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The Devil's Toil

by Brian McGrath

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C Blane
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C Blane Very nice hypnotic sound. A very chilled out yet moody feel.
A great piece of work! Favorite track: Will You Dance With the Devil?.
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1.
Old World Dawn 04:18
lyrics
There's a cold dawn when the night's gone Lost our hold on right and wrong Blood and soil, endless toil Sing the Old World The Devil's song I've been smoking fine tobacco From my burled-walnut pipe I'm imbibing from my chalice On fine spirits of the night Not quite Hell or Heaven Somewhere in between We can feel it slipping No one to believe, to believe Painted smile, laughing wild Dagger hiding behind the back Gone too far now, bleed it out now The beasts are hungry, it's time to feed Not quite Hell or Heaven Somewhere in between We can feel it slipping No one to believe, to believe There's a cold dawn when the night's gone Losing hold of right and wrong Sing the Old World, The Devil's toil The debts come due now, it won't be long It won't be long...
2.
Will You Dance With the Devil? 03:54
lyrics
You've been gone for awhile Roamed this world mile by mile My dear child don't come home There's a monster out for your blood Will you dance with The Devil In the cold blue night? Or will you run for your covers In the fading light? Will you dance with The Devil? It's gonna be alright I can make you a promise Now why would I lie? Tell me... Hanging judge, a guilty man The whole town out for a laugh "Sinner!" whisper the crowd Fingers point all around Will you dance with The Devil In the cold blue night? Or will you run for your covers In the fading light? Oh will you dance with The Devil? It'll be alright I can make you a promise Just tell me why... Would I lie? Oh no never to you Why would I lie? Oh no no no not you I'm telling the truth Now tell me... You'll regret the day You let me in to stay I'm not going anywhere I will feed on your prayers
3.
Fire in the Night 03:15
lyrics
Oh the sea and the sky, and the burning rain There's a fire in the night, oh nothing remains And you never can tell when he'll be back again... Oh, I Born from the rubble, born from barren land Drunk on the pain of the marked and damned And you never can tell if he's enemy or friend... Oh, I Everywhere we've gone Everything we've seen On every living thing, The Devil's waiting to feed And the curse of indifference will cut you inside Leave you with nothing and nothing to hide You never can tell when the best of you died
4.
Dreams Run Wild 03:29
lyrics
Close your eyes Rest your head Broken thoughts better left unsaid Crooked crosses A burnt autumn sky Strangers' faces lit by lantern light Her body's burning Her soul cries out She says "I'm trying, but I can't go on" Rivers rising There's no higher ground Shouts through the night no longer make a sound So sleep awhile Let your dreams run wild While you can Unholy nightmares born of your dreams Lost all direction, caught in between The bonds we've broken Evil seeds we've sown A peace of mind that we will never know So sleep for awhile Just sleep for awhile Let your dreams run wild Run wild! Until it takes you by the hand An endless life, bride to the damned God, no! And your heart beats slow Then you're gone
5.
Thieves & the Midnight Breeze 03:51
lyrics
What I say, not what I do The truth bent to my will Ain't no use now, you can't escape Lord, you're gonna get your fill Ain't I pious? Ain't I free? Snow-white like a dove Come bask in the warm glow of my dark, twisted love Change your face darling, change your name Nightmares become dreams Breed a false truth from your lies As long as you believe in... Thieves in the midnight breeze Oh thieves, got you on your knees Beggin' please, please If you give it enough time You turn to what you hate Drawn to the dark edges Like a moth to a flame There's no better, there's no worse You're somewhere in between I'm gonna get my hold on you When no one is looking Change your face darling Change your name Nightmares become dreams Breed a false truth from your lies As long as you believe in... Thieves in the midnight breeze Oh thieves, got you on your knees I can take you higher! Higher above the pain I can take you higher! Look me in the eyes Would I lie? Would I lie?

about

"We are each our own devil, and we make this world our Hell."
- Oscar Wilde


"The Devil's Toil" is a project I wrote and recorded during the late summer of '18, immediately after the release of my last album "Into the Grey" (Aug. '18).

After taking over a year to write and complete "Into the Grey" which was pretty emotionally taxing, I wanted to find the joy in writing again. I gave myself a short window, wrote around a central theme, and kept it stripped back to essential elements.

"The Devil's Toil" is driven by characters, stories, and ruminations on the devil. My hope was to create a sense of a specific time and place, with an ominous breeze blowing through each song. What resulted is a stripped-back piece, just voice and guitar, and some really interesting songs.

It has been a pleasure working on this project. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have!

-Brian, 9/13/18

credits

released September 14, 2018

Words, Music, Performance by Brian McGrath.
Recorded, Mixed and Mastered by Brian McGrath.
©2018 Brian McGrath

Recorded in late summer '18 in Illinois.

Main cover image adapted from "Wax dolls being given to the devil" c/o the Wellcome Collection. Creative Commons.

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Brian McGrath Chicago, Illinois

Brian McGrath is a Folk & Americana Singer-Songwriter from Chicago and currently based in Madison, Wisconsin.

With intense, honest conviction tempered by Midwest sensibility and grit, the big man with a big voice tells tales of broken characters, desolate landscapes, and hopeful redemption all along the highways and byways of the American heartland.

McGrath's new album "The Lonely Hour" now out. ... more

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