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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    A 4 disc complete collection of the Idiopath/Omniopath album. 72 tracks in total. Idiopath is the new album from Kenton Hall & The Necessary Measures. Omniopath is its companion album, featuring the same 36 tracks covered by artists including The Swinging Laurels, Steve Nieve, Vivien Scotson, Doll Normal, Dawson Smith & The Dissenters and many (well, 31) more.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Idiopath via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 60 days
    edition of 150 

      £5.99 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

      £3.99 GBP  or more

     

  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Idiopath on triple gatefold 3XLP vinyl. Numbered edition of 300.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Idiopath via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 90 days
    edition of 300 

      £9.99 GBP or more 

     

  • Full Digital Discography

    Get all 3 Kenton Hall & The Necessary Measures releases available on Bandcamp and save 50%.

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of That's More Like It, Omniopath, and Idiopath. , and , .

    Purchasable with gift card

      £4.99 GBP or more (50% OFF)

     

1.
Let’s keep it simple, just for once You never gave a damn about my eloquence I haven't half as much to say as I pretend Mostly, I just lie awake and think of you My friend Let's keep it simple, if we must If I am still enough, will that inspire your trust? I keep expectations, low as I can bear But I cling onto hope as fiercely as I dare Keep it simple Cause it’s not your fault That I'm still falling, Turning somersaults To keep from calling you Keep it simple Let's keep it simple, if we can I’ll neither press my suit, nor iron out my plans But if by any chance, that last line made you smile Forgive me if I lie awake and picture that awhile. Keep it simple Keep it simple Keep it simple Keep it simple
2.
Maybe 04:12
She burst through the door like someone had committed a crime I cursed my luck and then leapt to the obvious rhyme But maybe Just maybe I slide from my chair before courage sees fit to depart My moves are legion, my patter is state-of-the-art And maybe Just maybe Maybe she doesn’t hear shit like that all of the time Maybe I’ll say something clever that changes her mind Maybe She enters a room, full of predators coiled to strike I move through the crowd like I’ve just fallen off of my bike But maybe Just maybe Maybe she’ll see that I’m not like of the rest of these guys Maybe I want her, but I’m still prepared to play nice Maybe Maybe we’ll make it and grow old together Joined at the hip in a single endeavour Her frame draped in cotton, when it’s not in leather A blade dulled until these ties cannot be severed I grab her shoulder and unpack her deepest desires My grip is tighter than she’d like, or I realise But maybe Just maybe She stumbles back and I grind to a disinclined halt Her friend lands a punch and cautions against counter assault But maybe Just maybe Maybe I’ll come to my senses and turn on my heel Maybe I won’t tear a strip off what I tried to steal Maybe Just maybe Maybe Just maybe
3.
Franklin was a drifter Cause he was shit with money Carried a guitar case full of laundry Couldn’t carry a tune Hannah was a waitress From the land of milk and honey But she took her coffee black and let her sting dull too soon Charter members of the rank and file Lining that crowded stretch called Mediocre Mile Mediocre Mile Frank’s father told him whisky Would make him manly, would put hair on his chest So he dates a lot of barmaids And his torso looks just like a sweater vest Hannah's mother warned her about men like Franklin Time and time again But Hannah had a weak spot for the way a bastard bothers to pretend Charter members of the rank and file Lining that crowded stretch called Mediocre Mile Mediocre Mile Wasn’t a romance was for the ages The sex was hardly worth the sweat A coffee stain on history’s pages A night they were both willing to forget Franklin was a drifter Cause he was good for nothing Carried contraceptives in their wallet Till they left a faded ring Hannah didn’t bother calling She assumed that he was bluffing When he told her he’d be back this way come the spring Charter members of the rank and file Lining that crowded stretch called Mediocre Mile Mediocre Mile
4.
I’m certain that this isn’t love Although it shares its sadness and its shame Between craving and hunger, I’m not crying but I’m drawn towards the rain But it’s not what you think, whatever this is Won’t cut to the kink, or compete for the kiss I’m back on the drink and I’ve worn out my wrist Here on the brink of whatever this is I know it’s going to hurt I’m certain if I write it down, It’ll turn around and bite me in the ass But if I wait until I’m sober, I know that the moment’s going to pass But it’s not what you think, whatever this is Won’t pass out the trinkets, or push for the tryst I’m missing the link between broken and bliss Here on the brink of whatever this is I know it’s going to hurt And if that’s our epitaph Let’s save time and lead with that Whatever works I’m certain that you’d rather that I keep my big mouth shut and my head down At least you’re in no danger, Your resistance rallies when I come around And it’s not what you think, whatever this is Won’t cut to the kink, or compete for the kiss I’m back on the drink and I’ve worn out my wrist Here on the brink of whatever this is I know it’s going to hurt I know it’s going to hurt… I like it when it hurts.
