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the fifth circle

by ilyAIMY

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1.
Drown 05:11
It's all the past-tense beautiful ones They're working in these bars They keep the lights dimmed down down down In the hope that the years don't grow And they raised up their eyes in revolution And they open up their mouths A gutter baptism won't ever save you baby But it won't be suicide if you drown I'm too young to hate the games you play my friend And I'm too old to turn you down You want a love what leaves bruises where he pleases I'll try And all the young ones if they're still young enough to run They're better than me still Their hungry eyes seek out the strongest longest best But they're just angry at the rest They open up their thighs in revolution And they open up their mouths Some will learn to fight down down upon their knees Most will just drown I'm too old to play the games you play my friend But I'm too young to turn them down You want a love what leaves bruises where he pleases I'll try And yet you always cut the deepest And yet you always fly away Dry out your flesh on me They will burn you anyways They will burn you anyways They will burn you anyways And what of me and all this noise I bring I'm still working in these bars I keep the lights dimmed down down down down In the hope that the years don't show I raised up my voice in revolution And I opened up my mouth One more angel in these legions I'm just waiting to be drowned Out And I will always cut the deepest And I will always fly away Dry out your flesh on me I will love you anyways I will love you anyways I will love you anyways
2.
Pine 04:04
There's a beauty to soft woods with knots that untangle easily by chisel, easier by saw but press a finger deep and you may even dent the surface like talc, parading as a rock, one scratch removed from dust No my grain is not complicated But my heart is solid and well-made Pleasantly understated and I might be the wood But you're the lathe No, I'm not too proud to bend to fit the space I'm given You can cut the dovetails right into my spine For you I would crush myself to paper and drink up your every word like wine No, my grain is not complicated But my heart is solid and it is well-made And I might be just pleasantly understated and I might be the wood But you're gonna pine I might be scraped and scarred, but they say I've got a lot of character. And I will probably fail to warm you by the fire that you make here. Every day I get less new but maybe more amazing, but I promise I'm in progress and i might be worth the waiting. I wish I could have been born purple heart I'd love to bleed like that hearing everyone say how pretty when they saw me in half but in me's a sweetness untapped. You take me down when the year if over just one more past-tense passion it's time to put away and all the sparkle you put on me is boxed up for next year's love, next year's tree. And I will let you put me in a box just as long as it is mine one day they will bury me in a redundant skin people are buried in me all the time. I don't know when I started believing to be good you have to be defeated so I am good but I am lonely. I am good but I am lonely. I tried to slip a splinter underneath your skin when you weren't looking. you weren't looking. But I missed. ©2003 heather lloyd
3.
Frightnened beyond belief It had no mind The rabbit brought itself to bear On his whitened eye Frustrated, grew in numbers Multiplied we keep them running We focused on his head His brain was reeling, it's all too real Gunshot spoke Focused on his lack of mind He came dying He came dying, we helped him die Frustrated beyond belief The knife blade it simply went too deep The rabbit's eyes rolled The burrows were flooding And heads were rolling Or going to roll And the alleys were flooding And I've just about reached that point "The city burns tonight!" I cried Paws lying at my side I was lying soiled on my side Glamour worn to skin I am all that's left of sin And I have lost my fight Yeah I have lost my fight Taking the great white tower Wasn't as easy as it looked Their man kept leaping back (Man kept leaping back) His eyes were full of doubt But his teeth were full of rage And he came flying He came flying so high It was a grey day Much greyer than you might think The heat was too much They all dropped who couldn't take the heat The rabbits dropped like rabbits And you know they dropped like flies But they kept on coming Kept them coming "The city burns tonight" I cried Paws at my side I was lying soiled on my side Glamour worn to skin I am all that's left of sin And I have lost my fight Yeah I have lost my fight The march of the rabbit took too long Satisfaction was guarenteed They marched too long They starved too long They left the rabbit to the dead They were lying rotting on their sides The hare left their skulls They still line that They still line that They still line that They still line that road The cross I bear Is too much to bear I fear I hear It all falling through We are watching We are watching with our bright pink eyes Our bright pink eyes, well Frightened beyond belief It multiplied Heads were rolling And you know we dropped like flies We burned the tower down We burned the tower down We burned the tower down We burned the tower down "The city burns tonight!" I cried Paws at my side I was lying soiled on my side And I've been left for dead More than once I've lost my head But I won't lose my fight No I won't lose my fight No I won't lose my fight I won't lose my fight ©1998 rob hinkal
4.
In The Water 06:26
