Get all 13 mushkat releases available on Bandcamp and save 40%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of MUSHKAT (S/T) - teasers!, RAINY DAY RECORD (EP), A TIME IN PLACE: Home Recordings, 2020-2021, STILL LIFE LESSONS, HALF GUN, JUVENILE GYMNASTICS, TOURIST CURIOUS, HARDWAY LEARNER, and 5 more.
1. |
Like A Leaf
03:01
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I feel like a leaf, floating on the surface of the Gaspereau,
following the current of the tide where it may go, like blowing in the wind.
Just like a leaf, I don't make decisions for myself, it seems.
I just play the cards that I am dealt, and hope problems fix themselves.
I may never reach my dreams.
So I don't dare to dream at all; without trying to climb, there is no opportunity to fall.
I'm shaking like a leaf, clinging for dear life against the strong Eastern wind,
barely holding onto the olive branch in the hand that you extend.
Now we're two leaves, firmly linked together just like puzzle pieces,
who found our way together in a drawer, in a house now flooded, on our way out to sea.
And we don't dare to dream at all; without trying to climb, there is no opportunity to fall.
No, we don't dare to dream at all; without trying to climb, there is no opportunity to fall.
Without trying to climb, there is no opportunity to fall.
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2. |
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Taking a walk in the park on the 7th of January,
it dawns on me just how lucky we are,
living just far enough North and just far enough East;
the tornados of change brewing down South are not very far.
Like sleeping with an elephant,
if it rolls over you're dead,
but we can't all live in Antarctica.
Walking past the Trillium Tower, remembering the charm
of the Victorian and Georgian homes that used to line South Park.
Living downtown in a city undergoing some growing pains,
I can't explain why the future seems so dark....
Sleeping with an elephant,
if it rolls over you're dead / you know it owns the bed
but we can't all live in Antarctica.
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3. |
To Thyself Be Kind
02:49
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Softly falling rain, sand between my toes.
Here come grey thoughts again; soon I'll be in the throes,
calling old and distant friends, pouring (my) feelings on the page.
This dark night one day will end, and I'll look back again; it's no more than a phase.
Feeling sorry for myself won't push me any further along.
I can start by stopping listening to my inner voice when things I tell myself are wrong.
If I wouldn't say it to a friend, why describe myself that way?
Don't let it slip your mind: To thyself be kind, and you will heal someday.
-break-
You wouldn't say it to a friend. Why describe yourself that way?
Don't let it slip your mind: To thyself be kind, and you will heal someday.
No, don't let it slip your mind: To thyself be kind, and you will heal someday.
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4. |
Wasted on the Young
03:34
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The patrons sang Stan Rogers songs long into the evening at the top of their lungs.
The diehards kept going 'til only The Mary Ellen Carter had yet to be sung.
Then "Rise again," cried the bartender, and "Rise again," replied the girl at the end of the bar,
and the band started playing everyone's favourite song.
A group of twenty somethings got up on their table, hollering along,
and the bartender turned to me:
"Youth, my friend," she said, "is wasted on the young."
"Speak for yourself," I said. "Back in my twenties, you couldn't hold this man down:
After two years in Asia, then Northern Saskatchewan, then back to Asia again,
I had to keep climbing to the top of the world, and I walked the Bolivian plain;
and, you know, if I had a chance to relive my life I would do it exactly the same way again."
"Well," she said, "you're the exception, which only serves to prove the rule:
Youth, my friend, is wasted on the young."
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6. |
Smoke Alarms
03:03
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How do I, can I start again, after losing so much time? Am I resilient enough, or will I lose my mind?
It’s like being woken up by Smoke Alarms at 3:45 in the morning, breaking your slumber for a time.
It just doesn’t seem right to be up so early, just doesn’t seem right to go back to bed with so little time left.
Depression didn’t get me ‘til my ‘30s, and a decade long battle ensued, but when I parted the grey clouds
and got to see the world out loud again, suffice to say it sullied my mood.
Like being woken up by smoke alarms, while people keep sleeping around me – just confounds the mind!
It just doesn’t seem right to give up so early, just doesn’t seem right to stay in bed with so little time left.
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7. |
Still Life
02:23
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I lead a Still Life, but it’s still life. Every day, I count my blessings:
I’ve got my health, I’ve got the new day, I’ve got my lover and time to play.
In this still life, it’s still life, and in life there is but one guarantee: I’ll always be here, through all changes, so I’d best be happy with who I’ve come to be.
So I’ll try harder to be patient with other people; yes, I’ll try to be less judgemental and kind when I can, ‘cause my reactions define my destiny.
In this still life, it’s still life. I remind myself every day. To keep going, I have this mantra:
In the mirror, I stare myself down and say, “I lead a still life, but it’s still life. Every day, I count my blessings – I’ve got my health, I’ve got the new day, I’ve got my lover and time to play.”
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mushkat Halifax, Nova Scotia
Mushkat is William (Bill) Travis from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. He sings his indie folk songs in a voice that's been compared to Paul Simon and Ben Lee, often with the support of Chris Brown (drums), Mark Merrimen (bass), and sometimes Theo MacIntosh (guitar, piano). He has shared stages with Erin Costelo, Al Tuck, Christina Martin, Bend The River, The Mahones, and many more. ... more
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