5.
It’s not over yet It’s not even close I’ll swallow down my safety net, And hope I don’t overdose Trying to forget We both know that’s a joke So catch me as I pirouette Between laissez-faire and lachrymose And if that all sounds like bravado Held aloft by a broken vibrato You may as well collect the set Cause it’s not over yet It’s not over yet Don’t rip up what we’ve sewn Or you will find a dangling thread, In between the stitches and the roan The guns move en barbette As the embrasure’s overthrown But there below the parapet They’re fixing bayonets and rolling bones As I argue for our survival At the pitch of a gospel revival You cameo in silhouette Cause it’s not over yet Of course, I might be mistaken And what stirs me, might leave you shaken Still, I’ll double down on that bet Whatever the outcome, it’s not over yet No, it’s not over yet Though we’ve reversed into repose And bowed before those wiser heads That we prevailed upon to diagnose And if this all sounds like denial The emergency number’s on file It’s either cure or the curette Cause it’s not over yet
6.
I know you wake up feeling twice as tired Prepared for the world to thwart your hearts’ desires. As you paper over cracks and put out fires But you’re not alone And whether you’re in Tokyo or in Hoboken I know you’ve borne the words they should have left unspoken Day devours night and bruises bleed to broken But you’re not alone So steal a look through someone else’s eyes I'm sure you'll see some things you recognise So, careful how you go No one’s singing solo so careful how you go I know it’s hard now to remain untainted By the demon in the corner your subconscious painted Hope twitched the curtain back and promptly fainted But you’re not alone So steal a leaf from someone else’s book You’ll find their prints upon the path you took And if you find it hard To set your pain aide Just ask yourself where you were at The last time somebody else cried No one’s advocating for the ease of kindness Or the martyrdom of self that might as well be blindness But cast your net a little wider and you’ll find this: You’re not alone (You're not alone) So steal a moment to be someone new You’ll find that one and one falls short of two So Be careful how you go No one’s singing solo so careful how you go
7.
She met me standing on the corner Kicking devils from the dust Her licence plate said California Her tattoos read “In God We Trust” She said, “Get in boy, but I warn you.” “I’ll drop this pedal ‘fore it rusts” We pooled the contents of her ashtray To keep the tank from running dry She asked if I was going her way And I just grunted my reply “I’ll follow any wheel that’s turning.” “Cause if I don’t, I’m going to die” Because I wish I had a city Worth a damn to sing about Somewhere's that slick, urbane and witty Where it’s worth breathing in and out Cause all I got here is the pity Of everybody who got out She slammed the brakes and hit the shoulder Like I’d come at her with a knife In the rearview, her eyes seemed older As she reflected on my life “Now what you really running from, son?” “You got a job, a kid, a wife?” Hell, I don't even have a city Worth a damn to sing about I ain’t exactly young and pretty And all my dreams have headed south I'm getting tired of the pity Of everybody who got out Then she grew quiet and I could feel the flame guttering The window we’d opened, she was rapidly shuttering She gunned the engine, to stop it from stuttering And drown out the curse she found herself muttering We found a motel on the highway And played pretend till break of dawn I knew that when I woke, I’d learn her Name from a note that said she’d gone But she was waiting on the corner Said, "Time that we were moving on.” Cause everybody needs a city Worth a damn to sing about And so I’m forming this committee And I’m appointing you my scout I got no time for people’s pity So you and me are breaking out
8.
This is how it always ends: In relief that we can still be friends As we're chalking up the dividends of not going too far Looks that linger, blows that glance All the faltering steps of an awkward dance As we no longer leave fate to chance, Lest this thing go too far But between fever and frustration The choice seems obvious So why divert our destination? We gambled on flowers and bells Built a picket fence round a cheap motel And we burned so bright, we displaced hell When this thing went too far Now the risk of once again, Living through the heartache at the end Makes the appetites we apprehend Feel like going too far But between heat and hesitation The choice seems obvious So why enjoin our exploration? I know it’s not just doubt that's weighing you down I won’t go to war with the peace that you’ve found But I’ll undertake while I’m still above ground Not to wander too far I’ll admit the road is tight Between wise and witless, wrong and right And it feels if you put up a fight Then you’re going to go far But sometimes the greatest sin Is not giving up and giving in To the long shot of a foolish whim That you let go too far Between control and consolation The choice seems obvious So, why refute this reformation?
9.