It's cold down here, but I am used to the chill, And the fish are more friendly now than when at first I fell, And the weeds are quicker to dance than when my eyes first closed. It is my secret hiding place - nobody else knows. It's dark down here, but I am used to the dim, And I have the minnows to teach me how to swim. And I can stay under longer now than even you or dad, And I'm heavy as a stone and I’m light as a lily pad. Don't worry mother, I have found another home. You'll find me in the water. You'll find me in the water. I know you told me not to stray away too far from home, And to stay away from strangers who would do me harm, But he promised I could be the Lady of the Lake, But he lied because I died just up there in the cave. But a storm kept his promise and carried me to the deep. I wear water flowers in my hair and mud between my feet. Don't cry for me mother, I have found another home. You'll find me in the water. You'll find me. Muddy water keeps a secret better than if you lock it up And throw away the key. Hush now, Hush now. Go to sleep. Breathe. So, I like to tease the rowboats, tickle their bellies, white. And free fish from hook and net, while boatmen turn their eyes. They blame it on the hour, on the season, on their luck, But the trick is it's me all along, they never think to look. Don't lose sleep for me mother, I have found another home. You'll find me in the water. You'll find me. © Heather Lloyd
5.
Valeri 07:38
The flesh in my bones is not quite as thick as it used to be Some days I think that the ridges in the tips of my fingers have been worn away I load my back with 16 tons I'm listening hard for the camel crack When Fear brought the church to me I thought I'd Touched stained glass for far too long My fingers yellowed, my fingers stained You died in glass that was stained that color. I found you soft in a cold, dark place, eyes so wide I could barely see the whites. In a cold dark place I could not find the softest part In your eyes In your eyes The flesh in my bones is not quite as lush as I thought it was now I find I'm as soft as a cat I load my head with 16 tons I'm listening hard for that that I hope is there I have been told what to do, what to be, what I cannot be. I have been many things I don't even know what I want to be I hope I am much stronger for these things that I have been I thing too clear, too dear, too cold, I fear I fear I see the bottom of the sea A thing to clear She was ice green clouded over She faded fast as she faded fast As the sun came clear. As the sun came clear. I hunt this photograph that binds you to me I hunt this dream that I thought was part of you and me I burn the locket, I collect this ash, I hold the dust, I hold it dear until the sun came clear. Until the sun came clear. I hunt this photograph that binds you to me I hunt this dream that I thought was part of you and me I burn the locket, I collect this ash, I hold the dust, I hold it dear until the sun came clear. Until the sun came clear. You know I held you so dear. Like Mary in the sky a small blond skull turned to me It's time for me to leave Nothing left but the creature in the corner Nothing left but the beast behind the door I let loose, I screamed at the storm I could have saved her I could have saved her I could have saved her I could have saved her If I'd only had the time. If I'd only had the time. If I'd only took the time. The flesh on her bones is no longer on her bones, It has seeped, been stripped it has found and wound it's way And open, the eyes lie live at the bottom of the sea They lie accusing me, They lie accusing me of everything I wish I could be in her eyes. In her eyes. In her eyes. ©1997 rob hinkal
6.
I'm so tired of water. Three inches of rain in the passenger side. The intestines of cassette tapes are shining at the curb, begging just one more play, begging just one more ride, but I just keep driving. I just keep driving. You close your eyes, three inches away in the passenger side. James is on the radio singing, "Don't let me be loney," as I turn off the headlights, take two states by moonlight, I can't stop driving. I can't stop driving. (chorus) And you say, "Baby, it's alright, the rain's subsiding. We might even be dry tonight." My wheels aren't even touching the ground. We're flying on faith that the engine will hold. Keep us going. Keep us going. (chorus) I'm so tired of highway. Three miles to the toll at the coming state line. No quarters but this quarter tank, we search our empty hands. As Illinois is overflowing, we hope for a little change here inside, so we can keep driving. So we can keep driving. (chorus) © Heather Lloyd
7.
Pocketing 04:57
in the pockets of my jeans are all the things that I might need it's cash and coins and nails and string I keep my courage in my pocket I keep my armour and my strut right next to lint and fingertips and change but I lay down and feel that creeping crawling feeling as it all just slips away give me time it's a slow drift motion condoms, nails and guitar strings they migrate slowly round the room from bed to floor and back again I keep them within reach the nails are tell-tale where I keep the knife is all they ever seem to need to know so what is this? a gift a shelf an open box? consolidation it is my enemy I am cancer creeping crawling feeling hard to remove rooted deeply I'm dreaming dreaming nightmare screaming I'm thinking of my leaving in the pockets of your old jeans are all the things that I might need it's cash and coins and nails and string I kept my courage in that pocket I keep my armour and my strut right next to space for fingertips and change but I stand up and feel that creeping crawling feeling no gift like that of gravity to keep my conscience clean but I stand up and felt that creeping crawling feeling no gift like that of gravity to keep my conscience clean ©2004 rob hinkal
