And he'll sing to you to put right all the things that he said wrong,
He will write you a song,
He'll say I want to spend my life with you,
He'll say I want to spend my life with you,
I'll go anywhere you go he'll say, I'll do anything you do,
He'll say I want to spend my life with you,
He'll hold your daughters hand on her first day,
He'll hold your daughters hand on her first day,
And when he's back from school he'll look at you and say I think we did okay,
He'll hold your daughters hand on her first day,
He'll hold you even closer and you'll grow old,
He'll hold you even closer and you'll grow old,
And the fire in your heart will keep you warm in winters cold,
He'll hold you even closer and you'll grow old,
He'll leave behind the memories you made,
He'll leave behind the memories you made,
And as you gather round the cold hard ground you'll know this love can never fade,
He'll leave behind the memories you made
|
||||
4. |
New Tricks
03:50
|
|||
|
Hey baby can you call me up,
I know you only just left but it's not enough,
Hey baby yeah I know it's tough,
It's just the way it is it's a whole lotta love,
When I see, hold ya,
Remember when I told ya,
I'm never gonna let you go,
And do you understand me,
That obviously,
This songs a way to let you know,
You got some new tricks, and I like it,
It's something in the way you move,
You got to stop it's madness,
It's like you got something to prove,
But you're looking pretty good, and I guess that we could,
Or maybe baby I should say that we should,
Drive out to the beach we'll get an ice cream each,
And we'll sit there for a while,
Cos you and your new tricks you're making me smile,
Hey girl do you know the time,
Is it time to stop is this the end of the line,
I saw a star in the sky, it was trying to fly,
it was spelling your name I'm gonna take it as a sign,
I'm gonna squeeze, kiss ya,
Tell you that I miss ya,
Spend every little second with you,
And do you understand me,
That obviously,
I wrote this song to make sure you knew,
You got some new tricks, and I like it,
It's something in the way you move,
You got to stop it's madness,
It's like you got something to prove,
But you're looking pretty good, and I guess that we could,
Or maybe baby I should say that we should,
It's a state of mind, it's the way we've been designed,
I'm gonna kiss you for a little while,
Cos you and your new tricks you're making me smile,
Do you remember we were younger then,
But we still said this love's forever,
And when we're older we'll say remember when,
We promised that no matter what we'd always be together
|
||||
5. |
||||
|
They've come to recognise you,
You look my friend no different to before,
Their boots will tread upon your head,
You'll acquiesce afraid of what's in store,
You'll offer prayer up to your lord,
Preoccupied with gold and war,
Unanswered whispers turn to roars,
Until you realise you're just one more,
Beggar at the door,
So go cower in your corner friend,
And accept that there is no help to send,
And but to breathe don't make a single sound,
But if you feel the urge to stand,
To prise yourself from sinking sand,
Make sure to tread but lightly on the ground,
I barely recognise you,
You look my friend much different to before,
The lines now drawn into your face are records of your own distaste,
Recognition that you once were made of more,
You ask forgiveness but none forth comes,
Your exposed fingers start to numb,
While their fires burn like a thousand suns,
There is no shelter beneath their thumb,
It's no surprise like arctic tides,
You're frozen at the core,
So go cower in your corner friend,
And accept there is no help to send,
And but to breathe don't make a single sound,
But if you have the nerve to move,
Remember there's nothing left to prove,
If you only tread but lightly on the ground,
What is there left of this,
Just Danish kings drawn in the mist who now are gone,
Alas now Yorick call the guards,
We'll gather round and you can start a song,
Your gambols turned to punished crimes,
Incarcerated in your prime,
So you cannot share dissenting rhymes,
With those that hide but over time,
Would rise and turn to right all that is wrong,
So don't cower in your corner friend,
And accept there is no help to send,
And but to breathe don't make a single sound,
For if you hope to change the course,
You must stamp your feet with sufficient force,
You cannot tread but lightly on the ground,
Your dreams will surely stay in check,
If you do not loosen from your neck the chains,
They use to drag you to your station, your chosen course their designation,
Against which friend you soon must start to strain,
Against the ropes which keep you held,
Beneath imagined threats of rebellions felled,
Ripples of voices soon have swelled,
To crowds of conscripts now compelled,
To rewrite the rules of this game of fools,
Until only they remain,
So don't cower in your corner friend,
Others will come soon to attend,
To the armoury and they'll share what they have found,
And all the world will know your name,
And never once will you again,
Have to tread but lightly on the ground
So step out of your corner friend,
And find another in need to lend,
A hand and light a flame to gather round,
And tell all those that follow here,
There's nothing left for you to fear,
So go and tread but freely on the ground
|
||||
6. |
||||
|
Baby, did I tell ya?
