Get all 6 Terra Spencer releases available on Bandcamp and save 10%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Old News, Brick and Mortar featuring Stewart Legere, Chasing Rabbits, Raining On A Saturday, Boat Harbour, and Other People's Lives.
1. |
Brick and Mortar
03:37
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I rub my hands and absorb the heat
Radiating up through the passenger seat
The engine idles silent in the bitter cold
The light shines through, a clean grey slate
A whisper of blue and the weary weight
of hearts too heavy for our hands to hold
The hurt comes quick, the words come late
Hours spent on an expiry date
And we both have other places we should be
The chance we had has passed us by
A stray plane in a neutral sky
A tear stain drying on a jacket sleeve
Hearts can pound through brick and mortar
Cornerstones are crumbling into dust
Walls come down, I come up short
I wanted more of us
The walls lean in, the roof has caved
One more thing that we can't save
Time and change will win no matter how we try
It's hard to say no and hard to say when
To tear it all down or build it up again
There's a gentle art in saying goodbye
Hearts can pound through brick and mortar
Cornerstones are crumbling into dust
Walls come down, I come up short
I wanted more of us.
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2. |
Mr. M
03:01
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Dear Mr. M,
Thought I'd write you once again
It's been a long time
Since I thought to say hello
How've you been? Are you well?
Haven't had too much to tell you
I have lingered on this letter
Now it's time to let it go
Looking back, we both know
I was stubborn and precocious
And I'm sure it wasn't easy
To keep me in my place
Now I see my mistakes
And my confidence is shaken
And I wish that I had the half the nerve
Of those early days
Dear Mr. M, I hope you try to reach me, ooooh,
Way back when, I know you tried to teach me
The lessons you left with me
I still remember them
And I hope you can forgive me
Mr. M
I remember you then
Grading papers in red pen
You would circle every error
Something good got underlined
You were harsh, you were frank
And I always meant to thank you for
The one time when I needed you
You listened, you were kind.
Dear Mr. M, I hope you try to reach me, oooooooh,
Way back when, I know you tried to teach me
The lessons you left with me
I still remember them
And I hope you can forgive me
Mr. M
I can't say why I waited
This letter is outdated
I feel strange in this relationship
The lines have been so blurred
If you'll give one more try
I would love a quick reply
I will take my pen in hand
And I will underline each word.
Dear Mr. M, I hope you try to reach me, ooooooh,
Way back when, I know you tried to teach me
The lessons you left with me
I still remember them
And I hope you can forgive me
Mr. M
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3. |
VHS
05:31
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I stayed up late for my auction bid
Gently used, a VCR
Like Christmas morning for a kid
I type the numbers on my credit card
Fill my name and my address
Pay for next day delivery
Harry barks at the UPS
Harry and me keep our own company
Treasures buried in my mind
They come alive and fill the screen
Memories I had left behind
It’s been years since I’d last seen
The places that I used to go
The faces that I used to know
The basement shelves are in a mess
Joan would tear a strip off me
Stacks of books and VHS
Under the dust, a memory
The labels peel, the cases fade
Every tape a new surprise
Birthday parties, friends we made,
Babies grow before my eyes
Treasures buried in my mind
They come alive and fill the screen
When it ends, I press rewind
It’s been years since I’d last seen
The places that I used to go
The faces that I used to know
The final show to end the night
Our wedding day in late July
Joanie’s dress of lily white
Fast and forward, the good times fly
For every photo in our book
She held the camera and made us smile
Now I remember how she looked
I haven’t seen her in a long, long while
Treasures buried in my mind
They come alive and fill the screen
When it ends, I press rewind
It’s been years since I’d last seen
The places that I used to go
The faces that I used to know
Joanie in her wedding dress
She visits me on VHS
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4. |
Harry
03:39
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Your sisters and your brothers
Every one a different color
Pups for Sale, a sign nailed to a tree
You were such a mangy sight
Didn't know your fur was white
Til I gave you a good shampoo
To kill off all the fleas
You would never growl or nip
You were born smart as a whip
For Milkbones you'd perform your set of tricks
You would walk me through the park
Every evening before dark
Smelling grass and eating trash
And chasing after sticks
You're a good boy, Harry,
A real good boy
Thank you for the golden years
You've spent here here by my side
You're a good boy, Harry,
A real good boy
But even good boys have to say goodbye
When Joanie passed away
I'd have stayed in bed all day
But I held the leash and found my feet
And took you for a walk
Now it's hard to get around
You and me, we're slowing down
You understand my feelings
When I hurt too much to talk
You're a good boy, Harry,