(Got away) (Got away) (Got away) (She got away) The one that got away was a cashier at the grocery store The one that got away looked like everyone that came before But somewhere in her heart there lurked a secret Something deep inside that she knew she had to lock away And all I wanted was to help her keep it I'm sure she'll see that when she's looking back on this, some day So here's to the one that got away The one that got away fought back until she was black and blue The one that got away had some issues we were working through But there were nights exhausted by emotion And her face stained by every tear I'd wiped away When I could see she understood the notion That if she'd let me, I could keep the whole damned world at bay So here's to the one that got away When she stabbed me in the back I half-expected it Still, I'd have had her heart If she hadn't protected it (Huh!) The one that got away suffered only superficial wounds The one that got away said I kept her in a cold, dark room But though she gave an accurate description To the nice policeman with the coffee on the plastic tray She turned down every offer of prescriptions You tell me why she wouldn't give those memories away So here's to the one that got away (Got away) (Got away) Here's to the one that got away (Got away) (Got away) Here's to the one... That got away (Got away) (Got away) (Got away) (She got away)
10.
It’s been a while since I’ve been anyone’s They tell me I should be out somewhere, chasing the setting sun And getting my head spun I think I’d rather sit here quietly Between my books and all these memories I never want for a heart to haunt So one, two, three Repeat after me I’m content to be Unaccompanied I don’t know why, but everybody seems to think I need A hit of methadone to dampen the withdrawal from you and me But I’m clean, can’t you see? Don’t get me wrong now, I’m not saying that If you should ever snap and want me back I wouldn’t come Babe, I’m damaged, not dumb Until then, one, two, three Repeat after me I’m content to be Unaccompanied I know I’m supposed to say I’m happier this way But that lie just won’t fit my mouth I’ve just learned to live without It’s been while since I felt anything I doused those flames, but I kept them smouldering I think there’s a chance I may still want to dance Until then, one, two, three Repeat after me I’m content to be Unaccompanied
11.
She was the kind of woman that you'd sketch if you could draw A mind to keep you on your toes, a heart inclined to thaw She made the boys all fall in love till they were raw When she chose me it must have stuck right in their craws It kills them by degrees That she puts up with me Now I'm the kind of guy that tends to stumble at first base The spectacles I used to wear at school still haunt my face I keep my action figures in a display case She keeps a toothbrush and spare knickers at my place Down on bended knee Cause she puts up with me And I shouldn't really brag About something so sacred But it must be a drag Knowing I've seen her naked It's all you ever imagined and more... A year into the marriage and the mood is turning mean We used to be "Love Story" now we're "Freebie and the Bean" She says she's seen me staring where the grass seems awfully green I tell her that she's crazy, ask her not to make a scene She must be easily pleased Cause she puts up with me And now she's packing everything her suitcase will permit As I wander round in circles looking for something to hit She says that she's a prisoner and she's being tied to fit And I don't have the courage left to ask her not to quit Cause I can't quite believe That she puts up with me
12.
How do you get someone out of your head If they’ve been drunk or mad enough to share your bed Is there a book I'm supposed to have read That explains it all? Should I stride down the street with a confident gait? With my heart set to stone and my tongue to berate? Puffed up with pride and relying on fate To cushion my fall Cause I know that I'm just as dumb as a brick Cause I'm too old to be feeling this dizzy and sick And I know I might have made a damned fool of myself But darling you helped How do you get someone out of your heart When the ending’s commenced before anything starts Is there a way we can skip to the part Where this all makes sense? Cause I know that I'm just as dumb as a brick Cause I'm too old to be feeling this dizzy and sick And I know I might have made a damned fool of myself But darling you helped Am I making this harder, than it needs to be? I could play it much smarter But that wouldn’t be me. Oh and I know that I'm just as dumb as a brick And I'm too old to be feeling this dizzy and sick And I know I might have made a damned fool of myself But darling you helped Oh and I know that I'm just as dumb as a brick Cause I'm too old to be feeling this dizzy and sick And I know I might have made a damned fool of myself But darling you helped Darling you helped.
13.
I feel useless And insecure And I'm not sure I want to do this anymore I'd rather be right than Be left out of the war And ignorant is better than ignored That’s more like it That’s more like it That's the man I recognise That’s more like it That’s more like it Help me off with this disguise I may disagree with everything you say But I wouldn’t want any other way How else could I be sure whom I'm supposed to blame When I expose the truth, don’t say my name That’s more like it That’s more like it That's the man I recognise That’s more like it That’s more like it Help me off with this disguise I'm so tired of being kind And understanding It hasn’t brought me peace of mind Or improved my standing Cruelty helps me unwind I'm just keeping my hand in I didn’t come here to explore or to explain If I seem defensive, it's all part of the campaign I bruise so easily, but I pass on the pain I don’t need your leave to remain That’s more like it That’s more like it That's the man I recognise That’s more like it That’s more like it Help me off with this disguise Help me off with this disguise Help me off with this disguise
