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Pre​-​Apocalyptic Love Song

by Hannah Werdmuller

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  • Pre-Apocalyptic Love Song: limited edition (100 count) CD album with handmade sleeve
    Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Your limited edition (of 100) copy of the 11-track album Pre-Apocalyptic Love Song comes in a high-quality full colour printed jacket, with a 6-panel illustrated insert with lyrics to all songs, and an intricately and painstakingly hand-cut and sewn sleeve. All artwork and hand-made sleeves by Hannah Werdmuller.

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1.
Canny Man 03:35
I was just a girl, not even fifteen When that canny man laid his eyes on me He took me for a walk down by the riverside I went just to be polite, but he asked me to be his bride But I was just a girl, not even fifteen So I said, "Oh, canny man, it just ain't meant to be." Oh that canny man, he took me by the hand And put his hands around my neck and pushed me to the ground At first there was a fight, then we struggled no more And I ran and left that man bleeding on the floor Oh, canny man! His body never found Oh, canny man! He never made a sound Oh, canny man! His hands and feet were bound And oh, canny man! I put him in the ground When I was seventeen, I dared to fall in love With a boy from New Orleans seemed sent from up above Oh that canny man asked my momma for my hand We set up shack in a steel-side shack on Highway 99 But that man he got to drinking when I got one in the oven And I guess he got to thinking he was clean out of lovin' me One night he staggered in, his breath soaked in gin Picked me up and threw me down with a sick, smug little grin Saying, "I don't have no baby and I sure don't have no wife!" He pinned me to the wall, I stabbed him with my knife Oh, canny man! His body never found Oh, canny man! He never made a sound Oh, canny man! His hands and feet were bound And oh, canny man! I put him in the ground I packed a bag and ran, left my troubled past behind To find a fresh new start if not peace of mind Three years passed, maybe more, it was quite unexpected When a man knocked at my door, "Pardon me, ma'am, I'm a detective ..." I wish I'd killed him too that day they took my baby girl away And dragged me into town, and locked me up And in the twilight sun At the square I was hung My hunched frame darkly silhouetted And as the rope at my throat stung From the gallows to be flung For a crime I never regretted I sang, Oh, canny man! His body never found Oh, canny man! He never made a sound Oh, canny man! His hands and feet were bound And oh, canny man! I put him in the ground
2.
Life Is Good 03:58
This time last year I wasn't anywhere Except down in the dumps No job, no boyfriend, no self-confidence Seemed like I'd always be in the red Running on autopilot I spent my days staring at a screen Hoping for inspiration to seep in Somehow I graduated, why did noone tell me It's a huge anti-climax? Mmhmm oh yeah mmhmm ooh mmhmm I was down in the dumps Mmhmm oh yeah mmhmm ooh mmhmm I was down in the dumps Figured out my problem was a distinct deficit of love So I looked in all the wrong places There's only so many times you can hear "It's not your problem, it's mine" Before you wonder, "Who am I kidding?" Hoofed it 3000 miles, turned out to my surprise I had love all along My folks propped me up, piled my plate and filled my cup 'Til I found my feet again Mmhmm oh yeah mmhmm ooh mmhmm Things were looking up Mmhmm oh yeah mmhmm ooh mmhmm Things were looking up This time 6 months ago, an old friend called me out of the blue To put right what once went wrong One thing I've learned from him is if love feels like a burden You're just not doing it right And if this love is my last I honestly say so much the better This is all it's meant to be I owe my life now to all these wonderful people The future beckons gladly Mmhmm oh yeah mmhmm ooh mmhmm Life is good Mmhmm oh yeah mmhmm ooh mmhmm Life is good Look at me now the sun is finally coming out The sky is finally brightening up The sun is The sky is Look at me now Look at me now the sun is finally coming out The sky is finally brightening up The sun is The sky is Look at me now Look at me now This is me, this is me, this is me: Happy, healthy and free This is me, this is me, this is me: Happy, healthy and free
3.
Another beautiful morning Cicadas chirping at the dawn Island Boy's on the run again Dirty feet cross a neighbour's lawn Fast as he can, he's going Anywhere but here Anywhere but here He's nothing to lose, so why not run? Big white house at the end of the road Open window, big fridge full Island Boy can't help his hunger He's in trouble again Fast as he can, he's going Anywhere but here Anywhere but here He's nothing to lose, so why not run? Shrink tells him to take some pills But his home's still full of drink and mess Island Boy never had a chance Despite a dozen calls to CPS Fast as he can, he's going Anywhere but here Anywhere but here He's nothing to lose, so why not run? Another beautiful morning Cicadas chirping at the dawn Island Boy on the run again Dirty feet on the run again Fast as he can, he's going Anywhere but here Anywhere but here He's nothing to lose, so why not Anywhere but here Anywhere but here He's nothing to lose, so why not run?
