BLACK HISTORY MONTH
Outside Child by Allison Russell
PART 2: The Lyrics
This post is a companion piece to Kurated No. 134: PART 1 which discusses the music on the Outside Child album
- Lyrics to the 11 Outside Child album tracks
ALLISON RUSSELL’S OUTSIDE CHILD:
ALBUM LYRICS
The lyrics to Allison Russell’s first solo album in her 20-year career tell the story of her childhood abuse at the hands of her stepfather until she left home in Montreal at the age of 15. Nine of the 11 songs are written collaboratively. Russell authored All of the Women and Little Rebirth.
Stay tuned and enjoy,
04 February 2022
TRACK LIST
- Montreal
- Nightflyer
- Persephone
- 4th Day Prayer
- The Runner
- Hy-Brasil
- The Hunters
- All Of The Women
- Poison Arrow
- Little Rebirth
- Joyful Motherfuckers
Montreal
Oh my Montreal
Can I dream of you tonight?
Of before the fall
Your rose, your azure light
Oh you Cathedrals
Your shadows felt like loving arms
I was your child, Montreal
You would not let me come to harm
To reminisce on the times before
There were just so few of them, of them
The jackal came in spring, took me
When I was still so young, so young
The mind of a child has oceans wide
And a thousand millenniums
And the city was my sky and stars
Les fenêtres de l’infini
Hmmm hmmm
J’étais si vieille, j’étais si jeune
J’étais si jeune, si vieille
Les yeux de l’enfant voient tout, voient tout
Voient tout, voient tout, tu sais
La lumière tavelée sur les arbres
La pourriture dans la plus blanche marbre
La sagesse bouleversant
La sagesse coeur brisant
La sagesse de l’enfant
La sagesse de l’enfant
Coeur brisant
Coeur brisant
Oh my Montreal
Can I dream of you tonight?
Of before the fall
Your rose, your azure light
Oh you Cathedrals
Your shadows felt like loving arms
I was your child, Montreal
You would not let me come to harm
Oh my Montreal
Can I dream of you tonight?
Nightflyer
[Chorus]
Yeah, I’m a midnight rider
Stone bona fide night flyer
I’m an angel of the morning too
The promise that the dawn will bring you, you
[Verse 1]
I’m the melody and the space between
Every note the swallow sings
I’m fourteen vultures circling
I’m that crawling, dying thing
I’m the smoke up above the trees, Good Lord
The fire and the branch that’s burning, Lord
Maybe you were sleeping, Lord
But Mary she’s not weeping no more, no, mm-mm
[Chorus]
Yeah, I’m a midnight rider
Stone bona fide night flyer
I’m an angel of the morning too
The promise that the dawn will bring you, you, you
[Verse 2]
I’m the sick light of a hurricanе’s eye
I’m a violent lullaby
I’m six firеflies, one streetlight
I’m a suffocating summer night hm-mm, mm
I’m each of his steps on the stairway
I’m his shadow in the door frame
I’m the tap-tap of a lunar moth
I’m the stale beer on his breath hm-mm, hm-mm
[Verse 3]
His soul is trapped in that room
But I crawled back in my mother’s womb
Came back out with my gold and my greens
Now I see everything
Now I feel everything, Good Lord
What the hell could they bring to stop me, Lord?
