All tracks composed by
Kele Okereke / Russell Lissack.
Except 3 composed by Kele Okereke / Russell Lissack / Justin Harris.
Produced by Roy Kerr / Tim Bran.
Mixed by David Wrench.
Engineered by Max Hayes.
Except 11 engineered by Max Hayes & Ben Jackson.
Vocals by Kele Okereke.
Guitar by Russell Lissack.
Bass guitar by Justin Harris.
Drums by Alex Thomas.
Choir by Nicky Brown / Jesse Grant / Geo Gabriel & Jermaine Foster
on tracks 2 / 4 / 10 / 14 & 15.
Choir vocal arrangements by Nicky Brown.
Master engineer Nigel Walton.
Recorded at Lynchmob, London UK.
Management by Tony Perrin & Colin Roberts
for Big Life Management.
Polaroids by Rachael Wright.
Art Direction by
Big Active & Kele Okereke.
Design & Imagery by
THE LOVE WITHIN
Lord give me grace and dancing feet As I conquer all anxiety
The angel told me not to fear That the power to was in me For I have learnt the way to pray
Like a muscle growing taut now Bind the past into a knot
And let the love consume us Let the love consume us Let the love consume us
Can you hear the stars now sing? Resounding in D Major
As the god vibration resonates And pulls us up towards her Take your shoes off, feel the earth Beneath your feet respond to touch
And let our laughter now ring forth As the love consumes us
The love within is moving upwards Sweeter than any drug
The melody is taking over
Guide my heart through this hurt Pull back the veil
Let your eyes meet this world The love within is moving upwards
So don't you want to get high? Don't you want to get high?
Don't you want to get high? Don't you want to get Don't you want to get high?
The love within is moving upwards Sweeter than any drug
The melody is taking over
Guide my heart through this hurt Pull back the veil
Let your eyes meet this world The love within is moving upwards
So don't you want to get high? Don't you want to get high?
ONLY HE CAN HEAL ME
(For only he can heal me) There are times I get to feeling That this world has stole my grace
When everyday feels like a hustle Every day I'm saving face
Tell a lie to make the paper Put a little coin away
It's never ending
(For only he can heal me) When the trappings of the body
Lead me to that hopeless place And I feel my spirit crumble
Under strain and under guilt Lay me down in rivers
Cleansing where the tall grass Grows and grows
And let me wait
Until my saviour comes home For only he can heal me
Help me over come it For only he can heal me
With his touch
Help me over come it (For only he can heal me)
From the towns and from the cities Came a feeling of defeat
From the lame and from the wretched Pouring forth unto the street
Lead me to my only temple Where I overcome defeat
And let me rest there by my saviour's feet For only he can heal me
Help me over come it
For only he can heal me with his touch Help me over come it
(For only he can heal me) Oh, oh, oh
Heal, heal me
SO REAL
Heartbreak the first Comes to me in bursts
You danced with him whilst I could see you Although it hurts
Tears are not enough
To dissolve all the pain I'm feeling Must not much have mattered must I?
Moving forwards
Did not take long to pass me by Moving onwards
What am I supposed to do?
When the only good thing about me Was you
What I am supposed to feel? As you kept the only part of me
That was real So real
I'll bet you'll claim To him I was insane
Too much like a girl I bored you Release a dove
Let grace into your world
Be still your wicked tongue I loved you Once before our cracks did show
I know I pleased you
But now my baby's got new slang And a taste for strangers
What am I supposed to do?
When the only good thing about me Was you
What I am supposed to feel? As you kept the only part of me
That was real So real So real
It's got to be real It's got to be real, oh
THE GOOD NEWS
Spent my commission on another diversion And I don't got no meaning
No purpose left at all My pastor tells me that my
My light is dimming
And I've been too long drifting in a ocean "It's OK, you just need faith"
Been looking for answers in the wrong place But how do I tell him that
There's something missing And I don't got no substance
Since you've gone?
Every day I walk down to the water And I pray since you left me that way Oh Lord I'm trying to keep my mind
On the good news That's in my heart
For the good good news For the good good news
Since my baby left My light refuses to shine Like a bird without a song
Or a sun that will not rise Now I can make the eyes
At anyone that I desire
Throwing down with all the lost boys At the very edge of town
Now I can spin a lie that binds me Up all through the night cause I've got
No one home to answer to this time Every day is a repeat
Like a carrier bag stuck in a tree I used to find my answers
In the gospels of St. John But now I find them
At the bottom of this shot glass Every day I walk down to the water And I pray since you left me that way
Oh Lord I'm trying to keep my mind On the good news
That's in my heart
For the good good news (Don't got no meaning and I
don't got no purpose) For the good news
(Can't find comfort and I can't find no solace)
FORTRESS
These sheets of ours
Shield our bodies like a fortress They keep us safe from harm Intertwined our bodies lay there
Like a comma
The arch of your back invites desire We put our bodies to the test
Follow the curve right down your neck Your sweat, my sweat stuck in a web
And in the mirror, you relent It's teasing me with every step
Reach down and feel how strong my love Grows just for you
Pull me under Under the ocean
Cover my mouth with yours
Put it on me like no one's watching Like it's the first time...
