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fox sparrow

by Alicia Penney

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    Fox Sparrow, Alicia Penney’s first full-length, professionally recorded solo album.

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1.
There's a hum that sings inside the black I can hear it when the air rushes in, beneath the burnt ozone draft It ain't coming from a wave or from the back of my head Because at times it has a voice and I've heard what it said I am a leaf on the wind I am a boat on the waves I am the wild, wandering river I am an object in space Shadows pass in front of darkened skies Nothing can escape their embrace, not even light I was a bright supernova their coldness destroyed They were souls once, who looked into the void I am a leaf on the wind I am a boat on the waves I am the wild, wandering river I am an object in space I don't need weather All I need is air I have seen better days
2.
Silver Thaw 03:34
Go ahead and loose your winter storm's fury Go ahead and hit me with all you've got You'll find that I have crystallized Into a silver thaw Some days can get right in your head Sunk deep and shaded in with doubt A friend that shines just like a gem Can reach down a hand and pull you out And I'll bear down all that surrounds me With a beauty made of light 'Til I've broken all that bound me And I've made a path for springtime sun To reach new life Go ahead and loose your winter storm's fury Go ahead and hit me with all you've got You'll find that I have crystallized Into a silver thaw My way is winding myself tight I cry and label myself failure My friend, the steady guiding light Reminds me that I'm a force of nature And I'll bear down all that surrounds me With a beauty made of light 'Til I've broken all that bound me And I've made a path for springtime sun To reach new life Go ahead and loose your winter storm's fury Go ahead and hit me with all you've got You'll find that I have crystallized Into a silver thaw
3.
Truro 04:23
This town is too big Train cars rumbling screech Sirens screaming Dreaming out of reach This town is too small Horse-girls, farms and crows Cowboy country Anti-rock-and-roll I want to go home Fumble with keys In unfamiliar doors Ceiling staring Sink right through the floor I want to go home Half of a heart is a question mark And I left half of mine behind Time moves on even when I'm gone Get me back in time Oh, let me get back in time Deer and dearest Mornings bright and fair Perfect branches Reaching through the air I want to be there So why am I here? Half of a heart is a question mark And I left half of mine behind Time moves on even when I'm gone Get me back in time Oh, let me get back in time
4.
A Gentle Man 05:37
Nervous and giddy and drunk on maple wine They made good on a dream she'd been saving for seven years time They laughed at the rain on that hot summer afternoon As their best friends sang them in to the living room When you love someone so much And you find out that they're worthy When you ask the mountain to move, and it complies She won't forget what she felt that first time that his arm went around her Because she feels it again every time he looks in her eyes The love of a gentle man Strong as a tidal wave, it hits her Wild as the autumn wind Quiet as a whisper She finds herself driving away from him again As the year winds down and the cold begins There's lights on the harbour, but half as many stars Good company, but the bed is lonely and hard That's the price that you pay For a love better than the movies Learning to live with the ache every hour away Though she cries, she'll survive She'll stay strong 'til her trial is ended Because she knows what's waiting when she gets back again The love of a gentle man Strong as a tidal wave, it hits her Wild as the autumn wind Quiet as a whisper Surrounded by water, the evening sun on her face She floats weightless, watching her husband and baby girl play Sometimes she can't sleep, because it fills her heart too much Awake between dreamers, alight between two loves When you love someone so much And it turns out they deserve it When the truth exceeds both your hopes and your desires As years go by, she still tries to live up to the love that found her But sometimes it still takes her by surprise The love of a gentle man Strong as a tidal wave, it hits her Wild as the autumn wind Quiet as a whisper
5.
The woodsmoke floats out and mingles with the fog (There's a storm coming) In the spring, we'll be deafened by a chorus of unseen frogs (There's a storm coming) The chickadees weave at light-speed through the trees (There's a storm coming) The whir of their wings is the only stir of breeze (There's a storm coming) (There's a storm coming) It'll be alright (It'll blow in the door, it'll turn out the lights There's a storm coming) And you'll be just fine (When the sun goes down, it'll be a long dark night) The shadows on the spruce make a thousand different greens (There's a storm coming) The sun stoops low to wish them pleasant dreams (There's a storm coming) The stars arise and swing wide to make room (There's a storm coming) For the sly, half-lidded hound's eye of the moon (There's a storm coming) (There's a storm coming) It'll be alright (It'll blow in the door, it'll turn out the lights There's a storm coming) And you'll be just fine (I hope the wild ones have somewhere to hide) (There's a storm) It's the winds of change It'll blow itself away (And if the roof caves in?) It'll be okay Just hold on 'til daylight breaks There's a chill in the air that gets into your very bones The empty woods echo and make you feel alone There's an ominous look to the swaying of the trees I think I can smell a storm coming on the breeze
6.