4.
Well, it's come to my attention And I feel that I must mention Though in life I've been a useless ho-bag I'm not meeting one iota Of the potential that I oughtta But I'd make a pretty excellent growbag So put me in the ground Let me show you what I got Plant pansies in my panties And forget-me-not That cold, damp earth is calling me To make a really shitting big horse chestnut tree So please put me in the ground Well I've got big ambitions for decomposition I'd get such satisfaction from some capillary action Boy, a girl's got needs, so please tend to my weeds And if my belly could blossom, oh, that would be awesome ... So put me in the ground Let me show you what I got Plant pansies in my panties And forget-me-not That cold, damp earth is calling me To make a really shitting big horse chestnut tree So please put me in the ground Imagine the bugs in my ugly mug If I had Rosa rugosa in my oral mucosa I'm all doom and gloom without a damn good legume I want beet in my feet, fruit in my boot Seeds in my sleeves and leaves in my knees Vervain in my brain, bane in my veins And the best evergreen there's ever been So put me in the ground Let me show you what I got 'Cause nothing fertilises Like a plantar fasciitis That cold, damp earth is calling me To make a really shitting big horse chestnut tree So please put me in the ground And just remember that one might Require indirect sunlight But please put me in the ground
5.
Our eyes met across a wasteland The scattered debris of our forgotten society We tiptoed through the plastic bags and fag-ends I asked you your name, you said "Elaine. Is this the end?" Oh no no it's okay, it's just a Saturday Everyone's in bed, oh no no they're not dead Oh no no it's okay, it's just a Saturday Everyone's in bed, oh no no they're not dead I showed you my heart, you showed me your homemade snare trap It was then I knew you were the girl for me We told stories of our species' tragic demise And it felt like we were the only two people in the world Oh no no it's okay, it's just a Saturday Everyone's in bed, oh no no they're not dead Oh no no it's okay, it's just a Saturday Everyone's in bed, oh no no they're not dead As the city woke up and people shuffled onto the streets We said goodbye and hoped we'd one day meet I've dreamed of undead armies and alien invasions ever since Just the word "retrovirus" makes my heart flip Every morning I wake up and the city's still alive, and I sigh But I know when the end comes, we will survive, yeah that's right Because you can make traps and I can make fire With nothing but two sticks and a piece of wire A few weeks passed when going to my office (that I hate) I noticed Greggs was closed and thought, "Wait..." I looked around and all the streets were empty But there you were, there you were at the end Oh no no it's okay, it's a bank holiday Everyone's in bed, oh no no they're not dead Oh no no it's okay, it's a bank holiday Everyone's in bed, oh no no they're not dead When the end comes, we will survive When the end comes, we will survive Because you can make traps and I can make fire All we need are two sticks and a piece of wire
6.
Much of the ocean is not yet explored Though submarines pootle about the sea floor Discovering new species wherever they go Such as elephant-like-squid and eels that glow. The following formula's certainly true Of predation dynamics down in the blue: From the tiniest plankton to the biggest species yet, One thing they eat, by another are ate. Here is where a dilemma arises For the noble phytoplankton photosynthesises And is thus confined to where the sun shines through, And so by necessity what eats them too. But in the photic zone it is easier to see - The surface is a dangerous place to be. The darkness it offers substantial protection From becoming some predator's tasty confection. So to the surface fishies travel at night When there's less chance of being espied in the light But during the day to escape predation They return deeper down, and that's diurnal migration.
7.
Caroline 07:03
"Caroline," he says "It's all for you," he swears, "From the morning bloom To the sultry noon. From the mighty oak trees To the shy autumn breeze. All I have And all I need Take it from me (take take) Take it from me Take it from me (take take) Take it from me." And he sits, and he waits For the fire to flee from his face, And her lips: stone set, But the smile in her eyes defies her. And the rain comes down on them Like a sign to keep on moving. And the rain comes down on them Like a sign, like a sign. But what if this is all we've got, If this is the end and the beginning? Why not now? Why not now? Caroline, she says: "I'll take it all from you," she swears. "Yeah, the morning bloom And the sultry noon, The mighty oak trees And the shy autumn breeze. I'll take it all from you And give you the moon."
