Little Light

by Allison Crowe

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  • Little Light - CD

    This is Little Light - the physical CD. The album of 11 songs comes in a paper "wallet-fold" sleeve. The cover image is of Allison at Buck Lake, Pender Island, B.C., Canada. The CD label is a picture of Allison about to perform a concert on Gabriola Island, B.C., Canada.

    All images by photographer/musician Billie Woods

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1.
04:10
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2.
03:27
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3.
08:19
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4.
03:49
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5.
04:49
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6.
03:44
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7.
04:11
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8.
04:31
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9.
04:01
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10.
02:57
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11.
04:02
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about

Little Light is a popular singer-songwriter collection from Allison Crowe. Created from Newfoundland to British Columbia, it opens with a rustically shimmering version of "Northern Lights" - a song Allison performed 'specially for the John Lennon Northern Lights Festival in Durness, Scotland. "Angels" is recorded live by Scott Littlejohn at St. Andrew's United Church, Christmas-time, in Allison's birthplace, Nanaimo, Canada. She's backed here by bassist Dave Baird and percussionist Laurent Boucher. "Disease", a song of social conscience, has, through years of live performance, become epic - channeling Beethoven, grunge and more. Here 't'is captured in its raging glory by Larry Anschell (on International Women's Day 2008, the same night celebrating the 20th Anniversary of Anschell's Turtle Recording Studios. Larry "Turtle" Anschell, Engineer and Producer, with Brad Graham Co-Engineer). Title track "Little Light" is among a set of guitar songs that reveal a different sort of Allison Crowe's writerly reflections in music. "Happy People", like such earlier songs as Crowe's own, "Skeletons and Spirits", a bright melody coats more acid observations. Strong and gentle poetics of "Hold Back" warm us by a fire kindled in the '70s by Joni Mitchell. "Choose to Be" bridges the piano sound of Allison's "This Little Bird" songs with her new tunes. Bob Dylan's ramblin' shoes lead to a less restless farewell, as the album closes with "Wedding Song" - Crowe's sweetest, rootsiest, love song to date.

The interpretations on this collection are: "Time After Time" - originally a hit for that most unusual girl, Cyndi Lauper - Allison, a child of the '80s gives her impassioned take, live (Scott LittleJohn recording this, the same night as "Angels"); "Running for Home", is a cover of the Matthew Good Band, and one of the songs Allison has performed since her teens; and, by way of the Righteous Babe, Ani DiFranco, comes Allison's vocal-guitar nod to the great peace-loving bard, Phil Ochs - "When I'm Gone". "Can't be singing louder than the guns when I'm gone, so I guess I'll have to do it while I'm here."

credits

released 02 May 2008

tags

tags: acoustic british columbia folk folk rock indie intense newfoundland rock singer songwriter soul beauty live piano singer-songwriter Corner Brook

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Some rights reserved. Please refer to individual track pages for license info.

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Track Name: Northern Lights
Northern Lights

Words & Music by Allison Crowe

The Northern Lights took me off guard
knocked me over and lifted me up
and through the shadow of a meteor
I saw your face

And yes I stood on the other side of the world
but I took the Northern Lights home to you

I fall into habits that I've carried
So many years and when I fall
I seem to pick them up
And I don't know when or where
But this isn't me, this visionary
That can barely see

And yes I stood on the other side of the world
but I took the Northern lights home to you

So much water floods my face
I am choking on words that I finally
have the courage to say
At the wrong time in the wrong place
And there's no one here to hear me
I just scream into an empty room

And yes I stood on the other side of the world
but I took the Northern Lights home to you

Everything falls and I will
be the last one standing yes
I will hold fast
because everything here begins again

Yes I stood on the other side of the world
and took the Northern Lights home to you

and took the Northern Lights home to you
Track Name: Angels
Angels

Words & Music by Allison Crowe

It took the edge off
at least that's what I thought at the time
but my mouth was open
and these words kept pouring out
and now my head is empty
and I wish it was just empty threatening
but all my angels seem to disappear
and leave me lonely singing

It's been so long since I've felt
not a victim of repression
so maybe I overdo
but take who this is or let me be

'cause all the angels in the world
couldn't hold a candle to me
and no one will ever love you like I do
my fire is inside
and the door is open so let it slide
and I'll just be who I am
and you just be a man
and I'll still love you anyways

My heart is broken
most of the time so don't let that bother you
and I learned to fight last time
so I know how to do what I have to do
though I am painfully fragile
I'll do my best not to let anyone see
and deathly cold
sometimes its easier to shut off than feel anything

it's been so long since I've felt
not a victim of repression
so maybe I overdo
but take who this is or let me be

