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Home Waters

by Sam Carter

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maz2
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maz2 Just brilliant love the album
Ed Butcher
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Ed Butcher There's nothing not to love about this album: phenomenal writing and unparalleled playing. "The Forge" stands out for me as possibly the finest new song I've heard in years. Coincidentally, it lasts precisely the same amount of time as it take me to make my morning coffee, so I'm word perfect :-) Favorite track: The Forge.
mikelk
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mikelk Saw you on Ant's Downend online chat/music hour and really enjoyed your music.
erfergie
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erfergie Hi Sam. My late brother and I found about about you when you appeared on Jools Holland several years ago. Been big fans ever since. Just wish you could play some shows in the US. Looking forward to getting my copy of the new album.
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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Recorded in a converted church in rural Northumberland, Home Waters captures the full force of Sam Carter’s vivid, narrative-driven songwriting. Featuring the specially-assembled Home Waters String Quartet, the album’s rich emotional landscapes are exquisitely illustrated by producer Ian Stephenson’s cinematic string arrangements. Images of overwhelming floods, rising tides, and conflict-stricken seas sit alongside tales of love and loss, alluding to the search for a sense of belonging and stability in unfamiliar territory.

    The Home Waters CD features specially commissioned woodcut artwork by renowned Sheffield-based artist John Pedder. Booklet features full album lyrics.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Home Waters via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 5 days

      £10 GBP or more 

     

  • Streaming + Download

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

      £7 GBP  or more

     

  • Home Waters artwork woodcut print, designed and hand-printed to order by Sheffield artist John Pedder. Sold unframed, this landscape print measures around 25" by 13" (slightly bigger than a gatefold vinyl cover). Limited to 50 signed numbered editions.
    ships out within 14 days
    edition of 50 

      £50 GBP or more 

     

  • Full Digital Discography

    Get all 8 Sam Carter releases available on Bandcamp and save 15%.

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Home Waters Live, Home Waters, How The City Sings, Live At The Union Chapel, The No Testament, Lumpy's Lullaby, Keepsakes, and Here In The Ground. , and , .

    Purchasable with gift card

      £36.55 GBP or more (15% OFF)

     