I'm going kind of crazy for ya,
I wondered if you wanna,
Drive the coast of California,
It's pretty nice this time of year,
Come on hop in my SUV let's disappear,
See I've been writing a few lines down,
So we'll remember when we come back around,
And it's gonna take me a while to get through it all,
Cos I've been reading my notes from the Pacific Coast,
And there's a funny feeling in my heart,
It's the same one I've had, since all the way back at the start,
Just like I love ya babe,
The way I do,
Cos I've been reading my notes and baby all I wrote,
Was a million different lines about you,
it's just what comes out of my head when I'm not thinking it through,
Just like I love ya babe,
The way I do,
Honey, did ya see it?
It was kind of pretty did you miss it?
If you did baby it's okay just admit it,
Cos there's another coming round in a minute,
Cos there's a lot to see this time of year,
A waterfall, the baseball, surfers at the seawall,
Come on baby we'll see it all,
Cos I've been writing a few lines down,
So when we're older we'll remember this town,
And it's gonna take me a while to get through it all
|
||||
7. |
Silhouettes
05:20
|
|||
|
Tell me, do you understand my meaning,
Well I should tell you you're not even near,
Do you think you're seeing all that I'm seeing,
Well you should know, I see your silhouettes from here,
Tell me are you dissatisfied with your place,
Among the crowds of mirrors just like you,
For the winds of change wait on narrow roads untravelled,
So what now, if anything will you do,
Have you been waiting for an open door beside me,
Tell me where have you been stood and for how long,
I'm afraid I'm here to disappoint you,
Cos by the time you get here I'll be gone,
What is there that lies beyond the edge,
Would you dare to take my hand and jump,
Can you hear the calls of ministry halls you could be anyone,
And only speak of love and peace or else I'd start to run,
Do you spend your days dreaming of rebellion,
But do you wake up scared from nightmares of revenge,
If you look back now at the ledge from where you've fallen,
You'll find no helping hand from me to lend
|
||||
8. |
Travelling On
03:23
|
|||
|
Yesterday I wrote a song for you,
It was pretty just the way you are,
Then i went this morning wrote a melody for you,
It fell softly like your hair when I played on my guitar,
There were some minor chords in there somewhere,
For all the times your feeling blue,
But I wrote the chorus to represent all my love that you'll accrue from,
Travelling on, travelling on,
Oh we're travelling on,
Yeah you and me we just be travelling on,
Travelling on, travelling on,
Oh we're travelling on,
Yeah you and me we just be travelling on,
Just last week I drew a picture just for you,
But I don't think you would hang it on your wall,
Well let me tell you now what it was meant to be, because you didn't have a clue,
It was supposed to be a story love, of me and you and all,
Of the time we've shared together,
In all the years that have gone by,
But I wrote this chorus to let you know you better strap in for the ride,
We often talk about the future, but these lines are for right now,
So in all the days to come I'll know that you knew,
And I know that I don't say these things as much as I should do,
So instead of that I went ahead and i wrote this song for you,
Some time ago I made a promise just for you,
That I'll love you right until the end,
Well I should tell you now that those words they are still true,
I've been working on this note for you so that you might comprehend,
And it took a while to find the words,
But I hope now that it's clear,
That I wrote the words down for this song, for only you to hear,
|
||||
9. |
Made of Stars
05:01
|
|||
|
Tell me a story star man,
Of everything that's been before,
Tell me do you think this is all there is,
Or ahead is there something more,
Throw constellations at the ceiling,
And I'll tell you how I'm feeling,
I'm a supernova waiting to explode,
Yes this is what I came for,
