Get all 13 The Imaginary Suitcase releases available on Bandcamp and save 30%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Alone, we go faster. Together, we go further, The gods gave you victory today only to make your final defeat more bitter, Hope is a sick joke, I can't believe we're still protesting this shit, Thy Grace & Wisdom, Fake blood from real wounds, The shape of things forsaken, Live in the Ardent City, and 5 more.
1. |
Driftwood
04:40
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As driftwood I’ve lived most of my days
And I didn’t feel bad
Places I’ve been, Things I have seen
Now they’re all in my head
I lived more in one day than most people do
In their whole lifetime
I do not draw pride of it, it was just the way I had
To sway to the wind
As tumbleweed I have lived and it was good
At least most of the time
The faces I met sometimes they were rude
Mostly they were kind
I tasted the milk of human kindness
And the poison of hate
I never despised homebodies but my fate
Was to sway to the wind
Free as a cloud I have long travelled
Now I need a rest
I want to grow roots, I wanna bear fruit
I need a soil I will know
Gotta to see the same sun rise time and again
But never shed the same light
On a place I will call home, no longer
Will I sway to the wind
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2. |
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3. |
Second to none
06:00
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When we first gazed at the sun
We did not pray, we did not know how
We just smiled and thanked whoever
Gave us this warm gift of gold
We were born of the clay of the river
And we were happy
We built houses on the banks
We ate, danced and raised our kids
We grew many sorts of grain
We had fire to tame the darkness
And when came the final sleep
We simply sang
Some among us, they grew restless
They wore things around their necks
Shiny stones taken from the earth
Soon we found ourselves with shovels
Digging for gems and shiny metals
Instead of corn
Sweet talkers, they took the gold
They claimed our sweat as property
Our yield was unworthy of their heads
They gave us pikes and bows instead
And they sent us cross the river
For a weird harvest
We have morals, we have wisdom
We developed our intellect
We have names, we have a conscience
We have knowledge, tools and strength
We are good and we never meant
To do harm
What is this leash I feel round my neck
Did I think I’d get away with it?
Now I’m naked in a cave
And they all laugh at my distress
Those I placed my trust into
Oh, such a fool
In the coldness that swallows me
I see a river flowing still
I dream of smiles and songs and laughter
I dream of golden barley fields
I’d shed my clothes and all belongings
Please close my eyes
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4. |
Half of myself
03:50
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Seems the world will never be fed up with silly love songs
So here comes the time that I sing a silly of my own
There’s no place I’d rather be than where you are next to me
For my life before this point was only a rehearsal
Chorus
I’m only half of myself when you’re not around
And if I was a king, I would give you my crown
If I ever dream about someone else than you my love
Cut me up and throw me out I deserve it not a doubt
I will be the better man, I’ll be doing all I can
And if that is not enough, stretch your hand and smooth the rough
There’s no place I’d rather be than where you are next to me
I know I said it before, but I’m in for an encore
For I was stranded alone on a very distant shore
Til one day the horizon showed my rescue had begun
Chorus
So can you see you’re everything
The colours and the joy you bring
I won’t dream of an away
I just hope you’ll let me stay
I will be reliable
Like a German car of sorts
I will catch you if you fall
I will answer when you call
You’re the three faces of time
You’re the rough and you’re the kind
You’re the scholar and the teacher
The creator and the creature
You’re the ink and you’re the word
All the seasons of the world
There’s no place I’d rather be
Than where you are next to me
Chorus 2x
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5. |
Like rain
04:25
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Here’s a handsome smiling man
Holding a book of wisdom in his right hand
With his left he points at me
And says with a gentle smile I have no right to be
We’re all less good than we pretend
We just don’t dare enough to be a real monster
But the monster has a billion faces
Each day pours adrop of poison in the children
Oh no I hope I’ll never learn to deal with such a tricky world
Untrustworthy and insane
Where tears are pouring down like rain.
I often wonder if one day
I’ll understand the signs that fate seems to send
If I’ll open my eyes and say
At least I had a glimpse of the plan before the end
But I won’t set out to save the world
I’m not even sure that it deserves to be saved
So many times the loving word
Was hiding knives and sticks and stones to make me a slave
Oh no I hope I’ll never learn to deal with such a tricky world
Untrustworthy and insane
Where tears are pouring down like rain.
Yes, I stand and face the hail
Out of habit more than courage
What else could I do anyway?
I don’t feel like sitting weeping letting the wind sweep me away
Oh no I hope I’ll never learn to deal with such a tricky world
Untrustworthy and insane
Where tears are pouring down like rain.
If there's a God above, spare me the speech about his love
Love has gone some other place
Where children don't cry like rain
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6. |
Ashes to ashes
03:55
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7. |
Holy water
07:27
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I walk on the banks of the river
Gazing at the green grey reflections on the water
The song of the wind whistling through the reeds
Doesn’t make me feel good the way it always did
Chorus:
Holy water, take me like a mother takes a baby
Cause I don’t want to spend the rest of my days all alone
Holy water, take me like a mother takes a child
Cause I could really use a little comfort
Here am I, just a shadow of my former self
While every second takes you a little bit further from me
How could I not see it coming my way?
There’s no one but my pathetic self to blame
Chorus
I sit on a rock by the river
Cause I’m tired and it’s getting way too dark anyway
I can no longer see you drifting away
I can’t see the river take your lifeless body away
Chorus
Holy water, take me like a woman takes a lover
Cause I’m cold and scared and I feel so hopelessly alone
Holy water take me like the Lord takes a soul
Cause I will really need a lot of mercy
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8. |
Before I knocked
03:01
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9. |
A plausible lie
03:06
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You can polish up a turd but it will smell bad
You can bathe it in Chanel N.5
You can put a nice shiny paper round
But it will smell bad it will smell bad
You can like it, tweet it, lol it, poke it
You can make a moving biopic about it
George could say what else or likewise
But a turd is a turd and won’t be otherwise
They will force-feed everyone here
A steady diet of dung
And if you happen not to like it
Sure you are a terrorist
It’s a real freaky talent to be able to lie
To be able to pee on the crowd passing by
While smiling and saying with a empathic touch
“I hope the rain doesn’t bother you too much!”
All the bull that they tell us
Looking us in the eye
They don’t have enough respect for us
To grant us a plausible lie
What if we tried
What if we sold it
After all, this situation is probably alright
If we buy it, it must mean we’re satisfied
For they have the cash and we can complain
It’s all that matters in the end
All the bull that they tell us
Looking us in the eye
They don’t have enough respect for us
Not even for a plausible lie
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10. |
Three sisters
06:20
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Three sisters they stand together
Three voices singing forever from nowhere
What they say is lost in the uproar
Of the modern world but we know it is there
It's the song of older feelings
The shadow of a former spirit of silence
Could it be we built all these things
Just to hush their voices fleeting so softly
Singing truths we don't want to know
As we fools think that what we ignore is not there
It's a wake-up call for the wise
A whisper stronger than all the lies we made up
Just to keep pretending we didn't hear them beg
Oil will be burned to the last drop
Blood will be spilled to the last drop
Gunpowder will be fired to the last keg
Children will be thrown into the bonfire
So that the smoke may hide their silhouettes
Just to act as if we truly didn't care
Tons of ink will be used to deny reality
And all who attempt to challenge the tenet
The world will call them filth and enemy
Wardens will hunt the truth at every turn
Just to divert our gaze from this prophecy
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11. |
Full moon lullaby
04:03
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Hold your pillow tight
You don’t know what’s coming tonight
Hold your pillow dear
The cold of night is drawing so near
Funny how the moon will play with shadows on the walls
Keeping your spirit awake
Everything you dimly guess will seem twice as tall
Until the morning finally breaks
You may think they came for you
You may believe they’ll take you
To a place where all laws are broken
But in truth they’ll just pass by
They’ll just entertain your eyes
With silent tales always unspoken
Hold your pillow tight
Leave the day behind
Hold your pillow dear
The full moon will capture your fears
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The Imaginary Suitcase Nivelles, Belgium
Folk/singer-songwriter duo led by a grumpy Belgian guy voicing his considerations about life, death, and the confusing bits inbetween.
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Another band I was proud to be part of in the 90s-00s. Rrrrrraw, unkempt and uncompromising folk-rock with sarcastic lyrics.
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