1.
The Forge 03:33
I grew up where the ground shook to the sound Of the smith striking down on the anvil And I saw my name in the furnace flame When the day came to take up the mantle Now I’ll stoke the fire, oh yes I’ll stoke the fire And smoke will pour from the chimney With a myth and a voice as my tools of choice I’ll be down at the forge if you need me Word gets around, I’m the talk of the town ’Cos I know what the folks here are after Turn a phrase just right and it catches the light Like a blade in the hands of a master I’ll stoke the fire, oh yes I’ll stoke the fire From far and wide they seek me For a tale so sharp it could puncture the dark I’ll be down at the forge if you need me One line from me and the pauper’s king of all he sees One line from me and the king’s swinging from the gallows tree Now the smith’s hammer’s still and from up on the hill I can take in the sounds in the valley Every mercy plea, every curse on the breeze Is a spark to the cinders inside me I’ll stoke the fire, oh yes I’ll stoke the fire Though the work will never be easy Every true story told turns lead into gold I’ll be down at the forge if you need me Every true story told turns lead into gold I’ll be down at the forge if you need me
2.
Standing room on the London train Stag dos jostle and toddlers wail But her spare key chimes with my pocket change And I’m almost there It can’t be far just a few more miles Past long faces and cold turnstiles Into outstretched arms and the widest smile I’m almost there Somehow she knows the way to bring me home She grounds me like the last chord of a song She’s the one who brings me home Is she waiting by her front door Falling out of the dress she wore When we cracked her headboard the week before? I’m almost there Somehow she knows the way to bring me home She grounds me like the last chord of a song She’s the one who brings me home I’ve tried and tried without success To find a place I can come to rest When she lays her head down here on my chest I’m almost there Somehow she knows the way to bring me home She grounds me like the last chord of a song Somehow she knows the way to bring me home She grounds me like the last chord of a song She’s the one who brings me home
3.
Fly the Flag 03:23
This old ship is sinking fast We nail our colours to the mast for one more fight And where the captain should be sat A bulldog in a bowler hat is out to bite Fly the flag and plunder Why the flag again? It’s the pride behind the blunder A flag that flies in vain The captain barks his last command: ‘Shoot every stranger where they stand to save our lives’ Friendly fire ignites the seas As allies become enemies before our eyes Fly the flag and plunder Why the flag again? It’s the pride behind the blunder A flag that flies in vain And this war we wage And this aimless rage Is not mine And this war we wage And this aimless rage Is not mine We can raise this tattered rag And brag we’ve got our country back but what’s the cost The twelve gold stars that led the way Have vanished in the light of day and now we’re lost Fly the flag and plunder Why the flag again? It’s the pride behind the blunder A flag that flies in vain A flag that flies in vain
4.
I can’t believe that it’s so cold And there ain’t been no snow The sound of music it comes to me From every place I go Sunday morning, there’s no one in church But the clergy’s chosen man And he is fine I won’t worry about him He’s got the book in his hand There’s a bitter east wind and the fields are swaying The crows are round their nests I wonder what he’s in there saying To all those souls at rest I see the path which led to the door And the clergy’s chosen man Bushes and briars, you and I Where do we stand? I wonder if he knows I’m here Watching the briars grow And all these people beneath my shoes I wonder if they know There was a time when every last one Knew a clergy’s chosen man Where are they now? Thistles and thorns Among the sand I can't believe that it’s so cold And there ain’t been no snow The sound of music it comes to me From every place I go Sunday morning, there’s no one in church But the clergy’s chosen man Bushes and briars, thistles and thorns Upon the land
5.
Slow Waves 04:11
Come nestle into darkness Breathe the hidden into view And in the wake of wakefulness Let the wonders of the night come through Slow waves will take you under Dive deep into the blue Within your head’s the ocean bed Where the wonders of the night come through Where the wonders of the night come through Slow waves will wash you out to sea Slow waves will bring you back to me I’m yet to leave the shoreline But moonrise will soon be due With time to spare, I’ll meet you there Where the wonders of the night come through Slow waves will lift my pillow The tide will carry me to you And we’ll swim and drift and dream, my love Till the wonders of the night come through Till the wonders of the night come through Slow waves will wash you out to sea Slow waves will bring you back to me Slow waves will wash you out to sea Slow waves will bring you back to me
6.
7.
Flood sirens roar And rip through the quiet life Sandbag the doors Brace for the rising tide But if like the rising tide We rise in time We’ll save the yet unborn If like the rising tide We rise in time We’ll hold back the storm Out in the street Loud hailers rouse the crowd They cry: ‘We’re in deep but Nothing will drown us out’ If like the rising tide We rise in time We’ll save the yet unborn If like the rising tide We rise in time We’ll hold back the storm It’s a brave new dawn It’s only just begun As the earth spins on In spite of all we’ve done If like the rising tide We rise in time We’ll save the yet unborn If like the rising tide We rise in time We’ll hold back the storm We’ll hold back the storm
8.
On Surprise View on a clear day When the sky opens wide I can almost hear her breathing by my side So I come here every summer And I walk on till I stand Where we’d lay down in the heather Where I asked for her hand And it’s how I’ll always see her In a pair of walking boots Soaking in the morning sun Up on Surprise View Now her old boots line the hallway Gathering dust, laces loose In the same place since the day she heard the news I was shaking and the sunrise Was the last thing on my mind But she asked me if I’d drive her To Surprise View one last time And it’s how I’ll always see her In a pair of walking boots Soaking in the morning sun Up on Surprise View As the sun sinks and I’m leaving I think back to those days Though she’s gone now she’s not missing ’Cos I know where she stays
9.
Stunned and shattered How do we move on? And where will we end up Now we have no home? Now we have no home? A promise broken Months have come and gone So where will we end up Now we have no home? Now we have no home? ’Cos it seems at best we’ve been left for dead Sleeping four abreast in this hotel bed Come on, look at us It’s not good enough just to bow your head More than ashes Fell on Grenfell Road And it’s no use to say we told you so But yes we told you so
10.
It’s good to see you old friend We’re like ships in the night since I moved away And now finally the stars have aligned Let’s not leave it so long next time You’ve changed again my old friend Your two sons have grown, you’ve a place of your own With a garden to watch the boys climb Let’s not leave it so long next time Drunk on the bypass at quarter to three Belting out ‘Cinnamon Girl’ We sang so loud that I almost believed We had all the time in the world Last glass my old friend Then the evening is done and I’ve got to run But whatever’s to come down the line Let’s not leave it so long next time Drunk on the bypass at quarter to three Belting out ‘Cinnamon Girl’ We sang so loud that I almost believed We had all the time in the world Last glass my old friend Then the evening is done and I’ve got to run But whatever’s to come down the line Let’s not leave it so long Let’s not leave it so long next time

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released May 1, 2020

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Sam Carter Sheffield, UK

‘Sam Carter is a brilliant guitarist and songwriter who combines the observational with social comment and personal reflection’ Songlines

2010 BBC Folk Awards Horizon Award Winner

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