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NIX

by Nick Harper

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danmcb music
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danmcb music Nick! How is this guy not world famous? I wandered into Bunjies (now long gone) in London's West End one evening in about 1994 and heard Nick for the first time. He'd just started his career, after working in a wine shop. I was transfixed, and it was him made me want to be a singer songwriter.

Anyway, I saw hime a bunch more times while I was in the UK. He's an incredible musican and artist. If you like the whole Brit singer-songwriter style, check out Nick if you didn't already.
Favorite track: Beauty Came First.
Crinklechips
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Crinklechips Seeing Nick live is to hear just his incredible guitar work and his ranging voice. This sweet album strips his usual impulse to embellish his studio work back to the essential elements.

There are many studio recordings of his with multiple instruments that I like but this album exemplifies his raw talent.

Highly recommended listening. Favorite track: Beauty Came First.
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1.
Hey boy, I'll tell you how it all began Hey boy, I'll tell you everything that I can Before I knew you, before I grew you Before you saw this Earth, beauty came first Hey boy, I'll tell you how the story goes Hey boy, I'll tell you everything that I know Before I knew you, before I grew you Before I knew to live life more through you Before the chorus of laughter took us from the verse, Beauty came first And there she laid, being everything There she stays even now, she came first Hey boy, I'll tell you how it all began Hey boy, I'll tell you everything that I can Before I knew you, before I grew you Before I knew to live life more through you Before our laughter that took us further, To the song and festival feast and fervour  Before our stories, Before our wonders, Before our glories, Before our blunders Before our cities, Before the highways Got so damned busy all day Friday Before our wars over land and water Before the reasons we gave for the slaughter Before the schools were bombed and mortared Before we tortured our sons and daughters Before God came down with righteous murder Before our only home was shown no quarter Before this endless thirst, beauty came first
2.
I was raised in the downlands by my mother And the travelling man who took my father's place Ere I wanted for the body and the bones of the story I knew I was to be -  man of a thousand days In the meadow did the vision of a country girl arrest me Had my spirit fly within her boundless grace And I sang to her of how her beauty held me there And possessed me Yet I had to leave - man of a thousand days Fortune led me on into the city Where I tried in understanding all of fate Through distraction left and right I kept on playing To ease the weight on the soul Of the man of a thousand days Summoned to perform at royal court and palace The Queen had eyes to see my simple ways But my heart was bound within that downland meadow Now I mark my time in the dungeon Man of a thousand days Through the fleeting joys of love and every other You must know the hands of time can not be stayed Let my spirit roam those downlands and roam no further At the end and as ever - man of a thousand days
3.
The king is in the tower The ring of gold and the parchments are lost in the snow Followers look to each other - features frozen, fear discovered Torn by storms foretold  The realm is hollow, drained of life,  They know the words, but can’t recite ` The magic's nought before the bite of winter’s cold  With nothing left to say, one by one they turn away And the king is in the tower - stars crossed - destiny: dust The ring of gold and the parchments are lost in the snow Fables forged then fair forgotten Like faces, faint and fey - forsaken, flittering fathoms down  The icy cool has claimed again, The myths, the tales, the best of men  The ghouls who failed to hold the phantom crown They cry freakish howls, forlorn, for none can be reborn And the King is in the tower - stars crossed - destiny: dust The ring of gold and the parchments are lost in the snow We fragments carry on, forever blown blizzard blind To none knows where and beyond the edge of mortal time And the king is in the tower - stars crossed - destiny: dust The ring of gold and the parchments are lost  The walls crumble - the vigil is over Legends lie slain - all is lost, all is lost in the snow
4.
I picked her up in a cold, wet street In Edinburgh underneath Arthur's Seat I took her home and I turned on the heat And now I'm having a bath with Dorothy Parker There's room for us both in the foamy bath water I guess I'm really alone, I am here and she's hereafter But if you can't feel the love you will never hear the laughter I wear Santa beards and exaggerate my gifts 'Til the bubbles burst and explode another myth I'm having a bath with Dorothy Parker There's room for us both in the foamy bath water I guess I'm really alone, I am here and she's hereafter But if you can't feel the love you will never hear the laughter I sent her flowers with love from Harpo From a Manhattan roof by the billboards of Garbo Playing croquet all day  'til the sun and her hat blow away I'm having a bath with Dorothy Parker There's room for us both in the foamy bath water I guess we're really nothing,we are here and we're hereafter But if you can't feel the love you will never hear the laughter My skin's getting pruney , I can't lie here anymore So I pick up her slip from the bathroom floor I wrap it around her tenderly and I take her off to bed
5.
Breathe 05:53
In dreams, memories, whispers In the breeze In everything, In the heart, In the soul, Through the wind, Through the rain Through the storm, Through the pain, Through me, Through us all, Breathe
6.
Nix 06:05
