Get all 9 Zanda Myrande releases available on Bandcamp and save 35%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of On The Battlements, Blood On Bookwalk, Lighthouse, Return To Argenthome - The Rough Cuts, Coming To A Theatre Near You, The Toad and other Strangenesses, The Filk Of Human Kindness - Futeurised, Blow For Freedom, and 1 more.
1. |
Between Two Oceans
02:29
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BETWEEN TWO OCEANS
We live between two oceans
On stolen scraps of land
We huddle round our campfires
With the void on every hand
So deep and wide and dangerous
Our courage is apt to fail
And yet we steel ourselves
Somehow to sail.
One ocean is of water
As far as eyes can see
Beyond horizon's curvature
Who knows what there might be?
Though storms may lash our fragile craft
And maelstroms draw us down
We take the dare
And hope that we'll not drown.
Bridge:
A thousand and a thousand years
We've sailed this stormy sea
And yet we've never mastered it
Nor plumbed its mystery.
And this is perfect training
For the task that's yet to do
For there's another ocean waiting
Just beyond the blue...
This ocean stretches endlessly
Its islands few and far
They huddle round the campfires
Of every shining star.
We sail it in our silver ships
Again we take the dare
To find another world
Somewhere out there.
We live between two oceans
Wherever we may go
And what may lie beyond them...
Some day we'll know.
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2. |
A Very Sad Tail
04:00
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A VERY SAD TAIL (A)
A very sad tail had the mermaid
Its scales were all tarnished and dull
We found her one morning a-clinging
To the side of our fisherboat's hull.
"Oh take me on board sirs, I beg you,"
She cried in an accent most strange
So we hoisted her in
And we gave her some gin
And besought her politely her tale to begin...
"'T is a very sad tale," said the mermaid,
"For I've lived in these waters so long,
And at first they sustained and supported me,
And I grew up both healthy and strong.
But now they're all choked with pollution
From your engines and factories and such,
That my skin daily pales
And my strength daily fails
And you see for yourselves what it's done to my scales..."
CHORUS (x2)
When you live on the sea as we fisherfolk do
You can't help but see that the sea lives off you.
"That's a very sad tail," said the captain,
Who had come to see what was afoot.
"It's plain you've a genuine grievance
And a case that by rights should be put.
But these landsmen that run all the factories
Will be stubborn and hard to convince."
Said the maid "You're not wrong,
But my purpose is strong
And I'll bring them around when I sing them my song..."
COUNTER-CHORUS (x2)
Hear my plea,
Save the sea,
Set all its suffering children free.
So the very sad tale of the mermaid
Was told in the landlubbers' court
Where she sat in a tank of clean water
And she told them the long and the short.
She sang and we joined in the chorus
And the whole court dissolved into tears.
Said the justice "This cause
Has given me pause.
I think it is time that we made some new laws..."
CHORUS AND COUNTER-CHORUS TOGETHER (x2)
Now the very sad tail of the mermaid
Is all shining and bright as before
And our boats have to do without engines
And the factories spew rubbish no more.
Her kind help us out with the fishing
In a strictly responsible way...
For justice's scale
Put us on the right trail
And that is the end of this very sad tale!
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3. |
Making You Mine
03:51
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MAKING YOU MINE
In the dark of the moon, hear my tune, in the deep of the night
As you sleep, try to fight but you just can't win,
It's a sin and a shame, it's a game that I play so well,
Raising hell, I'm gonna suck you in
Gonna feel so fine--
Making you mine.
Weaving like a snake, gonna shake, gonna shake my tail
As you wake, but you fail to detect my snare
So unfair, so unkind to your mind as I chant my spell,
Can't you tell, you're beginning to care
Reeling in my line--
I'm making you mine.
BRIDGE
Rose petals, damiana,
Coriander seeds,
Jasmine and lavender
Cardamom and such like weeds
Satisfy my needs....
Brewing up a storm, make you warm, make your eyes go wide
As you rise, on the tide of my witchy call
Then the fall, and you're down on the ground and you won't get free,
Don't you see, I'm gonna make you crawl
For a taste of my wine--
Making you mine.