My doubts are gone now I'm sure,
I'm a shotgun and I'm ready to reload,
And if this is all that there is,
Just know that with my last breath,
I'll give you everything I have,
Until I have nothing left,
Cos we are made of stars,
Yes we are made of stars,
Let me tell you a story star man,
Of everything that lies ahead,
Tell me if you've heard this all before,
But I promise you that you have never read,
The scriptures I will dictate,
You'll be yelling at my please wait,
I can't write this down as quickly as you speak,
But time is running too fast,
So I'm sorry friend I must ask,
That you step aside I've promises to keep,
I wonder what it's like out there,
We could make a little corner just for us,
We'd illuminate our place, in starlights grace,
And we'd have cosmic decorations to discuss
|
||||
10. |
Mutiny
04:37
|
|||
|
Do you ever ask, what you are doing here my love,
In the kaleidoscope of opaque walls that your reflection's of,
You are only nails to hold the frame so harden mind to take,
The hammer blow from craftsman's hands that your submission predicates,
Do you ever ask, what you are seeing here my friend,
Through the aperture that stays its course when the road before you bends,
You cannot see if your head is bowed before masters sat atop,
Thrones of gold forged by blooded hands that lack the bravery to stop,
Do you ever ask, what it is that you can feel,
On the broken concrete that cuts your knees before the altar where you kneel,
Those scars would heal if you'd only stand and set this place aflame,
So lock the doors and burn to ash a pawn out of their game,
Do you ever ask, what it is that you believe,
But before you speak please cast aside the script that you receive,
From directors that you've never met and who know not of your mind,
You cannot chance upon Valhalla's halls with their hands across your eyes,
And if you only take your upturned palms and take the rations they dispense,
You'll take your final breath my friend knowing nought of what it meant,
Do you ever speak of proclamations you have made,
To one and all and all who crawl before the oncoming cascade,
No-one can hear the words you say if you do not speak aloud,
Without a voice to call your own you are but one among the crowd,
Do you ever speak, to tell your lover of your heart,
And of how you'd weather this raging storm to stay the course that you would chart,
So take this knife and etch in stone a note for all to read,
That will tell the crowds that pass through here that love is all you need,
Do you ever speak, of a life beyond these gates,
You talk in whispered tones and only rush to hesitate,
There is a world outside these walls my friend you need only push the door,
But as you leave resist the urge to scrap their coins up off the floor,
And if you only live a life that's led by those not in your shoes,
You'll fly their flags of victory, beneath a banner you didn't choose,
Do you ever walk, beneath the waining Autumn moon,
And do you feel the rays of burning sun in the hours after noon,
There are no ties that bind the sky, nor chains that cage the sea,
So steal tools from Noah's broken hands and build an ark to set you free,
Will you ever walk, in sandals made of cloth,
And will you follow close where angels tread where you've heard stories of,
So prise yourself from splintered boards and thrust bleeding hands out wide,
For if they cut you down before you breach their walls then at least they'll know you tried,
And as your soul runs free you'll set afoot things your masters can't contain,
And they'll scream aloud of mutiny, as you brand them with your name
|
||||
11. |
Up and Down
03:30
|
|||
|
Oh, these streets,
They're pretty narrow babe,
They're pretty steep,
Oh, these walls,
They're pretty high,
But they won't keep, me from you,
I've been holding your hand,
I've been watching you smile,
I've been walking for hours,
But I'd go another mile,
In fact baby I could walk around with you all day,
And I'd be singing,
Up and down, up and down, I don't know who knows where,