A real good boy
Thank you for the golden years
You've spent here here by my side
You're a good boy, Harry,
A real good boy
But even good boys have to say goodbye
My grandson says he'll bring you
to the home to visit me
Sometime when I'm settled
and I'm fit for company
I won't complain when I find a little tuft of hair
Matted on my slipper,
A reminder you were there
Soon he will arrive to take you for a drive
Along with all your tennis balls
Your blanket, and your treats
It just won't be the same
I'll forget and say your name
Expecting you to claim your place
Curled up beside my feet
You've been a good boy, Harry,
A real good boy
Thank you for the golden years
You've spent here here by my side
You're a good boy, Harry,
A real good boy
But even good boys have to say goodbye
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5. |
At Your Service
02:55
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In the hard grey chairs at the doctor’s office,
Me and a man with a terrible cough
It’s 11:00 a.m.; the doctor is late
Nothing there to do but wait
He handed me a wrinkly business card,
Told me of his young years working hard
Small engine repairs, tractors and mowers,
Back in the days when the world moved slower
He had loved every minute of the simple life,
A lot less simple since he lost his wife.
She had died last June ⎯ her lungs full of cancer
He took all the tests, he was waiting for answers
His hands were shaking; he looked so nervous
As he handed me the card that said,
“At your service.”
At the funeral home when the paperwork came,
I remembered the card, I remembered his name
The obituary short, no next of kin,
We only had to print a few bulletins
For the half dozen people that had gathered there,
Fanning themselves in their hard grey chairs -
Workers from the home where the old man lived.
Sympathy cards with nobody to give.
The minister comforted in their loss
Then everybody rose for “The Old Rugged Cross.”
We carried him down
to where the grass was mown
His wife and his son’s names carved in stone.
As we covered the grave with a shovel of dirt
I remembered the card with the words,
“At your service.”
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6. |
Somewhere
02:04
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Somewhere in the world, there is a girl
Who’s been waiting for someone to start her day with
To travel peaks and valleys of the world
And when the day is done, someone to stay with
Two coffees with the right amount of cream
The morning paper puzzles fit together
A favorite movie on a tiny screen
Reminds him of the first time that he met her
To swap a window seat aboard a plane
To share the thrill of each new destination
The mountains of Nepal, castles in Spain,
The wilderness of hearts for exploration
So when you pack your bags and fly away
May clouds of darker days break through to blue
Please take my warm regards and give them to
The girl who gets to go somewhere with you.
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7. |
Messy
03:49
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Over pale German ale Michael tells us the tale
of the man who had lived one floor down
For 50 long years no one else ventured near
They walked through the hall
Unaware of the squalor that he kept around
Newspapers and bags wrappers and rags
Treasures and trash piled high
A great wall of Germany built from its history
Bric-a-brac bricks and the buzzing of flies
All alone in his room sealed in his tomb
When they finally opened the door
He had died in his chair three days resting there
Mountains of memories in stacks on the floor
What makes it so strong the urge to hold on
to things we should really let go?
In a one-man museum where people can’t see them
Secrets we keep from the neighbours below
Munich wakes up in the morning and washes his face
Sadness makes marks you can feel in the dark
Fresh paint and plaster are meant to erase
Climbing each flight of the staircase you might feel
the footsteps of those gone before
The coming and going, the uneasy unknowing
of those who have been through the war
Michael leads us upstairs to the room we will share
after we've played our concert that night
While the boys go out drinking, I lay here thinking
Ashamed to feel lonely I read Truman Capote just to keep on the light
Till I hear them stumbling, laughing and mumbling,
tumbling down cobblestone streets
In just a few hours they'll take their cold showers, put cowboy boots back on their feet
Munich wakes up in the morning and washes his face
Sadness makes marks you can feel in the dark
Fresh paint and plaster are meant to erase
Climbing each flight of the staircase you might feel
the footsteps of those gone before
The coming and going, the uneasy unknowing
of those who have been through the war
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8. |
The Circus
03:53
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Cotton candy sticky fingers
Fryer grease and smoke that lingers
In my wig and costume clothes
Nightmare paint, a bright red nose
A tiny town, the pouring rain
The monkeys pick fleas from the mane
Of a lion who has lost his fight
To noise and heat and firelight
In the ring, I am a clown
We bring the circus into town
And tumble round like acrobats
For ticket stubs and coins in hats
Where are the crowds?