And on the street
Our bodies ache for one another I just can't wait, till we're alone
And I'm a fool for the sight
Of all the gold between your thighs You still the sea that's stirring deep in me
Make your base right here next to me As our notes blend in harmony
And when we sex we hear the beat And it's so serene
Pull me under, under the ocean Cover my mouth with yours
Put it on me like no one's watching Like it's the first time
And if you're hungry devour your morsel Cover my mouth with yours
Put it on me like no one's watching Like it's the first time...
Pull me under, under the ocean Cover my mouth with yours
Put it on me like no one's watching Like it's the first time...
We kissed
DIFFERENT DRUGS
Every time I go back home Something's wrong,
There's something missing You're spinning away from me
I don't bitch no I don't moan But I can't try to fight this anymore
Our common ground has shifted You're standing in the doorway
With a look I used to know With all the best intentions Somehow our cover's blown We're trapped inside this room
With no window or a view
And now you're backing away from me Well, what can I do?
And if there was a pill
We could take to find each other Would you drop with me?
Would you follow me down? And if there was a leaf
We could smoke to meet each other Would you blaze with me?
Would you chase with me? It started as a joyride Just a way to let off steam
But now we're running off the road Cause you're asleep at the wheel
Which way do you choose? Cause right now I choose you Do you still think of me fondly?
Do you still think of me?
I'm trying to broach the distance That's growing in our lives From the night until the morning
Like we're on different drugs Did I say too much?
Did I take too much?
The temptation to vacate seduces us I'm trying beat the static
That's living in our hearts
Like white noise that's in the distance That will only drown us out
Did I say too much? Did I take too much?
The temptation to vacate seduces us It's like we're on different drugs
INTO THE EARTH
This fennel tea that you bought for me Well it does its magic discretely
I wrote this song for you, it's true In our only south facing room
See I don't know what the future holds But I hope we face it together
Cause rock and roll has got so old Just give me neo-soul
Into the earth our bodies will go We got to keep it all fluid Into the earth our bodies will go You're gonna keep me good looking
You've seen the colour of my cash Does it not impress, was I way too flash?
Are you backing away from me? Calm down Yoshi
The fungi is helping this fun-guy deliver When I get high I dance all night
I'll sing you Al Green songs
I'm just trying to gently blur the lines With my trusty sensimilia
Don't be so jaded or so coy When you could just be familiar Into the earth our bodies will go
We got to keep it all fluid Into the earth our bodies will go You're gonna keep me good looking
Take a lover start a life
And try to keep an open mind I'll dress up for you, I scrub up nice
I'll make your mother proud I'll make your momma proud
And if I stop I won't go hungry
Cause I know how to steal I got to thank my older brothers
For keeping me real
Into the earth our bodies will go We got to keep it all fluid Into the earth our bodies will go You're gonna keep me good looking
Take a lover start a life
And try to keep an open mind I'll dress up for you, I scrub up nice
I'll make your mother proud I'll make your momma proud
MY TRUE NAME
Into your eye line, keep me in your sights I asked about you
And how to get into your life
Like daylight through a stained glass window Our colours run
Her voice sings
Like the Thames in the morning It makes me strong
If you're looking for devotion Then come to me
If you're fearing your emotions
You got to believe me that it goes both ways
Into your orbit I will not be denied
I asked about you
And how to keep you on my side If we are part of the same constellation
Shifting in the night She whispers to me "Don't waste the daylight"
It brings me round
If you're looking for devotion Then come to me
If you're fearing your emotions
You got to believe me that it goes both ways
Lean on me, I'll take your strain I'll soften the blow, I'll tease away
And I'll take on anyone That tries to mess with us
Your love should be good enough From this day forward
You will call me by my real name
You must call me by my true name Today Today
VIRTUE
Temptation hides in the space between Lord help me fight this desire for fire
Words can cleanse and purify Or tear down a pack of lies In your presence consequence
I can't stop trembling For all of my virtue
Why can I not hold the truth? For all my good fortune
I would change my place with you This path will lead us back
Will lead us back to ruin For all of my virtue
Why can I not hold the truth? This path will lead us back
Will lead us back to ruin For all of my virtue
Why can I not hold the truth? Once in a while
The urge resurfaces So we split hairs As rumours circulate
And there's a need to fertilise Behind my lover's trusting eye Like water drops on burning rocks
I can't stop trembling
For all of my virtue
Why can I not hold the truth? For all my good fortune
I would change my place with you This path will lead us back
Will lead us back to ruin For all of my virtue
Why can I not hold the truth? I've fallen, I've fallen again I've fallen, I've fallen again I've fallen, I've fallen again
I've fallen
EXES
If you seek an explanation Well I'm afraid there is not one
See all I have are excuses My daddy was a hunter And I am my father's son
There was a time for about two weeks I swore you were the one
I thought I could tell you anything You were more than a trick
You were more to me than all of it To all the exes
That I left behind
These words will fall short But I must try
Everything I was proud of
With everything that I'd done wrong In your eyes, I was someone
With another history another past In the lobby of the Ace hotel
You will not meet my eye Secrets spilled on pillows shared
You were more than just slight You were more to me than all of it
To all the exes That I left behind
These words will fall short But I must try
(Try! Try!) But I must try
(Try! Try!) But I must try
(Try! Try!) But I must try
(Try! Try!) But I must try To all the exes That I left behind
These words will fall short But I must try
LIVING LUX
Shirtless and faded On the Champs-Élysées The world was ours then
I had conviction But you, you had style Such a lethal combination
The years changed us
The money weighed us down We lost our way
Let me spoil you Pick a place to go
I want to spend my money on you Don't you remember?