14.
FFS 04:12
You say your life is complicated And you need to take a break From all of your responsibilities Oh, for fuck’s sake You say nothing worked out quite the way you planned And sometimes you feel like such a fake Daddy’s more to blame than you are Oh, for fuck’s sake You say that you’re just trying to do your best Guess we’d better pin a medal on your chest You say that the world has gone to Hell And it’s up to you to set it straight ‘Cause some hippie came a cropper for your sins For fuck’s sake You stand up for “family values”, so I guess you must have earned the right to hate The countless things that you don’t understand Oh, for fuck’s sake You must sleep soundly, knowing God is on your side Eyes shut tightly as you’re taken for a ride Did it never occur to you not to be Such ludicrous, pointless non-entities? I mean, for fuck’s sake, just look what you’ve done to me I fight the good fight valiantly I’ve always got my little point to make If they would only pay attention to me, Oh, for fuck’s sake I’m such a goddamn visionary I rant and I pontificate If only I had just been laid more often Oh, for fuck’s sake If there’s a grip to get, it’s probably round my throat At least I’m confident you’ll find the time to gloat
15.
My Turn 04:32
Do you have a moment for me? I’ve been stockpiling my words I know sometimes you think I’m dangerous But we both know that I’m absurd And though it’s all too much for me today Don’t hold my head against my heart I won’t pretend that I’ll be okay But it’s not my turn to fall apart And if a friend should just chance to see you If you should meet her on the street And pass my best wishes along And she asks if I'm on my feet I’ve asked them not to make it obvious Just smile and tell her I'm alright I’ve been a mess since you’ve been gone She needn’t know about the nights Because it’s all too much for me today Making this bruised second-hand start And I don’t know if you’ve re-joined the fray But it’s not my turn to fall apart Do you keep a picture of me? Or have I slipped out of the frame? Have I been consigned to memory? Or to the purifying flame? Because it’s all too much for me today My sweetest vices have grown tart And though I know my fears won’t be allayed It’s not my turn to fall It’s not my turn to fall It’s not my turn to fall apart
16.
Now You Know 03:23
I've been trying to parse my parlez-vous But I have been defeated With every word I fail to use My sentence is completed Should I be so bold As to lay it on the line? Cause there’s a truth I'm told That is emblazoned on your spine I’d like to double your entendre And tack two letters onto fond So now you know I have been struck dumb By this fantasy I'm nursing Cause somewhere between cats and tongues Lies the poetry of cursing I don’t want to make Us the talk of the town But that’s a risk I'll take To hear your breath catch on that sound I'll ply my linguistics with guile And part your lips into a smile So now you know I might be imperfect I might make you tense I might be leaning too hard On this tortured eloquence But I am more than willing To provide hard evidence Is any of this making sense? These days I am more at ease With set-ups than denouements So steer me through the silence please I'll say whatever you want Now I've made it clear I hope you're more moved than disturbed Because I need you here With your noun up against my verb I'll put the moan back into mime And turn you on a paradigm So now you know What you gonna do about it, now you know? (So now you know) (Now you know, now you know, now you know, now you know) What you gonna do about it, now you know? (So now you know) (Now you know, now you know, now you know, now you know) What you gonna do about it, now you know? (So now you know) (Now you know, now you know, now you know, now you know) What you gonna do about it, now you know? (So now you know) (Now you know, now you know, now you know, now you know)
17.
I have this conversation with you, even when I’m on my own In which you will me happy and I seem too keen to die alone You trade gestures with the clock’s hands And raise your causes for alarm And then you hold affection And the end of one extended arm But I like you best That’s all I’m really trying to say I like you best And I wished you’d stayed Do you imagine, I don’t get the same damn speech from all my friends I have a bingo card that’s marked from “Que sera” to “All good things must end” I resist romanticising, sepia’s out and basic black’s back in And I don’t need reminding of what I’m not meant to be missing Cause I like you best That’s all I’m really trying to say I like you best And I wished you’d stayed I know that it's no use This is nothing that you haven’t heard But if I stand accused – let it be for Finally keeping my word I promise that I’m listening I get the message loud and clear But it would be a shoddy love That required you to be here But I like you best That’s all I’m really trying to say I like you best And I wished you’d stayed
18.