8.
Open Road 03:43
So long to burdens carried far To sadness in my heart It's time for moving on So long these troubles kept me blue Listless through and through But it's time for moving on See you, I'm on the open road On the open road, don't mind Where I come and where I go Goodbye, I'm on the open road On the open road, don't mind Where I come and where I go Follow the clouds across the sky See them changing by and by It's time for moving on Easy as the sunlight in the morn' Catching waves of dancing corn It's time for moving on See you, I'm on the open road On the open road, don't mind Where I come and where I go Goodbye, I'm on the open road On the open road, don't mind Where I come and where I go Restful as a seed floats from its tree Finding where it oughtta be It's time for moving on Lonesome is a word I shall not say I'll just sweep it on its way It's time for moving on See you, I'm on the open road On the open road, don't mind Where I come and where I go Goodbye, I'm on the open road On the open road, don't mind Where I come and where I go Winding, this road will lead me home Though its route remains unknown It's time for moving on When I get there, come find me if you will For my heart will hold you still Though it's time for moving on See you, I'm on the open road On the open road, don't mind Where I come and where I go Goodbye, I'm on the open road On the open road, don't mind Where I come and where I go
9.
Jane 06:03
Jane, she was always a good girl Polite, did what she was told Kept to her books and stayed quiet No-one likes a girl to be too bold She was always the sensible one Didn't get the looks of her sister She was always the sensible one Nor the brains of her brilliant brother But by lamplight she settled in for the night Reading of adventure, danger and discovery And the waves called to her She sailed, she sailed She sailed across the ocean She sailed, she sailed She sailed across the ocean Bum bum bum ba dum bum bum Ba dum bum bum ba dum Across the ocean Bum bum bum ba dum bum bum Ba dum bum bum ba dum Across the ocean When school ended, Jane was at a loss Though they said she could be anything she chose to Thinking "doctor," "accountant," "lawyer" or somesuch But nothing thrilled her like she knew it was supposed to She was always the sensible one But those timid eyes concealed a fierce storm She was always the sensible one This time the call was too strong So by lamplight she worked on through the night Dreaming of adventure, danger and discovery And the waves called to her She sailed, she sailed She sailed across the ocean She sailed, she sailed She sailed across the ocean Bum bum bum ba dum bum bum Ba dum bum bum ba dum Across the ocean Bum bum bum ba dum bum bum Ba dum bum bum ba dum Across the ocean In that little beloved boat, she flew right up the coast Straining against the wind, salt spray in the breeze Each swell of the waves filling her heart as she raced towards some unknown place Crying "Ready about, and hard-a-lee!" She sailed, she sailed She sailed across the ocean She sailed, she sailed She sailed across the ocean Bum bum bum ba dum bum bum Ba dum bum bum ba dum Across the ocean Bum bum bum ba dum bum bum Ba dum bum bum ba dum Across the ocean The salt in Jane's hair with time changed to grey And the sunlight fell into lines across her face Hinting at a wildness only she would really know Though her children felt it in her loving gaze She was always the sensible one With her children grown she looked out at the sound She was always the sensible one A flock of white sails running before the wind So by lamplight she studied that faithful hull Remembering adventure, danger and discovery And the waves called to her She sailed, she sailed She sailed across the ocean She sailed, she sailed She sailed across the ocean Bum bum bum ba dum bum bum Ba dum bum bum ba dum Across the ocean Bum bum bum ba dum bum bum Ba dum bum bum ba dum Across the ocean
10.
Daybreak 05:55
Suddenly I'm all brand new All the grey has faded into blue I've never seen the world like this I've never seen the world like this Times will change and the day will break Times will change and the day will break Times will change and the day will break Times will change and the day will break Those blue eyes, so familiar What a spark to jump-start my heart These days are so lonely, I think of you only These days are so lonely, I think of you only Times will change and the day will break Times will change and the day will break Times will change and the day will break Times will change and the day will break

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Recorded in bedrooms, beaches and gardens. All playing, recording, production, and illustration by Hannah Werdmuller.

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released November 6, 2010

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Hannah Werdmuller Sebastopol, California

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