We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

Little Vigils

by Mark Erelli

/
  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Includes unlimited streaming of Little Vigils via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 7 days
    Purchasable with gift card

      $12.99 USD

     

  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      $9.99 USD

     

  • Full Digital Discography

    Get all 26 Mark Erelli releases available on Bandcamp and save 15%.

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Lay Your Darkness Down, The Man I Am, You're Gonna Wanna Remember This, Jackpot, A Celebration of Leonard Cohen, Not Quite Christmas, Blindsided - Acoustic Selections, The Gig At The End Of The World, and 18 more. , and , .

    Purchasable with gift card

      $164.76 USD or more (15% OFF)

     

1.
August 03:30
Katydid fiddling on a summer's eve Brown bats circle 'round the old house eaves I can taste the ocean on a cool salt breeze Blowing through a torn screen door Can't believe I let the summer slip away again Like watermelon juice dripping down my chin There might be light enough for one last swim If we hurry on down to the shore A fool would ask for more Bullfrog thrumming like a banjo string Thought I heard a whippoorwill starting to sing As the moon spilled silver over everything But ain't that what the moon is for Back porch drunk on a jug a red wine Picking on a tune with some friends of mine The music floating up into the bottlebrush pines Ain't nobody keeping score A fool would ask for more I ain't restless tonight I got you and the moon so bright Hey, I'm alright I'm alright The laughter's still lingering in the evening air We'll clean the bottles up tomorrow they'll still be there Turn off the lights, let's go upstairs Careful of the creaking floor Such a beautiful boy, he's a picture of peace Let's stand here a minute just watching him sleep God bless this little vigil we keep A fool would ask for more --------- Mark Erelli - vocals, acoustic guitar Jake Armerding – fiddle Neil Cleary – drums, percussion Zack Hickman – upright bass, vocals Charlie Rose – banjo, pedal steel
2.
There's a junked out truck stuck in the mud Down in the valley where the low fields flood Every spring when the river jumps its banks A few stubborn leaves clinging to the bough By the wing or wheel the whole deal's gone south Only ones left got no place else to go Everything in ruin now Ruin now, ruin now Everything in ruin now Soon to be renewed All is still in the chilly night Save one lone cricket fiddling for his life Sawing off a shivery waltz before the frost It's all gone to seed, brown and spent And I'm a-wonderin' where all of the innocence went Will it come back like a redwing blackbird's song (Chorus) Frost on windows filigreed And I could use a little wildcard up my sleeve Just in case Old Man Winter calls my bluff It smells like snow, the sky's hearse black Full moon cloudy as a cataract But all I got to do is make it through these next few months (Chorus) ----------------- Mark Erelli - vocals, acoustic guitar Jake Armerding – fiddle, vocals Neil Cleary – drums, percussion Zack Hickman – electric bass Charlie Rose – banjo, pedal steel
3.
Kingdom Come 04:26
The wasp she lays an egg 'Neath a caterpillar's skin It hatches and the larva grows Feasting from within It kills the host then off it goes To sting another one Seems to me there's too much misery to believe in Kingdom Come Kingdom Come Kingdom Come Seems to me there's too much misery to believe in Kingdom Come I've a secret guaranteed To make the theologians squirm All it takes is time to make a man From the lowliest of worms We are not the pinnacle Nobody's chosen ones Can the minds of men be trusted with such things as Kingdom Come Kingdom Come Kingdom Come Can the minds of men be trusted with such things as Kingdom Come Once I had a daughter She died before her time I sponged her fevered brow And cursed her bilious decline I feel her like a phantom limb Pins and needles numb Friend I cannot comprehend what makes you cling to Kingdom Come Kingdom Come Kingdom Come Friend I cannot comprehend what makes you cling to Kingdom Come Kingdom Come Kingdom Come Seems to me there's too much misery Can the minds of men be trusted I cannot comprehend what makes you cling to Kingdom Come I've known communion in conviction And the loneliness of doubt Does the master mark the sparrow's fall Or just let it all play out If only for your sake my love I wish I could succumb Bridge the void and join for eternity in your Kingdom Come Kingdom Come Kingdom Come Bridge the void and join for eternity in your Kingdom Come Kingdom Come Kingdom Come Bridge the void and join for eternity in your Kingdom Come Kingdom Come Kingdom Come Seems to me there's too much misery to believe in Kingdom Come Kingdom Come Kingdom Come Can the minds of men be trusted with such things as Kingdom Come ------------------- Mark Erelli - vocals, acoustic guitar Jake Armerding – fiddle Neil Cleary – drums, percussion Rose Cousins - vocals Zack Hickman – upright bass, Hammond organ, piano Rose Polenzani - vocals Charlie Rose – pedal steel, cello
4.
Stranded on the outskirts Of Columbus Ohio Some motel next to a strip mall church With the neon burning cold It's raining soft and steady Like it always does in movies Now I'm good and drunk and ready So let the credits roll When I was a young man I never dreamed it wouldn't last All I wanted was tomorrow Now I'm haunted by the past Don't know where I'm going All I know is I ain't coming back I've had enough Of Columbus Ohio If I'd a ticket I would gladly Take the bus up to Eau Claire I'd hitch south to Cincinnati If I knew a soul down there There's no currency in Kerouac At least not since the sixties Lord, take pity on a vagabond Whose sails have all gone slack (Chorus) -------------- Mark Erelli - vocals, acoustic guitar Zack Hickman – upright bass, pump organ
5.
Timmy played bass and his brother had a Mexican Strat I was on drums and couldn't find the one but I only sang a little flat Fake wood paneling, linoleum floor Pillow stuffed under the upstairs door Trying to learn a few chords and start a band (Chorus) Take me back to those basement days "Stairway To Heaven" and "Purple Haze" "Pinball Wizard" and "Born To Run" "I Can't Get No Satisfaction" We were lost in the music down in that room It might as well have been the dark side of the moon You can burn out or fade away But you can't go back to those basement days We learned enough songs and we thought that it sounded alright So we rented out a local church basement on a Saturday night All our friends were there we were living the dream 'Til the fire marshal arrived on scene And pulled the plug 'cause we set off the alarm with our dry ice machine (Chorus) Take me back to those basement days "Stairway To Heaven" and "Purple Haze" "Whipping Post" and "Aqualung" "I Can't Get No Satisfaction" We were lost in the music down in that room It might as well have been the dark side of the moon You can burn out or fade away But you can't go back to those basement days Give me one more shot at 16 years old Back when I still believed that rock n' roll Could save my soul Now Timmy's in computers and his brother is a lawyer I hear Who'd have guessed I'd be the one still crazy after all these years But it only comes in flashes every now and again I get a little taste of how it was back then And it keeps me going every time I feel like packing it in (Chorus) Take me back to those basement days "Stairway To Heaven" and "Purple Haze" "Sugar Magnolia," "Here Comes The Sun" I still know every word to "Comfortably Numb" We were lost in the music down in that room It might as well have been the dark side of the moon You can burn out or fade away But you can't go back to those basement days ---------------- Mark Erelli - vocals, acoustic & electric guitars, cowbell Jake Armerding – vocals Neil Cleary – drums, percussion, vocals Zack Hickman – electric bass, Hammond organ Charlie Rose – acoustic guitar