BRIDGE 2
Men think they know the answers
Think they know the score
They can control their urges
To a point, and then no more--
That's what magic's for...
Standing by my gate, don't be late, don't you try to hide
As you fly to my side, and you'll be my slave
'Cause you're craving my touch, it's too much for your poor weak mind
For you'll find that you're mine to the grave
And it's so divine--
I'm making you mine.
You'll be on cloud nine--
I'm making you mine.
That's my grand design--
Making you mine.
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4. |
Rockpool
04:43
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ROCKPOOL
Such a little world I see
Gazing down from way up here
Full of creatures living lives
Showing not a sign of fear
But every time the tide comes in
It washes out your world, and then you must begin
Again...
Tiny fishes dart around
Shells are rooted to the rock
Little things with lots of legs
How do they stand the daily shock?
For every time the tide comes in
Some of you are bound to lose, the lucky ones will win
Again...
Do you remember the time before?
Is it like an earthquake, or do you call it war?
And when you know the time is near
Do you brace yourselves?
Lump of jelly blossoms out
Into a score of limbs that sting
If you could reach across the pool
You would eat up everything
But every time the tide comes in
You must hope when it recedes, the pickings won't be too thin
This time...
Little creatures of the pool
You are wiser far than we
You have learned to cope with this
Everyday emergency
For when the tide comes in for us
And turns our whole world upside down,
We just can't help but make a fuss
Each time...
Every time.
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5. |
On The Turn
02:46
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ON THE TURN
When the tide's on the turn you can feel there's a pause
And a moment when everything changes
Like a comma that marks out a separate clause
That turns the whole sentence around
You look up from your book and you see with new eyes
A vision that stuns and estranges
You don't know what to make of the secret you've found
But you'll learn
When the tide's on the turn.
When the year's on the turn and the world holds its breath
For release from the cold grip of winter
And it reaches for life and holds on for grim death
And the sweetest of bitter desire,
Then the mantle of ice, like a tissue of lies,
Is aching to crack and to splinter
And deep in the heart of the land a green fire
Starts to burn
When the year's on the turn.
For the turn is the point where the pendulum stops
When it's poised at the outermost edge of its swing
The vertiginous moment before the shoe drops
And who knows what
The next moment will bring...
When your life's on the turn and you've come to the end
And you pray it will be a beginning
And you'd give all you own for a word from a friend
Or a touch that would prove that you're real
Oh sister, stay strong, for the sun will arise
And your life is a game worth the winning
And the prize is a treasure that's yours not to steal
But to earn
When your life's on the turn.
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6. |
Sense Of Direction
04:38
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SENSE OF DIRECTION
Somehow you just know
Which way to go
And your friends look at you in surprise
It all seems so clear
Just make a left here
And the goal is in front of your eyes.
CHORUS
Sense of direction, guiding you always,
Keeping you safe, and on the right track.
Never a falter, never a misstep
Guiding you there...
Will it guide you back?
Out in the wild,
You're never beguiled
By short cuts that beckon and lure
You study the skies
Shielding your eyes
And always your footing is sure.
CHORUS
BRIDGE
Where does it come from, this odd certainty?
Is it from within you, does it come free?
Will it always be there, wherever you roam?
Can you be sure...it will lead you home?
You give me a smile
Lean on the stile
"Honey, don't ask," you say.
"Trust is the key
Whether it's me
Or someone else pointing the way."
CHORUS
Sense of direction, this gift that is given,
Is not to be questioned or put to the test.
If it should vanish, well that's as it may be,
But in the meantime, I'm glad I've been blessed.
Sense of direction, invisible signposts,
Keeping us safe, and on the right track.
As long as I follow, you're happy to lead me,
And with or without it...
You'll find our way back.
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7. |
Shooting The Sun
04:54
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8. |
Uncharted
03:21
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UNCHARTED
Off the map, we wander,
Heading somewhere way out yonder
Watching where we tread.
Stars are unfamiliar,
Speculations getting sillier;
Is that Oz ahead?