'cause all the angels in the world
couldn't hold a candle to me
and no one will ever love you like I do
my fire is inside
and the door is open so let it slide
and I'll just be who I am
and you just be a man
and I'll still love you anyways

Even though you're a man
I'll love you anyways
Even when I don't understand
Track Name: Disease (08/03/08)
Disease

Words & Music by Allison Crowe

Stepping on
the thoughts of all pain
released from this anger
is some place I would like to be
and when I feel myself defeated
I bleed
and when I see them twist around
dancing in their own wake
I rage

And I don't want to exist on this plane
crashing down to the level of
depth of skin
flesh and bone
all wrapped up in pages
flashed in our faces
laughing and spiteful

Run away

Lost again
misdirected and folded
drowned in bones
and thrown away
they told me to disappear
and slowly dive
into the shallow end
of the gene pool

Try to hold on to what I believe
disappeared
no longer here as anything but
wretched and disfigured
so I slash myself again
and I drown my hopes again
lose myself in this disease

Lost again
misdirected and folded
drowned in bones
and thrown away
they told me to disappear
and slowly dive
into the shallow end
of the gene pool

Cut yourself to the mold
Nothing left to rid yourself of
but bile and blood
torn skin screaming
and silenced as we
replace marble with plastic

Lost again
misdirected and folded
drowned in bones
and thrown away
they told me to disappear
and slowly dive
into the shallow end
of the gene pool
Track Name: Time After Time
Time After Time

Words & Music by Cyndi Lauper and Rob Hyman
As performed by Allison Crowe

Lying in this bed I hear the clock tick,
And think of you
Caught up in circles, confusion
is nothing new
Flashbacks and warm nights
almost left behind
Suitcase of memory,
Time after time

Sometimes you picture me
walking too far ahead
You're talking to me, and I can't hear
What you have said
You say go slow
I fall behind
The second hand unwinds

If you're lost you can look and you will find me
Time after time
If you fall I will catch you, I'll be waiting
Time after time

After your picture fades darkness has
turned to grey
Watching through windows you're wondering
If I'm ok

You say go slow
I fall behind
The drum beats out of time

If you're lost you can look and you will find me
Time after time
If you fall I will catch you I'll be waiting
Time after time

If you're lost you can look and you will find me
Time after time
If you fall I will catch you I will be waiting
Time after time

Time after time

Time after time

Time after time
Track Name: Little Light
Little Light

Words & Music by Allison Crowe

Half my life is spent
trying to figure out
where the other half
is supposed to go
try to put them together again
until they make sense
until they're whole

I've opened up my eyes
and I've seen in to the dark
it's hard to tell if there's a light at all
and I can't seem
to open them this time
and the little light that's there
is about to fall

Walk backwards to see
if you can start where you were before
break the locks to see
if there was ever really a door
set fire to yourself
to see if there is anything to burn
keep making mistakes
to see if there is anything to learn

I've opened up my eyes
and I've seen in to the dark
it's hard to tell if there's a light at all
and I can't seem
to open them this time
and the little light that's there
is about to fall

the questions that persist
they will torture you
you will not know until it is too late

the questions that repeat
will never give you answers
you will not know until you've passed

I've opened up my eyes
and I've seen in to the dark
it's hard to tell if there's a light at all
and I can't seem
to open them this time
and the little light that's there
is about to fall
Track Name: Happy People
Happy People

Words & Music by Allison Crowe

Sometimes
I really hate happy people
and sometimes
I resent the hell out of you
and sometimes, you know,
I really hate myself
a higher part of me
knows that this is wrong

and I wait
for a part of this to make sense
and I wait
until it's my turn to fight
and I know
I could be waiting a long time
but I wait for you
to tell me everything's alright

and I've walked
a million times beside you
and not once
have I felt worthy to
and I know
I probably have my own place
somewhere dark, somewhere cold,
somewhere
where no one can see me

and I wait
for a part of this to make sense
and I wait
until it's my turn to fight
and I know
I could be waiting a long time
but I wait for you
to tell me everything's alright

and I've tried
to purify myself
I've pulled the drain
so many times
and I watch
as the waters strip from me
all my pain, all my love,
all that will come back tomorrow

and I wait
for a part of this to make sense
and I wait
until it's my turn to fight
and I know
I could be waiting a long time
but I wait for you
to tell me everything's alright

and I wait
for any of this to make sense
and I wait until
its my turn to take flight
and I know I could
be waiting forever
but I wait for you
to tell me everything's alright

because it doesn't feel alright
nothing feels alright
alright
is that alright

...with you
Track Name: Hold Back
Hold Back

Words & Music by Allison Crowe

A collection of truths
strategically placed
a horde of mysteries and
some fears faced

a raging battle under
calm and serene
often saying what I think
but not often what I mean