I don't know what we'll find or what we'll leave behind but baby I don't care,
And I'd be singing,
Up and down, baby up and down, I don't know where we'll be,
But we're holding hands and you should know that that's enough for me,
Oh these days,
They go too fast,
They're flying by,
Oh this love,
Will set us free,
We're gonna fly,
And we won't touch down babe for quite some time,
I've been making you laugh and you've been blowing my mind,
In fact baby I could fly around with you all day,
And I don't know how you want to do this,
But we'll do it anyway you like,
If you want to we can ride the boardwalk on a bright pink bike
|
||||
12. |
Of All Days Yet To Come
04:25
|
|||
|
What is there to say,
Now these days have passed away,
What stories love are there left to write,
What more can there be,
There can be nothing left to see,
All there is has passed from day to night,
And what now will you do,
Your return is overdue,
Which memories my love will you recall,
Which pictures will you keep,
In your daydreams and as you sleep,
For I don't think there is room to keep them all,
What if you take half, and I take the other,
Then maybe one day when this is done,
Maybe we could sit down with one another,
And reminisce of all days yet to come,
What love will we think,
When our horizon starts to shrink,
Will we laugh or smile or cry when we look behind,
I wonder if we'll still,
Be holding hands I think we will,
There'll be nothing left for us my love but time
|
||||
13. |
||||
|
Baby, did I tell ya?
I'm going kind of crazy for ya,
I wondered if you wanna,
Drive the coast of California,
It's pretty nice this time of year,
Come on girl just take my hand we can disappear,
See I've been writing a few lines down,
So we'll remember when we come back around,
And it's gonna take me a while to get through it all,
Cos I've been reading my notes from the Pacific Coast,
And there's a funny feeling in my heart,
It's the same one I've had, since all the way back at the start,
Just like I love ya babe,
The way I do,
Cos I've been reading my notes and baby all I wrote,
Was a million different lines about you,
it's just what comes out of my head when I'm not thinking it through,
Just like I love ya babe,
The way I do,
Honey, did ya see it?
It was kind of pretty did you miss it?
If you did baby it's okay just admit it,
Cos there's another coming round in a minute,
Cos there's a lot to see this time of year,
A waterfall, the baseball, surfers at the seawall,
Come on baby we'll see it all,
Cos I've been writing a few lines down,
So when we're older we'll remember this town,
And it's gonna take me a while to get through it all
|
||||
Ray Zimmerman UK
Hey, thanks for listening, it means a lot.
Feel free to get in touch at rayzimmermanmusic@gmail.com
If you like Ray Zimmerman, you may also like:
such bad things happen
by Levi Fuller & the Library
Turbulent indie rock from Levi Fuller & the Library that has the snarl of hardcore and the knotty meter of math rock.
go to album
Oakland singer-songwriter honors her Haitian heritage with five R&B spirituals overflowing with radiance, fueled by her soft, angelic voice.
go to album
behind my eyes
by Lalin St Juste
Lalin St Juste’s atmospheric R&B songs are as gentle as a spring breeze and as mysterious as a far-off galaxy—engrossing and bewitching.
go to album
Jim Croce: You Don't Mess Around with Jim
by Jim Croce
From "best of" comps, bundles of original LPs, DVDs and CDs, there's a whole lot of folk legend Jim Croce on Bandcamp.
go to album
Sorry I'm So Sensitive
by Bea Stewart
The second EP from Northern Irish singer-songwriter Bea Stewart runs from gentle folk to pillowy pop ballads, all perfectly executed.
go to album
Michelle Stodart’s folk music captures hope in melancholy, addressing the transformational aspects of the most challenging times.
go to album
Veneer (20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)
by José González
featured on Bandcamp Radio Aug 29, 2023
go to album