Or is it Narnia,
Atlantis or the Happy Isles?
Will there be tears or smiles?
Will we find friendship there,
Or will we just be broken-hearted?
Should we leave this land uncharted?
Making marks on paper,
Scan the skies for trails of vapour,
Planes don't fly out here.
Horizon dim and hazy,
Thoughts are wandering, crazy-mazy,
Will we disappear?
Into Narnia,
Or Tir na Nog or Avalon,
Should we just move on?
Will any trace abide,
When we have long departed?
Will this land remain uncharted?
[instrumental verse]
Have we found Narnia,
Or Middle Earth or Pellucidar,
Have we come so far?
Or did we get turned round,
And end back where we started?
Is there any land uncharted?
Is there any land uncharted?
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9. |
It's Not That Easy
03:13
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IT'S NOT THAT EASY (Dm)
Hey kid, you think you're all that, you think you got it made,
Slide through school and college on your charm.
Get a cushy job working for your dad,
Make a lot of money, get yourself a sweet pad.
If I were you, I wouldn't be so calm.
CHORUS
It's not that easy,
It's not a walk in the park.
If you think it's that easy, you're just whistling in the dark.
There's a bunch of stuff that you're gonna have to learn
And your dad won't give you money that you're not prepared to earn.
So there's cause for concern--
It's not that easy.
Hey kid, so you've heard about sex, and now you want your share.
Find a girl or a boy and just go with the flow.
Soft music, and maybe some booze,
It's human nature, you think you can't lose,
Take it from me, there's something you ought to know--
CHORUS
It's not that easy,
It's not a walk in the park.
If you think it's that easy, you're just whistling in the dark.
You've got to care how your partners feel,
You just can't treat them as though they're not real.
So suck it up and deal
It's not that easy.
Life's got some rude surprises for you.
I've lived a while myself, and I know it's true.
You're not some golden child, whatever your mom and dad say,
And if you don't learn it now, you're gonna find out for sure some day...
Hey kid, I can see you smirk, I see you're not impressed,
Think I'm just some old fart tryin' to harsh your buzz.
Want to ignore me, well sure, go ahead,
I hope you change your mind before you end up dead,
Life'll teach you, 'cause it always does...
CHORUS
That it's not that easy.
It's not a walk in the park.
If you think it's that easy, you're just strolling into the dark.
Life is a terminal illness, you know,
It can take you down quick, it can take you down slow,
And when it does you'll know
It's not that easy.
You're given just so much time, then you die,
You can make it worthwhile if you're willing to try,
But no-one knows better than I
That it's not that easy.
It's not that easy.
It's not that easy.
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10. |
What Would You Give?
03:42
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WHAT WOULD YOU GIVE?
To take a different road,
To set a different course,
To have again the time you've lost
And the strength you used to know.
To be a better soul,
To heal the hurts you caused,
To make good your early promise
And pay back the debts you owe.
CHORUS
What would you give?
If a stranger came to you,
Said "I can make your dreams come true,"
What would you give?
For a miracle of rare device
Could you ever meet the price?
What would you give?
To find another fate,
To choose another path,
To scale the utmost peak and then
To look down on those below.
To avenge yourself on those
Who used to point and laugh,
To repay the pain you suffered
And take your turn to crow.
CHORUS
BRIDGE
There's a reason why we only pass this way one time,
When we make or mar our lives for good or ill.
If we had another chance we'd only mess it up again;
If we didn't get it right first time, we know we never will...
So the gift is not for us
To have our time again,
To rewrite all our histories
Nearer to our heart's desire.
But the dream still haunts our minds
And the yearnings still remain,
For some entity to offer us
That to which we still aspire.
CHORUS
What would you give?
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11. |
Between Two Emotions
04:29
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BETWEEN TWO EMOTIONS
A: I'm lying awake in the wee small hours
Trying to hold on to my cool
But the noises you make, I just want to take
And dump you into the pool.
It sounds like a factory working full blast
And right when I think you've gone quiet at last
You lift off the mattress and come down with a bump
And I think I must be a chump.