We used to strut like peacocks Wearing our best shit-eating grins Used to dance along the tightrope between sentiment and sin With one eye on the calendar and one eye on the gin Now we’re not talking much at all Our friends all played Cassandra Warned us how badly we’d get burned Still we sealed ourselves inside your room And watched as the world turned Still, it’s no big secret – borrowed time must be returned And we’re talking much at all Do those memories fade? Behind these barricades? With dialogue by Oscar And a plot conceived by Proust It’s damn near impossible to locate les mots juste Now all of these inconvenient truths have come home to roost And we’re not talking much at all Do those memories fade? Behind these barricades?
19.
There is a face, that used to wear my name Now it’s held in place, by amber and cellophane Eyes so bright and bold and yet so easily deceived With a certainty of which they soon will be relieved So don’t Don’t take my picture Cause I’m not sure that I would ever live it down No don’t Don’t take my picture Remember me the way I was when you first found me. This is the place, where I will stake my claim Carefully lit and bordered with a frame A kiss that lingered, just this side of need A thought that fought to keep up with the shutter speed. So don’t Don’t take my picture Cause I’m not sure that I would ever live it down No don’t Don’t take my picture Remember me the way I was when you first found me Dim the lights and dip the strips in turpentine Avert your eyes, I promise there is nothing left round here For you to find This is the grace that I have tried to tame The prudence I transformed into a waiting game Lies so crass and cold and yet so easily believed A portrait of the blow about to be received So don’t Don’t take my picture Cause I don’t think that I’d ever live it down No, don’t Don’t take my picture Remember the way I was When you first found me So don’t Don’t take my picture Cause I don’t think that I’d ever live it down No, don’t Don’t take my picture Remember the way I was When you first found me
20.
Charlotte 04:12
Charlotte, I didn't do a goddamn thing I stepped from all the noise and answered on the second ring Charlotte, I was where I said I'd be And I think you've got a nerve to say it's you that can't trust me Cause it's you who always bails When the wind vacates our sails And your friends start telling tales Charlotte, you're taking the... Pistol that you load with such distaste And firing it at random targets, backasswardly saving face Charlotte, still your lips and use your ears I'm drunk enough to tell the truth and taste the glycerin in your tears Cause it's you who always bails When the wind vacates our sails And your friends start telling tales Charlotte, you're taking the... Mystery and the thrills that we once prized And twisting them into cheap alibis You dream up all these other girls From beneath those other guys Charlotte, I loved you once But I've forgotten why Charlotte, kindly stop wasting my time I can't decide which to suggest that you grow first: heart, brain or spine Charlotte, there's a line drawn in the sand If you're so desperate to step over, I'd quite gladly lend a hand Cause it's you who always bails When the wind vacates our sails And your friends start telling tales Charlotte, you're taking the piss Charlotte, you're taking the piss Charlotte, you're taking the piss Charlotte, you're taking the piss Charlotte, you're taking the piss
21.
Baby, Wait 04:08
Everything’s polished and pristine I keep myself under control and I keep my nose clean Your finger trails in search of dust But nothing as small as the truth could ever replace trust, and... All I want you to say Is as much as you hate me You’re going to stay Baby, wait A line of bottles on the curb That used to carry me tween distilled and disturbed May rattle empty in the breeze Still you’re convinced that you'll catch wind of a reprise, and... All I want you to say Is as much as you hate me You’re going to stay Baby, wait We were consumed by hunger Till I extinguished it with thirst Still something has to give Just say the word and I'll surrender first For all the tears I made you cry I know now how much more it hurt When they finally ran dry You say that people never change That may be true but I'm prepared to rearrange and All I want you to say Is as much as you hate me You’re going to stay Baby, wait
22.
She Sang 04:24
It wasn't even raining The night the bulb blew There wasn't even wine upon her breath No adolescent fumbling At the buttons on her coat Just silence and the opposite of death But she sang Oh, she sang She sang in the shadows Yes, she sang Oh how she sang She sang in the shadows It was the beginning Of a story to replace The one who's final page had been torn out No sorrow underpinning The resumption of regret No stirrings in the souls of the devout Still she sang Oh, she sang She sang in the shadows Yes, she sang Oh, how she sang She sang in the shadows Perfect And private And stolen This lack Of anyone To whom she is beholden It wasn't really anything That she'd write home about There would be too many details to redact But it was what she needed And she found it in The breath between the impulse and the act When she sang Oh, how she sang She sang in the shadows Yes, she sang Oh, how she sang She sang in the shadows Yes, she sang Oh, how she sang She sang in the shadows Yes, she sang Oh, how she sang She sang in the shadows
23.