6.
Your heart is dark as a hemlock grove Where the sun never shines and nothing grows Black as each feather in a murder of crows Your heart is dark as a hemlock grove Your heart is empty as winter in a tourist town The boardwalk deserted, all shuttered down And every bird has flown--southbound Your heart is empty as winter in a tourist town There is no resolution Try as I might I shun the darkness But I shy away from the light There's a hole inside I try to fill But you dig it Deeper still Love is crooked as the teeth in an old man's smile As the stones in the graveyard, as a country mile But I'll drive all night to get there if you let me stay awhile Love is crooked as the teeth in an old man's smile Your heart is empty as winter in a tourist town Your heart is dark as a hemlock grove ------------------ Mark Erelli - vocals, baritone electric guitar Neil Cleary – drums, percussion Zack Hickman – electric bass, vibes Charlie Rose – banjo, pedal steel
7.
Oh I wish I believed if only for you In a Sweet Ever After beyond the blue In an Eternal Father who after the fall Cast us all out of the garden Now I've found an Eden I can believe in Leavened with nothing but time There is grandeur in this view of life Where one becomes many through struggle and strife But the mother of mysteries is another man's call Why is there something instead of nothing at all Why is there something instead of nothing at all If the devil's own chaplain is leading the prayer From a book that's been written with sorrow and care Then his hand is indifferent but it isn't unkind There's no evil design in his sermon For I hear a chorus of those gone before us Scored upon pages of stone (Chorus) Oh what an utter desert is a life without love Would that you blessings alone were enough To banish my doubt in the veil of your tears Oh my dear how the fabric has fallen For I've found an Eden I can believe in Free from the master's design (Chorus) ------------------ Mark Erelli - vocals, tenor guitar Jake Armerding – mandolin, fiddle, vocals Neil Cleary – drums, percussion Rose Cousins - vocals Zack Hickman – electric bass Rose Polenzani - vocals Charlie Rose – banjo
8.
I took the moon for a walk last night It followed behind like a still summer kite Though there wasn't a string or a tail in site When I took the moon for a walk I carried my flashlight just in case The got scared and hid its face But it peeked through the clouds fragile as lace When I took the moon for a walk I warned the moon To rise a bit higher So it wouldn't get hooked On a church's tall spire While the neighborhood dogs Made a train whistle choir When I took the moon for a walk We tiptoed through grass where the nightcrawlers creep When the rust bellied robins have fallen asleep And the moon called the dew so the grass seemed to week When I took the moon for a walk We raced for the swings Where I kicked my feet high And imagined the moon Had just asked me to fly Hand holding hand Through the starry night sky When I took the moon for a walk Then as we went back the moon kept me in sight It followed me home and it stayed there all night And it thanked me by sharing its sweet sleepy light When I took the moon for a walk ----------------- Mark Erelli - vocals, acoustic guitar Jake Armerding – fiddle Neil Cleary – drums, percussion, vocals Zack Hickman – upright bass, pump organ, piano, mandolin Charlie Rose – cello
9.
How can I look you in the eye Tell you everything will be alright When I know everything could change tomorrow How can I promise you right now That I'm never gonna let you down I know you won't remain a stranger to sorrow Oh it's a hard world My child Oh, it's such a hard world My child So I'll let go and let you run And love who you become Someday you'll learn to do the same for someone Hearts will break, one will be yours Don't bother keeping score Learn instead how to forgive and be forgiven Lift up your voice while you still can For the measure of a man Is how he sings when he thinks no one is listening (Chorus) Some will claim to know the truth But none can give you proof It's up to you to decide who to confide in And though it may not seem enough All you'll ever need is love Anyone who tells you differently is lying (Chorus) ----------------- Mark Erelli - vocals, acoustic guitar Zack Hickman – electric bass Liam Hurley - drums Sam Kassirer – piano, vibes, organ Austin Nevins - baritone & electric guitar, lap steel Aoife O’Donovan – vocals
10.
Coming Home 02:51
Sailing Far away from here In a magic boat On a silver sea Cresting Over gentle waves Til I see the land Nestled in my dreams Flying With the pillow clouds Under winking stars In a silent sky Gliding With my broken wing Toward a hidden strip Where it's safe to land Driving down a lonesome road in a thunderstorm Without a map in hand Turning on familiar street where a handsome house Waits with a knowing smile Running Through a golden field In the neighborhood Where the foxes play Hoping That the bed is warm And the girl I love Takes me in her arms I'm coming home I'm coming home I'm coming home ------------------- Mark Erelli – vocals, acoustic guitar Jake Armerding – fiddle Zack Hickman – mandolin Charlie Rose – banjo
11.
Pauline 04:39
Found me a river So I followed it down Til I felt the spray on my face Where the waves kneel down Like pilgrims lost in prayers of devotion Came the vast and roiling green Pauline Built me a campfire On the high desert plain Fed manzanita and juniper To a hungry flame And the smoke of supplication Rose to meet the constellations so pristine Pauline In a world so scientific You are a mystery no man can ever learn There are frontiers within your heart Still uncharted Northwest Passages Points of no return Climbed me a mountain Through the deep and drifting snows I was an avalanche And babe you were my angle of repose Now that I've stopped tumbling I've stopped wondering if this is but a dream Pauline --------------- Mark Erelli - vocal, acoustic guitar