She is the perfect girl, she knows the perfect word, She’s from a perfect world...muse She is unbidden, unspoken, unsung and unsaid Unwritten, unbroken uncut golden thread Of silence, unspun unentangled and pure Undressed and bereft of beguiling allure And if you ever see her she disappears If you ever try to hold her she’s gone, long gone And if anybody tells you they know the places where she goes You might tell yourself you feel her there But then again you never really know And if you want to hold her tight You’ve got to give her up and let her go She might just come to you in the night she might not But that’s your only hope Nick's on a picnic, mothership carsick Cricked neck, cricked back, dingbat, dipstick My bad head by a chemical thread in the mystic shed Necks keg dregs, potting burning lead, plotting turning red Clotting hurting head, looking for the long gone girl In a perfect world Total freedom from the tyranny The universal cacophony, Hackney carriage melody If you ever see me there, improvise - say hello from me Let her be, let her float on down to me when she pleases The atom splitter scatters glitter, Matter litters bitter splatters everywhere Riven schism, the unforgiven Unstrung male strum strings unattached Boing, One two, one two, mended, matched, mixed Ended latched, searching for the perfect girl She is unfettered uncluttered unobscured untapped Unshelled, unhatched I’m done, fling flung, binned, slung, thing bunged, Bucket list box ticked, itch scratched And if you ever see her she disappears If you ever try to hold her she’s gone, she’s gone And if anybody tells you they know the places where she goes You might tell yourself you feel her there But then again you never really know And if you want to hold her tight You’ve got to give her up and let her go She just might come to you in the night she might not  But there’s nothing you can do, nix, nothing, nada, nix
7.
I wake up Sunday morning, still some Saturday in my head I was going to get serious but I mess around instead - alright I don't believe in Jesus and I don't believe in time I do believe in people if they spread their wings and fly That'll do fine I wake up Monday morning with a creeping sense of dread I was going to sell my soul, but I play guitar instead - alright I don't believe in trickle down, I don't believe in greed I do believe in love and if I plant just one seed That'll do fine I wake up Tuesday morning - I've got big things on my mind I decide on doing nothing otherwise I'd waste my time - alright I don't believe in doomsday and I don't believe in fear I do believe in people if they keep each other near That'll do fine I wake up Wednesday morning - half a week ticked off again I was going to make a record, but I think I'll give it ten - alright I don't believe in darkness and I don't believe in might I do believe in people if they keep each others' fires alight That'll do fine I wake up Thursday morning - I was going to shake a leg My baby wants a holding so I shake it all instead Alright I don't believe in miracles like water into wine But if seeing is believing I believe I see that you are mine  That'll do fine I wake up Friday morning and the week is nearly done I haven't quite got going yet, but I'm glad with what I've not become Alright I don't believe in keeping score, I don't believe in lies I do believe in people and there is no wise, other otherwise  That'll do fine I wake up Saturday morning with my baby next to me Put with the week that went preceeding I'm pleased with what I’ve not achieved Alright I don't believe in giving to the haves and not have nots I do believe in people who believe we're all we've got  That'll do fine
8.
I knew that they'd left me on my holiday on Earth I knew they'd upset me on my holiday on Earth I saw the ship arising with my face down in the dirt That’s when I knew that they'd left me on my holiday on Earth  Anybody who is anybody is a survivor for now for sure I'm hanging out with the survivors I've seen ‘em come and go Happiness is the driver - as if you didn't know Earthling I love you, I love you so All the festival is in my head tonight I feel everything will be alright I know everyone I've loved planet wide   They have been my guide, been my light So I hope they never fetch me from my holiday on Earth I’m Happy that they left me on my holiday on Earth I saw the ship arising and I hid my face down Down there in the dirt I hope they really do forget me on my holiday on Earth I'm a survivor - I've seen ‘em come and go I'll take another reviver - I'm going with the flow I'm waiting on for the decider - I wanted you to know Happiness is your driver, as if you didn’t know Earthling I love you I love you so
9.
Rev's up here we go again It's a good start to the day when someone let's you in It all flies by as the wheels spin  And the signs do exactly what they say on the tin And I'm a long long way from my sweet sweet home I'm going to have a drink and I'm glad I'm not alone I'm trying to break through a wall of stone And I'm dry as a bone Pounding the ground Wearing my rubber down on merry England Trying to reach you Get out of town And the starlight shines right down on merry England Trying to reach you We tumble out of town and we ramble to the next The places on the map seem to be where they go best All in a beautiful merry old mess As the cry goes up, "Yes yes yes!" And I'm a long long way from my sweet sweet home I'm going to have another drink and I'm glad I'm not alone I'm trying to break through a wall of stone And I'm dry as a bone Pounding the ground Wearing my rubber down on merry England Trying to reach you Get out of town And the starlight shines right down on merry England Trying to reach you - trying to get to you

about

A 10 day studio snapshot.

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released November 26, 2014

Acoustic guitar and vocals. Nothing else. Nothing, nada, nix.

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Nick Harper England, UK

TEMPUS FUGITIVE
The new album.

It's about time.

Slabs of sonic beauty from Nick and Tchad Blake groove through the portals to meet the immortals ..

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