But just as I'm about to reach for the knife
I keep in the bedside nook
I think "oh, poor sweetie, she must have been tired"
And instead I just reach for a book.
I'm caught up
CHORUS
Between two emotions, on the horns of a dilemma of love.
Between rage and affection, no sense of direction,
I don't know what I'm thinking of....
B: I'm casting about for the pen I put down
On the table just a second ago.
Then I look up at you and say "Where did you put it?"
And you look at me like I ought to know.
You say "it's back in the drawer, that's where it belongs,
With all the other stuff you use for writing your songs.
I thought you were finished, so I put it away,"
And my temper begins to fray.
But then you look back at me and your smile's so sweet
And my heart melts all over again
And I think "oh, the darling, she's just trying to be neat,"
Even though it drives me insane.
I'm caught up
CHORUS
[instrumental - virtual dance sequence]
A: I straightened the picture by the stairs in the hall
B: But I like it when it's hanging askew.
B: Aw, you made me the pasta that I love best of all
A: But I wish you'd close your mouth when you chew.
B: (I do!)
BOTH: We're hardly compatible when viewed from outside
But there's a love between us which will always abide
And if anyone else is tearing one of us down
The other kicks 'em right out of town.
We're caught up
CHORUS
Between two emotions, on the horns of a dilemma, you see.
Between rage and affection, no sense of direction,
But it really doesn't matter
A: To me...
B: Or me...
BOTH: Because as long as we're balanced we know we can't fall
And it's better
Than feeling nothing
At all!
A: (spoken) I love you, sweetie.
B: (spoken) I know. (does something supremely irritating)
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12. |
Maelstrom
05:13
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MAELSTROM
Down into the ringing green
Over and over turning
Lungs and eyes are burning
How did I get here?
Sodden clothing weighs me down
Darkness clings about me
Have they gone without me
How did I get here?
Fight my way towards the surface
Holding on to breath
Is that light above me
Light of day or light of death?
CHORUS
I'm in the maelstrom,
Whirled about by winds of water
And I hope that I'm alone.
I'm in the maelstrom,
Gaping maw of hungry darkness
Nature taking back her own.
Vision blurred and turning red
Numbness and cold are spreading,
Mind is a needle unthreading,
How do I get out?
Memories flash before my eyes
Won't submit to decoding,
Heart feels like it's exploding,
How do I get out?
Now the light has died away
Was it really there before?
Am I really who I am?
Does it matter any more?
CHORUS
[Instrumental]
Breaking out into the blue
Air on my face caressing
Breath a forgotten blessing
How did I get here?
No idea where I am
No sign of land around me
Certain that something found me
And helped me get here...
Terror fading like a dream
As my mind resumes its sway
Danger still is very real
But I lived to see the day
CHORUS
I came through the maelstrom.
Whirled about by winds of water
And alive to tell the tale.
I came through the maelstrom,
I survived its hungry darkness
And I think I see a sail...
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13. |
On The Turn - Reprise
00:40
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ON THE TURN – REPRISE
Oh sister, be wakeful, be wary, be wise,
For the Three are not done with their spinning
And the secrets the future has yet to reveal
You'll discern
When the tide's on the turn...
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14. |
Penelope
02:48
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PENELOPE
The lights begin to twinkle from the rocks:
The long day wanes: the slow moon climbs: the deep
Moans round with many voices. Come, my friends,
'T is not too late to seek a newer world.
Push off, and sitting well in order smite
The sounding furrows; for my purpose holds
To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths
Of all the western stars, until I die.
It may be that the gulfs will wash us down:
It may be we shall touch the Happy Isles,
And see the great Achilles, whom we knew.
Tho' much is taken, much abides; and tho'
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
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Zanda Myrande Westbury, UK
Zanda Myrande is still recovering from the trauma of being Zander Nyrond for several decades. She has only come out online
at this point, for reasons which may be apparent from the picture above, but she proudly embraces her trans identity while still giving house room to Zander and the rest of the deadbeats who populate her head.
Lives in Wiltshire and has better friends than she deserves.
... more
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