Nothing from the earth, nothing from the sea
Not a God Almighty thing
[Chorus]
Yeah, I’m a midnight rider
Stone bona fide night flyer
I’m an angel of the morning too
The promise that the dawn will bring you, you, you
[Verse 4]
I’m the wounded bird, I’m the screaming hawk
I’m the one who can’t be counted out
I’m the dove thrown into battle
I can roll and shake and rattle hm-mm, hm-mm
I’m the moon’s dark side, I’m the solar flare
The child of the Earth, the child of the Air
I am The Mother of the Evening Star
I am the Love that Conquers All
[Chorus]
Yeah, I’m a midnight rider
Stone bona fide night flyer
I’m an angel of the morning too
The promise that the dawn will bring you
Yeah, I’m a midnight rider
Stone bona fide night flyer
I’m an angel of the morning too
The promise that the dawn will bring you
[Outro]
You, you
You, you
You, you
Persephone
[Verse 1]
Blood on my shirt, two ripped buttons
Might’ve killed me that time, oh if I’d let him
He’s slow when he’s drunk, and he lost his grip on me
Now I’m running down La Rue St. Paul
Trying to get out from the weight of it all
Can’t flag a cop ’cause I know he won’t stop
I’ll go see Persephone
[Chorus]
Tap tap tappin’ on your window screen
Gotta let me in, Persephone
Got nowhere to go, but I had to get away from him
My petals are bruised, but I’m still a flower
Come runnin’ to you in the violet hour
Put your skinny arms around me, let me taste your skin
[Verse 2]
Mouth to mouth, mouth to flower
Salty sweet, you give me power
I feel you shake under my lips
Your fingers tender find my secrets
Don’t make a sound, don’t cry out, love
Your parents are sleeping just above
I kiss you once, I kiss you twice
Fall asleep looking in each other’s eyes
[Chorus]
Tap tap tappin’ on your window screen
Gotta let me in, Persephone
Got nowhere to go, but I had to get away from him
My petals are bruised, but I’m still a flower
Come runnin’ to you in the violet hour
Put your skinny arms around me, let me taste your skin
[Bridge]
Light on your shoulder, light on your cheek
Light telling me it’s time to leave
The birds are calling to the morning
Your parents’ feet above us stirring
Kiss your belly before I go
Climb back outta your basement window
Back to the cold’s bite, back to the hard life
Back to the harsh bright street
[Chorus]
Tap tap tappin’ on your window screen
Gotta let me in, Persephone
Got nowhere to go, but I had to get away from him
My petals are bruised, but I’m still a flower
Come runnin’ to you in the violet hour
Put your skinny arms around me, let me taste your skin
4th Day Prayer
[Verse 1]
I was the Queen of Westmount Park
It was all mine after dark
Old willow tree it was my throne
Till I, till I went home
Father used me like a wife
Mother turned the blindest eye
Stole my body, spirit, pride
He did, he did each night
[Chorus]
One for the hate that loops and loops
Two for the poison at the roots
Three for the children breaking through
Four for the day we’re standing in the sun
Ooh, ooh, ooh
[Verse 2]
“These are the best years of your life”
If I’d bеlieved it I’d have diеd
Something told me that they lied
Oh I, oh I survived
Left home, I was just a child
Slept in the graveyard, end of the Mile
When the sun came up and found my skin
I rose, I rose again
[Chorus]
One for the hate that loops and loops
Two for the poison at the roots
Three for the children breaking through
Four for the day we’re standing in the sun
Ooh, ooh, ooh
[Verse 3]
Slip streams and fever dreams
Do you see what I can’t see?
Tell me, tell me, tell me
I want to understand
From the coast of Africa
To the hills of Grenada
To the cold of Montreal
That whip, that whip still falls
[Chorus]
One for the hate that loops and loops
Two for the poison at the roots
Three for the children breaking through
Four for the day we’re standing in the sun
One for the hate that loops and loops (Ooh)
Two for the poison at the roots (Ooh)
Three for the children breaking through (Ooh)
Four for the day
One for the hate that loops and loops (Ooh)
Two for the poison at the roots (Ooh)
Three for the children breaking through (Ooh)
Four for the day
The Runner
Verse 1]
Oh, I had to run, to run, to run
From Mont Royale
Aux Portes des Lions (to the Lion’s Doors)
But no freedom would come my way
Yeah, no freedom from
What he’d done to me
[Chorus]
Then I heard that Rock and Roll
Outside the South Hill Candy Store
Felt myself walking in
I was up above me, I was standing right beside me, oh
And I saw my deliverance
Deliverance
[Verse 2]
Oh, I had to sing, to sing, to sing
From the western sea
To the old country