This is a hard one to call Usually I'd argue you never existed at all Tonight you just seem lost and small My darling, decisions were made Hard at the time, even harder once the price was paid Would you be with me now if I'd stayed? Cause I think you would have liked it here I think you would have liked it here Mothers and fathers will fight Especially when one of them walks out On their vows one night And all that love turns to spite Harsh words were spoken, it's true Tell myself now I'd have tempered them if I knew That there was a chance of you Cause I think you would have liked it here I think you would have liked it here You have two sisters now You could have bossed around They’d have looked up to you We would have muddled through It’s not something on which I dwell But now that I'm older, I know what I missed far too well There’s nobody left to tell Nothing to put in a frame No one to forgive me or Tell me I wasn’t to blame You’d have had my eyes and his name whichever makes more sense to you) And I think you would have liked it here I think you would have liked it here I think you would have liked it here
24.
Act III 02:40
Was this how it was meant to be? Weren’t we supposed to get our shit together in Act Three? Instead, they’re spreading rumours on the grand marquee As inside, someone else’s name goes crawling up the screen Now wind it back Wind it back Was this the line I chose to toe? I jumped the queue, then hit the bar and missed the show We used to strike our bargains in the dark, back row But the second it felt real, the second reel began to slow So wind it back (Let me take that line again, with less volume and more attack) Wind it back (We’re burning daylight. Gotta get this schedule back on track) And if it seems the same old story: The camera lied Was this who I was meant to be? The archetypal misfit, wrestling his mortality? I could have called for rewrites on that tired old scene But I sacrificed the narrative for continuity Now wind it back Wind it back Wind it back Wind it back
25.
You looked so handsome in Your top hat and tails And I felt beautiful Behind my mother's veil The men all proudly pressed the flesh As the women cried for England Your friends all wore their uniforms And their Italian suntans The world had barely caught its breath So they rode the coattails of our joy You'd been to war and cheated death Unlike so many brave young boys But as the music ebbs away And the well-wishers gather round I feel my heart sink in my chest I know I'm going to let you down Cause I'm not built for that nonsense You were so patient then As life had ceased to be Hauled your kit aboard the train And headed overseas Laid there alone and thought of me Through all those years of blood and gore As your friends shed their uniforms And danced with Italian whores And now I try to catch my breath Long enough for me to explain I'm still the same girl that you left But I fear you've waited in vain For though I love with all my heart My body feels deaf, dumb and blind There is a passion in your eyes I have tried and failed to find Cause I'm not built for that nonsense I can't even pretend that I understand it Though I know you ache for it so Darling, I can't stand the thought of your hands on me But I'd die if you were to go You look so handsome in That suit, once saved for Sundays Out in the garden where Our children used to play The man who proudly pressed the flesh While I thought of England We all have duties to perform And I did mine at your command For all these years I've held my breath And hope you didn't see the signs I even faked those little deaths As you redrew that battle lines It's not a choice that I regret You've always been so good to me At least our generation kept Our secrets off the TV Cause I'm not built for that nonsense No, I'm not built for that nonsense I said, no, I'm not built for that nonsense No, I'm not built for that nonsense No, I'm not built for that nonsense No, I'm not built for that nonsense
26.
I never learned to behave At all conscientiously I’ve been a fool and a knave Seditious and sedentary I wouldn’t say I’m afraid I just know I’m not brave So tell me one more time I can do anything Except lose my mind Tell me I need to survive Tell me I need to survive I could have sworn that you said This wasn’t forever And now I can’t get out of bed I’m more fulcrum than lever It’s probably all in my head Either that or I’m dead So tell me one more time I can do anything Except lose my mind Tell me I need to survive Tell me I need to survive the night Even if by rote I’ll put up a fight If you will hold my coat I sidled up to the edge To watch the storm rolling in I gave you my solemn pledge I was in control of him Now I’m out here on the ledge With no bet left to hedge So tell me one more time I can do anything Except lose my mind Tell me I need to survive Tell me I need to survive Tell me I need to survive Tell me I need to survive
27.
Second Drum 04:41
I used to think that this would be the death of me Being right ain’t all that it’s cracked up to be And, so, as I slip from fortunate and bold To overtaxed and undersold I’m listening for a distant hum And waiting on a second drum To tell me I’m in time Sometimes, I think my grasp has overshot my reach Trying to catch the rhythm of another rousing speech So, if I tend to repeat myself these days It’s more memory loss than it’s malaise Cause I’m just listening for the distant hum (Distant hum) And waiting on a second drum (Second drum) To tell me I’m in time I keep hope on the periphery Shimmering in the corner of my eye Because there’s so little mystery In an old man’s suicide There was a moment there, when I thought I was done That’ll teach me to stare directly at the sun For now, I’ll blink and miss you, but this much remains true I still don’t know what else to do Except listen for the distant hum (Distant hum) And wait upon a second drum (Second drum) To tell me I’m in time Second drum Second drum The bruise that followed the punchline (Tell me I’m in time) Concealed badly, by design (Tell me I’m in time) Has seeped beneath my skin like wine (Tell me I’m in time) Cause I’m no quitter, just resigned Tell me I’m in time Tell me I’m in time Tell me I’m in time Tell me I'm in time
28.
Sweet 04:41
He left broken glasses drying There on the side of the sink As the party ended Cause he’d had too much to drink He told her what he’d been thinking Without giving it a thought She said she’d be home tomorrow It’s tomorrow, and she’s not There’s nothing to learn here That he couldn’t learn on the street And nothing left to say, dear But wasn’t the best of it sweet Now he’s standing on the corner Trying to gather enough rope He knows he’s become a cliché He was aiming for a trope Despite the distance that he’s fallen He can’t seem to pick up speed But he knows a guy who’s good for A little bourbon and some weed There’s nothing to learn here To sweep her back off her feet And nothing left to say, dear But wasn’t the best of it sweet Come the dawn, he’ll start to wonder Could it have gone another way? Could he have been forgiven? Would he even want to stay? He finds broken glasses lurking In the coat in which he slept Finds himself seeking water Though he’s drowning in the depths The whole thing’s become a mystery Without first or final page Misery casts off companions When you reach a certain age. There’s nothing to learn here To make him feel less incomplete And nothing left to say, dear But wasn’t the best of it sweet
29.
He stumbles blindly to the water Clutching a photograph of someone else’s daughter He selects the perfect stone Curls it in his fist It skims the surface with An innocence that he has missed And I Who lay by his side Never doubting how hard he tried Can’t hide From the pull of that tide She’s free to leave if she so chooses He knows his business though, you never see the bruises She writes the letter in Terms he will understand And hangs it underneath The pencil tracing of a hand And I Who lay by her side Never certain for whom she cried Can’t hide From the knot that she tied Should I not have made promises (Don't be afraid) I was never entitled to keep? (I'll keep you safe) It never occurred to me honestly (I won't be ashamed) That they’d cheat (To meet your gaze) They know they’re too well-dressed for sleeping But it’s their final chance, to look good before leaping They drop the needle to That weather-worn shellac And disappear into A strain that once had held them back And I Who lay by their side Mistaking sated for satisfied Can’t hide From the cost of these lives
30.
I used to be pretty I think that I... used to be pretty There was a time, had I been inclined I could have flaunted my visage with pride But here past my prime I'm unjustly maligned Now my exterior fits my insides Cause I used to be pretty I think I used to be wanted I hope that I... used to be wanted Sometimes it slips to the back of my mind Those fingertips tracing the length of my spine The pause at the tripwire The leap to the mine Lips stumbling over each quotable line Because I used to be wanted I hope I used to be everything to someone else Never cared too much for myself I used to be someone I swear that I used to be someone But I grasped at a fame I was never allowed Sidestepped the blame and reviled the crowd Made my grand claims with my head in the clouds Sullied the named that they’ve forgotten now Because I used to be someone I used to be wanted And I used to be pretty I think
31.
The streets seem unnaturally solemn As the vigillers’ candles burn low There’s blood on the newspaper columns Suggesting it’s high time to go In the belly of the beautiful In the belly of the beautiful With our faux army greatcoats and tramp bags Filled with silver engraved with our names We march past the skeletal Reichstag From which they apportion the blame In the belly of the beautiful In the belly of the beautiful There at half-mast Flies a flag gone insane Elect and electorate growing estranged Now at the dockyard we shuffle our feet To urge some warmth into our bones History like TV is full of repeats So we sail for a tolerant home In the belly of the beautiful In the belly of the beautiful From the belly of the beautiful In the belly of the beautiful
32.
I'm sorry to disturb your rest I couldn't wait for the urge to pass I should have called first, I guess But there's a crack in my hourglass Another motherfucker's set the world alight And I don't have the luxury of being right I don't care where we go But baby we have to go now There's no time left to take it slow Baby, we have to go now I've got the kids out in the car They think we're going to Disneyland I really doubt we'll get that far But I think that they'll understand Because I left the radio on And they're old enough to figure out What's going on Shake that compass, roll those dice Baby, we have to go now We'll improvise the imprecise Baby, we have to go now We can bark and we can bite We can fuss and we fight Or we could just pack up tonight And go This is me casting my vote I know we've wished each other well And wrote off our mounting debts But I can hear the peal of that cruel bell As they dish out last cigarettes We can't risk another knockout bout So let's just run before our legs finally give out I don't care where we go But baby we have to go now There's no time left to take it slow Baby, we have to go now Baby, we have to go now Baby, we have to go now Baby, we have to go...
33.
Tracey was a waitress With two kids, a heroin habit, a husband who frequented prostitutes, so She tried out for the talent show Queued up alongside the hopeless and hopeful Each of them desperate to dig themselves out of a hole Tell the whole damned world where they can go It’s all lapped up By a bored, boring and indolent populace Fill their cups, up With lager, their papers with breasts Won’t you give it a rest? Interviewed half in tears by a presenter Fresh from children’s telly, with fetishes for older men And a good spanking now and then Tracey tells stories ‘bout singing with hairbrushes Plays Cinderella waiting for a ball to attend Then she breaks down and cries again Offering crumbs Of a dream translated from the American To those numb, from Bankruptcy proceedings and pregnancy tests Won’t you give it a rest? And your fabled 15 minutes Will be cut down for adverts, you’ll see Rock ‘N’ Roll stardom in easy instalments Musical instrument sold separately Sandwiched between the beleaguered and bitter ‘Tween has beens and harridans, Belt buckle under his chin, Quentin ushers our Tracey in She throws her head back, lets loose a vibrato That rattles his molars and notifies his next of kin His tongue sharpens behind a grin And we all get off Though the punishment’s cruel and unusual Turn and softly, cough For the man that we love to detest Won’t you give it a rest? Tracey’s hysterical, as they berate her Begs for another chance, to take her place in The Sun And prove her worth to everyone Quentin sees something he’ll maintain is moxie Has more to do with the zipper he’s slyly undone Let’s take a look at what she’s won It’s been fun, But within a year she’s descending the alphabet Number one, spun Into chances to watch her undress Won’t you give it a rest?
34.
I loved you fervently for as long as you let me Now I’m troubled by the chilling thought that you’ll forget me I can bear being apart But not absent from your heart So kindly reassure me you at least regret me and… Let me be your signature mistake Whatever other blunders you may make Whatever other hearts you deign to break Please just let me be your signature mistake I saw it in your eyes at both ends of the story This was only ever going to lead to guts or glory But I am willing to make do With somewhere in between the two So tell me all the ways it costs you to ignore me and Let me be your signature mistake Whatever other blunders you may make Whatever other hearts you deign to break Please just let me be your signature mistake If it can’t be forever Then instead this lesser tether Forged in the same flame where you can’t fake Your signature mistake I have no right to ask, no reason to expect it But let me linger in the faint red light above the exit I promise I won’t make a sound But on the off-chance that you come round And maybe stray beyond the boundaries I’ve respected then... Let me be your signature mistake Whatever other blunders you may make Whatever other hearts you design to break Please just let me be your signature mistake Let me be your signature mistake Let me be your signature mistake
35.
I could tell you my heart's broken And I don't think it'll ever mend You'd just hear those cliches spoken Off the cuff, time and time again It's too late in the game And the novelty's palled Words are all that remain And sad songs say fuck all I could say I'm lost without you As though I knew were I was before You gave me no cause to doubt you My faith was misplaced on the killing floor I could make myself plane Now the engines have stalled My mood waxes and wanes But sad songs say fuck all At least if I'm singing I'm not crying That's something We should all be grateful for Now the beast has been tamed And the tales have grown tall They tell me it's time to refrain But sad songs say fuck all Sad songs say fuck all You can't expect me to translate the best of me Into the metre of doleful soliloquy The sum of what we were, refuses to transfer To internal rhymes or to dubious metaphor Morose and sedentary, bronzing my memories Grasping at my last relapse into melody I should have said before, everything heretofore Waited to open my mouth, 'til you shut the door Major to minor, from public to personal Try as you might, nothing softens the fall Because sad songs say fuck all
36.
In Summation 01:33
Now that all the big words have been said Maybe it's high time we put this to bed Trust me, nothing would please me more But I have a set of particular skills I'm good at rhyming and at overkill And that's two for two, if you've been keeping score In summation I don't know what earthly good this will do In summation I just hope you know it was for you

credits

released January 31, 2023

Produced by Kenton Hall, Chris Ilett & Brett Richardson

The Necessary Measures 2023:

Kenton Hall
John Barrow
Paulina Faustova
Marion Fleetwood
Scarlet Hall
Hero Hall
Les Hayden
Mark Haynes
Chris Ilett
Pete James
Billy Mallon
John McCourt
Lincoln W Plow
Brett Richardson

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Kenton Hall & The Necessary Measures Leicester, UK

Kenton Hall is a Canadian actor, author, director and musician.

For many years, he was the lead singer of the band ist (istianity.bandcamp.com).

He also wrote and directed the feature film A Dozen Summers and his first book, Bisection, about living and parenting with bipolar disorder was published in 2019.

His first solo album Idiopath will be released in autumn 2022.
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