They're tearing down the house next door They began while I was sleeping And I dreamed of giant insects clawing at my door I awoke to find a similar thing I can feel a hollow space inside of me Solid ground is shifting where I stand The backdrop of my childhood memories Now exists complete in naught but photographs They could have picked a better time Than December 15th To expose my house on the northern side To the winter wind But that's the way time falls Change is a thing you cannot tame When alarming crashes sound from just beyond your walls You can choose to run away or to remain This year I saw in mid-November A pair of tiny, flying things And it broke my heart to see them And I hoped not to see them again One day my house will fall down And it will leave no lasting trace No signpost to stand where I spent all this time No one left to speak my name I saw moths in mid-November What a strange and sorry thing Do they know their lives are over When the frost begins?
7.
Inverness 03:07
I want to kiss you again With the salt still on our lips And lay in your arms as our breath Comes rolling in waves like the ones in Inverness These, these are my walls Painted blue and holding me tightly between them This, this is my love It is my own And it turns my blood cold how much I've grown The sand, it stretches out And the waves continue to pound No matter how scared I get The sun will always beat down Sarah sings summer songs And the sun on the harbour shines I'm speeding around every turn And I finally feel like I'll be alright I'll be just fine I want to kiss you again
8.
Blue Heart 02:42
Bruce said "Do what you like" but I know that he didn't mean it He thinks there's only one right way to live a life He thinks "easy way out", he thinks "a life without ambition" He doesn't realize that my heart's desires Can't even fit inside his mind Maybe I'll put my house in order My bright blue heart with a chipped white border Baby, kiss me goodnight, I won't be back for a while Find out where the sun shines, out where it kisses the Atlantic And if you trace it back down its golden path You'll find where I stay With my hands in the dirt and my feet on the earth And my body in the water I've made myself such a life down on Graveyard Lane Maybe I'll put my house in order My bright blue heart with a chipped white border Baby, kiss me goodnight, I won't be back for a while
9.
Unrequited 02:58
I was born a dazzling ball of electric love I was formed of frantic, hectic wanting All I want is everything I freely give It's not much, just everything And who decided This life unrequited should be given me to live Ooh, it's the cruelest joke Always to be the one who loves the most I was born Wednesday's child and full of woe Too well I know what harrows me and haunts me I was warned only love can break my heart I am undone because my heart's only love Who decided This life unrequited should be given me to live Ooh, it's the cruelest joke Always to be the one who loves the most
10.
Resilient 05:00
My kid is supposed to grow up Knowing her cousins, her uncles and aunts Making memories and keeping traditions alive At the family reunions, just like her dad My kid is supposed to grow up Learning to share toys and how to build forts Roughhousing and roaming around with her friends Not these infrequent playdates with stressed out adults She is beautiful, oh she's perfect She's so funny and so energetic And I know they say kids are resilient But I don't want to test the limits The world is scary enough as it is My kid is supposed to grow up Free to spend time with the people she loves Without second guessing to calculate risks Of them causing her harm, or her making them sick She is beautiful, oh she's perfect She's so funny and so energetic And I know they say kids are resilient But I don't want to test the limits It's not supposed to be like this Enough, it's enough, we are humbled, we suck We get it, we wrecked it, we caused these effects Love of money unchecked is what did this We roadblocked our route to perceiving the truth The loudest prevail even if they are fools Maybe I'm overreacting Maybe this is catastrophic thinking I know it's cliché to say that I'd be okay If it was only my burden, but it is what it is She's magnificent, oh she's perfect She's so smart, and strong, and sweet, and she loves learning And I know they say kids are resilient But it's not fair that she has to test it My job is to keep her protected My kid is supposed to grow up Safe and surrounded by people she loves
11.
Such Love 05:32
A warm yellow house, filled with noise and laughter All the lights on The smell of fresh bread baking, hear the music playing Door's always open It looks like any old house, nothing special from outside or above What your heart can feel if your senses aren't enough Such love A young man jumps into a tractor trailer Westward, looking for adventure There he meets a fine young woman And her mother thinks that he should have her number In the Honeymoon City, love grew sweet as the peaches at the market And they say the rest is history But it's the future that they built with such love Look at those little girls playing, you know they'll realize one day Just how lucky they've been to have been born within These open hearts and open arms and such love Givers not takers, handmade toys for the babies all along Keep in touch, you know they worry And if you're travelin' don't you hurry, better call There is one prized possession Not a gadget or collection, not the car It's a blown up family picture hung in a place of honour Where everyone's together with such love Once we were little girls playing, each of us realized one day Just how lucky we've been to have been born within These open hearts and open arms and such love
12.
When I'm with you it's just like light The walls become windows and The sun wraps around us, warm and bright The place where the air and water meet It's a powerful softness, and the ocean grows warm and sweet Your love is where the elements combine You look at me softly And I'm strong, I'm true, I'm wild You are the "You" of my life All my songs were preludes All of my childish wants were so I'd be ready for you I love the quiet of the world at night The streetlight reveals what is real and leaves every line defined And I know you're content with the life we've got I can feel your arms around me even when we're apart Better than how I imagined it would be Knowing you're out there somewhere, loving me You are the "You" of my life All my songs were preludes All of my childish wants were so I'd be ready for you Now I'm ready for you