Oh, I had to bleed, to bleed, to bleed
Till his poison left my veins
Left me
[Chorus]
Yeah, I heard that Rock and Roll
Outside the South Hill Candy Store
Felt myself walking in
I was up above me, I was standing right beside me, oh
And I saw my deliverance
Deliverance
[Verse 3]
Now I still run, still run, still run
To catch a song
And cheat the gun
Come freedom come, I pray, I pray
Can’t stop me now
Can’t steal my joy
[Chorus]
Then I heard that Rock and Roll
Outside the South Hill Candy Store
Felt myself walking in
I was up above me, I was standing right beside me, oh
And I saw my deliverance
Deliverance
Hy-Brasil
[Verse 1]
My great grandmother was a magic weaver
Came across the water and caught the fever
She wondered if her mother could hear her when
She said the words she learned to say
[Chorus]
In the blue camhanaich
all shimmering still
, low Lady of the Hills
Cup of cold sun and a winterpill
Send me back on my way
Seven black rabbits of Hy-Brasil
Twenty-one petals of daffodils
Thirteenth note of the blackcap trill
I’ll fly home today
[Verse 2]
Down in the cradle oh I would hear hеr
As I breathed my soul beliеved if
I sang those words I could leave there
Leave my sorrow and pain
[Chorus]
In the blue camhanaich all shimmering still
Dame Calluna, low Lady of the Hills
Cup of cold sun and a winterpill
Send me back on my way
Seven black rabbits of Hy-Brasil
Twenty-one petals of daffodils
Thirteenth note of the blackcap trill
I’ll fly home today
[Verse 3]
Though my brittle body was caught in his snare
My soul would learn how to travel where
The eyes of the rabbits were gleaming there
On the isle of Hy-Brasil
Seven years we drown, seven years we rise
Said the black rabbit with the ancient eyes
You’ll be free, oh lura lae
He cannot match your will
[Chorus]
In the blue camhanaich all shimmering still
Dame Calluna, low Lady of the Hills
Cup of cold sun and a winterpill
Send me back on my way
Seven black rabbits of Hy-Brasil
Twenty-one petals of daffodils
Thirteenth note of the blackcap trill
I’ll fly home today
[Verse 4]
Though I drowned for ten years, I’m still rising
Stronger for my pain and suffering
My body was broken but my heart’s reborn
I’m freer than the sky
[Chorus]
In the blue camhanaich all shimmering still
Dame Calluna, low Lady of the Hills
Cup of cold sun and a winterpill
Send me back on my way
Seven black rabbits of Hy-Brasil
Twenty-one petals of daffodils
Thirteenth note of the blackcap trill
I’ll fly home today
The Hunters
[Verse 1]
Hey Papa, hey Mama
The sun is out, oh, can I play?
Yes my child, yes my child
But do not leave the path today
Why Mama, why Papa?
The trees are my friends, as is the shade
The wolves have come down from the hills
They’re hungry and they’ll have their way
Oh Papa, oh Mama
It is of you I am afraid
The hunter and the hunter’s bride
Your teeth as sharp as razor blades
[Chorus]
Le coeur de l’enfant est le coeur de l’univers, l’amour doré
Comme bien-printemps, généreux, chaleureux
Mais jamais innocent
Ni complétement sans douleur
[Verse 2]
Look Mama, look Papa
The wilderlands have made me brave
The wolves came down, they called me kin
They gave me strength to run and chase
Oh Papa, oh Mama
I have come to break your blades
Curse you child, curse you child
We should have killed you as a babe
Yes Mama, yes Papa
You had your chance, now it’s too late
Yes Papa, yes Mama
The wolves will howl and dance today
[Chorus]
Le coeur de l’enfant est le coeur de l’univers, l’amour doré
Comme bien-printemps, généreux, chaleureux
Mais jamais innocent
Ni complétement sans douleur
[Outro]
Hey Papa, hey Mama
Hey Papa, hey Mama
Why Papa, why Mama
Why Papa, why Mama
Why Papa, why Mama
All of the Women
By Allison Russell
[Chorus]
She’s been a fixture as long as I’ve lived here
On the corner most every night for the last six years
When she’s not there
When she’s not there
When she’s not there
I worry about her
Worry about her
I think of all of the women
All of the women
All of the women
Who disappear
Who disappear
[Verse]
We’ve made friendly acquaintance, sometimes we talk
She likes the way that I smile
And sing as I walk
I like her fabulous outfits, the proud way she moves
She says, “I used to be a dancer
Some grace you don’t lose
Some grace you don’t lose”
“I made some choices, some were made for me
For the way I survive I make no apology
Everybody and somebody don’t always meet up
I’m the salvation for those left without
For those left without, those living small lies
What I provide can’t be measured in nickels and dimes
In nickels and dimes”
I ask, “What about the bad dates, don’t you ever get scared?”
“Well I’ve had my share, honey, but it’s fear I can bear
It’s fear I can bear
‘Cause I’m stronger than eggshells, I’m tougher than luck
I’ve never been despised so much or hit so hard
Or hit so hard, I couldn’t get back up
I couldn’t get back up
I couldn’t get back up”
[Chorus]
She’s been a fixture as long as I’ve lived here
On the corner most every night for the last six years
When she’s not there
When she’s not there
When she’s not there
I worry about her
I worry about her
Think of all of the women (All of the women)
All of the women (All of the women)
All of the women (All of the women)
All of the women (All of the women)
All of the women (All of the women)
All of the women (All of the women)
All of the women (All of the women)
Who disappear
Who disappear
[Outro]
Who disappear
Who disappear
Who disappear
Who disappear
Who disappear
Poison Arrow
Poison arrow be kind to me and I’ll be kind to you
It’s not just your poison, it’s the bow, the string
Shaft and feather too
The rush of the wind
The blue sky above
The rain that soaked the ground
To give the oleander love
Go in peace be not afraid
Roll em easy, Namaste
All you sad and broken travelers, come on
Poison arrow broke in my chest
But I’m In my finery
At Le Divan on Boulevard St. Laurent
Sipping dry sherry
The sun is bleeding slow
She dies in pink and blue
Etta’s on the radio
Singing trust in me in all you do
Go in peace be not afraid
Roll em easy namaste
All you sad and broken travelers, come on
Je te souhaîte la paix
Je te souhaîte l’acceptance
Je te souhaîte une deuxième chance
Et le coeur, le coeur d’un enfant
Routier Routier
Chanter! Chanter!
L’heure des miracles est arrivée
Le poison peut-être médecin
Si t’on bois une goute seulement
Translation (I wish for you peace/ I wish for you acceptance / I wish for you a second chance
And the heart, the heart of a child/ Traveler! Traveler! /Sing! Sing! /The hour of miracles has arrived /Poison can be medicine too if you only drink a drop)
Little Rebirth
By Allison Russell
Chimes in the morning
Feet to the Earth
Wild birds calling
A little Rebirth
Cold pavement pressed
Against a barefoot
Can you feel the Mother moving
Through the bonds of our works?
Who have you been
Who will you be
Who are you now
What can you hear, what can you see?
What can you do
What can be done
Who can ever know
The mystery within?
Le dernier sera premier
Une belle journee
Tournesol tourne au soleil
Chanter! Chanter!
Translation (The last shall be first, some beautiful day, sunflower turn to the sun Sing! Sing!)
Dust of the Stars
Bones of the Earth
Breath of the Void
A little Rebirth
Chimes in the morning
Feet to the Earth
We’re all transforming
A little Rebirth
Joyful Motherfuckers
Where in the world are the joyful motherfuckers?
The fearless lovers, the rainbow shooters
The wild acceptors, the hopeful sinners
The gentle teachers, the true forgivers
Les courageuses, les amoureuses
Les enfants braves, les grand-mères jeunes, les lumineuses
If you’vе got love in your heart, but it’s way down in the dark
You bеtter let it see the sun, this world is almost done
Grandma always told me love will conquer hate
I don’t know if it’s too late, I don’t know if it’s too late
Hey you, hey you, who you think I’m talking to?
Show ’em what you got in your heart
Blessings be upon the thief of my childhood
The ragged jackal, that loveless coward
Oh my father, you were the thief of nothing
I’ll be a child in the garden, ten-thousand years and counting
Les courageuses, les amoureuses
Les enfants braves, les grands-mères jeunes
Les lumineuses, petites merveilleuses
Constellations hors de temps
Le coeur est plus grand
Le coeur est plus grand
Qu’on soupçon
If you’ve got love in your heart, but it’s way down in the dark
You better let it see the sun, this world is almost done
Grandma always told me love will conquer hate
I don’t know if it’s too late, I don’t know if it’s too late
Hey you, hey you, who you think I’m talking to?
Show ’em what you got in your heart