about

Recorded in a 1700's era farmhouse in rural Maine, these 11 new originals explore love, family and finely wrought natural imagery against the rustic sweep of fiddle, pedal steel, mandolin and banjo.

"(Erelli's) singing on 11 songs here is always as classy as the songs themselves...It all adds up to a warm, highly rewarding album." --Sing Out!

credits

released March 16, 2010

Produced by Zack Hickman

Mark Erelli - vocals, acoustic, tenor, high-strung, baritone & electric guitars
Jake Armerding - mandolin, fiddle, vocals
Neil Cleary - drums, percussion, vocals
Zack Hickman - upright & electric bass, pump organ, Hammond organ, piano, mandolin, vibes, percussion, vocals
Charlie Rose - banjo, pedal steel, cello, acoustic guitar

With additional musicians:
Rose Cousins - vocals
Liam Hurley - drums
Sam Kassirer - piano, vibes, organ
Austin Nevins - baritone & electric guitar, lap steel
Aoife O'Donovan - vocals
Rose Polenzani - vocals

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Mark Erelli Boston, Massachusetts

"You know those artists who release a great first record and then have enormous trouble following it up with anything as interesting? Yeah, that’s not Mark Erelli." -Red Line Roots

contact / help

Contact Mark Erelli

Streaming and
Download help

Redeem code

Report this album or account

If you like Mark Erelli, you may also like: