24/02/2025 (The Tap is Always Running/Hope in the Face of Despair)
by @balancelost
Liner Notes
Firstly, skip forward to 39:41 to hear the new sections. It takes a few seconds to load when you drag the slider forward, but don't worry, it'll get there.
I've been in the habit of avoiding writing lyrics and just starting new sections of my tubular bells, which is why it's taken me a while to get this part out. I finally sat down and blitzed lyrics for these new sections last night so I'm up to speed again.
There have been some edits that are worth a mention.
- I've added nannerll's contributions on our collabs to the mix, so you can now hear them here ("Spirit Village" - 21:00, and "Television Reality" - 35:30).
- I've newly added a reprise of "Timmy Cricket Ball" between "World Cup" and "A New Kind of Air" - 30:10. Lyrics are below.
"The Tap is Always Running" is another pathetic attempt to emulate "Once In A Lifetime". It has no bass cos I tried a few ideas and they all sounded cack. I'll come back to that.
"Hope in the Face of Despair" is me settling into my guitars-over-dusty-old-beats groove. Some people always want to try something new, but not I! I've found my niche and I'm sticking to it, dammit. For the pre-chorus I have borrowed song titles and a line of lyrics from defunct Medway legends Screaming Keith which probably nobody but @sailingmagpie would notice. It is my attempt to keep their legacy alive (or undead, at least). I've also ripped off a motif from "Long Season" by the band Fishmans, which was kind of the album/song which inspired this whole "one song" enterprise.
Sorry for making all of you trawl through my crap to get to the new stuff.
Lyrics
Timmy Reprise:
I got new walking boots That never seem to get used And this country Where all I have for company Is just a vapour trail Just a vapour trail
Your love meant something different then It's my business what goes on in my own head And while I Didn't really suffer any trauma Need to be alone Need to be alone For just a little while Want to be alone
The Tap Is Always Running:
There's an apartment block that's standing still There's a coffee cup amongst the daffodils There's water on the window though it didn't rain There's a cure for the pain There's a cure for the pain
Never too old for something new Never too young to do what you want to So sometimes you gotta sit And sometimes you gotta wait But the tap is always running Do what the water do
There's a record spinning Thirty three and a third A worm is not a big incentive I'm not an early bird Real joy didn't come from Getting my desires In real life the pistol Isn't always fired
Never too old for something new Never too young to do what you want to So sometimes you gotta sit And sometimes you gotta wait But the tap is always running Do what the water do
Hope In The Face of Despair:
Age artifical To fill in the gaps where there used to be thoughts Before you lapse into coma forever An unending sleep Could be better than living Through mission creep
My words are wasted I've got nothing to do but moan about you My mood's like a changing weather I want to feel like I used to
All I've got is hope in the face of despair All I need's your hand in mine after sunset
Using your own intelligence for more than Scrolling and scrolling and scrolling Until the sofa is swollen (that it) Swallow you up Caught in an ocean of pickled disinformation I saw a pale imitation
My words are wasted I've got nothing to do but moan about you My mood's like a changing weather I want to feel like I used to
All I've got is hope in the face of despair All I need's your hand in mine after sunset All I've got is hope in the face of despair All I need's your hand in mine after sunset
Comments
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It's nice to hear those motifs return for Timmy Reprise. That bassline leading into The Tap is Always Running brings back major Carpetburn memories. In fact, it is all very old-school Petey G. Those drums are very Once in a Lifetime, but the melody/synths make it its own thing. I really like the guitar work in Hope in the Face of Despair. I was not expecting a Screaming Keith reference this FAWM. I'm sure I've got that song buried in an old hard drive somewhere. I'll have to dig it out!
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Ahh "Hope in the Face of Despair" is a real stand-out - loved the bleepiness of "The Tap is Always Running" but "Hope" immediately feels like top-tier BL. Excellent melody, impeccable vibes. I'll listen to the full thing for the final track, Timmy's reprise can wait!
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That bleepy sequenced stuff is glorious, big fan of that, paired with a big beat and an emotive vocal is all really cool. It's almost like the chord progression is implied.
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Huge respect for such a project. I listened to it from time to time but I guess I never left a comment? Love how seamless you transition through the parts. Excellent synth sounds and production! "Hope In The Face of Despair" is my favorite one of these two, especially when the distorted guitar has come in.
![[FAWM]](/static/img/ukulelecorn.svg)
I’m kind of reminded of The Dripping Tap by King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard except you reverse the metaphor so that it’s something positive, something hopeful, despite the disconnect the narrator feels. It’s quite beautiful work. It ends in a really nice way as well.