about

After years of focusing on her other musical projects, returning to university, and starting a family, Cape Breton indie-scene veteran, Alicia Penney, is ready to share the songs from her personal journey into adulthood. The new album, “Fox Sparrow” features themes of love and family, presented with Alicia’s characteristically powerful vocals, rich harmonies and heartfelt lyrics, showcasing the progression of her songwriting skills. The melodic prowess she is known and loved for takes centre stage in Fox Sparrow, Alicia’s first full-length, professionally recorded solo album.

credits

released August 27, 2022

Personnel:
Alicia Penney - acoustic guitar, bass, vocals
Jason Burke - electric guitar
Sean MacGillivray - drums
Jamie Foulds - percussion, keys
Jennie McKibbon - cello
Justin Vallis - vocals
James F.W. Thompson - vocals
Carolyn Boudreau - vocals
Ben Furey - banjo, vocals
Adam Burns - bass on Inverness
Hector Smith - drums on Inverness
Steve Wilton - drums on The House Next Door
The Gentle Man Choir: Elyse Aeryn, Sean MacGillivray, Carolyn Boudreau, Jamie Foulds, Alicia Penney

All songs written by Alicia Penney except
Truro and Objects in Space by Alicia Penney and Jason Burke

Recorded at Soundpark Studios by Jamie Foulds in 2022
except Inverness (2010) and The House Next Door (2013),
remastered in 2022. Special thanks to Tamarack.

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Alicia Penney Nova Scotia

After years of focusing on other musical projects, returning to school, and starting a family, Cape Breton indie-scene veteran, Alicia Penney, is ready to share the songs from her journey into adulthood. “Fox Sparrow” features themes of love and family, showcasing Alicia’s characteristically powerful vocals, rich harmonies and heartfelt lyrics. ... more

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