How this began
You begged me for a chance Don't waste your sorry, no
Don't waste your goodbyes tonight From hand to mouth
And now we're living lux
I order the lobster and you the Moët The waitress thinks that we can't pay
What does she know? Our pockets are full grown
And we've earned the right to fine dine So raise your glass my old friend
For we both know that this is the end For the times we fought
And the times we shared
I'll sing you a song The way I used to then
Don't you remember? How this began
You begged me for a chance Don't waste your sorry, no
Don't waste your goodbyes tonight From hand to mouth
And now we're living lux We're living lux
EDEN
Underneath the iron cloud That will not let my daylight out
So I smoke myself until I go see through Atomised and bugging out
Signal fails in the CBD
So I hold my breath until I start to glow Take me to the garden
Stand with me naked by the tree Feed me poisoned apples
Feed me till I forget everything With each bite we take
Let the moonlight awaken in us
So we can dance to the beat of the drum The drum...
Under foot the serpent moves Watching us with a crystal gaze
Eyes that record every wicked thought There are times I feel like I've seen
everything
That I need to see Make me someone new And take me to the garden Stand with me naked by the tree
Feed me poisoned apples Feed me till I forget everything
With each bite we take
Let the moonlight awaken in us
So we can dance to the beat of the drum The drum...
NEW BLOOD
I've been living too long in the tundra I've been living too long at sea
And all my loved ones, forgot about me So I tame the urge to fight back
Sounding off to who I see I used to be a renegade
But now I'm just me
With this new blood you'll hear me I'm making you a deal
I kept my house in order
So I dare you, I dare you, I dare you To rise
They said they're going to Teach me a lesson
They wanna show me how to kneel I used to be a wild one but now I'm done
When I brought you an offering of honey They said you needed blood
And in that moment I made my choice Hear my prayer and clear the corners
Let this blood wash away All the sins of all the fathers
Guide my hand and on my honour I will keep your words alive
I will keep you in my heart
With this new blood you'll hear me I'm making you a deal
I kept my house in order
So I dare you, I dare you, I dare you To rise
I dare you, I dare you, I dare you To rise
PARAÍSO
It was a look that I understood In another life
Maybe I would have been yours Vision in white standing by the bar
Like a wrecking ball Like a Japanese weight
It makes the waters rise in me How do you do that thing you do?
This beautiful charmer could be a deceiver too It's making me, do things I mustn't do
My appetite for love is now a hunger/thirst Whoever you are
We spoke of Lagos and Rotterdam
Dancing cheek to cheek, get behind me Satan And all my good will is coming loose
Like a ball of yarn, like a bad excuse It makes the embers glow in me
It's your move
How do you do that thing you do?
This beautiful charmer could be a deceiver too
It's making me, do things I mustn't do My appetite for love is now a hunger/thirst
Whoever you are Whoever you are
I don't believe in coincidence You were sent this way for me For it takes two to step this dance
Let us find a quiet place to sit
Into night is all let me gaze upon your lashes
Let it be known
That I gave myself completely over Paraíso
EVENING SONG
There's a spirit in our bedroom That lives between the walls He listens deeply to our musings
Manifests when we are wrong In the evening, as we lay sleeping
He peers into our thoughts
He guides us gently to one another To the point when our dreams meet
[Chorus]
For I have a message, it's in my voice For I have a message
For I have a message, it's in my voice For I have a message
He is there in leaky faucets In the creak of wooden floors As our heartstrings start to harden
As our love becomes unspun He can sense that we are drifting
In the autumn of our love
In the morning, when we awaken And our love is all restored
He says...
For I have a message, it's in my voice For I have a message
For I have a message, it's in my voice For I have a message
If you should fall or come undone My voice will lead you home If you should fall or come undone