8.
The days are getting cold - Ther’ll be coats this Halloween. All the children are disappointed, all their sequins will go unseen. And the pirates and the goblins will steal you far away from me, leave me nothing but hollow faces, all used up of their flame. (chorus) There’s a whisper in my blood of something darker in the road, but if I can just make it ‘cross the bridge before the horseman runs me down, runs me down. The leaves are not the only ones who are losing all their green, shedding red glitter from my shoes no place is home this Halloween. And I cannot reattach all that has fallen away. That road doesn’t lead me back and there’s nowhere I can stay to rest … To stop this pounding in my chest. (chorus) No place is home. No place is home. No place is home. Please invite me to come inside – I can stay young one more night. Underneath this half-moon safety, we've got the rest of our lives. (chorus) © Heather Lloyd
9.
Bulldozer 04:37
Oh those men they frighten me with their talk of cars and guns and I was hoping you might comfort me with sense and eyes and skin breathing is the moment it's the moment caught inside of you it's the purging of the past so when I lie beside you breathing the moment's all I ask yeah the moment's all I ask Oh those men they frighten me when they talk their righteous talk they took out a church my Grandfather's spring and hush now baby, you know they can not bulldoze everything breathing in your hair I hold you here in my heart I ask you to hold me there as well I'm weeping it's like satin slipping glass it's like the moment is slipping past and this moment is all I have sharp wit shatters silence and sharp wit shatters bone I sense frustration in you under-estimated I'm cutting up the time like a clock keep your voice beneath me I know it keeps your breathing easy but keep your voice beneath me because you know you still are breathing and oh you know you frighten me with your talk of boys and fun and I was hoping you might comfort me I was hoping you might cover I was hoping you might breathe with me I was hoping you might breathe. ©2000 rob hinkal
10.
Rob's Lament 04:45
This space is getting smaller now in an instant inward goes the frame Schwarzschild would be proud of the compression of his equations as we tighten up the grip as we tighten up our eyes as we tighten up our belts this space is buckling all the while ~~ a hairline at the corner it's forming into fracture she's already cursing but I'm just looking up ~~ this space is getting smaller now I know you know that I had dreamed of something bigger for all these dreams and all the wiles and all the songs and all the miles this dream will lose some inches at 60 miles an hour ~~ fracture stresses structure the cylinders are trembling and there's something steel and hungry and it's coming through the hood ~~ and I don't think it's known how a car is like a gun but exploding gets you nowhere see, it's all in the control 'cause halfway out it falls back in and I'm falling in again yes, I'm falling in again... well, I've been focused all the while on the dreams and on the miles never noting that emotion was what carried us so far so it's the silence of the start before the molecules were moving they've been shocked into this silence from which nothing can depart ~~ now this space is resting quiet Schwarzschild would be proud we didn't even half it but those six inches held the whole they talk of hearts of stars they don't mention souls of suns cut it out and crush it the physics always win. ~~ a fracture at the corner the dreams are leaking out she's already crying and I'm already angry but I'm just sitting looking out. a fracture at the corner the dreams are leaking out she's already crying but I'm just sitting looking out. © 2004 rob hinkal
11.
Strain 04:12
incomplete and left undone the chord fragmented left unsung city-born and city-bred I'll be lucky if I end up quick city dead the rats all mutter in the gutter in the sewer and the rush as they rat race home as a beast of burden I can carry my weight maybe I try too hard Back in the woods on a wood-lot trail working hard like an animal should be I write my songs in a backwoods bedroom I ignore the snore of the clockgear and I've been dead for the past six days that's more than Lazarus ever could claim back from the dead now look at me I'm as strong as I ever thought I could be. some people are better off dead some people shouldn't try so hard if they could then they would but they can't so they won't so you know you can rest here so you know you can rest here don't let them step on what these others now could become no no no! maybe it's the clock gear that keeps my blood going and here I thought it was my anger or my rage or my father or my sex drive, SOMETHING but maybe it's the fear of the gear and accompanying arm and the passage of time age and life, vitality, strife maybe it's the blood that keeps the heart pumping some people can't be left behind now that they've tried so hard Just cause they haven't doesn't mean that they won't so you know you can rest here so you know you can rest here don't let them bring down the bird that you now have become no no no! so they think they can break you maybe you believe that they can I know that they tried so fucking hard on me but I found the direction I was headed when I took a left turning at the wrong right turn spent a year light-headed now I'm better threaded together we will overcome this isn't what you're here for you were meant to go somewhere never what you were meant to do you never should have had to deal with all this STRAIN incomplete and left undone the chord fragmented but at least it's sung city-born and city-bred looks like I'm dying that slow suburban death the rats all mutter in the gutter in the sewer and the rush as they rat race home as a beast of burden I can carry your weight maybe I can help you home © rob hinkal
