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12

by Robin Tymm

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1.
Binary 03:32
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Just two simple choices That’s all we really need Why’d you have to complicate things With the spaces in between? I’ve got no room for maybes In my world of yes and no Just tell me what you’re thinking It’s really all I want to know CHORUS It’s either wrong or right Must be one or zero Dressed in black or white Makes you a villain or a hero Fences aren’t for sitting They’re there to mark the line You’ve got to make decisions And then plant your flag on either side So we’re cutting down our options But it’s logical to me To find a way of living Without the ambiguities REPEAT CHORUS So where d’you think we’d be If Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Had never taken time to dream up binary? REPEAT CHORUS Makes you a villain or a hero Are you a villain or a hero? © 2007 Robin Tymm 10th September 2007
2.
Way Of Life 03:31
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So how long do you think we’ve got before all this is gone? The river dried up years ago and all the birds have flown My neighbours packed their things and moved on up to higher ground Now it’s only some old crazy folks like us who stuck around CHORUS Yeah, we’ve got a way of life here to defend Though it’s hard to make a living from this dead earth and dying land If we all upped sticks and left what kind of signal would that send? Yeah, we’ve got a way of life here to defend It’s always gonna be a daily struggle to survive But staying in this place is somehow worth that sacrifice We’re not so very diff‘rent but we know we’re not the same So we keep swimming ‘gainst the current, keep on going ‘gainst the grain CHORUS ‘Cause we’ve got a way of life here to defend And this freedom is a rock on which our happiness depends There is nothing more important than our family and friends Yeah, we’ve got a way of life here to defend INSTRUMENTAL You get used to having not enough to eat 'Cause what you want gets kind of blurry when you’re focusing on needs We have walked that extra mile, we have sailed those seven seas In search of something that we can believe CHORUS ‘Yeah, we’ve got a way of life here to defend Though it’s hard to make a living from this dead earth and dying land If we all upped sticks and left what kind of signal would that send? ‘Yeah, we’ve got a way of life here to defend And this freedom is a rock on which our happiness depends There is nothing more important than our family and friends Yeah, we’ve got a way of life here to defend Yeah, we’ve got a way of life here to defend Yeah, we’ve got a way of life here to defend © 2007 Robin Tymm 12th July 2007
3.
Opposite 03:49
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You look to the future But I can’t see that far You have hope for tomorrow I just worry for the way things are We can’t stay forever Together yet apart CHORUS Oh, we’re not right, no, we don’t fit We broke in two ‘cause the glue won’t stick So what’s the point to all of this? We’re poles apart, I guess we’re opposite I can’t keep up with you Every step I fall behind You’re moving fast forward I wish we could rewind The life you wanted Is not one I can provide CHORUS Oh, we’re not right, no, we don’t fit We broke in two ‘cause the glue won’t stick So what’s the point to all of this? We’re poles apart, I guess we’re opposites BRIDGE We’re oil and water We’re chalk and cheese I’m a cold, north wind You’re a summer’s breeze CHORUS Oh, we’re not right, no, we don’t fit Too many pieces broke for us to try and fix So what’s the point to all of this? We’re poles apart, I guess we’re opposite © 2007 Robin Tymm 16th July 2007
4.
Hurting Myself 04:54
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I haven't left the house in days Now every one feels just the same Watching movies, staying up late Drinking myself wide awake CHORUS Now the perfect summer sky looks set to rain Would I hurt you if I hurt myself again? Sick of waiting for your call I pulled the phone right off the wall You don't think of me at all Am I so easy to ignore? CHORUS Now the perfect summer sky looks set to rain Would I hurt you if I hurt myself again? BRIDGE This is just a little storm before the calm So forgive me please, but there's no need for panic or alarm Though we try we're bound to fail Some marks refuse to wash away So damn my luck and curse the fates But I never had a chance, for goodness sake CHORUS Now the perfect summer sky looks set to rain Would I hurt you if I hurt myself again? Now the perfect summer sky looks set to rain Would I hurt you if I hurt myself again? © 2006 Robin Tymm
5.
Magic 03:20
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The man had a beard and a cape and a wand And a pretty assistant with hair straight and blond He pulled a white rabbit from an empty black hat Well how in the world did he ever do that? CHORUS It’s magic....magic No smoke or mirrors were used It’s magic....pure magic Designed to delight and confuse My uncle possessed one miraculous thing Made from pieces of wood and six metal strings He strummed as his fingers danced over the frets Well how in the world did he ever do that? CHORUS It’s magic....magic Whose secrets are never revealed It’s magic....pure magic The conjurer’s lips remain sealed She was small and American, she was probably too young She had bad taste in movies, she argued for fun She proved to me opposites sometimes attract Well how in the world did she ever do that? CHORUS It’s magic....magic No smoke or mirrors were used It’s magic....pure magic Designed to delight and confuse It’s magic....magic Whose secrets are never revealed It’s magic....pure magic The conjurer’s lips remain sealed © 2007 Robin Tymm 18th July 2007
6.
Standing In Corners 04:01
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I wish I did but I just don’t feel it I wish that I could but I cannot believe it I have looked but I still haven’t seen it Never said the word ‘cause I don’t think I could mean it I must have been away the day they studied it in school Now I’m made to stand in corners and I’m treated like a fool Do I harm myself by living without it? If you can’t offer proof then I can’t help but doubt it I am not incomplete, it’s just not what I’m here for I’m not missing a piece of my inner jigsaw It’s a language whose vocabulary I don’t comprehend Can’t hold a simple conversation and it’s useless to pretend Though I’ve failed to see the happiness it brings I’m well aware of all the pain and suffering Oh, to find it, and to taste it Then survive when you’ve misplaced it It’s enough to lose your faith in everything I wish I did but I just don’t feel it I know I should have tried to believe it I deny that I’ve made some attempt to conceal it Strip away these layers might somehow reveal it I must have been away the day they studied it in school Now I’m forced to stand in corners and be treated like a fool You treat me like a fool Don't treat me like a fool © 2007 Robin Tymm 20th June 2007
7.
Signpost 04:19
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I’m a blank white sheet of paper Seeking words of rhyme and reason I’m a wide and empty canvas In desperate need of form and colour So don't come looking to me For some direction, please 'Cause I’m just a signpost Pointing nowhere I’m a photo in an album A failed attempt to save a moment I’m a look without intention A vacant stare off to the distance So don't come looking to me For some direction, please 'Cause I’m just a signpost Pointing nowhere CHORUS So try to sleep and I will keep on driving With your head gently resting on my shoulder So don't come looking to me For some direction, please 'Cause I’m just a signpost Pointing nowhere CHORUS So try to sleep and I will keep on driving With your head gently resting on my shoulder With your head gently resting on my shoulder © 2005 Robin Tymm
8.
Change 03:54
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I think I used to belong But I’m no longer a part I took not joining in Turned it into an art It’s time to take one hard look Say I’m ready for change It’s time to rejoin the world So jump on the next time it's in range CHORUS It’s time for facing my fears And embracing my doubts And admitting that you are something that I simply can’t do without It’s time to give up the drink It’s starting to show in my eyes But life's so painfully dull When I’m not anaesthetised It’s time to find a new way For feeling less empty inside Is there some other drug That you know of I might be prescribed? REPEAT CHORUS Before I’m cast into darkness Before my sun finally sets I want to take all of my chances I hope to have no regrets It’s time to swim in the seas Or to ride on the back of the wind It’s time we went back to the trees Time for starting all over again REPEAT CHORUS And admitting that you are something that I simply can’t do without © 2007 Robin Tymm March 2007
9.
Loved & Lost 04:01
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Don’t be scared to jump right in And don’t worry that you never learned to swim There’s nothing to it, just a simple act of faith To let the water take your weight You can’t understand the great unknown Or those places far outside your comfort zone You’re only guessing ‘bout the things that you might find D’you think you’ve what it takes to cross that line? CHORUS So you can leave your facts and figures at the door That we made it here is all that really counts Is it better to have loved and lost Than never love at all? Now’s as good a time as any to find out Don’t think of all those wasted years You’ve been hamstrung by a weight of baseless fears Now you’re counting down to zero for a new life to begin When you never thought you’d have the chance again BRIDGE When it comes to love we’re skating on thin ice The normal rules of science and logic don’t apply CHORUS So you can leave your facts and figures at the door That we made it here is all that really counts Is it better to have loved and lost Than never love at all? Now’s as good a time as any to find out Now’s as good a time as any to find out © 2007 Robin Tymm 4th June 2007
10.
The Optimist 04:01
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That was the old life, this is the new I’m suddenly aware of where I’m going to Surprised me to find I’ve been lost all along It takes quite a bit to admit I was wrong Changes are surely to come when the walls that surround us are gone CHORUS So let's me and you just pretend for a minute The glass is half full, yeah, there's plenty left in it So shake off these chains and break free from this prison Start living our lives with a little….optimism It’s taken me half of a life to detect The unbreakable link between cause and effect If I don't show some courage, if I don’t hold my nerve I guess I’ll end up with the life I deserve Changes are surely to come with these ties that once bound us undone CHORUS So let's me and you just pretend for a minute The glass is half full, yeah, there's plenty left in it So shake off these chains and break free from this prison Start living our lives with a little…. with a little….optimism Optimism BRIDGE It’s sad but I doubt that you’ll notice the difference in me But I’m new and improved and much better than I used to be ‘Cause inside I’m inspired, realigned and rewired Full to bursting with positivity CHORUS So let's me and you just pretend for a minute The glass is half full, yeah, there's plenty left in it So shake off these chains and break free from this prison Start living our lives with a little…. with a little….optimism Optimism That was the old life, this is the new © 2006 Robin Tymm
11.
So Long 04:12
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It’s a new town, it's a new start It's a new job working in this bar It’s the same beer and the same whiskey shots And the same songs playing on that same jukebox She gave me one look and I knew that I'd be leaving soon CHORUS So sweet, so wrong So it's gotta be so long 'Cause if I stayed then I would Maybe give away a little bit more than I should You’re so sweet but it's so wrong So long She’s a nice smile and a pretty face It’s such a shame that her daddy owns this place So we can't talk and we can't touch Even thinking about it is bad enough He gives me one look and I know that He’ll have to let me go CHORUS So sweet, so wrong So it's gotta be so long 'Cause if I stayed then I would Maybe give away a little bit more than I should You’re so sweet but it's so wrong So long BRIDGE I’d probably be the same If all the roles were changed And you were a daughter of mine But from where I stand I’m just an honest man And sir, I’ve not committed any crime REPEAT CHORUS So sweet, so wrong So it's gotta be so long 'Cause if I stayed then I would Maybe give away a little bit more than I should You’re so sweet but it's so wrong You’re so sweet but you're too young You’re so sweet but it's so wrong So long © 2006 Robin Tymm
12.
Departed 04:33
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It might seem as though I am overreacting But I can’t get out of this bed The simple instruction I sent from my brain Has got lost on the way to my legs My nerves have been frozen, there’s no sign of motion My body is lifelessly numb The most basic commands don’t transmit to my hands And I can’t move my fingers and thumbs CHORUS Have I reached the end? But I barely got started There’s been some mistake it’s not my time to leave No sooner arrived but already departed The bell can’t be tolling for me I can’t feel the weight of the sheets pushing down Or the warmth of the sun on my skin Or the rough cotton weave of my hospital gown Or the beat of my heart from within My eyes remain open but fixed and unfocused The colours all fade into grey I’d like to cry out but I can’t make my mouth Form the words I’ve been longing to say CHORUS Have I reached the end? But I barely got started There’s been some mistake it’s not my time to leave No sooner arrived but already departed The bell can’t be tolling for me The sounds fill my ears and I can’t help but hear Every word, every prayer that is said The faraway whine of my heart’s flattened line That proclaims to the world I am dead CHORUS Have I reached the end? But I barely got started There’s been some mistake it’s not my time to go No sooner arrived and already departed I’ve come to the end of the show © 2007 Robin Tymm 20th September 2007

about

This is a collection of songs that, at the time of recording, were 10 or more years old.
Many had been contenders for previous albums but for a variety of reasons didn't get chosen....but I kept those recordings.
In the middle of 2017 I put all of my 120-ish unreleased tracks onto an ipod and listened, on random, in my car - the songs that held the most interest for me were the older ones, hence this album.
I started off with 19 "possibles" that were more than a decade old and that number reduced over time - as the working (and eventual) title for the album was "12", it seemed a reasonable idea to pick 12 tracks.

credits

released January 6, 2018

all instruments were played by Robin Tymm except for the dobro and banjos on track 2 that were played by Toby Wilson

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Robin Tymm Ashbourne, UK

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