I need to see
reality so I
know that it's not just a dream
and I lay my cards out
for everyone
but I never am quite what I seem
I hold back

take hold of dares
as though you're almost done
as if it's the last thing that you'll ever do
and I will always run because

a misguided guide I am
an ignorant lead
I never know what I want
but I'll tell you exactly what I need

Verse 3

and I see you smile
and it makes me nervous
and while I'm laughing the truth is
I don't know how to do this

i have no idea of what's okay
no matter who you are
but you'll never get to know
because I'll never get that far
Track Name: Choose to Be
Choose to Be

Words & Music by Allison Crowe

I wasn't expecting you
you took me by surprise
and I don't know if you can see it
but it's right behind my eyes
an answer to a question
that I didn't know I'd asked
and you know
I didn't believe the tides
could wash over me so fast

and I've never
seen this before
and I've seen so much
oh god I wonder what it takes
to understand happiness

and I
am standing on the edge
and I'm not afraid to fall
I'm not dying
I'm not hiding
I am not anything at all
but this time

I choose to be happy

you know I never believed
that I could have something good
didn't think that it was possible
didn't think I could
but now I'm kicking down these walls
and you're tearing at these chains
and I am starting to believe
that I must be insane

cause I've
never seen you before
and I've seen so much
oh god I wonder what it takes
to understand happiness

and I
am standing on the edge
and I'm not afraid to fall

I'm not dying
I'm not hiding
I am not anything at all
but falling

and I don't care where I land
I'm falling
and now I feel like I can stand

cause this time
I choose to be
Track Name: Running for Home
Running for Home

Words by Matthew Good & Music by Matt Good/Dave Genn
As performed by Allison Crowe

They beam those things into your head
The ghosts of your pleasure and contempt
When we were liars things were seamless
When we were wired the world was like a secret
I close my eyes now and I scream
I turn the light on and there’s nothing left redeeming
I saw your face before it changed
The gun it makes you look nicer in a bad way

So low how high
It’s too late tonight
I’m sure you’re right
So low for how high

And after this there’s just the circus
And every morning your carnie heart stops working
It gets tight in there sometimes
Looking for those defects, talking like it’s a reflex
I close my mouth now and I scream
'open the door and there’s nothing left redeeming
I saw your face before the rough
'should wait around awhile, 'cause your body’s bound to turn up

So low for how high
It’s too late tonight
And I’m sure you’re right
So low for how high

So low for how high
Track Name: When I'm Gone
When I'm Gone

Words & Music by Phil Ochs
As performed by Allison Crowe

There's no place in this world where I'll belong when I'm gone
And I won't know the right from the wrong when I'm gone
And you won't find me singin' on this song when I'm gone
So I guess I'll have to do it while I'm here

And I won't feel the flowing of the time when I'm gone
All the pleasures of love will not be mine when I'm gone
My pen won't pour out a lyric line when I'm gone
So I guess I'll have to do it while I'm here

And I won't breathe the bracing air when I'm gone
And I can't even worry 'bout my cares when I'm gone
Won't be asked to do my share when I'm gone
So I guess I'll have to do it while I'm here

And I won't be running from the rain when I'm gone
And I can't even suffer from the pain when I'm gone
Can't say who's to praise and who's to blame when I'm gone
So I guess I'll have to do it while I'm here

Won't see the golden of the sun when I'm gone
And the evenings and the mornings will be one when I'm gone
Can't be singing louder than the guns when I'm gone
So I guess I'll have to do it while I'm here
Track Name: Wedding Song
Wedding Song

Words & Music by Allison Crowe

At the turning of another moon
comes time to end this day
and only so many have to pass
as I am gone away

So I sing you now this lullaby
though it is bittersweet
for we have to part when we close our eyes
but every morning meet

These words fall down upon this page
I never do get to sleep
but to be so far away from you
I lay my head and weep

I know this night will be over soon
there's another day in sight
though darkness falls on empty sheets
only you bring in the light

I will never be the perfect wife
I don't even know what that is
but I will be here and he'll always know
that my heart is his

So count down the days
and draw the curtains back
pour the wine and say
that we'll love as much as we both can do
until our dying day