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Dark Hands, Thunderbolts

by Crazy Arm

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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

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  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Available on black vinyl with embossed cover from 19th March 2021

    Includes unlimited streaming of Dark Hands, Thunderbolts via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 4 days
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  • Crazy Arm - 'Dark Hands, Thunderbolts' - WHITE LP
    Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Available on white vinyl with embossed cover from 19th March 2021

    Includes unlimited streaming of Dark Hands, Thunderbolts via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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1.
Montenegro 04:14
I'd try philanthropy If I could lose my solipsistic haze I'd try the politics of love But I don't want to deal with all the Heat that comes my way Mountain music made us strong Montenegro fighting songs River deep and mountain high Montenegro sing along I'd try misanthropy If I could ditch my sentimental creed I'd try the politics of hate But I don't want to live with all those dark stains of regret It's written in the stars It's branded on the tongues of countrymen It's written down to fool us all Now I just want to take a ride to Montenegro, Montenegro (We) came this far we can't go back again
2.
There's hope for you and there's hope for me But there's no hope for us We washed our hands of these troubled lands And left without much fuss With no-one left to trust So please don't cry bitter man Done the best that you can We're all gonna lose when you are gone Bountiful hearts tend to rise and fall apart Blessed, blessed and cursed, by love Blessed be the ones who've had enough, by love Rise above, rise above I miss the fear of death that lurked Before we went to war When history repeats on me I'm walking out that door I'll crawl out on all fours One step forward, two steps backward One leap sky-bound, two leaps hell-bound Strong hearts moving forward Like a stampede, like a spear Strong hearts moving forward With the guts to face the fear Strong hearts moving forward Cowards crawl back to the rear Best and worst Blessed and cursed!
3.
So we parked a promise in the forest dark Harmonised sweet between the hot and cold Looking for an answer we already knew Searching for a brightness to the steady blue Brave starts here Brave starts here today not tomorrow Brave starts here Not some day when you're immune to sorrow Not so brave at all Never been a better time to try So you lured me out of my fortress walls Harmonised deep within the county jaws Sure you took my soul and you made it grow Don't think I'll need it now I'm on my own Whatever happened to sleeping at night Whatever happened to waking with light My head's in a spin but my heart's on a slide Forty more years and forty more trials Down from the heavens and up from the hells Out in the cold with your pride and your pills Head's in a spin but my heart's on a slide Forty more years and forty more trials Please wipe the tears from my bloody red eyes Please free my soul and release to the skies Afraid to be exposed afraid to feel less [Self-preservation and patience Are things I could never, not ever possess] Never picked a better time to try
4.
Fear Up 04:15
Brimstone and judgement, rain down on me Truth make the good man Lies break the weak, it's already known That the meek on the mount shall remain far from home May your troubles be many and more May your demons forever wage war May your bones break and never repair It's long way down It's a long way to fall when you're Acting so strong and so tall Lonesome and tender, broken and gone Death loves a cold heart, death wait your turn Lonesome and tender, turn me around Death loves a cold heart, it's already known It's all written out, it's all underground Let the ripples of doubt settle down May your tragedies double and drain May your troubles resurface again May your love turn to poison and pain It's long way down It's a long way to fall when you're Acting so strong and so tall Spare me your prayers and hold your tongue Spare me redemption, I've already won Spare me your tears and hold your tongue Spare me absolution, the songbird has awoken and flown
5.
6.
They crawled through the backstreets searching for the rapture In the dirtiest of corners, new memories to capture They were pissing on each other and calling it romantic But once the sheets dried out it was only semantics So please be kind to The Golden Hind And say oh-oh-oh-oh It’s not our fault that we’re deaf, dumb and blind We say oh-oh-oh-oh They cursed the madness from all four cold directions Honest to badness, a mass grave of lost erections Roots of ever-lasting love are coded in childhood Didn't stand a chance with all that neurotic deadwood So please be kinder to The Golden Hind And say oh-oh-oh-oh Stuck in the city and out of our minds We say oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh I've been running for forever Over mountains, over dunes From the corporation fumes It's not the running that's the problem It's the poor choice of terrain And again and again and again
7.
Loose Lips 04:26
Personification of dependency I'm the one who knocks upon the door of need Demystification got a hold of me Watch the scales fall from my eyes and set me free You, who came into view Who knows what to do When all the thinkers think For you and I just pass on by Oblivious and blind Me, the last of the line Career in decline A final parting shot And I can say goodbye In any tongue that you assign Hope is where the heart is you can count on me Reaching out is reaching in is breaking free I refuse to forfeit my autonomy I'm a melancholy-fleeing refugee You, who fixed me a stare Who cares that I'm there When all the critics throw Their poison darts right at our hearts And hang us out to dry Me, devoid of myself In pretty good health I take the hand of fate And squeeze it tight with all my might Then turn to walk away Hope is where the heart is you can count on me Reaching out is reaching in is breaking free I refuse to forfeit my autonomy I refuse to refuse any refugee
8.
Don't ever change, won't ever change The balustrades are passing by before my eyes The city knows what it can do It doesn't care for those who choose to fuck around Listen to Guthrie, listen to Crass I'll ride the railroad back to the past We ploughed our fields and shook our sheets And now we're gonna talk it all out Yeah, what can I say / I opted out and went to ground Now the sights and smells of our own small hells Are the only things that keep me from you The comatose, the under-dosed You gotta push ‘til you explode The gracious air of servitude That keeps you sick and overdue oh-oh Another day, another death Another bed, another hot city breath Not even-handed, not even close You're better off thinking on your own Oh, pick yourself up Yeah, what can I do I rise above the primordial stew Where the sights and smells of our own small hells Are the only things that keep me from you Fuck your views and fuck your advice Think good thoughts and live a bad life Shoulda moved fast, shoulda worked hard Shoulda knuckled down and played the right chords The comatose, the under-dosed You gotta push ‘til you explode It’s all the same, it always is
9.
Down on my luck, down on my knees And buried deep in days like these Down in the dirt, down in the dumps And praying for a sweet release I've been sprawled out across the bed Quarter-alive, three-quarters dead Snow leopards clawing in my head And you will know us by the trail of meds I'd just finished writing 'The Golden Hind' And I thought I'd left my guilt behind But the twitching it started at 3.30am And I couldn't get back to sleep again I've been reading about what I've done to myself This endless battle with my mental health I'm static, neurotic, hermetically sealed And hung out to dry by my Achilles heel
10.
11.
Keep the home fires burning, keep them bright and warm Keep me from imploding and causing myself harm And while you're shouting loudly I'll be holding back Someone’s got to do it, something’s got to crack I'm a floating fighter, nothing left to learn All these signs around me, forcing me to turn Used to be so easy, used to crave the heat Now I chew the fingers, off everyone I meet Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, I'll tear this skin right off of me Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, I'll rip this heart right outta me Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, I'll tear this skin right off of me Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh Development arrested, muscles atrophied Skeletal inertia, psychotropic needs This is not a future, for the working poor This is propaganda, pushing me too far An epic plague, an epic fire A new disease, a new desire An endless flood, a killer swarm We'll have to learn to save ourselves Keep the home fires burning, keep me safe and warm Keep me from imploding and causing myself harm And while you're tugging heartstrings, I'll be giving blood Working for the weakened and for the greater good
12.
In the crack of a skull In the blink of an eye All trouble gnawing from the inside Can not be doubted or disguised And now I turn to walk away Haul my self through another day It's not the way that I planned it It's not the way it's meant to be I'm not sure what it means to me The howl of the heart is a raging bull The howl of the heart is an open road The howl of the heart is a lonesome crow The howl of the heart is a hungry wolf That won't back down In the black of the night In the jaws of defeat You dream of finding salvation In that crooked, crooked beat So many reasons to strike So many reasons to maintain These modern days have temptations That never fail to entertain That never fail to take the strain Tired of talking, it’s not working Tired of bitching, it’s not helping at all Trying to understand Trying to comprehend Trying to recognise I’m complicit to the end
13.
Demonised 03:19
Been a week or two since the call came through So I thought about us and the things we do Those times when it's hard to face anyone It's no fun when you're forced to declare That the years drag you down, strip you bare Call a doctor Chiropractor Troubled waters run deep Call a doctor Call a lawyer Note to self don't forget to breathe It's hard not to die when you're demonised I blew hot, I blew cold, I felt bought and sold Something trapped inside can not be denied It's ok to be wrong from now on I walk to the light, not just any light But the one with a hue, shades of red and blue I'm stopped in my tracks, I'm cut down to size Now's the time to renew my desires And perhaps to review my misfires I have taken many departures I know the heartbreaking last hours Consecrated in burnt offerings Laid to rest in the fire How many years to get you started How many more ‘til you believe Lost in translation, dearly departed I'm a traitor Great defector Absent without relief Great pretender Late contender Promises I can't keep Call a doctor Chiropractor Troubled waters run deep Call a doctor Call a lawyer Note to self don't forget to breathe
14.
I'm happy to defer to you I know that I can learn from you Made a mess in the past Got to know it won't last You can not do anything you want to Freedom means not pushing out in front of you Tear these terms and conditions right outta me Consign these terms and conditions to history Man you gotta woman up Man you gotta toughen down Man you gotta get a grip Man you gotta turn around Man you gotta woman up Man you gotta see the light Man you gotta woman up Man you got no fuckin' right You're talking bull, it's nothing new I know that I should challenge you At your job, in your car, in your house, in this bar You can't put you anywhere you want to She don't need to if she doesn't need you She can stop you anywhere she wants to Tear these terms and conditions right outta me Consign these terms and conditions to history Just don't say it if you can't defend it Just don't do it, we can all see through it Just don't say shit if you can't defend it I don't wanna, I don't wanna hear it Just don't say it if you can't defend it Man, don't say shit if you can't defend it

about

Our long-awaited new album is out now!

It's been four years in the making although only three weeks spent in the studio. Life, babies, poverty, inertia and a pandemic got in the way. Much thanks to everyone who donated to help us cross the finishing line. Obviously, times are still hard for us (and every other grass-roots musician) so any donations are still welcome!

paypal.me/CrazyArm

Hopefully, we'll be able to tour this album at some point in 2021, which'll leave you plenty of time to learn all the words. See you on the flipside! x

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

All songs written by Darren Johns, except:
5 (D Johns / S Spake)
7,10 (D Johns / J Dailey)
Recorded at Middle Farm Studios, Devon between 2017-2020
Engineered, mixed and mastered by Peter Miles
(c) & (p) 2021 Xtra Mile Recordings
Published by Bomber Music Ltd

credits

released January 29, 2021

Darren Johns: vocals, electric/acoustic guitars, bass
Jon Dailey: electric guitar, bass
Tim Langsford: drums (1,2,4,11,12,13)
Matt Colwell: drums (3,6,7,8,9)
Tia Kalmaru: harmonies (1,2,3,4,11)
Becky Saxton: harmonies (2,3,11)
Simon Dobson: trumpet (2,4,10)
Samantha Spake: violin (5,11)

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Crazy Arm UK

Est Devon 2005. A blend of punk, roots, rock and Americana. Four albums on Xtra Mile: 'Born To Ruin' ('Stunning' Kerrang), 'Union City Breath' ('A triumph' Punktastic), 'The Southern Wild' ('A glorious surprise' R2), 'Dark Hands Thunderbolts' ('Staggeringly ambitious' Classic Rock). Many UK/Euro tours with the likes of Against Me!, Larry & His Flask, Frank Turner, Chuck Ragan and Restorations. ... more

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