They skip the show
And listen to the radio
They don't bother coming down
When the circus comes to town
The chorus girls, they twirl and dance
The frayed lace of their underpants
I made myself some grander plans
Swallowed swords and sleights of hand
A magic man cuts me in half
To oohs and aahs and doubtful laughs
Every morning crack of dawn
The wheels turn and we move on
In the ring, I am a clown
We bring the circus into town
And tumble round like acrobats
For ticket stubs and coins in hats
Where are the crowds?
They skip the show
And listen to the radio
They don't bother coming down
When the circus comes to town
At noon I’ll share my sandwiches
With elephants and ostriches
And I think about my precious kids
Packing their own school lunches
I daydream of a different tent
The summer evenings that we spent
At Rissers Beach laid side by side
Through nylon walls, the roaring tide
In the ring, I am a clown
We bring the circus into town
And tumble round like acrobats
For ticket stubs and coins in hats
Where are the crowds?
They skip the show
And listen to the radio
They don't bother coming down
When the circus comes to town
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9. |
Saudade
04:18
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The sweet smell of orange trees and coffee
and street market leather
Under the weather in the Portuguese sun
The blue patterned tiles repeating,
the days run together
Under the weather, I am missing someone
In the heat of the night I hear music,
It sings in my memory
With the words that I wish I had said
When I kissed you goodbye
As the sounds from the street
Hang between me and sleep
I pretend we can be together
Under the weather and the red sunset sky
The waves play with each grain of sand
On the coast I am counting
Dip my toes in the fountain
We're an ocean apart
In Porto, the city of bridges
I feel disconnected
More than I expected
I thought more of my heart
In the heat of the night I hear music,
It sings in my memory
With the words that I wish I had said
When I kissed you goodbye
As the sounds from the street
hang between me and sleep
I pretend we can be together
Under the weather and the red sunset sky
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10. |
Maybe
03:03
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Maybe we shouldn't see each other anymore
Maybe we should be content to leave
Without a word about the way we were before
Maybe you'd say something clever,
Make me smile, make me laugh,
Remind me life was better when you were my better half
Maybe we shouldn't see each other
Maybe I shouldn't try to tell you how I feel
Maybe I should say goodbye, not wonder what went wrong or question what was real
Maybe there's no explanation for matters of the heart
What brings two hearts together, and what makes one fall apart
Maybe we shouldn't see each other
Maybe you shouldn't do those sweet things, not today
If it's true that you and I are through
Those sweet things will only get in the way
The next time that we meet, I predict we'll make amends
But a wound is all the deeper when inflicted by a friend
Maybe we shouldn't see each other
Why should we be sweet if we are coming to an end?
I don't want you to sweep me off my feet again
Maybe we shouldn't see each other
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11. |
Good Friends
02:49
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When all is lost and life is upside down
A friend is there to turn your day around
When your hands are full a friend will hold the door
Yes, that is what good friends are for
To keep your secrets under lock and key
To forgive the flaws that other folks don’t see
To remind you of a joke that you once shared
Yes, that is how a good friend cares
A friend is nice when you need advice
They'll steer you clear of trouble
They understand when you need a hand
They will be there on the double
When you need a lift or you feel adrift
A friend will throw a line
It’s such a gift to have a friend like mine
Anyone can love you at your best
But only a good friend can pass the test
They love you when you're angry, sad, and bitter
A friend makes you a winner when you feel like a quitter
When you’re tipsy in the glow of candlelight
And you ask a friend if they will spend the night
But they don’t stay, they go home to someone else
That is one way a good friend helps
A shoulder you can cry on, nothing more
Yes, that is what good friends are for
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Terra Spencer Windsor, Nova Scotia
Raised on the mud banks of the Avon River, award-winning Nova Scotian funeral director-turned-songwriter Terra Spencer has won over audiences in Canada, the UK, and Germany since her 2018 debut. She has already crafted a catalogue of startlingly intimate songs, marrying fingerstyle guitar, gospel piano, and her butterscotch voice with sly humour and '70s wood-paneled warmth. ... more
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