12.
Will 05:58
The rain came down Back washing alley ways Drowning men out of holes The water ran red As people lost skin And a frightened young man He looked down upon his toes He's in danger of getting his feet so wet Ships are tossing down in the harbour The wind is raising, the rain is pounding down Ships are sinking down in the harbour As the waves came up They climbed past the dykes They climbed past the fenceposts They snuck past the sentries And lapped at the locked tight doors As the rains came down down down down These are the martyrs and these are our prayers These are our lives Down in the harbour there forms a storm That could wipe us all clean of life Stick tight now and close your eyes now And hope the storm pass you by Then came a woman, a hero a martyr They called her Mary She needed no comfort Down in the harbour she walked in the sky She walked on the waves, she walked on water These are the martyrs and these are our prayers These are our lives They're given to us to do with as we see so fit Rest assured that I will Rest assured that we will Rest assured that we will Rest assured that we will With a 6 foot frame She walked on the ocean floor She shone like copper With a 6 foot frame She walked with the sun She walked too far high to see And she asked me to walk with her 6 foot tall with her She turned to me and whispered: "Don't fear the storm." #INSTRUMENTAL And now the water is 6 foot deep And the people in the mud, another 6 foot under It's a struggle, such a struggle to keep my head above water And I'm clinging on to Mary's shoulders And I'm standing up on Mary's shoulders And I'm weighing down on Mary's shoulders As she drowns These are the martyrs and these are our prayers These are our Lives They're given to us to do with as we see so fit Rest assured that I will Rest assured that I will Rest assured that I will, yeah ©1997 rob hinkal
13.
I bought a Che Guevara T-shirt and vowed my revolution, But I have yet to wear it – It’s still hanging in my closet beside the blue jeans I had on when we abandoned our stalemate. I know they’re the ones – There’s still ammunition in the pocket, and grass stains on the knees … (Chorus) It would have been easier by bayonet, by bullet, instead of by degrees, but we always were so stubborn, waiting on the wait and see … no stomach for execution. Ours is a language of pine cones and razorblades, codes unbreakable, but this flesh can only take so much. Like the paper of our letters, like the jeans that are my uniform, we are weaker than we think, more used up than we know, and worn out at the knees … CHORUS I am open to suggestion. I am open to solution. And in the quiet between fire, we could trade absolution. Cause I tell you that I doubt that we know what we are doing, And if you see a way out, I will follow you into it. You are not my enemy. You are not my enemy. We get no peace of armistice from these battles in our hearts - No one gets their way. No one gets away. We are the POWs of our abbreviated sin, wielding our grenades with all the pins half-in. And we are down upon our knees … CHORUS © Heather Lloyd
14.
Counting 04:44
I spent 8 hours driving yesterday Seems only 4 spent moving I spent since Friday on the road and roaring And since this morning I've been stalled It's been 4 days Since I last touched these strings That momentum could be hard to break I spend so much time so crunched up and cramped I feel like screaming I feel like screaming It's been 5 years Waiting for this day When I'll be leaving I'll be strutting when I'm leaving I spent 5 long years waiting for this release and release it is I've gleaned nothing save some man's idea that I'm better Than I was before When in truth, now I'm simply very very very very very very poor That fucker seemed so very distressed That fucker does nothing That fucker seems so very distressed Maybe that fucker would be better off dead The streets are clogged with the useless Thrice damned and nothing more Once cause born, twice cause living Thrice cause damned cause they live next door to each other And I'm thrice blessed and I bless my soul I can heave myself up out of this hole I count once cause born Twice cause living And I count you As I'm blessed thrice And I count you As I'm blessed thrice And I count you As I'm blessed thrice ©2006 rob hinkal

about

Returning to Puresound Studio for their latest effort, this is the first studio album reflecting ilyAIMY's current (as of 2006) line-up. More cohesive than any previous effort, the fifth circle follows a logical progression of water imagery, delving into relationships, passions, hatreds, Loves and fears with an almost frightening intensity.

credits

released January 1, 2006

rob Hinkal: vocals, acoustic guitar, baritone guitar, bass guitars, ebow & pseudo-dobro
Heather Lloyd: vocals, percussion, acoustic guitar
Sharif Kellogg: keyboards, bass guitar & smart-assery
Rowan Corbett: percussion, backing vocals
Amy Law: backing vocals (tracks 6 & 13)
Robert Burnett: violin (track 13)

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ilyAIMY Baltimore, Maryland

ilyAIMY is a percussive acoustic rock animal hailing from Baltimore, MD. Mixing genres from rock to folk to soul to bluegrass; flavours as varied as jazz and hip hop curl through what is undoubtedly one of the most exciting sounds in today’s folk(ish) music scene. Instrumentation includes acoustic guitars, cello, djembe, cajon, Irish bones, keyboard, bass, drums & harmonies. ... more

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